The New York Rangers organization announced on Saturday that they have fired head coach Peter Laviolette. The team has also let go of Phil Housley, who was Laviolette’s associate behind the bench.
Thank you for everything, Lavi, and all the best. pic.twitter.com/D0QNHoJe4O
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 19, 2025
Rangers GM Chris Drury forwarded a statement, saying, “I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first-class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach,” he said.
The Rangers had a disastrous season compared to their previous President’s Trophy-winning 2023-24 campaign. They ended that regular season with a 55-23-4 record and also advanced to the Eastern Conference final, losing to the Florida Panthers in six games.
However, this season, New York finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and six points out of a playoff spot. This was Laviolette’s second season with the Rangers after being hired for the 2023-24 campaign. His record over those two seasons with the Blueshirts was 94-59-11 with a win percentage of .607. This past season, his team finished with a 39-36-7 record.
Drury touched on what their expectations were going off of last season and how they simply weren’t met. “After finishing with the best regular-season record in the NHL a year ago and making a trip to the Eastern Conference final, we came into this season with high expectations for ourselves,” he said. “Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations.”
The Rangers GM added that their quest to find a new head coach begins “immediately.”
Late into the season, Laviolette had a hard-hitting quote that shocked the hockey world. After a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 7, Laviolette was asked post-game about what his message was to the team after the game.
He replied, "I don't have a message right now. I don't go into the locker room after the game." That started discussions and rumors that his time with the Rangers could be over.
Before his time in New York, he had coached five other teams over 21 seasons. He began his career as a head coach with the New York Islanders in 2001-02. After that, he went on to coach the Carolina Hurricanes, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals.
Aside from winning the Cup in 2006, he advanced to the Stanley Cup final two more times. Once with the Flyers in 2009-10 and the Predators in 2016-17.
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