BREAKING: TSN Reporting Canucks Fire Coaching Staff, Plus Live Gillis Press Conference

UPDATE: LIVE GILLIS PRESS CONFERENCE:

TSN is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks have cleaned house, firing Alain Vigneault, along with assistant coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. The firing comes after weeks of speculation following a 2nd straight 1st round playoff exit for the Canucks. Some felt that Vigneault had earned another chance because of the 5 straight Northwest Division titles, but it's apparent that the team, and most likely owner Francesco Aqualini's patience caught up with a good chunk of the fan base and finally run out. Heading into realignment and GM Mike Gillis' statement that he wished to 'hit the reset button', there's a lot of questions surrounding the Canucks, and who is going to lead this team next season is now at the top of the list. We will continue to update you on when the Canucks make this official, and in the meantime, let's see your recommendations as to who you'd like to see at the helm next year. We would like to remind that now that Mike Keenan is signed to coach in Europe, we are waiving the automatic banhammer for suggesting Iron Mike get a shot.

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(Mgmt note: since we got so excited at real Canucks news we posted two threads on AV's termination. Here's the copy from the other one)

After consecutive seasons with disappointing playoff performances, the axe has finally fallen on Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, as well as his assistants Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. Via TSN:

Vigneault served seven years behind the Canucks bench, compiling a regular season record of 313-170-57. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2007 and was voted a finalist on two other occasions.

His playoff record, though, was inconsistent. He took the team to the second round on three separate occasions, missed the playoffs once, and most memorably led them to the Stanley Cup Final against Boston in 2011. However, the Canucks were upset in the first round in the last two seasons, sealing his fate.

The Canucks also fired associate coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness.

There will be much more reaction to this news here on Nucks Misconduct, but for now what are your thoughts about the firing of AV? Good move? Knee jerk reaction? Any thoughts on who should replace him?

Regardless of your view of AV, this is definitely the end of an era in terms of Canucks coaching. Hopefully the move sparks the team to greater success next season.

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1:31 PM PT Update: Solid take from Ben Kuzma:

In the end, the Canucks couldn’t score and their 19th-ranked offence was hampered by the 25th-rated face-off percentage and it was no better against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference quarterfinal series. The Canucks were second last in playoff draws and scored but eight goals in the sweep. That’s two wins in the last 14 playoff games and just 20 goals. That’s terrifying.

Worse than that, something was missing. The product became stale and predictable, there was a shocking lack of urgency and no real press to play an up-tempo game until the Canucks had their backs against the wall in Game 4 at San Jose. That falls on the players and the coaches, too. On some level there was a tune-out factor that was building for a long time. I called for a Vigneault firing a year ago.

I’m old school. I believe if players are ultimately measured by postseason season effectiveness, the same standard should be applied to the coaches. And let’s be clear. This isn’t personal. I got along with Vigneault as well as any member of the media. I appreciated his occasional candour and outright laughter when he couldn’t control himself in Dallas when Vernon Fiddler did his hilarious Kevin Bieksa ‘Angry Face’ impersonation while returning to the bench. But this is business and it’s about winning when it matters most. And there’s nothing funny when it doesn’t occur and the winningest coach in franchise history can’t coax the most from his team.

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2:31 PM PT Update: Gillis will have a press conference at 3:30 PM PT. In the meantime they just now have the official word from the mothership:

Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager Michael D. Gillis announced today that Alain Vigneault has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. Associate Coach Rick Bowness and Assistant Coach Newell Brown were also relieved of their duties today. The Canucks finished the 2012.13 regular season with a record of 26-15-7 and won the Northwest Division Championship before losing 4-0 in the Western Conference Quarter-Finals to the San Jose Sharks.

"We have made the very difficult decision to relieve Alain Vigneault, Rick Bowness and Newell Brown of their coaching duties today," said Canucks President and General Manager, Michael D. Gillis. "Alain, Rick and Newell worked tirelessly to lead this team to great on-ice success. I am personally grateful to each of them and their families for their commitment to the Canucks and the city of Vancouver and wish them continued success in future."