Former Florida Panthers head coach and current New Jersey Devils assistant coach Andrew Brunette was arrested and charged with DUI in Deerfield Beach, Fla. on Wednesday.
Brunette was taken to the Broward County Main Jail, and his bond was set at $500. Brunette also faces two charges of failing to obey a stop or yield sign.
Brunette spent several years in Broward County as a member of the Panthers’ coaching staff. In June of 2019, Brunette was hired as an assistant coach on Joel Quenneville’s staff, and he took over as the head coach when Quenneville resigned in October of 2021.
With Brunette as the interim head coach, the Panthers went 51-18-6 and won the President’s Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. Despite that regular season success, the Panthers got swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the playoffs, and the team chose to hire Paul Maurice as its next head coach in the offseason.
Brunette was offered a new position within the Panthers organization, but he chose to leave and serve as an assistant on Lindy Ruff’s staff in New Jersey. With Brunette on the coaching staff, the Devils are 32-13-4, which is good for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Brunette and the Devils are both off for the week ahead of the NHL All-Star festivities in Sunrise, Fla. this weekend.
