The Washington Capitals have hired Barry Trotz as their coach. He is a safe choice, but not an inspired one.
The central fact about the Capitals is that their fortunes will rise or fall with those of their star player, Alex Ovechkin, the epitome of an enigmatic Russian.
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The Caps should have hired someone with a record of working well with Russians. Trotz does not: during his time in Nashville, Alexander Radulov bolted from the team to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL); when he returned, four years later, he was soon suspended for nightclubbing during the play-offs.
Mike Keenan would have been a good choice for the job. Yes, Iron Mike is a divisive figure whose pattern is a strong start followed by a flame-out. But this year, he coached in Russia and coaxed Metallurg Magnitogorsk to the KHL championship.
If he can win the Gagarin Cup on his first try, maybe he can figure out how to make Ovechkin care as much about wearing Washington’s jersey as he does Russia’s.
Paul Maurice, the Winnipeg Jets coach, also spent a year coaching in Magnitogorsk and came back changed. He told the Toronto Star: “Probably the biggest thing I walked away with is a blanket apology to every Russian player I ever coached ...
“I have a better understanding of their world, how they train, how they play, and why they play the way they do.”
Keenan could have been just what Ovechkin needs: someone who gets him.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
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