“A decade later, he was ready. 100 percent ready,” Patrick said at his introductory news conference on Tuesday. Patrick was named the seventh general manager in Capitals history a day earlier, succeeding MacLellan. MacLellan will remain as president of hockey operations but hand over control of day-to-day operations to Patrick.
The 48-year-old Patrick takes on the role after working with McLaren as associate general manager for one season, steadily increasing his responsibilities with the Capitals and spending more time on the road with the team. Patrick previously spent less time in Washington as associate general manager, primarily with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, managing the pro scouting staff, but that began to change last year as succession plans for McLaren began to take shape.
McClellan added president of hockey operations to his title last season at the same time Patrick was promoted to assistant GM, laying the groundwork for personnel changes that were officially announced this week.
“He's developed his skillset. I've watched him grow and develop from scouting to running Hershey to managing the pro staff,” McClellan said.[He] He has a great skill set, he's worked hard to hone it, he's got all sorts of background in the game, he's got the skills and the experience to get to where he is today. … I've had direct contact with him and we've had a friendship and a working relationship. There's a lot of trust there. He's been a big part of what we've accomplished over the last 10 years.”
The son of Capitals Chairman Dick Patrick, Patrick worked for many years in finance before beginning his hockey career as a part-time scout after graduating from college and earning an MBA from the University of Virginia. He has steadily risen through the ranks over the past 16 seasons with the Capitals, going from scout to director of player personnel, assistant general manager, associate general manager and now general manager.
“When I first got back into the game, I never thought of this as an end goal,” Patrick said. “I just wanted to be involved with the team. I wanted to do a good job. I wanted to help the Caps win a Stanley Cup.”
When the Capitals won the championship in 2018, Chris and Dick Patrick became the sixth and seventh members of the Patrick family to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.
“Patrick will report to McClellan, who will oversee all hockey decisions, but Patrick will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the team. As the Capitals have made changes to their roster over the past few weeks, Patrick has been working in lockstep with McClellan and the rest of the front office to make decisions regarding Washington's future.”
Patrick and McClellan describe the work as a collaboration, and intend to keep it that way even as McClellan transitions into a larger consulting role.
“We've worked really hard over the last month preparing and executing,” McClellan said. “I think it's a credit to our whole team.”
Added Patrick: “Whatever we do, Mac and I have had long discussions about it. Whatever it is — demoting guys, promoting guys — that won't change the process. That's how I envision it going forward. I'll make the decisions, I'll do some of the groundwork, but the process will be the same as it's always been.”
MacLellan leaves his job as general manager with the third-highest winning percentage in NHL history among general managers with at least 500 games played, and owner Ted Leonsis has made it clear he expects Patrick to continue that success.
“Chris has a lot of work to do, but I'm not going to hold back,” Leonsis said. “My hope is that in 25 years, when the next person takes over, people will say we've had the same kind of success and accomplishments.”
