{"id":29888,"date":"2026-03-01T13:16:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T18:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/los-angeles-kings-dismiss-head-coach-jim-hiller-name-d-j-smith-as-replacement\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T13:16:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T18:16:32","slug":"los-angeles-kings-dismiss-head-coach-jim-hiller-name-d-j-smith-as-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/los-angeles-kings-dismiss-head-coach-jim-hiller-name-d-j-smith-as-replacement\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Kings Dismiss Head Coach Jim Hiller, Name D.J. Smith as Replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772388992323.jpg?resize=450%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772388992323.jpg?w=450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772388992323.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The Los Angeles Kings dismissed head coach Jim Hiller on Sunday following nearly three seasons with the organization and have appointed D.J. Smith to serve as interim head coach through the end of the current season.<\/p><p>Additionally, the franchise promoted player development coach Matt Greene to an assistant coaching position.<\/p><p>Currently holding a 24-21-14 record for 62 points, Los Angeles finds itself trailing the final Western Conference wild-card position by three points as of Sunday&#8217;s games. The team struggled immediately after the Olympic break, losing their opening two contests, including an embarrassing 8-1 defeat to Edmonton on Thursday where supporters loudly called for Hiller&#8217;s dismissal. However, they bounced back with a shutout 2-0 win against Calgary on Saturday.<\/p><p>The 56-year-old Hiller compiled a 93-58-24 coaching record across 175 games with Los Angeles. He initially came aboard as an assistant in July 2022, bringing experience from previous assistant roles with Detroit (2014-15), Toronto (2015-19), and the New York Islanders (2019-22).<\/p><p>Kings vice president and general manager Ken Holland expressed his thoughts on the decision: &#8220;I want to thank Jim Hiller for his dedication, professionalism, and the commitment he showed to our players and our team every day. He is a respected coach and person, and we appreciate the work he&#8217;s done behind our bench. At this point in the season, we believe a change in leadership is necessary to give our group the best opportunity to reach its potential and compete at the level we expect. These decisions are never made lightly, but our responsibility is to position this team for success now and moving forward.&#8221;<\/p><p>During his playing career, Hiller accumulated 20 points through eight goals and 12 assists along with 116 penalty minutes across 63 NHL games with Los Angeles, Detroit, and the New York Rangers. The Kings originally drafted him in the 10th round of the 1989 NHL Draft.<\/p><p>The 48-year-old Smith previously led the Ottawa Senators as head coach from 2019-24, recording a 131-154-32 mark before joining the Kings organization on February 5, 2024. His coaching background also includes an assistant role with Toronto from 2015-19.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Kings terminated head coach Jim Hiller on Sunday after nearly three seasons and appointed D.J. Smith as interim head coach. The coaching change comes as the team sits three points behind a playoff spot in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":29887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772388992323.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-7M4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29890,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/los-angeles-kings-dismiss-coach-jim-hiller-name-d-j-smith-as-interim-replacement\/","url_meta":{"origin":29888,"position":0},"title":"Los Angeles Kings Dismiss Coach Jim Hiller, Name D.J. Smith as Interim Replacement","author":"Admin","date":"March 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Los Angeles Kings terminated head coach Jim Hiller on Sunday following a disappointing stretch that saw the team drop five of six games and fall from playoff contention. D.J. Smith has been appointed as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772389849308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772389849308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772389849308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772389849308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47542,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ny-islanders-replace-patrick-roy-with-pete-deboer-as-head-coach\/","url_meta":{"origin":29888,"position":1},"title":"NY Islanders Replace Patrick Roy with Pete DeBoer as Head Coach","author":"Admin","date":"April 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The New York Islanders dismissed head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, bringing in Pete DeBoer as his replacement. The team currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division despite losing four consecutive games.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775413250924.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":55580,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/glass-panel-crashes-down-on-la-kings-coach-during-colorado-playoff-game\/","url_meta":{"origin":29888,"position":2},"title":"Glass Panel Crashes Down on LA Kings Coach During Colorado Playoff Game","author":"Admin","date":"April 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Los Angeles Kings interim coach D.J. Smith was struck by falling glass fragments when excited Colorado fans caused a protective panel to break during Tuesday night's playoff game. The incident caused a 15-minute delay while crews cleaned up the debris and installed a replacement panel.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833477995.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833477995.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833477995.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833477995.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30037,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/irans-soccer-team-may-skip-world-cup-in-us-after-recent-military-strikes\/","url_meta":{"origin":29888,"position":3},"title":"Iran&#8217;s Soccer Team May Skip World Cup in US After Recent Military Strikes","author":"Admin","date":"March 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Iran's soccer federation leader says the national team's World Cup participation in the United States is uncertain following recent military exchanges between Iran and Israel. The team is scheduled to play three matches in California and Seattle.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772415153964.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772415153964.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772415153964.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772415153964.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772415153964.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53165,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/western-conference-loaded-with-powerhouse-teams-as-nhl-playoffs-begin\/","url_meta":{"origin":29888,"position":4},"title":"Western Conference Loaded with Powerhouse Teams as NHL Playoffs Begin","author":"Admin","date":"April 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The NHL's Western Conference playoffs feature a brutal path to the Stanley Cup Final, with top contenders including defending champion Colorado, Dallas, and Vegas all vying for supremacy. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger welcomes the challenging road ahead, believing the difficult journey will make a championship more rewarding.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776362874878.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776362874878.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776362874878.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776362874878.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57418,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/nhl-playoffs-heat-up-avalanche-one-win-away-from-sweeping-kings\/","url_meta":{"origin":29888,"position":5},"title":"NHL Playoffs Heat Up: Avalanche One Win Away From Sweeping Kings","author":"Admin","date":"April 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Colorado Avalanche hold a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Kings heading into Sunday's Game 4. Multiple NHL playoff series are reaching critical points this weekend, with several teams facing elimination.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777149477425.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777149477425.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777149477425.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777149477425.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}