The Vancouver Goldeneyes announced late Monday that they have fired head coach Brian Idalski after just one season, a move that came just hours before the Vancouver Canucks unveiled Manny Malhotra as their new head coach. The Goldeneyes, who entered the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with high hopes following a favorable expansion draft, struggled out of the gate and ultimately missed the playoffs despite a late-season surge.
Disappointing Inaugural Campaign
Idalski, 51, led the Goldeneyes to a 9-3-4-14 record, placing sixth in the eight-team PWHL. The team finished seven points out of the fourth and final playoff spot. With the league expanding to 12 teams next season, including new franchises in Las Vegas, Hamilton, San Jose, and Detroit, Vancouver's decision to part ways with Idalski brings the number of clubs without head coaches to five.
The Seattle Torrent, who joined the league last year alongside the Goldeneyes, are also among those teams. Seattle parted ways with Steve O'Rourke on May 22, describing it as a mutual decision, after finishing last with an 8-1-5-16 record.
GM Gardner Morey's Statement
Goldeneyes general manager Cara Gardner Morey released a statement regarding the change. “As we conclude our inaugural season and evaluate the future direction of the organization, we have made the decision to make a change at the head coaching position,” she said. “Brian Idalski joined the Goldeneyes before the team's first season in Vancouver, a role that offered unique challenges and opportunities. His leadership and experience helped establish the foundation of our organization during its inaugural year. We thank Brian for his professionalism and commitment to the Vancouver Goldeneyes and wish him all the best moving forward.”
High Expectations Unfulfilled
League pundits had predicted Vancouver would be an instant contender, thanks to a friendly expansion draft process. The Goldeneyes featured five players who represented Team Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. However, the team struggled offensively early on, scoring two goals or fewer in seven of their first nine games and winning only twice during that stretch. They did manage to win their final four games of the season, which earned them the top spot in the PWHL's Gold Plan standings—a system that calculates points after teams are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. As a result, Vancouver holds the No. 1 pick in the upcoming June 17 PWHL Draft.
Strong Fan Support
Despite the on-ice struggles, the Goldeneyes excelled at the box office. Playing out of a refurbished Pacific Coliseum, the team averaged an announced attendance of 11,235, the second-best mark in the league behind Seattle's 12,875.
Expansion and Future Moves
The league is in the midst of an expansion process, and Vancouver must submit a three-player protected list to the league office by tomorrow. GM Gardner Morey, originally from Hensall, Ontario, has a deep hockey background. She played for Team Canada at various levels and in the now-defunct NWHL for the Montreal Wingstar and Brampton Thunder. She played collegiately at Brown University and spent 14 years on the coaching staff at Princeton University, the last eight as head coach, before joining the Goldeneyes. A new head coach could come from any of those connections.
Idalski's Future
Idalski was recently named head coach of the Czechia national team, replacing Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod. A native of Warren, Michigan, Idalski frequently spoke fondly of the Detroit area during his time with the Goldeneyes, leading to speculation that he might pursue the head coaching job with the new Detroit PWHL team. However, that franchise named Josh Sciba as its first head coach last week. Idalski's collegiate coaching career included a 10-year stint at the University of North Dakota, where he was head coach when the school canceled the program in 2017. He also coached China at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Before coaching, Idalski played five seasons as a defenseman in minor professional hockey, with his coaches including noted NHL enforcer Dave "The Hammer" Schultz during the 1996-97 season with the Madison Monsters.
