Shaone Morrisonn and the Caps move to 3-0 on the season against Pittsburgh, outscoring the Pens 15-8 along the way.
over 3 years ago
J.P.
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Nice call. That’s what I get for trusting the Yahoo! caption…
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
As a Leaf fan...
…I know a little bit about teams getting – I believe the kids call it – “pwned”. And THAT, my friends, was a pwning.
Just out of curiosity, what level of concern do Caps fans generally have about the quality of goaltending you’ve been getting from Theodore? That second goal looked weak to me (and I speak from experience, having watched CuJo and ToskaLoL all year)….anybody worried about JT going in to the playoffs?
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
It was a microcosm of the season so far. He started the season bad, but has been great since. Today, Theo let in two bad goals, and then was brilliant the rest of the way, with a few really great saves.
he’s been streaky all his career. It’s just a question of what kind of steak he’s on during the playoffs.
by Gould Old Days on Feb 22, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions
True 'dat
But it’s gotta be a little bit worrisome, given that Huet played out of his mind goal for you guys last spring, and the team still came up a little short. I fully believe that Ovie, Semin and (particularly) Backstrom will have benefitted from last year’s introduction to playoff hockey, but isnt’ the bottom line that the D has to be better, and that starts with the goaltending?
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
Not trying to be captain bringdown, just wondering what’s in GMGM’s mind for the trade deadline approaching – and what’s on the wish list that y’all are drawing up for him.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
I would be shocked if goaltending was addressed at the deadline (and I wasn’t shocked when it was last year).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yeah, but JT seems to have some rebound control issues again, for what it’s worth.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Feb 22, 2009 6:23 PM EST up reply actions
Imo Huet was only average against the Flyers in the playoffs. If he’d been even good, the Caps win that one in 6.
In the end-of-season run to the playoffs, he had great stats, but against uniformly weak teams.
Joe-zay ain’t great all the time. He might be good enough on this team, though.
The Caps ain’t trading for any goaltenders, so here’s hoping he will be.
I assert that Huet got overplayed in that series. However, our biggest problem probably was the team’s general youth and playoff inexperience. This year that will not be a problem.
by CapitalCentre on Feb 22, 2009 5:35 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe at one point, but...
…can you say he was overplayed by game 3? That was the game he lost us IMO (well, him and Jurcina). I guess the stretch run took too much out of him because he definitely wasn’t all there vs. the Flyers. Thankfully we won’t be scrambling this year just to make it in.
Since getting pulled in NY on December 23, Jose is 15-4-2/2.20/.921.
Goaltending is not a problem here, and he’s been nearly as good over the past two months as Huet was for the 1.5 that he was here.
That said, he has given up a few more “bad” goals of late, including today’s two (certainly the first).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Those are some good #s
I had no idea he’d been on that kind of a tear in the last little while.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
So Jose, since that date: 15-4-2/2.20/.921
Huet (including playoffs): 14-6-0/2.11/.925
Obviously the playoffs are a different bird than the regular season, but you can see that maybe it’s the team/system/etc. and not that Huet is a hell of a lot better than Theodore.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting Huet was necessarily the guy – Chicago seems to agree (with the Habs) that he’s not a bona fide starter – he’s been backing up Khabibulin all year.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
Wow $5+ M for a backup goalie...
I don’t think that’s what Chicago had in mind. I’m glad we have JT60 and I believe he has what it takes to get us all the way there. All I know is that right now i’d rather have him then: Huet, Marc-Andre Fluery or Cary Price…. there are some guys I’d take ove him but I don’t see the Rangers parting with Lundqvist, the Devils parting with Brodeaur; the Bruins trading Thomas (or even Fernandez though after the Lightning Game today I don’t think we want him over Theo) or Luongon, Nabby or Backstrom from the Western Conference.
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 7:56 PM EST up reply actions
Agree.
First goal was real bad.
Second one would have been a good but makeable save.
He does balance out, at least a little bit, the bad goals with some good saves. I thought he slammed the door on the Pens pretty good in the third today.
What IS on the wish list hereabouts then – or will you likely be standing pat?
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
This is just my personal opinion on a wish list:
1. I’d like to see a physical, gritty D-man who can play honest defense; and
2. the Caps not mortgage the future to get him.
