Monday Caps Clips

by J.P. on Feb 23, 2009 6:43 AM EST in Caps Clips

Lots of clips from the weekend, so let's jump right in:

WaPo recap and blog, WaTi recap, blog and column.
They've fired up the waaahmbulance in Pittsburgh as well. [Tribune-Review]
Pot. Kettle. Black. [CK]
Peerless's recap is here (and they don't call him the Peerless Prognosticator for nothing - he called 5-2). PensBlog's is here. Different tone, but both worth reading.
So that's why Pierre McGuire spends so much time defending Sidney Crosby. [Buffalo News]
All anyone else wanted to talk about was Alex vs. Sid, so here's Puck Daddy, Mirtle, Illegal Curve, FanHouse, Capitals Insider.
Mike Milbury is effusive (to put it mildly) in his praise of AO. Corey, too. Jim Matheson, too. Larry Wigge, too.
Check out the scoring on the Bolts' first goal for a quick reminder of how far the Caps have come (and how far Tampa has to go). [NHL.com]
A bit of Stecks love. [NHL.com]
Do the Caps need to add a veteran backup goalie? [Frankovic]
Michael Wilbon... eh, who cares what Michael Wilbon thinks? [CK]
GMGM had a very good year in 2004, didn't he? [DC Pro Sports Report]
Apparently Karl Alzner is one of those guys who says "bada-bing, bada-boom." [AHL.com]
I'd have thought Feds was one of the ten oldest skaters in the NHL. Not so. [Mirtle]
Happy 43rd Birthday, John Druce.

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John Druce is 43? God.

"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."

by Bald Pollack on Feb 23, 2009 8:03 AM EST reply actions

The better question is...

Why isn’t he playing for the Bolts right now?

by brs03 on Feb 23, 2009 8:21 AM EST up reply actions

I laughed when I read the box score for the Tampa game.

by sonia on Feb 23, 2009 10:30 AM EST reply actions

Eminger has 20 assists?

How the HELL does Shaone Morrisonn keep getting a sweater?

by Whiter Mage on Feb 23, 2009 10:33 AM EST reply actions

Four goals, twenty assists on the season and four goals, eighteen assists in 46 games since his move to Tampa.

by David Getz on Feb 23, 2009 10:43 AM EST up reply actions

And 22 minutes a game.

"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."

by Bald Pollack on Feb 23, 2009 10:46 AM EST up reply actions

It seems that Tampa just isn’t very good.

by Sct112 on Feb 23, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions

F Wilbon, that ESPN/NBA shill.

Gilbert Arenas couldn’t hold Ovechkin’s jock. Arenas has won how many MVPs? Scoring titles? With Arenas the Wizards are a mediocre NBA team that doesn’t get past the first round of the playoffs. When we’ve banked 3-4 Cups in the next 10 years, we’ll see how Mr. Cub feels.

Russian Machine Never Breaks

by macvechkin on Feb 23, 2009 11:43 AM EST reply actions

Do you disagree? Do you think Washington can become a hockey town? I’m not so sure. On one hand, I think the Capitals can get as prominent as the Wizards or the Nationals, on the other hand the bottom line (as Caps Kremlin says) is that you pretty much only get attention when you win in DC.

by David Getz on Feb 23, 2009 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

I do disagree. How much of a hockey town was Detroit when the Wings stunk on rye the 20 years leading up to Yzerman? You need years of sustained success and you need to win Cups, which is a lot different than a random team nobody is really excited about making it to the finals one season. You need to get to the point where you expect to win and then do it. I don’t think the Redskins have to be overshadowed for this to be a hockey town. One thing is for sure, the Capitals still have room to grow their fan base, whereas the Wizards and Nationals are what they are.

Russian Machine Never Breaks

by macvechkin on Feb 23, 2009 12:47 PM EST reply actions

I agree with you. I think one can argue, pretty convincingly, that DC is a hockeytown right now. Will it last if they choke in the playoffs or something? Maybe not, but I think it actually might because of a certain #8. The Caps have pretty successfully parlayed last season’s run into even greater local interest this season, despite the playoff loss to a bitter rival that many casual observers may have written off as typical.

And as for Detroit, I don’t remember what it was like there in the 80s when they were awful. But it’s not too hard to be “Hockeytown” when you have a dynasty team that is far better than any other team in town, and Detroit has been having issues selling out playoff games for years. With few exceptions, the Lions and Tigers have been awful for years, and the Wings had already banked several cups by the time the Pistons got good (and they look to be headed back down again too).

Winning breeds interest, losing kills it. Everywhere.

by grapejoos on Feb 23, 2009 7:21 PM EST up reply actions

BTW, if you mean a hockey town as in the hockey team is the most popular local team, that may never happen in DC. The Skins are too popular. But I’d challenge anyone to name a hockey team in a NFL market that is more popular than the football team, unless said football team is the Lions. The Caps can definitely be #2.

by grapejoos on Feb 23, 2009 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

I think one can argue, pretty convincingly, that DC is a hockeytown right now.

Isn’t part of what makes somewhere a hockey town it’s ability to stay a hockey town, rather than just become one pay attention to the team because they’re good and all the other teams are bad.

by David Getz on Feb 23, 2009 8:02 PM EST up reply actions

Fair point (in fact, that may be most of what makes a place a hockey town). I think DC is closer to being one now than ever before, but time will tell. There’s only one way to ensure it, and that’s by winning the cup.

by grapejoos on Feb 23, 2009 8:25 PM EST up reply actions

Caps Clips – I like the alliteration, keep it.

Capitals Kremlin: Like a Hershey Call-up, in blog form!

by CapitalsKremlin on Feb 23, 2009 5:08 PM EST reply actions

I can’t stand Wilbon anymore. I was never a huge fan of his writings but at least there was a time you could get one or two good things out of his column. Nowadays he seems to easily go into “TV mode” and says something controversial (his Sean Taylor comments) or contrarian (this comment).

As grapejoos pointed out, I doubt anyone (including Wilbon) could name any town with NHL and NFL teams and honestly call them a “Hockeytown” in the sense that hockey is the main sport in the town. “Using practically any other definition, I could easily see Washington being as much of a "Hockeytown” as any non original six city.

Also, calling DC a “star town” is not only naive about DC (see the Redskins) but naive about sports fandom in general considering any city will gravitate towards a star and/or a winner.

by superjuan on Feb 23, 2009 10:51 PM EST reply actions

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Southeast Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
Florida Litter Box Cats	53	25	17	11	61
Washington Japers' Rink	54	28	21	5	61
Winnipeg Arctic Ice Hockey	56	26	24	6	58
Tampa Bay Raw Charge	53	23	24	6	52
Carolina Canes Country	55	20	25	10	50