New Bench Boss Hired

The Capitals announced they would let former pro coach Willie Dejardins and farm coach John Hynes hit the open market this off-season opening up two holes behind the benches. Desjardins and Hynes were both selected via lottery to the Washington Capitals at the beginning of the EHE, this off-season marks the first time the coaches could be hand picked by GM Mitchell and today was the press conference to introduce who they've selected.

Hershey Bears: Rick Bowness (0-0-0-0)

Inked to a 1 year deal, Bowness will take on a farm club that made the finals last year. He will have high expectations to reproduce last seasons success. Bowness is a 61 year old coach with lots of experience as both a head coach and an assistant at the NHL level as well as the AHL level. This is his first stint in the EHE.

Washington Capitals: Ken Hitchcock (70-60-1-6)

Hitchcock signed a large contract to coach the Capitals for the next two years, the only coach making more money is Bruce Boudreau. Ken sports a winning record in the EHE and brings a great presence to the team as witnessed by his 99 experience rating. This is a huge upgrade over former coach Willie Desjardins and should allow the team to play a closer style to their make-up.

"I'm a little worried at what the defence will look like next year." said Hitchcock during the press conference. "Though GM Mitchell put a few of those worries to rest when we met and he went over his strategy for the off-season. I think this will continue to be a competitive team this year and I am excited to get going."