The Minnesota North Stars, in danger of...

The Minnesota North Stars, in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1979, fired Coach Lorne Henning and temporarily replaced him with Glen Sonmor, director of player personnel and a former North Star coach.

It marks the seventh season in which the 57-year-old Sonmor has coached for Minnesota since joining the organization in 1978-79. Three times, he has taken over as coach in the middle of a season.

North Star General Manager Lou Nanne said he decided to make the change Monday night after watching the team play “listlessly” in the first period of a 6-5 loss to the New York Rangers in what Nanne felt was a crucial game.

Henning, 34, played for nine years with the New York Islanders, served as an Islander assistant and coached Springfield in the American Hockey League before the North Stars hired him as coach for the 1985-86 season.