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Los Angeles Kings fire general manager Dean Lombardi, head coach Darryl Sutter
The Los Angeles Kings announced sweeping changes to their front office Monday, firing longtime general manager Dean Lombardi and head coach Darryl Sutter in the process.
Assistant general manager Rob Blake was promoted to GM while longtime Kings business executive Luc Robitaille was named team president.
The changes come after the Kings missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. They haven't won a playoff round since winning the Stanley Cup in June 2014.
Lombardi was let go after 11 years at the helm. He built a team that won the Kings their first two Stanley Cups in franchise history, both with Sutter behind the bench.
"This was an extremely difficult decision and was made with an enormous amount of consideration for what we have accomplished in our past. But the present and future of our organization is the highest priority," Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of the Kings' parent company, AEG, said in a statement.
"Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for what Dean and Darryl have accomplished for the Kings franchise. 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," Beckerman said. "But with that level of accomplishment comes high expectations and we have not met those expectations for the last three seasons. With the core players we have in place, we should be contending each year for the Stanley Cup. Our failure to meet these goals has led us to this change."
Robitaille was president of business operations for the past 10 years but now takes over the entire organization, including the hockey side. Blake, like Robitaille inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after an All-Star playing career, has been Kings assistant GM since 2013, working alongside Lombardi.
Assistant general manager Rob Blake was promoted to GM while longtime Kings business executive Luc Robitaille was named team president.
The changes come after the Kings missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. They haven't won a playoff round since winning the Stanley Cup in June 2014.
Lombardi was let go after 11 years at the helm. He built a team that won the Kings their first two Stanley Cups in franchise history, both with Sutter behind the bench.
"This was an extremely difficult decision and was made with an enormous amount of consideration for what we have accomplished in our past. But the present and future of our organization is the highest priority," Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of the Kings' parent company, AEG, said in a statement.
"Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for what Dean and Darryl have accomplished for the Kings franchise. 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," Beckerman said. "But with that level of accomplishment comes high expectations and we have not met those expectations for the last three seasons. With the core players we have in place, we should be contending each year for the Stanley Cup. Our failure to meet these goals has led us to this change."
Robitaille was president of business operations for the past 10 years but now takes over the entire organization, including the hockey side. Blake, like Robitaille inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after an All-Star playing career, has been Kings assistant GM since 2013, working alongside Lombardi.