Randy Carlyle watched the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night from the confines of his home.
Talk about a weird feeling.
"Oh yeah, I watched it, no question. It's strange," Carlyle told ESPN.com Saturday in his first interview since being fired Wednesday night. "But that's part of the healing process you go through over the next few weeks."
Calling it an emotional time for him and his family, Carlyle had nothing but good things to say about the organization that employed him since 2005. Carlyle coached the Ducks to a Stanley Cup championship in June 2007.
"I was very fortunate and I want to thank the Samueli family," he said of the Ducks owners. "This whole experience was nothing but positive for me and my family. What went down in the end, obviously I'm not happy about it but that's the nature of sports. We didn't win and that's the bottom line."
General manager Bob Murray informed Carlyle of the coaching change after Wednesday night's 4-1 win over Montreal. Carlyle took the news hard.
"Murph (Murray) and I had a difference of opinion on how things were going. That happens," said Carlyle. "But the way I look at it, I want the team to win. I wish them all the luck. I want the Anaheim Ducks to win hockey games. Right now though, it's tougher on my family more than anything."
The Ducks hired ex-Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau to replace Carlyle.
Carlyle won't be out of work too long given his pedigree. That means having to pick up and leave though when he gets his next NHL job. And that's the reality hitting home right now.
"It's harder on my 15-year-old daughter more than anyone," said Carlyle. "Her life has just been turned upside down."
Carlyle, meanwhile, doesn't know what to do with himself after his busy work load vanished.
"I've cleaned my garage three or four times," he chuckled. "I helped my wife with the Christmas decorations. That's my life right now. I've got lots of time on my hands and that's the difficult part."
He's going to go fishing up in Northern California this upcoming week to help de-compress.
"Yeah I want to take some time here for myself," said Carlyle. "I'll go fishing for a few days. I'll get re-adjusted, take the opportunity to reflect back. This experience was nothing but positive."
Pierre LeBrun covers the NHL for ESPN.com.