Misplaced Pages

Bruce Boudreau

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by South Bay (talk | contribs) at 04:48, 16 March 2010 (Reverted 1 edit by KoolAidPig identified as vandalism to last revision by 69.143.9.36. (TW)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 04:48, 16 March 2010 by South Bay (talk | contribs) (Reverted 1 edit by KoolAidPig identified as vandalism to last revision by 69.143.9.36. (TW))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Ice hockey player
Bruce Boudreau
Born (1955-01-09) January 9, 1955 (age 69)
Toronto, ON, CAN
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Minnesota Fighting Saints
Playing career 19761992

Bruce Allan Boudreau (born January 9, 1955) is a Canadian professional ice hockey head coach who currently coaches the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). As a player, Boudreau played professionally for 20 seasons, logging 141 games in the NHL and 30 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL and the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA. Boudreau won the Jack Adams Award for the NHL's most outstanding head coach in the 2007-08 NHL season.

Playing career

While Boudreau's major professional career was modest, he had a long career in the minor leagues, and was one of the most prolific minor league scorers of all time, largely in the American Hockey League (AHL). His junior career was spent with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), for which he averaged over 100 points a season. He scored 165 points in his final season in juniors, adding 44 points in 27 games en route to captaining the Marlies to a Memorial Cup championship. He was awarded the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the top goal scorer for the 1974–75 OMJHL season.

After being drafted in the third round, 42nd overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boudreau could not agree with Toronto on a contract and joined the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA, making his professional debut in 1975.

Spending most of the early part of his professional career with Maple Leaf farm teams in Dallas, New Brunswick and St. Catharines, Boudreau also spent significant time playing for the Springfield Indians (for whom he won his only scoring championship (John B. Sollenberger Trophy), in 1988), the Fort Wayne Komets and the Nova Scotia Oilers. His most significant NHL time came in 1981, when as an injury replacement he scored 10 goals and 14 assists in only 39 games.

He remained a minor league star and top scorer right through his final season in 1992. His final game came in Springfield where he had been signed by the Adirondack Red Wings as an emergency injury replacement during their first round Calder Cup playoff series against the Indians.

Playing achievements and facts

  • Boudreau remains the 14th leading all-time goal scorer in the AHL with 316, also currently 11th in assists with 483, and 11th in points with 799. For the minor leagues as a whole, Boudreau is 8th all time with 1,368 points, and 13th in both goals and assists with 548 and 820 respectively; he is in the top 25 all-time scorers for professional hockey.
  • While playing for the Johnstown (PA) Jets early in his career, Boudreau had a minor role in the hit hockey movie Slap Shot, appearing briefly wearing the green sweater (#7) of the opposing Presidents against the Hanson brothers' Chiefs.
  • Scored 100 points or more for five separate minor league teams.
  • Inducted into the 2009 class of the AHL Hall of Fame.
Team records - Springfield Indians
  • Assists in a season: 74, 1987–1988
  • Points in a season: 116, 1987–1988
Awards

Coaching career

After his playing days were over, Boudreau began a highly successful coaching career. In the minor leagues, Boudreau has coached the Muskegon Fury, Fort Wayne Komets, Mississippi Sea Wolves, Lowell Lock Monsters, Manchester Monarchs, and Hershey Bears.

Under Boudreau's leadership, the Bears won the 2006 AHL Calder Cup championship. The Bears made it all the way back to the Calder Cup finals under Coach Boudreau again in 2007, ultimately falling to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Previously, Boudreau coached the Mississippi Sea Wolves to the ECHL Championship in 1999, and also led the Fort Wayne Komets to the IHL Finals in 1994. Boudreau was awarded the Commissioner's Trophy (IHL) as coach of the 1993–94 Komets.

Boudreau was named interim head coach of the NHL's Washington Capitals on November 22, 2007, and later their permanent coach on December 26. He compiled a 37–17–7 rookie coaching record with a team that was 6–14–1 when he inherited it. Under Boudreau's leadership, the 2007–08 Capitals won their first Southeast Division title in seven years and made the playoffs for the first time in five years. He also won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach in 2008.

Boudreau continued his success in his second season as coach of the Capitals, leading the Capitals to a record of 50-24-8 and 108 points, good for another Southeast division title and 2nd in the Eastern Conference.

Boudreau is known for his witty, talkative personality, earning him the nickname "Gabby." In 2009, he (along with co-author Tim Leone, the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News beat reporter for the Hershey Bears) released his memoir, Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer.

Coaching record

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
G W L OTL Pts Division Rank W L Result
Washington Capitals 2007–08 61 37 17 7 81 1 Southeast 3 4 Lost 3-4 vs. Flyers Conference Quarterfinals
Washington Capitals 2008–09 82 50 24 8 108 1 Southeast 7 7 Won 4-3 vs. Rangers Conference Quarterfinals

Lost 3-4 vs. Penguins Conference Semifinals

Total 119 87 41 15 .661 10 11

References

  1. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3400269/
  2. http://mondesishouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/bruce-boudreau-slap-shot-star.html
  3. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/ovechkins_trophy_haul_has_begu.html#comments

External Links

Preceded byAlain Vigneault Jack Adams Award winner
2007–08
Succeeded byClaude Julien
Preceded byGlen Hanlon Head coaches of the Washington Capitals
2007–present
Succeeded bycurrent
Links to related articles
Washington Capitals
Franchise
History
Personnel
Owner(s)
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Ted Leonsis)
General manager
Chris Patrick
Head coach
Spencer Carbery
Team captain
Alexander Ovechkin
Current roster
Arenas
Rivalries
Affiliates
AHL
Hershey Bears
ECHL
South Carolina Stingrays
Media
TV
Monumental Sports Network
Radio
WFED
WJFK
Culture and lore
Washington Capitals
Franchise
History
Personnel
Owner(s)
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Ted Leonsis)
General manager
Chris Patrick
Head coach
Spencer Carbery
Team captain
Alexander Ovechkin
Current roster
Arenas
Rivalries
Affiliates
AHL
Hershey Bears
ECHL
South Carolina Stingrays
Media
TV
Monumental Sports Network
Radio
WFED
WJFK
Culture and lore
National Hockey League head coaches
Atlantic
Metropolitan
Central
Pacific
Categories: