Former Hurricanes goalie Arturs Irbe has been hired by the Washington Capitals as their new goaltending coach, the team announced Thursday.
Irbe, who played 309 games over five seasons for the Hurricanes, still holds (for the moment) franchise records for consecutive starts (40), minutes played (17,815), wins (130) and shutouts (20), and while Cam Ward is probably no more than two seasons away from taking the last three, the first of those may stand for a long time.
Ironically, he'll be working with Jose Theodore, who was the Hurricanes' opponent in the second round of the 2002 playoffs. Kevin Weekes was in net to start that series, but Irbe took over in Game 4 after Weekes struggled and ended up backstopping the Miracle in Molson that night as Theodore collapsed. (You could argue Theodore's career hasn't been the same since, and had Irbe let up a goal late in Game 4...)
If Irbe's personal style is any indicator of his coaching style, we can expect the Capitals' goalies to expect to play all 82 games, conduct a 40-minute stretching routine after every game, mend their own equipment and handle the puck with fervor if not precision.
In all seriousness, Irbe's idiosyncratic style wouldn't seem to lend itself to coaching, but the same was said to some degree about Tom Barrasso when he started working for the Canes and he has been an excellent mentor for Cam Ward. If nothing else, Irbe's passion for the game should serve him well.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 829-8947 or 
Comments
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hey luke they're talking
Fri, 08/14/2009 - 21:46 — jejohn8hey luke
they're talking about us over at esspin:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olyhockey/columns/story?columnist=frei_terry&id=4394028
Seemed like pretty good (and
Sat, 08/15/2009 - 08:36 — ldecock (author)Seemed like pretty good (and fair) points to me. If Terry Frei is right, should bode well for the Hurricanes this season.
Mentoring Varlamov?
Fri, 08/14/2009 - 20:53 — wxray1I wonder if Archie was hired in consideration of S. Varlamov? The Theodore thing will be interesting... But I can't help but think that the main focus will be Varlamov. An added plus is the lack of language barrier.
It's all in the name
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 09:27 — irbefanCan anyone tell by my name who my favorite Hurricanes was??? I'm excited he has employment, his last few years left a sour taste in my mouth but I know that we may not be where we are today without his heroic goal tending and spunky attitude. Class guy who deserves a job working in the NHL!
Amen Luke
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 09:07 — esteban1949Amen...and if you were to compare the " styles of Tom Vs.Archie...your conclusion has merit...he may not end up being a great coach...but he will certainly be a " passionate one" !!
Go Canes !!