BOSTON – Mike Keenan is out as head coach of the Boston
Bruins, but the team stopped short of designating assistant Peter
Laviolette as his replacement.
"Peter Laviolette is probably the leading candidate," general
manager Mike O'Connell said Thursday. "I know what he can do, but
I am not saying the job is his."
Keenan replaced Pat Burns, fired Oct. 25, eight games into the
season, and he led the team to within a tiebreaker of making the
playoffs.
The Bruins went 33-26-7-8 in 74 games under Keenan, and tied
Carolina for the final Eastern Conference berth with 88 points. The
Hurricanes won the tiebreaker with two more wins.
O'Connell met with Keenan on Thursday morning to tell him the
team would not exercise its option to retain him for two more
years.
"Though the team made progress, there was not enough progress
to warrant extending him another two years," O'Connell said.
O'Connell thought Keenan raised player expectations, but "night
in and night out, they did not keep their focus and consistency to
be a top team."
Keenan said he could have met management's expectations if he
had a healthy team and a full season behind the bench to install
his system and instill new attitudes.
"I think (O'Connell) doesn't have a full realization of what it
takes to turn a team around, the kind of patience you need to turn
around the attitudes of a group of people," Keenan said, adding he
felt the team was headed in a "winning direction."
Keenan reportedly was unpopular with players and the training
staff, who objected to his style of motivating through
intimidation.
Under Keenan's contract, the Bruins had 10 days after the final
game to decide whether to keep him. The Bruins ended their season
with a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on April 7.
A day earlier, the Bruins were eliminated from playoff
contention for the second straight year in a 5-2 loss to New
Jersey.
The 51-year-old Keenan became Boston's fourth coach in just over
six seasons. Boston was his sixth team, following coaching jobs
with Philadelphia, Chicago, the New York Rangers, St. Louis and
Vancouver – cities where he gained a reputation for being tough on
players.
Keenan's style won the Stanley Cup in 1994, his only season with
the Rangers, and he reached the Cup finals in 1985 and 1987 with
Philadelphia and in 1992 with Chicago.
But in three of his four multiyear stints as coach, his teams
have won fewer games in each successive season.
Keenan replaced Burns after the Bruins started this season
3-4-1.
Keenan earlier said he thought his biggest accomplishment was
coaxing career years out of Jason Allison, Bill Guerin, Sergei
Samsonov and Joe Thornton after abandoning Burns' defensive
trapping style.
But starting goalie Byron Dafoe was limited by injuries to 43
games. Boston had lost four straight games with John Grahame in
goal before Dafoe returned for the final 13.
O'Connell said he did not know if things would have been
different if Dafoe stayed healthy.
O'Connell did not say when a new coach would be hired, but said
he is looking for one with a specific style.
"Every time on the ice, every shift, try to score without
sacrificing defense," he said.
Laviolette is 36, but his age is not a factor, O'Connell said.
"There are other young coaches in the league who are getting it
done," he said.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|
|
ALSO SEE
2000-01 NHL coaching changes
Users' response to Mike Keenan
AUDIO VIDEO
 Bruins GM Mike O'Connell says his players and coach wanted to be in the playoffs this year.
avi: 2062 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
|