An upgrade on D (and the PK) would be the final piece for this team.
Oh, and I’d like to see Nylander ride out of town, but I have to admit that when there was chatter in the pre-season about trading him, I was totally against it. Which just proves that George McPhee knows a lot more than I do, so I’m pretty relaxed about letting him do his job and me do mine (i.e., rooting).
Rumour has it Jay Bouwmeester will be available – would you give up draft picks to get a guy like him?
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
FLA won’t move him in division, we don’t have the cap space, and I’m not giving up what he costs unless we get to negotiate an extension before the deadline. None of that will get resolved so he’s going somewhere else (or nowhere).
Damn, I always forget about the stupid cap…
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
I think that, as a rental player, they would move him in the division were the price right. But the cap makes it a non issue.
How confident do you think they’d be that the Caps couldn’t resign him? I don’t see anyone trading for him unless they plan on making a serious attempt to extend him. Does FLA just take the picks/prospects from the Caps and hope that we can’t extend him? My guess is that if the deals were even close to equal they would prefer to send him out of the division, and probably out west.
With the defensive talent the Caps have in the pipeline, I am very hopeful that they don’t take on any big contracts for blueliners. Even if the cap situation would allow it, which my gut tells me it would not. I completely don’t understand the cap, though, so take that for what it’s worth.
So, I’m hoping no J-Bo this year.
We actually had a discussion on Bouwmeester, and I’m not the only Caps fan who’d rather have Ballard or Boynton.
How the HELL does Shaone Morrisonn keep getting a sweater?
I have to laugh at this comment, given the screen name below it. Witt almost was never a Cap for roughly the same reasons as Boynton
by Gould Old Days on Feb 22, 2009 5:52 PM EST up reply actions
Fair enough; but the losing goalie’s numbers never really look that good. I’m just going from my memory here, but it seemed like with Huet last year it was kind of a timing thing – he was great when the rest of the team wasn’t as psyched and vice-versa. He made some off the hook saves for sure in that game 7.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
When was the rest of the team not “as psyched?” This team was a machine from Thanksgiving through Game 7 of the first round, with VERY few exceptions.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Also, consider that the young players on the caps were lost at sea for the first (at least) 3 games of the Flyers series. Once they had their sea legs – continuing with the nautical metaphor – in the playoffs under them, they were very good.
Not to jinx anything, but I would certainly not want to face this team in a 7-gamer.
I agree totally – see my comments above about Semin and Backstrom in particular benefitting from last year’s experience – but the competition only gets tougher the deeper into the playoffs you go…
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
Game 3 comes to mind. I thought the Caps came out waaaay flat. Even though the Flyers got 6, it was like a shooting gallery for Huet, especially on the PK. There were other periods when I thought the same thing (in other games); late in game 1 comes to mind, IIRC Huet kind of held the fort while the Caps floundered a bit and THEN came up with the big comeback to win.
Didn’t the Caps also get shut out in game 2? Seems to me the skaters weren’t buzzing around the same way in that one that they had been at the end of game 1.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
The first 3.5 games of that series the Caps weren’t on their game, and that includes Huet. He didn’t steal game 1 for us, that was our young guns. Huet certainly could have made a big difference in games 3 and 4 with a few key saves (that he was making during the end of the regular season) but he just wasn’t sporting the same game as got us to the playoffs. The most unforgivable goal against by Huet was the Richards penalty shot in game 3. He makes that save and it is a different game (we were starting to come on for those who remember) but he utterly blew it (no stick in front of the five hole, really?) and the rest is history.
I'm still a little pissed at Huet for game 3...
…he really wasn’t up to par in that game. He didn’t even try on the Richards penalty shot.
Actually...
Huet played out of his mind for the regular season last spring, in the playoffs he was a quite pedestrian .909 and 2.93. Jose was .940 and 2.00. (Until he got the flu and faced the SC Champs)
I've been more worried
that they’d get pushed around again like they did in the Flyers series last year. Then the NBC guy actually listed how many guys we have over 200 lbs and well, the hitting looked a lot more aggressive today. The stat sheet may say PIT had more, but the ones the Caps laid looked like they actually had an effect.
Jose will be fine, I’d guess.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Theo should have had the second goal, but let’s be honest, that was a sick shot by Gonchar — high and just inside the pipe. I actually was more upset with the huge rebound that he gave up on the first goal.
