The New York Islanders have brought in Ray Bennett and Bob Boughner as assistant coaches to join Patrick Roy’s staff, the team announced Monday.
The duo replaces John MacLean and Tommy Albelin, who were dismissed shortly after the arrival of new general manager Mathieu Darche last month. Fellow assistant Benoit Desrosiers and goaltending coach Piero Greco will remain with the team.
Bennett, 63, has been a long-time assistant at the NHL level, having worked with the Los Angeles Kings from 1999-2006, the St. Louis Blues from 2007-2017, and the Colorado Avalanche, with which he had been until this season. He won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
Boughner played 12 years in the NHL, carving his niche as an enforcer with the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, and Avalanche.
Following his playing days, he became a co-owner of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and also served as head coach for eight seasons. The 54-year-old held assistant-coaching positions with the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks before being named the head coach of the Florida Panthers in 2017.
After two playoff-less seasons, he was fired and re-joined the Sharks as an assistant, but was promoted to interim head coach after Pete DeBoer was dismissed and spent parts of three seasons at that position before his dismissal. He most recently performed as an associate head coach with the Detroit Red Wings, but was let go in December when the team fired head coach Derek Lalonde.
