Reeling Rangers fire coach Renney

February 24, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Renney was fired as coach of the New York Rangers on Monday and replaced by John Tortorella in an attempt to save a season that has spiraled out of control.

The Rangers opened 10-2-1, but 10 losses in the last 12 games have knocked the team out of contention for the Atlantic Division title and placed it in danger of missing the playoffs completely.

Renney, a former coach of the Vancouver Canucks, was 164-121-42 with the Rangers in four-plus seasons and ranks fourth on the team’s career wins and games coached lists.

In recent home games, fans had chanted for Renney’s dismissal.

“I’ve been thinking about it the last couple of weeks,” general manager Glen Sather said. “I wish it hadn’t have come to this, but it did. After the last two or three games it was obvious something had to be done.”

Assistant coach Perry Pearn was also fired, but fellow assistant Mike Pelino was retained along with goalie coach Benoit Allaire, the Rangers said. Jim Schoenfeld, the team’s assistant general manager, will also serve as an interim assistant coach.

Schoenfeld wasn’t considered to replace Renney, but Sather said Tortorella wasn’t the only candidate he spoke to Monday. Sather declined to reveal specific terms of Tortorella’s contract, but said it was a multi-year deal.

Tortorella was a Rangers assistant coach and went 0-4 as an interim New York head coach after replacing John Muckler at the end of the 1999-2000 season.

Tortorella led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup title in 2004 and was let go following last season.

His no-nonsense style is in stark contrast to the laid-back, player-friendly Renney. That was a key factor in Sather’s decision to hire him. Tortorella got the job less than 10 hours after it became available.

“Torts is going to bring a lot more fire to his approach,” Sather said. “I just felt that we needed to get more fire in there.”

Renney stated strongly Sunday that his team hadn’t quit and played hard despite its 3-2 overtime loss to Toronto that extended New York’s skid to 2-7-3. The Rangers face the Maple Leafs again in Toronto on Wednesday. Sather said the decision to change coaches was made before the latest defeat.