MONTREAL — Guy Carbonneau was fired as coach of the struggling Canadiens, hockey’s most historic franchise that is in danger of missing the playoffs in its 100th season.
The timing of Monday’s move was a bit surprising because the Canadiens are currently in a playoff position and there are only 16 games left in the regular season.
General manager Bob Gainey, who handed over the coaching duties to Carbonneau three years ago, will return behind the bench tonight when Montreal hosts the Oilers.
The Canadiens are tied with Carolina for fifth place in the Eastern Conference but only one point above the postseason cutoff. Montreal (35-24-7) went into a free-fall in late January and February, losing 10-of-13.
“The last eight weeks of performance have been below average, and I believe a change in the direction at ice level is necessary,” Gainey said.
In 230 games with the Canadiens, Carbonneau was 124-83-23. He is the seventh NHL coach fired this season, and the fourth in five weeks. There are no plans for him to remain in the organization.
Gainey, a Hall of Fame forward in 16 seasons with Montreal, had a coaching stint with the Minnesota-Dallas franchise from 1990-96 while also serving as GM. He went 23-15-3 with the Canadiens.
Footnotes.
NHL Players’ Association chief Paul Kelly urged the league’s general managers, in Naples, Fla., for a three- day meeting, to adopt a ban against intentional hits to the head. Kelly proposed a rule that would give referees the ability to immediately punish players who deliberately target the heads of opponents.
• Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov (lower body), defenseman Rob Blake (foot) and forward Claude Lemieux (upper body) are out indefinitely because of injuries.
• The Stars signed center Brian Sutherby to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million. The Associated Press
