Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has experienced plenty of thrills during his hockey career. He played in 134 NHL games with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. He still ranks among the all-time leading goal scorers in minor-league hockey. He made a brief appearance in the cult-classic “Slap Shot.” There’s also the Jack Adams Award he earned last season as NHL Coach of the Year.
But Boudreau is preparing to add another item to the checklist: Coaching against Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky. That happens tonight when Washington faces Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes.
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When Boudreau was with the Maple Leafs during the 1976-77 season, Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time goal scorer (894), was playing junior hockey in Toronto with the Seneca Nationals.
“Actually, that will be a lot of fun,” Boudreau told The Examiner. “I mean, I’m even older than [Gretzky]. But I sure watched him from the minute he stepped on the ice until the minute he retired [in 1999]. He’s quite a hero.”