sportsgrid
Peter Laviolette, a seasoned NHL coach with 24 seasons behind the bench, has experienced the full spectrum of emotions that come with the job. His two-year stint as head coach of the New York Rangers was no exception, and he recently shared his reflections before his Los Angeles Kings faced the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
The 61-year-old Laviolette, who took over the Kings last summer after a year away from the NHL, described his time in New York as “kind of a tale of two years.” The first year was marked by remarkable success: the Rangers captured the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24 with a franchise-record 55 wins and 114 points. They swept the Washington Capitals in the first round, defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
“The first year was really good, I mean, most wins and most points for a very storied franchise,” Laviolette recalled. “Took it to three rounds to Florida and lost in Game 6, and that was disappointing – not to win a couple more games and get that chance to play for the Cup. It was something that I'll remember being here in New York.”
Under Laviolette's guidance, current Kings forward Artemi Panarin enjoyed a career-best season with the Rangers, scoring 49 goals and recording 120 points. However, the following season was a stark contrast, as New York slumped to 85 points, finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division, and missed the playoffs. Laviolette was relieved of his duties and replaced by Mike Sullivan.
Rather than jumping immediately back into coaching, Laviolette opted to take a year off, a decision he viewed as beneficial after so many consecutive seasons of games and travel. “It was good. I got to do some things I hadn't been able to do,” he said. “I went to Scotland and watched my daughter's fiancé play golf. I went to St. Andrews and got to go to a couple of weddings.”
Now, Laviolette is focused on getting the Kings back on track. Los Angeles started the season winless in its first six games but began its current five-game road trip with victories over the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders before losing to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Panarin, who leads the Kings with six goals, scored twice in the 3-2 overtime win against the Islanders. Another former Ranger, Mats Zuccarello, joined the Kings last summer but has just one assist in six games and will miss Monday's game with an upper-body injury.
Entering Monday's contest at the Garden with a 2-5-2 record, the Kings face a tough challenge against a Rangers team that has started its home season 6-0-0. Laviolette emphasized the need for improvement, particularly on defense. “We have to defend better. Once we defend better, we're not playing defense and that gives us a chance to play offense,” he explained. “Our second periods have been problematic. But I think we have come out in some of the games and played pretty well. The third period against the Islanders was really good. I thought we generated – between that and overtime – about eight or nine chances.”
Key Analysis
Laviolette's coaching career spans more than two decades, beginning with the Islanders in 2001-02. He won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and led Philadelphia (2010) and Nashville (2017) to the Cup Final. He ranks seventh on the all-time coaching wins list with 848 regular-season victories and 88 playoff wins. Laviolette also played 12 NHL games for the Rangers in 1988-89, and he holds his time as coach of the Original Six franchise in high regard. “I loved being in Madison Square Garden. The New York fans were awesome,” he said. “I can't tell you how many times I was around the country and somebody would come up to me and say they are the biggest Ranger fans ever. I think they are. They would talk about how their grandfather took them to a game 50 years ago and now they are 60 years old and taking their grandkids. Because it has been around for 100 years, you get stories like that and you can feel the passion from the fans.”
Originally reported by sportsgrid.