(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - The reason Alex Ovechkin is off to a slow start this season may have nothing to do with who is coaching him.

The Washington Capitals captain tweeted a picture of his new girlfriend, Russian tennis pro Maria Kirilenko, Wednesday afternoon.

The Montreal Gazette had written about the rumored relationship earlier this week, but Ovechkin removed all doubt after posting a pic of the two snuggling at an undisclosed location.

Kirlenko has been spending part of her offseason in the D.C. area training with the George Washington University tennis team.

The tennis pro finished the year ranked No. 28, failing to win a tournament she entered during 2011.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - If every laid off worker in this country could get back to work as quickly as Bruce Boudreau has this week, politicians would be dancing in the streets. Less than 72 hours after he was fired by the Capitals, Boudreau has been hired to replace Randy Carlyle as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray made the announcement early Thursday morning on the east coast, about 40 minutes after Anaheim's 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. It was only the Ducks' third win in their last 19 games as they remain in last place in the Pacific Division.

"We simply felt a new voice was needed," Murray said in a statement. "Bruce is a proven winner with a great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his leadership."

Boudreau will make his Anaheim coaching debut Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers, coincidentally the same team he faced in his Capitals debut Nov. 23, 2007. The former Caps bench boss becomes the eighth coach in Ducks history replacing a man that Boudreau knows quite well.

"I played with my nonbiological twin, Randy Carlyle, in Toronto and Dallas," Boudreau wrote in his 2009 autobiography "Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer."

"A lot of people thought we were brothers then and we could pass for brothers now," Boudreau says of his follicly challenge former teammate. "Randy is one of the most underrated players ever. Not too many people win the Norris Trophy. I don't think he's gotten his due as a great player."

Boudreau and Carlyle were teammates from 1976 to 1978 with the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs and CHL's Dallas Black Hawks and Boudreau notes in his book that Carlyle had the primary assist on his first career NHL goal.

"My goal was the first one of the game in a 6-0 Toronto win at Maple Leaf Gardens," Boudreau wrote of his first of 28 career NHL tallies.

"I don't know if I was floating or not," he says. "I came back near our blue line, and Randy Carlyle collected the puck behind our goal and fed me a pass that set up a breakaway … I shot over [Jim] Rutherford's glove hand, top shelf and the puck went in. I jumped and went nuts."

Boudreau brings with him to Anaheim an NHL coaching record of 201-88-40.

Catch the Capitals and Penguins tonight at 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame at 6:45 p.m. on Federal News Radio, WFED 1500AM & online www.wfed.com.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - One day after dropping his NHL coaching debut, Dale Hunter turned his attention to Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The rival Penguins lead the Eastern Conference with a 14-7-4 record and are seven points clear of the tenth-place Capitals, though Washington has played two fewer games.

Thursday's game will be the Penguin's first visit to Verizon Center since February, and it will also mark Sidney Crosby's first game against the Caps since last season's Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The 2007 NHL MVP returned to the Penguins lineup last Tuesday after being sidelined for ten months with a concussion.

Crosby hasn't missed a beat since returning, recording two goals and 11 points in his first five games. The Penguins are 3-1-1 over that span, and Crosby was recognized by the NHL Monday as its First Star of the Week.

The Capitals are plenty familiar with Crosby, having faced the Penguins captain 29 times since 2005, and know what to expect come Thursday.

Hunter also knows a thing or two about coaching against Crosby, having done so in Canadian junior hockey at the 2005 Memorial Cup.

Hunter's 2004-05 London Knights went 59-7-2 during the regular season before winning their first Ontario Hockey League championship in 40 years.

The Knights were laden with talent with future NHLers Corey Perry, Rob Schremp, Dave Bolland, Dan Girardi and Marc Methot.

After sweeping the round-robin portion of the Memorial Cup, including a 4-3 win over Crosby's Rimouski Oceanic, the only thing that stood in the Knights' way of a national championship was a rematch with the Quebec champions and their 17-year-old phenom "Sid the Kid."

It was billed as a championship game, pitting one of the best teams in Canadian junior hockey history against one of greatest players.

