Brent Sutter is back behind the bench.
The owner and general manager of the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels, Sutter fired coach Jesse Wallin on Wednesday and took over on an interim basis.
Sutter, the former coach of the NHL's New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames, was a successful junior coach before heading to the NHL. He coached the Rebels to the 2001 Memorial Cup title and led Canada to gold medals in the 2005 and 2006 world junior championships.
The Rebels are fifth in the Central Division at 10-11-1-1.
And Sutter wasn't finished there. He gave leading scorer Charles Inglis his walking papers, roughly the same time as he officially relieved Wallin of his head coaching duties.
Sutter wouldn't come right out and state why he decided that Inglis was no longer a fit with the Rebels, but his comments suggested that there was a problem with the 20-year-old forward in regard to team chemistry. Inglis led the club in goals (11) and points (14), but never showed any type of consistency in his play and was perhaps - at least in Sutter's eyes - a negative influence in the dressing room.
"He's being sent home [to Saskatoon] to await a trade. If nothing happens he'll go on waivers next week, and if there's no interest then he'll play with a junior A team if he wishes."
Inglis was acquired from the Prince George Cougars last December and was accompanied by a bit of personal baggage. The Cougars, who acquired inglis from the Saskatoon Blades a year earlier, had sent him home to await a trade.
