Struggling Canucks introduce Bruce Boudreau as new coach amid dismal season
It’s the beginning of a new era in Vancouver.
A day after relieving general manager Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green of their duties, Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini introduced Bruce Boudreau as the 20th head coach in team history Monday.
“Bruce is a veteran coach, he’s very experienced. His track record speaks for itself,” Aquilini said. “We felt it was the right time, we want to get back to being a competitive team again.”
Boudreau has previously coached the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild.
The 66-year-old has signed a two-year deal that will pay him $2 million this season and $2.5 million next season.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Boudreau said, adding that he's been "dying to get back" into the game since leaving his last role with the Wild.
“When approached, I thought this is perfect – I've always wanted to coach in Canada."
Boudreau, who comes in with a record of 567-302-115, was on the ice running the team’s morning practice Monday.
"You’d like to make it a winning team from here on in, to get the guys happy and the fan base happy again," he said.
After a 8-15-2 start to the season, Acquilini had seen enough. Assistant general manager John Weisbrod and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner were also dismissed.
“I want to thank Jim, John, Travis and Nolan for all their efforts and hard work, they’re good people,” said Aquilini. “But the status quo was just not acceptable.”
Benning’s reign as GM ends with just two playoff appearances in two years, while Green, who signed a two-year contract extension in May, departs with a record of 133-147-34.
“It’s never easy to see people like that go. I’ve been working with obviously Greener, Baumer and Jim basically since I got here,” said Canucks captain Bo Horvat, who noted he’s already spoken with Boudreau one-on-one.
“Bruce has a lot of positive energy and wants to get the bets out of his players,” Horvat said. “He has a few new ideas and ways he thinks we can improve as a team.”
For the time being, former Canucks captain and longtime management member of the organization Stan Smyl will serve as the interim general manager.
Aquilini said the team will look to hire a permanent GM, but could not provide a timeline on when that would be.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.