"I've always thought he would be a great center."
- Bruce Boudreau on Tomas Fleischmann
over 2 years ago
J.P.
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“I’ve always thought he would be a great five-star general,” — Bruce Boudreau.
“I’ve always thought he would be a great United Nations Secretary,” — Bruce Boudreau.
“I’ve always thought he would be a great leader of the entire world,” — Bruce Boudreau.
by TylerG on Jan 5, 2010 12:47 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Bruce had Dream last night....
Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
by zephyr on Jan 5, 2010 1:30 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
Wayne Gretzky…. Mario Lemieux… Tomas Flesichmann.
It is but a matter of time.
If you've read this far...seek help.
i just choked and spit my coffee all over my hands. well done.
by ns on Jan 5, 2010 1:47 PM EST up reply actions
Tonight's starting Caps lineup:
Tomas Fleischmann at left wing
Tomas “Flash” Fleischmann at right wing
The Czech Wonder at center
Fleischmann and Tomas on defense
And “Glove Flash” in goal!
"My face is my mask."
The Washington Capitals unveil their new logo for the 2010-2011 season:
"My face is my mask."
by Jake Shapiro on Jan 5, 2010 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
Meanwhile, Eric Fehr just saved the lives of a school bus full of small children, prompting a BB benching for the ensuing being late to practice.
by MikeBrady on Jan 5, 2010 12:52 PM EST reply actions 8 recs
In all seriousness, though, if Bruce has “always thought [Flash] would be a great center,” why has he never tried him there, despite the Caps being in need of offensive-minded pivots since before Flash (or Bruce) got here?
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by J.P. on Jan 5, 2010 12:54 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
He tried him on the top line but puckhog Ovechkin was ruining his game and focus.
by S h a g g y on Jan 5, 2010 1:05 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
In Hershey, he had Klepis and Beech, who were great AHL-level centers (plus, I thought that Flash centered Fehr for a time, or was that Klepis centering Fleischmann and Fehr?).
In DC, he had Backstrom and Nylander/Fedorov, and Fleischmann was still adjusting to the NHL game. Shifting guys out of their position before they’re comfortable isn’t the best player development (which is why some fans had issues with Hanlon starting Backstrom at wing and moving Clymer to the blueline). With Gabby looking for offense from the 3rd line, and utility guy Laich not being able to produce, it’s time to look at other options on the roster who may not have tried the position yet. He may have been wanting to try it, but only after he felt the player was ready for the transition.
And he’s obviously not the only person thinking it, if his Olympic team plans on playing him there….
I don’t think that was the case with Clymer, given that he was in his late 20’s when he was on the Capitals and came in to the NHL as a defenseman.
But I can’t see that being the issue with Fleischmann. If Boudreau thought he would be a good center, and the Capitals needed centers, why would they not try him there, at least once? At least in the preseason?
Because…as I said…Fleischmann was still adjusting to the NHL game. Gabby has been very upfront (in his autobiography and public statements) that he treats players individually based on their strengths/weaknesses and what they they respond to. Up until this year, Fleischmann has been slowly developing into a top-6 forward….slowly, because he struggled. Many—especially here—questioned why he was being given time on the second line given his output.
Fleischmann’s biggest issue as an NHL player was his confidence. He played tenative at times, and seemed invisible at others. The worst thing a coach can do to that young player is move him to another position where he has more things to worry about, unless he’s lost faith in that player’s ability to eventually do that job (something Boudreau obviously never did). Since he’s added strength and better consistency, Fleischmann has played much better this year, and that’s helped his confidence.
And as I said….when Fleischmann was here with Boudreau, the Capitals had centers. What they didn’t have was offensive depth to honestly create three lines that could score, which was probably part of Nylander’s frustration at being regulated to the bottom two lines. During that time, they always had two centers and a utility guy (Laich) who could and did step in in case of injury. Why risk derailing a player’s development when you have proven options on the roster already? Even if Boudreau was thinking about switching his position, Fleischmann clearly wasn’t ready for that shift, and the Capitals weren’t desperate enough to try it.
