Former NHL Coach lands HUGE new role to keep his hockey career alive
After being let go by the Anaheim Ducks at the end of last season, Dallas Eakins is back in the game in a big way.
Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest-level ice hockey league in Germany, has announced they've fired their head coach, assistant coach, and general manager in response to a poor start to the season. Eakins has been hired to take over the role of head coach, and will also serve as the team's general manager.
Eakins, 56, is a former player who managed 120 games at the NHL level. Immediately following his retirement in 2004, he became an assistant coach in the AHL, and would eventually land a head coaching position with the Edmonton Oilers in 2014. After a season and a half, he was let go, another causality of the Oilers' revolving door of coaches over the last decade.
In 2019, Eakins became head coach of the Anaheim ducks, and spent four seasons there before the team allowed his contract to run out at the end of last season without re-signing him. This dual position with Adler Mannheim should provide some excellent experience for a future job back in the NHL.
| POLL | ||
Will Dallas Eakins ever return to the NHL? | ||
| No, he won't | 101 | 40.2 % |
| Yes, he will | 97 | 38.6 % |
| Depends on how he does | 53 | 21.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
