COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Blue Jackets fired defensive-minded coach Ken Hitchcock on Wednesday, less than a year after the club made the postseason for the first time.
Assistant coach Claude Noel was chosen to lead the team on an interim basis.
General manager Scott Howson announced the firing a day after the Blue Jackets blew a 1-0 lead in a listless 5-1 loss at Colorado. Columbus stands 14th among the 15 Western Conference teams, with a 22-27-9 record and 53 points.
“It wasn’t working,” Howson said. “The team wasn’t responding to the message.”
The Blue Jackets play their next game at home against Dallas on Thursday night.
“You’re going to see some changes,” Noel said. “But I’m not going to reinvent the game.”
Noel, 54, joined the Blue Jackets as an assistant coach in June 2007, after spending four seasons as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals. During that time, he led the club to a 183-94-12-31 regular- season record, three 100-point seasons and two West Division titles.
The fourth coach in Blue Jackets history, Hitchcock has a record of 533-372-136 in 1,041 regular-season NHL games with the Stars, Flyers and Blue Jackets. With Columbus, he went 125-123-36.
Komisarek done for season
TORONTO — U.S. Olympic defenseman Mike Komisarek of the Maple Leafs will have shoulder surgery that will knock him out of the Vancouver Games and the rest of the NHL season. A date for the operation has not been set.
Canes place Ruutu on IR
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Hurricanes activated defenseman Joe Corvo (leg) and placed forward Tuomo Ruutu (upper body) on injured reserve.
The Associated Press
