Bruce Boudreau joins NHL Network as studio analyst

Former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau wasn’t out of a job for long, with the league announcing he has joined NHL Network as a studio analyst for the rest of the season.

His first night in the new gig will kick off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

Boudreau worked with NHL Network from August 2020 until December 2021. He also worked as a guest on the network during the 2022 NHL Draft, where he was greeted live on camera by his favorite WWE wrestler, Kevin Owens.

“I am so happy to be back at NHL Network because the people I got to know are incredible, not only nice, but people who know hockey through and through,” Boudreau said in a release Thursday morning. “I’ve always been part of a team my whole life and this was one of the best that I’ve ever been on, so it was an easy decision for me when they asked if I wanted to come back.”

Boudreau was recently fired by the Vancouver Canucks after posting an 18-25-3 record this season. He had a 50-40-13 record in 103 games with the Canucks over parts of two seasons. His release was highly publicized after reports surfaced that the Canucks were planning on firing him in favor of former TNT analyst Rick Tocchet last month.

Since the Canucks fired Boudreau on Jan. 22, the team has gone 2-2-1 over the past five games.

Boudreau has an all-time coaching record of 617-342-128 with Vancouver, Minnesota, Anaheim and Washington. He has become a fan favorite everywhere he goes. It’s yet to be seen whether he’d take another job in the NHL as a head coach or as an assistant, but it’s good to see he’s still going to remain active in the sport at 68 years old.