Bylsma takes familiar path
If there's anyone privy to what newly appointed
Pittsburgh Penguins coach
Dan Bylsma might be going through right now, it's Capitals coach
Bruce Boudreau.
Like Boudreau, Bylsma played in the American Hockey League before spending some time in the NHL. Bylsma also coached in the AHL with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and was 35-16-1-2 prior to his promotion as interim coach of Pittsburgh on Sunday. Similarly, Boudreau was coaching the Caps affiliate in Hershey before he received the interim tag in D.C.
Both took over programs that were struggling to find a groove.
Since mid-November, the Penguins have gone 16-21-3 and have tumbled to 10th in the Eastern Conference, four points out of a playoff spot with a 28-25-6 record. At the time Boudreau replaced
Glen Hanlon in November 2008, the Caps were 6-14-1 and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
"I'm not sure where it went wrong, to be honest," Penguins General Manager
Ray Shero said. "It's been a tough year, we're all disappointed with the results, and our expectations were higher."
Sunday, they'll head into Washington against a team that is first in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference.
"System-wise, I think there are a lot of things that will be hard to change," Bylsma said. "(But what has to change is) the mentality of being aggressive, being on your toes and playing with speed, forcing the other team to deal with your skill and speed. We need to be an aggressive group, and get focused on playing back to our strengths."
Only time will tell how Bylsma goes about his business, but he does feel the Pens can right the ship in time to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and defend their conference title.
"We should be able to go into buildings and make teams deal with the quality of players we have at every position," Bylsma said. "I look at a group that can win games right now, and we need to do that. We can do this, but the players have to believe we can do this."
"I think these players realize we need to change things to get better results," Penguins captain
Sidney Crosby said. "We still have to play no matter who's behind the bench."
-- Mike G. Morreale
With all due respect to the late Johnny Cash, there happens to be an NHL coach who can also "walk the line."
And while
Bruce Boudreau may only be in his first full season behind the bench for the
Washington Capitals, don't let the placid demeanor and warm-hearted smile fool you. He commands the attention and respect of every player on the roster.
"Bruce walks the fine line between being your friend and being an authority figure; he's got that figured out," Capitals wing
Brooks Laich told NHL.com. "Guys really respect him for that and play hard for him."
Tomas Fleischmann's relationship with Boudreau goes much deeper.
"He's like your father or your grandpa," Fleischmann said. "He doesn't yell or scream and he's such a calm guy. You can talk about anything with him and he gives you so much confidence. He has good speeches."
Boudreau's coaching style will be on display Sunday when the Capitals meet the
Pittsburgh Penguins (12:30 p.m. ET) on the NHL on NBC.
"Sure, he'll yell now and again, but everything he says is always right and makes sense," standout defenseman
Mike Green said. "He doesn't just say things for the sake of saying it. Every word has a purpose."
At the time Boudreau replaced
Glen Hanlon as interim coach on Nov. 22, 2007, the Caps were 6-14-1 and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Five months later, he was celebrating a 3-1 victory against the
Florida Panthers that gave the Capitals their first Southeast Division title in seven years and first Stanley Cup playoff berth in five. As icing on the cake, he was presented the
Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year in June.
This season, the Capitals are second in the Eastern Conference with 37 wins and 79 points.
"Bruce has the ability to look at a player and immediately determine their ability and how he'll fair in the NHL," Laich said. "He's a coach who will always give his players confidence, first and foremost, and, if you make a mistake, he understands. Let's face it, we're playing against some very good players and mistakes will happen. But Bruce will put you right back on the ice and, for a young player that gives so much confidence."
Second-season forward
David Steckel enjoys playing for a coach like Boudreau.
"When it's time to work, we work and he can walk that fine line," Steckel said. "He approaches hockey with the mindset that if you're not having fun, it's not going to be fun coming to the rink and playing. He can differentiate the two and he's a laid-back guy because he knows most of us from his days coaching Hershey.
"He knows when it's time to be a little loose but when it's time to tighten up, he knows the right buttons to push."
Boudreau coached championship teams in the American Hockey League and the ECHL and was in his third year as the head coach of the Hershey Bears, Washington's AHL affiliate, when he was promoted to D.C. He says having fun is critical to nurturing the chemistry on any team.
"Winning and having fun go hand in hand," Boudreau said. "Winning is fun for anyone who's competitive. We want to have fun and want to be a close-knit team, but the most fun you can have is when you're winning. If you look at teams that are losing, they're probably not having a lot of fun. But teams winning want to come to the rink every morning and work hard because they know what the end result is going to be."
NHL ON NBC
NBC's NHL 'Game of the Week' is back
NBC will broadcast the NHL Sunday 'Game of the Week' during the regular season, highlighted by flexible scheduling.
NHL ON NBC SCHEDULE ›
RELATED STORIES:
"I think he makes us feel relaxed and patient," center
Nicklas Backstrom said. "Game time means it's time to get serious. He runs a good system for the team and everybody understands it and we play the way we can."
For young players such as defenseman
Karl Alzner, Boudreau has made the NHL experience unforgettable.
"He gives guys days off when you need it and when it's possible," Alzner said. "It's nice because it gives you a chance to get some rest and be with the family. At the same time, he holds guys accountable so if you don't do your job, he's going to let you know that something has to change. And you don't want to get into any trouble with the big man because it'll come down pretty hard."
Capitals defenseman
Tom Poti admits it's easy to play hard for a coach who also happens to be such a likeable human being.
"How could you not want to go out and play hard and win for him because he's an awesome guy," Poti said. "He let's you play to your abilities and play to your strengths and he doesn't hold guys back. He lets you do what you know how to do. He's a breathe of fresh air and the moment he got in here, he had the mindset of 'We're done losing.' It's fun and exciting to play for him."
For Green, who is in the midst of a career season, there's no one better for which to play.
"When Bruce came here, our team became a completely different team, and he was the reason," Green said. "It's not like we changed any players. We just got a new coach. We had a bit of guidance that led us to be successful. I've known Bruce now for three, four years, and, you know, he's one of the best coaches I've ever been coached by. It's hard to say I'll ever have a better coach than him."
Contact Mike Morreale at [email protected].