Starting out with a losing streak of seven games is not ideal for any team, but at the professional level it tends to mean jobs are in jeopardy. The 0-7-0 Columbus Blue Jackets have fired head coach Todd Richards, per Darren Dreger of TSN. Richards was hired in May 2012. His replacement will be John Tortorella, who was last with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013-14 season.
Columbus Blue Jackets fire coach Todd Richards, hire John Tortorella
After the Blue Jackets became just the sixth team in NHL history to lose their first seven games in regulation, the NHL club decided it was time for a change.
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The Blue Jackets confirmed the change in leadership with a tweet and team announcement.
Tortorella, 57, was fired from Vancouver after the team missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his final season at the helm, but he still comes in as the most successful American coach in NHL history with 446 victories under his belt. He is also set to coach Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Tortorella has experience in the postseason, too, earning a Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning and an appearance in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final with the New York Rangers.
The Blue Jackets, who were expected to compete for an appearance in the postseason this year, became just the sixth team to lose at least its first seven games in regulation in NHL history with a 4-0 loss Tuesday at home against the New York Islanders. They are the first team since the 1997-98 Chicago Blackhawks to lose their first seven games, according to ESPN.
Richards, who still had a year left on his contract, coached the Blue Jackets to a playoff appearance in 2013-14. They lost in the opening-round series to the Pittsburgh Penguins. During his years with Columbus, Richards compiled a 127-112-21 record. He has a career coaching record of 204-183-37.
The Blue Jackets will retain their assistant coaches, Brad Larsen and Craig Hartsburg, according to reports.
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