Capitals Fire Bruce Boudreau, Replace With Dale Hunter

[whatagoalie43]

ovi certainly will increase his production now

[Craig2]

Hunter has had a lot of success coaching great offensive talent with the Knights, and hopefully he's able to apply that in Washington. More than anything, I think Ovechkin needs someone to help him adapt his game because teams seem to have figured out how to defend him and he has made no effort to combat that.

As a neutral spectator when it comes to the Caps, I think this will at least make them more exciting. I know they haven't had playoff success playing their free-wheeling game, but when they switched to a more defensive approach last season the results weren't much better come playoff time.

[edthesandwich]

Coach reaches 200 wins the fastest in hockey history and he's fired

Ya, makes sense to me


He was fired because ovi hates him, which is sad

I seriously doubt that was the only reason Boudreau was fired. In fact, I seriously doubt that was the main reason Boudreau was fired.

Ted Leonsis seemed to intimate that Bruce lost the room. And when that happens, you aren't ever getting it back. Good coach, bad fit. And I think that has more to do with the makeup of the team - Ovi included.

People can blame Ovi all they like, but let's not put more of this on him than he deserves.

-- Washington has allowed the fourth-most goals in the East. That's not his fault.

-- The Capitals are in the bottom 10 in penalty killing. He isn't to blame.

-- The team's second-highest paid player (A. Semin, $6.7 million) has 10 points - just two of those on the power play. Not Ovi's fault, either.

It's funny to me that Tomas Vokoun has largely been given a pass this month because he was so good in October. But the numbers don't lie: He has a 3.47 GAA and an .874 save percentage this month. He and his sieve-tacular partner in crime Michal Neuvirth have been TERRIBLE of late. They're far more to blame.

NHL coaches don't get fired because they don't get along with one player. They get fired when they can't capture the attention of 20 players. And that's exactly what happened here.

[centrehice]

I seriously doubt that was the only reason Boudreau was fired. In fact, I seriously doubt that was the main reason Boudreau was fired.

Ted Leonsis seemed to intimate that Bruce lost the room. And when that happens, you aren't ever getting it back. Good coach, bad fit. And I think that has more to do with the makeup of the team - Ovi included.

People can blame Ovi all they like, but let's not put more of this on him than he deserves.

-- Washington has allowed the fourth-most goals in the East. That's not his fault.

-- The Capitals are in the bottom 10 in penalty killing. He isn't to blame.

-- The team's second-highest paid player (A. Semin, $6.7 million) has 10 points - just two of those on the power play. Not Ovi's fault, either.

It's funny to me that Tomas Vokoun has largely been given a pass this month because he was so good in October. But the numbers don't lie: He has a 3.47 GAA and an .874 save percentage this month. He and his sieve-tacular partner in crime Michal Neuvirth have been TERRIBLE of late. They're far more to blame.

NHL coaches don't get fired because they don't get along with one player. They get fired when they can't capture the attention of 20 players. And that's exactly what happened here.

...................................

Absolutely what has happened.

[whatagoalie43]

I seriously doubt that was the only reason Boudreau was fired. In fact, I seriously doubt that was the main reason Boudreau was fired.

Ted Leonsis seemed to intimate that Bruce lost the room. And when that happens, you aren't ever getting it back. Good coach, bad fit. And I think that has more to do with the makeup of the team - Ovi included.

People can blame Ovi all they like, but let's not put more of this on him than he deserves.

-- Washington has allowed the fourth-most goals in the East. That's not his fault.

-- The Capitals are in the bottom 10 in penalty killing. He isn't to blame.

-- The team's second-highest paid player (A. Semin, $6.7 million) has 10 points - just two of those on the power play. Not Ovi's fault, either.

It's funny to me that Tomas Vokoun has largely been given a pass this month because he was so good in October. But the numbers don't lie: He has a 3.47 GAA and an .874 save percentage this month. He and his sieve-tacular partner in crime Michal Neuvirth have been TERRIBLE of late. They're far more to blame.

NHL coaches don't get fired because they don't get along with one player. They get fired when they can't capture the attention of 20 players. And that's exactly what happened here.

Very very well said

[30ranfordfan]

Not surprising at all. With the way the Caps played the last little while, and how obvious it had become (Ovechkin, an the rest) that the players had tuned him out..... and a coaching change is to be expected.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what Bodreau was thinking when he decided to get the Caps playing a more defensive game. If you want to go that route.... great. Just do the early 00's Penguins version of it - where the defensive game is the responsibily of 3 lines, and you let that other line still free-wheel it.

[centrehice]

The Caps need 2 defensemen in the old style of Rod Langway and Scott Stevens, once they find 2 like this, then tell Ovi and the (Fedor Fedorov) Semin to get the hell out there and Fill the Net.


Trouble is that guys like Green and others aren't to the calibre of Langway and Stevens when it comes to defense.

Right now the Caps on defense are either to slow, or too keen to be OOP like Brian Leetch and they are easily scored upon.

[capt55]

The biggest EGO and CRY BABY cost Boudreau his job, that's FOR SURE, he didn't and doesn't like to be a TEAM PLAYER, its not his team, its Backstrom's team now.

[MatsSundin13Rocks]

The trouble is Green is injured. With Green in the lineup their record is stellar but without him it is dismal.

The style the Caps decided to play is mind boggling to me. With all the skill let them use it. Semin scored a lot playing with Ovie and Backstrom but they way they are using him is completely wrong.

Goaltending issues never help either. Anyway this isn't super surprising based on his coaching style as shown through the HBO show.

Next up to be fired is Randy Caryle. Anahiem can then hire Bruce Boudreau.

[OBOMBA]

o i guess ovi gets his wish and now he can float around and take 8 shots a game without breaking a sweat in his own zone.