The Dale Hunter Era, Part Deux begins tonight at Verizon Center as the former Washington Capitals team captain and all-around nice guy steps behind the bench for his former team. A lot has changed in Washington over the last few days, but behind the scenes even more consequences of the coaching switch are popping up in and around the Caps' locker room.

- Hunter will make Cody Eakin crank call Ron Hextall and ask if his refrigerator is running. When he says yes, Eakin has been told to respond ‘Well you better catch it before it runs through your 5-hole in OT of Game 7!’

- All banners featuring Hunters name, number or likeness will be removed from Kettler and the Verizon Center. New banners will be hung, emblazoned with just the number ‘3565’.

- Olie Kolzig will have to sit Hunter down to explain to him why yelling ‘Just put Bonzai on the top line!’ isn't going to inspire confidence in his fellow coaches.

- Hunter will have to put Sergei Gonchar on his ‘blocked callers’ list.

- "ROOKIE! GET ME MY SOCKS!" will be directed at Jeff Halpern and not Dimitri Orlov.

- Alex Semin will really regret choosing this season to admit he understands and can speak English.

- Hunter will call Matt Hendricks into his office and ask a simple question: “Are we related?”

- The staring contests between Hunter and George McPhee will be EPIC, as will those between Hunter and the picture of Rod Langway inside Kettler.

- Karl Alzner will be overheard saying ‘I don’t know why, but coach said he wants me to grow a mullet, start smoking and get a Harley.”

- All sticks, water bottles and coolers will be bolted to the bench to avoid being inadvertently thrown onto the ice. Unfortunately, Roman Hamrlik and Jeff Schultz will not be.

Matt Gajtka is a writer and co-editor (with Matt Shetler) for CityOfChampionsSports.com, a blog devoted to covering Pittsburgh sports. His day job is with the Muskegon (Mich.) Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, where he is the Communications Director and Broadcaster.

A team with high expectations had made a sudden plunge in the standings, causing many in the hockey world to wonder if their time at the top had come to a premature end. As a result, their successful head coach was fired and replaced by a man with zero experience managing an NHL bench.

The team I reference was the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins, who relieved Michel Therrien of his duties with his team in an unforeseen slump following one of the best 20-game starts in franchise history. Dan Bylsma, who was in the midst of his first season leading an AHL club, was promoted to take the Penguins' reins. We all know how the story ended.

Of course, the first paragraph could also apply to this year's Washington Capitals, who canned Bruce Boudreau the Monday after Thanksgiving, the holiday that often marks the beginning of serious self-evaluations for NHL franchises. Much like Therrien, Boudreau had achieved great regular-season success after taking over in midseason years prior and instituting the oft-desired "culture change." Much like the Penguins of three years ago, the Caps began this campaign strongly at 7-0-0 and looked to be on track for another Southeast Division title. Much like Bylsma in February 2009, new Washington bench boss Dale Hunter has never donned the mantle of NHL head coach until his sudden elevation.

Read on!

Bruce Boudreau, the most successful regular season coach in Washington Capitals history, has been fired.  Dale Hunter is the much anticipated new head coach of the Caps.  He comes in with the resume of a champion, ready to win, and he is the right man for this team, not least because he used to play here and has already coached three of the team's players.  Dale Hunter knows how to develop players, he knows how to get teams of stars to work together, and he has the hunger for the one thing that has eluded him in his illustrious career, the Stanley Cup.

Read on!

Per a team release, the Washington Capitals have parted ways with head coach Bruce Boudreau.  Boudreau had been the head coach of the Capitals for just over four calendar years, winning over 68 percent of his regular season games to go along with four Southeast Division champsionships and a Presidents' Trophy.  However, Boudreau failed to lead the Capitals to any postseason success, winning a total of 17 playoff games and blowing series leads of 3-1 and 2-0 during his tenure.

Dale Hunter, who had been coaching the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League, has been named his replacement.

It was four Thanksgivings ago that Bruce Boudreau got the call from Capitals General Manager George McPhee asking him to coach the Washington Capitals.  Since that day, he has had a mostly successful run, but with some glaring omissions.  We all thought Boudreau was on the hot seat last week with this latest losing slide, but Bruce seems to have averted his latest Selden crisis by re-connecting with his franchise player and the foundation of his success, Alexander Ovechkin.  Now is as good a time as any to reflect on Boudreau's tenure and relationship with Ovie so we can turn our attention back to how this team can be successful when the Spring rolls around. 

Reflecting on Boudreau for a moment, one has to consider his roots when looking at his system and coaching style.  Boudreau was a naive, happy-go-lucky offensive phenom growing up.  He was never much into nutrition, defense, or making educated decisions, and he never really thought about how his actions would be perceived by others.  This is why, right before the NHL draft, he went from a sure-fire first-round pick after a dizzying junior season (68 goals, 165 points in 69 games) to a 3rd round pick after a night of partying got him a bad rap.  He immediately rubbed his draft team the wrong way by signing in the competing major pro league, the WHA, for a year (though he never would have been in "Slap Shot" if he hadn't).  Even when he made it to the big time, he never took care of his body or his own zone, thinking he could skate by on offensive talent alone.  Is this starting to sound familiar? It probably has a lot to do with why he and Ovie hit it off so well. 

