SADOWSKI: Boudreau right fit for Capitals

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 1, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

Text size

Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press/2007

When Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, right, talks, people listen. Washington has enjoyed a resurgence since his hiring.

More Colorado Avalanche

More stories »

The Washington Capitals no longer are a laughingstock, thanks to a 52-year-old coach who spent most of his pro hockey career riding buses as a coach or player from one minor league town to another until finally catching a well-deserved break on Thanksgiving Day.

That's when Bruce Boudreau was asked to replace Glen Hanlon behind the Capitals bench. The Capitals were 6-14-1, their worst start in 26 years, and already in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth season in a row and fifth time in six.

Now, with essentially the same roster, the Capitals are making a run for first place in the Southeast Division. It's the NHL's weakest division - a title will be necessary to qualify for the postseason - but the Capitals' resurgence under Boudreau has been remarkable.

After Thursday's overtime win against Montreal, the Capitals are 18-8-4 under Boudreau and playing with confidence in close games they previously had little chance to win.

"There have been a lot of winding roads," Boudreau told The (Montreal) Gazette. "I'm still pinching myself being here. It has been a long haul, but I wouldn't trade any of the experiences."

Boudreau was coaching the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League when he got his long-awaited call from Capitals general manager George McPhee.

"Me and my wife were pinching ourselves," said Boudreau, who played in 141 games with Toronto and Chicago in parts of eight NHL seasons and in more than 1,000 minor league games for various teams.

It's not as if the Capitals were devoid of talent under Hanlon.

Left wing Alex Ovechkin is among the NHL's scoring leaders (he scored four goals Thursday, including the overtime winner) and as entertaining as any player in the league; center Nicklas Backstrom is one of the league's top rookies; third-year defenseman Mike Green could win a Norris Trophy some day; and the Capitals usually get decent goaltending from Olie Kolzig and Brent Johnson.

The difference under Boudreau is that the Capitals are playing a much more aggressive offensive game - they've scored 60 goals during an 11-4-1 run - and connecting at nearly a 21 percent rate on power plays.

Boudreau had been a highly successful coach in the minors, posting winning records in 13 of 15 seasons and capturing championships in the American and East Coast hockey leagues.

"He rode the buses and paid his dues," Capitals center Brooks Laich said of Boudreau. "You wonder how he slipped through the cracks."

A number of NHL teams should be asking the same question.

Foppa Watch

Let the speculation begin now that Peter Forsberg apparently has decided to give the NHL another go.

According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the former Avalanche star told his hometown team Modo that he wouldn't sign with it by the Thursday deadline for Swedish Elite League clubs to set their rosters, paving the way for a comeback attempt in the NHL.

Forsberg, an unrestricted free agent, skated with Modo for more than a week and is optimistic his ankle and foot problems are a thing of the past. But he told the paper he isn't quite ready to make the jump to the NHL.

"I wish it was a little bit better than it is right now, but it's still early," Forsberg said. "I have only been on the ice for little more than a week. It's still a while until I'm in game shape."

Forsberg would have to sign with an NHL team by the league's Feb. 26 trading deadline to be eligible for the playoffs. He could sign after that but couldn't play in the postseason.

Ducks have familiar look

Now that Teemu Selanne is back with the Anaheim Ducks, they are looking more like the team that won the Stanley Cup last season.

Like defenseman Scott Niedermayer, Selanne came out of what could be called semi-retirement to sign a one-year, prorated contract. He will make about $570,000 for the rest of the season but could earn more with bonuses.

The Ducks have gone 12-6-2 since Niedermayer returned to the lineup to move within three points of first place in the Pacific Division.

Selanne is on the Ducks roster and accompanied them for an eight-game, 14-day trip that opened Wednesday in Minnesota. He has been skating in practices on a line with Todd Bertuzzi and Brian Sutherby and might play in his first game tonight against St. Louis.

The trip ends Feb. 12 at the Pepsi Center, and Selanne surely will be playing by then.

"It's awesome that they gave me a chance to come back this late and I'm very excited," Selanne told The Orange County Register. "It's awesome to be part of it again."

More bite for Sharks

The addition of 6-foot-3, 240-pound forward Jody Shelley makes the San Jose Sharks a much tougher team to play against. The Sharks acquired Shelley from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a sixth-round draft pick.

"When teams try to push us around or rough us up, we've got some artillery, a nuclear weapon," coach Ron Wilson told the San Jose Mercury News.

Shelley had no points and 44 penalty minutes in 31 games for the Blue Jackets, but he was considered one of the team's more important leaders. The Blue Jackets deemed him expendable because he averaged only 4:20 in ice time per game and rookie Jared Boll has filled the role of enforcer.

sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com

NUMBERS GAME

9 years between hat tricks for Calgary Flames forward Owen Nolan, whose previous three-goal game came in October 1999 when he played for the San Jose Sharks.

FAVORING FAVRE

You'd think New Jersey Devils forward Dainius Zubrus would be thrilled the New York Giants, who have played in New Jersey for nearly 30 years, advanced to Sunday's Super Bowl.

Not so. Zubrus is a huge fan of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Zubrus became a Packers fan when he played for the Washington Capitals and was the winning bidder in a charity silent auction for a Favre- autographed football.

He still has the ball.

SPECTRUM GOING DOWN?

The Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia, where the Flyers won Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975, could have a date with a wrecking ball.

The arena, now home to the American Hockey League's Phantoms, is part of a sports complex that includes the Wachovia Center (where the Flyers play) and Citizens Bank Park (home of baseball's Phillies).

Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the hockey teams and their arenas, has been planning to develop an entertainment complex on the land, and that could result in the eventual demolition of the Spectrum.

HE SAID IT

"It would be nice if other teams would feel sorry for us, but I don't think they will."

Ryan Malone, Penguins forward, on the loss of star Sidney Crosby until March because of a high ankle sprain.

If it's Tuesday, this must be Vancouver

Forward Kris Beech has been quite the travelin' man. Check out this itinerary: Waived by Columbus on Jan. 9; claimed by Vancouver on Jan. 10; waived by the Canucks 11 days later; claimed by Washington on Jan. 22; waived by the Capitals three days later; claimed by Pittsburgh on Saturday.

"The whole situation this year is not indicative of how I've been playing," said Beech, who has six goals and five assists in 20 games. "I've been a lot more consistent. I've really limited my mistakes and have been playing a solid NHL game."

Maybe he'll even get to stay with the Penguins long enough to catch his breath.

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News