Well that didn’t take long. The Anaheim Ducks have replaced their Stanley Cup Winning head coach Randy Carlyle with the recently fired Bruce Boudreau, ironically following their 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens last night. This win ended a seven-game losing streak for the Ducks, who currently sit at 14th place in the Western Conference, and 29th overall. The firing of Randy Carlyle marks the third coaching change in the NHL this week. Boudreau was fired on Monday as head coach of the Washington Capitals along with Paul Maurice of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carlyle coached the Ducks since August of 2005 and led them to a Stanley Cup win in 2007, but their horrible start to the season forced management to make a change. Boudreau’s coaching style incorporates a forceful and attacking offense, which will likely suit the many talented forwards on the team, including last season’s Hart Trophy Winner Corey Perry. Ducks General Manager Bob Murray had this to say about Carlyle’s firing:
“This was an extremely difficult decision, Randy is a terrific head coach, and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons. We thank him greatly for his hard work and dedication to our franchise, not the least of which was a Stanley Cup championship. At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed. Bruce is a proven winner with a great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his leadership.”
Here is a video of Carlyle speaking to the media following his team’s win last night, just moments before he was fired. Poor guy had no idea:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDdei-pO5xw[/youtube]
