ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The Washington Capitals named Chris Patrick as their general manager on Monday with longtime GM Brian MacLellan remaining president of hockey operations.
Patrick, 48, who was also named as a senior vice president, has worked for the Capitals in various capacities since 2009 and served as assistant GM under MacLellan the past three years. The son of longtime team president Dick Patrick previously was director of player personnel after a lengthy stint as a pro scout, and now he's just the seventh GM in the organization's 50-year history.
“Chris is a dedicated and hard-working executive, who is fully prepared for this next step in his career," owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “His vision, extensive experience, hockey acumen and player evaluation make him the perfect leader to drive our team forward.”
MacLellan, 65, spent a decade as GM since taking over for George McPhee in 2014. He finished the building of the team that won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title in 2018.
“With Dick Patrick as chairman, Brian as president and Chris as general manager, we believe we have a dynamic leadership team in place to continue to guide our hockey operations department forward,” Leonsis said. "Brian’s leadership, experience, and vision for our hockey team, combined with Chris’ impressive track record and successful tenure as an executive, talent evaluator, and guardian of our minor league partnerships, position our hockey operations team for a successful future.”
The front office shakeup is the latest around the NHL with an established GM shifting upstairs and ceding day-to-day operations. It happened in 2022 with Colorado after the Avalanche won the Cup, with Chris MacFarland succeeding Joe Sakic as GM and Sakic becoming president of hockey operations, while St. Louis has laid out a succession plan for Alexander Steen and Doug Armstrong to follow the same path.
With Washington, Patrick assumes control of a retool-on-the-fly effort MacLellan put into overdrive over the past couple of weeks to keep the club's contending window open in the final two years of captain Alex Ovechkin's contract. MacLellan turned over nearly a quarter of the roster, acquiring center Pierre-Luc Dubois, winger Andrew Mangiapane, defenseman Jakob Chychrun and goaltender Logan Thompson in separate trades and signing free agents Matt Roy, Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh.
“I think we’re better," MacLellan said last week, giving no indication of the promotions at the time. "I just think it’s a better slotted team. It should be better offensively. We’ll find that out later. I think it’s overall just a deeper, better-structured team than it was last year.”
The Capitals squeaked into the playoffs on a tiebreaker as the second and final wild card in the Eastern Conference. They were swept in the first round by the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers, who lost in the East final to eventual Cup champion Florida.
They have reached the postseason in 15 of the past 17 seasons of what is known as the Ovechkin era. The Russian superstar and face of the franchise since being drafted first in 2004 is 42 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's career goals record and turns 39 in September.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
FILE0 Washington Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan talks to the media during media day at an NHL hockey training camp, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Arlington, Va. The Washington Capitals on Monday, July 8, 2024, named Chris Patrick as their general manager with longtime GM Brian MacLellan remaining president of hockey operations. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
In this image provided by the Washington Capitals, Chris Patrick watches the NHL hockey club's development camp at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., Saturday, July 6, 2024. The team on Monday, July 8, named Patrick general manager with Brian MacLellan remaining president of hockey operations. (Zach Guerette/Washington Capitals via AP)
Billionaire tech executive Elon Musk cast the upcoming presidential election in dire terms during an appearance with Donald Trump, calling the Republican presidential nominee the only candidate “to preserve democracy in America.”
The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla who also purchased X, Musk joined Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at the site where the former president survived an assassination attempt in July. Musk said “this will be the last election” if Trump doesn’t win. Wearing a cap with the “Make America Great Again” slogan of Trump’s campaign, Musk appeared to acknowledge the foreboding nature of his remarks.
“As you can see I am not just MAGA — I am Dark MAGA,” he said.
It was the first time that Musk joined one of Trump's rallies and was evidence of their growing alliance in the final stretch of the presidential election. Musk created a super political action committee supporting the Republican nominee and it has been spending heavily on get-out-the-vote efforts. Trump has said he would tap Musk to lead a government efficiency commission if he regains the White House.
Trump joined Musk in August for a rare public conversation on X, a friendly chat that spanned more than two hours. In it, the former president largely focused on the July assassination attempt, illegal immigration and his plans to cut government regulations.
Before a large crowd Saturday, Musk sought to portray Trump as a champion of free speech, arguing that Democrats want “to take away your freedom of speech, they want to take away your right to bear arms, they want to take away your right to vote, effectively." Musk went on to criticize a California effort to ban voter ID requirements.
The event took place at the same property where a gunman’s bullets grazed Trump’s right ear and killed a Trump supporter, Corey Comperatore. The shooting left multiple others injured.
Several members of Comperatore’s family, as well as other attendees and first responders from the July rally, returned to the site on Saturday. Also appearing with the former president were his running mate Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance, son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law and RNC co-chair Lara Trump, along with Pennsylvania lawmakers and sheriffs.
Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
The story has been corrected to reflect that Elon Musk said “right to vote” and not “fight to vote.”
Elon Musk walks onto stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Elon Musk arrives on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Elon Musk at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Elon Musk at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Elon Musk jumps on the stage behind Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump listens at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appear on stage at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Elon Musk jumps on the stage behind Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Elon Musk jumps on the stage behind Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk walks to the stage to speak alongside Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a campaign event with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, from left, Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, from left, Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
