VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Adam Foote is out as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, fired Tuesday as part of the organization's latest purge of staff following a last-place finish in the NHL this season.
Foote lasted just one year in the role after being promoted from an assistant to succeed Rick Tocchet, who decided to leave when his contract was up. The Canucks lost 57 of 82 games to end up 14 points lower than the next-closest team in the league standings.
Assistant coaches Kevin Dean, Scott Young and Brett McLean also were dismissed.
Moving on from Foote comes after a total front-office overhaul. Last week, Hall of Fame player twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin were named co-presidents, and Ryan Johnson was elevated to general manager.
Then-president of hockey ops Jim Rutherford fired GM Patrik Allvin last month, then the 77-year-old announced on May 5 he was stepping down from the job he had held since 2021. Despite having the highest odds to get the first pick, the Canucks lost again in the draft lottery, falling to No. 3 behind Toronto and San Jose.
Vancouver has made just two playoff appearances over the past decade and soon will have a fifth coach in six seasons. Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year for his part in the Canucks qualifying in 2023-24, and he got Philadelphia in and to the second round this spring.
Foote, who was a defenseman during his playing career, was a favorite of former captain Quinn Hughes, who was traded to Minnesota in December. Also in consideration last year was retired forward Manny Malhotra, who coached the team's top minor league affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, to a Calder Cup title last year as champions of the American Hockey League.
Malhotra, who turned 46 on Monday, worked at the NHL level as an assistant with Vancouver from 2017-20 and the Maple Leafs from '20-24 before getting put in charge of Abbotsford. Johnson has been the GM of the AHL club for several years.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game, April 1, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Southampton was expelled from the Championship playoffs on Tuesday after admitting to repeatedly spying on opponents.
The English Football League reinstated Middlesbrough to play in the Wembley final — the richest game in soccer — against Hull City on Saturday. The winner gets promoted to the Premier League.
Southampton was charged earlier this month for the unauthorized filming of Middlesbrough’s practice sessions ahead of their semifinal. It went on to win the two-legged tie to go within one game of promotion to the top flight.
The league said the southcoast club had subsequently admitted further breaches this season concerning games against Oxford United and Ipswich. It was also deducted four points for next season.
Southampton can appeal.
The league said Southampton admitted breaches requiring clubs to act with the "utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.”
It said the final was still due to go ahead as planned, despite disruption caused by Middlesbrough’s late reinstatement.
The playoff final is labeled the world’s richest one-off soccer match because a windfall of at least $270 million in future earnings is on offer for the winning team.
Promotion to the top flight of English soccer — the world’s wealthiest and most-watched league — brings with it access to its multibillion dollar global broadcast deals as well as sold out stadiums for games against the biggest teams in the world like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Southampton was relegated from the Premier League after finishing bottom of the standings last season and was aiming to make an immediate return.
The stunning decision to expel it from the final comes after Leeds was previously punished for spying.
In 2019, the EFL fined Leeds $259,000 for spying on one of Derby’s training sessions ahead of a game.
Marcelo Bielsa, who was manager of Leeds at the time, accepted responsibility for having a club employee spy on Derby’s practice. In a detailed, hour-long news conference, Bielsa later admitted to having watched at least one of each of his opponents’ training sessions.
In handing out that fine, the EFL said Leeds’ conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected by the EFL and must not be repeated.”
The Southampton incident has echoes of Canada's Olympic women's soccer team which was penalized for flying drones over New Zealand’s closed practice sessions ahead of the teams’ match at the Paris Games in 2024.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg reacts after the final whistle at the final whistle in the EFL Championship play off semifinal soccer game between Southampton and Middlesbrough, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in, Southampton, England. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP, File)
FILE - Southampton's coach Tonda Eckert, left, talks to his players during the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Manchester City and Southampton in Manchester, England, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - Southampton's coach Tonda Eckert reacts during the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Manchester City and Southampton in Manchester, England, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File(
Southampton's Ross Stewart, top, scores their first goal of the game during the EFL Championship play off semifinal soccer game between Southampton and Middlesbrough, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in, Southampton, England. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
