Dale Hunter may have decided not to stick around as head coach of the Washington Capitals, but the Caps appear to have found another familiar face to take over in the nation's capital.
TSN analyst Darren Dreger reported Tuesday via his Twitter account (@DarrenDreger) that Adam Oates - who played for the Capitals from 1997 to 2002 as part of his 19-year NHL career - is likely to be the new head coach of the Capitals.
"Hearing Adam Oates new head coach in Wash.," Dreger tweeted.
The report was quickly echoed by former NHLer Nick Kypreos, who lends his analysis to Sportsnet in Canada, and TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted that the official announcement will take place this afternoon.
The Capitals have been without a head coach since Hunter opted not to return to the team after the Capitals were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Hunter went 30-23-7 as head coach after taking over for the fired Bruce Boudreau, but opted to return the London Knights, the junior team in the Ontario Hockey League that he co-owns with his brother Mark. Boudreau had been the Capitals' head coach since 2007, taking over after two seasons as the head coach of the team's AHL affiliate in Hershey, Pa.
Oates, who turns 50 in August, has been an assistant coach for the past two seasons with the New Jersey Devils after a one-year stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A gifted playmaker on the ice, he averaged more than a point per game over the course of his 1337-game NHL career, finishing with 341 goals and 1079 assists for 1420 points. He also recored 156 points (42 goals, 114 assists) in 163 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including six goals and 11 assists during Washington's run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. He also reached the finals with the Anaheim Ducks (then the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) in 2003 before going to the finals as a Devils assistant this past spring.
