Vancouver Canucks fire Adam Foote and three assistant coaches
The housecleaning continues for the Vancouver Canucks.
Jim Rutherford is no longer the president of hockey operations. Patrick Allvin is no longer the general manager. And now Adam Foote isn’t the head coach.
The Canucks announced on Tuesday morning that Foote has been relieved of his duties after just one season as head coach. All three Canucks assistant coaches have been fired, too, as Kevin Dean, Scott Young, and Brett McLean have been let go.
There’s a new management team in charge (Rob Williams/Daily Hive)
This is the first major move made by the new Canucks management team, of Ryan Johnson and Henrik and Daniel Sedin. The Canucks have called a press conference at Rogers Arena for this afternoon, where Johnson will speak with reporters about his decision.
“We would like to thank Adam, Scott, Kevin, and Brett for all the work they did for us this season,” Johnson said in a press release. “It was a challenging year on several fronts and truthfully, Adam and his staff were dealt a very difficult hand. That said, as we head into a rebuild, our group feels new coaching voices are needed to chart the path forward.
“Establishing the proper environment and culture is a vital first step in creating a solid and authentic connection throughout the entire organization. At the start of next season, our coaches will need to do a lot of work with our players, to instill in them the traits and habits they will rely on moving forward.
“The process to bring in a new staff begins immediately.”
Foote was promoted to head coach last offseason, following two and a half years as Rick Tocchet’s assistant. It was widely viewed as a move to appease Quinn Hughes, who apparently liked Foote’s work with the Canucks defencemen.
But Foote’s lone season in charge didn’t go well. He was put into a tough position with injuries and an undermanned roster, and the Canucks sank to the bottom of the standings, posting a 25-49-8 record.
All eyes will now turn to Manny Malhotra, who has close ties to Johnson, as well as the Sedins. Will they promote him from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, or will they look elsewhere to find their next head coach?
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