Laviolette eager to get started

NewWashington coach embraces anxiousness

Peter Laviolette is anxious— but in a goodway.

When the Capitals play their first game Jan. 14 in Buffalo against the Sabres Laviolette will be behind the bench as Washington’s coach. He will return to the NHL after about a year away, a stretch that is one of the longest in his coaching career.

Now, with training camp just around the corner, Laviolette said he was excited for the opportunity ahead and his first season at the helm inWashington.

“The anxiousness is a good thing,” Laviolette, who was hired in September, told reporters Tuesday during a video conference call. “It’s like when you’re going out for a game, when I used to be a player or players today, there’s an anxiousness about it. You’re going out to play a Game 7 in the playoffs. Nobody should not have butterflies in their stomach and be on edge. But when the puck drops, or whenthings crack on Jan. 4, on the first day we’re on the ice, it’s like riding a bike.”

Laviolette will have a few challenges ahead in this pandemic- shortened season. First will be a rushed training camp that begins with player meetings Sunday and on- ice practice starting Monday.

When Washington’s camp opens, Laviolette will focus on getting the group on the same page and building a new team identity. The Capitals, who also will need to learn a new system, have not played since mid- August, which means Laviolette will also pay close attention to the team’s conditioning and competitive level in camp.

“There’s time,” Laviolette said. “Even though it’s a shortened camp, there’s time to get things in place. … There’s a lot of work to be done, but I know everybody’s eager to get back to work aswell.”

All of Washington’s players have returned to the D. C. area but some remain in quarantine, mandated under league protocols, and have not yet been allowed to enter the team’s facility. All are expected to be available by the start of training camp.

There are no additional injuries — other than defenseman Michal Kempny, who will go on long- term injured reserve after tearing his Achilles’ tendon, and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who will not join the team this season because of a heart condition. NoWashington players opted out of the season.

In a normal year, Laviolette would have been able to come toWashington and be around the rink at least a month before the season to start getting acquainted with his new players. That didn’t happen because of the pandemic; all of his interactions have been over the phone or on Zoom.

Laviolette said Tuesday that captain Alex Ovechkin recently invited him to dinner, but he had to decline because he was still in quarantine. The pandemic also means Laviolette and other coaches will have to wear masks behind the bench, which he saidwould “probably be good” for him.

“Nobody will see what’s coming out ofmy mouth. My mother will be happy, I think,” Laviolette said. “Everybody’s dealt the same hand, and so we’ll deal with it. If that’s the protocol and those are the rules, then we’ll respect them andwe’ll get it done.

“It’s just a different time that we’re living in right now. I’m just excited to be back. I’m sure everybody’s just excited to be back. If my price that I have to pay is wearing a mask behind the bench, I’ll gladly do it.”

Laviolette also has had only virtual interactions with his new coaching staff, which he kept mostly intact, aside from the addition of Kevin McCarthy, who will primarily work with Washington’s defensemen. The first time the staff will be able to gather as a group will be the first day of camp.

Laviolette said he kept Scott Arniel, Blaine Forsythe and Scott Murray in their assistant coaching roles because he believes in their abilities and wants a chance to learn from their perspectives being around the team for an extended amount of time.

“The challenge is, I’m the new coach and someone coming into a team that has been the head coach for two years, three years, four years, they’ve already established relationships, but I also look at that like it could be a good thing or a bad thing,” Laviolette said. “Sometimes you are down the road with a player in a positive way or a negative way or maybe they are down a road with you as a coach and everything is fresh and new, and that is what makes it exciting.”