Brophy Fired as Coach of Maple Leafs

John Brophy was fired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs today and former assistant general manager George Armstrong was named interim coach, team owner Harold Ballard announced.

After weeks of speculation that his firing was imminent, Brophy finally was let go this morning as the Leafs were practicing for tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Armstrong, who was captain of the Leafs during their glory days of the 1960s, will be behind the bench tonight as Toronto tries to end its 10-game losing streak. Although Armstrong was named interim coach, he is expected to hold the job for the remainder of the NHL season.

The announcement of Brophy’s firing came in a terse press release after the coach met with Ballard.