Ron Wilson hasn’t coached since 2011-12, but he told ESPN’s Craig Custance he is ready to return to the bench.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fired Wilson midway through the 2011-12 season in the midst of a skid where the club had just one win in its past 12 games. Then-GM Brian Burke’s boiling point came when fans rampantly chanted, “Fire Wilson!” during a late-February loss that season at the Air Canada Centre.
“The last couple of days have been brutal,” Burke said at the time. “I go back with [Wilson] to 1973. We were freshmen together. We played four years together in college, a more close-knit experience than playing pro. But I have to do what’s right for the team.
“I’m bewildered by it. It’s like someone hit me with a two-by-four, where a team just flat-out went for a freefall… I’ve never had a team fall off a cliff like this before. I’ve had dips, slumps, rough patches, but this is akin to an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff. I don’t know what happened.”
Days later, Burke replaced Wilson as head coach with Randy Carlyle, the Leafs’ current coach. The firing came just months after Toronto handed Wilson a contract extension on Christmas Day.
During parts of four seasons in Toronto, Wilson posted a record of 130-135-45 and did not make a post-season appearance.
Before joining Toronto, the 58-year-old Wilson served as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks (2002-2008), Washington Capitals (1997-2002) and Anaheim Ducks (1993-97). He has coached more than 1,400 career NHL games.
There are multiple coaching vacancies around the NHL (Washington, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators), and more could open up by the time the post-season ends.
