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Capitals fire Bruce Boudreau, name Dale Hunter new head coach

Bruce Boudreau

Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau talks during a news conference at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 5, 2011. The Capitals we swept out of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning, losing Game 4 at Tampa on Wednesday night.(AP Photo/Luis M.

AP

The Capitals were in desperate need of a change, and now they’ve got it. Bruce Boudreau is out as head coach, fired by the team this morning and replaced by former Capitals captain and tough guy Dale Hunter.

The move comes after speculation ran hot last night that a potential move was coming thanks to a report from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. Turns out Kypreos had it right and now the Capitals, who have been mired in an awful funk all season, will get the change they’ve been in need of since last season.

Hunter comes in in the same position Boudreau was in when he was named head coach of the Capitals years ago in that he’s never been a coach in the NHL. Instead, Hunter comes via junior hockey where he was the owner and head coach of the OHL’s London Knights. Much like Brent Sutter in Calgary, Hunter will put aside his ownership duties to coach in the NHL. Sutter is owner of the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL.

This time, however, Hunter comes into a situation where the Capitals absolutely have to get things turned around. Alex Ovechkin has slumped all season long and his scoring numbers have fallen off hard, Alex Semin leads the team in penalties rather than being anywhere near the top in goals, and the defense and goaltending have been sub-par to put it nicely. Hunter comes in with one designation from his playing days: He’s the one captain of the Capitals that led the team to a Stanley Cup finals appearance.

Adding to all that, the team just appeared to not enjoy playing hockey anymore. If Hunter coaches at all the same way as he played, business is about to pick up in a big way in D.C. One thing is for sure, Hunter’s got a lot of work to do get these Capitals back to normal. If a change at the top is all that they needed to make it happen, GM George McPhee will be the smartest guy in the world.