If it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, could be it's a fired duck!

You would think that defeating the storied Montreal Canadiens by a score of 4-1 would be a victory to savour, an opportunity to reflect on a struggling team coming together to take down one of the league's historic franchises.

Yet, the parking lot was probably not even empty yet when word came down that Randy Carlyle had been dismissed as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, General Manager Bob Murray issuing the ever popular statement at these kind of moments of "This was an extremely difficult decision... Randy is a terrific head coach, and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons ... At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed"

Welcome to the new voice of Bruce Boudreau, Gabby as he's affectionately known over at HBO, was dismissed on Monday by the Capitals, at the time expressing his wish to work again in the NHL, as befitting a place that holds the Magic Kingdom, when you wish upon a star...  there you are.

In what surely is an NHL record for time unemployed between gigs, Boudreau grabs the reins of a rather familiar scenario, a team with a fair bit of talent that suddenly has forgotten how to score goals (Wednesday night notwithstanding), it was  a conundrum that Carlyle couldn't figure out over the start of the season.

Though to be fair to the now former coach, this years Ducks isn't quite the same team that went to the Stanley Cup a few years back,

Though he will have a bit of time to think about his options,  in addition to outlining the genius of the Ducks in this move, the Puck Daddy blog reports that Carlyle's paycheque is guaranteed until 2014, something that apparently weighed on the minds of management apparently not keen on having two coaches on the payroll at the same time.

Still, with Boudreau on the market and any number of teams chomping at the bit to shake things up, it appears that the Ducks felt that they couldn't delay in having Boudreau build a nest at the Duck Pond.

So unless the Ducks turn to the Phoenix Coyote method of payments due (ask Wayne Gretxky for details) it would seem that Calrlye is financially set for the next couple of years, allowing him to wait for a position to open up that might provide for more performance from the players.

The dismissal of Carlyle marks the third coach this week to lose his job, NHL GM's apparently not overcome with the sense of family that American Thanksgiving is supposed to generate.

Judging by the volume of coaches dismissed this week, those coaches on the bubble best not make too many plans for Boxing Day, if the Thanksgiving massacres are any indication, that might be the next day of dismissal for struggling coaches.

Orange County Register-- Ducks fire Carlyle after victory, hire Boudreau
Orange County Register-- Ducks fire Carlyle and bring in Boudreau
Orange County Register-- Boudreau hiring a real slap shot
Orange County Register-- Carlyle's career with the Ducks
Los Angeles Tiomes-- Ducks fire Randy Carlyle, hire Bruce Boudreau as coach
CBC-- Ducks hire Boudreau as head coach, dump Carlyle
Globe and Mail-- Ducks fire Carlyle, hire Boudreau
National Post-- Ducks fire Randy Carlyle, hire Bruce Boudreau in the dead of the night
Toronto Star-- A new Twist 
Toronto Star-- Burke tweets "our coach isn't going anywhere" after Ducks fire Carlyle
Toronto Sun-- Leafs coachWilson "isn't going anywhere"
Toronto Sun-- Ducks can Carlyle, hire Boudreau
Sportsnet-- Boudreau going to Disneyland

The full listing of coaching dismissals this season can be found at our Hired to Be Fired archives.