An Emotional Defensive Lockdown
by Stephen Pepper on Apr 20, 2009 12:00 PM EDT
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We're so close to something better left unknown. The team is on the verge of a shocking and stupendous collapse. The kind that could lead to a Tony K. return to WaPo just to write one more "Choking Dogs" column. This feels all too familiar.
From the brilliantly sunny and hot days in mid-July in which I sat ensconced at Kettler, watching the rookies at camp take flight and begin The Dream, I have been filled with nothing but optimism about this season, and fantasies of what Les Capitals may end up doing with a certain holy grail the following June.
Slowly and methodically, I put to rest the regions of my hockey mind bludgeoned by two decades of disappointment as a Capitals fan. I assured myself that these were not the hard work and hard luck Caps of old, nor were they the supremely talented but incohesive teams of the mercifully brief Jaromir Jagr era.
As if in lockstep with the recommendations of a cognitive therapist, I repeated positive mantra to myself when reality seemed rough, such as in mid-October, when our team found itself behind 3-0 in Pittsburgh. Miraculously, in unprecedented fashion, they stormed back to grasp victory.
Against these very same tormenters of present, the New York Rangers, the Yuletide Miracle on 34th Street will also not be soon forgotten.
These Caps seemed to prove themselves worthy of mention as a legit Cup contender when they vanquished top seeds Boston and Detroit.
But all that was the regular season. And several Caps teams before this one have authored a similar, supremely impressive campaign. Only to flame out come April. All the hypothesizing and analysis all season long seems of little consequence today.
So having poured heart and soul, countless hours of blogging effort and dreaming of glory, I sit here emotionally wrecked. I'm in lockdown mode.
When I reflect on my two decade experiences of Caps fandom, the phrase which first comes to mind is "jilted lover." Time and again though, I leap at the promise of change, of redemption, though history suggests nothing but another stomp on the heart.
When Ryan Callahan scored the only goal of Saturday's affair, I cried obscenities to the heavens, doubtless heard by neighboring apartments. Like the ancient Greeks who felt utterly at the mercy of the whims of their deities, I wondered aloud why must I, and my team, be cursed so. After two periods and scuttled power play opportunities, which were finally awarded to the home team, the result was not in doubt.
It is the lot of the die-hard sports fan: to combat the pain of defeat, of loss of hope and a season, in the face of something over which we in the stands have absolutely no control, we generally either withdraw into a detached state, or console ourselves with memories of past triumphs for our favored franchise.
Only the first option, sadly, is available to the Washington Capitals fan. Call me fickle, but appreciate the motivation to preserve the self. Give me sympathy.
I was on a week-long vacation, in a locale with limited connectivity, from which I returned late Friday night. (It frustrated me greatly to have missed a playoff game entirely, but schedules dictated this past week to be the only vacation opportunity for some time.) I had learned of Wednesday's defeat, and received an outline of the manner in which it transpired. Undaunted, I believed it an aberration. A small stumble on the golden path.
Prior to boarding a flight home, I managed to find an English language newspaper with mention of hockey, the global edition of the USA Today, and faced squarely this statistic: No. 2 seeds are 14-14 against No. 7 seeds in matchups since the NHL went to a conference-based playoff setup in 1993-94. Now, add to that the fact that, in franchise history, the Caps are 0-4 in Game Threes when trailing in the series two games to none.
It is interesting that those fans who are reviving the clarion call of "DSB" are most often those who have recently been initiated into the brotherhood and sisterhood of Caps Nation. Those with long memories have heavy hearts, and may be disengaging, as I am. Ironic that the ones who have invested the most over the years are those who exhibit the stereotypical traits of the fairweather, causal, "bandwagon" fan. We have consumed a whole orchard's worth of fruit from the tree of knowledge.
The hockey reasons for the Caps current plight might seem simple. Said Nick Backstrom post-game on Saturday:
"We have to try something new. Maybe we have to go even more to the net. I mean more traffic, get rebounds and those kinds of things."
