Former Buffalo Sabres head coach Phil Housley has found a new job.
The Arizona Coyotes have hired Housley, 55, as an assistant coach on Rick Tocchet’s staff, the Western Conference club announced today. Housley, who signed a multi-year contract, will run the Coyotes’ blue line.
The Sabres fired Housley on April 7 after a season in which they dropped from first overall in late November to sixth in the Atlantic Division.
From Jan. 1 until the end of the season, the 28 points they mustered ranked dead last in the NHL.
Incredibly, the Sabres became the second team in NHL history to miss the playoffs after enjoying a 10-game winning streak, joining the 2016-17 Philadelphia Flyers.
Housley, who began his Hall of Fame career as a defenseman with the Sabres, compiled a 58-84-22 record in his two seasons back with the franchise. He was teammates with Tocchet on the Washington Capitals in 1996-97.
Before the Sabres hired him, Housley spent four years an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators.