That said, he is not the worry for the Caps. He’ll be fine if they play some consistent D in front of him.
My 3 Stars
- 1 – Tom Poti: 8:04 shorthanded, and nary a goal on any of those kills. 4 blocks. +2 at even strength, with an assist.
- 2 – Ovechkin: Came to play, made Crosby and Malkin feel shame. He was a beast all over the ice.
- 3 – Backstrom: Fantastic play on the PP, with two primary assists (including one real beauty). And he played 4:45 of shorthanded time. If special teams are the secret to success in the new NHL, then Backstrom is our ace in the hole.
I liked Poti’s game, but that 3rd period elbow sticks in my mind as unacceptable for a team leader when you’ve got a 3-goal lead.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I agree, but Semin got a star despite his idiotic retaliation trip. And Semin’s stupid penalty came in a 1-goal game, Poti’s came with a 3 goal lead.
by Gould Old Days on Feb 22, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
Semin also took home the hard hat. BB spoke post-game about Semin giving max effort, and needing the same from him every time out (paraphrased). Sad that effort is even a question, but good to see BB addressing it with players.
by Natty Bumppo on Feb 22, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions
I didn’t mind that because that’s the kind of toughness our D lacks (the mean SOB). It was a bit irresponsible, but it was good to see SOMEONE step up for a teammate who took a cheap shot down on the other end of the ice.
He could have picked his time a bit better (especially since he’s our leader on D) but I did not mind it because we were up 3.
Brash can stick up for himself (which is why Orpik didn’t answer the bell). You don’t have a guy like Brash so a guy like Poti can stick up for him, it’s vice versa. Poti needs to let Brash handle that stuff and focus on playing good D for us.
by Rob Parker on Feb 22, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Interesting stat of the afternoon
Fleury had three giveaways, more than anyone on the Caps other than Erskine.
My observations from the game…
GREAT playoff atmosphere.
We were 7/8 on the PK – but I think it had more to do with their ineptness then our PK. but we’ll take it.
Does Laich really have 14 goals?
In my opinion, we can beat anyone in the East 5 on 5. Problem is we like to take too many STUPID penalties (I mean we took 8 penalties today – EIGHT!).
Not going to lie, I laughed (but also wanted to cry with bad memories) a bit whenever that puck jumped over Gonchar’s stick and over the blue line.
To the 4 pens fans who were sitting in sec. 426 row B that left with 2 minutes left in the game – CLASSY MOVE TO TALK SHIT AND FLICK OFF THE OLD LADIES sitting behind you. You wont say anything to a grown ass man, but you’ll talk shit to mothers. Nice.
Great team win. Let’s get after philthy.
To the 4 pens fans who were sitting in sec. 426 row B that left with 2 minutes left in the game – CLASSY MOVE TO TALK SHIT AND FLICK OFF THE OLD LADIES sitting behind you. You wont say anything to a grown ass man, but you’ll talk shit to mothers. Nice.
Presumably on their way to rush home and post all over Pensblog.
No doubt about it....
Pens fans suck
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions
My observations on the game
1. That was domination. Made the Pens look like girls. even when the Pens got it to 3-2 and had a PP, I said to the wife, “They’re gonna put ’em away”.
2. Crosby – what a bitch.
3. If the Caps hadn’t gotten a bad dose of the cutesies, they would have put 8 on the board.
4. Thought the officiating was horribly one-sided. Didn’t see anything horrible against the Caps – and thanks to NBC, I literally didn’t see a couple of the penalties – but I did see a pile of non-calls in favor of the Pens.
5. At the risk of repeating myself, someone needs to cross-check Sidney Crosby in the mouth. Saw Dave Semenko do that to someone to gave Gretsky a little slash, btw; a great moment in hockey.
From Sid’s postgame remarks on Ovechkin:
On the end of the second period: “I was skating to the bench and he pushed me from behind so I gave him a shot back. That’s hockey and he likes to run around these days, so that was it.”
Q: What do you think of some of his showmanship, some of the taunting, stuff like that?
A: It’s what I expect from him.
Q: Ever think it crosses the line?
