Puck 'N Hockey

Was firing this guy really going to "right the ship"? (photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

As I am writing this, the beloved Washington Capitals are getting manhandled by the Ottawa Senators 4 – 0 at the end of the second period; well on their way to finishing a very crucial road trip 1 – 3, and remaining two points behind the Southeast Division-leading Florida Panthers and more importantly seven points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. After more than 30 games as head coach, it is quite clear that George McPhee made the wrong move in firing Bruce Boudreau and replacing him with Dale Hunter.

The Capitals have not improved their play–in fact they’ve regressed since firing Boudreau. Hunter is not getting max effort from the players, their offensive prowess is all but gone, the goaltending–considered to be improved when they signed Tomas Vokoun–is porous at best, and the defense is defenseless.

Under Boudreau, the Capitals played with confidence, swagger, and while they had their low points, under Gabby the Capitals were ALWAYS a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup. Those days seem like a distant memory now under Hunter.

Hunter–while he remains a fan favorite and a symbol of pride of some glory years in the past–seems to be clueless and getting out-coached on a nightly basis. Alex Ovechkin has not stepped his game up since Gabby was let go, as well as the likes of Jeff Schultz, Brooks Laich, John Erksine, and Marcus Johansson.

Sometimes you have to let a team work its way through adverse times, as the Chicago Blackhawks did about a week ago, when they were mired in a 8-game losing streak. Chicago didn’t panic and fire Joel Quenneville; they gave him and the team a chance to work things out, and right the ship.

So now all the attention–and the criticism that comes with it–should fall at the feet of General Manager George McPhee for not trusting the man he hired to elevate the franchise to 3 consecutive Southeast Division titles, and two consecutive #1 seeds in the Eastern Conference. At this point I am highly doubtful that Hunter will get the Caps into the playoffs. As the saying goes, you never know what you miss until its gone; and from the looks of things, the Capitals sorely miss Bruce Boudreau. If Dale Hunter is retained as head coach, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis needs to fire George McPhee immediately.