DALLAS — New York Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer returned to Dallas on Sunday for the first time since the Stars fired him, closing out a chapter that ended in controversy after a deep playoff run.
DeBoer led the Stars to the Western Conference Final in three straight seasons. But this past spring, with Dallas down 3-1 in that series and trailing 2-0 on the Oilers’ first two shots of Game 5, DeBoer pulled star goaltender Jake Oettinger for backup Casey DeSmith. The Stars lost the game anyway, and DeBoer’s postgame comments put the decision — and Oettinger — under a harsh spotlight.
“We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with a lead, and obviously, we were in a 2-0 hole right away,” DeBoer told reporters at the time. “I didn’t take that lightly, and I didn’t blame it all on Jake, but the reality is: If you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton. And we gave up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. So it was partly to spark our team and wake them up. And partly knowing that status quo had not been working and that’s a pretty big sample size.”
Less than a week after that loss, the Stars fired DeBoer. In a September 2025 interview with the NHL’s website, DeBoer said he regretted singling out his goaltender, saying he “should have redirected the topic to reflect that this wasn’t about [Oettinger], this was about all of us.”
Ahead of Sunday’s game, DeBoer kept his remarks about the return brief. “I’ve done this a few times [in] a few different spots,” he said after the Islanders practiced Saturday. “Your first game back’s always a little special. Just because a lot of people you spend time with and work with and players. So it was a great chapter in my coaching career. I’m now coaching the Islanders and focused on that.”
Asked whether he had crossed paths with Oettinger at the Winter Olympics in Milan this past February, DeBoer confirmed it. “I did run into Jake and chatted with Jake; yep,” he said, before noting he ran into many former players and colleagues there, including Marek Zidlicky, whom he coached with the New Jersey Devils, and several Finnish players from his Dallas roster.
A Fresh Start in New York
DeBoer was out of the league until the Islanders hired him with four games left in last season. Since then, the team has shown clear improvement under his direction. Heading into Sunday’s game, the first of a three-game road trip, the Islanders had points in five straight games.
Defenseman Ryan Pulock credited DeBoer’s attention to detail for the turnaround. “I think right now, you just keep building your game,” Pulock said. “I think we keep working on all our little details in practice, talking about them daily. You’re starting to see it in game: limiting chances, limiting time spent in our own zone, doing a good job in the neutral [zone].”
“We played some skilled, fast teams and we’ve controlled the neutral zone pretty well,” Pulock added. “I think what he brings in is his structure, his leadership. Everything that he preaches, guys listen. It’s really starting to show in the way we’re playing.”
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