The Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday fired coach Alain Vigneault, along with assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown. “We have made the very difficult decision to relieve Alain Vigneault, Rick Bowness and Newell Brown of their coaching duties today,” Canucks President and General Manager Mike Gillis said in a release issued by the team. “Alain, Rick and Newell worked tirelessly to lead this team to great [...]

ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun suggests Keith Ballard of the Vancouver Canucks is a prime candidate for one of two compliance buyouts this summer. Ballard is due $4.2 million annually through the next two season. “Lebrun says “T he defense is set, which is either a good thing if you like this group or a bad thing if you’re [...]

The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday morning that Michel Therrien will be taking over behind the bench for the 2012-13 season. Therrien leaves his job as a television analyst for RDS to begin his second stint as Canadiens head coach, having broken in to the NHL with Montreal on Nov. 20, 2000 as a replacement for Alain Vigneault. [...]

Recently-extended head coach of the Vancouver Canucks says that goaltender Roberto Luongo most certainly does want the chance to play somewhere else. Alain Vigneault said as much  (in French) speaking with TVA Sports on Wednesday. “First of all, (a trade) is what he wants right now,” Vigneault said, as relayed by the Vancouver Sun. “What we need to do is what’s best [...]

The Vancouver Canucks have signed coach Alain Vigneault to a contract extension. The Canucks have posted the NHL’s best regular-season record for the past two seasons under Vigneault. But his job status was unclear after Vancouver was bounced from the first round of the playoffs by Los Angeles. Vigneault guided the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final’s [...]

The Vancouver Canucks should have Alain Vigneault locked in with a contract extension in the very near future. Jason Botchford of The Province reports General Manager Mike Gillis plans to bring back the head coach after some so-called “insignificant” internal debate. TSN’s Bob McKenzie expects Vigneault’s extension with the Canucks “to be worked on and presumably completed in the next two [...]

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis wants to keep his coach, Alain Vigneault, but Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman reports, Gillis and Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini will meet today about the future of the franchise and if Aquilini wants Vigneault out, then there could be a problem. HNIC’s Tim Wharnsby talked to people in the [...]

Jack Johnson scored his second goal of the game 1:47 into overtime to give the United States a 5-4 victory over Canada on Saturday in the hockey world championships. Other quick hits from around the league: Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch wonders if Guy Boucher, Alain Vigneault, Joel Quenneville and Todd McLellan will return to their respective [...]

The Phoenix Coyotes advanced to the second round for the first time since the franchise relocated to Phoenix from Winnipeg. The last time the franchise made it out of the first round was in 1987. Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune doesn’t expect to see Mattias Ohlund back on the ice next season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Having endured [...]

Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has led one of the stronger clubs of the past several years, but the team’s first-round loss to the Los Angeles Kings has some questioning whether he’ll be around next season. TSN’s Darren Dreger tweets, “AV is an excellent coach, but shelf life will be considered as part season review.” The Canucks finished with the [...]