The Vancouver Canucks may have lost Thursday night in a shootout to the Los Angeles Kings, but only a day prior they helped their new bench boss make some history.
Bruce Boudreau took over for Travis Green in Vancouver on December 6 and immediately got up to his usual antics.
While those usual antics may include an f-bomb here and a joke told there, they also include winning. On Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, Bruce became only the third NHL coach in history to begin his tenure with a new team with seven straight wins.
#Canucks Bruce Boudreau ties NHL record for the longest win streak to begin a tenure with a new team pic.twitter.com/GaCnCouA3U
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 30, 2021
Things looked good for Bruce in Vancouver from the beginning as after he was victorious in his Canucks debut he was showered with “Bruce, there it is!” chants by the Canucks faithful. A sharp turn for fans who were far less excited to watch their team only days prior.
When Bruce took over in early December, the Canucks were currently dead last in the Pacific Division with an 8-15-2 record. They have now jumped over the Seattle Kraken and their 15-15-3 record sees them only five points behind the Calgary Flames for the third guaranteed playoff spot in the Pacific. With their loss Thursday coming in a shootout, they are still undefeated in regulation since the coaching change.
As head coach of the Capitals, Bruce proved he is no stranger to long winning streaks. The Caps won 14 games in a row during the 2009-10 season with Boudreau behind the bench, which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in NHL history.
We all know how that 2009-10 season ended for the Caps and as fate would have it, one Jaroslav Halak now tends the twine under Boudreau’s coaching eye with the Canucks this season.
Screenshot via @Canucks
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