Change starts on the bench for struggling NHL teams.
The scuffling Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks made coaching changes this past week in an attempt to spark players who don’t seem to be skating with much life. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the front office playbook, and it’s used for one simple reason: Sometimes it works.
“A lot of times it’s just a change,” Kings interim coach Willie Desjardins told reporters Monday, a day after replacing the fired John Stevens. “Sometimes when you get going, it’s the same thing day after day. So I don’t think it’s any disrespect to John or anybody that’s been here.