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Quenneville, who had a 131-92-23 record, was let go in what the team termed a mutual parting. Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere said the decision was reached after meeting with Quenneville this week, and philosophical differences in playing styles emerged.
"You have to merge your philosophy on how to play with the players that you have," Giguere said. "I think we've always built our team with players that are successful in an environment of a high, up-beat tempo and puck-possession type of game."
Quenneville will remain under contract until June 30, but Giguere said he would grant permission to any team that might want to hire the former coach.
One team that is expected to have interest is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired coach Paul Maurice on Wednesday and whose interim general manager, Cliff Fletcher, gave Quenneville his first coaching job in the Toronto organization.
"I look back at the 3 seasons, and we've got a lot to be proud of. We accomplished a couple of playoff victories and had a couple of tough endings," Quenneville said. "It was a great place to live and work, and it was a privilege for me and my family to be here.
"I think everybody has a way of looking at things, whether they're technical things or whatever, and everybody has ideas going forward."
Giguere said he will launch a patient process to find a new coach but wouldn't identify any leading candidates. Probably the hottest available candidate is three-time NHL coach of the year Pat Burns, currently an assistant with Canada at the world championships.
Burns remains under contract with the New Jersey Devils, whom he helped guide to the Stanley Cup in 2003 before taking a leave of absence in July 2005 to battle colon cancer. His cancer is in remission and he has said he wants to return as an NHL head coach. The Devils would have to grant permission to any team which might want to talk to Burns before June 30. It's also possible the Devils might make him their head coach again.
Other possible candidates could include Maurice, former Avs goalie Patrick Roy and Portland AHL coach Kevin Dineen.
* When Olie Kolzig removed his nameplate from the Washington Capitals' locker room after the last playoff game with the Flyers then skipped a mandatory meeting the next morning, it was thought his time with the team was over.
Now Kolzig has confirmed he won't be back.
"For me, it was disappointing the way it ended . . . It just doesn't feel right," the 38-year-old goalie told the Washington Post. "But at the same time, as an athlete, you have to know when to move on."
Kolzig has never played for another NHL franchise. He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round in 1989, helped them reach the 1998 Stanley Cup final, and won the Vezina Trophy in 2000. But he was relegated to being a backup down the stretch this season and in the playoffs after Washington acquired Cristobal Huet from Montreal.
At the World Championships:
* Maxim Afinogenov scored two goals, Alex Ovechkin added another and Alexei Morozov had the winner in a shootout to give Russia (4-0) a 4-3 victory over Belarus in a qualifying-round game at Quebec City.
In a game at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Finland (3-1) beat Latvia, 2-1. *
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