Coaching firings are a way of life in professional sports.
Owners have generally been trigger-happy and expect coaches to produce instant results.
The Philadelphia Flyers continued the trend by dismissing head coach Peter Laviolette just three games into the 2013-14 NHL season.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of the quickest firings to start a season in North American pro sports.
NHL
Bill Gadsby (1969-70) – In one of the stranger firings of all time, the Red Wings dismissed Gadsby an hour before Detroit’s third game of the 1969-70 season. He had a 2-0 start that season and reasons for his firing were never disclosed.
Jacques Demers (1995-96) -Demers led Montreal to a Stanley Cup title in 1992-93 but the team declined after that. They did not make the playoffs in 1994-95 before he was fired five games (0-5) into the 1995-96 season.
Ivan Hlinka (2001-02) – The second European ever to coach in the NHL didn’t build off a surprising run to the Eastern Conference final, butting heads with superstar Mario Lemieux and was let go five games into his second season in Pittsburgh.
Denis Savard (2008-09) – Savard’s coaching career wasn’t as prominent as his playing days with the Chicago Blackhawks. He coached Chicago for parts of three seasons but the team fired him after four games (1-2-1 record) in 2008-09.
MLB
Cal Ripken Sr. (1988) – The Baltimore Orioles fired Ripken Sr. after a 0-6 start to the 1988 campaign. Baltimore went on to lose 15 consecutive games after Ripken Sr. was fired but he stayed with the organization until 1992.
Phil Garner (2002) – The Detroit Tigers axed Garner along with GM Randy Smith six games into the 2000 season. Detroit went on to finish with a 55-106 record that year.
NBA
Mike Brown (2012-13) – The Lakers brought in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to play alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol but the team got off to a rough start and canned Brown just five games into the year. Brown started 1-4 and was replaced by former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni.
Paul Westphal (2011-12) – Westphal was let go by the Sacramento Kings after a 2-5 start in 2011-12. He had a career record of 49-112 with the Kings.
NFL
George Allen (1978) – Allen’s second stint with the Rams didn’t go over very well. He was let go after just two underwhelming pre-season games by owner Carroll Rosenbloom in 1978 and was replaced by defensive coordinator Ray Malavasi.
Lane Kiffin (2008) – Kiffin didn’t see eye-to-eye with owner Al Davis and was fired by the Oakland Raiders after a 1-3 start in 2008. Davis reportedly tried to get Kiffin to resign throughout the 2007 season where Oakland finished 4-12.
CFL
Dan Hawkins (2013) – Hawkins didn’t serve as a suitable replacement for Marc Trestman as the Montreal Alouettes let him go just five games (2-3) into his first season. He was replaced in the interim by general manager Jim Popp.
