photo by Getty images
A friend passed along this most interesting Montreal Gazette article from earlier this year. I highly recommend you read it.
“For the third time in his nine-year Ontario Hockey League coaching career, Hunter is the winner of Matt Leyden Trophy as the league’s coach of the year . . .Speculation has surrounded Hunter for the past few years that his time in the OHL is growing short, and a job is waiting for him at the National Hockey League level.
“Definitely at some point in the future. One thing I didn’t do as a player was win the Stanley Cup so I think in the future, given the right situation, I would go and take a shot at coaching in the National Hockey League,” Hunter said Thursday . . .
Logically, the next step for Dale Hunter — who played 19 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, and Colorado Avalanche — is a job in the big league.
Hunter said to take the leap, the situation would have to be right.
“To coach somewhere I believe you, as the coach, and the GM and the coaching staff and the owners are one big family and you’re one big goal is to win,” said Hunter.
On Frozen Blog 
I know, the prodigal son returns. Maybe Hunter kicking them in the rump gets more results than Bruce cussing like Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in “48 Hours.” 😀
imho it could be the right situation for him if our Caps flunk in the playoffs again, they throw in the towel on BB, and they gave Hunter an offseason to implement his system, make sure all the players are “his style” of player etc. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t see gmgm hiring an OHL coach to rescue our Caps from this dreadful slump, mid-season, and I’m not so sure Dale would consider it a “right situation,” … yet.
Until the Caps win again, we’re all going to feel “the grass is greener,” and if only Dale came back, or came in, or Mark French got promoted, or Bob Woods took over, or this or that.
btw, that bolded “you’re” should be a “your.” Sorry, I’m an editor/reporter myself. 🙂
I’ll confess I feared another 7-0 train wreck after that 1st period. Why our Caps can’t skate with the determination they had those last 40 (and particularly the last 20) minutes more often, I’ll never understand.
Do you think they would put in a “coaches only” penalty box for him?
Heh … Geo, the offensive “you’re” is from the original article. I’m not an editor, just OCD about grammar. 😉
Not Head Coach ready by any means, but Bench Coach I think so. If anyone can inspire some heart into this team it would be Dale. Who better to show players how to play better along the boards, where in many games this season and past seasons we have been severely lacking. We will just have to chain him to the bench in case we have an early exit from the playoffs.
I’ll never understand the adoration for Dale Hunter in this city. Could it be there are few other players worth worshipping? I know it’s only one moment in a long career, but his cheapshot on Turgeon was one of the least classy incidents in the history of the NHL.
Lest we forget:
Hittman – you are right, its only one moment in a long career, and far too much is made of it. It was also a different game back then. Possibly a better one – but that hardly matters anymore.
Unlike today where teams are mostly defined by a talented scorer or flashy goalie, I think players like Dale Hunter here in Washington and Wendel Clark in Toronto were far more than the fights and penalties but were the real heart and soul of those teams. They both had great hands and fists and weren’t worried about which one they used. When we talk about gritty and talented players we are really talking about this kind of skater.
This probably sounds a bit trite – but I guess you had to be there to understand the Dale Hunter thing. It’s funny when you hear BB talk about “Heart”, “Passion”, “Desire” and all those other words we hear thrown around the locker room – it’s guys like Hunter and Clark that truly defined those kind of players. Let’s be honest I love watching Alex Semin (most nights) but I would never call him “full of heart”. Nor do I expect to see him around the game when his spotlight fades.
In a way AO is kind of the apex of this kind of player, or at least was before last year got in his head a bit. Here’s hoping that changes for the better real soon.
i may be a dale hunter apologist, but that i find that cheapshot to be born out of an intense passion, to agree (i think) with mr. langley.
that being said, it’s absolutely no excuse.
i hope someone else snatches mr. hunter up, as his hiring by washington would have the same effect lou holtz leaving notre dame did for me. less hate for a team that i really want to hate!
Mr Penguin Pete: I think we do agree.
I also agree that there is no excuse for what happened.
But I would love Dale Hunter to coach the Caps if BB can no longer get the job done.
All I have to say is DALE is DA MAN.