There are two things that every NHL team needs if it's going to contend for a championship: a superstar player, and a great coach. Of course, it also helps if that coach and that player get along.
That didn't seem to be the case in Washington during the 2011–12 season. After Bruce Boudreau benched him during a crucial shift late in the game, Alexander Ovechkin appeared to react to the news by barking some well-chosen obscenities in the coach's direction. While the two later made an effort to seem like they were on the same page, that didn't stop fans and the media from speculating about a rift that may have helped lead to Boudreau's eventual firing and the Capitals' disappointing regular season.
An overreaction? Probably, because this sort of thing actually happens all the time. The NHL has a long history of disagreements between superstar players and their coaches, and many of them were far more serious than a few expletives uttered in the heat of the moment.
Here's a look back at ten other notable star vs. coach feuds in NHL history:
November 2003: An enraged Scott Stevens accuses Devils' coach Pat Burns of not being a first ballot hall-of-famer, before later apologizing and admitting that could only happen in a world where the selection committee was made up entirely of idiots.
February 1978: Bruins' defenseman Brad Park finds himself in the doghouse after coach Don Cherry realizes his name is completely impossible to mispronounce.
December 2008: Team captain Daniel Alfredsson requests a one-hour meeting with the head coach to discuss his declining ice time, but eventually gets tired of having to start over again every fifteen minutes whenever Bryan Murray hires someone new.
February 2001: Vincent Lecavalier is momentarily confused by the sight of a red-faced John Tortorella gesturing furiously while screaming obscenities at him, before veteran teammates reassure him it's just how the coach says good morning.
March 1998: Canucks coach Mike Keenan calls captain Mark Messier into his office to explain that, while the league's policy on gambling may be open to interpretation, he still needs to stop constantly trying to bet his teammates that they can't eat just one.
October 2010: The Islanders' attempts to send a message to the rest of the team by scratching their highest-paid player prove fruitless when they are unable to figure out how to bench Alexei Yashin's buyout.
April 1987: A concerned Jari Kurri tells Oilers coach Glen Sather that while he agrees the team's unquestioned dominance does result in them occasionally becoming complacent, he's still not sold on this whole “let's occasionally score into our own net just to make it more challenging” plan.
March 2006: A confused Mike Babcock begins to wonder why Brendan Shanahan won't accept anything he says unless it's accompanied by an awkward videotaped explanation.
January 2009: After an obscenity-filled exchange ends with head coach Wayne Gretzky suggesting he go meet with the new assistant, Shane Doan thinks about how much he appreciates being able to air his grievances and makes a mental note to apologize for his harsh tone. He then briefly wonders why the new assistant coach looks so much like Dave Semenko holding a crowbar.
January 1996: In an effort to get him to take on more of a leadership role, Bruins head coach Steve Kasper humiliates Cam Neely by benching him during a nationally televised game. To his credit, Neely responds positively the very next day by delivering a moving eulogy at the funeral of Steve Kasper.
January 2006: Penguins coach Michel Therrien grows frustrated when star player Mario Lemieux repeatedly responds to criticism by saying, “Hey, good point. Maybe you should call up the owner and let him know.”
March 1993: Pat Burns shows that he doesn't play favorites when he briefly removes a slumping Doug Gilmour from the team's first line, although Gilmour does remain on the second, third, and fourth lines, both power play units, and the penalty kill.
July 1995: In an effort to send a message to the rest of the team, you briefly demote Jeremy Roenick from the first line during a game of NHL 95 even though it makes your big brother punch you in the shoulder and call you a spaz.
January 1994: After Pavel Bure complains yet again about a lack of chemistry with center Cliff Ronning, a frustrated Pat Quinn vows that if he ever coaches another European franchise player, he just won't ever bother giving him any good linemates at all.