The Dallas Stars made a coaching change this offseason. The Stars fired Pete DeBoer after a third straight loss in the Western Conference Final. He made headlines after the loss when speaking about goaltender Jake Oettinger, and now has made his first comments since his firing.
“When all the questions at the postgame press conference were about Jake, I should have redirected the topic to reflect that this wasn’t just about him; this was about all of us,” DeBoer said in a sit down with NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.
“We — and I stress the word ‘we' — did not get the job done.”
The former bench boss regrets how he handled the post-game interview. In Game 5 of the series with the Edmonton Oilers, DeBoer pulled Oettinger from the game. While Oettinger had been struggling, it was what DeBoer said after the game about his goaltender that made headlines. He placed much of the blame on his netminder for falling short again against the Oilers.
The former head coach backtracked somewhat after reflecting on the past season.
“Listen, we were all to blame for coming up short again, and it starts with me,” DeBoer explained. “It was on me, it was on all the coaches, it was on all the players, it was on the organization as a whole. We all created the disappointment. We were all to blame, not just one guy.”
Stars' Jake Oettinger responds to former coach
After being benched and his head coach tossing him firmly under the bus after the game, Oettinger spoke of being both surprised and embarrassed by the move after the series.
But three months later, it seems like the star goaltender is pleased with DeBoer's latest remarks.
“I mean, I think I feel like he hit the nail on the head,” Oettinger said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in Henderson, Nevada, per Zeisberger. “I agree with what his reflection was. I’m glad he said what he said.”
While Oettinger no longer has to work with his former coach, it seems he has put that chapter behind him as he prepares to lead another excellent Stars roster into the 2025-26 NHL season.
