Blaine Forsythe has a new gig.
The former longtime Capitals assistant has landed in Tempe after being tabbed by the Arizona Coyotes to work on André Tourigny’s coaching staff, presumably to work on the power play.
The news was first reported by PHNX’s Craig Morgan and announced by Tourigny himself as he spoke about Forsythe’s hiring during a one-on-one interview.
“When we just hired Blaine Forsythe as an assistant coach, he had a good interview, but so did plenty of other guys we interviewed,” Tourigny said to Morgan. “The research you do behind the scenes and the people you talk to means way more.”
Tourigny added that the team talked to former Coyotes forward and longtime Capital, Jay Beagle, for advice on Forsythe. Beagle, for the record, has never registered a power-play goal or point during his 14 years in the NHL.
“We talked to a lot of people who coached with Blaine Forsythe, who worked with him before and they all said good things about him,” Tourigny said. “I talked to former players who played for him like Jay Beagle and they all said great things about him. Then you meet him to confirm what people say and that’s how he got the job.”
Forsythe spent 17 years in Washington, first starting as a video coach and amateur scout until he was promoted to an assistant by Adam Oates to replace Tim Hunter. Forsythe later worked with Oates to introduce and install the 1-3-1 power play, which helped pave the way to Alex Ovechkin becoming the NHL’s all-time PPGs leader.
Under Barry Trotz, Forsythe and his power play helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He was riding high and didn’t meet a coaching staff he couldn’t survive until he met Peter Laviolette, who led the Capitals to its worst full single season 16 years during the 2022-23 season. Days after the Caps missed the playoffs, Forsythe and Kevin McCarthy were not retained.
“We want to sincerely thank Kevin and Blaine for their efforts and contributions to the Capitals during their respective tenures and wish them all the best moving forward,” Brian MacLellan said in a release. “Blaine has been a dedicated member of our organization for 17 seasons and was instrumental in helping the franchise capture its first Stanley Cup in 2018.”
Before being hired by the Capitals, Forsythe, 47, spent eight seasons with his hometown Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, serving as an assistant GM and assistant coach.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
