He went out the same way he came in. Almost four years to the day after being hired to turn around a Capitals team that was struggling to meet expectations, Bruce Boudreau was fired from his coaching job be
cause the Caps were once again struggling to meet expectations. Just four years ago Boudreau was the NHL coaching neophyte who was brought in to replace Glen Hanlon. At that time, Boudreau was a relative unknown outside the Caps organization, but he made a name for himself by quickly turning around that Capitals team and establishing them not only as a winning team, but as an entertaining team as well. They became a fixture on Versus and NBC not only because of Ovechkin's star power, but because they played an exciting, up-tempo brand of hockey that was fun to watch. They even looked like they were having fun. I always felt the Caps were a must-watch because they were the most entertaining team in the NHL. The fact that Boudreau and Ovechkin seemed to be like the NHL's version of "The Odd Couple" only increased their appeal.
While there was a constant debate among hockey fans about who was the better player, Ovechkin or Crosby, I always thought that Ovechkin was the most "exciting" player in the game. Even when there were lots of other great matchups to watch, I would stay focused on the Caps because I never knew when Ovechkin would deliver one of those plays that just makes you shake your head in appreciation of his unique combination of skill and determination. He was a player that literally brought fans to the edge of their seats every time he touched a puck. However, those jaw-dropping displays of hockey brilliance were becoming rarer and rarer. You could see how much the Caps struggles were wearing on both Ovechkin and Boudreau just by looking at their faces. The boiling point came when Boudreau benched Ovechkin during the final minute of a game with the Caps trailing by one goal. The Caps tied that game and eventually won it in overtime, but the real story was the video footage of a frustrated Ovechkin mouthing some choice words about his coach on the bench. Things were on a slow simmer ever since, and as the Caps struggles continued, the calls for Boudreau's head were becoming louder.
George McPhee, the Capitals GM, was in a difficult position. The team was playing well below expectations, and the star player and coach were no longer on the same page. McPhee kept saying all the right things in the paper. He was defending the coach for being tough on the star players and holding them accountable for their play. However, as is often the case when a coach and a superstar player start to butt heads, the coach lost out.
Firing Boudreau may have seemed like an easy decision for McPhee, but I am sure that it wasn't. Chief among his concerns has to be whether the inmates are now running the asylum in DC. Take this quote for instance, "For whatever reason, as a team we weren't really responding well enough or as good as we should have been," defenseman Karl Alzner said. "And it's kind of, 'Where do you go from there?' " That is a scary quote to hear from one of your best young players. For whatever reason? Where do you go from there? That sounds like a player who is lost. He doesn't have any answers, and the coach either isn't providing them or the players aren't listening to them. After hearing players say things like that, it left McPhee with few options. I think he saw that this ball was rolling downhill and that there was no way to stop it any more. He'd better hope that Dale Hunter can get these guys under control in a hurry, though, because right now, the inmates are running the asylum in DC, and if the star players on the Caps don't fall in line quickly, things could get even uglier.
cause the Caps were once again struggling to meet expectations. Just four years ago Boudreau was the NHL coaching neophyte who was brought in to replace Glen Hanlon. At that time, Boudreau was a relative unknown outside the Caps organization, but he made a name for himself by quickly turning around that Capitals team and establishing them not only as a winning team, but as an entertaining team as well. They became a fixture on Versus and NBC not only because of Ovechkin's star power, but because they played an exciting, up-tempo brand of hockey that was fun to watch. They even looked like they were having fun. I always felt the Caps were a must-watch because they were the most entertaining team in the NHL. The fact that Boudreau and Ovechkin seemed to be like the NHL's version of "The Odd Couple" only increased their appeal.While there was a constant debate among hockey fans about who was the better player, Ovechkin or Crosby, I always thought that Ovechkin was the most "exciting" player in the game. Even when there were lots of other great matchups to watch, I would stay focused on the Caps because I never knew when Ovechkin would deliver one of those plays that just makes you shake your head in appreciation of his unique combination of skill and determination. He was a player that literally brought fans to the edge of their seats every time he touched a puck. However, those jaw-dropping displays of hockey brilliance were becoming rarer and rarer. You could see how much the Caps struggles were wearing on both Ovechkin and Boudreau just by looking at their faces. The boiling point came when Boudreau benched Ovechkin during the final minute of a game with the Caps trailing by one goal. The Caps tied that game and eventually won it in overtime, but the real story was the video footage of a frustrated Ovechkin mouthing some choice words about his coach on the bench. Things were on a slow simmer ever since, and as the Caps struggles continued, the calls for Boudreau's head were becoming louder.
George McPhee, the Capitals GM, was in a difficult position. The team was playing well below expectations, and the star player and coach were no longer on the same page. McPhee kept saying all the right things in the paper. He was defending the coach for being tough on the star players and holding them accountable for their play. However, as is often the case when a coach and a superstar player start to butt heads, the coach lost out.
Firing Boudreau may have seemed like an easy decision for McPhee, but I am sure that it wasn't. Chief among his concerns has to be whether the inmates are now running the asylum in DC. Take this quote for instance, "For whatever reason, as a team we weren't really responding well enough or as good as we should have been," defenseman Karl Alzner said. "And it's kind of, 'Where do you go from there?' " That is a scary quote to hear from one of your best young players. For whatever reason? Where do you go from there? That sounds like a player who is lost. He doesn't have any answers, and the coach either isn't providing them or the players aren't listening to them. After hearing players say things like that, it left McPhee with few options. I think he saw that this ball was rolling downhill and that there was no way to stop it any more. He'd better hope that Dale Hunter can get these guys under control in a hurry, though, because right now, the inmates are running the asylum in DC, and if the star players on the Caps don't fall in line quickly, things could get even uglier.
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