Flyers fire Dave Hakstol, name Scott Gordon interim coach
The Philadelphia Flyers have fired coach Dave Hakstol, with the team having lost 11 of its last 14 games.
General manager Chuck Fletcher announced the move Monday, less than two weeks since taking over for the fired Ron Hextall. Minor league coach Scott Gordon took over as the interim replacement.
The last-place Flyers have lost four in a row and are 12-15-4. Philadelphia went 1-3-1 on the road trip Fletcher said he’d use to evaluate Hakstol, the rest of the coaching staff and the team at-large.
OFFICIAL: The #Flyers have relieved Dave Hakstol of his duties as head coach. Scott Gordon will serve as head coach on an interim basis. https://t.co/6ecCm6Wk7X pic.twitter.com/Ie6n5YdunW
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 17, 2018
Hired by Hextall from the University of North Dakota in 2015, Hakstol took the Flyers to the playoffs twice in his three full seasons, but they lost in six games in the first round each time. His teams were plagued by inconsistency in the form of long winning and losing streaks, and that ultimately cost him his job in his fourth season.
It was not immediately clear when the Flyers would hire a full-time coach. Three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville, who was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks last month, has been linked to Philadelphia because of a connection with Fletcher.