And in perhaps one of the most dismissive, damning of statements ever spoken by an opponent during the course of a series, Henrik Lundqvist remarked:
"There's no secrets in the playoffs. Everybody knows how you have to score. You have to pay a price for it."
So instead of consoling myself with memories of past success, I search for answers, and find nothing but torment in recalling the myriad ways in which this franchise managed defeat. As much as we have celebrated the dogged determination of guys like Brooks Laich, Backstrom, and, of course, Alex Ovechkin, I'm left wondering, among other possible paths to this season's hockey truth, is this 2008-09 team not, at least offensively, that unlike the 2002-03 Caps team, which boasted fantastic skill on its roster, but lost four straight in the first round to the Tampa Bay Lightning?
Tonight, I will watch, for sure, but with a resigned disposition. I know nothing anymore.
Still, in this cesspool of melancholy, I find a tiny but resistant strain of defiance, living, and wearing the colors, up here in the heart of the enemy, and of a quiet, desperate hope.
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Low expectations are every fan’s best friend. I go into every game assuming my team will lose, and even sometimes convince myself that they managed to give up a goal during warmups and start the game down 1-0, just to make myself less nervous.
But I really don’t think the Caps are out of it. They erased a 2-game deficit last year against a team that was frankly much better than these Rangers. The Caps have more time than last year, too. I’d wait til the Rangers win a third game to get too down. If that third win comes tonight, though, it’s officially time to start finding a ledge.
Swing by The Flyer Frequent. You have nothing better to do.
by Ben Rothenberg on Apr 20, 2009 12:09 PM EDT reply actions
It’s funny you mentioned their 3-0 comeback against Pitts. Maybe they’ll give up another game, look at it as a 3-0 game, and storm back to take the next 4.
Goddamn, these guys are going to give me a heart attack.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions
A) This is a 7 game series. It’s not over ‘till it’s over.
B) Statistics are lies. Just because it’s never happened before doesn’t mean it won’t. Just because something happens frequently doesn’t mean it will always happen.
I think they’ll get their grove back in MSG, they figured they’d breeze through these games and the Rangers would cave to their physicality and they’d be able to dink and dunk it like they had in the past. I think that the hostile environment will be the perfect place to see them shine. That combined with being down 0-2 is just setting the stage for what’s to come.
A team can lose 12 games in the second season and still win the cup.
And they’ve been bad at home as of late, too.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Statistics are lies.
Of all the empty cliches in the English language, this one might be the on that irks me most (well, maybe second behind “the exception that proves the rule”). Statistics don’t lie. People might use them to lie, manipulate them, or misunderstand them, but they don’t lie.
“There are three types of lies—lies, damned lies, and statistics”
So I guess you’re not a Mark Twain fan, huh?
It sounds better than saying that there are three types of lies – lies, damned lies, and statistics that are twisted by liars
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
As usual, Pepper, you capture poetically what it’s like to be a Caps fan. We’ll all keep watching, but we barricade our psyches behind expectations of failure. As I wrote in the comments on Saturday, and as you’ve eloquently painted here, all that commentary about these being different Capitals, not the choking dogs of the past – we wanted to believe it but deep down, we knew better. The Capitals are the Capitals, and they always will be. And I guess we’ll keep torturing ourselves by rooting for them…and wasting all our valuable time following them on blogs like this…
Dear Katzistan:
There are no blogs like this.
Thanks,
Mgmt
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I feel ya.
I have already turned my emotion off.
If they win tonight, I may feel pain again.
I will deal with that pain.
If they lose, I will be moving onto other summer stuff…until May, when I’ll do what I always do in May; watch another team charge towards the Cup!
Why is everyone acting so defeated already? It’s game 3!
A week ago we were all brimming with confidence about a favorable first round matchup. And now we lose two tough games and it’s the end of the world. We are still the Caps. They are still the Rangers. Two games do not change that. Hell, we lost to Columbus 3-0 on two separate occasions this year.
We will bounce back. We have to. It’s playoff hockey. Time to toughen up.