A: I don’t like it personally, but that’s him. Like it or not, that’s what he does. Some people like it, some people don’t. Personally I don’t like it, but you know what? He’s a good player.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Feb 22, 2009 4:42 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Whiny Diver complains that players chirp at him “always.” Gee, I can’t imagine why. Maybe it’s because for 60 minutes Sid only initiated contact after the whistle. (Like when he speared Brooks Laich in the first.)
WD goes on to complain about AO making a spectacle of himself and adds that AO likes to “run around.” Oh really? Wasn’t it Sid stood at the end of the PIT bench yelling at AO while the Caps laughed at Sid. AO told Sid to sit down… which isn’t too different from how PIT responded to its captian. Didn’t see a whole lot of PIT backing up WD on Sunday…
by TylerG on Feb 22, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 7 recs
if you could do more than give a rec on a post, i’d be doing it. that’s awesome.
seriously, can it be more transparent that other players despise Sid; his teammates don’t respect him; and the continued force-feeding of Sir Bitchalot as the Golden Boy is horribly at odds with his actual deportment?
by fat_daddyo on Feb 22, 2009 4:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I highly doubt that his teammates don’t respect him. For all his faults he is a ridiculously talented player and from all accounts a hard worker. A talented guy that works hard is always going to have respect. As for other players, I am sure a lot are sick of his yapping and double standard given to him by the refs.
I don’t know. I’ve played with some talented, hard working guys who thought they were entitled to do whatever they want, that no one should touch them, and that the refs should be at their mercy and I hated it.
Gretzky thought he should get to do whatever he wanted and thought the refs should treat him differently, I don’t remember that ever making any difference in the way his teammates thought about him.
Yes, but Gretz didn’t cheap-shot the opposition at every opportunity, didn’t bitch about calls every time (sometimes, yes, but only when he thought he had a legit gripe – not that he didn’t get most calls, of course), and he wasn’t fake, fake, fake in that way that puts your teeth right on edge.
Gretz had his fair of cheap shots. Anyone remember him taking a whack at Doug Gilmour and then hiding? It happened and he got the double standard but his teammates still loved him. I don’t think NHL players have the time or inclination to determine if they will stick up for a player based on if they like them. They are professionals remember, and a big part of the game is team toughness. I think this PIT team just is not tough and they are missing Malone and Roberts more than they thought they would. It’s not a personal reflection on Crosby.
Anyone remember him taking a whack at Doug Gilmour and then hiding?
Yes. An entire city; in fact, most of the people in Canada. But not Kerry Fraser.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
Have to admit I do not recall Gretz taking a shot at Dougie Gilmour (who, btw, could more than stand up for himself).
I for certain do not recall Gretz performing in any way near to what Crosby does. To wit, dealing out little slashes after the play on a regular basis; yapping to other players on an almost continual basis; and taking bona fide cheap shots (the punches to the nutsack, the “fight” with an opponent without warning directly after the faceoff, for example) often enough that it’s not remarkable when he does so.
Now, if he did all this and said that part of his game is to be an agitator, that would be fine. Plenty of guys do that and more in hockey. When they’re on your team, you love them. But off the ice, he strikes the Lady Byng pose and puts the blame on the other player.
A lot of guys go through their careers with a notable cheap shot or two. I mean, hell, Ovechkin’s boarding on Daniel Briere could easily fall in to the category. But Ovechkin’s teammates still love the guy because he goes out and plays an honest, physical game night in and night out, whereas Crosby constantly takes liberties and then yaps about it.
Seriously, sometimes it’s like he’s playing pretend in his backyard rink by playing the role of the guy who gives too much stickwork and the guy who takes exception to it.
I recall Lemieux whining and demanding star treatment more so than Gretzky.
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 22, 2009 9:10 PM EST up reply actions
Is that your measure for how much teammates like or respect a guy? There aren’t a whole lot of tough guys on PIT that would be sticking up for him (and they almost never play their 4th line so Godard doesn’t get a chance). I’ve seen AO handle his own business on occasion and nobody doubts how much his teammates like him. AO has been taking runs at Malkin for over a year (too bad that wasn’t going on today) and nobody does anything. I just think the retaliation-model of popularity is real flawed.
You are just off baplain wrong -
“AO has been taking runs at Malkin for over a year (too bad that wasn’t going on today) and nobody does anything.”
