Daydreaming of a Dynasty

by Stephen Pepper on Oct 6, 2009 3:00 PM EDT Comment 34 comments

More photos » Winslow Townson - AP

Ooh, that controversial word: dynasty. Ted bristled at the impetuous suggestion. Talk of an inchoate championship is just that, and clearly, painfully, we haven't won anything yet. But this Washington Capitals team is now being described in a manner typically reserved for only the best squads in recent memory.

It being wedding preparation countdown for me (now T-minus five days and counting until I get hitched), I was unable to make the trip southward, to the most powerful city in the world, to enjoy the opening night festivities last Saturday. But I was consoled by, perhaps, the next best thing: watching the HNIC broadcast of the game in HD, and listening to the captivating voice of Jim Hughson, calling the play. I first became acquainted with Hughson's engrossing delivery via NHL '98 ("Grrrreat save by Kolzig!"), and he remains one of my favorite TV announcers.

Anyway, Hughson mentioned that, during a conversation with Maple Leafs bench boss Ron Wilson (now much more severe, much less "Crazy" than during his tenure in Washington), Wilson compared this current Capitals team to the Edmonton Oilers of the early '80s. Stop Alex Ovechkin, as he put it, and Alexander Semin will dent you. Exhaust yourselves shutting down the top line, and the likes of Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble could combine to do damage. And, oh yeah, keep your eye on that Mike Green kid on the blueline.

Just how far can we take this tantalizing comparison?

As you'll recall, Green has already been prominently compared to the great Paul Coffey. And while Ovechkin's goal-scoring prowess suggests approaching Wayne Gretzky's gaudy goal totals, including comment from the Great One himself, The Great Eight has also been compared, in certain capacities, to Mark Messier.

Nicklas Backstrom registered 67 "adjusted" assists in his second full NHL season versus 85 adjusted assists for Gretzky in his second full season. No one touches Gretzky in the assist department in his early Eighties heyday, but Backstrom's latest season at least, let's say, orbits Planet Gretzky. Number 99 centered Jari Kurri for all of the Finnish legend's 354 Oilers goals through the 1986-87 season. Nick has centered his superstar winger, Ovechkin, for just about half of the latter's 222 goals to date.

Bumping Knuble up onto the top line, as we'll see periodically throughout this season, and Semin onto line two, creates a second line, with a healthy B-Mo, which, in an ideal world, could rival Glenn Anderson on Messier's wing.

Current Caps Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich, and Knuble could pitch in secondary scoring the likes of which the 1983-84 Oilers enjoyed from wingers Pat Hughes and Dale's brother Dave Hunter.

After Green, the comparisons on the blue line get a bit hazy (since this Oilers team played well before my hockey watching time, though they did make two trips to the old Capital Centre per season). But, at least anecdotally, when I read Peter Gzowski's elegant description of Lee Fogolin, in The Game of Our Lives, as "the brawny, wood-working defenseman," I think of John Erskine.

Finally, what of the goalie tandems on the two teams? Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog, today, sound like a dynamite pair for any team. Fuhr and Moog split duties patrolling the Oliers pipes in the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals, after the former was injured in Game 3. Could José Theodore and Semyon Varlamov (or even Michal Neuvirth and Varlamov) provide a similar collective performance? We can only hope to find out.

That Oilers team, incidentally, won 57 games that season, far and away the best record in the league. And those were all "true" wins. No shootout victories in those days.

Lest we get too euphoric, and be accused of a baseless comparison, let's set out the "adjusted stats" of the top ten scorers of the current crop of Caps (using 2008-09 season figures) and those of the top ten point getters on the '83-'84 Oilers, the team that won the first of the four Oilers' championships during that decade. For those unfamiliar, adjusted stats seek to "account for different schedule lengths, roster sizes, and scoring environments." (J.P. used them back in July to assess where Ovi's last two campaigns rank amongst those of other greats in Capitals history.)

1983-84 Edmonton Oilers Top Ten (Adjusted) Scorers

Player	Pos.	GP	G	A	PTS
Wayne Gretzky	C	74	69	94	163
Paul Coffey	D	80	31	69	100
Jari Kurri	RW	64	41	49	90
Mark Messier	C	73	29	51	80
Glenn Anderson	RW	80	33	31	64
Ken Linseman	C	72	14	39	53
Pat Hughes	RW	77	21	22	43
Dave Hunter	LW	80	17	21	38
Kevin Lowe	D	80	3	33	36
Charlie Huddy	D	75	6	27	33
Totals			264	436	700

2008-09 Washington Capitals Top Ten (Adjusted) Scorers

Player	Pos.	GP	G	A	PTS
Alex Ovechkin	LW	79	59	55	114
Nicklas Backstrom	C	82	23	67	90
Alexander Semin	LW / RW	62	36	46	82
Mike Green	D	68	33	43	76
Brooks Laich	C / LW	82	24	30	54
Mike Knuble	RW	82	29	20	49
Tomas Fleischmann	LW	73	20	18	38
Brendan Morrison	C	81	17	15	32
Eric Fehr	RW	61	13	13	26
David Steckel	C	76	8	11	19
Totals			262	318	580

The adjusted numbers are closer than I had thought.