Yup
It’s as if the light switch was turned on and ghast the girl we’ve fallen in love with is an absolute dog. Choking dog.
Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Federov, Kozlov… dogs. No mash, no guts. Crunch-time nancies led by a clueless coach.
Hey Ovie, how many blueline one-timers ya gonna miss/fan/get blocked tonight? Oh and about those offensive zone turnovers…
MVP my kloitschka.
Who's driving the bus?
Look out for tossed Ovechkins.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
In what way is Ovechkin a “Crunch-time nancy”?
I offer this: http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/25338-Campbellnomics-April-14.html (h/t JP)
He hasn’t done much in two games, but that’s exactly what it’s been – only two games.
Well, for starters, in a must-win game 2 he played arguably his worst yet. He also was directly responsible for the Rangers lone goal.
Kills me to say it, but watch the Pens series (Richards, Malkin, Crosby, et al) to see how gamers play the game. Guarantee you won’t see any of those guys floating on the perimeter, forcing one-timers.
No more “this team is learning” excuses. This team has failed big-time. It’s time they were called on it.
Well, for starters, in a must-win game 2 he played arguably his worst yet. He also was directly responsible for the Rangers lone goal.
You know Ovechkin wears 8, not 25, right?
Exactly, Kozlov is the one who didn’t bother going after the puck when it passed him by. That’s not even to mention the interference when Callahan ran right into him when he was back-checking. I guarantee you if Ovechkin strong-arms Callahan he gets the call.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
He forced a pass into D coverage on a 4 on 2. Rags turn it the other way, trapping Green and Kozzy. Blame is with Ovechkin.
Some of the blame? Yes. He should have backchecked harder but Kozlov shouldn’t have pinched and Poti shouldn’t have made the play he did.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I don’t think the pass was forced, either. That same play has been made successfully a million times this season – it just bit us this time.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s a high risk play which is why when defencemen are taught to play their position they are told not to make it.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I don’t see this team being very successful with no risk, though.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Might as well have the defencemen pinch on every play then.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
There was nothing wrong with the play – only the way they reacted when they saw it didn’t work. If Ovechkin’s pass was read and intercepted in the middle, then I’d have had a problem with it. That play failed and they didn’t rectify the mistake. that means you fix the mistake, not punish them for a play they carry out all the time.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait
Are you talking about Kozlov’s pinch or Poti’s play?
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Green’s pinch, where Kozlov should have taken his place, but decided not to bother backchecking when Green missed the pass.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Ok
That’s not my big beef with the play although it is a pretty basic play to screw up.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Poti’s inability, after almost a decade in the league, to play a 2-on-1 like a play that has progressed beyond peewee hockey is what lead to the only goal of the game.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Wait, how did he misplay it? He took the pass that went over his stick — what else could he have done?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
ummmm....
Rather than take the pass away and let the goalie handle the shot he went over to the shooter and tried to take the pass away. Of course, when he failed to do that he left Callahan alone to score.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
of course, it’s entirely possible that he plays it that way and the guy still scores, like on Dubinsky’s goal in 1.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Sure
I’d rather they scored when the play was done properly than on something that shouldn’t be done.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
It sounds like you’re trying to say Ovechkin is not a gamer. A guy who gives you 121 goals in 2 seasons, plays his ass off in the playoffs last year, leads the team to the second seed in the East this year and one of the franchise’s best records, not to mention the most clutch third period scorer in all of hockey, is not a gamer because he has only 2 assists in 2 games?
Don’t forget that he dominated Game 1, a game the Caps dominated. Game 2 was not his best. That is not even close to a valid reason to call him a choke-artist.
I judge a dude by what he does when the pressure is on high heat. It’s nice being a regular season stud, but respect is earned in the playoffs.
I (tough) love these guys, but losing in the first round to the woeful Rangers is not part of the plan. Redemption must begin tonight.
I judge a dude by what he does when the pressure is on high heat. It’s nice being a regular season stud, but respect is earned in the playoffs.
