Oettinger Drama Gets DeBoer Fired by Dallas Stars

There are consequences to not winning in the NHL. More than that, when you lose, there are severe consequences to hastily pulling a goalie, calling them out publicly, and then ignoring them for days after your often-contending team is eliminated from the playoffs. Peter DeBoer now understands those consequences as the Dallas Stars have fired him as head coach.

For the last three seasons, the Stars had the best record in the NHL. They also made three straight Western Conference Finals. This decision was not about winning. DeBoer had one year left on his contract.

The Players Stood With Oettenginer, Not DeBoer

According to several reports, including one from Elliotte Friedman, the Stars have decided to move on from DeBoer. This is believed to be in response to remarks made in the exit meetings by several Stars players, who were quite upset at the way DeBoer handled many aspects of the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers, specifically with respect to goaltender Jake Oettinger.

“After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,” GM Jim Nill said. “We’d like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Nill will speak with the media on Friday, and while it is expected he will speak highly of his former coach, the questions will probably focus on the Oettinger pull and how much that decision and the treatment of their star netminder led to DeBoer’s termination.

Meanwhile, Edmonton Oilers fans can boast that they may have broken another team. The Los Angeles Kings made significant changes after being eliminated, the Vegas Golden Knights have switched things up, and the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames were never the same after their respective losses to Edmonton in the playoffs. What other changes might be coming in Dallas? Time will tell.

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