Hired to win, fired to fix
The professional coaching leash is shorter than ever right now
Seven months after leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Finals, Dominique Ducharme found himself out of a job. The message was loud and clear: the professional coaching leash is shrinking by the day.
When the Canadiens snuck into the Stanley Cup playoffs during the 2020-21 NHL season, fans were nervous and eager to see how it would end.
After a miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Finals, it seemed like Ducharme had at least bought himself some time. Yet after a disappointing start to the following season, Ducharme was fired and ultimately replaced with current head coach Martin St. Louis.
The abrupt shift from an appearance in the finals to the dismissal of Ducharme proves how not even success can protect a career in pro sports.
Too often, coaches aren’t afforded the opportunity to adjust or grow with a team, and the results show how costly that can be. This is a cycle familiar to every professional sports league. Continuity? Long-term planning? Forget it.
Not every NHL team operates the same way. After winning a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008, Mike Babcock had established himself as one of the league’s top coaches. Fast forward to 2015, Babcock was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, believing he could lead them to a championship.
Toronto then struggled to convert regular-season success into anything past the first round of the playoffs, yet Babcock remained in place for several seasons. Despite mounting frustration from fans and reporters, the Maple Leafs stuck with him, hoping he would turn the team around.
Babcock was then fired in 2019. His tenure demonstrates what can happen when a team decides to invest confidence in a coach, even under scrutiny.
A similar yet different story can be found overseas.
When Mikel Arteta took over at Arsenal F.C. in 2019, his early results were inconsistent, and viewers grew restless at the lack of immediate improvement. The club chose to give him latitude to implement his system, and over the following seasons, Arteta built a young, competitive squad with a clear framework.
While approaches in hockey and soccer vary, Arsenal’s approach shows how giving room to operate can allow a coach’s vision to take hold.
Over the past seven NHL seasons, teams have fired their head coach midseason 34 times. Over that same span, the Premier League has seen roughly 50 mid-season sackings, highlighting a grim similarity across the two sports.
Clearly, the Premier League isn’t known for restraint. Managers are hired with big expectations and fired just as quickly. But Arsenal followed a new script, gave Arteta time to execute his vision, and now they’re contenders for a Premier League title.
The careers of both Ducharme and Babcock show the fragility of coaching jobs in the NHL. Some teams act quickly after a few losses, while others allow coaches to adapt and grow.
Ducharme’s rapid dismissal and Babcock’s longer tenure illustrate two extremes: some franchises react instantly, while others ride out rough patches in hopes of long-term growth. Both approaches shape not only the coach’s career but also the team's identity.
The trend of firing coaches so quickly can do more harm than good. Franchises may want to see instant results, but constantly changing coaches can ruin the flow of a team and impact the chemistry that was built in their system. Arteta’s tenure highlights the beauty of giving a coach time to perfect their approach and how much it can help lead a team to the right direction.
The quick firings can also hurt the sports themselves. Constant change, no stability, and lack of trust in the leadership will hurt the progress of any team. In some instances a coach is not the right fit, but a rash reaction after a few games is unnecessary and immature. This process prioritizes short-term satisfaction over long-term success, sacrificing team growth and leaving no opportunity for real progress.
As of the 2025-26 season, the Canadiens seem to have found a gem, enjoying plenty of success under Martin St. Louis. On the flip side, the Maple Leafs are still scrambling for a wildcard spot in the cutthroat Eastern Conference.
So coaches: work hard, win big and hope for patience—because apparently, patience is optional.
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