The team will bring in former Head Coach Paul Maurice. They'll keep him on until the end of the season and then reevaluate. That gives them the option of seeking a new coach or signing Maurice to a longer term deal.
"I feel with this combination that we have a very strong coaching staff going forward," said Canes General Manager Jim Rutherford.
Laviolette was hired by the Hurricanes in 2003 when Maurice was fired just 30 games into the season. The team didn't make the playoffs that first year, but he took them all the way to the Stanley Cup after the 2004-2005 lockout.
This season, Carolina has won just four of its last ten games.
Maurice - a former pro player - was picked by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He was hit in the eye by a puck at a charity game and suffered a blind spot on the right side of his field of vision.
He then began his coaching career with the Detroit Junior Red Wings.
Under Maurice, the Hurricanes achieved four consecutive winning seasons from 1998-2002.
