When he began his coaching career following his professional playing career, former Providence Bruins defenseman Peter Laviolette hit the ground running with the P-Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). He ws the head coach for the 1998-99 season, where they went 56-15-4 and won the Calder Cup by winning 15 of their 19 postseason games.
He was named AHL Coach of the Year, and that earned him a stint with Boston as an assistant coach. Unsurprisingly, he didn't last long there before he got his first head coaching position with the New York Islanders. He has had some success behind the bench, including leading the New York Rangers to the Presidents' Trophy in the first season of 2023-24 with a 55–23–4 record.
However, Laviolette was fired after the 2024-25 season after finishing in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 39-36-7 record. After a year away from coaching, it appears the Massachusetts native is getting the itch to be behind an NHL bench again sooner rather than later.
Former Bruins assistant coach Peter Laviolette looking to get behind a bench again
The former Rangers coach, who also had stints with the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Nashville Predators, went on First Shift on the NHL Network and sounded like someone itching to get back into coaching.
“Now, sitting here and watching the playoffs, you just want to get back out there and get after it again,” said Laviolette. “But we’ll see what happens. I think it’s been good, just from a refreshing standpoint. Sometimes you just take a minute, take a beat and get your mind back on track, and that’s where things are right now.”
Now, it remains to be seen if there are going to be any jobs that open up. You could see certain jobs opening up (hello, Edmonton Oilers), but there is also former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy still unemployed after being fired by the Vegas Golden Knights late in the season. Regardless, Laviolette is certainly planting the seed that he wants to be back behind an NHL bench at some point.
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