The Kelowna Rockets relieved head coach Jason Smith of his duties yesterday afternoon, after starting the 2018-19 season with a dreadful 4-10-0-0 start.
In a prepared statement Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton said:
“Any time you let someone go that is the quality of Jason Smith it’s very tough, however the success of our hockey club ultimately falls with myself and I feel at this time we need to go in a different direction. Jason is just a wonderful person and we want to thank him for his time here.”
Smith, a former NHL defenseman of 1008 games known mostly for his time as captain of the Edmonton Oilers, was hired by the Rockets in the summer of 2016 and completed two full years as head coach. In 2016-17 the team had a 45-22-5-0 record while last season saw the Rockets go 43-22-5-2.
Multiple NHL insiders, including Sportsnet’s John Shannon, are now reporting that Smith’s replacement will be former NHL defenseman and gold medal winning Olympian Adam Foote.
Source:
John Shannon
