GM: Allegations against Capitals assistant ‘not hockey related’

• Greg WyshynskiSep 18, 2025, 04:25 PM ET

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  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The allegations against Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love are “not hockey-related,” the team’s general manager said on Thursday.

The Capitals announced on Sunday that Love had been placed on a team-imposed leave pending results of an NHL investigation. Love, 41, has been with the Capitals since June 2023 after Spencer Carbery was hired as Washington’s head coach, primarily working with the team’s defensemen.

While Washington GM Chris Patrick declined to offer specifics due to the ongoing NHL investigation, he said it was the Capitals’ understand that “these allegations are more personal in nature and not hockey-related.”

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An NHL source said the allegations also predate his tenure with the Capitals. Carbery said on Thursday that training camp hasn’t been impacted by Love’s absence but declined to address how it might impact his regular-season staff.

“We have a ton of coaches here — [AHL] Hershey staff, [ECHL] South Carolina staff — so there’s a lot of holes that can be filled in training camp,” he said.

Patrick said the team doesn’t have a sense of when the investigation into Love might be completed. “We’ll see how things play out here in camp. Hopefully the League comes to a resolution soon and then we can make decisions based on that,” said Patrick.

Love was a popular head coaching candidate in the offseason and was considered among the finalists for vacancies with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. According to an NHL source, the League and at least two of its teams that interviewed him received a letter that detailed allegations relating to Love’s personal conduct.

The NHL has conducted its investigation over multiple months. The Capitals placed Love on leave after the League informed them about the allegations.

Love was previously an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips and a head coach with the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League. He was a head coach with the AHL Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers before joining the Capitals’ staff.