Boudreau doesn't want Canucks job to be end of his NHL coaching career
Bruce Boudreau didnāt have an easy exit from the Vancouver Canucks.
Yet, it doesnāt mean heās done with his time behind NHL benches.
āI love this; I could have gone back to work yesterday. It gets you mad when it happens, and nobody likes it to happen, but in essence, when things are going bad, you go, āGeez, I donāt want to do this anymore,’ā the former Canucks coach told Sirius XM Radio on Monday.
Bruce Boudreau joined @GordStellick and @LaughlinSXM on #NHL Morning Skate after being relieved of his head coaching duties yesterday by the #Canucks
š§- https://t.co/F3l2nu3fHT pic.twitter.com/ybYHGPWiKO
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) January 23, 2023
āFor me, itās like, āYeah, I want to show everybody that Iām still goodāātype thing.ā
Boudreau, 68, lasted nearly 14 months with the Vancouver Canucks, but was never on the same page as president Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin, who consistently critiqued the approach of Travis Greenās replacement.
“Unfortunately, it’s turned out the way it did. Nobody takes great pride in this,” Rutherford said in a media availability earlier this week discussing Boudreau’s departure. “I’ve known Bruce for a long time. He’s been a friend, and I feel very bad about it. And if I’ve offended anybody in the process, I apologize personally, on behalf of the Canucks.ā
Boudreau coached the Canucks to a 50-40-13 record over his time with the hockey club, including an 18-25-3 record this season before being replaced by Rick Tocchet. Meanwhile, Rutherford said he will largely stay away from public appearances in the near future.
“I would’ve said, ‘Absolutely not. You’re going to have to drag me out,'” Boudreau said. “You want me out, get me out, but I’m not going to quit, and I’m not going to ever give up because if you do that, you’re quitting on the players and my whole thing with the team all year was, we never quit. We never quit. We have to keep going.
In the final game of his Canucks career, Boudreau left the ice to the tune of the fans chanting, āBruce, there it is,ā and on the verge of tears.
Bruce Boudreau's goodbye to Canucks fans last night š¢
(š„: @Sportsnet)pic.twitter.com/0fzml2ylcJ
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) January 22, 2023
Although Boudreau sounded upbeat in the radio interview, he didnāt turn over every leaf just with his departure still being raw and the Canucks still having him on the payroll.
āIt’s a sensitive area, and that’s the one portion of this [interview] I would really rather not talk about in public,” Boudreau said of addressing the relationship with Canucks management. “But at some point, maybe I’ll feel compelled to say some things. Right now, I’ll leave that stuff private.”
Of course Bruce Boudreau's 1st career NHL goal was scored on Jim Rutherford. š
(via: @goaleafs) pic.twitter.com/65sQemfz0w
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) January 24, 2023
Boudreau, who has 617 NHL wins in his coaching career and scored his first NHL goal against Rutherford as a player, was an analyst with NHL Network ahead of his Canucks stint, a position he may return to. In an interview with The Athletic‘s Michael Ruso, Boudreau said he’d been offered a spot on TSN’s TradeCentre as a panellist.
āIām going to continue to watch hockey every night and try to be visible to let people know that Iām always ready for another challenge,ā he said. “I want to do this until I canāt skate anymore, and Iām not a great skater now, but I can move around the ice still, so I want to keep going if I can.ā
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