Leafs fire head coach Wilson; Carlyle hired
Posted March 2, 2012 8:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs are turning to a new voice after firing coach Ron Wilson.
Brian Burke made the move on Friday after watching the Leafs crash out of the Eastern Conference playoff race over the last month.
Burke remained loyal to Wilson until the end — continuing to defend the coach after fans chanted “FI-RE WIL-SON!” at Air Canada Centre to conclude a recent homestand. But eventually he was forced to move in another direction.
Former Anaheim Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle has been named as the new head coach for the Leafs and will be behind the bench when Toronto faces the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night.
Carlyle spent seven seasons with the Ducks, capturing a Stanley Cup in 2006-07, before being fired in November.
The fourth stop in Wilson’s long NHL coaching career was arguably the toughest. Tasked with getting the team back into the playoffs in June 2008, the best the Leafs managed under the veteran coach was a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season.
Wilson compiled a 130-135-45 record with Toronto and leaves the team sitting fourth on the NHL’s all-time list for games coached.
Otherwise, it was far from a milestone season.
As recently as late January, the Leafs appeared to be well on their way to ending a playoff drought that stretches back to 2004. But a 1-9-1 skid starting Feb. 7 sent them spiralling down the standings and sealed Wilson’s fate.
It was clear last summer that Wilson’s hold on the job was weakening. In June, Burke fired assistants Keith Acton and Tim Hunter — a long-time Wilson ally — and replaced them with Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon, who held past head coaching experience with the New York Islanders.
Even though Wilson and Burke shared a long history dating back to their time at Providence College in Rhode Island, Wilson was hired for the job in 2008 by interim GM Cliff Fletcher.
He took a combative stance with the media right from the beginning — bringing his Canadian passport to the introductory press conference because he was sensitive to stories hailing him as the franchise’s first American coach. He also said “Bring it on” when asked about the scrutiny to come.
It was a rocky ride.
The 56-year-old signed a contract extension in December and will be paid through the end of next season. It remains to be seen whether he’ll make his way back to the NHL.
In 1,401 career games with Anaheim, Washington, San Jose and Toronto, he has a 648-561-91 record with 101 ties.
