Spitfires fire head coach
Long-time assistant coach Jerrod Smith has lasted just 21 games as the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.
Smith was today fired as head coach of the Spitfires, who have lost eight straight games and have the worst record in the OHL with a 4-16-1 mark while allowing a league-leading 125 goals in the 21 outings.
The 39-year-old Smith was first hired by the Spitfires as video coach in 2011 and subsequently worked his way up to become an assistant coach under bench bosses Bobby Jones, Bob Boughner, Rocky Thompson, Trevor Letowski and Marc Savard.
Smith was elevated to head coach during this past off season to replace Savard, who left the Spitfires after two seasons — and two first place regular season finishes in the Western Conference — to take an assistant coaching job with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.
In a season of head coach firings, Smith is the fifth OHL bench boss in the 20-team league to be replaced in the early going of this 2023-2024 campaign. Earlier, the Flint Firebirds, Owen Sound Attack, Kingston Frontenacs and Niagara Ice Dogs all fired their head coaches.