NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers Saturday fired Coach Michel Bergeron with two games remaining in the regular season and the club skidding into the playoffs.
Rangers General Manager Phil Esposito, long reported to be at odds with the fiery coach he traded for in 1987, will assume coaching responsibilities and will serve in the dual role through the 1989-90 season, announced John Diller, executive vice president of the Madison Square Garden Sports Group.
The firing came with the Rangers 37-33-8 entering Saturday's game in Pittsburgh. After challenging for the Patrick Division lead most of the season, the Rangers have dropped to third -- one point behind the Penguins -- and may lost home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
New York was 3-10 over its last 13 games before Saturday, and lost its last six road games. The Penguins, who overtook the Rangers for second place last Sunday with a victory in Madison Square Garden meeting, were in position to clinch home ice in the playoffs as the division runner-up. Each team had one game remaining after Saturday.
Fourth-place Philadelphia stood just three points behind the Rangers, with a chance to drop New York into fourth place entering the playoffs.
Esposito, in Pittsburgh for the game, was not immediately available for comment.
A Hall of Fame player, Esposito was named general manager July 14, 1986, after serving as the Rangers' television commentator. He coached the Rangers for 43 games in the 1986-87 season when Tom Webster was sidelined by an ear infection. Esposito's coaching record was 24-19-0.
Among the multitude of trades that has earned Esposito's trigger-happy reputation, was the one that brought Bergeron from Quebec for a 1988 first-round draft pick. Nicknamed 'Tiger' for his explosive outbursts, Bergeron coached the Nordiques for seven seasons, reaching the playoffs each year. The Rangers finished 36-34-10 under Bergeron last season, but did not make the playoffs. Bergeron's NHL coaching record is 326-289-97 and 31-37 in the playoffs. Under Bergeron in 1985, the Nordiques went to the Stanley Cup semifinal.
Diller said assistant coach Charlie Thiffault also has been fired and added in a statement that 'no other personnel changes were expected at the present time although some internal restructuring would take place in the future in order to assist and support Esposito in his new dual role.'
