More Matt Bradley
by Becca H on Nov 19, 2009 1:30 PM EST
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PrintAt the first ever Caps Convention earlier this fall, one of the highlights was watching as distinguished panelists Brooks Laich, David Steckel and Matt Bradley fielded rapid fire questions from some of the toughest interviewers around – kids.
After hard-hitting queries into their favorite breakfast cereal and how long they’d been playing hockey, one small participant stood up and asked them how many goals they wanted to score in the upcoming season.
"One more than Ovie," Laich joked.
Added Steckel, "probably at least 50 with this line."
And then all eyes were on Bradley. "I'm going to aim high," he said. "I'm going for ten."
It was a classic Matt Bradley joke, told with that modest, self-deprecating style that has endeared him to Capitals' fans since his arrival in DC right after the lockout. And yet with every game it seems more and more likely that his tongue-in-cheek prediction could come true – or even prove to be a vast understatement.
In his five seasons with the Caps, Bradley has performed his duties as one would expect. A good, steady, consistent fourth-liner, he's always been able to add a lot of grit and energy to the lineup while chipping in with the occasional goal or fight (or both).
But this year he seems to have a little more jump, a little more finish - and it shows in almost every area of his stats so far:
After a strong postseason performance that saw him pick up his first two career playoff goals, Bradley has taken the momentum and translated it into a great start to the year. In just a quarter of the games played he's already within one goal and one assist of his entire total for last season; he's also only five goals away from his career best, coming back in 2002-03 when he was a second-year pro with the Sharks.
Bradley's also picked up his game in other areas, becoming a jack of all trades on a team that can use a few. He's shooting more and with better accuracy. He's increased his average ice time - a sure sign of trust from the coaching staff - by almost two minutes over last year. And he's become one of the team's best penalty-killers, and has more points per 60 minutes than either Alexander Semin or Brooks Laich - with considerably less skilled linemates.
But numbers don't always tell the whole tale, and they certainly don't with Bradley. What he brings to the team, on and off the ice, is exactly what you want from your role-players - grit, hockey smarts and the ability to lead by example. It's not hard to see why he's beloved by both teammates and fans alike.
Matt Bradley is never going to challenge Ovechkin for the scoring title or become a heavyweight fighter like Donald Brashear was. Yet none of us will soon forget Bradley's performance against the Rangers the other night. It was Bradley that people were talking about afterward. It was his momentum-changing, face-bloodying scrap against the Rangers' Aaron Voros, followed by his game-winning goal against one of the league's best netminders, that carried the discussion.
It takes a lot to overshadow Alex Ovechkin. In one game, with just two shifts, Matt Bradley did exactly that.
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everyone needs more Matt Bradley.
As I said yesterday, Matt graciously signed a bunch of pictures for me to hang up around the office to remind people to recycle. More than a few have said to me “Hey, isn’t that the guy from the game the other night? You know, big fight, blood everywhere and then that awesome goal?” Right now, he’s their favorite hockey player.
Still my favorite player! So glad he is getting some press, just like after game 5 of the rangers series last year.
I wish that there were Bradley chinese knockoff jerseys for 50 bucks that I can afford :(.
I’m with you there. I’ve always liked Brads, but then he did the Red Line sketch and the car sketch and his heroics against the Rags in the playoffs, and I fell in love. Damn China jersey shop #needsmoreBradley!
Man, I just don’t know what we’d do without Matt Bradley shining on our fourth line!
by DrinkingPartner on Nov 19, 2009 1:52 PM EST reply actions
I’m all in when I see him with the Barra.
"I'm just doing karate and trying to get females pregnant."
Ah, so this is the phantom post I saw briefly last night.
"If you're gonna die after 24, might as well jump out at 23:59, no?"
by Laich It Or Lump It on Nov 19, 2009 1:53 PM EST reply actions
Oh, just deja vu, OK.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Nov 19, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
Your Jedi mind tricks don’t work on me.
"If you're gonna die after 24, might as well jump out at 23:59, no?"
by Laich It Or Lump It on Nov 19, 2009 2:24 PM EST up reply actions
Testament to Brads
The few times I’ve stood around looking for signatures, he came out of the players exit and, instead of heading towards his car and waiting to be asked for autographs (like most guys understandably do), Matt waded into the crowd happily looking for a sharpie.
Void Boyd! Go with Perreault!
Am I correct in remembering that Brads has scored against Lundqvist, Nabokov, and Osgood this year?
Void Boyd! Go with Perreault!
That’s one of the two that I AM positive about. It was that severe-angle short side shot.
Void Boyd! Go with Perreault!
/just described half of Matt’s goals all time
Void Boyd! Go with Perreault!
by jordanDC on Nov 19, 2009 2:22 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
It works both ways, really – getting scoring from your fourth lines is a sign of the team playing well; at the same time, the team won’t play well if the fourth line isn’t in the game.
It’s a chicken or the egg type of thing.
