The Los Angeles Kings have fired head coach Jim Hiller, the team announced on Sunday, March 1. In an effort to salvage their playoff hopes in Anze Kopitar‘s final season, the Kings will look elsewhere for leadership.
“I want to thank Jim Hiller for his dedication, professionalism, and the commitment he showed to our players and our team every day,” Kings general manager Ken Holland said in a statement. “He is a respected coach and person, and we appreciate the work he’s done behind our bench.”
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Holland named DJ Smith interim head coach through the remainder of the season. Smith, who is in his second full as associate coach, was previously the head coach of the Ottawa Senators from 2019-2023. He was also an assistant coach alongside Hiller in Toronto from 2015-2019.
Kings player development coach Matt Greene will serve as an assistant coach under Smith.
“At this point in the season, we believe a change in leadership is necessary to give our group the best opportunity to reach its potential and compete at the level we expect,” Holland said. “These decisions are never made lightly, but our responsibility is to position this team for success now and moving forward.”
The Kings (24-21-14) currently sit three points out of a playoff spot. They lost their last three games going into the Olympic break and their first two games coming out of it, culminating in an 8-1 loss at home to the Edmonton Oilers that led fans at Crypto.com Arena to break out into “Fire Hiller” chants.
Hiller took over for Todd McClellan in February 2024 as an interim and led the Kings to a 21-12-1 finish to the season that culminated in a first-round playoff loss to the Oilers in six games. He was named permanent head coach that May.
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In his first full season, Hiller coached the Kings to 48 wins and 105 points, a franchise best. They met the Oilers again in the first round and held a 2-0 lead after the first two games at Crypto.com Arena, but fizzled out and lost the series in six games. It was the Kings’ fourth consecutive first-round loss to the Oilers, who advanced to their second straight Stanley Cup Final.
Hiller came under fire for his decision-making during that series, but team president Luc Robitaille and Holland stuck by him.
In December, Holland again voiced his support for Hiller amid the team’s struggles.
“I expect him to be here the rest of the season,” he told reporters.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles Kings fire coach Jim Hiller, hire DJ Smith as interim