You don’t seem to be focused on playoff performance, you seemed to be focused on one game. Ovechkin, for example, has 1.22 points per playoff game in his career, as opposed to 1.30 in the regular season. Semin averages 1.00, compared with 0.85 in the regular season. Fedorov has 168 career playoff points. Mike Green has nine in nine NHL playoff games. One bad game doesn’t undo all that.
Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Federov, Kozlov… dogs. No mash, no guts. Crunch-time nancies led by a clueless coach.
On the one hand: two bad games (if you can call Ovechkin’s game one – two assists, six hits, etc a bad game).
On the other hand: the rest of their lives.
I count 20+ comments in the thread replying to Rompy’s initial comment. Wouldn’t a simple, “Hey, quit being a trolling douche, mmm’kay?” have been easier?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Maybe, but it still hurts, so we comment on it.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn’t know if we could write ‘douche’…
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
xkcd is one of my favorite comics in the history of comics. Just FYI, everyone :-)
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I take it that you’re very skinny, kind blank-faced, and opinionated :-) ?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
If that isn’t the single greatest internet-related comic of all-time, it’s a close second to this one:
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
My current mindset is positive. But I’ve been brought up around sports fans with little faith so I just developed this ultra-cheerleader attitude to keep everyone else going so my mindset is usually positive even in the worst situations.
Yeah, it was about the same for me, too. I’m the realisitic optimist, though, not the ultra-cheerleader. But you won’t catch me saying the Caps will lose.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes positive mindset here too! I feel good about tonight. I think the guys will make a definite statement tonight.
by Citygirlcountryheart on Apr 20, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I think I need to see how they come out before I decide if I’m hopeful or if I’m cracking a nice bottle of red….
Perspective
The Caps are hosed this year. Even if they miraculously manage to pull of a victory against the odds, do you really see this team beating the Bruins in a seven game series? Yeah, neither do I.
You know what? This is actually a good thing. Why? Because it will (hopefully) prevent the team from making a boatload of stupid, shortsighted decisions this offseason. Every time a team makes it deep into the playoffs, there’s pressure on the front office to “keep the band together.” This is what is commonly known as the “Fernando Pisani Syndrome;” namely, role players who have shining moments in the playoffs getting rewarded with ridiculous contracts far out of proportion with their actual talent level. See also Orpik, Brooks.
Let’s imagine that the Caps made it deep into this year’s playoffs, and let’s say Kozlov, Fehr, Morrisonn and Jurcina all played big roles in getting us there. Sounds unlikely, but so was Pisani potting 14 goals en route to an eighth-seeded Edmonton making the Stanley Cup Finals. There would be pressure on GMGM to sign all of those guys to contracts in order to maintain the momentum for next year, in much the same way that there was pressure to re-sign Fedorov this year – a signing that essentially slammed the Caps hard up against the salary ceiling.
Now, let’s imagine that this means yet another year of watching those guys underachieve for 2.5-3.5 million/year each, while guys like Bourque and Alzner rot in the AHL. Given the way this team is building around a core of supremely talented stars, they can’t afford to overpay for role players. They’ll need to backfill with younger, hungrier guys, and they’ll need to start doing so soon, because Semin and Backstrom are up for new contracts (and hefty raises) after next year.
The 2008-2009 version of the Caps was a very, very good team with several glaring flaws: lack of consistent goaltending (possibly solved with the rise of Varly), lack of consistent defensive play and penalty killing, and the most important, an inability/unwillingness to crash the net and score garbage goals. These flaws have been laid bare during the last two games; we may have been able to shrug them off before, or perhaps we were so blinded by the incandescence of Ovechkin, Semin, Green and Backstrom that we didn’t notice them, but there’s no denying them now.
