Los Angeles (AFP) – John Stevens, an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Kings staff for the past seven seasons, has been promoted to head coach, the National Hockey League team announced Sunday.
The 50-year-old Canadian had most recently served as the team’s associate coach, having joined the team after coaching the Philadlphia Flyers from 2006 to 2010.
After the Kings went 39-35 with eight overtime losses to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, owners fired coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi, who had guided the team to its only Stanley Cup crowns in 2012 and 2014.
Stevens went 120-109 with 34 overtime losses with the Flyers, who reached the 2008 Eastern Conference finals under his instruction, and guided the Kings to a 2-2 mark as an interim coach in the 2011-12 campaign before Sutter’s hiring.
Stevens also played for five NHL seasons as a defenseman with Philadelphia and Hartford.
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