Crosby was dominant in his final year of junior hockey, recording 66 goals and 168 points in 62 games.

"He was special," Hunter recalled Wednesday. "We had to put a checking line against him and [give him] special attention. He still scored points and goals but we limited them anyways. He was so strong on his skates at that age, too. He was 17 and to dominate junior like he did, and to play against an older team - we had a lot of 19 year old kids - right away you knew he was a special player."

After Crosby collected a goal and an assist in their round-robin meeting, the Knights were able to shut him and the entire Oceanic roster down in a 4-0 London victory in the final.

Two months later, Crosby was selected first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL entry draft.

"He's a special player, just like Alex [Ovechkin] is," Hunter said in response to what he expects from Crosby Thursday. "He's the type of guy that you have to give special attention to just like Ovi gets too. So we have to be aware of him at all times on the ice."

"He's got a strong core and lower body so if you go too hard on him, he'll spin on you and be gone. So you have to be smart, contain him and get help."

Catch the Capitals and Penguins Thursday at 7:05. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio- WFED 1500AM and online.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)

Jonathan Warner, wtop.com

It’s not the way the Capitals wanted to start the Dale Hunter era, but the new coach and players saw positive signs in their 2-1 loss to St. Louis.

First of all, they limited the Blues to two goals.   The Caps had been giving up an average of five in their previous five losses.

Dale liked the effort, felt the players worked hard, but knows it will take time before they feel comfortable with the transition of play from Bruce Boudreau’s system to his.

The Capitals, though, are still struggling to score no matter who’s behind the bench. They have been held to one goal in five of their last eight games. Hunter believes that will change with a better defense, including a more aggressive forecheck. That, he says will force turnovers and create odd-man offensive rushes for the Capitals.

This was not the case Tuesday night against St. Louis.

It was not fun to watch.

It looked like a Caps game from the ’90′s when Dale Hunter played. Low-scoring with few offensive chances. The Capitals finished with just 19 shots on goal.

No doubt, this will be a work in progress. It’s hard to believe the Capitals are back to where they were last December, when they lost eight straight and also couldn’t find the back of the net while suffering some ugly defeats.

Caps fans are hoping that their former captain can change that and finally lead them to their first ever Stanley Cup championship.

It certainly would be a heck of a story.

But, so would have Bruce Boudreau’s rags to almost riches situation. He helped turn Washington into a hockey town, made this team important to the local sports scene and not just an afterthought.

He helped make the Capitals one of the NHL’s most exciting teams, one of the league’s most elite.

But, coming up short in the playoffs and then struggles during this regular season finally caught up to Boudreau. Still, you’ve got to root for Bruce.   The lovable, down-to-earth guy could be your uncle, brother or just someone having a beer and conversation with at the bar.

No airs whatsoever.

Hopefully he lands with another team soon, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him talking on TV.

He’s a hockey lifer.

And, so is Dale Hunter.

Good luck to both and good luck to the Capitals. This town needs a winner no matter who can deliver it.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Dave Johnson, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - It is ironic that a coach nicknamed Gabby for being talkative was no longer being heard.

With six losses in eight games the Washington Capitals had clearly tuned out Bruce Boudreau and he was fired on Monday. The only thing that eases some of the sting over Boudreau’s ouster is that his replacement  is Dale Hunter.

Hunter is one of only four Capitals’ players to have his number retired, and for so many seasons he was truly the heart and soul of the team. As a player Hunter never took a shift off and helped the Capitals to their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1998.

The Capitals need a push from Hunter, but it should not have come to this. This is a Capitals team that suffered another early playoff exit last spring and talked of the need to be more accountable.

Boudreau tried to hold the team accountable and was not afraid to bench stars including Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. Unfortunately, accountability for the Capitals had an expiration date. After a 7-0 start to the season, the Caps had been reduced to lifeless passengers in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Buffalo.

It’s impossible not to feel bad for Boudreau. He was likeable and passed the “beer test”; a guy you would love to have a beer and a sandwich with. Being the Capitals head coach was Boudreau’s dream job after paying his dues coaching in the minors for over a decade.

