DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. — New Jersey Devils associate coach and former Florida Panthers head coach Andrew Brunette was arrested Wednesday in South Florida and charged with driving under the influence.
Brunette was pulled over in the Deerfield Beach area, north of Fort Lauderdale, according to Broward County jail records. 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 Wednesday.
The Devils said in a statement that they were aware of Brunette’s arrest and were gathering additional information.
The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately release a copy of Brunette’s arrest report. Online jail and court records didn’t list an attorney for Brunette.
Brunette is in his first season as associate coach of the Devils. He was interim coach of the Florida Panthers last season after taking over when Joel Quenneville resigned for his connection to a 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual abuse scandal.
The Panthers fired Brunette after they lost in the second round of the playoffs last spring despite him leading them to the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top team during the regular season. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award last season, annually given to the league’s top coach.
The Sudbury, Ontario, native played 1,159 NHL games for Washington, Nashville, Atlanta, Minnesota, Colorado and Chicago from 1995-2012. He was a Wild assistant in 2015-16 and worked on Florida’s staff from 2019-2022.
Brunette, who signed a three-year deal in the offseason, runs the Devils’ power play and has been a key cog in the team’s turnaround this season. Out of the playoffs since 2018, New Jersey is in second place in the Metropolitan Division at the All-Star break.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.