Fansided

Anaheim Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau Needs To Win Game 7

By Griffin Foster |

The world of sports presents a theme of what have you done for me lately? You cannot escape the past, you can only look to change the future. The life of an NHL coach is no different as nothing is guaranteed and winning simply outweighs everything. Second chances are rarely given as we have already seen with numerous coaching changes occurring around the league to this point in the “offseason.”

Most coaches who reach the conference finals should feel secure about their job. Falling just short of reaching the Stanley Cup finals often brings along a pat on the back and in some cases, a contract extension. Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is in a different situation however.

Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks /

Anaheim Ducks

Everybody knows about his reputation of being a great regular season coach and a guy who cant win in the playoffs. The knock on Bruce has been the same since he took control of the Washington Capitals in 2007, a guy who can not get his teams past the second round.

He made a big splash when he entered the coaching world in 07′-08′ as he won the Jack Adams award (NHL’s coach of the year). It created hope for Washington, a team which was loaded with world class talent as guys like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom were entering their prime. Fast forward to 2011 and Boudreau had been fired by Washington just 22 games into the 2011-2012 season. That 2008 Jack Adams winning season brought along a first round loss that was followed by a second round loss in 09′, another first round loss in 2010 and once again a second round loss in 2011.

Now in his fourth season with the Ducks, Boudreau has finally gotten over the hump and reached the conference finals.

So Why Is Bruce On The Hot Seat?

Much like his Washington Capitals teams, the Ducks are now loaded with talent. The Ducks roster was good enough to secure the second seed in the western conference in 2013 and the first seed in 2014 and 2015. Regular season success was again prevalent for Boudreau’s teams but as usual it didn’t carry over to the postseason in 2013 and 2014.

The 2013 second seeded Ducks were faced with a tough first round matchup against the Detroit Red Wings who were much better than a seven seed. The Duck lost game 7 at home to Detroit. The 2014 Ducks beat the Dallas Stars in the opening round and squared off against the Los Angeles Kings in the second round. Once again the Ducks lost a game 7 at home. Not only did they lose game 7, they were blown out of the water by the Kings.

Here we are now in the third round western conference finals and the Ducks will play a game 7 at home for the third year in a row. If the Ducks are to lose on Saturday night it will be the third straight game 7 loss at home for Boudreau. In 2013 it was understandable, 2014 was a tough pill to swallow but the Kings were the better team. What will the excuse be if the Duck lose this time around?

Saturday night will be the biggest game of Bruce Boudreau’s coaching career. In a league where second chances are hard to come by, how does one justify failing to win when given a third chance? Yes the Ducks are young, yes Chicago has become a dynasty, but Boudreau can not afford to lose a game 7 on home ice three years in a row. It is not a lose and your fired situation, but it should create some reconsideration and evaluation amongst Anaheim’s front office if the Ducks lose on Saturday.

If there is one argument in Boudreau’s favor it is that the Ducks have improved each year. They missed the playoffs in 2012, lost in the first round in 2013, than the second round in 2014 and have now reached the conference finals in 2015. Improvement in each season. Maybe a loss Saturday night marks another setback as the Ducks head in the right direction, but maybe it cost Bruce his job.

However, this could all be irrelevant if Bruce does one thing on Saturday, wins game 7.

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