Crawford Out As Avalanche Coach

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 27, 1998 / 8:34 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

Two years ago, Marc Crawford led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup. Now the coach is out of a job -- and it's unclear if he quit or was fired.

The team said Wednesday he turned down a new contract so he could look for another club to coach.

Crawford has a year left on his contract, and it is uncertain how soon he can move on. Asked if a team would be tampering if it contacted Crawford, general manager Pierre Lacroix said, "no doubt."

Crawford led the Avalanche to the best record in their division but was criticized following a first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Avalanche said Crawford was offered another year in addition to the year he had left on his contract. Lacroix said Crawford refused the offer and told the team he wanted to pursue other coaching opportunities.

Asked if that meant Crawford quit or was fired, Lacroix said: "That's a legal matter we have to address." When pressed about whether Crawford quit, Lacroix said "that's the way I perceive it." He said he was "stunned'' at the development.

LaCroix said he did not know how long it would take to find a successor.

"You can't replace Marc Crawford," he said. "Marc has his own style and great ability. You can't replace him."

Crawford was not immediately available for comment, but was expected to discuss his position later in the day.

He is the second NHL coach with a Stanley Cup title on his resume to lose his job this month. Jacques Lemaire, who led New Jersey to the championship in 1995, quit as coach of the Devils on May 8.

According to Lacroix, Crawford said: "Stop the offers. Four years, five years -- it's not about the money."

"His conclusion was he felt he had to move on," Lacroix said. "At first I was stunned because we felt he was the guy to go despite this past season. ... He was convinced ... it was time for him to have a different challenge -- a new challenge."

On May 6, two days after the Avalanche season ended, Lacroix promised to make a sweeping re-evaluation of the team that would include Crawford's status. At the time, Lacroix declined to give Crawford a vote of confidence.

Crawford, 37, is considered one of hockey's brightest young coaches. He has a 165-88-41 coaching record in four NHL seasons plus a 31-21 mark in the playoffs.

In his first season as an NHL coach in 1994-95, Crawford led the Quebec Nordiques to the best record in the Eastern Conference and was honored as the league's coach of the year. In his second season, after the franchise moved to Denver, he led the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup title.

The following year, the Avalanche enjoyed the best regular-season record in the NHL but lost to Detroit in the Western Conference finals.