Read on!

Dear Ovi,

The weather is beautiful. Wish you were here.

-Your Game

How do break up with a really, really great person who just isn’t right for you? It’s the hardest thing in the world. Even with the signs mounting, you still get along well enough. There isn’t anyone in particular that you're interested in, you just know that, thinking long term, this isn't right for you.

When you were younger, things were great. You heard from some of your friends that you two would be perfect for each other and from the second you met, you just clicked. Sure, you were awkward together, as every new couple is, but things just felt right. Everyone knew you two would be together for the long-haul. Sure, there was that little argument you had just before summer vacation, but then you were ok again.

The following years only strengthened your relationship. As a couple, you were voted Homecoming King and Queen, won the three-legged race at the local fair and were the talk of the town. “They’re so good for each other!” everyone would say. And you were. Then there was that big fight, again right before summer vacation.

From then on, things were a little different. You were still great, but there were times you didn't speak for a few days. Then the doubts began to creep up. First one of your friends says he thinks you guys should break up. Then another. “But we’re still doing great” you say. And you are. Right up until that now-inevitable pre-vacation fight that seems to happen around the same time every year.

So now it’s time. You need someone who brings out the best in you and this relationship isn’t going to do that. You know it’s for the best, but how do you tell someone you’ve grown to love that you just don’t work anymore? It’s not going to be easy. There will probably be tears, lots of them. But it’s for the best.

“Bruce, we need to talk…”

I've been silent for the most part over the past week as I dig through a mile of schoolwork and other commitments in the final moments before Thanksgiving break at school.  No postgame writings, so I haven't had a chance to discuss the Caps after every night like I normally do.  So here it goes: Caps hockey analysis, comin' in hot!

Man, what is wrong with this team?  The Capitals started the year on fire, winners of seven consecutive games out of the gates.  They had everyone talking for the right reasons: Tomas Vokoun was being a rock, the offense had, for the most part, returned, and DC was also managing to play some sound defense.  They were a complete hockey team, or at least it appeared so.

Since then, however, your Washington Capitals have looked disoriented and just downright bad at times, compiling a 3-6-1 record since their 7-0 start.  This came to a head Thursday night in Winnipeg when the Capitals suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Jets, who are and will continue to be one of the worst teams in the league.

Mike Green's absence hurts and there is no doubt about that.  Green is one of the Caps' best players and their best defenseman; not having him in the lineup is a tough hole to plug.  But it's not an excuse.  The Capitals want to be considered a team of champions, and champions don't let injuries get to their team.  Champions man up and go out and win without that star.  Like the Penguins are doing.

Read on!

Alexander Ovechkin is at a crossroads in his career. He is still the same happy-go-lucky Russian sniper who took the NHL by storm after the lockout, and therein lies the problem.  When he was a 20-year old rookie, Ovie could fly down the left wing, turn a defenseman inside out, cut across the middle on his off-wing and bury a shot.  Frankly, for his first couple of seasons, he had to because he was usually the best puck-handler on the ice.  With the amount on talent on the Capitals now and Ovechkin getting older, Ovechkin no longer needs to be the lone gunman, nor is he capable of keeping it up into his 30s.  Looking at Ovechkin's goals this season, one was a deflection, one was a rebound, and 5 were shots that came when he was in space without the puck, received a pass, and fired it quickly.  This type of shooting should become Ovechkin's primary scoring method, as his cutting across the middle these days only results in him losing the puck. 

Ovechkin needs to adapt his game to meet the changing reality of the NHL:  teams have learned how to defend his rushes up the ice when he has the puck.  He needs to use his linemates to carry the puck more and set himself up for quick shots, much like Brett Hull did.  Hull scored 741 goals in his career and is a good player to emulate, since Hull was a major scoring threat into his late 30s, scoring 37 goals as a 38-year old in 2002-03, well past his physical prime.   Ovechkin would likely also benefit from having another Viktor Kozlov-style playmaker on his wing for a season or two as opposed to a Mike Knuble-type crease-crasher.

Alexander Ovechkin is at his most dangerous when he is in space without the puck, especially when Nicklas Backstrom is controlling the play.  Ovechkin should make a habit of not keeping the puck on his stick for more than 2 seconds at a time, as his presence in the offensive zone and neutral zone also draws defenders to him and away from his puck-carrying teammates.

Read on!

Let’s take a look at two players. Both are around the same size, at 6’2” and just over 200 lbs. Both play center and both are well respected by their teammates and fans alike. Both are considered excellent two-way players, but only one of these guys is on the verge of becoming a superstar, has a Selke Trophy nomination and was invited to fight for an Olympic medal. Since these two guys are a year apart in age, we’ll compare their careers from when they finally stuck in the NHL (’05-’06) through the first few games of ’11-’12.

Ok, here is Player #1:

And here is Player #2:

Find out who these guys are, after the jump.