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Bruins fire Chiarelli after missing playoffs

Peter Chiarelli

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli speaks during a news conference in Boston, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, where it was announced head coach Claude Julien was granted a long-term contract extension. Julien has coached the Bruins for five seasons, and won the Stanley Cup in 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

AP

Changes were threatened if the Boston Bruins didn’t turn their “unacceptable” season around. And today, we learned they weren’t just empty threats.

Peter Chiarelli has been fired as general manager of the Boston Bruins.

“We are grateful for Peter’s service to the Bruins organization over the last nine seasons,” said club president Cam Neely in a release. “His efforts undoubtedly helped the team achieve great success during his tenure and he helped restore the proud tradition of Boston Bruins hockey. We ultimately feel that this change is necessary in order to ensure sustainable success for the club both in the short term and the long term. Our search for a new General Manager will begin immediately.”

The coaching staff, led by Claude Julien, will remain in place for the time being. Julien’s future will apparently be decided by the new GM, whoever that may be.

Chiarelli was the Bruins’ GM for nine seasons. The B’s won the Stanley Cup in 2011, made it back to the finals in 2013, and won the Presidents’ Trophy last season.

But as the team struggled this season, he drew more and more criticism for the way he’d managed the salary cap, the organization’s drafting under his watch, and for trading the likes of Tyler Seguin and Johnny Boychuk.

“We’ve had a lot of success here in my tenure and Claude’s tenure,” Chiarelli said in February. “We’re having a down year. It’s unfortunate that we’re under review for one year. But I understand. We’ve got to make things better.”

Related: Neely has reached the ‘disappointed’ stage with the Bruins