TAMPA, Florida—The Tampa Bay Lightning fired Barry Melrose on Friday after only 16 games as head coach of the National Hockey League team.
Associate coach Rick Toccet will take over in the interim.
The Lightning slipped to a record of 5-7-4 following their 4-3 defeat by the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
They are tied for third in the NHL's Southeast Division with 14 points.
"This was a tough decision to make," Tampa Bay general manager Brian Lawton said in a statement. "However, the results were unacceptable and the players have to understand that we need to be better. Hopefully, this change pushes them."
Melrose was hired in June after 12 seasons as a hockey analyst for the ESPN cable TV network. He coached the Los Angeles Kings from 1992 to 1995, taking them to the 1993 Stanley Cup finals.
