Despite another successful regular season, head coach Bruce Boudreau couldn’t survive a first-round playoff exit in Anaheim.
Anaheim Ducks fire coach Bruce Boudreau after another early playoff exit
Boudreau’s playoff record continues to haunt him.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Days after the Nashville Predators eliminated his team from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 7, the Anaheim Ducks fired Boudreau.
#NHLDucks have relieved Head Coach Bruce Boudreau of his duties, Executive Vice President/GM Bob Murray announced. pic.twitter.com/aFAH2XhR9x
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 29, 2016
Boudreau endured a roller-coaster of a season in Anaheim. He came under fire early in the season as the Ducks got off to one of their worst starts in franchise history, finding themselves dead last in the Western Conference by the end of November. Anaheim then rallied as one of the best second-half teams in the league, ultimately winning the Pacific Division with 103 points.
But their failure to advance past the first round was just the latest in a string of playoff disappointments under Boudreau. Despite four straight division championships in his five years at the helm, Boudreau’s Ducks were bounced in the first round twice and never managed to make it farther than the conference finals.
Boudreau now becomes the hottest name on the NHL’s coaching market with a sterling 409-192-80 record and eight division titles between his tenures in Washington and Anaheim. His only blemish is a 41-40 record in the playoffs.
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