When Caps GM Brian MacLellan joined BMitch & Finlay on Thursday afternoon, just after introducing Spencer Carbery as the team’s new head coach, one of his big praises of the hire was that Carbery, the former head coach in Hershey, was a known quantity in the organization.
Well, when Carbery joined Grant & Danny later Thursday, we saw the feeling was mutual.
“As I was going through the process and talking with Washington, I could tell early on that it just felt comfortable. Having known the people in the organization, the players, and the vision, it just felt like a great fit,” Carbery said. “I’ve been around and know the quality of the people, from management all the way down to the guys in Hershey, and all of these relationships…having worked closely with them and them having seen how I operate, that’s why I think it felt like such a comfortable fit on both sides.”
Carbery believes he’s unique as a young coach, because his strength is that he can balance being a “new-age, innovative communicator” while still being demanding and pushing his group. That’s all about building relationships with every player, learning and listening, and that’s a process that started as soon as he was hired.
That’s a challenge for any coach, to be sure, although that familiarity gives him a leg up – but he also has to find the balance of a team that has a strong veteran presence that has won a Cup with a group of young players trying to establish themselves in the NHL.
“I understand that, and where my optimism as a head coach comes in is that I think having a very competitive environment and a team that expects to win every night will help,” Carbery said. “Are we going to have growing pains? Is it difficult to integrate payers into the lineup? No question; this is a very hard league and it takes young players time, but I feel our group, with the veteran players that are elite and still have gas in the tank, and our ability as coaches to help the young guys be part of a winning culture…I’m optimistic we can make that process quicker.”
In one respect, when it comes to those vets, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha were two who had disappointing years, and Grant asked specifically how Carbery can get them back on track.
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"Really, really important players for our team. They are really high on the priority list, and it's my job to gather information and figure out what ways I can best help them get to the level they expect to be at," Carbery said. "I don't look at it as 'this player did this or didn't do this,' I gather information and figure out how to best set you up for success."
Already, he’s trying to figure out how to get better on the power play, which is something he excelled at in Toronto, but he’s no stranger to (and not averse to) hard work, as he mentioned when Danny asked him what his most valuable experience was coming up to the NHL head coaching ranks.
“The most valuable experience I got was as a head coach in the ECHL; when you are grinding in the minor leagues, on a bus, doing immigration and housing and travel and per diem – that is where as a young head coach, you are learning the most valuable lessons,” Carbery said. “You have to be willing to grind and work long hours to commit to the job. That, for me, is what molded me as a head coach, in understanding the work it was going to take to be successful.”
We still have a few months before we see how Carbery puts it all together, but make no mistake: even though last season was the first since 2014 that the Capitals missed the playoffs, Carbery doesn’t believe that means the window is closing on Ovi and the gang, and understands expectations are still going to be high.
“Here’s what I know about this group: these are highly competitive, motivated men. And, when I look at it as a head coach, I look at it optimistically, as there’s gas in the tank here,” Carbery said. “They want to compete at the highest level and expect to be a playoff team, so for me, I don’t see it as a team getting older that will flame out. I see guys that will be highly motivated that want to prove they’re still capable of making noise.”
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There is one thing we know, or are at least pretty sure of, when it comes to what we'll see in Carbery's tenure: at some point, Alexander Ovechkin is going to become the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, and that is indeed something that Carbery has had in his mind.
"I have definitely thought about him and his chase of the record, and now the responsibility I have within that," Carbery said. "How can I get him there and utilize his skills to set him up for success? That's what my focus will be.
Listen to his entire conversation with Grant & Danny above!
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