YES Network.com

Less than 48 hours after his team was eliminated by the New York Rangers, Dale Hunter announced that he has stepped down as the head coach of the Washington Capitals.

Capitals general manager George McPhee cited “family reasons” as the impetus for Hunter’s decision, saying that Hunter will return to his old job as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, the team he co-owns with brother Mark.

Hunter replaced the fired Bruce Boudreau in November, leading Washington to 30-23-7 record in 60 games behind the bench. The Capitals were the No. 7 seed in this year’s Eastern Conference playoffs and defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins, in seven games in the first round before falling to the Rangers in Game 7 of their conference semifinal series on Saturday night.

McPhee also said there is no timetable for naming a new coach, but whoever lands the job will be the team’s third head man in less than 12 months.

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