BOCA RATON, Fla. — In the 21 monthsBrian MacLellan has been general manager of the Washington Capitals, he has helped transform them into the NHL's top team.
What MacLellan, 57, hasn’t done is find the spotlight. He has maintained a low profile during his 14 years in Washington, as well as his 12 years playing as a left wing for five NHL teams.
USA TODAY Sports sat down with MacLellan at the general managers meetings this week to learn more about the executive who also once worked for an investment consulting firm.
1. When you took over as GM, did you think that by adding twodefensem*n (Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik) andhiringBarry Trotz as coach during the first summer, and thenthe following year addingtwo forwards (T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams), that you'd have a team that would be leading the league in points?
MacLellan: "That first summer we wanted to address goaltending and defense. Braden Holtby had had an off-year, and there were some things going on coaching-wise and style-wise and we wanted to fix that. And we wanted to solidify our defense. We pursued a puck-mover, skater (Niskanen) to play with Karl Alzner and then a defensive guy (Orpik) to play with John Carlson. We were fortunate to get both. This past year, the priority was to get a winger to play with (Nicklas) Backstrom and (Alex) Ovechkin. We looked to do it through a trade, and T.J. Oshie became available. At the same time, we were trying to negotiate with (Joel) Ward or find a replacement. That is how we ended up with Justin Williams. He was just what we needed. We had trouble getting over the hump, and he has experience, most recently in Los Angeles, in doing that."
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2. Did you see Trotz as a good fit to coach Ovechkin?
MacLellan: "I think we go as Ovechkin goes. If he is buying into what’s going on with our team, we are going to be more successful. Yes, I had a lot of discussions with Barry about what his history had been with different styles of coaching. We talked about what Barry thought and what I thought about the best approach with (Ovechkin). And I think Barry has done a great job with him. He has held him accountable, and he has earned Ovi’s trust. Ovi has reciprocated by playing a good team game and playing within the structure."
3. How much different is Ovechkin under Trotz?
MacLellan: "There is more structure in his game. He plays less outside the system than he used to. His intention has always been to win and score, but I think it is more focused now. He has listened to other coaches as well. He listened to what Adam Oates had him do a little bit, and (Dale Hunter) had him doing certain things. He’s tried to accommodate them. …But Barry has allowed him to do what he does best, which is trying to make plays and score goals, as long as he plays a certain way when we don’t have the puck."
4. You were a two-time 30-goal scorer in the NHL.Does that help you relate to Ovechkin?
MacLellan: "Thirty is not 50. He is much different kind of player than I was. I was a complementary guy. He is a guy who drives performance. I do have a good understanding of Ovi’s evolution from being around and seeing how he has reacted to different coaches and environments. So I have a good feel for where he is at and where he wants to get to."
5. When you were a player at Bowling Green and in the NHL, did you aspire to work in management?
MacLellan: "No I didn’t. I aspired to do other things. I went back to graduate school. I wanted to be a stock analyst. I wanted to work in portfolio managing as a small cap analyst. And I did work in that industry for five or six years. I loved it. I wasn’t planning on getting back in hockey. But once you get awayfrom the game, you miss it. And I got an opportunity to get back in through (former Washingtongeneral manager) George McPhee."
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6. Did you take a pay cut to come back to hockey as a pro scout at first?
MacLellan: "Yes, (laughing). It was weird because I had put so much energy into doing something else and then to switch over to hockey I had to take a couple of steps back to establish myself there. It was a gamble. It was a tough call. But I missed the camaraderie, being around hockey guys, because I was working in a different culture where you don't have as much fun as you dobeing around the game. That was the attraction. This is a career that I would rather do for the rest of my life more than my other career. But I think you grow into being a general manager. You aren’t born one. You learn to be one."
7. How would you describe your style as a general manager?
MacLellan: "I like to think I listen and trust people we have in place to do their jobs. I have a good relationship with the coaching staff. I’m reserved, more analytical, than emotional. I’m well thought out. I try to make good decisions based on analysis."
8. What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make?
MacLellan: "Trading players is hard. Trading Brooks Laich was very hard. Not that I thought it was the wrong thing to do, but it was hard to have that conversation with a guy who had been with the organization for a long time. Intellectually I got what I needed to do, but it was hard to sit down with the guy and say, ‘We are going to move you along.' "
9. What has been the best part of his job thus far?
MacLellan: "Seeing my decisions work out. Seeing the two defensem*n (Niskanen and Orpik) come in and play well. Seeing the two wingers (Oshie and Williams) come in and play well. Seeing the development of our young guys. Seeing how things have developed here fairly quickly into a pretty good group who should compete well down the stretch."
10. Do you ever miss being in the financial world?
MacLellan: "Not really. It’s been challenging. There is a little more juice in this. It’s competitive. There are more emotions in the hockey business because it goes up and down a lot. You don’t sleep as well. The challenge of trying to make something is what it is about."
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