Avs continue to reshape franchise, introduce Sacco as head coach

The Colorado Avalanche needed just one day to find a new bench boss as the team hired Joe Sacco as the new head coach.

The team announced the hiring of Sacco and also named Sylvain Lefebvre as the assistant coach.

The move comes just one day after Greg Sherman was named the new general manager of the team and that previous head coach Tony Granato had been fired.

The 40-year-old Sacco has spent the past two seasons with Colorado's American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. Last season his team went 34-38-3-5 and finished with 76 points, but failed to make the playoffs.

Sacco will become the fifth man to hold the post and sixth head coach since the franchise relocated from Quebec City to Denver prior to the 1995-96 season.

"The American Hockey League has proven to be a valuable training ground for NHL head coaches and we're confident that Joe's experience at that level will be vital to his success with our organization at the NHL level," said Sherman. "Our franchise has gone that route very successfully in the past."

Colorado finished with the worst record in the Western Conference last season, going 32-45-5. General manager Francois Giguere was the first to go in the shakeup on April 13.

"I'm very honored and grateful to the Avalanche organization for giving me this opportunity," said Sacco, who is the franchise's 13th head coach. "This organization has provided me with all the necessary tools and support to be successful and grow as a coach. I'm confident in my abilities and believe the experience I've gained will help me succeed in this new challenge."

A native of the Boston suburbs, Sacco was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1987. Over a 13-year NHL career, he also played for Anaheim, Washington, Philadelphia and the New York Islanders. In 738 games he scored 94 goals and added 119 assists.

Lefebvre, 41, will begin his third season with the organization in a coaching capacity. He's served under Sacco as an assistant coach in Lake Erie the last two seasons.

A veteran of 945 NHL games spanning 14 seasons with Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Colorado and the New York Rangers, Lefebvre was part of the Avalanche's first Stanley Cup championship in 1996.