Did the NY Islanders fire Al Arbour when they came up short in the playoffs in the late 1970s? Did Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, not the most stable guy around, remove Glen Sather as head coach when the Oilers came up short in the early 80s? No, they didn’t, and we all know the results.

Firing Boudreau would simply be a knee-jerk reaction, a search for a scapegoat. Like his players, Boudreau is learning what it takes to become a champion. He and they will learn from this and come back stronger next season. Mark my words.

Posted by Lyle Richardson from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada on 04/29/10 at 10:01 AM ET

It’s at least a year too early for this kind of talk regarding Boudreau. His record with them is astounding. They fizzle in round one next year, though, and all bets are off.

Semin, on the other hand, should be shipped out immediately if the Capitals ever want to win.

George McPhee also must look at the Boston playbook and ask himself if the clear-cut best offensive D-man is a player who will ever be a winner. Green’s choke jobs date all the way back to junior.

Watching Ovechkin become increasingly alone (by choice) throughout the series, isolating himself on the ice with individual play (and listening to his post-game comments) it’s clear he needs veteran guidance—the grizzled, old sort of fading all-star who’s won championships and still burns for more. In Detroit, Datsyuk and Zetterberg always had that when they were establishing themselves (Yzerman, Larionov, Lidstrom). In Pittsburgh Crosby’s always had that always had that as well (Recchi, then Roberts, then Guerin). Ovechkin got one year of Sergei Federov, which is not nearly enough to learn how to become a Champion.

Posted by steve on 04/29/10 at 10:31 AM ET

What might bring out the best in the team is a taskmaster who makes his players accountable and uncomfortable.

Right, somebody who tells them that the sixth goal in the third period of a 7-2 win in the middle of February isn’t that much to get excited about.
Not someone who makes excuses for them and says “they just love to score and besides it’s good for the game- that they show how much they love it”. Yeah, but not good for them when the SCP come around.

Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 04/29/10 at 10:32 AM ET

Brodeau isn’t going anywhere, which is good for the rest of the league.  He fits in with what they are all about, from the owner on down.  It’s always someone else’s fault, or just bad luck.

In reality Boudreau never adjusted in that series, and that’s why his team lost.  The answer against a hot goalie and a collapsing defense isn’t just to blindly throw pucks at the net and hope for the best.  Play patient hockey.  Wait for great chances.  Cycle and get the puck to the points, with the defense not in the shooting lanes.  Dump and make the defensemen play with their backs to you.  Up the forecheck and wait for turnovers.  Instead, the Capitals’ went with the shoot a lot theme, barely even getting someone to the net which seemed to be their big strategy adjustment, which is just SOP for most squads.

If you play one and only one style of hockey, it’s too easy for other teams to adjust.  That’s why Detroit and Pittsburgh have been successful over the last three postseasons - they can play a variety of styles and their play evolves over a course of a series once they’ve learned their opposition.

Posted by HNBCTB on 04/29/10 at 10:54 AM ET

Boudreau may be learning, but if he doesn’t bring accountability and flexibility to the Caps’ locker room, he’s wasting a great collection of talent. HNBCTB above hit the nail directly on the head with the fact that the Caps simply did not adjust to the Habs’ game and that cost them dearly. 

I don’t like Boudreau, it’s that simple.  I think he’s a blowhard who calls players out at the wrong times and makes excuses for them at other times. 

There are a lot of big egos in the Caps dressing room and I think they need somebody who’s able to steer them to a general purpose. 

To recap: the Caps system is too rigid for the playoffs.  The Caps players motivation is being called into question after a tough loss.  The Caps made tons of mental errors in the series.  The Caps haven’t taken a step forward from their game seven loss to Pittsburgh in last year’s playoffs, they took a step backwards.  Boudreau should have known the adjustments he had to make and he failed AGAIN to make them.  He failed AGAIN to properly motivate his players.  He failed AGAIN to keep them focused enough to limit errors.  It’s either get rid of Boudreau or get rid of Semin and Green.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 04/29/10 at 11:07 AM ET

I do think Boudreau was unable to adjust to Montreal’s defensive style.  It kind of reminded me of the 95 SCF a bit…  Caps just didn’t seem to be playing together as a team and the more frustrated they got, they more their play became fractured.  You have to work together and everyone has to be able to sacrifice and play D if you want to win a championship.

The Wings made a huge adjustment after Game 6 and kicked their game up a notch, the Caps just couldn’t do it.  Credit goes to Montreal for stifling defense but Boudreau could not or would not adjust and motivate his players.

I do admit, I’m not as interested in the East without the Caps in there but that’s just me.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 04/29/10 at 11:12 AM ET

I do think Boudreau was unable to adjust to Montreal’s defensive style.  It kind of reminded me of the 95 SCF a bit…

I find it hard to believe they didn’t adjust to the defensive style. They took 51 shots in game 6 and had 42 in game 7. That is plenty of opportunity, so I don’t think his offense lacked for chances.

If Montreal thinks it can win another series allowing that many shots against and use 4 defense at one time against Pittsburgh they are in for a rude awakening. They had a very hot goalie and got extremely lucky to avoid disaster. Good for Montreal, but it won’t last!

Posted by Timbits on 04/29/10 at 11:28 AM ET

Boudreau should have known the adjustments he had to make and he failed AGAIN to make them.  He failed AGAIN to properly motivate his players.  He failed AGAIN to keep them focused enough to limit errors.  It’s either get rid of Boudreau or get rid of Semin and Green.

