Panthers Fire Direen And Two Assistants

In the midst of a seven-game losing streak, the Florida Panthers decided to shake up their coaching staff on Friday, firing head coach Kevin Dineen and assistants Gord Murphy and Craig Ramsay, and naming Peter Horachek the interim head coach.

"We're 3-9-4," general manager Dale Tallon said in a conference call. "That's unacceptable."

Tallon considered a coaching change for quite some time, and described Thursday's loss to the Boston Bruins as one of the final straws, and called it the “first of many changes.” He also suggested that the Panthers will be active in the trade market should their fortunes not improve.

Dineen, 50, was hired in May 2011 after six years with the Portland Pirates of the AHL. The Panthers went to the postseason in Dineen’s first season, before falling to the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Florida finished with the worst record in the NHL in 2012-2013.

In 146 games, Dineen compiled a 56-64-25 record in regular season games.

Peter Horachek, 53, has never served as an NHL head coach, and is basically auditioning for a full-time job. He previously worked as an assistant for the Nashville Predators under Barry Trotz.

Brian Skrudland, who played for Florida from 1993-1997, and John Madden, who had a 31-game stint with the Panthers in 2011-2012, were named assistants.