Columbus Fires Head Coach – Sports book. Sports book had the Columbus Blue Jackets firing head coach Ken Hitchcock on Wednesday. The Blue Jackets named assistant coach Claude Noel as interim head coach. The Blue Jackets have had a poor season versus the sportsbook line and are 14th in the Western Conference.
Sports book results had the Blue Jackets getting blown out 5-1 at Colorado on Tuesday. That sportsbook loss was the last straw for Columbus. General manager Scott Howson announced the firing on Wednesday. Sports book stats have the Blue Jackets at 22-27-9 for a total of 53 points. “This season has been very disappointing for the Blue Jackets organization and our fans and the responsibility for that rests with all of us from management to the coaches and players,” Howson said, “Hitch worked tirelessly to build an identity for this team that was missing before he arrived and deserves a great deal of credit for those efforts. He earned and received the opportunity to turn things around this season, but unfortunately that has not happened and it has become apparent that change is in the best interest of our organization.”
Columbus really was not a bad team at the sportsbook under Hitchcock. Sports book has his overall record in four seasons with the Blue Jackets at 125-123-36. His overall record in 14 seasons as an NHL head coach is a good one at 533-350-88-70. He may not be out of a job long considering how often teams are changing coaches.
Sports book indicates that Noel will take over for Columbus. He has been an assistant since 2007 after spending four years as the head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. He will get his first test as the Blue Jackets are at home on Thursday in NHL odds at the sports book against the Dallas Stars, a team Hitchcock coached in the past.
Columbus is 20th in the NHL in goals scored and a pathetic 27th in goals allowed as sports book stats have it. The Blue Jackets have Rick Nash but many of their other players have not stepped up this sportsbook NHL season. The Blue Jackets leading scorer is Nash and he also leads them in shots. Derek Dorsett leads the team in plus/minus but only at plus three. Goaltenders Steve Mason and Mathieu Garon have not played as well this season as they did a year ago.