David Prior, our longtime goaltending coach has decided to retire from the Washington Capitals. He will be missed. He was a quiet leader; a strong voice with our goaltenders; and a longtime mentor to Olie Kolzig. I like and respect Dave and respected his decision to get off of the road and spend more time close to home. What I respect even more though was his willingness to help us find his replacement coach and to help us interview and find the right person for this new day and age in the NHL.
Thanks to Dave’s great work, we landed Arturs Irbe as a coach. He is filled with present day knowledge of the league. He speaks Russian; has had great success in the NHL; and he wants to mentor our goaltenders through out our system. He will be respected by all. He has a great personality and he is fierce in his desire to help us build great strength in goal for the short and long term.
I am very happy with this hire. Thanks Dave for your great contributions to our team. Enjoy some time with the family. You will be missed and welcome Arturs Irbe to the team and to our community. Go Caps!
Tags: Arturs Irbe, David Prior, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
Wow. A great hire to replace a great coach. Very valuable that he speaks Russian. Only about four dozen days until the season. I can’t wait. Go Caps!
whats up with ollie?
Welcome Arturs!
I used to love watching you play and glad to have you as part of the team. I think our goaltending team is looking pretty unstoppable now! Thanks for all you do Ted!
Welcome, Archie - Good luck, Dave!