Tim Hunter: The Last Piece of the Puzzle?

timhuntereagle

Tim Hunter will be joining Adam Oates and Calle Johansson as an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals this upcoming season. No relation to Dale Hunter. Or the Hunter brand. Or Tim Gunn, for that matter. Now that we have that cleared up, here are the facts:

  • Born in Calgary, Alberta on September 10, 1960, Hunter is the old man of the group. Virgos are known to have “an ideal balance between ingenuity of mind, and sharp intellect, and the strength of will needed to see creative ideas through to completion.” So that’s good news.
  • Played for 4 different NHL teams over 16 seasons, Hunter led the league in penalty minutes in 2 separate seasons and currently stands at 8th on the NHL’s all-time penalty minute leaders list. Known for his defensive style and strong penalty killing, Hunter was recognized by the Flames with the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian award and was twice nominated for the NHL’s Bill Masterton trophy.
  • Hunter won the Cup with the Flames in 1989. I believe this makes him the first man on the Caps coaching staff to win the cup since…himself.
  • No typo above. Hunter was previously commissioned as Caps assistant coach for 5 seasons from 1997-2002. This means he coached fellow coaches Oates and JoJo on that 1998 Eastern Conference Champion team. And Dale Hunter, too. But no relation.
  • After he left the Capitals in 2002, Hunter was an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs for a combined total of almost 9 full seasons, through June 2011. Basically, he’s been unemployed for more than a year and I’m thinking he’s gotta be excited to join the other Caps vets on the bench.

There you have it. A brand new coaching staff to lead us into a brand new season. Let’s show these coaches how 2012-2013 Rocks the Red!!!!!

Contributing writer and creative sounding board. Self proclaimed know-it-all of kooky NHL gaffes and committed to good-natured mockery. Her favorite player is #26 Matt Hendricks for the Washington Capitals. She will diligently promote any idea involving a T-Rex and/or a hockey stick. Preferably "and". Follow her on Twitter @CapsDuck19