Coming off a 36-37-10 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in eight years and led to the firing of Peter Laviolette after three seasons, the Washington Capitals named Spencer Carbery, who has never been an NHL head coach, as the team's new top man on Tuesday.
So what kind of guy did Washington get to be the 20th head coach in franchise history? "A bright mind in Spencer Carbery and somebody who was garnering interest not only from the Capitals," Ben Raby of Capitals Radio told Kevin Sheehan, "but had reportedly interviewed with several other teams who were in the market for an NHL head coach."
"They got a head coach who has been widely viewed for a number of years as kind of an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks. He's not old, he does not have a lengthy NHL resume, he's in his early 40s, but he has a ton of coaching experience, as far as the minor league level, he worked his way up to this position," Raby told Team 980. "He does have the NHL experience in that regard with the Maple Leafs and he has the familiarity, if you will, with the Capitals organization having spent quite a few years with the Hershey Bears and having worked with several of the Capitals younger players."
And at 41 years old, Carbery is young by NHL head coaching standards (and only four years older than Alex Ovechkin), but Raby added that the Capitals were in the market for a younger voice and somebody who was open to newer ideas and newer concepts and a new-school approach.
"The Maple Leafs, where he's coming from, we're a very much forward-thinking team, as well, in terms of the analytics," Raby said.
Listen to the full conversation for Raby's thoughts on the Caps' new hire and his preview of what is shaping up to be a great Stanley Cup Finals between two teams that play "big boy hockey" in the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights.
Follow @BenKrimmel for more.
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