ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Anaheim Ducks fired coach Randy Carlyle on Sunday amid a seven-game losing streak.
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.”
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).
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.
But the team has struggled of late. Its loss to their Flyers on Saturday night was its 19th in the last 21 games. The Ducks were outscored 37-8 during their freefall.
After a promising start this season, Anaheim has plummeted to last place in the West. They lost 12 straight games from Dec. 18 to Jan. 15, then won two in a row, before their current skid.
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