Another Coach Bites the Dust, Flames Fire Mike Keenan

After loading up at the NHL's trade deadline with Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold, the Calgary Flames went from run-of-the-mill playoff team to a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. Or so we thought. After being knocked out of the first round in six games against the upstart Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames have decided to part ways with head coach Mike Keenan after just two years on the job.

During his tenure in Calgary, the Flames compiled an 88-60-16 record, while exiting in the opening round of the playoffs each season. Here's what general manager Darryl Sutter had to say on the move, via the team's official website:

"Our team did not meet expectations ... Following detailed evaluation over the past three weeks, and taking into consideration all factors affecting our season ending result, we believe this is a necessary change required to allow our team to continue toward our objective of winning the Stanley Cup. The Calgary Flames organization appreciates and respects Mike for accepting the opportunity to come to Calgary and are thankful for his efforts over the past two years."

Keenan becomes the 10th head coach to get fired or resign since the start of the regular season, meaning one-third of the league has taken part in a game of musical chairs behind the benches. Of the 10 coaches that were either fired or stepped down throughout the year, they averaged just 3.9 years on the job, while Craig MacTavish in Edmonton and Jacques Lemaire (resigned) in Minnesota had the longest tenures at eight years apiece.

Barry Melrose had the shortest tenure, losing his job after just 16 games in Tampa Bay, sparking a public battle of wits between he and team owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules. As we've already pointed out, three of the teams that made in-season coaching changes (Pittsburgh, Chicago and Carolina) are currently playing in the conference finals.

For Keenan, Calgary was his eighth stop in the NHL as a head coach, while he's won 672 games in 20 years. He was the bench boss for the New York Rangers in 1993-94 when they ended their Stanley Cup drought, and he also coached in the finals with Chicago and Philadelphia.