This most disappointing failure could give the management and ownership the opportunity to re-shape this team, to finally rid it of the leftovers from the dark times, to clean out the underachievers and replace them with younger, cheaper and hungrier players. The team needs more energy from its bottom lines – which is one reason why Aucoin stood out so much in his all-too-brief stay here in the District. Boudreau’s system requires centers and defensemen with quick minds and quick feet, which is why Jurcina, Schultz, Erskine, Nylander and yes, Fedorov occasionally look totally lost, giving the opposition odd-man rushes and easy scoring chances. This team needs a goalie that is consistently capable of providing two to three “OHMYGODNOHEDIDN’T”-type saves a night, because Boudreau’s system will give up chances from time to time. Most of all, this team needs a big-bodied forward with skill and speed to be a bull in the china shop on the power play.
Some of these new players may percolate up from the ranks, and some may come through trade or free agency, but I choose to believe that they’re coming because Ted, GMGM and Bruce have all shown that they don’t take losing lightly. This failure will beget change, and hopefully, it will be change we Caps fans can believe in.
by D'ohboy on Apr 20, 2009 1:36 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
i haven’t finished your post, yet, but I had to comment.
Really? You don’t think that we could take the Bruins? I understand that the Caps are having trouble with the Rags right now, but I’d take the Caps over the Bruins any day of the year. Hell, if we’d gotten the Canadiens we’d probably be rocking them just as hard as Boston is.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Nope. Boston is deeper up front and in back, and their backup goalie is better than our #1. We got lucky against them a couple times this year on long Semin shots. I don’t see that happening again.
Plus, they go to the front of the net and into the corners as though they’re the reincarnation of Terry O’Reilly.
And we’ve beaten them. I’m not scared of Boston.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know if you watched the Boston-Montreal game Saturday night, but it EASILY could have been 8-1. The B’s let off the gas midway through the 2nd.
There’s a reason that they A) scored the most goals in the conference – second most in the league, and B) let in the fewest goals in the league. They’re really, really good.
But so are we, when we’re playing well. We play so well that we took the season series away from Boston.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
And that’s the rub. The difference between the 2008-2009 version of the Caps and an actual Stanley Cup contender is that SC contenders find a way to grind out ugly wins against great goaltenders and the Caps have proven singularly incapable of doing that all year long. Or did you miss the night when a Rick Nash-less Blue Jackets squad spanked us 3-0 on our home ice behind an amazing performance by Steve Mason?
If you’ll remember correctly, we got spanked BOTH times we played CBJ. But a Non-contender that does not make. This team has down and dirty, crash the net, grit issues - we all recognize it - but they have so much skill that they can find another way to win. But then, maybe we get Clark back, who adds grit, and maybe we get Ovechkin to screen Lundqvist. The Caps can find a way to win, is my point. There’s not only one path to the Cup.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
The difference between the Caps and Bruins is that, while the Caps might have more top-end talent, the Bruins are deeper and have talented guys who are willing to play dirty/ugly. Put simply, the Caps don’t have guys like Kobasew, Bergeron, Lucic and Thornton.
And we also don’t have the same level of defensive depth. Or the goaltending.
Look, I’m not just down on the Caps because they’re losing, I’m down on them because the opposition is exploiting their most obvious flaw and there is seemingly nothing the Caps can do about it. This has been their flaw all year long. This isn’t something that will change with a speech from Boudreau, some fancy slogan on an inspirational t-shirt or a call-up from the farm. This is who the Caps are this year: a soft-ish perimeter team that struggles against good goalies and teams that pack it in around the net.
They struggle against teams that collapse early and make it impossible for their other-worldly shots to get through. It isn’t goaltending that beats the Caps, it’s the 3 other guys the puck has to get through that does. Again, the Caps have beaten every team in the playoffs (excepting SJS and CBJ), and can do so again. They’re working to get out of this funk they’ve been in since about a week left in the reg. season. They got at least 2 more games to do so, and I think they will. Once they’re out of it, I don’t think they’ll need to crash-bang as their only means to victory. Once they’re back on the horse, they’ll be able to rip new assholes through the pure power of their ability. This series isn’t over.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Right now, the Caps are like a baseball player that can’t hit a certain pitch, like a slider down and away. No matter how hard they try, they can’t lay off it, or take it the other way. Now, all the teams have figured this out, and all they do is feed the Caps sliders down and away over and over again.
