In the Ottawa Senators, Bruce Boudreau had a franchise that would bring him closer to his family, and one that he very much considered becoming a part of.

But in the Minnesota Wild, Boudreau said he has a team that can win now, in a great hockey market, and with a general manager who courted him in an impressive fashion.

"It was a really tough decision because my daughter, and granddaughter, and her husband live in Ottawa, and I haven't been near them a lot," Boudreau said on Monday.

But now Boudreau finds himself back in Saint Paul, where he played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the mid 1970's as a part of the World Hockey Association.

That was 40 years ago, at a time Boudreau said, " … wasn't as fervent I would say as it would have been if it was the North Stars, but still, everywhere you went, they knew you were a hockey player, and I'll never forget that."

He's been to Xcel Energy Center plenty of times as a visitor though, having been a head coach in the NHL since 2007. He's gotten a taste of the atmosphere. That, plus the last week, helped Boudreau come to the decision to accept the job and become the fifth head coach of the franchise.

"[General Manager Chuck Fletcher] was tremendously impressive in the interviews," Boudreau said. "They have a good team that, with a little bit of luck is ready to win."

As for what the Wild would look like next season, Boudreau said it's still early to tell, but he did give insights into some of his hockey philosophies, and how he has made things work in the past. Boudreau has the highest winning-percentage among all active head coaches, and became the fastest coach in NHL history to reach 400 wins, doing so in 663 games.

"To be successful for the most part you have to be able to skate in this league, and you have to be able to defend, because there are so many great players, and the speed is so fast on most teams," he said. "If you can't do either one of those things, then you're usually chasing the game, which isn't a good thing."

Read more at wild.com.