The Anaheim Ducks fired their coach, Bruce Boudreau, this past weekend. The Ducks blew a 3-2 series lead against the Nashville Predators, dropping game seven 2-1 at home. Boudreau had been the Ducks’ coach for the past five seasons.
Boudreau was successful as the Head Coach of the Ducks in the regular season. In his five years they went a 352-208-104 with four straight Pacific Division titles. The playoffs were a different story. In 2013 the Ducks had a 3-2 series lead over the Detroit Red Wings. They ended up losing game 6 in overtime 4-3 and then the series in game seven, 3-2. 2014 the Anaheim Ducks reached the second round. They were again ahead 3-2 over the Kings. The Kings won games six and seven to eliminate the Ducks. Last year Anaheim won the first two series and was in the Western Conference Finals against the Blackhawks. Everything was going their way with a 3-2 edge in the series, but just like the last three years, they found away to lose it in game 7. The same thing happened this year. That made four straight postseasons where the Ducks led 3 games to 2 and didn’t advance. Boudreau was fired.
According to ESPN, Ducks Center Ryan Kesler said, “I think that’s rare to find nowadays: a coach who cares about you as a person, I think he’s a quality guy. To see him fired, it sucks. At the end of the day, he was our leader and our coach, and he took the fall for us.”
The Anaheim Ducks are making a big mistake. It’s difficult to qualify for the playoffs every year in the NHL. Sure it is disappointing to see this team hold a 3-2 series advantage and then blow it the last four years but at least they were in the playoffs. The Ducks, with a new head coach, may not even make the playoffs four straight years.
As for Bruce Boudreau, he will get another chance to coach in the NHL. He has a career record of 409-192-80 with both the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals. His teams have made the playoffs eight times in ten years. He has a solid resume even though success in the regular season didn’t transfer to winning it all in the playoffs. Boudreau should be the top candidate on everybody’s list because of his decent record. It will be up to Boudreau to decide if the team is the right fit.
What do you think of the Ducks firing Bruce Boudreau? Where will he coach next?
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