And away Vigneault! Flyers fire head coach, Mike Yeo takes over as interim coach
Anthony Scultore
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The Philadelphia Flyers fired Alain Vigneault after two-plus seasons as the team’s head coach, per the team’s website on Monday.
Assistant coach Michel Therrien reportedly also has been dismissed by the free-falling Flyers (8-10-4), who saw their winless skid extend to eight games (0-6-2) after dropping a 7-1 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
“I felt after last night’s game, we needed to make a change,” GM Chuck Fletcher explained today. “He disappointed he couldn’t deliver, and I’m disappointed I couldn’t help him more.”
Vigneault fired, Mike Yeo takes his place
The Flyers also announced assistant Mike Yeo has been named as the team’s interim coach.
“I have a ton of respect for AV,” Yeo said today after being named interim coach. Fletcher also noted that Yeo would get consideration for the job long term.
Signed to a five-year contract in April 2019, Vigneault posted a 74-54-19 record as coach of the Flyers. He owns a 722-489-117 mark with 35 ties while serving as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens (1997-2001), Vancouver Canucks (2006-13), New York Rangers (2014-18) and Flyers.
Vigneault, 60, has twice taken his team to the Stanley Cup Final, doing so with Vancouver in 2011 and with New York in 2014.
It’s unlikely that Vigneault will be unemployed for very long. With potential opportunities in Vancouver and Montreal, he may find himself back to work soon.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report