AO checks Geno hard and often for a couple of reasons – 1) Geno is the best, most dangerous guy on the Penguins; and 2) He, like AO is a big guy and to get him off the puck you need to hit him hard. BTW, Geno does the same thing to AO, in fact when those two guys match up it’s like watching the “Battle of the Titans”.
Crosby does whine and I don’t ever recall any time when Gretzky “nut – punched” anyone over the years. Further, back in the day Gretzky’s 212 points is what made him the poster boy for the NHL, not Gary Butt-man’s PR machine… Gretzky never was the target of scorn by other talented players, even close to the type of talk about Crosby and that’s again because – he wasn’t hyped by a PR machine – his stats didn’t need hyping.
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 8:15 PM EST up reply actions
You cannot possibly tell me you watched the game today and you didn’t notice a significant difference in the way AO went after Malkin as compared to the “feud” days. You are right about Malkin being big and talented but AO went out of his way to run him the last several times the teams played and today AO didn’t. No, Gretzky didn’t nut punch anyone but my point wasn’t to compare Crosby and Gretzky. If you look my point was that “how quickly a teammate comes to your rescue” isn’t an accurate measure of how much your teammates like you. The Gretzky stuff became ancillary.
That'll happen
when a DEFENSEMAN on the other team has about the same number of goals on the year than the golden boy who’s starting trouble that you have to clean up.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Dunno about that
His teammates were noticeable by their absence in the wake of the dustups he caused, imo.
If they respected him, they’d be jumping in there to protect him.
Just my opinion, but there you have it…
Go to ESPN. Watch the video on their NHL section, and Crosby initiates contact, hits AO as he heads to the bench, then complains about AO starting it?
Does Crosby forget that NHL games are broadcasted and recorded? He always has a revisionist historians perspective, a la his take on his “fight” against Florida earlier this year.
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 22, 2009 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
No link
but that’s exactly what happened. NBC’s announcer with the thicket Canadian accent said Crosby’s elbow to Alex’s head “wasn’t uncommon” but that Alex’s one-armed push from teh front was “a little bit too much.” Right….
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
I'm an idiot
I thought you were asking for a link, not supplying one. My bad.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
I thought that's what he said about Charmin....
and then railed about Alex’s response.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Was I mishearing him, or was he also saying that the Caps players were yelling at Crosby and calling him names that you can’t say on TV to a degree that was “over the line”? That made me smile. The Caps are in the Pens’ heads right now.
He absolutely did
and I just about burst out laughing. So now other players aren’t allowed to say bad things about Charmin? I thought it was just officials and league announcers and writers.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Crosby is to hockey as..
Yippy Toothless, Mute Dogs are to burglers…
Crosby is truly a little “B” – I’d love for us to somehow pick up Malkin for Nylander but last time I checked $4.8 is not equal to or greater than $8.7….too bad though, then Cindy could have all the attention and adulation of the neandrathals that are Penguin Fans to himself and we would have another Russian Machine.
I just thought about this though – Nyls to Pittsburgh for Malkin IF Federov says he is going to retire….fuel the rumurs we need a cup on “F” street….
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 8:27 PM EST up reply actions
Who in their right mind would make that trade?
by Rob Parker on Feb 22, 2009 8:40 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Crosby is truly a little "B" – I’d love for us to somehow pick up Malkin for Nylander but last time I checked $4.8 is not equal to or greater than $8.7….too bad though, then Cindy could have all the attention and adulation of the neandrathals that are Penguin Fans to himself and we would have another Russian Machine.
I just thought about this though – Nyls to Pittsburgh for Malkin IF Federov says he is going to retire….fuel the rumurs we need a cup on "F" street….
Somehow I don’t see the Pens taking a 36 year old who’s averaging a half a point a game in exchange for a 23 year old who’s leading the league in scoring. Maybe that’s just me.
Where did that come from?
How the HELL does Shaone Morrisonn keep getting a sweater?
by Whiter Mage on Feb 22, 2009 10:26 PM EST up reply actions
This is pretty much the dichotomy of Crosby. On the ice he’s a whiny little putz who thinks he’s entitled to do whatever he wants, whenever to wants. In interviews he tries to play it like he’s a total class act and mature beyond his years. Either he’s really image conscious or he needs to learn to control himself on the ice.
