Sharks fire Boughner after three losing seasons

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Amid their search for a new general manager, the Sharks will be looking for a new head coach as well.

On Friday morning, San Jose announced it officially has fired coach Bob Boughner after three losing seasons at the helm. Assistant coaches John Madden, John MacLean and Dan Darrow were also relieved of their positions.

"As we progress through our search for the next general manager of the Sharks following 19 seasons under Doug Wilson's leadership, it has become apparent that the organization is in the process of an evolution," interim general manager Joe Will said in a statement.

Boughner took over in San Jose in December 2019 as the interim head coach when the Sharks fired Peter DeBoer. Boughner ditched the interim status ahead of the 2020-21 season and was named the ninth head coach in franchise history.

However, the Sharks struggled under his watch, compiling a 67-85-23 record. San Jose never finished better than sixth place in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs all three seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

"The bottom line is we have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, which isn't acceptable to our owner, our organization, or to our fans," Will said. "As part of this evolution and evaluation, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to allow the next Sharks general manager to have full autonomy related to the make-up of the on-ice coaching staff moving ahead."

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