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Canucks fire GM Patrik Allvin. Head of hockey ops Jim Rutherford keeps his job

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Canucks fire GM Patrik Allvin. Head of hockey ops Jim Rutherford keeps his job
Sport

Sport

Canucks fire GM Patrik Allvin. Head of hockey ops Jim Rutherford keeps his job

2026-04-18 05:41 Last Updated At:05:51

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks fired general manager Patrik Allvin on Friday after missing the playoffs for a third time in four seasons with him in the position.

President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford is keeping his job. Rutherford acknowledged he has to shoulder some of the blame for how the Canucks tumbled to the bottom of the NHL standings.

Allvin made his own decisions as GM, Rutherford said.

“He was in charge of most of the things in hockey, making the trades, deciding who was getting called up and down and working with the coach and all those things,” Rutherford said. “I take full responsibility for the season. I head up the hockey department. But I don’t make decisions for other people. And Patrik had the opportunity to make his own decisions.”

Allvin’s dismissal came a day after Vancouver ended its season with a 6-1 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton. The result punctuated a season where the Canucks finished last overall with a 25-49-8 record.

“It’s unfortunate. He’s a friend of mine. I think Patrik’s a great hockey guy,” Rutherford said. “But we felt it was time to make a change and let someone else sit in that chair, that GM’s chair, and make the decisions going forward.”

The Canucks will conduct a wide search for Allvin’s replacement, he added, and already have a “very good” candidate in Ryan Johnson, currently general manager of the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks and an assistant GM with the NHL club.

Vancouver’s next general manager will have a lot of responsibility, Rutherford said, including making a decision on whether Adam Foote will stay on as the team’s coach.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin speaks during an NHL hockey news conference, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

FILE - Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin speaks during an NHL hockey news conference, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Karol Mets scored his first Bundesliga goal and conceded a penalty with seven minutes left as St. Pauli drew with visiting Cologne 1-1 and missed the chance to snap a six-game winless streak on Friday.

St. Pauli had the best of the chances but was beset again by a familiar failing in the final third that has made it the league's lowest scoring club.

It wasn’t until the 69th minute that Mets put it ahead with a header. The Hamburg side was close to a vital win to avoid relegation until Mets felled Jakub Kamínski inside the box in the 83rd minute and the penalty kick saw Luca Waldschmidt sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

St. Pauli stayed third from last in the relegation playoff spot. It was two points behind Werder Bremen.

Nevertheless, the Hamburg club did move five points clear of second-to-last Wolfsburg, which is struggling to avoid relegation for the first time since 1997.

The bottom two go down automatically and the third-from-bottom club goes into a relegation playoff.

Cologne, whose striker Ragnar Ache was forced off with a thigh injury, climbed one spot into 12th.

APsoccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FC Köln's Luca Waldschmidt celebrates after scoring a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

FC Köln's Luca Waldschmidt celebrates after scoring a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Karol Mets, left, celebrates after scoring a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Karol Mets, left, celebrates after scoring a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

FC Köln's Luca Waldschmidt celebrates after scoring a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

FC Köln's Luca Waldschmidt celebrates after scoring a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

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