New York Rangers Fire Head Coach Peter Laviolette
Peter Laviolette (Danny Wild-Imagn Images)
The New York Rangers organization announced on Saturday that they have fired head coach Peter Laviolette. The team has also let go of Phil Housley, who was Laviolette's associate behind the bench.
Rangers GM Chris Drury forwarded a statement, saying, 'I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first-class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach,' he said.
Advertisement
The Rangers had a disastrous season compared to their previous President's Trophy-winning 2023-24 campaign. They ended that regular season with a 55-23-4 record and also advanced to the Eastern Conference final, losing to the Florida Panthers in six games.
However, this season, New York finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and six points out of a playoff spot. This was Laviolette's second season with the Rangers after being hired for the 2023-24 campaign. His record over those two seasons with the Blueshirts was 94-59-11 with a win percentage of .607. This past season, his team finished with a 39-36-7 record.
Drury touched on what their expectations were going off of last season and how they simply weren't met. 'After finishing with the best regular-season record in the NHL a year ago and making a trip to the Eastern Conference final, we came into this season with high expectations for ourselves,' he said. 'Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations.'
The Rangers GM added that their quest to find a new head coach begins 'immediately.'
Advertisement
Late into the season, Laviolette had a hard-hitting quote that shocked the hockey world. After a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 7, Laviolette was asked post-game about what his message was to the team after the game.
He replied, "I don't have a message right now. I don't go into the locker room after the game." That started discussions and rumors that his time with the Rangers could be over.
Before his time in New York, he had coached five other teams over 21 seasons. He began his career as a head coach with the New York Islanders in 2001-02. After that, he went on to coach the Carolina Hurricanes, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals.
Aside from winning the Cup in 2006, he advanced to the Stanley Cup final two more times. Once with the Flyers in 2009-10 and the Predators in 2016-17.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
31 minutes ago
- New York Post
‘Throwback' Ryan Yarbrough has become a Yankees rotation savior with tweaked pitch
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free As an AL East veteran, Ryan Yarbrough has pitched against the Yankees enough for them to know how much trouble he can give lineups. But what the left-hander, often described by Aaron Boone as a 'throwback,' has now done for them in five starts since moving into the rotation may even be better than they could have hoped for. Advertisement Armed with an improved changeup — thanks in part to a former Yankees minor league pitching coach — multiple arm slots and a wide-ranging arsenal that ranges from 67.7-90.9 mph, Yarbrough has been a savior at the back end of the Yankees rotation and will try to keep it going on Saturday against the Red Sox. 4 Ryan Yarbrough throws a pitch during the Yankees' game against the Rangers on May 21. Robert Sabo for the NY Post 'It's a lot of fun [catching him],' Austin Wells said Friday. 'I feel like you get to appreciate the art of being able to call a game. The way he's able to throw pitches in the entire zone and fill it up and still get the swing and miss and chase that guys that throw 100 do, I think it's arguably at times more fun to do something like that with a guy like that.' Yarbrough entered Saturday with a 2.08 ERA in five starts with 24 strikeouts in 26 innings since he entered the rotation. Advertisement To get there, the process began in spring training with the Blue Jays. 4 Ryan Yarbrough reacts during the Yankees' game against the Rangers on May 21. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post Their bullpen coach, Graham Johnson, previously served as the pitching coach at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, so he speaks the same language and has a similar approach as the Yankees' pitching group. Advertisement Johnson began working with Yarbrough on tweaking his changeup, and he got promising results with it before Yarbrough triggered the opt out of his minor league deal and then signed a $2 million contract with the Yankees three days before Opening Day. At the time, Yarbrough offered bullpen depth but with the potential to swing into the rotation if needed, and it did not take long for that to be the case. 4 Ryan Yarbrough pumps his fist during the Yankees' game against the Angels on May 26. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 'We obviously know Graham really well and know where he was coming from on the changes,' pitching coach Matt Blake said Friday. 