The San Jose Sharks announced Tuesday afternoon that Bob Boughner has been officially hired as the team’s head coach, removing his interim title. He becomes the ninth head coach in San Jose history.
Let’s make it official.
Bob Boughner has been named the ninth #SJSharks head coach in franchise history!
🦈: https://t.co/s9SihMs3td pic.twitter.com/r8zOXwBGhn
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 22, 2020
Bob Boughner Announced as San Jose Sharks Head Coach
Boughner, in his second tenure with the Sharks organization, will get his second crack at being an NHL head coach. After serving as an assistant coach for the team from 2015-17, Boughner was hired as the head coach of the Florida Panthers on June 12, 2017. Boughner was fired after two seasons with the Cats and returned to the Sharks bench for the 2019-20 campaign as an assistant. When head coach Peter DeBoer was fired mid-season, Boughner stepped up into the interim head coaching role.
The former Panthers bench boss is only 49 and still has years of coaching left in him. Playing in the NHL as recently as 2005-06 with the Colorado Avalanche, the defensive defenceman enjoyed a lengthy NHL career and actually served as captain for the 2001-02 Calgary Flames.
What This Means For the Future
Yet to win a major award at the NHL level, Boughner is hoping to propel this Sharks team back to its former glory. He’s certainly a decorated coach at the junior level, having won two OHL championships and three Memorial Cups with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
The Sharks’ season last year was disappointing, to say the least. They missed the playoffs for only the third time since the turn of the century, and posted their worst record since the 2002-03 season. Boughner looks for his defensive prowess as a player to translate to his coaching, hoping to improve the Sharks’ 25th overall ranking in goals against. If the Sharks can get back to playing a more structured game under Boughner’s tutelage, then consider this hiring a success.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
