Off-ice scandal: Accusations against Capitals coach are not about hockey

Mitch Love, Capitals Assistant Coach, on Leave for NHL Investigation

Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick revealed this Thursday that the accusations against assistant coach Mitch Love “are not hockey-related.” Love is on leave imposed by the team, pending the results of an NHL investigation. The Capitals announced last Sunday the license of Love, 41 years old, who joined the team in June 2023 after the hiring of Spencer Carbery as head coach, focusing primarily on the team’s defense. Although Patrick avoided giving details due to the ongoing investigation, he stated that the Capitals’ understanding is that “these accusations are more personal in nature and are not related to hockey.” An NHL source indicated that the accusations predate his time with the Capitals. Carbery commented that Love’s absence has not affected training camp, but did not want to speculate on its impact on the staff during the regular season.

We have a lot of coaches here – Hershey staff from the AHL, South Carolina staff from the ECHL – so there are a lot of gaps that can be filled at training camp.

Spencer Carbery

Patrick mentioned that the team does not have an estimate of when the investigation into Love will conclude. “We’ll see how things develop here at camp. We hope the League reaches a resolution soon and we can make decisions based on that,” Patrick stated. Love was a highly regarded candidate for the head coaching position during the offseason, and was among the finalists for vacancies with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. According to an NHL source, the League and at least two of its teams that interviewed him received a letter detailing allegations related to Love’s personal conduct. The NHL has been conducting its investigation for several months. The Capitals placed Love on leave after the League informed them about the allegations. Previously, Love was an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips and head coach with the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League. He was also head coach with the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers of the AHL before joining the Capitals’ staff.