ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Anaheim Ducks fired coach Randy Carlyle on Sunday amid a seven-game losing streak and freefall into last place in the Western Conference.
The Ducks announced that general manager Bob Murray would take over as interim coach for the remainder of the regular season. Anaheim will name a new coach following the season.
”Difficult decisions need to be made when times are tough, and our play has clearly been unacceptable,” Murray said in a statement. ”We have a tradition of success in Anaheim and we need to get back to that.”
After no firings last year, the Ducks are the sixth team to make a change this season, joining Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis, Edmonton and Philadelphia.
Carlyle, 62, the winningest coach in Ducks history, was in his second stint with Anaheim. He led the team to the Stanley Cup in 2007 and three appearances in the Western Conference Final (2006, 2007, 2017).
Anaheim has made the playoffs six straight seasons but won just two of its last 21 games. The Ducks were second in the Pacific Division on Dec. 18 after winning 11 of 13, but they have gone 2-15-4 since.
Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Philadelphia capped a five-game road trip where the Ducks had been outscored 29-7, including 14-0 in the first period.
”You don’t expect to have to live through this stuff for an extended period of time,” Carlyle said after the loss.
Amid a 12-game losing streak last month, Murray issued a statement saying he wasn’t considering a coaching change and instead was focusing on the roster.
Murray shook up the roster with a couple of trades that led to two straight wins, but another losing streak followed.
Murray has been with Anaheim since 2005 and has been the general manager since 2018. He signed a two-year extension in December and is under contract through the 2021-22 season.
The Ducks made the playoffs in seven of Carlyle’s eight full seasons with the team, going 46-37 in the postseason. They were swept out of the first round last season.
Carlyle previously coached the Toronto Maple Leafs. He went 384-256-96 in 736 games with Anaheim.
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