LOS ANGELES, May 22 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Kings on Monday officially named Marc Crawford the club's new head coach.
Crawford replaces interim head coach John Torchetti, who took over for the Kings when Andy Murray was fired on March 21.
"Marc is not only one of the top coaches in the NHL, I believe he is also the perfect fit for this team now and into the future," said Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi. "Despite his relative youth, he has already enjoyed incredible success in terms of winning and guiding young players to reach their optimum level of performance."
Crawford, 45, led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup title in 1996. He also was head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He has 411 coaching victories, good for 16th on the all-time list.
The Canucks fired Crawford on April 25 after he guided the club to a record of 42-32-8, but missed the playoffs.