Also, in Boudreau’s first preseason, he had three centers—Backstrom, Fedorov, and Nylander—for whom he was trying to find linemates. In his second preseason, Fleischmann was out with a blood clot. That’s why preseason wasn’t a time to experiment with Fleischmann, a young player who clearly wasn’t ready for an experiment.
A quick note on Clymer—he was a defenseman his rookie season, but was moved to forward midway through that season. He hadn’t played the position in more than 300 games and 5 seasons. Moving a 28-year-old player coming off his best season to an entirely new position is a questionable decision of player development, even if he wasn’t a prospect but a still-relatively young guy who just signed a 3-year contract.
“Fleischmann hasn’t played the position since his days as a junior in Moose Jaw.”
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He also hasn’t been this big and muscular relative to his peers since then.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Jan 5, 2010 3:11 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe because Flash is showing better consistency and drive to the net this year and thus showing he may be ready to play center? That’s the best I can come up with.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Jan 5, 2010 1:14 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe becauseFlash is showing better consistency and drive to the net this year and thus showing he may be ready to play centerBoudreau is willing to try anything to break them out of this slump? That’s the best I can come up with.
Still sore...
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Bruce’s favorite movie of all time is “Flashdance”
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 12:55 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Hmm. It’s January 5. Caps lead their division by 12 points. January’s going to be a bit of a “lost month” because any momentum you build up right now is going to be killed by the olympic break.
Yeah, in all seriousness, I can’t think of a better time to try crazy shit. Put Flash at center. Play the “other” rookie goalie every game. Put Laich on D and Erskine as an F. Institute a trap. And then, when folks come back in March, everything’s back to business. Why not?
Atta dinnin stick a who!
I see what you mean, but 12 goals in 144 shots over the past five games is a .917 SV%. Not too shabby given a team that is playing like crap in front of you. I don’t think starting Neuvirth is so crazy.
No Alex, no ratings. Know Alex, know ratings.
I think he’ll probably get starts once the team starts winning again and has some confidence. It’s pretty clear to me that the team doesn’t have a lot of faith in Jose right now, and playing in front of a goalie you don’t trust when you don’t have a lot of confidence in yourself is a recipe for trouble.
No Alex, no ratings. Know Alex, know ratings.
I think Theo might just be done here. It’s clear Bruce has no faith in him and probably that feeling is shared by the rest of the team given how they play in front of him. Neuvirth’s three straight starts (counting tonight) and six out of the last seven should say all you need to know about Bruce’s feelings on Theo. Veterans with any kind of standing don’t get treated that way unless they’ve got one foot out the door.
I agree about 95% that he’s pretty much finished. With the news of Varly going down again and with Neuvy getting the past few starts if this Neuvy thing was just them wanting to see him more Theo would have been in net tonight.
Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
This exactly. It’s all about how BB feels about Theo (not good) and less about the players. I don’t think they play all that differently in front of him. They had a stinker against CAR and again against SJS. They are just slumping, irrespective of the goalie.
Now let's say you and I go toe to toe on bird law and see who comes out the victor.
or, at the very least, rioting on 7th Street. Not that anyone would notice.
“Yes, John, I heard there was widespread rioting in Chinatown, something about a trap? But I’m here at Redskins Park, keeping our viewers informed about the most important developments of the day! Dan Snyder is still breathing! Mike Shannahan is still breathing! Albert Haynesworth continues to act like a prima donna! Chris Cooley has dyed his hair again! We’ll be following these and any other developments closely, to keep you informed of the most important news of the day!”
Fun fact: A popular opinion can still be stupid.
by RedBirdie on Jan 5, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
But what color did Chris Cooley dye his hair?!
by mercurialwinger on Jan 5, 2010 3:43 PM EST up reply actions
And then, when folks come back in March, everything’s back to business. Why not?
I know that you’re saying this tongue in cheek, but for the sake of argument let me point out that the Trade Deadline is 2 days after the Olympics. So basically every team has 5 weeks to figure out what they need to address. We could spend that 5 weeks bullshitting around because it’s a “lost month” or we could try to figure out what we have and what we need. Sure, Flash might be a solution to our depth at C, and that’s not inconsistent with my position, but I don’t believe Flash has the defensive sense to play C in the NHL.
