Ducks fire head coach Boudreau after early playoff exit

Ducks executive vice president/general manager Bob Murray said the search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

"I would like to thank Bruce for his hard work and dedication to the franchise," Murray said in a statement. "This was a very difficult decision to make. Bruce is a good coach and character person, and we wish him the best of luck in the future."

The Nashville Predators eliminated the Ducks from the playoffs with a 2-1 victory in the seventh game of the series Wednesday night in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 17,407 at the Honda Center.

It was the fourth consecutive season that Boudreau led Anaheim to the division title only to lose Game 7 at home each time after holding a 3-2 lead.

Boudreau was named head coach of the Ducks on Nov. 30, 2011. He compiled a regular-season record of 208-104-40 with Anaheim and helped the franchise to the last four consecutive Pacific Division titles. The Ducks finished atop the Pacific standings with a 46-25-11 record for 103 points in 2015-16.

"On behalf of the Ducks organization, we would like to express our appreciation to Bruce and his wife Crystal for their commitment to our community," Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said. "Bruce led us to four division titles with tremendous passion and pride, and we will always be grateful for his contributions both on and off the ice."

Prior to joining the Ducks, Boudreau was head coach of the Washington Capitals from 2007-11, winning the Jack Adams award in 2007-08. He has an all-time head coaching record of 409-192-80.