Friday Caps Clips: Pack Up and Head Out
by J.P. on Apr 30, 2010 6:39 AM EDT
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PrintYour savory breakfast links:
- Expect a fair amount of news from out at Kettler later this morning, as the team has its end-of-season media availability starting at 10:00.
- Tune in to Japers' Rink Radio tomorrow morning at 10:00 - sure to be an interesting listen.
- In all my time blogging, I've never been as proud of anything as I am of the fact that we pledged more than $4,500 in donations to Jose Theodore's "Saves for Kids" foundation. If you pledged, thanks again, and make sure to get your donations in as soon as possible. [FanPost]
- Why is it easy to get so emotionally invested in a group of guys to whom you'll probably never speak? Because of people like Brooks Laich. [Puck Daddy, Bog]
- Some post-mortem punditry. [Us, Us, Bourne, Puck Daddy, Frankovic, El-Bashir, Boswell, Campbell, Homer McFanboy, OFB, CK, CapsBlog, Puck Update, EOTP, MD Pro Sports]
- Gratuitous Alex Ovechkin-bashing hits a new level, with the Canadian Press now quoting Internet message board commentors in its articles. [CP]
- Ted Leonsis reacts to the end of what had given all indications of being a dream season. [Bog]
- Sergei Fedorov talks extensively about the end of the Caps' season. [Puck Daddy]
- The Caps are dead and buried, and the boys at PensBlog delivered a stirring eulogy. [Puck Daddy]
- On the Hart Trophy finalists. [Puck Daddy]
- How much is Nicklas Backstrom worth? [mc79hockey]
- A couple of (really) young blueliners give plenty of hope for the future. [Masisak]
- One of those two, John Carlson, really turned some heads in his seven game playoff debut. [The Hockey News]
- Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Semyon Varlamov are headed off to play in the NIT, err, World Championships. [Alex Ovetjkin]
- Carlson's game-worn World Junior Championship gold-medal jersey was auctioned off for $4,090. Zowie. [NHL.com]
- The Bears just swept their way into the third round of the Calder Cup playoffs. They're a little bit money. [Patriot-News]
- A look at the Caps' CHL prospects. [HF]
- Prospect Dmitry Orlov doesn't know where he'll be spending the 2010-11 season. Suggestion: Hershey. [RHF, and definitely check out RMNB for much more on Orlov - great stuff, guys]
- 2009-10 Rink Wraps will start on Monday with Karl Alzner. If you're not familiar with our annual series of player reviews, check 'em out here.
- Finally, happy 44th birthday to Jeff Brown and happy 53rd to Dave Parro.
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Was going to go with “Have a Neat Summer” in the title, but didn’t think anyone would catch the reference.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I would have gone with a Yearbook motif and a “Keep in touch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C U next year!!!”
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 7:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Well it could have been “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama (or whomever was singing for them…)
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Thinking about keeping BB til last for Rink Wraps, again, JP?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 6:56 AM EDT reply actions
I’d guess so, but last year’s piece on accountability is also a nice accompanying piece too. Come for the good writing, stay for the Flash paragraph that can very easily have been used this year.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 7:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Jesus Christ that’s a depressing read one year later.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I’ve been rereading it a little since last Friday, and it seems like the big (or maybe even only) thing that’s changed since then are the individual player improvement/development arcs.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 8:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Discipline has been much better, generally.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yeah, true that.
GMGM on Elliott right now: http://www.dc101.com/mediaplayer/?station=WWDC-FM&action=listenlive&channel_title=
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions
GMGM “Looking back, I wouldn’t have done anything different”.
True, I thought he had done a great job putting it together for Bruce and the team to make a long push. Chimera was highway robbery. Trade deadline moves were solid. Ted and GMGM are ultimately on the hook for the franchise, but this year was squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff and a handful of players.
4th Floor, is next, swimvare, undervare, Eric Fehr...
Highlights being tweeted at @onfrozenblog. Good stuff.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
GMGM: They blew it in the playoffs. We’ll have a better team next year.
GMGM: 74 and 27 will be on this team next year.
Nice.
