The Washington Capitals have announced the dismissal of assistant coach Mitch Love following the conclusion of an NHL investigation into his “personal conduct”.
“Mitch Love has been relieved of his duties as an assistant coach, effective immediately,” the Capitals said in a statement. “This decision follows the findings of an NHL-led investigation into past allegations. The organization is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct and accountability.”
Love had been on a team-imposed leave of absence since September 14th after allegations arose stemming from off ice incidents in his personal life. According to reports, the NHL received a letter detailing allegations of personal misconduct in June and began an investigation into the matter immediately.
Following a months long review process, the NHL announced that Love would be suspended for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, and that he could apply for reinstatement for 2026-27. Washington then made the internal decision to relieve him of his duties with the team.
“While I am disappointed by and disagree with the NHL’s decision, I respect the process and accept both the league’s findings and the Capitals’ decision,” Love said in a statement provided to The Washington Post by his representative, Josh Vlasto. “I will continue to openly cooperate throughout this process. That said, I fully deny the allegations against me and look forward to returning to the sport I love as soon as possible.”
Love was hired as an assistant coach on Spencer Carbery’s staff in June of 2023 following multiple stints behind the bench in the AHL, and WHL.
While the NHL has yet to comment publicly on the nature of the investigation into Love, multiple outlets including Dose.ca, and NHL insider Frank Seravalli have reported that the issue stems from allegations of domestic abuse.
The Capitals have kept comments about Love short, and limited to prepared statements to date. The team is off on Monday but will travel to Dallas to take on the Stars in an 8:30pm ET matchup on Tuesday evening.
Photo: TheAHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.