Bruce Boudreau Gets Emotional Send-Off In Last Game With Canucks

Vancouver Canucks fans gave Bruce Boudreau an emotional farewell in what was his final game behind the team's bench.

It has been a mess of a season for the Canucks. The team has drastically underperformed and the franchise seems totally rudderless. Unless your name is Elias Pettersson, your future in Vancouver is in question. Until Saturday night, that included head coach Bruce Boudreau.

Boudreau knew his time with the Canucks was winding down. Earlier in the week, general manager Jim Rutherford announced that he had spoken to potential head-coaching candidates.

Boudreau continued to speak with the media all week, despite this news.

Talk about an unenviable situation.

Later in the week, it was revealed that the Canucks' Saturday night game against the Edmonton Oilers would be his last with the team.

Bruce Boudreau gets emotional after his final game as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

Fans And Players Honored Boudreau After His Final Game

The game didn't go the Canucks way as they fell to the Oilers, 4-2. Still, it was clear that fans were more interested in giving the professional hockey legend the respect he deserves.

Without a doubt, Boudreau is an absolute hockey legend. After a lengthy playing career in the NHL, WHA, AHL, and more, Boudreau took up coaching. He was behind minor league benches for nearly two decades, which included leading the Hershey bears to a Calder Cup in 2006.

In 2007, The Washington Capitals called Boudreau up from Hershey, and from there went on to stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and Vancouver Canucks.

There's no doubt that this could be an unfortunate end to a legendary career. Fortunately, fans did their best to show Boudreau the respect Canucks brass weren't willing to give him.

On Sunday, Vancouver officially announced Boudreau's firing and announced his replacement, Rick Tocchett.

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