SAN JOSE, Calif. -- With the latest technology and the oldest mind games, coach Ron Wilson led the San Jose Sharks to more victories than any NHL club during the past four seasons.
Not enough of those victories came in the postseason to please general manager Doug Wilson, who's making big changes to a talented team that usually wins, but just can't win it all.
San Jose fired Ron Wilson on Monday after his club followed another outstanding regular season with yet another early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Sharks won the Pacific Division and compiled the NHL's second-best record with 49 wins and 108 points, but the Dallas Stars knocked them out of the second round in six games on May 4. San Jose ended its past three seasons with six-game losses in the second round, and the Sharks lost to a lower-seeded team in three of their four postseasons under Ron Wilson.
After a week of evaluation with his ownership group, Doug Wilson dramatically dispatched the most successful coach in franchise history to begin shaking up his collection of playoff underachievers.
"Sometimes the class needs a new professor, and sometimes the professor needs a new class," said Doug Wilson, who claimed the Sharks played only "five good playoff games" among their 13 postseason outings this spring.
"The results (show) we didn't get over that hump," Doug Wilson added. "We kind of got to a certain point, and we got bogged down. You can't just sit back and assume things will be different. I'm not going to apologize for where we're at, but where we're at today is we're not playing, and we think across the board that we should be farther along."
Ron Wilson's clubs never repeated their trip to the 2004 Western Conference finals despite a roster starring former MVP Joe Thornton, captain Patrick Marleau and goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Doug Wilson acknowledged further changes are in store for that roster, but he started with Ron Wilson, a technological innovator and sometimes stern taskmaster who coached nine seasons in Anaheim and Washington before joining San Jose.
He became the Sharks' leader in victories and winning percentage while going 206-134-45 and winning two division titles during 4 1/2 seasons behind their bench despite the franchise's consistent decision to have one of the NHL's lowest payrolls.
"In most ways I was shocked when Doug told me, but in some ways I guess I was not surprised," Ron Wilson said in a telephone interview. "When it happens when you don't expect it, you're disappointed. I can honestly say that I couldn't be prouder of my work here. I think our team's record speaks for itself. Obviously we didn't win a Stanley Cup while I was here. I'm disappointed in that as any coach would be."
His 518 victories are the eighth-most in NHL history, trailing only Mike Keenan and Bryan Murray among active coaches, and he's ninth with 1,091 career games coached.
Rob Zettler and Tim Hunter, Ron Wilson's respected assistant coaches, remained under contract to the Sharks and will be candidates in Doug Wilson's coaching search, the general manager said. Doug Wilson said he could interview his first hopefuls by Tuesday.
"Even though coaching can be a very callous and negative position, my staff and I poured my heart and soul into this," Ron Wilson said. "It's very difficult to talk about this unemotionally."
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