San Jose Sharks fire head coach Peter DeBoer, name replacement

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League have fired head coach Peter DeBoer and his coaching staff, and named Bob Boughner as interim head coach, General Manager Doug Wilson announced Wednesday.

Joining the Sharks coaching staff with Boughner are associate coaches Roy Sommer and Mike Ricci, and goaltending coach Evgeni Nabokov.

Dan Darrow will remain in his current role of assistant coach, video. Assistant coaches Steve Spott, Dave Barr and Johan Hedberg have been relieved of their duties.

"When you have had a level of past success, change is never easy, but we feel this team is capable of much more than we have shown thus far and that a new voice is needed," said Wilson.

"Under the leadership of Pete, along with Steve, Dave and Johan, our franchise accomplished some great things, culminating in reaching the 2016 Stanley Cup Final," Wilson said. "We want to thank them for their contributions to our organization's success over the last four years."

But the team's performance this season has not met expectations he said.

Boughner was on the Sharks coaching staff in 2015 and 2016 and rejoined the team as an assistant coach for 2019-20. From 2017-2019, he was head coach of the Florida Panthers Wilson said the reconfigured coaching staff is "very familiar with our players, and we think this change can provide our group with a fresh start."