Until the Caps figure out how to hit that pitch, or bring in someone who can, teams will just keep pounding them with sliders down and away.
I hope you’re right and the Caps suddenly figure out how to hit that pitch, but they haven’t shown an ability to do it all year long. What reason do we have to believe that they’ll suddenly start doing it now?
Because it’s not that one pitch that we’re talking about. The way in which everyone wants the Caps to win is a way they’re not very adept at. They are excellent at winning the skill games, though, and that’s the pitch they need to force, if you get my drift. They need to outclass the Rags so badly that they forget how to block shots.
For example, if, just once, Ovechkin makes like he shoots, but actually dekes around the guy, that guy will doubt his instincts from there on out. The Caps have to force them into playing their game, instead of getting forced into the Rags game.
When playing their game, the Caps are astoundingly good. The Rags aren’t nearly good enough to perfectly impose their will, but we just have to start imposing ours.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Nope. But I’m not going to put out my eyes over this one either. I don’t think the Caps are in their window yet. I haven’t all year. This just confirms it. This team has more talented players in the pipeline. They’re ahead of schedule on the rebuild. I honestly don’t think GMGM ever planned on them getting this far, this fast. For example, he signed Nylander to be our #1 center two summers ago, because nobody knew how good Backstrom would be. Now, Nylander ought to be a healthy scratch most nights. Same thing goes for Poti – brought in to be our #1 defenseman, but who foresaw Mike Green becoming the second coming of Paul Coffey?
The cupboard was totally bare in 2006 with the exception of Ovechkin, Semin and a bunch of kids. They brought in some guys to fill those holes, but they’re not the players we’re going to win the Cup with . . . AND WE WILL WIN THE CUP.
Just not this year.
Exactly.
People are acting like this team should be the seond coming this year.
Since Mirtle brought up Kobe today something came to my mind instantly. All the talk around this team in the last 4-5 days reminds me of all the talk in 1986 and 1987 around a certain Midwestern NBA franchise who was lost three straight first round series. Tons of complaining about their star player. If that comparison holds I think we’ll all be quite happy down the road.
I agree with your thesis.
While I’d be heartbroken if we don’t make it out of the first round, I didn’t have Stanley Cup dreams this year. To me this year was hopefully the last stepping stone to us being a true contender.
And as you say, the first two games (and reg. season) have laid bare what our weaknesses are. Now it’s up to GMGM and BB to fill out the roster and tweak the strategies to make the Caps into a well-rounded team capable of going deep in the playoffs.
Ugly goals and a little more blueline talent could be what puts us over the top.
(Long time reader, short time comment troller, first time poster)
Here’s my perspective:
I couldn’t give a rats ass about the future. I’ll worry about that after the season’s over, hopefully in a couple of months. I don’t want to start constructing plans to fix the team. This whole" failure is good for the sake of the future" is bunk. What’s the point of being a fan if you’re always constructing next year’s team?
When I see Semin lose his discipline and take a dumb penalty, I don’t think “God, I can’t wait till we trade this guy.” I think “Damn it, Semin, you know better than that!” and then root for him to make the better decision next time. Whether or not it is likely is irrelevant, what matters is that I am rooting for these 20+ guys because I have lived and breathed their successes and mistakes ever since they first stepped on the Phone Booth ice and I will keep rooting for them til the season ends. Now is the future. I want THIS team to win now. Not next years team, which I haven’t even met yet. This team. Go Caps!
by meatball20 on Apr 20, 2009 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I think you guys are speaking to different ends. A fan’s passion and a GM mindset are two different things.
For example, the Redskins are never going to be annual contenders under Snyder, but I’ll still watch & yell & cheer every Sunday they’re on tv.
For example, the Redskins are never going to be annual contenders under Snyder, but I’ll still watch & yell & cheer every Sunday they’re on tv."
