The San Jose Sharks have fired their head coach Bob Boughner. The team announced the decision on Friday while confirming that Boughner’s assistants John Madden, John MacLean, and Dan Darrow are also leaving the organization.
Boughner’s departure comes after the Sharks finished the 2021-22 NHL season with a 32-37-13 record. This marked the third-straight time the franchise missed the playoffs with Boughner in charge.
“The bottom line is we have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, which isn’t acceptable to our owner, our organization, or to our fans,” said Sharks’ interim general manager Joe Will in a team-released statement.
Boughner’s exit will now give the Sharks a chance for a fresh start. The organization is currently searching for a new general manager after long-term executive Doug Wilson stepped down from his role in April due to health issues. After the new GM comes to the building, he will be able to hand pick the coach he wants and kick off a new era for the franchise.
Bob Boughner was initially awarded the head coaching job on an interim basis after Peter DeBoer was let go midway through the 2019-20 season. Despite the poor finish of the campaign, Boughner kept the job full-time as the organization looked for some stability. However, things didn’t work out as the Sharks envisioned, and they will now hope their next hiring finally changes the team’s fortunes.
