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Taxi! Paddock Out in Ottawa
John Paddock has been fired by the Ottawa Senators. (AP Images)
Whoda thunk it?
After a white-hot 15-2 start to the season, nobody ever thought the Ottawa Senators would consider firing head coach John Paddock. But my, how things change.
The Sens announced Wednesday that Paddock has been relieved of his coaching duties, not even getting a chance to finish a full season behind the Ottawa bench. Former head coach and current GM Bryan Murray will take over for the remainder of the season.
The writing was on the wall after the last two Ottawa losses - embarassing 5-0 and 4-0 decisions to the Maple Leafs and Bruins. Many believed that Paddock had simply lost the locker room, pointing to his continual clashes with goaltender Ray Emery as a microcosom of a large-scale issue between players and coach.
Paddock was in his sixth season with the Senators organization, most of them coming as an assistant coach to Murray. Paddock posted a 36-22-6 record in his lone season as head coach, but had lost six of his last eight and 14 of 21.