Now years and thousands of miles removed from his own glory days with the Washington Capitals, all Bruce Boudreau can do sometimes is prepare and hope. He has Anaheim in the playoffs in just his second year behind the bench, but he knows a regular-season turnaround like he authored in Washington isn't enough.
It sunk in for Bruce Boudreau on the flight to California. Only recently fired by the Washington Capitals, it took a matter of hours for the Anaheim Ducks to hire him as their coach.
It fell apart for the Washington Capitals under Bruce Boudreau when defenseman Mike Green hurt his ankle and couldn't play.
Bruce Boudreau's whirlwind week started with a meeting just after 6 a.m. Monday morning. When the general manager of the Capitals wants to talk at that time, it can't be good news.
![** FILE ** Bob Woods (Chris Knight/Harrisburg [Pa.] Patriot-News)](http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2009/06/23/20090622-235634-pic-192796728_s101x80.jpg?873417e8e93934a57bd1163f9f390ea9fd013912)
It didn't take long for Bruce Boudreau to find a new job after getting fired as Washington Capitals coach. It also didn't take long for Bob Woods to find a new job after getting fired as assistant coach.
The Washington Capitals' defense put together a good effort Tuesday night in the first game under new coach Dale Hunter. But that progress wasn't enough to spare assistant coach Bob Woods his job.
Mathieu Perreault remembers the 2009 Calder Cup-clincher well — maybe not for the right reason.
John Walton served as the radio voice of the Hershey Bears until getting the call this past summer to fill the same role with the Caps. And he has begun the task of expanding Caps country up into his old area and further into the south.
Watch Marcus Johansson on the penalty kill, and it's as if he was playing five-on-five. The young center flashes his speed, takes chances and shows he's a dangerous all-around player.
Breaking down the Washington Capitals' defense.
There are times in a game when Karl Alzner knows he made a mistake. It's likely no one else in the arena notices — not even on his own bench.
After he was wounded in Iraq, Joseph Bowser was told he could keep his right leg or have it amputated. If it were amputated, he was told, he would be able to keep doing all things he used to do.
That's why Woods said this regular season has been about building experience and composure for seven-game series that await in the near future.
Former Caps coach Bruce Boudreau knows playoffs are where reputations are made →
"You get measured on what you do in the playoffs more than anything," said Ducks assistant Bob Woods, who followed Boudreau from Washington. "You've got to have a good regular season to get into the dance, but it's usually what you do afterwards. I think we've been trying to prepare them for that all year long."
Former Caps coach Bruce Boudreau knows playoffs are where reputations are made →
![** FILE ** Bob Woods (Chris Knight/Harrisburg [Pa.] Patriot-News)](http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2009/06/23/20090622-235634-pic-192796728_s253x200.jpg?57ef3bb1c457806b714e2a276750efde63308554)
