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Coaching in the NHL is not for the faint of heart, and some of the greatest minds in the game's history have been fired at least once. However, the results are not always favorable whenever an organization makes a change behind the bench.
After the Edmonton Oilers axed their coach in November, they have become one of the best statistical teams of the modern era with unprecedented victories. Although Edmonton's recent success is the exception, a handful of teams have flourished with a new voice, including these Stanley Cup winners.
5 NHL teams that have flourished after firing their head coach
#5. 2023 Edmonton Oilers - Kris Knoblauch
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Heading into 2023-24, the Oilers were picked by many hockey insiders to be the Stanley Cup champions. However, the team stumbled out of the game and had a 3-9-1 record on Nov. 12, when they fired one of the winningest coaches in their history, Jay Woodcroft, to bring in captain Connor McDavid's junior coach, Kris Knoblauch.
Although Edmonton went 2-3-0 in those first five games, they eventually bounced back with an eight-game win streak. They recently came close to tying an NHL record for most consecutive wins (17), falling one game short.
Since the coaching change, the Oilers are 26-7-0, the best mark in the league. Even though they still have a long shot to win the Stanley Cup, there's no denying that they have responded to change with one of the best stretches in hockey history.
#4. 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins - Dan Bylsma
Michel Therrien took over the Pittsburgh Penguins before the 2004-05 lockout and remained on the job until 2009, guiding the club to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, losing in six games. After a mediocre run in the following season, 27-25-5, management brought in Dan Bylsma with just 25 games left.
During his brief time behind the bench, the Penguins went 18-3-4 and won the Stanley Cup in a thrilling seven-game series against the Detroit Red Wings. Before getting promoted to his first NHL job, Bylsma had been coaching in the minor league with Pittsburgh's farm team, becoming only the second in-season hired coach to win a title during their first season.
#3. 2012 Los Angeles Kings - Darryl Sutter
The Los Angeles Kings didn't have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011-12, especially with Terry Murray (13-14-4) and John Stevens (2-2-0) behind the bench. That's why Darryl Sutter came aboard and produced a 25-13-11 down the stretch to help the club earn the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
After dispatching the conference's top three seats, the Kings became the first 8th seed in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup. Although they are not considered a true dynasty, Sutter guided the team to the 2014 Final, where they captured their second title in three seasons, book-ending the greatest stretch in franchise history.
#2. 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins - Mike Sullivan
The Penguins make another appearance on this list, thanks to a coaching change late in 2016, resulting in the franchise winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. Once Bylsma was fired in 2014, Pittsburgh hired Mike Johnston, who didn't achieve much in a season and a half behind the bench.
After a slow start with a 15-10-3 record in 2016, the organization brought in Mike Sullivan, who guided the team to a 33-16-5 record and a Stanley Cup title a few months later. They won it again in 2017 and became the first team in the salary cap era to win back-to-back titles, a feat only duplicated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 and 2020.
#1. 2019 St. Louis Blues - Craig Berube
The St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, defeating the heavily favored Boston Bruins in Game 7, completing one of the most improbable comebacks in NHL history. Once Mike Yeo led the Blues to the bottom of the league standings, he was relieved of his duties in November 2018, while his replacement, Craig Berube, didn't fair better in the beginning.
Compiling a 9-13-3 record through 25 games, there was only a place to go, and it was up. Over the next 57 games, the Blues would earn a 35-15-6 record with 99 points to qualify for the playoffs as the fifth seed. Eventually, playing 26 out of a possible 28 playoff games, St. Louis won their first Stanley Cup title in June 2019.
