Panthers Name GM Tom Rowe Interim Head Coach For Remainder Of Season
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SUNRISE (CBSMiami) – The Florida Panthers made it official on Monday morning, naming general manager Tom Rowe the team's interim head coach.
The move was made in correlation with the firing of Gerard Gallant.
President of Hockey Operations Dale Tallon announced the moves in a statement.
Rowe will remain the Panthers coach for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
In addition to Gallant, assistant coach Mike Kelly was also relieved of his duties.
"Today is a hard day. Gerard and Mike are good men and talented hockey coaches," said Tallon. "We thank them for their contributions in the community, for their work developing our young players and in helping to turn around the culture."
During his 186 games behind the Panthers bench, Gallant earned a 96-65-25 record.
Last season he led the Panthers to their first Atlantic Division title and a team record with 103 points, but the playoffs ended quickly after losing in six games to the New York Islanders in the first round.
Rowe has coached at multiple professional levels but never in the NHL.
After spending seven years coaching in the Carolina Hurricanes system, Rowe joined their NHL bench from 2008 to 2011.
He coached one season in the Kontinental Hockey League, earning a 34-18-0 record with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv.
The Panthers hired Rowe to coach their American Hockey League affiliate in 2013, first coaching in San Antonio before taking over in Portland.
"My focus is solely on turning our season around, fixing our special teams and securing a playoff berth," Rowe said.
After 22 games, the Panthers hold an 11-10-1 record which is good for fifth place in the Atlantic Division.
Florida's power play ranks 21st in the league with a 14.7 percent success rate while their penalty kill is 19th, killing 81.3 percent of penalties.
"In seeking to earn a second consecutive playoff berth and bring a Stanley Cup to South Florida, we believe that new leadership is required immediately," said Florida Panthers Chairman, Owner and Governor Vincent J. Viola.
The team has an off day on Monday that Rowe will use to meet with his coaching staff.
The Panthers are back on the ice on Tuesday when they play the second game of a six-game road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks.