On Saturday night, Sens coach Guy Boucher will get his first crack at the Tampa Bay Lightning since they fired him during the 2012-13 season.
After being relieved of his duties, he had a hard time finding a head coaching gig in the NHL and was forced to move to Switzerland to stay behind the bench.
Despite the end result, Boucher says there’s no hard feelings between he and his old club.
“Maybe it’s the distance of the years, I’m very calm and almost cold about it,” Boucher said, per the Tampa Bay Times. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s been too long. I guess if it was last year, or two months ago, and it was all the people I worked with, all the players I had, but I only coached two players. That’s it.”
Boucher’s tenure in Tampa Bay wasn’t all bad. He helped them reach the Eastern Conference Final in his first year as coach in 2010-11, but failed to make the playoffs the following season.
After a 13-17 start in 2012-13, the Lightning decided to go in a different direction.
But for a guy who had no previous NHL coaching experience, Boucher insists he’s just thankful for the opportunity his first team gave him.
“That’s why I’d love to say, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s a revenge day,’ and the whole big story so you can get a great story. But for me, I’m so grateful... Steve Yzerman and Mr. Vinik, Julien (BriseBois), I owe them a lot. As a family we had four years down there, a really good life. I was very fortunate he gave me the reins of an NHL team.”
He’s off to a good start with his new team, as the Sens are 3-1-0 heading into tonight’s game.