It should not have come to this and now the Capitals’ players have to look at themselves in the mirror. In their reflection the players will see Hunter standing behind them and if that doesn’t get this team moving forward then this team has bigger issues.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Former Capitals captain Dale Hunter joined an elite group Saturday, becoming just the 10th coach in Ontario Hockey League history to reach 450 career wins.

Hunter's London Knights beat the Erie Otters 7-2 Saturday, improving to a league-best 19-5-1.

Minutes after Hunter's milestone win, the Capitals left Buffalo's First Niagara Center following yet another humbling defeat - 5-1 against a depleted Sabres team that was missing nine players from its opening night roster.

It was Washington's fourth straight loss on the road and their tenth loss in 15 games overall following a 7-0 start to the season.

The Capitals' prolonged slump has led to growing speculation - on both sides of the border - that a team that began the year with Stanley Cup expectations could be headed towards a coaching change.

Rogers Sportsnet in Canada suggested this week that Hunter is worthy of consideration.

The 51-year-old Hunter is now the OHL's third longest tenured head coach having worked behind the Knights' bench since 2001.

Brothers Dale and Mark Hunter purchased the Knights in 2000, and now in his 11th season as the club's head coach, Dale is widely considered one of the game's best coaches yet to guide a professional team.

"It would be pretty nice to see somebody like Dale Hunter [return to the NHL]," former Capitals general manager David Poile told WTOP unsolicited in 2009.

"He's a very successful coach in junior hockey and I think he's a guy we should be keeping our eyes on for future NHL coaching possibilities. Dale was a tremendous player, a great player for the Caps and also a great student of the game and we can see that now with his successful coaching in the junior ranks."

Hunter retired in 1999 after a 19-year NHL career - including parts of 12 seasons in Washington - and he is one of four former Capitals to have had their jerseys raised to the Verizon Center rafters.

When WTOP brought Poile's endorsement of Hunter to his attention, the three-time OHL Coach of the Year didn't beat around the bush.

"Yeah definitely I think I would look into it," Hunter said in a phone interview of a possible return to the NHL.

"It takes experience to coach and I've been coaching here for [ten] years with the London Knights. Definitely I watch a lot of NHL games - it's a great game, the NHL is the elite level and my one goal that I never reached as a player - I came close once with the Caps [in 1998] - is to win a Stanley Cup. It would be awesome whether coaching or playing."

In addition to developing No. 1 picks Rick Nash (2002) and Patrick Kane (2007), Hunter also led the Knights to the 2005 Memorial Cup (Canada's junior hockey national championship).

It's also no secret that Hunter remains close with the Capitals organization and has maintained a working relationship with GM George McPhee.

When the Capitals acquired former London Knights defenseman Dennis Wideman at last year's Trade Deadline, McPhee sought Hunter's endorsement before pulling the trigger on the deal.

Wideman played for Hunter from 2001-04 while fellow Caps defenseman John Carlson manned in Knights' blue line during the 2008-09 campaign.

"Everyone knows what type of player Dale was, and how much he means to the franchise," Wideman told reporters the day he was acquired from the Florida Panthers.

"He always said positive things with the way [the Capitals] treat their players and moving forward how they're trying to build the team. I had the pleasure of playing for Dale for three years and just playing for him and his brother Mark got me to where I am today."

The Capitals return to Verizon Center Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues at 7:05. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame at 6:45 on Federal News Radio - WFED 1500 AM & wfed.com.

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(Copyright 2011 by WOTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Jonathan Warner, wtop.com

The Capitals ugly, uninspired play didn’t just start this Thanksgiving weekend.  It goes back to their last 15 games.

After a franchise record 7-0 start, the Caps have gone 5-10,  giving up at least four goals in seven of those losses – including seven goals twice.

It’s been especially ugly on the road where the Caps have lost four straight and seven of the last nine.

What’s going wrong?  Everything.

The defense is a sieve, the goaltending soft, scoring erratic and the necessary energy  M.I.A.

Who’s to  blame?  Everybody.

Accountability was supposed to be the operative word this season.  Apparently it hasn’t been taken to heart.  Coach Bruce Boudreau has taken a tougher stand this season, and there  seems to be a backlash.

