Senators Fire Craig Hartsburg

After 48 games behind the bench of the Senators, coach Craig Hartsburg is out in Ottawa.

In only his first season in Ottawa, the team has vastly underperformed and is currently sitting third-to-last in the league in points with 41. The team was 17-27-7 with Hartsburg at the helm, leaving them well clear of the playoff race.

Hartsburg signed a three-year deal with the Sens during the off-season. It's also another reinforcement that the length of a contract for an NHL coach is completely irrelevant.

The move doesn't come as a big surprise, given the team's dismal performance this season. They have lost three of their last four and are 5-9-2 since Christmas. The latest loss occurred last night in Washington and Hartsburg blasted his team's effort in the press as the Caps handed them a 7-4 loss.

"The thing for us right now is that we have to play the game with a lot more pride than what we started this game with," Hartsburg told the National Post. "You know what? [Washington] is a great team, and they exposed some things in us, but we have to take a lot more pride in ourselves as a team right from the start of hockey games."

Ottawa will open up a three-game home stand tomorrow night against LA. No interim coach has been named yet, but it is possible that GM Bryan Murray may take over as he has in the past.