One thing that strikes me here, in addition to the vast disparity in assists awarded, is the lack of offense from the blue line. After Green, no other Caps' D-man totaled more than 11 assists all season. Lowe and Huddy rounded out the top ten scorers on the Oilers, and Randy Gregg was just behind them. Perhaps a full season of Brian Pothier will help there. He notched 30 assists with the Senators in 2005-06.

Some might also hasten to point out that the current squad in D.C. no longer has an enforcer like Dave Semenko. The required team toughness remains to be seen with this current Caps club.

Of course, there's just one spoiler to all of this daydreaming. The Caps aren't the only team in the league with a young corps worthy of comparison to the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s. And that other team is one Stanley Cup victory ahead of us. For now.

1 recs | Comment 34 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

You captured something I was thinking about earlier today. It isn’t the Penguins that more closely resemble the 1980’s Oilers in style, it’s the Caps. The Penguins more closely resemble the Oilers’ predecessor in dynastic hockey, the Islanders, in terms of style.

If you've read this far...seek help.

by ThePeerless on Oct 6, 2009 3:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I like where you’re going with that, Peerless.

by Stephen Pepper on Oct 6, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not as familiar with the Islanders and I am with those Oilers, but I’ll agree with you. The current Pens, while talented, wear you down by grinding out 60 minutes a night (except Oct. to Feb. last season). The Caps are sleek, slick, and, yes, a little sexy. They’re a hell of a lot of fun to watch, even if they do implode every so often as a result. I’m just hoping the imploding is kept to a minimum.

by RedBirdie on Oct 6, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dunno how comfortable I am about talk of dynasties at this point…

"You're gonna eat that g**d**n Koho, three!"

by fat_daddyo on Oct 6, 2009 3:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I did write “daydreaming.” For sure, it’s all talk for now, but fun talk.

by Stephen Pepper on Oct 6, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree. It’s iffy enough when people talk about it after a team wins a single championship—speaking of a dynasty after a grand total of zero Cups I think is pretty presumptuous.

"My face is my mask."

by jakeshapiro on Oct 6, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

many lovely points (“Crazy” Ron Wilson was a hell of a lot more fun than this current incarnation, no? Shame.)

The Caps have the pieces. Now they have to make them work all the way through June.

(congrats on the upcoming wedding!)

by RedBirdie on Oct 6, 2009 3:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Y’all win the cup, then we’ll talk dynasties.

By the way, congrats on the wedding. :)

Follow me on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/SLStarsFan

by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Oct 6, 2009 3:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

First the 50 in 50 post and now talk of a dynasty. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst

by Killer_Carlson on Oct 6, 2009 3:14 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I love the optimism of October. Reality will arrive pretty soon, and then the Olympics will derail our momentum, and then we’ll be buckling down for the home stretch. Now is the perfect time for reasoned flights of fancy.

"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."

by CapitalCentre on Oct 6, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re-read the 50-in-50 post – it basically was saying “let’s put a stop on this talk before it starts, b/c it ain’t happenin’, barring the perfect storm.”

Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world

by J.P. on Oct 6, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You’re right, I didn’t mean to call out that post specifically for furthering the hype, moreso the fact that it was even being discussed after 2 games.

Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst

by Killer_Carlson on Oct 6, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let’s hope that AO can score 47 goals before 10 pm tonight so that we can put this thing to REST.

Damn, yo.

by DrinkingPartner on Oct 6, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ovie = Keyser Söze

by S h a g g y on Oct 6, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The greatest trick AO ever pulled was convincing the Pens fans he’s not the best player on earth.

If you're after gettin' the honey, then you don't go killin' all them bees.

by Fehr and Balanced on Oct 6, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

1) Many teams have had the ‘pieces’ to be a potential dynasty, only to underachieve/fall apart. Most recently the Senators and Sharks seemed poised to dominate for years, yet neither (so far) has won a thing.
2) In the new salary capped NHL its harder than ever to retain a core group for very long. The days of going to the Finals 5 years in a row (islanders) or even getting to the Final 4 in consecutive seasons is a tall order! Nice to dream, but best to take it one year at a time, and enjoy the ride while you can.

I find sometimes it's easy to be myself
sometimes I find it's better to be somebody else

by Fauxrumors on Oct 6, 2009 3:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I thought a lot about the Senators recently, what with Emery coming back and Heatley’s antics.

