Irbe joins Capitals as goalie coach

ARLINGTON, Va. The Washington Capitals have hired Arturs Irbe as the organizations goaltending coach, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. Irbe replaces Dave Prior, who recently resigned after 12 years with the club to spend more time with his family.

Irbe, 42, is a native of Riga, Latvia, and served as the goaltending coach for his hometown Dinamo Riga last season in the Kontinental Hockey League. He has also worked with the Latvian national team, which he represented in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics. Irbe is also a former teammate of Capitals assistant coach Dean Evason, as both players were with the San Jose Sharks from 1991-93.

Irbe is a 13-year NHL veteran and played for San Jose, Dallas, Vancouver and Carolina. He played in 568 games and compiled a career record of 218-236-79 while appearing in two NHL All-Star Games (1994, 1999). His last NHL season was 2003-04, and he finished his NHL career with a 2.83 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage. Irbe played professionally in Europe after he left the NHL and retired completely after appearing in six games with Slovakias HK Nitra in 2006-07.

Irbe is fluent in English, Latvian, Russian and also speaks some German. He was selected in the 10th round, 196th overall, in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars. He spent five years in the San Jose organization and made his NHL debut in the 1991-92 season when he appeared in 13 games. Irbe played in 74 games for the Sharks during 1993-94 and set an NHL record (since broken) by playing 4,412 minutes in the regular season. He spent the 1996-97 season with Dallas and the 1997-98 season with Vancouver before joining Carolina for the final six years of his career.

Irbe became a fixture in the Carolina net and played more than 50 games in each of his first four seasons with the Hurricanes. He registered career-best marks in GAA (2.22) and in save percentage (.923) during the 1998-99 season, his first with Carolina. He played a career high 77 games during the 2000-01 season and a year later he helped lead Carolina to the Stanley Cup final.

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[TealMaherajah]

Great Job Arturs. We miss you in San Jose! Like Wall!

[smirdinkls]

the GR8 is back on NHL!

[dylan3773]

What a goalie how he could stretch from post to post I'd a mystery to irbe

[tylerdurdonxx]

Irbe was one heck of agoalie

[BIOSHOCKFOXX]

@Broughinater Tas pats no manis , Aigars ......... :D prieks ka labas komandas pilnīgi izvēlas no tāda mazas valts kā mūsējā Latvija .

[BIOSHOCKFOXX]

C'mon , come back to Latvia , hell wee miss you :D loosing to Coyotes , game was great , but c'mon . Even whit out great one wee are normally strong ,but if someone like capitals calls our best goalie , and it seems the best in world or to NHL except Latvia , than i am proud :) Please thumbs up for Irbe who's born in Latvia :D Sorry for bad english if there was text mistakes . :)

[BitchmenProduc]

@TheBallowner What difference does it make? almost everybody has a accent of some sorth... I'm Latvian 2 but i speak perfectly in American without an accent... but i don't get what's ge big deal!??? If you're from America you're probably gonna have an american accent if you're from the UK you're gonna have an British/Scotish/Welsh accent.........

[502opz346]

@502opz346 And one more thing - large L not small one,Latvia is country !

[502opz346]

@TheBallowner Really? I`m from Latvia & i was living & working in England for almost years & a half.Many English friends after year told me,i`m speeking damn good & i almost have lost my Latvian accent... Ofc. people are different,for somes its quiet hard to learn some lagguages,but for so many years,i think he should talk mutch better,anyways.And i know,the point is,that he can tell what he meant to tell,so they can understand,but like i said,i`m surpised about his Latvian accent...

[TheBallowner]

@502opz346 The point is to understand him,not for him to talk good in english.He speaks with a latvian accent.

[502opz346]

FIrst time heard real speech by Irbe on english,i`d say,he speeks badly... He should speek mutch better,so many years living in USA & so sad talking...

[ihelper0123]

if irbe dies i whill kill my self