Penguins Fire Coach

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for a new coach who is comfortable working with no-names and prospects, not superstars.

The Penguins, virtually stripped of the big names that made them a playoff team for 10 years, fired Coach Rick Kehoe on Tuesday and began looking for a replacement who understands winning won’t come easily, or immediately.

Kehoe’s record of 55-81-14-10 was the worst of any Penguin coach since the mid-1980s, and he was the first since Bob Berry (1984-87) to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The Penguins were 27-44-6-5 this season, their worst record since Mario Lemieux’s rookie season in 1984-85.

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Alexander Mogilny, the NHL’s leading scorer in the playoffs with six points, is expected to play tonight in Game 4 of Toronto’s first-round playoff series against Philadelphia. He left Monday’s 4-3 double-overtime victory after being hit in the face with a high stick.

Mogilny had to be helped to the dressing room after being hit on the chin by the stick of Philadelphia’s Jeremy Roenick at 4:33 of the second overtime.

Meanwhile, left wing Shayne Corson has left the Maple Leafs, ending a season marred by illness and waning production.

Corson, a healthy scratch in Game 3, apparently told Coach and General Manager Pat Quinn after the game that he was leaving the team and would not return.