Caps fire head coach bruce boudreau

[germany00]

The Washington Capitals fired coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with former Capitals captain Dale Hunter on Monday.

Hunter, who had been coach of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, will make his debut behind the Washington bench Tuesday, when the Capitals face the St. Louis Blues to open a three-game homestand.

In 11 seasons as coach in London, Hunter turned the Knights into one of the most successful junior hockey clubs in Canada. He posted a record of 451-189-23-24, was the fastest coach in OHL history to win 300 and 400 games, and his .691 winning percentage is the best in league history.

Boudreau had his own run of success, starting Nov. 22, 2007, when he was promoted from the Caps' American Hockey League team, the Hershey Bears, to replace Glen Hanlon.

In four-plus seasons, Boudreau turned the Capitals into one of the more exciting teams in the League, guiding the Caps to four straight Southeast Division titles, three-straight 100-point seasons and the 2010 Presidents' Trophy. However, he never was able to get the team beyond the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That included a stunning first-round, seven-game loss to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens after finishing with a League-best 121 points in the 2009-10 season.

After that season, Boudreau had the Capitals shift to a more defensive style, which saw their offensive output slip from League-highs of 3.82 goals per game and a 25.2-percent success rate on the power play to a more pedestrian 2.67 goals per game, No. 16 in the League, and a power play that slipped to No. 17 at 17.5 percent.

While the team slipped, team captain Alex Ovechkin's numbers went down, also, from 50 goals in 2009-10 to a career-low 32 last season to just eight goals in 22 games this season. The team's other offensive stars, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin, also have seen their numbers slip the past two seasons, as well.

Boudreau's dismissal comes on the heels of a 5-1 loss Saturday in Buffalo that dropped Washington to 12-9-1, and they enter the week eighth in the Eastern Conference. Washington had started the season with seven-straight wins.

Now, Hunter, who has his number retired by the Capitals, takes over in his first duty as a NHL coach after a decade of junior hockey domination.

Hunter's most successful season with London was 2004-05, when he led the Knights to a 59-7-2-0 record and a Memorial Cup championship.

During his time in London, Hunter has helped in the development of numerous current top NHL players, among them Columbus captain Rick Nash, 2011 Rocket Richard and Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry of the Ducks, Rangers defensemen Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto, Capitals defenseman John Carlson and Blackhawks center Patrick Kane.

In addition, Hunter is considered one of the most popular players in Capitals history. His No. 32 is one of four retired by the club, and in 11 seasons (1987-88 to 1998-99), he had 556 points, fifth on the all-time list. He had five 20-goals seasons, and spent the final five seasons of his time there as team captain. His 2,003 penalty minutes are the most in franchise history, and the Caps went to the playoffs 10 times in his 11 seasons, including the club's only trip to the Stanley Cup Final, in 1998.

 

[NV]

Didn't expect this so early..

 

[RipCity32]

Me either. They haven't looked very good though after that hot start they got off to.

 

[germany00]

Ya same, and the weird thing is ovie in a press confrence a few days ago said he wanted him fired