Pat LaFontaine, Ted Nolan will lead Sabres after firings

BUFFALO -- The "Fire Darcy!" chants in Buffalo finally resonated with Sabres owner Terry Pegula.

Acknowledging fans' discontent directed at the architect of the Sabres' slow-moving rebuilding plans, Pegula fired general manager Darcy Regier and rookie coach Ron Rolston yesterday.

Pegula then leaned on familiar faces of the Sabres' past to begin turning around the worst start in franchise history.

Former captain and ex-Islander Pat LaFontaine takes over in the newly created role of president of hockey operations. It's a job in which he'll be responsible for hiring Regier's successor.

And LaFontaine's first move was hiring Ted Nolan to take over as coach for the rest of the season. Nolan returns to Buffalo, where he began his NHL coaching career in 1995. He spent two seasons in Buffalo before leaving the team in a contract squabble after being named the league's coach of the year.

"So why now? I just decided, and that's the only answer I can give you," Pegula said. "Sometimes you get to the point where a change is needed."

The shake-up comes with Buffalo (4-15-1) stuck at the bottom of the NHL standings. The 15 losses are the most by the team through 20 games of the season. And it came a day after Buffalo won its first home game over the Los Angeles Kings.

Nolan also coached the Islanders from 2006-08. His current job is coach of the Latvian men's national team, a role he'll continue into the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Nolan coached LaFontaine in Buffalo in 1995-96. And the two worked briefly together on Long Island in 2006, when LaFontaine spent six weeks as a senior adviser to Islanders owner Charles Wang. The GM's job was initially offered to LaFontaine, who turned it down because he lacked experience.