Gratitude. We just completed a long weekend to give thanks and express gratitude.

It’s never easy to let a coach go, and Bruce was a popular personality who helped turn around our franchise. Despite what transpired on the ice this year, I always will be thankful for Bruce’s time with the Capitals and will remember him fondly. He is a great coach who I’m confident will land another spot in the NHL. Unfortunately the shelf life of a coach is short; Bruce was the fifth longest tenured coach in the league. That’s amazing to me.

Here is the news release announcing Dale Hunter as coach. Dale was a tenacious player and great leader. The reins are his, and we are here to support him. More on Dale later, but first I wanted to express my appreciation for Bruce and what he has meant to our franchise and our community – he not only won games but also created a tremendous brand awareness for us locally as well as nationally and even internationally.
I am very grateful. Bruce was instrumental in the team’s success over the last four seasons. He won four division championships, a Presidents’ Trophy, an Eastern Conference banner, two playoff series and coached us to our best records in team history during the regular season. He also won a coach of the year award and holds the record for winning 200 games faster than any coach in NHL history. He is a good man. Thank you for four great years. I appreciate all you did for us as a franchise. I am grateful to you and your entire family.