BALLSTON, VA - After the Washington Capitals made yet another disappointing exit from the playoffs, speculation regarding head coach Bruce Boudreau's job security ran rampant. As the Caps packed up and left for the summer, general manager George McPhee put those rumors to rest when he said that he believes Boudreau will return next season.
"I expect him to be back, yeah," McPhee said. "He's a good coach. Somebody said he's not a playoff coach. There's no difference between a playoff coach and a regular season coach. You're either a good coach or you're not and he's a good coach."
Since Boudreau became head coach in November 2008, the Caps have not advanced past the second round, losing in the first round twice. Boudreau has a 189-79-39 record with the Caps in the regular season, but only 17-20 in the playoffs. Before McPhee spoke to reporters, Boudreau answered questions about his job himself.
"I don't know," Boudreau said. "All we do as coaches, we ooach. We don't make any of those decisions. We work as hard as we can and we see where it leads. You know what, it's not up for me to think. I think about winning all the time and I think about what's best for the Washington Capitals organization. How can I answer that? I can't and I leave it up to somebody else."
Boudreau is seemingly safe for next season, but that did not matter to his players, who supported him wholeheartedly.
"Bruce is the rock behind this team," Mike Green said. "Anybody that knows him or played under him understands his philosophy and I don't think it hurts anybody more than him right now. He's the most passionate guy I've met in the game and I believe as far as decisions, if that's the decision they've made, that's great for our hockey club."