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WASHINGTON -- General manager George McPhee and coach Adam Oates lost their jobs with the Washington Capitals on Saturday, about two weeks after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007. "We were left with the overall impression that the team wasnt trending toward being able to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a news conference at the clubs arena. "And that was just a clear signal and why it was time to make those changes." McPhees contract was up and the team announced it will not give him a new one after his 17 years as the GM, which included drafting Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in the first round. Oates was fired with one season left on his three-year deal. A former star player for the Capitals, he was in his first job as an NHL head coach. Washington finished this season with the ninth-most points in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of a playoff berth. "You have to do something to pivot the team to be an ongoing strong team," Leonsis said. "And I just felt that new leadership at this time was needed, and lets start it with a clean slate." Asked whether any player would be untouchable as part of upcoming changes -- a chance, perhaps, for Leonsis to mention captain and top scorer Ovechkin -- the owner replied: "Im not the general manager. So If the general manager comes with something, we would listen to the general manager." Ovechkin has won three league MVP awards and again led the NHL in scoring this season with 51 goals, but the Capitals havent made it past the second round of the playoffs during the Russian wings career. Dick Patrick, the president of the Capitals, said the team already has drawn up a list of potential GM candidates. "Typically, youd like to have a general manager in place and have him choose a coach," Patrick said. The Capitals reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1998, McPhees first year on the job, and were swept by the Detroit Red Wings. Later, McPhee oversaw a "rebuild" ordered by Leonsis, including jettisoning top players with big contracts such as Jaromir Jagr. "Lets not forget that rebuilding process was dramatic. And I watched a great executive go through really, really hard times and really rebuild that team quickly. We just didnt get there," Leonsis said. "At some point, you just have to try something different." While McPhee eventually built a young roster filled with offensive stars, he never placed as much emphasis on constructing a rugged, defensive-minded blue line crop. He hired a succession of coaches with zero previous NHL experience running a team, including Glen Hanlon, Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter and Oates. Led by Ovechkin, the Capitals produced terrific regular-season results for a half-dozen seasons, without similar success in the post-season. Four years ago, Washington won the Presidents Trophy for having the most points during the season, then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Leonsis called McPhee, who built seven division-winning teams, "a talented man, a great friend," but that it was time for "a fresh set of eyes." The Capitals went 65-48-17 under Oates in his two seasons. In a brief statement released via the team, Oates called it "a tremendous honour to coach the Capitals these past two seasons" and said he was "grateful for the opportunity." In his first season in charge, which was shortened because of a labour dispute, Washington reached the playoffs with a late surge before losing in the first round to the New York Rangers in seven games. "We were a continuously improving playoff team until we werent. And the last two seasons showed us that we need to improve. And thats what it came down to," Leonsis said. "Dick and I said, We have to make that gut check. 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Dwyane Wade followed a few days later.SEATTLE -- The guitar riffs ripped from the hotel ballroom where owner Paul Allens band was performing and filled the lobby. Down on the lower level, Hall of Famer Walter Jones posed for pictures with exuberant fans. This celebration in the wee hours of Monday morning was what Pete Carroll envisioned when he arrived in Seattle in January 2010 and was finally given the full say over an NFL franchise in the hopes of replicating at the professional level what he was able to accomplish in college. Celebrating was standard practice when Carroll was at USC. But the party that followed Sundays 43-8 blowout of Denver that gave Seattle its first NFL title topped all those previous celebrations. It may just be the beginning for the Seahawks. "This is exactly what we envisioned from day one. We were going to be right here and win this football game -- and it just happened to be in New York. which makes it even more special -- in the fashion that we were able," Carroll said. "We deserved it and we earned it because this is exactly what weve been preparing for, and we expected it. That may sound cocky. That may sound arrogant. But its a mentality you cant get in one week." Seattles coronation was the culmination of an overhaul that Carroll and general manager John Schneider embarked upon when they took control of the Seahawks. Nearly 1,000 roster moves later, they could finally take the ultimate satisfaction in what they had created: the envy of the NFL. The Seahawks are mean and talented on defence. They have one of the most dynamic young players in the game in quarterback Russell Wilson. And the surrounding cast complements him well. There is very little indication this will be a one-year flash. "One of the things that happens every so often is teams have a big fallout after they win the Super Bowl," Carroll said. "Were not in that situation." Seattles title will be remembered for a dominating defence that will be regarded among the best in league history. Richard Shermans play at cornerback -- and sometimes his mouth -- drew the attention but that defence was far more than Sherman and his "Legion of Boom" teammates in the secondary. Linebacker Bobby Wagner was even better in his second season, while Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith was called upon to play different positions throughout the season. The signings of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett on the defensive line, and the re-signing of Clinton McDonnald after Week 1, gave the Seahawks the deepest defensive line rotation in the league, all with plenty of energy to chase Colin Kaepernick in the NFC title game and harass Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl.dddddddddddd Offensively, the Seahawks were without their top two wide receivers for most of the season between Percy Harvins preseason hip surgery and Sidney Rices midseason knee injury. But Harvin showed just why the Seahawks made the investment with his 87-yard kickoff return touchdown that was essentially the final blow in the Super Bowl. Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin believed they were disrespected all season and were intent on proving critics wrong. For the most part, they did, while Jermaine Kearse continued to play the role of another undrafted gem discovered by Schneider. The offensive line missed both starting tackles -- Breno Giacomini and Russell Okung -- for more than half the regular season due to injuries but managed. And Marshawn Lynch continued to go "Beast Mode" at just the right times. Seattle should be able to keep its core together but there will be difficult decisions to make. There are key free agents, including Baldwin and Tate. There are also potential salary cap decisions to be made with players like Rice, Zach Miller, Chris Clemons, Brandon Mebane and Red Bryant. Then there are the two looming extensions that could get done this off-season -- Earl Thomas and Sherman. Both players can be extended before the start of next season, but the likelihood is that Seattle tries to get a deal done with Thomas first and then see if an extension will work for Sherman. So far, Sherman has been the ultimate bargain for Seattle, scheduled to make less than $700,000 in base salary next season. Thomas and Sherman are entering the final year of their rookie contracts in 2014 and with both now two-time All-Pro selections, each is likely due a hefty raise. If Seattle can get both extensions done, it would allow them to focus on Wilson during the 2014-15 off-season when his rookie deal can be redone. "We are looking two to three years ahead so last year we knew we were going to have some things coming and how to handle certain players and to know just where we are headed," Schneider said recently. "We put different models together. Matt Thomas does a phenomenal job with it. Figure out the best way to navigate it. They are really good problems to have." 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