Incidentally, does the Olympic break right before the trade deadline make it more or less likely that the league sees an huge (as in active) day on the Trade Deadline?
Now let's say you and I go toe to toe on bird law and see who comes out the victor.
I would at least think that nobody on an Olympic roster is going to be traded until they are done playing in them.
I think the team is experimenting some given theire position in the conference and division and the stage of the season: Giving Neuvirth a lot of starts to test his maturity and durability with TJ’s contract status, determining what sort of options we have at center should someone go down…
Suuuurely it’s not Bruce taking time to maximize Flash’s chances of looking good as a center for the Czech team…
Hey, everyone was clamoring for a new “C”… who thought it’d be Flash?
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by J.P. on Jan 5, 2010 1:14 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
That would be an impressive jersey.
Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
I expect it would just say ‘CcAaaPITALS’ across the front. And ANOINTED on the back, with the ‘4’ deleted…
by redlineblue on Jan 5, 2010 1:25 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Fleischmann 3:16
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 1:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
From the book of John, Chapter 11, verse 35:
“Flash wept”
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 2:13 PM EST up reply actions
*siiiiiigh*
Why, oh why, do people hate on Flash so?
I guess you’ll all lump me in with Boudreau as a Flash-lover, but hey… can’t help what’s true.
I’d like to see what he does with this experiment. We’re WAY ahead in the division; Boudreau’s known for letting guys try stuff… and gasp if it doesn’t work, he can always put him back – DURING THE COURSE OF THE GAME!
Never happen, right? ’Cause Bou never, ever, EVER changes his lines in the middle of the game…
I need a snappy signature...
I’m with this, and I’m an unabashed Flash lover.
Familiar Rapports: Bald Pollack, F&B, Gould Old Days.
Lobbies: Osala, Perreault, Erskine, Pothier, Neuvirth, Flash.
Fan of: Mean Lars Backstrom, Line Mashing, Cake.
Well, yeah, but since I totally sympathize with the “inflashuation”… ;-)
Sometimes, I just wish people would look past the amusing part and maybe see that Boudreau might just have something there, y’know?
I need a snappy signature...
Copying a quote
Did you know Flash has been BB’s #1 guy since his Hershey days? That’s called commitment.
Did you know he rarely gets benched despite his play? That’s called reliability.
He's actually..
represented in this picture by the dollar bills
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
No one’s hating on Flash here. Just laughing at Bruce’s quote. That’s all.
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Didn't Hanlon use Flash at center?
Or something? I seem to recall him being a center at some point.
Maybe it was just on the video games or something, who knows..
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
“Fleischmann hasn’t played the position since his days as a junior in Moose Jaw.”
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Must be from EA NHL series, then.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
I always like how when the game generates new players to be drafted, they just re use the old last names, so you end up with prospects named “Fred Ovechkin” or “Peter Selanne”
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 2:52 PM EST up reply actions
It’s always fucking NHL player names, too! Why can’t they just use the grinder names from the euro leagues?
Drafting Daniel Satan is fun, though.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
Or just regular common last names. Its too obvious when there are uncommon last names like “Malkin” and “Tallinder” available every year
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 3:04 PM EST up reply actions
Speaking of Hanlon, I don’t know if it’s been updated, but NHL.com’s pregame on tonight pointed out that the last time the Caps lost 4 in a row they had a new coach for the next game.
No, I’m not suggesting anything.
(except hysteria of course)
Hysteria?!
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Upside-down Cup bastards.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
by jordanDC on Jan 5, 2010 2:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I drummed that post with one arm
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
NHL.com’s pregame is incorrect.
We lost 4 in a row earlier this year, in October.
10/6 – WSH 5, PHI 6 (OT)
10/8 – NYR 4, WSH 3
10/10 – WSH 2, DET 3
10/12 – NJD 3, WSH 2 (SO)
I need a snappy signature...
Hey….he’s just a kid out there…
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
and people thought I was crazy when I said Flash should center the 3rd line. . .
we all can poke and prod and pretend to be proffessionals but Locker said it, and Bouds has said it. so :P
People are stupid, a person is smart. This leads me to believe there must be at least one smart hockey fan in Philly.
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