Rangers fire head coach Peter Laviolette after lackluster season

After a disappointing season the New York Rangers publicized on Saturday that they had made the decision to part techniques with head coach Peter Laviolette after just two seasons Associate head coach Phil Housley was also relieved of his duties according to the company The Rangers were - - this season and missed the playoffs a year after they won the President s Trophy and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COMLaviolette had a - - record in his two seasons at the helm in New York The Rangers had their best regular season in franchise history with him in the - season when they had a team-record of points and wins In current times I informed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we re making a coaching change Rangers general manager Chris Drury noted in a declaration 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 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 Quite solely we failed to meet those expectations We must all do better myself included SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSATIONS AGAINST NHL STAR ARTEMI PANARIN REVEALED AFTER SETTLEMENT REVIEW As we head into next season and beyond I felt that a change was necessary in order to give us the best chance to achieve our goals as an organization Our search for a new head coach will begin directly The Rangers were the sixth association Laviolette has been a head coach for throughout his career He coached the Nashville Predators Carolina Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers Washington Capitals and New York Islanders prior to joining the Rangers Coming into the season the Rangers had high expectations after they fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers last season But the Rangers were marred by inconsistent play and underperformance from numerous of their top players Forward Mika Zibanejad scored goals and had points this season after he had goals and points last season Chris Kreider had goals and points last season and this season had just goals and points Zibanejad and Kreider were just two of the countless Rangers stars who took a step back this season in production Laviolette's and Housley s departures are likely the first of multiple to come for the Rangers this offseason as general manager Chris Drury will look to overhaul a roster that struggled throughout the year Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter