Canucks Officially Dismiss Bruce Boudreau, Announce New Hires After Emotional Week

After months of hardship and things coming to a head over the last couple of weeks, Bruce Boudreau has officially been relieved of his coaching duties for the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks announced on Saturday that the former Washington Capitals bench boss, as well as assistant coach Trent Cull, have been dismissed and that Rick Tocchet will take over as the 21st head coach of the franchise, with Adam Foote taking over as the assistant coach and former Capitals defenseman Sergei Gonchar becoming the defensive development coach.

"We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Bruce and Trent for their contributions to this organization," general manager Patrik Allvin said in a press release. "We appreciate their dedication and wish them nothing but the best moving forward. This was not an easy decision to make, but one that we felt was necessary for this franchise.

Boudreau took over for Vancouver back in December 2021 after head coach Travis Green and GM Jim Benning were fired. Boudreau brought the Canucks within five points of the playoffs last season and turned the team around after a horrendous start. In his second season, though, things didn't go as planned, as the team failed to make upgrades over the summer.

Through 46 games this year, the Canucks are 18-25-3 and have also dropped eight of their last 10 decisions. There had been ongoing rumors and speculation about Boudreau's future, as reports of the pending change came out with Boudreau still behind the bench. He did his best to shut it out, but it was an emotional time. The fans sent the longtime coach off in the best way possible with "Bruce, There It Is" chants at home. Boudreau was almost in tears as he took in his last game behind the bench on Saturday, a 4-2 loss at home.

"You never know if it's the end," an emotional Boudreau said postgame, adding that he was most proud of his players in B.C. "So when you've been at it for almost 50 years, I mean, the majority of your life and if it's the end… I just wanted to savor looking at the stands because who knows if I'm ever going to get this chance again. And just keep that in my mind, in the memory, let it burn there forever."