Brian MacLellan paused for six seconds, long enough to wipe a tear that had begun to well in his right eye.
MacLellan’s first season as the Washington Capitals‘ general manager came to an end last week, when his team was eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the New York Rangers in the second round. After originally describing the season as one that brought him mixed emotions, MacLellan, over 20 minutes into a season-ending press conference on Monday, doubled back to the topic of his first year in charge.
That was enough to cause him to pause, collect his thoughts and forge on.