Keenan Is Fired by Panthers

Mike Keenan’s two-year coaching stint with the Florida Panthers ended Sunday, one day after General Manager Rick Dudley told owner Alan Cohen that the move was necessary.

Dudley will take over as coach on an interim basis and said he has already contacted candidates for the permanent job.

“It was done simply because we felt the potential of this team was such that we wanted to play at a maximum or optimal level,” Dudley said of Keenan’s firing. “We did not feel we were doing that at this time.”

Keenan joined the Panthers in December 2001, and last season, his first full campaign with the team, they finished 24-36-13-9. Keenan was not available for comment Sunday, according to team officials. Toward the end of last season, there were many battles between Keenan and Dudley, including a stretch where two of Keenan’s assistants were fired and the coach was barred from being on the ice for practice. The two often clashed on philosophy and coaching style. But Dudley didn’t blame Keenan alone for the team’s struggles.

“Sometimes when things aren’t working as you want them to, someone pays a price,” Dudley said. “And unfortunately, it’s him.”

Added Panther captain Olli Jokinen: “It was the players who let him down, because we didn’t win the games. It’s always up to the players. You should be afraid to play. You shouldn’t lose your confidence.”

Keenan, 54, led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup championship in 1994 and coached six other NHL teams -- Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Vancouver, Boston and the Panthers. He led Philadelphia to the finals in 1985 and 1987 and took Chicago there in 1992. Keenan may have mellowed from the style that earned him the nickname “Iron Mike,” but many in the Panther organization considered his methods unsuited to Florida’s young team.

“They’re a very, very talented group of people and I want them to understand that every time they go on the ice,” Dudley said.

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Colorado 4, Chicago 3 -- Steve Konowalchuk scored his second goal of the game on a deflection with 5.5 seconds left in overtime to give the Avalanche the victory at Chicago. Konowalchuk scored on a midair deflection with 8:44 left in the third period to tie it, 3-3. He has five points in three games with the Avalanche since being acquired from Washington on Nov. 4.

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Columbus 4, Calgary 3 -- The Blue Jackets’ Jody Shelley, a scar-faced tough guy who hadn’t scored in 53 games, came up with the first two-goal game of his career in the victory at Columbus, Ohio. Calgary, which had a season-high 45 shots, was 0 for 5 on its power play.

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Carolina 1, Tampa Bay 1 -- Marty Murray scored his first goal in a Hurricane uniform and goaltender Jamie Storr, formerly of the Kings, held off the Lightning in overtime at Raleigh, N.C. Carolina outshot Tampa Bay, 38-22, in regulation, a season-high shot total for the Hurricanes, who are 2-0-1 in their last three home games. Tampa Bay used John Grahame in place of regular goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who had the day off.