Oh my…another Lil’ Danny enabler. ;0)
I agree with your Ugly goals and a little more blueline talent statement tho. Spot on.
by Bucky Katt-Luvs Caps on Apr 20, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I couldn’t give a rats ass about the future. I’ll worry about that after the season’s over, hopefully in a couple of months.
You are perfectly entitled to the viewpoint that all you care about right now is this year’s team just as I’m perfectly entitled to my focus on not only the present but also the future.
This whole" failure is good for the sake of the future" is bunk.
This comment I disagree with. You learn from failure. If anything the Caps skated by too easily in 1st 2/3 of this season. Adversity and failure are normally two ingredients needed for future success. Doesn’t mean we have to enjoy it though. :-)
Agreed. Just throwing out my alternative viewpoint.
I also agree that you learn from failure. In fact, I would expect the team to learn from whats happened in the last two games. If they don’t they’re sunk. But I’m not thinking about how this experience plays into April 2010 until later. Just not wired that way I guess.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still rooting for this team with my heart. However, my brain realizes that the best is yet to come. If this step backward is what the team needs to take a major step forward (i.e., winning the Cup), then I’m totally OK with that.
I think it’s silly not to care about the future. This team should be capable of consistent Cup contention for a decade or more.
I’ve made this point earlier, but I’ll repeat it: I’m right there with you during the game, screaming at Semin to keep his stick down, telling Flash to get his candy-ass to the front of the net and wondering why Jurcina can’t manage to hit a 4×6 target from just 40 feet away.
But after the game, I sit back, gain some perspective and share my thoughts and analysis on here. I can’t just come here an rip loose with profanity-laced tirades. Neither of us would gain much by that.
I have to say that I disagree with a lot of this.
1. I don’t think that GMGM would feel like he needed to resign all of the guys mentioned because they were one series short of a Stanley Cup appearance.
2. I think that a long playoff run, and the experience gained by Ovie, Varly, Backstrom, Green, Poti far outweighs the risk posed by the front office catching FPS (Fernando Pisani Syndrome).
3. Even if Mo ends up winning us a series, and GMGM signs him for what he is asking, that experience can then be translated to the young guys as they come up. The only way to get grizzled playoff guys, is by guys playing deep into the playoffs.
I’m with you, I don’t think that this team is ready to win a cup, but I disagree that we should look positively on an early exit because it proves to the front office that there are still holes that need to be filled.
1996 Red Wings. Crushed by the Avs in 6 games. Quite literally in the case of Draper’s face. Tinkered with their lineup after realizing that they just weren’t built to win the Cup. Since that time, they’ve been the most dominant franchise in the sport.
1983 Oilers: swept in the finals by the Islanders. Went on to be the most dominant franchise of the next decade.
1979 Islanders: lose, yet again, to the Canadiens. Acquire Butch Goring in 1980 and. . . well, you know where I’m headed.
I’m not saying we’re the Red Wings, Oilers or Islanders. Yet. But sometimes, a disappointing loss is just what a franchise needs.
Wasn’t last year disappointing enough? :)
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I know you’re (partly) kidding, but I’ll take the bait anyway:
No, because we shouldn’t have been there anyway. Nothing will ever top the way I felt after clinching the playoff spot on the last game. I ran out of the building screaming at the top of my lungs, climbed the steps of the portrait gallery and led a group of about 15-20 caps fans in some cheers while my girlfriend looked on with a mixture of shock and horror.
Nothing will ever top that. Until the Caps win the Cup. :)
I don’t think that GMGM would sign them all, either. But even signing a couple of them to inflated contracts would be enough to cripple this team going forward. If the cap comes down, how in God’s name will we fit Backstrom and Semin in if we hand out $4m contracts to guys like Morrisonn? (Again, hypothetically.)
A long playoff run would be great, but let’s remember that Ovie is just 23, Backis is 21, Green is 23 and Semin and Clark are old men at 25. This team is young – they’ll get their playoff runs.
Unfortunately, it’s no bloggers allowed at "The World’s Most Famous Arena."
by Stephen Pepper on Apr 20, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions
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