Ducks Fire Carlyle

The Anaheim Ducks fired head coach Randy Carlyle on Sunday. General manager Bob Murray will serve as Anaheim’s head coach in the interim.

“I don’t think it would be fair to put anyone else in this position right now, I felt I needed to be in the trenches,” Murray said. “I strongly felt this way and I know this is the right move for our organization right now.”

The decision comes on the heels of seven-game losing streak for the Ducks in which they were outscored 37-8. They sit dead last in the Western Conference with a 21-26-9 record and a -55 goal differential. They are eight points back of the Minnesota Wild for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice

Carlyle previously served as head coach of the Ducks from 2005-2011. He led the team to five playoff appearances over that span and a Stanley Cup victory in 2007. He was fired in favour of Bruce Boudreau on November 30, 2011 after the Ducks began the 2011-12 season with a 7-13-4 record. Anaheim posted a 273-182-61 record in 516 regular season games during Carlyle’s first stint as their head coach.

Carlyle was hired as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 2, 2012. He coached the Leafs for parts of four seasons, highlighted by a playoff appearance during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He was fired on January 6, 2015, finishing his tenure in Toronto with a 91-78-19 regular season record.

Carlyle returned as head coach of the Ducks for a second time prior to the 2016-17 season. The Ducks posted a 46-23-13 record and reached the Western Conference finals in Carlyle’s first season back behind the Anaheim bench. The Ducks returned to the playoffs last season but were swept by the San Jose Sharks in the first round. Carlyle amassed a 111-74-35 regular season record in his second stint as the Ducks head coach.

Murray will make his debut as the interim head-coach when the Ducks take on the Canucks at home on Wednesday.