SAN JOSE, Calif., March 18 (UPI) -- The San Jose Sharks, who are last in the Pacific Division a season after winning the first division title in team history, Tuesday fired General Manager Dean Lombardi.
Lombardi fired Coach Darryl Sutter in early December after the Sharks were just 8-12-2-2 in their first 24 games. Ron Wilson was eventually hired as Sutter's replacement, but the Sharks showed little improvement.
The Sharks are 26-33-6-7 after a stellar 2001-02 season in which they set franchise records for wins (44) and points (99).
San Jose is 13th in the Western Conference with 65 points. Only Calgary, Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus and Pittsburgh have fewer points in the league.
"It has been determined that a change was needed at the top of the hockey department," Sharks President Greg Jamison said. "This season has been a struggle and clearly has not progressed as any of us expected. We feel this move is a necessary step in returning the San Jose Sharks to the postseason next year."
Assistant General Manager Wayne Thomas will handle the day-by-day operations until a permanent replacement is made.
Lombardi had been the Sharks general manager for the past seven seasons, taking control in March 1996. During that span, San Jose showed steady improvement, but was unable to move beyond the second round of the playoffs.
