Bruce Boudreau Fired By Washington Capitals
by Joe Fortunato on Nov 28, 2011 8:54 AM EST
in NHL News
Email
PrintJust some NHL news to get your day started today. According to reports, the Washington Capitals have fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and have replaced him with Dale Hunter.
In a world where the Columbus Blue Jackets have only managed six wins, the New York Islanders play continues to deteriorate and the Anaheim Ducks are sitting last in their division it's surprising Washington had made the next coaching change.
UPDATE: I forgot about the St. Louis Blues who made a coaching change earlier this year, so the Capitals are the second team.
There were, however, troubling signs from the Capitals. The Rangers played the Capitals on Friday night and won in convincing fashion, 6-3. The Capitals had amassed a 12-9-1 record in their first 22 games and there were whispers that the team (read: Alex Ovechkin) were blocking him out.
Make sure to check out SB Nation's fantastic Capitals blog, Japers Rink, for more on the subject.
For now, however, it's a buzzing start to the day in the hockey world. Thoughts on the move guys?
35 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Boudreau was trying to spread out the ice time, and had four competent lines. The Sedins don’t log a ton of ice, for what it’s worth.
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
by red army line on Nov 28, 2011 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
he was trying to improve their overall play and better prep them for the spring
he apparently learned from the failures of playoffs past
the players not so much, it seems
@joereiter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?" - Lord General Sather
"Nobody knows anything" - William Goldman
Ehh, TOI was never really an issue. Maybe he was trying to keep them not-injured, but even then, Ovechkin and Backstrom are pretty durable, it’s Green and Semin that would need their TOI reined in.
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
by red army line on Nov 28, 2011 5:51 PM EST up reply actions
See, I’m not so sure it’s “restricting.” He still gets good ice time. Just a little less, not so different from other studs.
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
by red army line on Nov 28, 2011 8:52 PM EST up reply actions
First coaching change?
StL Blues might have something to say about that.
by MyFavBaseballSquadron on Nov 28, 2011 9:02 AM EST reply actions
I forgot about the Blues
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
"Tortorelli sounds like a kind of pasta… an unforgiving, stubborn, chewy, flavorless pasta that demands ‘jam’ from other pastas." - Dig Deep
by Joe Fortunato on Nov 28, 2011 9:13 AM EST up reply actions
Once you lose your players a coach is doomed, I think the caps skid further down under hunters watch, wouldn’t be too confident in his jump from the OHL to the NHL despite his success down their. Bad move by the caps me thinks.
by ImMike88 on Nov 28, 2011 9:53 AM EST via iPhone app reply actions
There’s always something about that man that I’ve strongly disliked. I like this move. I actually respect Wash a lot more without BB. I can’t even really explain why… but for some reason, if they won a cup with him as coach, I would’ve been pissed.
I concur. The Caps have plenty of likeable players and they work hard; it’s only Boudreau who sticks out as an antagonist. A fat, bald, gutter-mouthed, ketchup drinking antagonist
Take it to the net and keep jamming and jamming until somebody comes on you.
- Eddie Olczyk
by Scratch and Snif on Nov 28, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions
is that confirmed?
@joereiter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?" - Lord General Sather
"Nobody knows anything" - William Goldman
He was the fastest to 200 wins
You can’t change 20 players, so he’s the guy that has to take the fall. You can only do so much with talent that won’t play hard or the right way (see EC).
Manning lobs it, Burress alone, touchdown New York!
For the empty net, Mark Messier... do you believe it?! Do you believe it?! He said we will win game 6 - he has just picked up the hat trick!
there's something to be said for the makeup of the caps players
when bowman took over in detroit and insisted yzerman, federov & co. make more effort on both sides of the puck, sacrificing offense of defense, they revolted against him and tried getting him fired after their playoff debacle against san jose
gradually, with that playoff loss and the one in the finals against new jersey and then the collapse against colorado, the star players bought into the system and won consecutive cups, and yzerman is now regarded as one of the best ever two-way players and leaders, and retired with three cups
sounds like boudreau tried to get ovechkin, backstrom, semin, green & co to buy into the same mentality, but either lacked the clout of bowman or just dealt with a different mentality of players who refused to adapt for overall success
at the risk of generalizing i think ovechkin is symptomatic of a lot of european and russian players: winning the stanley cup is less important than succeeding on the international scale and individual honors
@joereiter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?" - Lord General Sather
"Nobody knows anything" - William Goldman
Also doesn’t help when your goaltenders play like sieves.
Blueshirt Banter - Where Rangers' Fans Matter
Tracking the Rangers - Numbers don't lie. They just don't agree with you.
Twitter: RangerSmurf
by George E. Ays on Nov 28, 2011 10:49 AM EST up reply actions
how much of that is his fault, though?
blame a goalie coach for the goaltender sucking, not the guy behind the bench
what’s he going to do? he can only play the goalies he’s given
@joereiter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?" - Lord General Sather
"Nobody knows anything" - William Goldman
I agree, which why I think it’s a big funny Boudreau and Maurice both got fired today. The goalie play of those teams has been awful, and a big reason why they’ve struggled.
