Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has issued a statement on his blog on the team's decision to fire head coach Bruce Boudreau on Monday. Leonsis offered thanks to Boudreau for his four-year tenure with the team and praised him for turning the squad around.

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.

Leonsis later wrote that he was "grateful" to Boudreau and his family.

For more on Boudreau's firing, visit this StoryStream. For more fan reaction and more on anything Capitals hockey, head over to Japers' Rink.