When you get fired in the NHL, the next job is usually just right around the corner. Whether it be a front office job or a job on the ice, you are bound to find something somewhere. The news of Bruce Boudreau being fired has sent shock waves through the NHL – shock waves for two, very different reasons.
Everyone understands what the goal of every NHL season is supposed to be – Stanley Cup or bust. If someone isn’t able to obtain that goal, people are fired. Boudreau seems to be the pariah for many teams’ seasons. Whether it be the Capitals or the Ducks, it doesn’t matter. He has always been the scapegoat. Is that a fair assessment?
Only one team each year gets the opportunity of being Stanley Cup champions. It is a tough concept for some to grasp. A bounce one way, a bounce another way, and that can determine your champion for the year. Bruce Boudreau since he has come into the league has been one of the best coaches we have ever seen.
Best regular season points pct all-time (min 500 games as HC):
Boudreau – .659
Bowman – .657
Blake – .634
Quenneville – .616
Shero – .612— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) April 29, 2016
The names that he trumps on this list are absolutely astounding. They are some of the best of the best. So, what is happening to Boudreau?
In his four Game 7 losses with Anaheim, Bruce Boudreau's goalies had a combined .852 save percentage. So yeah, maybe it's not all his fault.
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) April 29, 2016
No one, not even names like Mike Babcock could overcome these kind of stats in a Game 7. He is being unfairly persecuted for something he plainly doesn’t have any control over. Breakdowns of the highest order resulted in him being dead in the water before some of these games. He is not the person that should be taking the fall for it all. The construction of these teams and the players themselves have just as much of an onus as Boudreau. It is easy to fire a coach. It isn’t easy to completely dismantle a core that isn’t winning the way it is supposed to.
https://twitter.com/sheldons465/status/726122004907089920
Sometimes having a good team isn’t good enough. You need to have a little something extra on your side. Pure, dumb luck.
