West Orange, N.J. — No more Mr. Nice Guy, and the New Jersey Devils have only themselves to blame.
Larry Robinson was fired as the Devils coach on Monday with the club struggling to make the playoffs less than a year after coming within a victory of winning consecutive Stanley Cups.
The easygoing and well-liked Robinson was replaced by former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Kevin Constantine, a noted disciplinarian.
Constantine, who considers himself a teacher, will make his debut today at the New York Islanders.
"This team needs a coach of Kevin's personality, structure, discipline and accountability," general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "The players are underachieving. They know why and I'll leave it at that."
Perennially one of the NHL's strongest teams, the Devils (21-20-7-3) are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of a playoff position with 31 games left.
While the playoffs are within their grasp, the Devils have been inconsistent all season.
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