I think that’s a pretty fair analogy in that I think by the time he’s A-Rod’s age he’ll be regarded the same way. Still, I have a lot more respect for the way A-Rod plays the game (i.e. on field behavior) than I do for Crosby. It’s a low hurdle, but still…
y’know what? think I’m going to have to agree with you on this one. A-Rod does play hard and mostly fair.
Crosby is a bitch.
I do not approve of the misogyny that WD seems to attract.
However, I’d have to admit that he does oil up for soft-porn photo shoots…
Really?
That glove slap in the playoffs sure added to his tough guy cred, huh?
And shouting “I Got It” while running to 3rd against was a real classy play, too.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
by duck on Feb 22, 2009 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I didn’t say he was a tough guy. And pretending to call for the ball was one thing that happened one time.
Hey, I’m not saying I love the guy, I’m just saying Crosby is far worse far more often.
LOL
I generally despise A-Rod. I just dislike Crosby that much more. At least MLB and the game announcers have figured out that ARod is a tool.
Watch more baseball
and you’ll see A-Rod is just as bad.
Jeter’s annoying with all his unnecessary jumping, but A-Rod is a total tool.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
I don’t recall Rodriguez doing anything like attacking another player’s groin or jumping someone in a fight. To my knowledge he doesn’t have a reputation for going in with his spikes up or anything like that, which would probably be the baseball equivalent of all Sid’s stickwork.
Well, baseball's not as violent (unfortunately)
but in baseball equivalents, especially in favoritism by officials, he’s definitely in Charmin’s league.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Still not anything as low class
as punching a dude, even one wearing a cup, in the stones…
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 8:29 PM EST up reply actions
If Pat Verbeek was the Little Ball of Hate, WD is the Little Ball of Fake.
by TylerG on Feb 22, 2009 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Translation...
I’m a whiny little bicth who actually hit Alex in the back of the head first, but I know the league loves me so I can get away with murder. And I’d never drop gloves with him ‘cause he’s 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than I am and I’d get clocked with the first right cross. I might punch him in the nuts, though.
/and by the way, I’m going with Charmin as my nickname for him. It just fits.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Crosby is becoming a joke. I don’t enjoy saying that, because I like his game, but the NHL has tried to hold him up as the player for this generation and he is not even the best player on his team. That honor goes to Malkin, and even he waxes Ovi’s car during the summer.
Comments like this just make Crosby look pathetic.
Question For Those Watching From Home
What friggin game were the refs watching? From 404, it looked like 2 blatant take downs on Semin, a blatant cross check/boarding of Brashear among others were let go, and the Caps got whistled for anything and everything (most of which were deserved).
Did I miss something?
Orpik maybe got Brash from behind but Brash isn’t going to get that call. Semin goes down so often on his own that I think refs are reluctant to call borderline trips on him. I thought Semin could have drawn a call on one of them but it wasn’t a terrible no-call.
True. Semin’s reputation for falling down and going boom does hinder his ability to draw penalties.
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 22, 2009 4:50 PM EST up reply actions
IMO, if a ref interprets a fall as a dive, it should be called. if a player takes a violent tumble, one way or another the ref should make a judgment. otherwise why have a penalty against diving in the first place? get that crap out of the game.
for as much as we ride semin for taking penalties, the refs do seem to keep an especially close eye on him. the guy was getting cut down today from my vantage point.
by Natty Bumppo on Feb 22, 2009 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
I didn’t say he takes dives, but he blows his edges an inordinate amount of the time for such a skilled players. There does not have to be a penalty every time someone falls down.
it doesn’t help that he’s constantly carrying the puck into traffic, either.
by Natty Bumppo on Feb 22, 2009 5:02 PM EST up reply actions
DMG - Are you on a I hate Semin kick and if so why?
Semin is listed as 6’2 & 205# – he definately plays bigger than say the 6’6" Jeff Schultz.
You’re right he finds himself in traffic often because he is one of the most talented and gifted forwards in the game and when he’s not out there with Ovechkin and Backstrom he’s the guy on the Caps team you worry most about if you are an opposing team (look at his production per game numbers)..
From my seats I can’t say I notice him looking down at the puck much at all, though I don’t think I would – he’s aking $4M/year in the worls best Hockey League and if he had his head down as much as you seem to imply he’d be pretty beat up….
