Caps and Canes fire coaches

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=381464
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=381460

The Carolina news doesnt suprise me, or particualy interest me. They have had a poor start to the season so something had to change.

The Caps situation is rather different though. The team is clearly at its best when they just go out and try to score a ton of goals, but that didnt get them anywhere come the playoffs. Boudreau's attempts to get the team to play disciplined hockey, with all players being defensivly responsable has had the same result, while also reducing the exciting offence the caps had become known for. Backstrom is having a better season than last, Semin may aswell not played a game all season as i havnt noticed him and Ovi is on pace for his lowest season points total of just 62.

Should Bruce have been fired, and what should the caps do to get their stars firing again?

Also im hoping at least one more coach gets fired soon

It is interesting. Although the canes lie 14th in the east with a 3-6-1 record they are still only 5 points off the play-offs but maurice has not got them going particularly stall.

As for Boudreau, I am shocked but not surprised. He tried to change his team but I have always felt that the caps where at their best playing 'run and gun' offensive minded hockey, personally i do not feel he made enough roster changes that adhered to his system. From what i hear though the caps new coach Hunter has done well at OHL level with London Knights......

Rightly or wrongly, Randy Carlyle could be next....

Boudreau is a complete and utter douche. He deserved to be fired for consecutively underachieving. O and just for what he said about Madison Square Garden last year , Bruce "CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?"

I wasn't among the Caps fans calling for Boudreau's head for the last like three years or so but i am glad he's been replaced.
We've tried changing the players, the system, the goalies etc etc but nothing worked. these players are good enough to win, they have it in them, but they havent been properly motivated for a long time. im excited about hunter. hes been good at London and seems like the guy who could get the guys motivated. im just hoping that it wont just be that immediately after the change the players get going but then tail off.
Boudreau has had plenty of backing from McPhee, but this year we aren't even dooing well in the regular season let alone post season. It may have been a different story if Green hadnt been injured (won 7 or possibly eight and lost none with him in the team this year), but we cant be reliant on just one player.
Basically a change was needed in the head coach position. Whether Hunter will be the right man can only be told in time but he looks a good replacement, the problem i believe has been not with players not being motivated, but coaches not motivating them. The team is partly responsible but at the end of the day, like i say, we've changed the team around a few times, but its been the same story, so Boudreau had to go

Fuckin' typical....Just as The Blues roll into the Capital they replace their coach.

I had tentatively pencilled in a win for this game. God I hope Elliott starts.

Seems like an odd time to fire your coach to me (Caps). They are still in a play-off place despite their big stars not really getting started. I would like to have seen how the Caps would have fared in the play-offs not going in as a high seed, which is what I think might now happen. The lack of pressure and expectation of having to follow up an excellent regular season record may have yielded a different result . There was no harm in giving Bourdeau till the end of this season to see how the experiment turned out.

Carolina I guess has many similarities to the Caps firing. They are a bit below where they want to be in the standings (as are Washington). Their star player in Eric Staal seems off his usual game (as is Ovechkin). Maurice's record seems a bit repetitive with little sign of progress (as was Bourdeau's). I'm undecided on this firing but it is less surprising.

I thought the 24/7 thing for the winter classic last year was quite revealing. The difference between the Pens who have a great coach capable of getting on with the players and having them want to play for them. Compared to Bourdeau who just rolls around crying and swearing all the time... I wouldnt want to play for him either.

Gettin' Iggy with it wrote:I thought the 24/7 thing for the winter classic last year was quite revealing. The difference between the Pens who have a great coach capable of getting on with the players and having them want to play for them. Compared to Bourdeau who just rolls around crying and swearing all the time... I wouldnt want to play for him either.

Agreed - and now he's a Duck! On the positive side it probably (hopefully) means the club won't be doing any stupid trades. Randy was a great coach over his time at Anaheim and hopefully he'll get back into the game very soon.

Im happy that Bourdeau hasn't found his way to Calgary. I would rather keep sutter... It will be interesting to see how Bourdeau does though, if he plays to the ducks strenghts, and gets that top line firing, they could still make the playoffs.

Oh and Ronnie, hows Hagman been doing?

Gettin' Iggy with it wrote:Im happy that Bourdeau hasn't found his way to Calgary. I would rather keep sutter... It will be interesting to see how Bourdeau does though, if he plays to the ducks strenghts, and gets that top line firing, they could still make the playoffs.

Oh and Ronnie, hows Hagman been doing?

I think making the play-offs this season will be a bit of a stretch now - but of course you never know. I used to enjoy watching the Caps style of hockey and wouldn't mind seeing that duplicated at the Ponda. It feels there's not so much to lose at this point in time in any case.

Hagman scored an ENer last night! But he's been playing on a struggling team so haven't seen the best of him as yet. I've got to admit the Ducks have been so bad I haven't bothered to sit down and watch many of their recent games.

Could this be the beginning of the end for Wilson in Toronto. Carlyle won the cup with Burke in anaheim so they have history too.

sportsportsport wrote:Could this be the beginning of the end for Wilson in Toronto. Carlyle won the cup with Burke in anaheim so they have history too.

Now that would be weird (and potentially unwelcome)!

Wilson: Drafted by Toronto. Coaches Anaheim. Becomes all-time Anaheim wins coach. Coaches Toronto. Miserable record with Toronto.
Carlyle: Drafted by Toronto. Coaches Anaheim. Becomes all-time Anaheim wins coach. Coaches Toronto. ???