Ducks Fire GM Gauthier

NHL teams

The Ducks failed to make the playoffs for the third straight season with a 29-42-8-3 record. The team finished 13th in the Western Conference and last in the Pacific Division. They fell 35 points shy of earning a playoff berth.

Gauthier served as the Ducks' first assistant general manager from 1993-95, helping build the team from scratch. He returned as president and general manager in July 1998.

"Pierre was instrumental to the Mighty Ducks during his tenure as assistant general manager and for four seasons as team president and general manager," said Paul Pressler, chairman of Walt Disney's Parks and Resorts division. "He helped us acquire and build a young and skillful club, led by the first-ever entry draft selection, Paul Kariya.

"With a solid defense in place and goaltending that ranks among the NHL's best, I believe this is the right time to make this move in order to accelerate the process of becoming a Stanley Cup contender."

Attendance for Ducks' home games at Anaheim Arena have dropped from an average of 17,068 in 1998, when Gauthier took over, to 12,002 this season. Kariya, a member of the team since its inception, is the only big-name player on the roster.