Ducks promote Sudarshan Maharaj to director of goaltending, hire Peter Budaj as goalie coach
The team from Orange County has made some notable changes within its goaltending department.
On Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks announced they have promoted Sudarshan Maharaj from goaltending coach to director of goaltending. Former NHL netminder Peter Budaj has been hired as the Ducks’ new goaltending coach.
The team also revealed Tim Army is being added to the bench as an assistant coach.
NEWS: We have promoted longtime goaltending coach Sudarshan Maharaj to our Director of Goaltending!
We're also proud to announce the hirings of assistant coach Tim Army and NHL goaltending coach Peter Budaj.
Read more on our 2024-25 coaching staff ⬇️https://t.co/FfFk81GAd3
The 2024-25 season will be Maharaj’s 12th with the franchise. Over the past seven years, he has been the team’s goaltending coach, working as a consultant for minor league affiliates when he first came to the Ducks in 2013. Maharaj was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2023, but is now cancer-free after having a very small chance of survival.
The native of Trinidad and Tobago previously worked for the New York Islanders as their goaltending coach (2003-06) and consultant (2009-12). Maharaj also was the goaltending consultant for the Korean National Team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Maharaj will now be overseeing all aspects of the organization’s goaltending, with Budaj and San Diego Gulls goaltending coach Jeff Glass reporting to him.
Budaj played 17 years in the NHL, making stops with the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning. In 368 NHL appearances, the Slovakian backstop posted a 158-132-40 record with a 2.70 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and 18 shutouts.
After hanging up his pads, he went into coaching. He worked with the Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, over the last two-plus seasons as its goaltending coach.
Army has been coaching for close to four decades. Army was on Ron Wilson’s staff in the first four years of the Ducks’ franchise, moving with Wilson to the Washington Capitals in 1997. He was also an assistant with the Avalanche from 2011-17. In total, Army has been an assistant coach in the NHL for 15 years. He has also served as the head coach of the Iowa Wild and Portland Pirates of the AHL.