Point taken on adjustments and I agree with this: “I think he’s a blowhard who calls players out at the wrong times and makes excuses for them at other times. “

However, if you have to motivate your players to want to do what’s necessary to win in the playoffs, you’ve already got the wrong players.

I still think the Capitals biggest missing piece (aside from a sound defense) are high profile veterans who’ve been there, done that and still burn to win. Lidstrom doesn’t become the player he is without the influence of Fetisov. Datsyuk and Zetterberg don’t become the players they are without the influence of Yzerman and Larionov. Getzlaf doesn’t become a winner without Niedermeyer and (much as it pains me to say) Pronger. Staal doesn’t learn what it takes without Weight, Recchi, Brind’Amour. Brind’Amour needed Francis. Crosby needed Recchi, Roberts, Guerin and Mario. Mario needed Trottier.

The closest Ovechkin’s ever come to having someone who fits this profile is one season of Sergei Federov. One season with a champion who had been burned out for a decade just isn’t enough to learn what it takes to be a winner.

Posted by steve on 04/29/10 at 11:33 AM ET

I find it hard to believe they didn’t adjust to the defensive style. They took 51 shots in game 6 and had 42 in game 7. That is plenty of opportunity, so I don’t think his offense lacked for chances.

They settled for any and every shot available, most from the perimeter, a ton of them blocked and almost all of them very easy for Halak to see.  They didn’t dump and chase, they didn’t cycle and they didn’t move the puck around the umbrella very well to give their defensemen lanes.  They put their heads down, rushed into the zone and shot the puck.  That’s a great way to get shots, but not a good way to get goals the way the Canadiens were playing.  In short, shot counts are meaningless unless you score goals.

In basketball, if your team isn’t scoring the solution is not to simply shoot every time you get the chance in hopes that maybe you’ll get lucky, the solution is to play physical by getting the ball down low, being patient and moving the ball.

Another option would have been for the Capitals to sit back and play a tight checking game.  Use the Canadiens’ own strategy right back at them.  Play sound defense, don’t take stupid penalties and wait to counter-attack.  The problem is, no one in the Capitals’ organization will admit that there’s more ways to win a game than 5-3, and that would take discipline that the Capitals might not have.

Posted by HNBCTB on 04/29/10 at 11:43 AM ET

The closest Ovechkin’s ever come to having someone who fits this profile is one season of Sergei Federov. One season with a champion who had been burned out for a decade just isn’t enough to learn what it takes to be a winner.

I think it’s hilarious that they went with Fedorov in the first place (but I think that has more to do with a decision by McPhee than Boudreau).

Fedorov is certainly a veteran guy who knows what it takes to win, but he’s also pretty much the only player on the Red Wings that Scotty Bowman couldn’t get through to consistently.  If your team is full of incredibly skilled players and a few of them seem to have primadonna attitudes, I’m not sure what message it sent to bring in a veteran guy who had a primadonna attitude.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate everything Fedorov did for Detroit, but I question the message that bringing him in delivered to the Caps locker room.  If it was supposed to be “look, here’s a guy who had all the skill in the world, but the wrong attitude, but was thankfully surrounded by a ton of other guys who had the right attitude so he was able to win it all” then job well-done.

If it were just one guy on the Caps who didn’t buy in, I’d probably agree that maybe those guys need to be replaced instead of the coach, but I have the feeling that Boudreau (and Leonsis for that matter) helped cultivate that poisonous attitude.  I don’t know if Semin can ever be “saved” so to speak, but the fact that he’s not the only problem attitude in the locker room indicates to me that the coach is the one who helped ruin him in the first place.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 04/29/10 at 11:48 AM ET

Posted by HNBCTB on 04/29/10 at 11:43 AM ET

Agreed again.  Besides, taking a ton of shots is meaningless if the goalie’s stopping them and your guys aren’t jumping on rebounds.  The one goal the caps managed in game 7 was on a rebound.

Also, rebounds come from a selective type of shot.  Yeah, you’re going to score more often aiming for the top corner, but you’re going to get shit for second chances when you miss.  Caps failed to adjust to the Habs’ collapsing defense.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 04/29/10 at 11:51 AM ET

The caps choke was only huge because they were so large in the regular season. You don’t fire a President’s Trophy winning coach based on one series.

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 04/29/10 at 11:55 AM ET

You don’t fire a President’s Trophy winning coach based on one series.

Nope, you fire him because it’s become clear that he’s not capable of taking your immensely talented team any farther than his last playoff series.  (see Dave Lewis after 2003-04)

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 04/29/10 at 12:01 PM ET

Nope, you fire him because it’s become clear that he’s not capable of taking your immensely talented team any farther than his last playoff series.  (see Dave Lewis after 2003-04)

Another problem is that the team is currently constructed for Boudreau’s ‘system’ as such. The Capitals, as they are, won’t have any more success if you bring in a guy who tells them to get out of the high-risk areas in favor of working the boards and battling in the blue paint (which is what successful playoff teams do), because they will lose those battles (when Scott 5’6 Gomez wins most of the board battles, you know you aren’t suited for that kind of game). Knuble’s the only guy who is good in the paint; Backstrom is the only guy who is good on the boards (excluding non-scorers like Belanger and Gordon).

The team would still need to be remade before firing Boudreau would help one bit.

Posted by steve on 04/29/10 at 12:49 PM ET