Marc Crawford paid the price for failing to meet the high expectations he helped set with the Vancouver Canucks.
Touted as Stanley Cup contenders in September, the Canucks fired Crawford as coach on Tuesday after missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
Crawford was behind the Canucks' bench for seven seasons, leading them to the Northwest Division title in 2003-04. They entered this season expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but that didn't pan out.
The Canucks finished ninth with a 42-32-8 record, losing six of their last eight games to fall three points behind Edmonton for the final playoff spot.
