BREAKING: Eastern Conference GM Fired
Breaking news emerged in the last few minutes that announced the rifing of a general manager in the Eastern Conference.
Columbus Blue Jackets Officially Decide to Part Ways With General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen
The Columbus Blue Jackets organization announced this morning that they've decided to fire their general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
He is replaced by John Davidson, President of Hockey Operations and other members of the management team while the organization looks for an official replacement.
Here's the official statement from the NHL:
"The Columbus Blue Jackets have relieved Jarmo Kekalainen of his duties as general manager of the National Hockey League club, President of Hockey Operations and Alternate Governor John Davidson announced today. Davidson, along with the team's hockey operations management team, will assume general manager's duties while the club goes through the process of hiring a replacement.
«This is one of the hardest days I have had in my career as Jarmo is a friend, someone I have a great deal of respect for and someone who has done a lot of good things during his time here,» said Davidson. «While the future of our club is bright, our performance has not been good enough and it is time for a fresh perspective as we move forward.»
Kekalainen, 57, was named the third general manager in Blue Jackets history on Feb. 13, 2013. The club amassed a 410-362-97 record in 869 games during his tenure, which is the longest in franchise history. Columbus qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and posted its four winningest seasons based on points percentage during that span: 2016-17 (50-24-8, 108 pts., .659), 2018-19 (47-31-4, 98 pts., .598), 2017-18 (45-30-7, 97 pts., .591) and 2019-20 (33-22-15, 81 pts., .579)."
«This is one of the hardest days I have had in my career as Jarmo is a friend, someone I have a great deal of respect for and someone who has done a lot of good things during his time here,» said Davidson. «While the future of our club is bright, our performance has not been good enough and it is time for a fresh perspective as we move forward.»
Kekalainen, 57, was named the third general manager in Blue Jackets history on Feb. 13, 2013. The club amassed a 410-362-97 record in 869 games during his tenure, which is the longest in franchise history. Columbus qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and posted its four winningest seasons based on points percentage during that span: 2016-17 (50-24-8, 108 pts., .659), 2018-19 (47-31-4, 98 pts., .598), 2017-18 (45-30-7, 97 pts., .591) and 2019-20 (33-22-15, 81 pts., .579)."
Do you think Kekalainen will be back in the NHL next season?
Updates will follow.
As seen on Hockey Patrol - BREAKING: Eastern Conference team fires GM
| POLL | ||
FÉVRIER 15 | 75 ANSWERS BREAKING: Eastern Conference GM Fired Do you think Kekalainen will be back in the NHL next season? | ||
| Yes | 24 | 32 % |
| No | 51 | 68 % |
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