Dean Lombardi, Why?

The National Hockey League's "Season of Fear" for head coaches continues with the dismissal of Terry Murray, who was forced out of his position after failing to meet the high expectations set for his team over the summer. However, over the three previous seasons, he led the Los Angeles Kings to a 126-94-26 record with two playoff appearances. While that's a terrific accomplishment, two first-round exits from said playoffs are not. This makes his predicament very similar to Bruce Boudreau's. He had a talented team with high expectations that struggled early. And as we've all learned this season, coaches are easily expendable. But why?

Murray was a terrific coach in the NHL for 15 seasons with four different organizations (Washington, Philadelphia, Florida and Los Angeles). Of those 15 seasons, only four finished with a losing record. I use "finished" lightly, as he was fired in two of those before the end of the season. The other two losing seasons were in his first year with the Panthers and first year with the Kings. 

Let's all be honest. It wasn't Murray's fault.

The blame falls on the players then, right? That's how general manager Dean Lombardi felt. In a meeting following the team's most recent loss, he laid into the players, pinning the guilt and blame of Murray's joblessness on them. To a certain extent, he's correct. The players are the ones most directly involved in the game. They prevent goals. They score goals. They are on the ice competing, or in the Kings' situation, not so much. In that light, Lombardi is right.

How about a different light? Let's shed some on Lombardi's past. In his seven seasons as the general manager for the San Jose Sharks (from 1996-2003), he had three winning season. The Sharks still made the playoffs in five of those seasons, but never made it past the second round. After being relieved of his duties in San Jose, he was appointed president and general manager of the Kings in 2006. In the five years that he's held this position, the Kings have had only two winning seasons. Those two winning seasons resulted in first-round playoff exits. Hmmm...interesting.

Dean, you're blaming your players? You're in charge! Take responsibility for your own actions. You hire these individuals. You make the decisions. You should absorb the consequences. Apparently, you're not that talented at building a successful franchise. In fact, you even have trouble signing your best young stars. I think the players were responding less to the coach and more to management.

In any case, John Stevens has been named the interim head coach. But how long will he hold this position? History tells us it won't be long. Still, Stevens has a short track record of being a successful NHL coach and for his sake, I hope it continues. If it doesn't, an immediate replacement will be right behind him.

My guess: Randy Carlyle. He's never finished an NHL season with a losing record. He's also won a Stanley Cup. I think that's the definition of winning.

How long do you think John Stevens lasts? If he fails, who replaces him?