Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Taxi! Terry Murray out in L.A.

Terry Murray, Jack Johnson

Los Angeles Kings coach Terry Murray, left, looks at defenseman Jack Johnson during the first period of the Kings’ NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

AP

This morning’s rumors have been made official -- the Los Angeles Kings have fired head coach Terry Murray.

The Kings made the announcement just a short time ago while also confirming that John Stevens would assume interim head coaching duties.

The news probably didn’t come as much of a surprise to Murray, who has twice been fired mid-season (by Washington and Florida). Recently, he’s watched his team fall to 12th in the Western Conference thanks to an utterly inept offense.

LA has lost four straight and seven of nine. During the four-game losing streak, the Kings scored just six goals and now sit last overall in goals per game (2.21), five-on-five goals (38) and first-period goals (11).

That Stevens was named interim boss isn’t surprising either. He has extensive head-coaching experience from his time in Philadelphia (where he coached both Mike Richards and Simon Gagne) and had been serving as Murray’s assistant this season.

Of note: LA fired Murray while he was stuck on 499 career wins. One more victory and Murray would’ve become the 17th head coach in NHL history to win 500 games, moving into a tie with the legendary Toe Blake.