Vegas Golden Knights fire Pete DeBoer
DeBoer, 53, had been with the Golden Knights for parts of three seasons, joining them midway through the 2019-20 campaign following the dismissal of then-head coach Gerard Gallant.
The Golden Knights accumulated a 98-50-12 regular season record under DeBoer's stewardship and even found some playoff success, highlighted by a run to the Western Conference Final in the 2020 playoff bubble.
That's just not good enough for a team with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations and a roster built to contend now, often at the expense of the future. So, after a year of unrelentingly poor injury luck, seismic roster changes, and a very public feud with goaltender Robin Lehner culminated in a 43-31-8 record, good for fourth in the Pacific Division -- it was curtains for DeBoer.
"We would like to thank Pete DeBoer for his commitment to the Vegas Golden Knights over the past three seasons," Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement released by the team this morning. "Since joining the organization, Pete and his staff have guided us through some of the most unique and challenging circumstances we've witnessed since our franchise entered the NHL. After lengthy discussions over the last two weeks, we believe that a new coach will put us in the best position to succeed next season."
