Dean Evason reveals how he and Bill Guerin broke down when he got fired from the Wild

A few weeks ago, the Minnesota Wild announced that they had fired coach Dean Evason and assistant Bob Woods after losing seven straight games and 14 of their first 19 to start to the NHL season. In the same breath, general manager Bill Guerin also confirmed Evason’s replacement in former New Jersey and Nashville coach John Hynes.

What wasn’t said then was how emotional the firing was and on Wednesday, Evason told the whole story on the Cam and Strick podcast. The former bench boss explained how he had gone home after a team’s meeting only to be called back by Guerin.

When he got in the GM’s office, he looked at him and knew, and immediately asked Guerin if he was firing him. When Guerin simply nodded at this question, the two men then broke down and hugged. They went on to chat for close to an hour about the future of the team, the future of Evason in this league and their respective families. 

Incredibly moving, and Evason admits this is the version he never spoke about before this podcast. 

"I haven't really told anybody this part, but..." starts off Evason : 

Evason was in charge of the Wild for three full seasons as he came in on Feb. 14, 2020, when Bruce Boudreau was fired. Evason got his first head coaching job as he was then promoted from his assistant role. He went 147-77-27 in 251 regular season games and 8-15 in the postseason without winning any series.

The 59-year-old is hoping for another shot behind an NHL bench and it sounds like Guerin would provide him with a letter of recommendation.

The Wild are 5-2 under Hynes and are now sitting in seventh place of the Central division with 24 points.

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