DALLAS — Stars coach Pete DeBoer was fired Friday after three seasons with the team, getting to the Western Conference finals each time but never advancing past that for a shot at the Stanley Cup.
General manager Jim Nill made the move less than a week after the Stars’ season ended in a 6-3 loss at home to Edmonton in Game 5 of the West finals.
“After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,” Nill said. “We’d like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Dallas joined the 1975-77 Islanders as the only teams in the expansion era to lose in the round before the Stanley Cup Final for three straight seasons.
DeBoer took some heat for pulling goalie Jake Oettinger just seven minutes into Game 5 against Edmonton. He had given up two goals on two shots, but he had been one of the best goaltenders in the league this season. And in the playoffs he had faced the most shots of any goalie by far.
Oettinger said he was surprised and embarrassed, and DeBoer said he knew that if the move didn’t work out, he’d be answering tough questions.
DeBoer had one year left on his contract.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
