The Washington Capitals placed assistant coach Mitch Love on leave pending the results of an investigation by the NHL, the team announced Sunday afternoon. Washington’s training camp for the 2025-26 season opens Thursday; Love will not be in attendance, and a decision on his future will be made after the NHL concludes its investigation.
Love, a former player and coach for the Everett Silvertips, is the only player so far to have his number retired by the WHL franchise.
The investigation began this summer when the NHL received a letter that contained allegations relating to Love’s personal conduct, according to a person in the league familiar with the matter. At the time, Love, 41, was one of the top candidates to become a head coach in the summer hiring cycle; he reportedly was a finalist for the head coaching roles in Seattle, Pittsburgh and Boston.
As Love’s name became more prominent in media coverage of the hiring searches, the league received the letter, which also was sent to one of the teams interested in hiring him. Love was not hired as a head coach, and the NHL opened an investigation.
The NHL has not shared details with the Capitals beyond the existence of the allegations and the subsequent investigation. A spokesperson for the league declined to comment on the investigation. Love did not immediately reply to a text message seeking comment.
Love was not present for Washington’s prospect development camp at the beginning of July, an absence that the Capitals later said was for personal reasons. During that time, he was engaged in interviews with NHL personnel as part of the investigation.
Love became an assistant coach for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, a Canadian junior league, in 2011. In 2018, he became the head coach of a different WHL team, the Saskatoon Blades.
After three seasons with Saskatoon, Love was hired as head coach of the Calgary Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate and won back-to-back AHL coach of the year awards for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. In June 2023, then-new Capitals coach Spencer Carbery hired Love to be an assistant on his staff in Washington.
Love also has worked as an assistant coach for Hockey Canada at several international events, most recently at the 2021 under-20 world championships, where Canada received the silver medal.
Per the terms of his contract, Love will be paid while he is on leave.
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