How many fourth lines can you have? And if the team can’t play well unless the fourth line is in the game, then doesn’t that mean that it is your first line?
by mechanicsville on Nov 19, 2009 4:12 PM EST up reply actions
The lines was a typo, I meant line. Singular. One fourth line is all you need (unless you’re the Hurric-…never mind).
And no, it doesn’t – the TEAM can’t play well if the 4th line is being dragged along by the 1st line. You can win games that way (and we have, everyone does) but they’re not considered great team games unless everyone plays a role. That’s what I was going for there.
I get it. I was sort of goofing around with my second question there. Thanks.
by mechanicsville on Nov 19, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions
To steal somebody’s line (sorry don’t remember who’s)… Some tool likes Brads for his hard card that wasn’t
DC, where Hockey is a baffling ordeal.
by Chris meet Alex on Nov 19, 2009 2:32 PM EST reply actions
Big Bad Brads
Brads Steckel Laich panel Part One
Brads Steckel Laich panel Part Two
Bradley Fighting Vehicle NOTE: This is film of an actual US Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle in a live fire exercise just outside of Fallujah, Iraq. It has nothing to do with Caps RW Matt Bradley, other than it was the next search result under Bradley/Voros and proves that GooTube agrees that our Brads is a BAMF.
SO FĐŻIENDS, IS BATTLE NOW.
Thank you, I’ve been meaning to rewatch that panel. Too fun.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Nov 19, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions
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Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Nov 19, 2009 3:54 PM EST up reply actions 12 recs
I’ve been debating back and forth about whose jersey I want as my first one, but I have now decided on a #10. Bless you Mr. Bradley.
I’m more than a little pissed that you can’t use player names and numbers on the customized t-shirts on shop.nhl.com.
"Let the rest be scared of us." - Emo Bunny Sasha Semin
by Scott in Shaw on Nov 19, 2009 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
You can now, according to the holiday catalog I got in the mail yesterday.
Void Boyd! Go with Perreault!
Yeah, but when you try on the website, it says roster players are unavailable (despite the description of the item specifically saying that you can).
"Let the rest be scared of us." - Emo Bunny Sasha Semin
by Scott in Shaw on Nov 19, 2009 4:47 PM EST up reply actions
Anyone here want to claim the beauty I saw at the convention? Number 10, nameplate “Professor.”
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Nov 19, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions
Not really sure what it was, but Bradley’s fight against Tootoo last year turned me into a Brads fan for life. He got beaten badly, but I’ll never forget Bruce screaming at the team from behind the bench right after. Down 1-0 and on a four game losing streak, you could almost feel the shift in momentum.
Great player, great Cap.
Just read on CI about green and Clark getting into a little bit of a shoving/yelling altercation during practice..anybody there to see it?
Rest assured
I will be rocking a 10 sweater tomorrow night at the phonebooth.
by Knubles and Bits on Nov 19, 2009 4:50 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
If my girlfriend called out “Matt Bradley” in the heights of passion I’d…I’d…I’d be okay with that.
Everyone’s love life #needsmoreBradley.
MOTIVATE SEMIN
by Holt Worth on Nov 19, 2009 5:58 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Steinz has more on Matt Bradley Week.
“I haven’t watched the fight, I just know halfway through the fight I could feel the blood coming down my face and I wasn’t really sure how it happened,” he said. “There was a lot of punches thrown. Maybe he hit me with a punch, maybe it was the helmet, I don’t know what it was….I have a very paperish face, I guess you could say. If the wind blows the right way, I get cut, and it looks like I’m in a horror film. I’m a bleeder and I cut easily, so that’s probably not a good thing. Lots of times those cuts look a lot worse than they actually are. Going off, I guess, with my face bloody doesn’t look too good, but when you get off there and clean it up, it’s one little cut and it’s easily stitched up.”
how ’bout a new sign….
“Got Matt?”
Rock the Red! Rock the White! Rock the Blue! Rock the Pens!
by RedskinFan4Life on Nov 19, 2009 7:53 PM EST reply actions
Proof
Matt Bradley is proof that hard work pays off. Here’s a list of players on the Caps (and in the organization) clearly with more natural talent that Brads:
Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Green, Laich, Knuble, Morrison, Morrisonn, Pothier, Poti, Varlamov, Theodore, Fleischmann, Fehr, Schultz, Jurcina, Neuvirth, Nylander, Alzner, Carlson, and probably half a dozen more.
People on the Caps and in the Organization that work as hard or harder than Brads:
Ovechkin
Nobody in hockey, and arguably in all professional sports works harder than Ovechkin. Matt Bradley works as hard or close to it. You know when you put him out there, you’ll get everything he has on every shift.
I actually believe that part of the reason the Sharks have had so much trouble in the playoffs recently is because they don’t have Brads anymore (it’s not the only reason, but he certainly could have helped them move on in the postseason.). They didn’t know what to do with him, and they kept bouncing him back and forth between the NHL and AHL. The Pens had him for one year and he showed what he could do in a full-time role. After the lockout, the Caps got him under the radar as a UFA, and he’s an integral part of this team now, and will be until 2011…or longer.
Let's go Caps!
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