ST. LOUIS -- Jacques Martin, accused by management of not getting enough out of his young players, today was fired as coach of the St. Louis Blues.
'Over the past two seasons, we have had a dramatic infusion of young talent into this hockey club,' said Ronald Caron, the vice president and general manager. 'The measure of that talent influx has not been matched in results.'
No replacement for Martin was named.
The Blues finished with a 34-38-8 record, good for second place in the Norris Division. However, their 76 points was only 15th best in the 21-team NHL.
The Blues defeated Chicago in five games in the opening round of the playoffs, then lost to Detroit in five games in the Norris Division finals.
'Over Martin's tenure, we were less than .500 and won only one of three playoff series,' Caron said.
The Blues posted a record of 32-33-15 in 1986-87 and won the Norris Division. But they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
'Admittedly, some progress in our development was made,' Caron said. 'But given the competitive nature of our sport, we did not see enough progress, particularly in our won-loss record at home and the lack of reaction to physical abuse our players accepted in the playoffs.
'The Blues want to provide our fans with better entertainment and greater achievements both at home and on the road.'
The status of St. Louis's two assistant coaches, Joe Micheletti and Doug MacLean, will be addressed later this week, Caron said.
Caron said he hoped to have a new coach hired in time for the NHL entry draft June 11 in Montreal. He said he would not be bound by any deadline.
Martin became the 14th coach in the history of the franchise when he was hired in June 1986.
His arrival followed the departure of the popular Jacques Demers, who left the Blues over a contract dispute with former owner Harry Ornest. Demers was hired by the Red Wings and led them to the Stanley Cup semifinals this season, losing to Edmonton in five games.
'I think it comes with the territory of the job,' Martin said of the firing in an interview with KMOX Radio in St. Louis. 'I want to thank the St. Louis Blues organization, particularly Ron Caron, who hired me two years ago.
'In the two years that I was in St. Louis, I enjoyed the job that I did here. I want to thank the players, too, for working for me for two years. It's been an enjoyable two years in St. Louis. I feel that I'm a better coach now, and those things happen.'
Martin came to St. Louis from the Guelph Platers of the Ontario Hockey League, a junior team, which he led to the title in 1986.
