UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Mike Milbury dismissed another Islanders coach Tuesday, firing Peter Laviolette after playoff trips in each of his two seasons with the team.
Milbury has fired seven coaches, including himself twice, in the 71/2 years he has been the team's general manager. Laviolette was replaced with minor league coach Steve Stirling, who coached in the AHL the past two seasons.
"I'm not happy about being here and was looking for any possible way around this," Milbury said. "While we accomplished some significant things in the last two years, in the end I thought we were backtracking."
Laviolette and the Islanders were eliminated twice in the first round of the playoffs after not qualifying since 1994. There was a positive feeling a year ago after a tough seven-game loss to Toronto, but those good vibes were gone after a five-game washout against Ottawa in April.
When the Islanders lost four straight to Ottawa after winning the series opener, there was much complaining and finger-pointing among the players. New York was outscored 13-4 in the losses.
After interviews with players after the series, Milbury said he was surprised how wide the gap had become between Laviolette and the team.
"Ultimately this decision was made because the line of communication between the players and the coach snapped," Milbury said.
Laviolette set a league record by becoming the first coach to win his first four road games in 2001-02. The team picked up his option at $500,000 in December, but has changed its mind.
Assistant coach Kelly Miller also was fired.
Stirling was the Hockey News minor league coach of the year in 2001-02 after taking Bridgeport to the AHL final.
AVALANCHE: Tom Lawson, voted the top goaltender in the United Hockey League, signed five days after Patrick Roy announced his retirement. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Lawson, 23, was an All-Star for the Fort Wayne Komets.
RATINGS DOWN: ABC's ratings for the third and fourth games of the Stanley Cup finals fell 29 percent from a year ago. An average 2.4 percent of the 107-million U.S. households with televisions tuned in to watch the games between the Mighty Ducks and Devils on ABC, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc. A year ago, ABC averaged 3.4 percent of viewers for the same two games between the Hurricanes and Red Wings.
