Vancouver Canucks make official decision on Bruce Boudreau!

He had a huge hand in helping to turn around the season for the Vancouver Canucks, nearly leading them to a playoff spot after a disastrous first quarter of the year. And now, he'll have a full season with which to work.

The Canucks have officially extended head coach Bruce Boudreau, who was hired following the termination of both Travis Green and GM Jim Benning in December; Vancouver was dead last in the Pacific Division at the time with a 8-15-2 record. 

"We are pleased to see Bruce's commitment to return to the Canucks next season," said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. "He has done a great job since arriving in Vancouver and we are eager to see the team continue to perform under his leadership as they did during the second half of the season."

"My desire has always been to come back to coach this team," said Boudreau. "I love the organization, city, fans, and the players. I'm also grateful for the opportunity provided to me by Jim and Patrik to continue building what we started."

Boudreau led Vancouver to a 32-15-10 mark after taking over behind the bench, finishing just five points back of the final Wild Card postseason spot in the Western Conference. The 2008 Jack Adams Trophy winner also became the third coach in NHL history to win his first seven games with a new team. 

“In our business, you have to be cautious with your decisions and you have to do them for the right reasons,” said Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford. “If you don’t, you’re gonna get yourself in a position someday where you’re paying three or four coaches in the same year. And that’s when managing up will become difficult.”