The Los Angeles Kings sacked coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi on Monday, parting ways with a leadership team that brought them two Stanley Cup titles.
“This was an extremely difficult decision and was made with an enormous amount of consideration for what we have accomplished in our past,” said Dan Beckerman, the president of AEG, the company that owns the Kings. “But the present and future of our organization is the highest priority.”
The Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014. But they haven’t won a playoff series since, and missed the playoffs this year for the second time in three seasons.
“Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for what Dean and Darryl have accomplished for the Kings franchise,” Beckerman said.
“They built this team and helped lead us to two Stanley Cup Championships and will forever be remembered as all-time greats in Kings history.
“But with that level of accomplishment comes high expectations and we have not met those expectations for the last three seasons.”
Luc Robataille, the top scorer in Kings history who moved to the front office after his playing days, was promoted to team president in charge of hockey and business operations. He had overseen business operations for the past decade.
The Kings promoted former defenseman Rob Blake to vice president and general manager.
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