Devils associate coach, former Panthers bench boss Andrew Brunette arrested for DUI

New Jersey Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette was arrested on Wednesday for driving under the influence in Broward County, Fla.

The incident allegedly occurred outside of a bar, where Fox Sports’ Andy Slater says Brunette, who was driving a golf cart, had parked the vehicle illegally. After telling police that he would be leaving, the 49-year-old reportedly went back into the bar to get his wife, then was spotted by police driving away while under the influence.

He was also charged with two counts of disobeying a stop or yield sign. Brunette posted a $500 bond and was expected to be released later on Wednesday.

While unconfirmed, the 2022 Jack Adams finalist may have been in town for the NHL’s All-Star festivities. The weekend celebration is set to be held at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, which is located in Broward County.

Brunette is in his first year as associate coach of the Devils. Last season, he served as the interim head coach of the Florida Panthers following Joel Quenneville’s resignation due to his role in the Kyle Beach incident.

Brunette led the Panthers to the Presidents' Trophy after taking over, but was let go following a second-round playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers instead gave the top job to Paul Maurice.

While still highly coveted around the league, it also remains unclear at this time whether or not this could have an impact on any teams hiring Brunette as a coach this season. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in November that the coach has a clause in his deal with New Jersey that allows him to leave for head coaching opportunities should something arise.

Before his time as a coach, the Sudbury, Ont., native played parts of 16 seasons with various clubs, most notably the Minnesota Wild, where he served as one of the club’s rotating captains during the team's early expansion years.

Following his playing career, Brunette served as an assistant coach with the Wild in 2015-16, then held the same role with the Panthers beginning in 2019 until being named interim head coach.

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