'It at least showed that Yarbs is interested in making adjustments to his arsenal and opened up the conversation, 'What was the adjustment? What were you doing before? Here's some other thoughts around it.' ' Advertisement Yarbrough joined the Yankees in Miami for their exhibition against the Marlins and sat down with the pitching group to dive into what he had been working on. They let the first week or so of the season play out with his old changeup before they made a subtle adjustment — using the same grip, but lining the laces up slightly differently to induce more drop. The result? CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS Yarbrough has thrown 137 changeups (20.6 percent of his pitches) and opposing batters are hitting just .167 with a .367 slugging percentage against it. It has accounted for 11 strikeouts and a 46.6 percent whiff rate compared to 22.7 percent last season. The average exit velocity against it is 79.4 mph, the weak contact part of why he ranks in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity against (84.1). Advertisement Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters 'I think it's just getting a little more depth to it, a little bit more bite,' Yarbrough said of the pitch that has averaged 4.1 more inches of vertical drop from last year. 'But I also think now we're setting it up and using other things to help it continue to get better.' The 'other things' include his four-seam fastball that averages 88.3 mph, a sinker that averages 87.2 mph, a cutter that averages 83.3 mph and a sweeper that averages 71.8 mph. 4 Ryan Yarbrough prepares to throw a pitch during the Yankees' game against the Angels on May 26. Imagn Images Advertisement Only the changeup and cutter come from the same arm angle (11 degrees), with the other three pitches ranging from nine degrees to 21, according to Baseball Savant — all much more side-armed than league average. 'He's got the different angle,' DJ LeMahieu said. 'He's not going to light up the radar gun, but all his pitches feel like they get on you. His fastballs look like they get on you and his offspeed looks extra slow. Just one of those guys that has good stuff and knows what he's doing out there.'
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brad Marchand with a Shorthanded Goal vs. Edmonton Oilers
The Stars And The Hurricanes Can't Squander What They've Achieved When Trying To Take The Next Step Even before the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers start the 2025 Stanley Cup final on Wednesday, they've already appeared in more post-season games than any other team in the league since the NHL went back to its regular playoff format in the 2021-22 season.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jets Winners of Rodgers' Final Pivot
Jets Winners of Rodgers' Final Pivot originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In hiring head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, the New York Jets have made an intentional step toward both competency and a full-scale cultural reset. 'All gas, no brake' ran out of fuel, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers' hopes of landing a spot on the 2025 roster went down with it. Advertisement Regardless of how well Rodgers performed in 2024, his presence was always going to be incompatible with Glenn's vision. New York needed a reset, and did so by releasing Rodgers and signing Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal. That left the Pittsburgh Steelers without a starting quarterback, and as options flew off the board, Rodgers became the favorite to fill that gap. And then he took three months to put pen to paper. On Thursday, Adam Schefter reported that Rodgers will sign a one-year deal with Pittsburgh. 'Steelers never wavered in their belief that Aaron Rodgers would eventually sign with Pittsburgh,' Schefter wrote. 'Steelers HC Mike Tomlin loomed large in this entire situation. Tomlin was a drawing card for Rodgers, and was happy to work within Rodgers' timeline. He is a major reason that Rodgers will be a Steeler.' Advertisement Signing with the Steelers this late in the offseason only makes the new-look Jets look smarter. Rodgers will be in Pittsburgh for mandatory minicamp after missing the earlier offseason workouts and (presumably) operating without offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's playbook. That's more likely to have tangible impacts on the less-experienced players trying to get on the same page than the Canton-bound quarterback, but it is a small hurdle nonetheless. It's also one New York may benefit from. The Jets will host Rodgers and the Steelers in Week 1, offering a revenge game for both Fields, who was benched by Pittsburgh, and Rodgers, who went public about his brief meeting with New York's brass. The Steelers are currently field goal favorites. The Jets could have signed up for one more year of Rodgers and given Glenn a known quantity under center, a veteran presence whose steady hand could keep things somewhat on track. But by making the right decision, New York landed the quarterback Pittsburgh would have preferred and destined another team to the circus that is Rodgers on and off the field. Advertisement Rodgers may very well find success with the Steelers, but removing themselves from his orbit is a win in itself, and it reflects well upon the new administration. Related: Jets Coach Reveals Update on Fields' Progress Related: Jets' Glenn Speaks Out On Fields' 'Man's Man' Leadership This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
