Ducks Fire Boudreau After Another Early Playoff Exit
ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com/AP) – The Anaheim Ducks fired coach Bruce Boudreau Friday following another disappointing postseason run.
Anaheim's season ended in a Game 7 loss to the Nashville Predators on home ice for the fourth consecutive year, erasing most of the good feelings from four months of progress in the Ducks' fifth season under Boudreau.
They won their fourth consecutive Pacific Division title with a spectacular second half of the season, going 34-10-5 after the holiday break in their third straight 100-point performance. They had the NHL's best power play and its best penalty kill, while goalies Frederik Andersen and John Gibson won the franchise's first Jennings Trophy behind the league's stingiest defense.
Ducks Executive Vice President and GM Bob Murray thanked Boudreau for "his hard work and dedication to the franchise", adding, "This was a very difficult decision to make."
"Bruce is a good coach and character person, and we wish him the best of luck in the future," Murray said.
By most measures, Boudreau is ranked among the world's top hockey coaches. He has won eight division titles in nine seasons with Washington and Anaheim, never allowing his teams to finish anywhere but first place while coaching a full season. The Ducks lead the NHL in regular-season points over the past four seasons, which all ended with division banners.
But the Ducks have won just three playoff rounds in four postseasons under Boudreau, twice taking the eventual Stanley Cup champion to seven games before falling at home.
Boudreau is the second coach to fail to coax postseason poise out of Anaheim teams led by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, the two fixtures on the Ducks' roster since their only Stanley Cup title run in 2007. Perry didn't score a goal in the entire seven-game series against Nashville, while Getzlaf failed to inspire his teammates to success as their captain.
Coach Randy Carlyle, who led the Ducks to the 2007 title, was fired by Murray in November 2011 after a slow start. Boudreau took over and immediately sparked the franchise to a second-half rally that fell short of the postseason.
Boudreau then won the next four division titles, and this season featured a remarkable second half. Anaheim got off to a 1-7-2 start and struggled all the way to Christmas, but responded with an NHL-best 34-10-5 performance after the Christmas break to steal the division title on the final day of the season.
Murray showed patience with Boudreau and the Ducks during the start of the year. When it wasn't rewarded with postseason success, he fired Boudreau.
"We would like to express our appreciation to Bruce and his wife Crystal for their commitment to our community," Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said. "Bruce led us to four division titles with tremendous passion and pride, and we will always be grateful for his contributions both on and off the ice."
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