It looks like the San Jose Sharks are pleased with the work that Bob Boughner did as an interim head coach in 2019/20, as they are now awarding him with the job on a full-time basis.
The Sharks announced on Tuesday that Boughner officially lost the “interim” tag and will take over as the ninth head coach in the franchise’s history.
Boughner started the season as one of the team’s assistants but took over in December after Peter DeBoer got fired. He led the team in 37 games and compiled a 14-20-3 record, which was enough for the Sharks’ front office to give him a vote of confidence.
“Bob did a tremendous job last season, getting our group back to playing with identity and structure that we need in order to be successful,” said general manager Doug Wilson. “We saw a marked improvement in our play in several key areas during the second half of the season, before losing some key players to injury.”
Before joining San Jose, Bob Boughner spent two seasons as a head coach with Florida Panthers. Boughner had an 80-62-22 record with the Panthers but missed on playoffs in both years and was fired after the 2018/19 NHL season.
Boughner now looks to do better with the Sharks and believes he can create a winning team in San Jose.
“I’ve been in contact with many of our players over the break, and, as a coaching staff, we are going to make it clear that our team is going compete every night, play hard and be a tight group on and off the ice,” said Boughner.
