Wild dismiss longtime assistant coach Darby Hendrickson

The Wild will have a different look behind the bench next season after firing longtime assistant and former player Darby Hendrickson.

An original member of the Wild who scored the team’s first goal at the Xcel Energy Center in 2000, Hendrickson had been an assistant for the past 14 seasons — a tenure that included working alongside six of the seven head coaches in franchise history. The forward played for inaugural coach Jacques Lemaire from 2000 to 2004.

Hendrickson, 51, declined to comment.

“I would like to thank Darby for all his hard work and commitment to the Minnesota Wild during his long tenure with our organization,” Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin said in a team release. “He has done a tremendous amount of good things for our team.”

Before he became embedded with the Wild, Hendrickson was already a local star.

He was named Mr. Hockey when he was a senior at Richfield High and later joined the Gophers for two seasons. Hendrickson also suited up for the 1994 United States Olympic team. A fourth-round draft pick, he went on to have a 10-season NHL career that also included stints with Toronto, the New York Islanders, Vancouver and Colorado.

Aside from netting the Wild’s first home goal, Hendrickson also notched the game-winning goal against the Canucks in Game 7 during the second round of the playoffs in 2003 to seal the team’s first and only trip to the Western Conference finals.

Hired in 2010 as an assistant, Hendrickson remained with the Wild through five different coaching changes, including the most recent one.

John Hynes replaced Dean Evason last November and although the Wild also dismissed assistant Bob Woods, Hendrickson stayed put. He closed out the season alongside assistants Jason King and Pat Dwyer. King was brought in last year to run the power play, and Dwyer was promoted from the minors to oversee the defense and penalty kill when Hynes arrived.

Although the Wild improved under Hynes, going 34-24-5 after an abysmal start that culminated in Evason’s departure, the Wild finished 11 points back of a playoff spot and failed to extend their season for just the second time in 12 years.

Asked after the season if he expected everyone on the coaching staff to return, Hynes said the group worked well together and he would meet with everyone.

“Every one of them, we have a great relationship, good working environment, guys worked hard,” Hynes said at the time. “I thank them for everything we went through.”