Is coach Bruce Boudreau’s career in Washington at risk?
If the Washington Capitals exit in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year as a No. 1 seed, does owner Ted Leonsis decide Boudreau can’t win the Stanley Cup and make a change?
Marty Schottenheimer was 14-2 with the San Diego Chargers in 2006, but two first-round playoff losses in three years resulted in his firing. Schottenheimer was 200-126-1 during the regular season but 5-13 in the playoffs. The regular season means nothing, and Schottenheimer has not coached in the NFL since.
The paradigm over which is the tougher task — raising a bad team to good or a good team to great — now confronts Boudreau.
Boudreau has done a superb job in the regular season since taking over Nov. 22, 2007. He quickly reversed the Caps’ fortunes, leading a team that was 6-14-1 when he took over to a 37-17-7 finish as the Caps reached the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Washington has won four straight Southeast Division titles. Washington’s 54-15-13 record last year was the best in the NHL. Long-suffering Caps fans smelled their first Stanley Cup.
And then Washington lost to eighth-seeded Montreal.
Was it simply a hot goaltender who beat the Caps? It happens, but Boudreau’s playoff record fell to 13-15, while he now is 189-79-39 in the regular season. Under Boudreau, Washington has one playoff series victory and three seven-game series losses, including two in the first round.
Leonsis often says the Caps haven’t done anything until they kiss the Cup. It’s one thing to fall short in the semifinals or finals, but losing to underdogs right away is a four-alarm alert for change.
Fortunately, Boudreau may have done his best coaching this season. At 48-23-11, the Caps won six fewer games than a year ago, but they retooled after last season’s disappointment. The Caps exchanged their high-scoring attack for a more defensive approach, one geared for postseason play.
It wasn’t an easy transition. In December, the Caps lost eight consecutive games, a stretch that turned believers into skeptics. But a recent 7-1 run showed the Caps are peaking again heading into their first-round series with the New York Rangers. Washington beat New York in 2009 for its only postseason series victory under Boudreau.
The Caps are a young team with stars. They have packed Verizon Center for two seasons and given a town without another winning team in the four major sports a reason to cheer. Indeed, Caps games are clearly the best fan experience in Washington.
But that allegiance isn’t unwavering. Unlike Canadian teams with a generational allegiance, Washington fans will bolt if they are disappointed. Even the Redskins are seeing it, though it took 20 years since their last Super Bowl for fans to waver.
For Boudreau, it may be simply advance to survive. Otherwise, Leonsis will have a hard decision if his goal is the championship.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
