Anaheim Ducks fire head coach Bruce Boudreau
After another disappointing playoff exit, the Anaheim Ducks have fired head coach Bruce Boudreau.
The Anaheim Ducks have made the playoffs in each full season since they hired head coach Bruce Boudreau in November of 2011. In fact, Boudreau has never missed the playoffs in a full season with a team. Just as his time with the Washington Capitals eventually ran out after a slow start in 2011, his time with the Ducks has as well after a fourth straight early playoff exit and the second first-round exit of his tenure with Anaheim.
BREAKING: Ducks have fired Bruce Boudreau as coach.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) April 29, 2016
Firing a great coach like Boudreau is never a good thing. However, what can Anaheim do to ensure a seamless transition to their next head coach? The Ducks should look no further than the previous team to fire Bruce Boudreau: Washington. The Capitals are doing pretty well for themselves, having won the President’s Trophy for the 2015-2016 season. That said, it took them a while to recover from firing Boudreau because it took the Caps a long time to hire the right head coach.
Immediately after they fired Boudreau, they hired former Capitals captain Dale Hunter to finish out the 2011-2012 season. That didn’t work out. Next, they tried another former Capitals player in Adam Oates. He didn’t work out. They finally nailed it by picking Barry Trotz. Anaheim should do their due diligence to ensure that they don’t take as long as the Caps did to find a suitable replacement for Boudreau.
The Ducks should also avoid panicking, much like the Capitals did after losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games back in 2010. Washington made changes to get bigger and “grittier”. That didn’t work out, as it took them until this season to even come close to matching the regular season success that they had during the 2009-2010 season. Anaheim is still a very good team. They must remember that while also not remaining complacent.
Changes are coming in Anaheim after the Ducks fired Bruce Boudreau. But will they be the right ones?
For more NHL coverage, check out our hub page.