Washington Capitals fire coach Glen Hanlon
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Bill Jempty | Thursday, November 22, 2007 |
Hanlon is the second Southeast division coach to be fired this season. Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley was the first.
ARLINGTON, Va. – Glen Hanlon was fired as coach of the NHL-worst Washington Capitals on Thursday, with the team off to its slowest start in 26 years.
Hanlon, in his fourth season at the helm, was told of the decision a day after loud boos and chants of “Fire Hanlon!” echoed through the arena during a 5-1 home loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, Washington’s fifth consecutive defeat.
He will be replaced on an interim basis by Bruce Boudreau, the coach of the Hershey Bears, Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate.
Boudreau was to run the Capitals’ practice Thursday morning, then make his NHL coaching debut Friday at Philadelphia.
Boudreau, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, is familiar with several of the Capitals’ players, having coached seven current members of the roster at Hershey, which he led to the 2006 Calder Cup title.
He takes over a club that is 6-14-1 for 13 points, four fewer than any other team in the league through Wednesday. After beginning the season 3-0, the Capitals have lost nine of 10 games, and 15 of 18, leaving them with their lowest 21-game point total since having 12 in the 1981-82 season.
Expectations among the Capitals — from team owner Ted Leonsis right down to star forward Alex Ovechkin and other players — were high entering the season, because of the addition of a few free agents and the team’s top pick in the 2006 draft.
But other than Ovechkin, the team has had plenty of trouble scoring, and the problems have spread to other areas in recent games. Washington keeps falling behind and failing to recover, going 1-10-1 when opponents score first, and turnovers and poor line changes have been increasing.
Hanlon leaves his first NHL head coaching job with a 78-123-9-29 record.
I think Hanlon is partly the victim of unrealistic expectations. Coming into the season, I thought the Capitals were the weakest team in the Southeast Division.
There’s talk in the South Florida media of Jacques Martin’s job with the Florida Panthers being in danger. Looking around the NHL, coaches don’t have much job security. I still think the Panthers will get on the right track this year.
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