Have they tuned him out?  If so, the second-quickest NHL coach to 200 wins could be gone.

How did this happen?

When Bruce was summoned from Hershey on Thanksgiving, 2007, he was a known commodity, winning the Calder Cup on the Hershey Bears with about half the players in the Caps locker room.  Now, only three of those players remain:  Brooks Laich, Mike Green, and Jeff Schultz.  The rest of the team hasn’t advanced past the second round of the NHL playoffs under Boudreau.

Maybe they have doubts about his ability to take them to the next level, or maybe this team isn’t as good or as tough as we thought.

When a team struggles, you look to see how it’s top players are fairing.  Alex Ovechkin has to take a lot of blame for what’s going on.   His play directly mirrors what’s happening to the Capitals with one goal and two assists over the past eight games.  The Caps are 2-6 during that span.  Ovi wasn’t Ovi last year when he scored a career-low 32 goals, and it’s carried over to this season.  He has eight in 22-games with a plus/minus ratio of minus-7.

If the Captain isn’t inspired, how can he lead the rest of the team?

The Capitals managed to rebound from their ugly December last year, changing their style of play and vaulting to the top of the Eastern Conference for the  second-straight year.  But, do they have it in them again, or do other changes have to be made?

We’ll find out very quickly.  The Capitals host St. Louis on Tuesday and Pittsburgh on Thursday.  The Blues are 7-1-2 since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach, while the Penguins have the best record in the NHL.

Oh, and that Sidney Crosby guy is back as well for the Pens.

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Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Alexander Semin will return to the Capitals lineup tonight against Winnipeg after sitting Monday's 4-3 win over Phoenix as a healthy scratch.

Semin was relegated to the Verizon Center press box for the first time since his rookie season due, in part, to his undisciplined play through the first 18 games this year and his lack of finish.

The former 40-goal scorer has been called for a team-high 14 minor penalties while chipping in just four goals and nine points.

"He's taken penalties seven games in a row," head coach Bruce Boudreau said Monday. "At some point you have to be accountable for your errors. We don't like doing those things to people that are this talented, but everybody's got to know that everybody's accountable."

Accountability is again the word of the day as Boudreau confirmed that Joel Ward will be a healthy scratch tonight after he overslept yesterday.

"They've got to be the rules for everybody," Boudreau said. "It's an unfortunate thing he overslept, and he missed [the meeting]."

Boudreau acknowledged that if one of his players had overslept or missed a meeting in years past, it likely would have been dealt with by fining him.

The decision to scratch Ward is another example of Boudreau's attempt to change what has been described as a "country club atmosphere" inside the Caps dressing room.

"I have to pay the consequences," Ward said. "I understand that it's part of the team rules. It was written and I just made the mistake of sleeping in."

In 19 games this season, Ward has four goals and eight points while playing primarily on a shutdown line with Jason Chimera and Brooks Laich.

"He understands the rules," Boudreau said. "He's a good team guy and he feels bad about it, but he knows the rules."

John Erskine will also miss tonight's game as he continues to nurse his surgically repaired shoulder, which he reinjured at practice Sunday. Erskine is considered day-to-day and could return to the Caps lineup as early as Friday against the Rangers.

Catch the Capitals and Jets Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame at 6:45 p.m. on Federal News Radio, WFED 1500AM & www.wfed.com.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

With six of their next seven games at home, Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau sees an opportunity for his team to snap out of its recent funk.

The Caps (10-7-1) returned to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex Sunday afternoon, following a winless three-game road trip in which Washington was outscored 14-3 in Nashville, Winnipeg and Toronto.

The Capitals will look to rebound Monday in their only meeting of the season against the Phoenix Coyotes (Pregame at 6:45 on WFED 1500AM & www.wfed.com.

Overall the Capitals have lost four straight and six of their last seven games to fall to second place in the Southeast Division, two points behind the Florida Panthers (10-6-3).

"We know we haven't played our best hockey," said Capitals forward Brooks Laich. "One thing we've got to do is cut down on the goals against. We have to stop getting scored on.

"It might sound weird, but you start scoring goals from defensive hockey. When you pay the price, when you do things right defensively… you end up getting rewarded offensively. That's where our game has to be built up from."

