It has not been long since Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said coach Mike Yeo's job was safe, so it must have been extra astonishing for Yeo when he was let go after the Wild's game on Saturday, a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins. The 42-year-old coach had recently stated that he was not "quitting on the group", and "operating under the assumption" that he would still be with the team on Sunday, according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo.
"I know what [Fletcher] said the other day and I'm a realist," Yeo said at a press conference. "You can't lose every game and expect to think there are not going to be changes."
"That's what happens [when] you lose; you are looking for a response, you need a response," he continued. "Whether it's changing players, changing [the] coach or not doing anything, you're either going to get a response from the group and you're going to change things, or you're not and you're not going to change things," according to NHL.com.
Yeo had been coaching the Wild since 2011-12, amassing a 173-132-44 record in that span. The team reached the playoffs the last three seasons, and last year Yeo coached Minnesota to a 46-28-8 record, the second most wins in the teams history. That would prove a moot point however, as this season the Wild are struggling, suffering their eighth straight loss Saturday, and 13th loss out of 14 games. Their last win was on Jan. 21. The team has too much talent to not be playing better and it is sorely disappointing for fans.
"I would like to thank Mike for the hard work and dedication he provided behind the bench for the Minnesota Wild organization and wish him the best in the future," Fletcher said in a statement, according to NHL.com.
The head coach of the Iowa Wild - Minnesota's AHL affiliate - John Torchetti will be the interim head coach, according to Sportsnet's Jeff Simmons.
#mnwild names John Torchetti interim Head Coach: https://t.co/3RUr1BjVY5 pic.twitter.com/pZWOsddJNY
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 14, 2016
The 55-year-old has been the interim coach for the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings in the past, as well as an assistant with the Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Yeo's parting words to his team were, according to CBC's Dave Campbell, "I believe in the group, but they better start believing in each other, and they better start delivering."
