“This is an important time for our organization, and I feel a change is needed in order to get us back to being a top echelon team that competes for the Stanley Cup.”- Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis
Saturday morning Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis announced that head coach Adam Oates has been fired and longtime general manager George McPhee will not have his contract renewed. Further details will come at a news conference with Leonsis and team president Dick Patrick this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET.
“George has been a terrific, longtime executive for our franchise, and I’m grateful for his commitment to the Capitals organization for the past 17 years,” owner Ted Leonsis said. “Under his leadership the Capitals won seven division titles, twice were the top team in the Eastern Conference, earned a Presidents’ Trophy and competed in the playoffs 10 times. He was a highly effective manager who is extremely well regarded within our organization and around the NHL. We have the utmost respect for him and his family and wish them nothing but the very best.
“We are also appreciative of Adam’s efforts and thank him for his devotion, work ethic and contributions to the Capitals the past two seasons. He is a smart, tactical coach who improved the performance of several of our players. He is a Hall of Fame player who we believe will be a longtime coach in the NHL. We will help him in whatever way we are able and wish him well.”
The Capitals went 38-30-14 this season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. In the newly-formed Metropolitan division, Washington finished fifth in the division with 90 points, three behind Columbus. They also finished the season with a -5 goal different despite being 13th in the league in goals scored.
Leonsis went on to say that now was the time for a change in order to bring his club back to being a Stanley Cup contender. “This is an important time for our organization, and I feel a change is needed in order to get us back to being a top echelon team that competes for the Stanley Cup,” he said.
McPhee took charge of the club in 1997, and went to the Stanley Cup Final his first season when they lost to Detroit in four games. In 16 seasons as GM, he made the playoffs 10 times and winning the division seven times. But what he lacked was a deep playoff run as Washington did not return to the Conference final since beating Buffalo in six games in the 1998 Eastern final.
McPhee had six coaches during his tenure. He was hired the same day as Ron Wilson in 1997. In addition to Oates, Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter, Glen Hanlon, and Bruce Cassidy were all coaches under McPhee. It’s clear that with the talent surrounded around Alex Ovechkin, Leonsis wants to bring a Stanley Cup to the Beltway sometime soon and McPhee had simply ran out of chances to do so.
McPhee was the third-longest tenured general manager in the NHL behind New Jersey’s Lou Lamoriello and Carolina’s Jim Rutherford, having assumed his position on June 9, 1997.
