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
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.