The stuff about losing the room, et al, might be true, but it’s not the primary issue they’ve had lately.
Blueshirt Banter - Where Rangers' Fans Matter
Tracking the Rangers - Numbers don't lie. They just don't agree with you.
Twitter: RangerSmurf
by George E. Ays on Nov 28, 2011 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
Ehh, Caps’ possession numbers have been awful (scoring chance-wise) and their Corsi has taken a nosedive over the past three weeks (used to be around 58%, now much less, though still above 50%).
As for goaltending, Olie Kolzig was pissed after 07-08 (he didn’t start another game after getting blown out by the Hawks in the 75th game of the season), and you could argue he should have switched goalies against Tampa (I mean, Neuvirth was cold and Boudreau kept one of the league leaders in save percentage on the bench) and Pittsburgh (maybe fending off fatigue that seemed to sink Varlamov in the final three games).
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
by red army line on Nov 28, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
that seems to have been a constant achilles heel
he was dealing with the ‘play varlamov’ critics during the 2009 series against the rangers when theodore looked shaky
a round later people asked for theodore back in net against pittsburgh, as i recall somewhat dimly
you guys are way more keyed into what was happening with the team but it seems like another case where the coach loses the best player, and, in turn the rest of the team
@joereiter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?" - Lord General Sather
"Nobody knows anything" - William Goldman
It’s also the way these guys develop.
From a young age North American players are taught to work the corners, back check hard, and play a strong two-way game.
Some European players, Russians in general play a different, more offensive and finesse style. Not saying one is better than the other, just that it is a difficult adjustment to make, and one some players might rebel against making.
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
See what happens when you attack Ranger fans……
Porky the Pig cut Ovechkin’s playing time nearly in half this year,,,,,WHY?
my fantasy team is asking the exact same question
hopefully hunter gets him going again
@joereiter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?" - Lord General Sather
"Nobody knows anything" - William Goldman
Finally Boudreau is a horrible coach, there was zero chance he’d ever get them a Stanley Cup.
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 28, 2011 12:21 PM EST reply actions
sentiment shared
but a tad hyperbolic, no?
Take it to the net and keep jamming and jamming until somebody comes on you.
- Eddie Olczyk
by Scratch and Snif on Nov 28, 2011 3:50 PM EST up reply actions
Coach's fault, or players?
Boudreau has been attacked for reducing Ovi’s playing time, but Ovi to a large extent has been figured out from a defensive standpoint and doesn’t seem to have made the adjustment. He’s unbelievable talented, but somewhat predictable.
And as for Semin, come on, the guy’s a head case. He commits more stupid penalties than any star player I can think of, and at times, just glides around the ice.
Is it any wonder Boudreau at times seems to have lost his mind?
We’ll see if a new coach sparks the club, but I have a funny feeling the player issues I point out here won’t go away.
"To everybody else we're underdogs, but we go in thinking we can handle any team in the NHL."
Brandon Prust, #8, New York Rangers
That has a lot more to do with the personnel than the coach himself, I mean if you have Ovie, Backstrom, Semin, and Green out there on a PP your going to have a pretty good chance to score. Also with the remarks he made about this franchise last year in the playoffs, theres no way I would welcome him into our building…
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 28, 2011 2:00 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder if he can hear us from the unemployment line…..
R.I.P Derek
Rangers FTW!
by BleedsRangerBlue on Nov 28, 2011 3:32 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
His quote after being fired
“A-ba-dee aba-dee a-ba-dee, that’s all folks!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Blueshirt Banter
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
@
New Jersey
|
Fri 05/25 | 8:00 PM EDT |
|
New Jersey
|
Sun 05/27 | TBA |
Last 5 Games
|
New Jersey
|
Wed 05/23 | L 3 - 5 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Mon 05/21 | L 1 - 4 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Sat 05/19 | W 3 - 0 |
|
New Jersey
|
Wed 05/16 | L 2 - 3 |
|
New Jersey
|
Mon 05/14 | W 3 - 0 |
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Dodger Stadium Winter Classic; 10 worst NHL fans; ‘While The Men Watch’ debate (Puck Headlines)
- Lightning GM Yzerman suggests he won’t be trading for Luongo, strengthens position for Luongo trade
- Marek Vs. Wyshynski Radio: Ron Hextall, Luke Richardson and Rangers/Devils
- Tomas Kopecky visits Pavol Demitra’s grave with Slovakia silver medal (VIDEO)
- While The Men Watch Hockey Night, the women get frustrated with CBC
Latest stories and headlines from NHL.com
- Talented Sea Dogs show they can defence as well as attack at Memorial Cup
- Connecticut players create video to tell gay players they are welcome on their team
- Columbus Blue Jackets, centre Ryan Russell agree on 1-year, 2-way NHL-AHL contract
- Blue Jackets re-sign Ryan Russell to 1-year deal
- Shawinigan, Saint John each fined for fight-filled Memorial Cup game
