Tag Archives: Bruce Boudreau

I Saw Bruce Too

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Yes, Bruce is organized. Yes, he is excited to go. Yes, he is in love with the team and our lineup. We want a competitive camp. We want every player to “earn” his minutes. We want a team that has depth and we want to have a great relationship with Hershey. Hershey should be much improved this year and continue to be a success on its own as well as developing and providing us with great young players.

Live from Toronto

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Toronto is a hockey mad city and everywhere you go, the NHL Awards Show is being promoted and Alex Ovechkin’s face is literally everywhere.

We fly in and arrived on time. It was a glorious day: sunny, crisp, zero humidity. We checked into the hotel; showered up; put on our dark suits; and hit the red carpet. The walk was a long one – perhaps 2,000 feet – with literally thousands of fans and hundreds of media reps all calling your name; looking for NHL players; and some chanting “MVP! MVP!” when they see Alex Ovechkin strolling by.

We meet Mike Babcock of the Red Wings and have a nice chat. We meet Vinnie Lecavalier who was very smart and very complimentary of our team. We see many NHL execs along the way and many hard-working reporters. There is a positive buzz about the NHL and about the Washington Capitals in the air.

We finally get to our seats. I am seated with my son and Bruce and his wife. Raul Fernandez and George McPhee are sitting with Alex. I take note that we are in rows A and B. That must be a good omen, right? :-)

The awards start out with Alex winning the Pearson Award. He is so nervous but so authentic in his speech. Way to go Alex! He hugs us and then leaves to do media. A young lady then comes and fills his seat just like the Oscar ceremony I think. :-)

The other awards fly by and then Coach of the Year goes to Bruce. Wow. We are all stunned. His wife is so gracious. Bruce is shocked - having an out of body experience – and humbled. What a great story! I should make my next movie on Bruce’s life! This award is so well-deserved!

The Rookie of the Year goes to Patrick Kane. I am disappointed. I think Nicklas Backstrom deserves the award. Nicklas is here with his mom and dad and agent. It is so great to see the friendship and bond that Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have developed.

The MVP award goes to Alex Ovechkin. It is a clean sweep for Alex. It has been a historic year for him. Gary Bettman comes by and congratulates us on a special evening. We then all go down to the media room. I meet Martin Brodeur, Nick Lidstrom, Scotty Bowman and Gordie Howe. It is Hockey Heaven! (I am a fan too, you know!) :-)  Then on to the after party.

The party is loud and kinda boring. We mingle and schmooze with agents and league officials and then leave for dinner. We find a place showing the NBA Finals. We grab a bite to eat and we meet people who know we own the Washington Capitals. We talk hockey, watch the game and end the night at midnight. As we head back into the hotel, we run into Ron Wilson and we hang out together with Ron and George breaking the place up with stories and jokes.

It was a memorable night. I am so tired. My head hits the pillow and I am out like a light.

I am up now blogging away. I have more than 100 emails. We will leave today to head back to DC. Alex and his small entourage are flying back with us as are two NHL officials who will be carrying all of the trophies won by our franchise last night. We will arrive; go to the Caps offices; then head to the Mayor’s office; and then to our VIP party later tonight. What a whirlwind. What a fun time. Embrace it. Go Caps! Thank you.

No One is More Deserving Than Bruce

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We are blessed to have such a straightforward, authentic and good man as Coach Boudreau be our coach. He had a remarkable season - leading us to 94 points, a Division championship and a playoff spot - when there didn’t appear to be any hope of a successful season when he took over the team.

He was always positive. He loved the talent that we had amassed. He saw the youth we had as a positive and he is so in love with the game of hockey that every day was a “great day”.

He is a coach to lead our young team over the long term. He is aggressive, creative, honest and fair and he has certainly paid his dues. I give kudos to General Manager George McPhee for hiring Bruce and placing him in our Hershey affiliate and then having the courage to tap Bruce as our interim and then coach for the year and then getting him re-signed for a long period of time.

I can think of no coach who did a better job that Bruce this year in the NHL. Can you?

We Still Need to Catch Our Breath

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The season just ended for us. The team is now leaving for home bases all around the world. We will all catch our breath then reconvene to reflect on the season; review what we need to do to improve; and then set forth our plan for next season.

Bruce is our coach. He deserved the deal he negotiated with George for his fine work. Thank you coach. You made us all proud.

As to individual players and deals, it does us no competitive good to go public with our thoughts, budgets and strategies. George will act at the right time within the confines of our long term plan. We will have a busy off season but we need the time to clear our heads and act with reflection and planning.

I would also like to make one comment. From time to time, I will read some message board posts or receive emails about a player. The fan will write with conviction and in anger “So-and-so is soft. He doesn’t hit. He should be benched because he isn’t tough.” and I will know that same player is playing in a playoff game with both a separated shoulder and a broken jaw. The player is a true warrior and is tough as nails and has the true respect of his teammates for playing so hurt. From time to time, a little empathy is in order. :-) Thank you.