ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues hope a coaching change sparks another second-half turnaround.
The NHL team has replaced veteran coach Andy Murray with Davis Payne, a 39-year-old who has built an impressive resume in the minors. The native of Kamloops, B.C., coached the Blues AHL affiliate in Peoria for the past two seasons.
"Davis is very knowledgeable of the players in our organization and we feel he is the best candidate to coach our team," said Blues president John Davidson. "He has nine winning seasons at the minor-league level, which includes an ECHL Championship in 2006."
The Blues have struggled throughout the season and currently sit 12th in the Western Conference with a 17-17-6 record. The team had a remarkable second half a year ago, finishing 17-7-5 to charge into the playoffs, where it was beaten in the first round by Vancouver.
Murray was hired by the Blues in December 2006. He previously coached the Los Angeles Kings and was an assistant in Philadelphia, Minnesota and Winnipeg. He has also won three gold medals while coaching Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.
"I would like to thank Andy Murray for the job he has done here the past four seasons," said Davidson. "He was an intergral part in turning the St. Louis Blues around. He is a true professional and I wish him the best of luck in the future."
Payne had eight pro seasons as a player, appearing in 22 career games with the Boston Bruins.
He spent seven seasons as a head coach in the ECHL with Pee Dee and Alaska, compiling a .691 winning percentage. After serving one year as an assistant coach in Peoria, he became the head coach in July 2008.
