Bruce Boudreau never wanted to leave Washington.

He offers this information matter-of-factly, even though he’s thoroughly enjoying his time as Anaheim Ducks head coach and the incredible 12-2-1 start they’ve had this season –14 points ahead of his old team back East.

“I’m trying to get over it. I’d be lying if I said I still didn’t watch what they do,” said Boudreau on Tuesday.

“Not for where they are; but you build relationships with some players that you want to see successful all the time and with fans.”

Boudreau’s time with the Capitals ended on Nov. 28, 2011, when he was fired and replaced by Dale Hunter. Japers’ Rink has a great chronicle of where it may have all gone wrong; needless to say, Washington has never been able to regain the momentum and undeniable spark of those early Boudreau teams.

Neither has the Capitals’ captain, to the point where some are asking if Alex Ovechkin is even still considered a superstar.

“He’s a superstar,” said Boudreau. “The bottom line is that anybody that wins the Hart Trophy two years in a row and is voted the best player in the world by his peers three years in a row, he’s a star. People like to attack him, when he’s not scoring at the rate they want him to score at. He still is the most feared player coming down on you in the League.”

If the Western Conference didn’t fear Boudreau’s Ducks before the season – and many predictions had them missing the playoffs – it may fear them now.

Their plus-14 goal differential is tied for second best in the NHL behind Chicago, who hasn’t lost in regulation yet. Teemu Selanne has 15 points in 15 games. Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth may give Anaheim the best goaltending battery in the conference this season.

We spoke with Boudreau about the surging Ducks; Ryan Getzlaf’s leadership; Bobby Ryan on the trading block; Cam Fowler vs. Mike Green; Francois Beauchemin for the Norris; Selanne’s ageless domination; and a little bit about Boudreau’s affinity for pro wrestling.

But first, the coach wanted to set the record straight about his status as a “run and gun” coach.

There’s been a perception that the change from Randy Carlyle to you has made the difference here, stylistically. That the shackles were taken off these players offensively and now they’re thriving. Do you buy that juxtaposition?

BOUDREAU: That’s a media [creation]. We’re a pretty defensive minded team.

We’re almost getting offended these days when they say we’re ‘Boudreau’s run-and-gun’ team. We’re not, at all.

In Washington, we used the players we had. When we were scoring, we’d win 6-3. When we weren’t scoring, we’d become the best defense team in the League. It wasn’t that we couldn’t play defense. We preached it all the time.

The guys know they have to play strong without the puck, and when we have the puck they have to try and score. I don’t see the big deal, and why anybody makes a big deal about it.

So if you don’t play ‘run and gun’, is that just a reputation that you earned early with the Capitals that’s been tough to shake?

Evidently. I haven’t shaken it.

I think because we led the League in goals by so many that people thought we were an offensive machine. Our power play was at 26 percent that year. The next year, we couldn’t score. And then we changed our whole way of thinking. From Dec. 5 on, we became the best defensive team in the League.

People, because they see who’s on your team, they think you’re an offensive team.

Has there been anything that’s really surprised you about this team?

Before every season, you dream of starting out really good. Those are the expectations. They you look at the rest of the League and you’re going, ‘Wow, this is a pretty good start.’

I didn’t know what kind of team we had, because there were so many guys I hadn’t see play before. I hadn’t seen Viktor Fasth. I’d never seen Sheldon Souray. Daniel Winnik, I didn’t remember him too much. We knew our minor league guys were really good in the minors, but we didn’t know how they were.

Viktor Fasth’s start to this season has been extraordinary for a rookie. We keep wanting to call him a “kid”, but he’s not. Is being a 30 year old an essential part of his brilliant start?

Story continues