Tim Murray DBOTW nominee?
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/12676 ... olan-coachBUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two last-place finishes and an imperfect working relationship led Sabres general manager Tim Murray to the conclusion to fire coach Ted Nolan on Sunday.
The decision was made after a lengthy evaluation which ended with Murray's exit interviews with Sabres players, a day after Buffalo (23-51-8) closed its season with a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
"I don't think it was a bad fit. I don't think it was a great fit," Murray said. "Maybe it's just chemistry. Maybe it's just two different personalities."
Murray also felt the move to fire Nolan,
a little more than a year after the coach signed a three-year contract, was needed to improve a team in the midst of a rebuilding process.
"I know this isn't a popular thing," Murray said. "To me, it's about getting better. I feel this was an opportunity for us to improve and keep improving. And that's certainly no disrespect to Ted."
Nolan was in good spirits but declined comment when reached by The Associated Press. "I'm just going to reflect on it and come out with a statement in the next couple of days," Nolan said.
Nolan is out for a second time in Buffalo, after he spent two seasons coaching the team in the mid-1990s. Nolan's first tenure ended after winning NHL coach of the year honors in 1997. He left while feeling disrespected by then-GM Darcy Regier, who offered Nolan a one-year contract extension.
Nolan returned to Buffalo on an interim basis in November 2013 when Ron Rolston was fired as part of a front-office shakeup. Regier was fired at the same time, and former Sabres captain Pat LaFontaine was brought in as president of hockey operations.