Back to the Washington Capitals Newsfeed

Reirden, favorite to succeed Trotz, climbed ranks quickly

The day began with a cup of coffee. Eleven years ago, Todd Reirden wasn’t an associate coach for the Washington Capitals, like he is today. Back then, he was just a guy looking for a job.

So, coffee it was.

In the spring of 2007, Reirden met with then-Bowling Green coach Scott Paluch to discuss an open assistant’s job at his alma mater. Reirden, a journeyman player in professional hockey, was looking to make the transition to coaching.

The two toured the campus and reconnected — Paluch had been an assistant at Bowling Green when Reirden played there in the early 1900s.