Peter Laviolette

Peter Laviolette on what he’s learned about Alex Ovechkin since becoming his head coach

Peter Laviolette has coached against Alex Ovechkin since the Russian superstar entered the National Hockey League in 2005-06. Laviolette was the bench boss for two teams that frequently played Ovechkin’s Capitals during the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes (Southeast Division) and the Philadelphia Flyers (Atlantic/Metropolitan). He got very familiar with Ovechkin as an opposing player.

Since being named head coach of the Capitals in the fall, Laviolette has gotten to know Ovechkin better as both a team captain and a person. And in a conversation with 106.7 The Fan’s Sport Junkies earlier in the week, he revealed what things stood out.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Peter Laviolette was not a fan of Tom Wilson’s third-period fight with Trent Frederic. Wilson: ‘I have to be smarter.’

Monday against the Bruins, Tom Wilson fought for the first time this season. The 6-foot-4 Wilson threw hands with 6-foot-2 agitator Trent Frederic, who had 148 PIMs with the AHL Providence Bruins last season.

At the time, the Capitals were leading 3-2 with 11:11 remaining in the third period. The Capitals would go on to lose the game 5-3.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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A suspicious side-eye is upon the 2020-21 Caps

The Washington Capitals have yet to lose a game in regulation. Winning some unlikely games and snagging a ton of loser points in overtime have put them in a cushy position in the league-wide standings: first.

That will not last. Even though this is the Weird Year, and even though the Caps have been terrifically fun so far, they’re probably not the best team in the NHL. It’s too early to draw strong conclusions, but that’s one thing we can know with some confidence.

And there are more — trends or patterns or glitches that are worth nothing, even if we’re duty-bound to put a super big caveat on everything.

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By Peter Hassett 2 years ago

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Peter Laviolette talks wardrobe issues during first road trip with Capitals, open to ‘Belichick’ing it’

New Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette is clearly a Man Of Fashion, but a year removed from the game has Lavy not at peak packing form.

Monday, during an interview with 106.7 The Fan’s Sports Junkies, Lavy spoke about a recent mishap he had during the Capitals’ season-opening, four-game road trip, which had him steamed.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Peter Laviolette says Penguins’ 5-on-3 shorthanded goal against the Capitals made him want to ‘throw up’

Peter Laviolette’s notorious across the NHL for his less than revealing interviews, but Monday while speaking with 106.7 The Fan’s Sports Junkies, the Capitals head coach showed some candor.

For instance, when asked about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ five-on-three shorthanded goal that they scored against the Capitals last week, Laviolette said the play made him feel so sick, and not in the good way.

To be precise, it made Lavy want to retch. Blow sick, unbelievable chunks. Hurl. Do this in emoji form: 🤢🤢🤮.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Capitals switch up defensive pairings in practice

The Washington Capitals have struggled defensively early in the season. With a skinnier roster than usual to choose from, Peter Laviolette is making some changes.

Saturday, the coach tinkered with his defensive pairings, promoting Zdeno Chara and bumping Nick Jensen to the extra pairing.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, and Ilya Samsonov will miss the next four games at least. Peter Laviolette: ‘We knew the rules.’

The Washington Capitals will be without Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, and Ilya Samsonov for the next week of games at least after the Russians broke NHL protocol by hanging out in a hotel room together during their recent road trip.

“Right now the players are in quarantine,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. “At this point, I believe it’s four games and then under review so we’ll go from there. There’ll probably be an announcement at some point.

“Those are four big pieces for us, important pieces,” Laviolette said. “They’ll be missed.”

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Peter Laviolette shuffles top six at Saturday practice

After the day off on Friday, the Capitals have reconvened this morning at Medstar Capitals Iceplex with some changes.

For starters, Hershey stud Daniel Sprong has joined Group A to take shifts on the third line. Also, Ovechkin and Backstrom are reunited.

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By Peter Hassett 2 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin invited Peter Laviolette to dinner, but the coach declined due to quarantine. Here’s likely what he missed.

Peter Laviolette has 18 seasons of head coaching experience for four different NHL teams. But after being hired by the Capitals in the summer, the 56-year-old Lavy has had trouble getting to know his new players because of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s just completely different,” Laviolette said. “Typically a coach would be here a month before the season starts and in the rink. And while you’re not allowed to work with the players and I respect the rules, you see them and bump into them. You may see them around the rink or you could go to dinner with them or you could sit down with them at breakfast and talk and get to know them a little bit.”

Laviolette also recently had to decline a meal with the team’s captain and best player, Alex Ovechkin, due to the new protocols.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Peter Laviolette on wearing a mask while coaching: ‘Nobody will see what’s coming out of my mouth. My mother will be happy.’

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.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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