Former NHL coach Kevin Constantine fired by WHL’s Wenatchee Wild

Everett Silvertips v Vancouver Giants LANGLEY, BC - DECEMBER 27: Head coach Kevin Constantine of the Everett Silvertips walks off the ice after being ejected from the game against the Vancouver Giants during the second period of their WHL game at the Langley Events Centre on December 27, 2016 in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images) (Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

By AP and KIRO 7 News Staff

Former NHL coach Kevin Constantine was fired as coach of the Wenatchee Wild on Thursday, a day after he was suspended indefinitely by the Western Hockey League for making “derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature.”

In its first season in Washington after moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the major junior team said associate head coach Chris Clark and assistant coach Andrew Sarauer will continue to direct the club while it searches for a new head coach.

Constantine was suspended Sept. 24 pending an independent investigation that found he violated the WHL’s standard of conduct policies. The league said he will not be eligible to apply to the commissioner for reinstatement until 2025 at the earliest.

The 64-year-old Constantine coached in the NHL from 1993-2002 with the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. He coached in Austria last season, directing Szekeshfehervar Alba Volan.