List of Washington Capitals head coaches

Last updated

Bruce Boudreau was the head coach of the Capitals from 2007 through 2011. Bruce Boudreau Capitals Coach (cropped).jpg
Bruce Boudreau was the head coach of the Capitals from 2007 through 2011.

The Washington Capitals are an American professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals play in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team joined the NHL in 1974 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference championship in 1998. The Capitals have played their home games at the Capital One Arena, formerly known as the MCI Center and Verizon Center, since 1997. [1] The Capitals are owned by Ted Leonsis, and Brian MacLellan is their general manager. [2]

Contents

There have been 20  head coaches for the Capitals franchise. The franchise's first head coach was Jim Anderson, who coached for less than a season. Bryan Murray is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (672), the most regular-season game wins (343), the most regular-season points (769), the most playoff games coached (53), and the most playoff-game wins (24). Murray's brother, Terry, has also coached the Capitals, right after his brother Bryan. [3] [4] Roger Crozier, who only coached one game for the Capitals, is the franchise's all-time leader for the least regular-season game points (0). Ron Wilson won the Prince of Wales Trophy with the Capitals, but lost the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings. [5] [6] Bryan Murray, Bruce Boudreau, Barry Trotz and Spencer Carbery are the only Capitals coaches to have won the Jack Adams Award. [7] None of the Capitals coaches have been elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder. Anderson, Danny Belisle, Gary Green, Crozier, Glen Hanlon, Dale Hunter, Adam Oates, and Spencer Carbery have spent their entire NHL head coaching careers with the Capitals. [8]

Dale Hunter, who replaced Boudreau on November 28, 2011, resigned on May 14, 2012, citing personal reasons. Adam Oates was named the Capitals' 16th head coach on June 26, 2012. [9] After having missed the playoffs for the second time in seven years, the Washington Capitals hired former Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz on May 26, 2014. [10] Trotz resigned as head coach in June 2018, after winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise's history. Later that same month, the team promoted Todd Reirden, a Capitals assistant coach since 2014, to the head coaching position.

On September 15, 2020, Peter Laviolette was named head coach. [11] On April 14, 2023, Laviolette and the Capitals mutually agreed to part ways after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season and finished with a below-.500 win percentage. [12] On May 30, 2023, Hershey Bears head coach Spencer Carbery was named Capitals head coach. [13]

Key

#Number of coaches [a]
GCGames coached
WWins = 2 points
LLosses = 0 points
TTies = 1 point
OT Overtime/shootout losses = 1 point [b]
PTS Points
*Spent entire NHL coaching career with the Capitals

Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the 2024–25 season.

#NameTerm [c] Regular seasonPlayoffsAchievementsReference
GCWLT/OTPTSGCWLWin%
1 Jim Anderson* 1974–1975 54445513 [14]
2 Red Sullivan 1975 1821604 [15]
3 Milt Schmidt 19751975 44534515 [16]
4 Tom McVie 19751978 2044912233131 [17]
5 Danny Belisle* 19781979 9628511773 [18]
6 Gary Green* 19791981 157507829129 [19]
7 Roger Crozier* 1981 10100 [20]
8 Bryan Murray 19811990 67234324683769532429.453 Jack Adams Award (1984) [7] [21]
9 Terry Murray 19901994 32516313428354391821.462 [22]
10 Jim Schoenfeld 19941997 24911310234260241014.417 [23]
11 Ron Wilson 19972002 41019215959443321517.469 [24]
12 Bruce Cassidy 20022003 110474716110624.333 [25]
13 Glen Hanlon* 20032007 2397812239195 [26]
14 Bruce Boudreau 20072011 3292018840442371720.459 Presidents' Trophy (2010)
Jack Adams Award (2008) [7]
[27]
15 Dale Hunter* 2011–2012 6030237671477.500 [28]
16 Adam Oates 20122014 130654817147734.429 [29]
17 Barry Trotz 20142018 3282058934444633627.571 Stanley Cup champions (2018)
Presidents' Trophy (2016, 2017)
Jack Adams Award (2016)
[30]
18 Todd Reirden* 20182020 15189461619415510.333 [31]
19 Peter Laviolette 20202023 1388041171771138.273 [32]
20 Spencer Carbery* 2023–present1649153202021459.263Jack Adams Award (2025) [33]

Notes

References

General
Specific
  1. "Verizon Center Facts". Washington Sports & Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  2. "Washington Capitals Club History - Franchise Timeline". NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  3. "Blackhawks eye Terry Murray". CBC. 2001-04-18. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  4. Warren, Ken (September 24, 2008). "Murray not sick over this trip". The Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  5. "Prince of Wales Trophy". NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2006-04-23. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  6. "Stanley Cup Champions and Finalists". NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  7. 1 2 3 "Caps Award Winners". NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  8. "Washington Capitals Coach Register". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  9. "Adam Oates is Capitals' new coach". Sporting News NHL. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  10. "Caps name Trotz as coach, MacLellan as GM". 26 May 2014.
  11. Pell, Samantha. "Washington Capitals hire Peter Laviolette as team's new coach". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  12. "Capitals and Head Coach Peter Laviolette Agree to Part Ways". NHL.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  13. "Capitals Name Spencer Carbery Head Coach". NHL.com. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  14. "Jim Anderson Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  15. "Red Sullivan Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  16. "Milt Schmidt Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  17. "Tom McVie Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  18. "Danny Belisle Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  19. "Gary Green Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  20. "Roger Crozier Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  21. "Bryan Murray Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  22. "Terry Murray Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  23. "Jim Schoenfeld Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  24. "Ron Wilson Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  25. "Bruce Cassidy Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  26. "Glen Hanlon Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  27. "Bruce Boudreau Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  28. "Dale Hunter Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  29. "Adam Oates Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  30. "Barry Trotz NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  31. "Todd Reirden NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  32. "Peter Laviolette NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  33. "Spencer Carbery NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  34. "Official Rules" (PDF). NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-12-05.