After firing head coach Ron Wilson Friday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn't take long before announcing they were naming Randy Carlyle as his replacement. Carlyle was fired by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this season, the team he coached to a Stanley Cup in 2007, and he will be tasked with trying to get the Maple Leafs back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004, the longest streak in the once-proud franchise's history.
Randy Carlyle Named Maple Leafs Head Coach After Ron Wilson’s Firing
Wilson was fired just months after GM Brian Burke gave him a one-year contract extension, but after fans chanted “FI-RE WIL-SON!” at the Leafs last home game, Burke bowed to pressure and canned the NHL’s fourth all-time leader in games coached with 1,401.
The Leafs currently sit at 11th in the Eastern Conference standings with 65 points, five behind the Winnipeg Jets for the eighth and final spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
For Leafs fans reaction to and analysis of this move, visit Pension Plan Puppets.
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