When thye were riding high, they used to DESTROY teams – embarrass them. Every game, it seemed they would be winning 8-3, 10-1, 6-2.

It is one of the great anomalies that the President’s Cup winners only take the Cup about 1/3 of the time.

by S h a g g y on Oct 6, 2009 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought a lot about the Senators recently, what with Emery coming back and Heatley’s antics.

When they were riding high, they used to DESTROY teams – embarrass them. Every game, it seemed they would be winning 8-3, 10-1, 6-2.

It is one of the great anomalies that the President’s Cup winners only take the Cup about 1/3 of the time.

by S h a g g y on Oct 6, 2009 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And them lowly Caps beat them twice under Hanlon.

by red army line on Oct 7, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Senators were never really a dynasty threat, IMO. They had one stud line and a nice veteran D corps but they didn’t look like they were primed to be good for a decade. Alfredsson was already old and they already had cap problems (hence Chara moving on). I always though they were on a short window.

I do agree that it’s near impossible to have a 4-5 year Cup finals run anymore. Looking at the east alone you know that WAS, PIT, PHI are going to be good for a long time. Obviously every year will present other challengers.

If you're after gettin' the honey, then you don't go killin' all them bees.

by Fehr and Balanced on Oct 6, 2009 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And a few teams have killed any chance at becoming a dynasty by paying too much to “win now,” with poor results. For example, the Islanders draft picks from the last 20 years would make one hell of a team. I think Chicago killed themselves in the last two offseasons by wrecking their salary cap — it’s just going to take a little more time for that to play out.

What I love about the Caps right now is the patience. I think a lot of it comes from McPhee’s sense of his own security. He can afford to play the long game because he knows he has full support from upstairs. Leonsis gets the ultimate credit for that.

Atta dinnin stick a who!

by Gould Old Days on Oct 6, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed totally.

If you're after gettin' the honey, then you don't go killin' all them bees.

by Fehr and Balanced on Oct 6, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hughson is definitely in my top five announcers.

Winterion Game Studios
Visit us online at : http://winterion.com

by winterion on Oct 6, 2009 3:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Congrats on the upcoming nuptials Pepper, very cool.

by Sct112 on Oct 6, 2009 3:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Pepper and his new bride will have their own little dynasty. Mazel tov!

IS PAЯTY NOW

by Your Nation's Capital on Oct 6, 2009 4:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think you’ve got to win one before you can talk dynasty, but I get your drift. The Edmonton Oiler comparison is spot on, though. Saturday night as I watched the Caps go at the Leafs in waves, I turned to the guy next to me and said “these guys remind me of the old Oilers”. What struck me the most was just how much faster they were than Toronto and if you remember back to the Gretzky Oilers, they were always fIying up and down the ice. I truly doubt anybody is going to be a dynasty like we saw in the 80s, but I sure am enjoying watching these Caps play on a nightly basis.

by b.orr4 on Oct 6, 2009 4:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If we could get as many breakaways and odd man rushes as we had in that game every night, we’d be sitting pretty all season long.

Maybe play with an edge, be a little more physical -- maybe be more of a prick out there.

by jordanDC on Oct 6, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The breakaways were sick, how many were there? 4?

One guy just drove his semi as a float. I guess semis are cool.

by zephyr on Oct 6, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I only saw Gretzky live a couple of times, but that was what struck me about him. He’d start out like 5 feet behind a guy, and look like he was barely trying, but he’d zip right past and snag the puck.

"You're gonna eat that g**d**n Koho, three!"

by fat_daddyo on Oct 6, 2009 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Makes me think of Ovechkin on Lucic the other night (although of course the particulars are different. Ovi does it more with his body, Greztky with speed)

Atta dinnin stick a who!

by Gould Old Days on Oct 6, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the guys guarding Gretzky were actually trying.

If you're after gettin' the honey, then you don't go killin' all them bees.

by Fehr and Balanced on Oct 6, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ted read this article, and disapproves!

"My face is my mask."

by jakeshapiro on Oct 6, 2009 6:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Of course, the fact that Ted responds in that way actually supports Pepper’s post. Take that Ted!

Atta dinnin stick a who!

by Gould Old Days on Oct 6, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s good to be read, and I think another read would perhaps lend a clarity to the point of this (and the last) post that seems to be missing.

Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world

by J.P. on Oct 6, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed

Search

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

FanShots

Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.

Southeast Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
Washington Japers' Rink	72	48	14	10	106
Atlanta Bird Watchers Anonymous	72	32	29	11	75
Florida Litter Box Cats	71	29	31	11	69
Carolina Canes Country	72	30	34	8	68
Tampa Bay Raw Charge	72	28	32	12	68