The Anaheim Ducks fired coach Greg Cronin on Saturday despite a 21-point improvement in the standings.
Cronin, 61, just finished his second season with the team. He was hired in 2023 for his first NHL head coaching job after decades coaching in college hockey and the American Hockey League or as an assistant coach in the NHL.
The team improved by only one point in 2023-24 to 59 points but jumped to 80 points this season. Though the Ducks cut back significantly in goals allowed, they finished last in the league on the power play and in the bottom five in goals, penalty killing and 5-on-5 play.
“I want to personally thank Greg for his tireless work and dedication to the team,” general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He is responsible in many ways for the improvement we’ve seen from our young core. However, after several weeks of careful evaluation, I concluded we needed a change in direction and a new voice.
‘This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make, but I felt it was necessary to continue our progress toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender that I know we can be.”
Despite the improvement, the Ducks finished 16 points out of the playoffs.
Cronin is the first NHL coach fired since the regular season ended on Thursday. There were five coaching changes during the regular season: Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.