WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets have fired head coach Claude Noel.
Noel coached the AHL’s Manitoba Moose before general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff named him the Jets’ head coach. In the team’s first two seasons under Noel, the Jets had a record of 61-56-13 and finished out of the playoffs both seasons.
The Jets have also let assistant coach Perry Pearn go.
“I would like to publicly thank Claude Noel and Perry Pearn for the extreme hard work that they’ve done over the course of time here,” Cheveldayoff said on Sunday.
“It’s not an easy day,” said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. “Two good people lose their job and ultimately, it came down to the performance of all the guys in here. It’s tough for everyone.”
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“We’ve got to look at ourselves,” said defenceman Dustin Byfuglien. “It’s everyone. We’re a team in here and it’s never easy. Claude came in and did his best. He was a good guy.”
The Jets announced they have hired Paul Maurice as the second head coach in franchise history.
“Maurice has earned a career NHL coaching record of 460-457-167 in 14 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers and the Toronto Maple Leafs,” the Jets said in a news release. “In his first head coaching stint with the Hurricanes, Maurice guided Carolina to the 2002 Eastern Conference title and a Stanley Cup final appearance against the Detroit Red Wings.”
Most recently, Maurice spent the 2012-13 season as head coach of the Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL. After 52 games, the club earned a 27-13-12 record and 0.635 winning percentage.
“Paul is someone that has good experience at the National Hockey League level. He’s coached a lot of different types of teams, he’s had experience with both veteran players and young players and has had success with both,” said Cheveldayoff. “He’s experienced both sides of things — he’s experienced success, he’s experienced failure — but he’s not at all hardened and he’s energetic and is chomping at the bit to get back into the National Hockey League.”
The Jets lost 6-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, their fifth straight loss.
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