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 8:38 PM EST up reply actions
You got my take on this during the game. The issue isn’t what was called on the Caps, but what wasn’t called on the Pens. I saw the Pens do much worse than Gordon’s incidental “trip” or Erskine’s push to get to a contested puck.
The general policy was that anything the Caps could fight through wouldn’t get called, but anything that technically fell within a penalty rule drew a whistle against them. I thought Crosby pushing Ovechkin in the back toward his own goalie was the classic example of this, and when Ovechkin made an acrobatic move to jump over MAF’s stick, Pierre McGuire said Ovechkin embellished. There are other examples, including the 2 flagrant takedowns of Semin and the cross-check against Brashear.
Whatever. We took the 2 points. Crosby made a fool of himself. But I’d still like it if the refs would either just let these guys play, or at least call a game in a consistent way.
by Gould Old Days on Feb 22, 2009 6:13 PM EST up reply actions
Embellishing
Because if you don’t score every goal from 10 feet away the way Bobby Orr did, then, by God, you’re just a hot dog.
Give me a break.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Well, missed calls on the Pens are one thing but there’s no way Gordon or Erskine should have avoided being sent to the box on those plays.
I hear you DMG, and you’re probably right in terms of how hockey is usually called, although I hold out that Gordon and Erskine wouldn’t have been sent to the box in last night’s Battle of Alberta. But the bigger issue is fairness — the important thing is that things get called evenly. That’s what I didn’t see happening today.
by Gould Old Days on Feb 22, 2009 8:00 PM EST up reply actions
Horrendously one-sided officiating to try to get the Pens back in the game. That’s what I saw from home. Good thing their PP is beyond terrible – what is wrong with them? They should have a great PP…
Here are the penalties for the second and third periods:
2nd Period
Washington interference – 2 min 2:04, J. Erskine
Washington too many men on the ice – 2 min 3:09, Bench served by A. Ovechkin
Washington slashing – 2 min 18:00, A. Semin
Pittsburgh slashing – 2 min 18:00, B. Orpik
3rd Period
Washington elbowing – 2 min 3:43, T. Poti
Washington holding – 2 min 6:58, S. Fedorov
Washington tripping – 2 min 14:53, S. Morrisonn
The ones on Erskine, Poti, and the bench were obvious and Morrisonn’s penalty was far too late for that. There’s one, Fedorov’s, that maybe fits that bill.
The refs don’t try to get teams back in the game.
by David Getz on Feb 22, 2009 5:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Specifically with regards to the third period, we take so many more penalties than we get PPs in general. It is not a one time thing, and it is not a single ref just boning us in one game. This comes down to how the team plays and they can’t look outside the locker room for excuses on this one.
Although Rooney was reffing. The same Rooney who grew up as a huge Bruins fan…. conspiracy theory!
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 22, 2009 7:39 PM EST up reply actions
As Gould said, it’s not that they were calling penalties on the Caps, it’s that they weren’t calling them on Pittsburgh for similar actions. At least, that’s my two cents.
And I absolutely disagree with you when you say refs don’t try to get teams back in games. Take a game where a team gets the first 3 penalty calls in their favor. Time and time again, officials will selectively call a game to ensure those power plays even out. Maybe that’s not their exact motivation, but the result is the same most of the time.
There is a difference between “even up” calls and “trying to get a team back into the game.” After Rene Borque took 19 PIM in the CGY game every single person watching KNEW the next few penalties were going against the Caps (…and then they went overboard). But you don’t see refs just handing PPs out late in a game to try to get another team scoring opportunities.
Take a game where a team gets the first 3 penalty calls in their favor. Time and time again, officials will selectively call a game to ensure those power plays even out. Maybe that’s not their exact motivation, but the result is the same most of the time.
There is probably a correlation between a team getting a few calls and then having a few go against them, but I’m not sold that it’s the refs any more than it is the law of averages.
Law of averages? Come on. Every penalty call is a conscious decision by the refs who know how many have been called against each team (or what the score is). And we’ve all seen blatant make-up calls before. The refs consciously influence the games, even if it’s supposed to be in the spirit of fairness.
Hey, I may be off-base here. It’s a bold thing to say that the refs were trying to get the Pens back in the game. Call me a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist, but this was a big-time game, it turned into a rout, and suddenly the Pens couldn’t commit a penalty if they tried. I’m calling this one like I see it.
