Mike Yeo is out.
The Minnesota Wild confirmed they fired their head coach following the Wild’s 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins Saturday afternoon – it was the team’s eighth straight loss.
“I would like to thank Mike for the hard work and dedication he provided behind the bench for the Minnesota Wild organization and wish him the best in the future,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said in a statement.
Fletcher: "I want to recognize that Mike is a very good coach…He deserves a lot of credit for stabilizing this franchise." #mnwild
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 14, 2016
John Torchetti will be the interim head coach of the team, the Wild said in a news release Saturday night.
Torchetti was serving as head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild before his appointment by the Wild. He has coached the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings in the past.
Fletcher: the great thing about Totchetti is he's a quality, veteran coach who is familiar with a lot of our players.
— Ryan Shaver (@RShaverSports) February 14, 2016
Pittsburgh-area reporter Rich Walsh was the first to break the news of Yeo’s firing, via a connection with former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, where Yeo worked as an assistant.
Just found out Mike Yeo was just fired as Minnesota Wild Head Coach. Yeo was a former Penguins assistant under Dan Bylsma.
— Rich Walsh KDKA (@RichieWalsh) February 14, 2016
Star Tribune reporter Michael Russo then confirmed via a text message.
Via text, Mike Yeo confirms he has been fired by the #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2016
With a record of 20-10-6 on Dec. 20, all things looked rosy for the Wild. But a third straight mid-season swoon has taken the Wild from the talk of a top-four seed in the Western Conference to big questions about whether they’ll be able to recover and make the playoffs.
Despite the losing, Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said last Saturday that Yeo’s job was safe.
The Wild lost 15 of their 18 games so far in 2016 (3-12-4). They’re currently in the middle of an eight-game losing streak.
Making matters worse is that Minnesota isn’t winning at home – a place that was once a house of horrors for opponents has turned into a lodge for losing for the home team. Yeo’s club has dropped eight straight at Xcel Energy Center (tying a franchise record) with the last home victory coming a month and a half ago on Dec. 28.
Multiple #MNWild players are just learning the news that head coach Mike Yeo was fired.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) February 14, 2016
Odd timing, but obviously had to happen. https://t.co/P1xkRhlzH6
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 14, 2016
