Bruce Boudreau Hired As Anaheim Ducks Head Coach; Randy Carlyle Fired After Win

FAN590 in Toronto reports that Hunter is expected to return to the London Knights, the Ontario Hockey League club he co-owns and had coached before taking a job with the Capitals earlier this season. He won’t coach the Knights again this season, however.

Hunter, one of the most celebrated players in Capitals history, took over the coaching position in late Nov. after the team fired former bench boss Bruce Bourdreau. Hunter’s coaching tenure with the Caps was tenuous as both fans and media alike questioned his ability to motivate the team. There were questions about his future following the playoff exit -- would taking the top-seeded Rangers to a Game 7 save his job? -- but now those questions are answered.

That makes this move all the more awkward. Almost certainly, Murray and his staff had made this decision before Wednesday night’s home game against Montreal. Elliotte Friedman reports that Boudreau is already in Anaheim and that he’ll run practice on Thursday morning, which essentially means that Carlyle was a lame duck all evening behind the bench at Honda Center. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN reported that Carlyle was informed 40 minutes after the win.

It also means that Boudreau put on a hell of a poker face during an afternoon interview with CSN Washington’s Jill Sorenson back in D.C. on Wednesday.

Hunter will make his debut behind the bench on Tuesday night against St. Louis, but he’s already off and running Monday morning. He’ll lead his first practice on Monday at 12 p.m. local time, one hour after an 11 a.m. press conference by general manager George McPhee.

To most NHL fans, Hunter might not be a name that seemed on the radar as a potential coaching replacement, but his track record in the Ontario Hockey League is really about as impressive as it can get. Hunter, along with brother Mark, purchased the London Knights in 2000, and the move ushered in one of the most impressive eras in OHL history.