Former Avalanche rival's head coach gets fiercely honest about playoff failures
Photo credit: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images
Former Colorado Avalanche rival and current Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer opens up and gets brutally honest about the team's repeated playoff failures, revealing the struggles and decisions that have haunted his squads in the postseason.
Several months later, the former Stars head coach has opened up about the playoff failures and the controversial comments that contributed to his firing.
Peter DeBoer gets honest about playoff failures.
Jacob Punturi from Breakaway On Si writes that the 2025 Western Conference Finals marked DeBoer's final games as head coach of the Stars.
His tenure ended controversially after he pulled starting goalie Jake Oettinger in a crucial Game 5 loss to the Edmonton Oilers and made postseason comments that appeared to shift blame onto Oettinger. He was dismissed shortly after the playoff exit and the remarks.
Several months after his departure, the former Stars head coach has opened up about the playoff collapse and the comments that contributed to his firing.
In his first interview since being dismissed, he spoke with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com and used the opportunity to clarify his statements following the loss to the Oilers.
«Listen, we were all to blame for coming up short again, and it starts with me. It was on me, it was on all the coaches, it was on all the players, it was on the organization as a whole. We all created the disappointment. We were all to blame, not just one guy.» -DeBoer
That sentiment contrasted sharply with how he came across at the podium after Game 5. In hindsight, DeBoer says he wishes he had made it clear that the loss was a collective responsibility, involving the entire team and staff, rather than placing the blame solely on Oettinger's struggles.
«When all the questions at the postgame press conference were about Jake, I should have redirected the topic to reflect that this wasn't just about him, this was about all of us. We -- and I stress the word 'we' -- did not get the job done. We were on a run in which we'd lost six of our past seven games against Edmonton in the third round dating back to 2024. In one of my answers, I said he'd lost six of seven to them. But it wasn't just him. It was all of us. That's not on just one guy. I should have made that clearer.» -DeBoer
After leaving the Stars, DeBoer remains a top NHL coaching free agent. He's keeping busy an an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, focusing on securing another gold medal.
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SEPTEMBRE 16 | 29 ANSWERS Former Avalanche rival's head coach gets fiercely honest about playoff failures Will Peter DeBoer find a coaching job before the NHL season gets going? | ||
| yes | 12 | 41.4 % |
| no | 17 | 58.6 % |
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