New Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette has landed in DC and will take part in his first training camp with the team on Monday, January 3. Laviolette, who has led three different teams to the Stanley Cup Final, will try to repeat his success in Washington where the Capitals are reeling from two straight first-round exits in the playoffs and feel the pressure of capitalizing during the final years of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
Tuesday, during a press conference with Capitals media, Laviolette addressed questions about the NHL’s pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season which will bring plenty of new challenges and protocols. One requirement for coaches this season is that they will need to wear masks on the bench.
Laviolette, who was open to doing anything that the NHL requires to play games, was excited about the new addition to his wardrobe.
Peter Laviolette on wearing a mask behind the bench this season: "Probably be good for me. Nobody will see what's coming out of my mouth. My mother will be happy."
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 29, 2020
Lavy’s joke is in reference to his reputation of being one of the fieriest coaches in the NHL. While Laviolette is cool, calm, and collected off the ice with reporters, he can be very emotional during games.
— coach sporps #blm (@OVECHKlN) August 31, 2020
Laviolette also said during the press conference that he has spoken with players over the phone during the offseason and expects no players to be in quarantine or be missing from the start of camp next week.
