New Jersey Devils fire coach Pete DeBoer
The New Jersey Devils have been on a slide since going to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012, and coach Pete DeBoer paid the price. DeBoer, who took the Devils to the championship round in his first season, was fired Friday, with his aging and short-handed team in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight season. Lou Lamoriello, the Devils’ president and general manager, won’t say who will be the next coach until he speaks today with the players, who are on a three-day Christmas break. The Devils will have a pregame skate this morning before playing the Rangers in New York at night. Potential candidates include Adam Oates, a former Devils assistant; Dallas Eakins, who was fired earlier this month by Edmonton; and former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. – AP