LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Kings have fired head Coach Terry Murray after a disappointing start to the season, General Manager Dean Lombardi said Monday.
Assistant John Stevens will replace Murray on an interim basis after the Kings -- whose expectations were high after two straight playoff appearances -- stumbled to a 13-12-4 record starting the season.
"(The players are) accountable," Lombardi said. "The coach has to pay the price but make no mistake, they're the ones accountable for this."
The move came as the Kings were caught in a four-game losing streak, during which they have scored 2.21 goals per game -- 12th place in the Western Conference.
Murray, 61, went 139-106-30 since taking over behind the Los Angeles bench in the 2008-09 season. He has also served as head coach for Washington, Philadelphia and Florida in his career.
Stevens racked up a 120-109-34 record while he was the Flyers' head coach from 2006-2009.