It's no secret that the Capitals have struggled in all three zones of late as they have been outscored 27-13 in the last seven games.

The Capitals are also scoreless in their last 25 power play opportunities and Alex Ovechkin has just one goal in his last six games with a minus-seven rating over that span. The Caps' captain leads the team with seven goals on the season, but is still searching for his first tally on home ice.

For Phoenix, Monday's meeting with the Caps is the finale of a five-game road trip which has seen the Coyotes win three of four so far.

SITTING SEMIN?

Alexander Semin found himself in a rare position at Sunday's practice - skating as an extra on the Caps' fourth line alongside Matt Hendricks, Jeff Halpern and Mathieu Perreault.

Semin has four goals in 18 games this season, nowhere near the 13 he scored through 18 games last season. At this point a year ago, Semin already had two hat-tricks and five multi-point games.

"People don't realize [Semin] tries," Boudreau said. "He's not used to not scoring goals. At this time last year he might have had 13 or 14 goals… So when you're stuck on four goals you do things that you probably wouldn't normally do. And you try to do too much and be too cute to get the perfect goal."

Despite his efforts, Semin's early season struggles have been further compounded by his frequent trips to the penalty box. Fourteen times this season Semin has been called for a two-minute minor penalty- second most in the NHL behind only Anaheim's Corey Perry (15).

Semin did not see the ice in the third period of the Capitals 3-1 in New Jersey two Fridays ago, but his rotating into the fourth line at Sunday's practice suggests that he could be a healthy scratch against Phoenix.

"Infer what you want," Boudreau said. "If everybody's healthy two guys got to sit so we have to figure out who it's going to be."

ORLOV SET TO MAKE NHL DEBUT:

With defenseman Mike Green still sidelined (groin) and the Caps struggling in their own end, the club announced Sunday that they have recalled prospect Dmitry Orlov from AHL Hershey.

It is unlikely the Capitals would have promoted Orlov with his $900,000 NHL salary counting against the cap if they were not intending on dressing him Monday against Phoenix.

Orlov, 20, is a puck moving defenseman with NHL-caliber speed and a heavy shot. In 15 AHL games this season the 6-foot, 210-pound Orlov has four goals and nine points.

"We just thought we needed a little shake up," Boudreau explained. "He's just somebody with a little more energy from the backend."

Boudreau also said that according to Hershey head coach Mark French, Orlov has been "by far" the Bears best defenseman this season.

If Orlov plays Monday, Jeff Schultz is a likely candidate to sit.

ON THE FARM:

Like the Capitals, the Hershey Bears are also on a four-game losing streak. The Bears dropped a pair of shootouts this weekend, 3-2 Friday in Syracuse and 6-5 Saturday at home against Albany.

The Bears (7-4-3-2) sit in third place in the East Division and return to the ice Wednesday night at Giant Center against the Providence Bruins (8-10-1-1).

Down a level, the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays completed a three-game weekend series against the Gwinnett Gladiators with a 6-1 win Sunday.

Goaltending prospect Phillipp Grubauer turned aside 35 of 36 shots as he improved to 8-1-0-1 on the year. Grubauer, who turns 20 Friday, leads the ECHL with a 1.59 goals-against-average and a .945 save percentage.

With the win, the Stingrays (10-6-0-1) sit atop the Eastern Conference.

AVS WATCH 2012:

The Colorado Avalanche fell at home Sunday, 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks. Colorado has lost four of its last five games and eight of ten overall as the Avs drop to 9-11-1 on the year.

The Capitals received Colorado's first round pick in next June's NHL Entry Draft as part of the deal that sent goalie Semyon Varlamov to Denver last summer.

Varlamov played the role of backup Sunday night as J.S. Giguere started his third straight game. Varlamov is on a personal six-game losing streak (0-5-1), having allowed 25 goals in the six games.

The Avs continue their eight-game home stand against the Vancouver Canucks (10-9-1) Wednesday. Colorado begins the week 25th overall in the NHL standings.

Catch the Capitals and Coyotes Monday at 7:05 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM and online at .

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)