On the heels of their sixth consecutive loss, the Edmonton Oilers have started to make changes.
The team has relieved goaltending coach Frederic Chabot of his duties, general manager Craig McTavish announced Monday, replacing him with Dustin Schwartz.
The team’s No. 1 goalie, Ben Scrivens, told reporters he feels responsibility for Chabot’s losing his job and called it a terrible day.
The 46-year-old Chabot was hired as the Oilers’ goaltending consultant in July of 2009.
The native of Herbertville-Station, Que., played parts of five NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings before making the leap to coach.
The Oilers sit in last place in the West and have yet to defeat a team in their own conference. Last season the club started six different goaltenders, and this year the team has a conference-worst goals-against average of 3.48 per game.
Chabot’s firing comes on the heels of Scrivens’ 7-1 blowout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday. The team was booed off the ice (watch above) following its most recent loss.
“We deserved absolutely everything we got on that walk,” Scrivens told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.
The 35-year-old Schwartz has been promoted from the Western Hockey League, where he was in his fourth season serving as goaltending consultant for the Edmonton Oil Kings, winners of the 2014 Memorial Cup.
A native of Stettler, Alta., Schwartz has served as a staff member at Edmonton’s Vimy Ridge Academy, working as the school’s goaltending instructor as well as teaching science. Last year, Schwartz served as the goaltending coach for Team Canada in its gold-medal performance at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka tournament.
Before his coaching career, Schwartz played five seasons for the University of Alberta’s Golden Bears, winning a CIS University Cup. He also played four seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Red Deer Rebels.
