The Dallas Stars made headlines on Friday by announcing the firing of head coach Pete DeBoer after what was a rough end to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The longtime bench boss’ run with the team was short, as DeBoer was hired by the team in June 2022, not long after he was let go by the Vegas Golden Knights. However, it was a very fruitful run, as the Stars advanced to the Western Conference Final every year, ultimately falling short of making it to the Cup Final.
Yet, with how things ended, especially with the off-ice drama involving goaltender Jake Oettinger, it felt like it was time for a change in Dallas.
On Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss whether it was the right move to let go of DeBoer.
Frank Seravalli: Well, he hasn’t gotten over the hump yet in his career. So he did get the three-peat, going to the Western Conference final, and three years and out. As much as that might sting, and I’m sure it does, I think in the end, his inability to control his emotions are what got the best of him in these last two weeks.
Tyler Yaremchuk: That was kind of the next question I had here was if he handled the postgame with Oettinger, if he handles that differently, does he still have a job, or do you think there was enough behind the scenes where it was really time for a change?
Frank: I think it was three things just in that one day of Game 5. It was in the morning when he said the coach doesn’t put the puck in the net, blaming the players. It was the Oettinger pull and the janky way that it was handled. Then, it was the postgame. … You have a guy that kind of notoriously runs hot, which is fine. This is an intense sport. It’s emotional, and he’s obviously very successful. But those three things combined are what I believe cost him his job because the trust then erodes in the locker room.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…
