Blackhawks fire coach Jeremy Colliton after disastrous 1-9-2 start

Chicago — The Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Jeremy Colliton on Saturday, dismissing the former NHL forward with the team off to a rough start in his fourth season.

Colliton, who turns 37 in January, was in the first year of a two-year contract extension.

Assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank also were let go. Derek King, who played four years with the Red Wings' AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids, was promoted from the AHL’s Rockford to replace Colliton on an interim basis.

Chicago lost 5-1 at Winnipeg on Friday night, dropping to 1-9-2 after beginning the season with playoff aspirations.

Colliton’s dismissal is the latest chapter in a rough stretch for what was once regarded as one of the NHL’s marquee franchises.

The Blackhawks published a report on Oct. 26 that showed senior leaders with the organization largely ignored allegations that assistant coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted former first-round pick Kyle Beach during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup title in 2010. Aldrich told investigators the encounter was consensual.

Stan Bowman, Chicago’s general manager and president of hockey operations, resigned in the wake of the report, and the NHL fined the team $2 million.