- Hunter's first season marked the beginning of the halcyon days of the Quebec Nordiques. Heady days. 1980-1981 marked the NHL debut of not only of the Sudbury Wolves grad, but of Peter and Anton Stastny, they of the John Grisham novel-like escape from the communist regime of what was then known as Czechoslovakia.
- It was also the debut of coach Michel "Le petit tigre" Bergeron in the NHL, after building a reputation as a fierce competitor, and winner, in the QMJHL.
- It became quickly obvious that in Hunter, the Nordiques not only had a player with excellent hockey skills, they also had the type of player that home fans love and road fans loathe. A competitor through and through. At home. On the road. In practice. Whistle to whistle, and quite often beyond, Dale Hunter showed up every night and competed. Hard.
- Some older fans compared him to guys like Bobby Clarke, Ted Lindsay, and Teeder Kennedy. While he may not have had the talent or accomplished what the latter players did in their careers, you get the idea. Grit and skill. Over 1000 points and 3563 PIM in 20 NHL seasons. One does not put up those types of numbers by being a passenger.
- His transition into his role of junior coach was even more spectacular. Some wondered if Hunter, known as a man of few words during his playing days, a quiet man off the ice, would be able to not only lead the way as an example of hard work and perseverance, but teach, and develop as a tactician and bench boss. Well, he answered those questions in spades. Fastest OHL coach to 300 wins. Fastest OHL coach to 400 wins. And until his graduating to the Caps bench, well on his way to the fastest 500 wins, his current edition of the London Knights sitting atop CHL standings.
- Along the way there have been players such as Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Dave Bolland, and Nazem Kadri, as well as a Memorial Cup in 2005. It's clear that Day Lunter, as it's pronounced here in Quebec, can also coach.
- Add to these credentials the fact that Hunter was the captain of the Washington Capitals from 1994 to 1999 and his number 32 hangs from the rafters of the Verizon Center and you've got yourself someone with loads and loads of credibility.
- Ovechkin is of course, one of the most discussed players in the game. Some love him, some dislike him. But no matter what side of that question you find yourself. One thing is certain. Ovie is one of the game's most talented stars. A quick look back at some of his accomplishments.
- In 2005-2006, Ovechkin, the son of a soccer playing father, and of a two-time Olympic gold medal winning basketball player mother, became just the fourth player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a rookie season. He won the Calder Trophy, beating out Sidney Crosby in first place voting 125 to 4. 2007-2008 was also a big year for Alex. He has since added an Art Ross, two Harts, two Maurice Richard, and three Lester Pearson/Ted Lindsay awards to his trophy case. Add to that two nominations as the World Championship MVP and five consecutive NHL First-All star team nods. He has also led NHL in shots on goal in each of his NHL seasons.
- Yet with all of the numbers that Ovechkin put up, while playing a full out physical game, he was asked to do more. Last season, former Caps coach Boudreau asked Ovechkin to change his game. Stop trying to do it all himself. Dedicate himself to the defensive side of the game. The logic being that given that the Caps hadn't been able to achieve playoff success with their offence first mentality, surely a switch of philosophy to the "take care of our own end first" credo would give them a better chance of raising the Stanley Cup.
- And Ovechkin bought in. Last season saw him post the lowest numbers of his career. Saving himself for the playoffs and dedicating himself to defence were given as quite logical explanations to this loss of production. He may not be scoring as much, but he's a more complete player. A team player.
- It is a strategy that it turns out, is fundamentally flawed. Trying to change a player of the ability of Alexander Ovechkin is always a risky proposition. Rarely has asking a player of the caliber of the Russian star to radically adjust his game ever worked. The ability to score at that pace is something that comes along very rarely. If someone can score, go ahead and let him score. Figure out a way to support him with players and tactics that compensate, but don't try and stifle that kind of ability.
- Because no matter how much fans and observers like to wade in on the topic of Ovechkin's play, the reality is, he's never been the main problem in Washington. It's his supporting cast. Compare who fills out roster spots in Pittsburgh with who fills the equivalent roles in Washington. You can go through it position by position. If for arguments sake, we take both Ovechkin and Crosby out of the equation, then it's not even close. It's Pittsburgh taking it every day of the week, and twice on Sunday, to borrow an expression from baseball. Malkin, Staal, Letang, and Fleury. No contest from any Capitals player on any of those fronts. So to lay it all on Ovechkin's lap, it somewhat unfair.
- Look no further back that last spring's playoffs. Ovechkin went hard every game. He picked up 10 points in 9 games. If anything, he was accused of trying to do too much. Well, I don't know about you, but in the long haul, I'd rather be associated with someone who's trying too hard, at the risk of making mistakes, than someone like Semin, and some others that I won't bother naming here. All this to say that with the way some of the players on his squad were playing, it can certainly be understood that he would try to do it all himself. He can be accused of many things, but not trying hard enough was certainly not one of them, at least as it applies to the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. Or in the playoffs in general. Pro-rated over the course of 82 games, Ovechkin's has scored at a 116 point per season pace in the playoffs. Hardly signs of a slacker.
- Which bring us to Bruce Boudreau. Bam Bam as he was known for a time way back when he was a player in the Toronto Maple Leafs system.
- He has coached and played at pretty much every level of the professional game. The NHL, the WHA, the ECHL, the AHL, the CHL, the NAHL (he was with the Jamestown Jets, the inspiration for the Charleston Chiefs of Paul Newman, Hanson Brothers, and the cult classic Slapshot movie fame), the IHL, and a stint in Germany. A life in hockey.
- And as a coach, he built a reputation as what is referred to as a player's coach. A coach that builds an "us versus the world" environment. It is a philosophy that has lead to success in the past. Perhaps the most notorious player's coach in the last few decades was none other than Hockey Night in Canada's very own Don Cherry.
- Last season's HBO series, 24/7, gave fans a rare glimpse into the inner workings of NHL teams. Or at least, the inner workings of the Washington Capitals. While it was certainly entertaining to watch the high energy Boudreau, whose constant use of the f-bomb caused even the most seasoned of hockey people to reel back on occasion, it did raise some questions. The main one being, "how long before all of this starts wearing a little thin with the players"? It's one thing to be a high energy coach, but at some point the risk is that the drama, the cursing, the swearing, the yelling, starts to irritate more than it motivates. As anyone who's been in the Army will tell you, the ranting and the raving sometimes have their place, but if done constantly, it starts to lose it's effect.
- When Ovechkin dropped a bomb of his own directly at Boudreau, live and on TV, in the form of a "fat fuck" response to being benched for a power play with 1:27 left in the 3rd period of a 4-3 game that they were losing to the Anaheim Ducks, it was clear that it was over for Bam Bam. Irreconcilable differences they call them in divorce case.
See it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbmRKVJWEB8
- And so it is that Dale Hunter finds himself as the newest Capitals coach. History has taught us to believe that their will be a rise in the Capitals play. Coach firings have a way of shaking every one up. They are unpleasant situations, and one of the ways that most involved deal with them is to re-focus on individual responsibilities, and try just that little bit harder which so often makes the difference in both life and in hockey.
- I suspect that Ovechkin and Hunter will co-exist quite nicely. They are both highly competitive individuals and they need each other to succeed. Hunter will be able to get Ovechkin to focus on playing, free of the distractions that seem to have been part and parcel of the Capitals over the last few seasons.
- If Hunter can get some of the other Capital players to perform up to their potential, notably the chronically underachieving but supremely talented Alexander Semin, then watch out for Washington from here on in, they will be a handful. Just like Hunter was when he wore number 32 on the ice.
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