Struggling Canucks hope new coach Boudreau can kickstart dismal season

Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini says he may have been "too patient" in waiting for the struggling NHL team to turn its season around.

His patience ran out Sunday as the team cleaned house, firing general manager Jim Benning, assistant manager Jim Weisbrod, head coach Travis Green and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner.

"These are difficult decisions. These are not easy. I mean, to fire everybody at the same time, that's a hard thing to do and maybe I was a little bit too patient," Aquilini told reporters Monday. "I was hoping for a turnaround. We were losing these games by one goal and maybe I was too optimistic, and so we made the change when we made the change."

The changes followed a dismal start to the season. Vancouver sits last in the Pacific Division with an 8-15-2 record.

WATCH l Canucks owner Aquilini speaks to media about firing Green, Benning:

Stan Smyl, a former Canucks right-winger who was promoted from senior adviser to interim general manager on Sunday, said the moves send the right message to a locker room that was waiting for something to happen.

"Things weren't working. Was it the decision on the GM? Was it the decision on a coach? We didn't have all those answers and the players were looking around for answers, and what happens when you get to this point is you start finger pointing," he said.

"Bottom line, our performance this season hasn't been good enough. We do have some talented young players and a good core to build around, but we need to be better."

The search for new hockey operations leadership is underway, Aquilini said, and "everything is on the table," including potentially hiring both a GM and a president.

Right now, though, he wants to see his team get back in the win column.

"I know our fans and the media are frustrated and unhappy. But I assure you that no one is more frustrated and unhappy than me and my family," Aquilini said. "I'm also disappointed and surprised. In the off-season, we believed we'd have a much better team than what we've been seeing, that we'd have a better competitive team this year."

The Canucks replaced Green with Bruce Boudreau, signing the veteran NHL coach to a deal through the 2022-23 season.

The 66-year-old Toronto native has served as head coach for the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild. He won the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach in 2008 when he took over the floundering Capitals and guided them through a bounce back season.

Aquilini said Smyl suggested Boudreau as a replacement and after some discussions, Aquilini made the coach an offer.