Call me a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist, but this was a big-time game, it turned into a rout, and suddenly the Pens couldn’t commit a penalty if they tried. I’m calling this one like I see it.
Yeah, but it’s not like the problem with excessive minors just started today.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Feb 22, 2009 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
yeah thats how it seemed to me. Pens got away with quite a bit, Caps were called to tight.
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 22, 2009 9:22 PM EST up reply actions
Congrats on the big win...
…and keep some seats warm for us Leaf fans on the bandwagon.
I’m hopeful that some of my fellow Leaf fans at Pension Plan Puppets will be adopting the Caps again this year for the playoffs (same as last year). Maybe we’ll see you guys around…
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
Too Many Men Penalties
Hey JP, may I draw upon your statistical powers?
This came up earlier this year, and it may be time to actually take a look at it. I would be curious to see a breakdown of every NHL team’s number of Too Many Men on the Ice penalties per 60 minutes. I am betting the Caps are in the top 3, if not #1.
From the AP Recap
WASHINGTON (AP)—After a little push-and-shove, Sidney Crosby was still running his mouth, even as his helmet came off and a linesman tried to push him back toward the bench.
Alex Ovechkin responded with a dismissive, "bye-bye" wave of the left hand, practically taunting the Pittsburgh Penguins star.
It’s official: The two biggest names in the NHL don’t care for each other. Ovechkin is tired of Crosby’s constant jawing, and Crosby has no love for Ovechkin’s theatrics. The emotions were there for all to see Sunday as Ovechkin scored his league-leading 43rd goal and the Washington Capitals thumped the Penguins 5-2.
"What I can say about him?" Ovechkin said. "He is a good player, but he talks too much."
And what does Crosby make of Ovechkin’s showmanship?
"Like it or lump it, that’s what he does," Crosby said. "Some people like it, some people don’t. Personally, I don’t like it."
And my first thought is...
why did the AP go to a player from the losing team who contributed almost nothing for a quote, rather than the league’s leading goal scorer? Hmm…..
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
Ovechkin’s quoted first in the article.
I would imagine the reporter(s) spoke to both players. Why wouldn’t they?
Because
I glossed over Ovie quotes in my blind hatred of Charmin, it didn’t even register that Ovie was quoted first. :)
I really, really hate the hype that is Charmin Crosby. And he really didn’t show up today, did he? That was delicious.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
On this I agree
re: “why did the AP go to a player from the losing team who contributed almost nothing for a quote”
Well he is one of the Top 5 scorers in the league, he is the team Captain and even though I personally really don’t like the way he plays and is coddled by the league’s PR Machine … he is a superstar…
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 22, 2009 8:44 PM EST up reply actions
and he was involved in the altercation that the focus of the quotes surrounded.
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 22, 2009 9:25 PM EST up reply actions
I want the Pensin the playoffs so badto watch the postseason at home.
Fixed.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Feb 22, 2009 6:51 PM EST up reply actions
No…i want them in the playoffs. I want the satisfaction of beating them. And then I want to destroy the Flyers. And someone else can get blown out along the way,
by sincitycapsfan on Feb 22, 2009 6:56 PM EST up reply actions
The time will come for Caps v. Pens in the playoffs. This year needs to be a year for an epic humbling for the Pens.
by Rob Parker on Feb 22, 2009 7:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Right. At this point, I want to advance, regardless of opponent. Also, not giving an opponent 8 PP opps would be nice.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Feb 22, 2009 7:08 PM EST up reply actions
I want them too. Better to send them home than give them the easy way out.
But yeah. Penalties and PK are a problem, and god I hate the Flyers.
Penalties more so than PK. PK is the law of averages. When you give up six or more penalties in a game, you’re going to give up a PP goal. That’s just how it is. Now granted, for a while the PK was hideous. It’s actually damn good right now given how many stupid penalties we take.
The real problem is that the sloppy penalties need to freakin’ stop.
I agree to some extent. The PK got the job done yesterday for the most part, but a lot of that had to do with the inept Pitt PP. Just a few games ago it was giving up 3 goals to Montreal. I’m not saying it hasn’t improved, but it’s still not really good enough.
However, you’re right in that the best way to address it is to take fewer sloppy penalties. They’ve gotten out of control.
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