For Detroit Red Wings fans looking for their team to make a change at the head coaching position, a prime candidate just became available.
http://gty.im/1062098062
The Nashville Predators just announced that they've relieved head coach Peter Laviolette of his duties, along with assistant coach Kevin McCarthy. The Predators are viewed as Stanley Cup contenders and have underachieved this season, sitting at a *mere* 19-15-7.
Of course, that's head and shoulders above where the Red Wings currently sit at the bottom of the NHL's basement.
He certainly won't be out of work long for long.
Laviolette is a Stanley Cup winning bench boss, having led the Carolina Hurricanes to glory in 2006. He also helped lead the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, as well as Nashville in 2017.
He got his feet wet at the professional level by leading the AHL's Providence Bruins to a championship in 1999, and was named the AHL's coach of the year.
He later served as an assistant with the Boston Bruins before taking over as the New York Islanders bench boss. After leading the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup, he was a finalist for the Jack Adams award as NHL's coach of the year.
He's amassed over 600 wins at the NHL level, among the best for an American born head coach.