lay some treats

I was looking at NHL standings last night wondering how long it would be before the Ducks fired their coach. About 15 minutes after I went to bed, they announced that Bruce Boudreau was the new coach. I’m following Boudreau closely because I think he’s a bad coach with a very good record. 

In my 2011-12 Playoff Predictions post on October 4th, I said that the Capitals will not win the Stanley Cup with Boudreau as the coach. Maybe I’m clairvoyant, but like I was telling some friends, all you need to do is watch the HBO special 24/7: Pens vs Caps. It seems so obvious that the players were sick of Boudreau’s personality. I remember thinking that all he does is swear himself into a tantrum, until the morale of the team sputters to new lows.

Here’s why I’m predicting the decline of Boudreau, starting today. First of all, just look at the Caps roster from 2007 until now. They are amazing. They have the best scorer in the NHL, and a very strong supporting cast. It may not be as good now as it was in 08 or 09, but it’s still pretty awesome. And I don’t believe for a second that Ovechkin is having a down year because he “just is”. He’s having a down year because he’s chosen to. Same goes for the rest of the top players on that team. In 2007, Boudreau was given the keys to a car that had all the bells and whistles and could pretty much drive itself to any destination 99% of the time. That 1% was all Bruce had to watch out for, and he couldn’t do it. Four years straight. Couldn’t do it.

Let me put it this way: Even the dumbest well-trained horses know when they have an idiot on their back. First, they watch your body language, listen to your voice, and observe how you react when they put you in certain situations. After that, it doesn’t take them long to realize okay, this person is inexperienced and doesn’t understand how to control me, so I’m just gonna go ahead and do whatever the hell I want. 

The second point I’d like to make is that Bruce 56 years old and this is only his 5th year as a coach in the NHL. Mike Babcock is 8 years younger, and is on his 9th season in the NHL. Dan Byslma is 41 in his 4th year, and he already won a championship. Even if Bruce Boudreau figures out how to be a good coach, it’s going to be too little too late. I don’t think 4 years is enough time to get the Ducks a championship even with an outstanding coach. And at 60 years old, aren’t you tired? Aren’t you thinking about retirement? 

I get the impression from the media that Bruce Boudreau is considered an elite coach. Bruce Boudreau is not an elite coach. An elite coach doesn’t start coaching in the NHL when he’s 51. An elite coach starts coaching when he’s 41 and isn’t normally considered an elite coach until he’s 51. Most importantly, an elite coach does not let a team with dynasty potential get upset 4 times in a row in the playoffs. 

We’ll see what happens to ol’ Bruce. If he does well, good for him. That means he found the right group of players to coach. I just know that I wouldn’t want to play for him, and I can understand the Caps players’ attitudes. But if he is fired in a year or two, and never wins a championship, you heard it here first.