Boudreau latest NHL coach to land on feet quickly

It was a whirlwind three days for Bruce Boudreau.

Fired by the Washington Capitals as coach early Monday morning, he was hired to replace Randy Carlyle as coach of the Anaheim Ducks late Wednesday night. According to the time stamps on the press releases, Boudreau was unemployed for a total of 65 hours, 25 minutes.

Boudreau was on the ice with his new team Thursday afternoon, and he'll be back behind the bench Friday night, when the Ducks host the Philadelphia Flyers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the six-day span between games coached with two teams (Boudreau last coached for the Capitals on Saturday in Buffalo) is the fastest in NHL history.

He'll also become the seventh man to coach two NHL teams in one season, and the first since Ken Hitchcock in the 2006-07 season.

Will Boudreau have any more success in his new job? Here's a brief look at the other coaches to lead two teams in one season and how they fared.

Ken Hitchcock -- He was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 20, 2006, just eight games into the 2006-07 season with a 1-6-1 record. Three weeks later, on Nov. 24, he coached his first game for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 62 games, the Jackets went 28-29-5 and finished fourth in the Central Division.

Bob Hartley -- Two seasons removed from winning the Stanley Cup, Hartley was fired by the Colorado Avalanche after going 10-8-9-4 in 31 games to start the 2002-03 season. He coached his last game with the Avs on Dec. 16, 2002, but didn't have long to sit home. On Jan. 15, 2003, he coached his first game with the Atlanta Thrashers. In the final 40 games of the season, Hartley guided the Thrashers to a 19-14-5-1 record and an 11th place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Darryl Sutter -- He was fired as coach of the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 30, 2002, after starting the 2002-03 season 9-12-2-1 in 24 games. Just 29 days later, on Dec. 29, 2002, he coached his first game with the Calgary Flames. In the final 46 games of the season, the Flames went 19-18-8-1 and missed the playoffs.

Ted Sator -- Just 19 games into his second season as coach of the New York Rangers, Sator was let go Nov. 19, 1986, with a 5-10-4 record. Just 34 days later, he was back behind the bench, coaching his first game with the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 23, 1986. He guided them to a 21-22-4 mark over the final 47 games of the season and a fifth-place finish in the Adams Division.

Roger Neilson -- Just two seasons after guiding the Vancouver Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final, Neilson was fired Jan. 18, 1984, 48 games into the 1983-84 season, with the Canucks sitting at 17-26-5 and third place in the Smythe Division. Just 15 days later, on Feb. 2, 1984, he was behind the bench with the Los Angeles Kings. He went 8-17-3 in 28 games with the Kings.

Fred Glover -- The second coach in Golden Seals history, Glover was let go three games into the 1971-72 season with an 0-1-2 record. He wasn't unemployed long, and didn't have to go far to find a new job. Just 17 days later, he was behind the bench with the Los Angeles Kings. In 68 games, the Kings went 18-42-8.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK

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