Stars fire DeBoer after ugly end to their season

TSN Hockey analyst Martin Biron joins Gino Reda to discuss the Stars’ decision to part ways with head coach Pete DeBoer and if the public nature of the situation between DeBoer and Jake Oettinger led to his firing.

21 comments

  1. DeBoer is getting thrown under the bus for the Stars' failure. The Stars gave up two goals on two shots in an elimination game, and that series would have been a sweep if it wasn't for the refs in game 1. Oettinger is a bigger playoff choker than Hellebuyck.

  3. He screwed over Fleury when Fleury 2 years prior had led them to the Cup finals. That trade should’ve never happened with Robin Lehner. Even if management wanted that trade, Pete should I put an end into it. Fleury was still in his prime and two years prior had loved them to a Stanley cup. In spite of Pete, Fleury would go on to have a Vezina year. They ended up signing Lehner to that horrible contract. I really think Vegas would have won a Stanley Cup during that time if they had never traded for Lehner.

  4. Pete knew he was going to get fired if he didn't make it out of the west so he got bitter and went scorched earth. Stupid move for his legacy.

  5. 0:17 It’s not easy for an NHL team to make more than two consecutive conference finals or equivalents. From the 1990s onward my hometown Leafs have only made consecutive conference finals once, and did so only in two consecutive seasons before going onto lose consecutive opening-round series, followed by consecutive misses of postseason tournaments before a move from the Western to Eastern Conference. As the 1990 postseason was the first, of a given stretch of 10 straight to feature best-of-seven playoff series (the first such postseason having been that of 1987) other than during the 2020 Covid bubble postseason (best-of-5s for those top-12 teams, by points %, in each conference that didn’t finish in the top-four), I plan only to focus on consecutive conference final appearances that, from the 1990 postseason, various teams have made, starting with the then-soon-to-be Eastern Conference. From the postseason of:
    – 1990-99, the Bruins, Penguins, Oilers, Red Wings, Avs and Dallas Stars, all made, at some point, relevant consecutive appearances
    – 2000-09, the Devils, Sabres, Pens, ducks and red wings lol, at some point, made relevant consecutive appearances although the Dallas Stars, via having qualified for the 2000 conference final, made their third straight appearance and us having become the first NHL team, following at least that many consecutive appearances by the Bruins going to have made three or more consecutive appearances in conference finals
    – 2010-19, the Bolts, Pens, Sharks and LA Kings all made consecutive relevant appearances
    – 2020-25, the Bolts, Panthers, Dallas Stars and Oilers at some point made consecutive relevant appearances, with the Dallas Stars having remained the only NHL team to have, at some point post-1999, qualified for three or more consecutive conference finals

    The record in post-2019 conference finals has for the Dallas Stars been mixed, with a 4-1 record in that of 2020 but not-so-good ones of 2-4, 2-4 and 1-4 in any of those of 2023–25, with those of, when having:
    – scored under three goals/game, respective ones of 2-1, 0-3, 0-4 and 0-3 for a total relevant record of just 2–11 (vs 7–2 when having scored at least three goals/game)
    – allowed at least:
    — three goals/game, respective ones of 0-1, 0-4, 1–3 and 1-4 for a total relevant record of just 2-12
    — four goals/game, respective ones of 0-3, 0-1 and 0-3 for a total record of 0–7

    The Leafs, during their past set of consecutive conference final appearances (1993 and 1994), went 4-8, including, when having:
    – scored at most two goals/game, 0–4, having played two relevant games in each of those conference finals
    – allowed at least:
    — three goals/game, went 0–7
    — four goals/game, went 0–6

    One can debate whether the Stars were right to fire Pete DeBoer but in the end, GM Jim Nill has work to do to change the roster to enough of a degree that scoring goals doesn’t just go out the window come the conference final. The Leafs, over 12 conference final games in the 1990s, scored three or more goals in eight of them, with a much bigger problem a lack of defensive awareness. Mr. Nill overseas a team that over the past three seasons has for the most part stopped scoring in conference finals to the degree that it has needed to, but also a lack of defensive awareness.

  8. Good !!!! Don’t think he’s that good. Has the team. Has to have the players to be called good coach, like to see him coach Vancouver, then we’ll see what kind coach he is

  9. haha pouty the lord of no rings coach and master of great regular loaded season teams that fizzle out later in playoffs out the door once again. at least pouty has those 2 ohl titles and a mem. cup to remember. espn earlier in the series gushed at what a genius coach pouty was. Just shows once again how much espn knows about anything.

  11. This is completely bull…new generation the player comes before the coach…Pete is a great old school coach..His goalie let in 3 goals in a game they had to win..Pete does not have to justify why he does what he does as a coach…He did the right thing and this ex goalie is wrong…Nil threw Pete under the bus….Pete does not deserve this….Some very smart GM will hire Pete in a second..Its billshit

  12. Seeing DeBoer rage like he did on the bench I can only imagine what he's like in the Room behind closed doors. Then the way he tried to excuse his behavior by throwing Oettinger under the bus the next day. I'm sure all the players said in their exit interviews him or me.

  14. Otter should have pulled. He probably should have been sat early in the series. Hes been christened as the next on- way to early. Too many soft goals at critical times. Until he can win it all, he’s overhyped.

  20. There is a certain level of professionalism regardless of how mad you are that you as a coach has to maintain. He didnt and he paid the price for it. It was the right thing to do.

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