Yes, very nice. I am completely confident that the team will be better next year.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
Seems like you’ve been hit hard by the loss.
No, because the offense can’t be any worse next postseason.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans who can bear reading something less intelligent than a story at Japers' Rink
by red army line on Apr 30, 2010 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m glad he defended BB, but when he said that they all looked and all made adjustments that just couldn’t be executed, I couldn’t take that as readily as I really wanted to.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I saw some adjustments, but they were too little, too late, and perhaps not the correct adjustments.
I’ve thought about doing some film breakdowns, but it’s just too painful right now to even watch.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
Any kind of film breakdown is money. Count me among those who’d love to see it.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 11:58 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I might need some help doing vidcaps. I’ll post about what I’m looking for.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
Starting with someone who can watch the video without slitting their wrists and bleeding Bradley style all over everything?
Women are angels. And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly ...on a broomstick. We're flexible like that (:
by MR Laughlin18 on Apr 30, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Not as pleased about that one, to tell you the truth.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
I wouldn’t read too much in to it. I don’t think anyone really thought anyone other than Boudreau was going to be coaching this team in October, and McPhee’s going to back Boudreau until it’s time for him to go.
Mm, good point.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
Totally agree. Would you really want your GM giving less than a full vote of confidence to his coach (especially on drive-time morning radio)?
Just hope that the right things are being said behind closed doors.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Dunno. After reading Ted’s blog posting. . . it sounded pretty awful and directed at the coaching staff.
I think there will be a shakeup in the coaching staff, but that BB will likely stay on. Evason, however…
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
I don’t see them pulling French for Evason’s job, do you? Not that I’d rule it out, but I really haven’t followed him closely enough to know if he’d be the right fit, or that he’s been in Hershey long enough that they’d do it.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
All I know is that Evason has never coached a great PK. I literally went back and looked at the PK percentage of every team that he’s coached – they were almost always middle of the pack or below.
Meanwhile, the Bears have the top PK and PP in the AHL. (Part of that, most assuredly, having to do with having two stellar goaltenders and two stellar defensemen).
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
The Bears’ PP and PK percentages were just disgustingly good this year. I think their PK was up over 90% for a good part of the season, wasn’t it? I don’t recall the final numbers…
Photography: I Rock the Red
Twitter: @IRockTheRed
E-mail: irockthered {at} gmail {dot} com
by IRockTheRed on Apr 30, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
More from GM
GMGM: criticism of Green and Semin is justified. They weren’t very good.
The level headed, dispassionate scrutiny is quite encouraging.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
Agreed. If the leadership goes public with obviously dishonest scripted crap, it doesn’t sound good.
Personally, I find that if someone is angry at me, and I apologize (if if I am innocent) it ends the conversation.
Now that GMGM has admitted that Green and Semin sucked, no one can really yell at him that Green and Semin sucked. He’s ended that discussion. Good for him.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
There’s limited criticism of Semin in my opinion. He didn’t play to expectations but Montreal’s defense wasn’t making it easy on him. Even for all his talent, even when he is focused, he simply can’t be expected to both create plays and be the guy who takes shots.
The criticism lies more in the fact that there was no true 2nd line center.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
He wasn’t exactly making it difficult on the Montreal defense. Enter the zone, curl back and whip an off balanced shot towards the net. It’s not all that difficult to defend.
And why can’t he be expected to take over a game? He’s shown many many times he has that ability.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Because Semin’s style of play isn’t going to be great against Montreal?
Boudreau kept trying to put a square peg through a solid wall. So little changed to help Semin out I can’t pin the entirety of blame on him.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
If Semin is the most talented player on the team, the man second in goals per game over the last two seasons behind only Alex Ovechkin, at least part of it is on him, irrespective of what Bruce does or does not do.
As people are so fond of pointing out, he’s one of the very best forwards in the league. From our outsider perspective, it looks like Bruce screwed up, but Semin absolutely did not produce, no matter who he was playing with, whether it was Flash, or Brooks, or forming the SOB line, or being centered by Backstrom.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions
What Semin was doing against Montreal was not his style of play. In fact, Semin is so erratic that it’s hard to pinpoint a style of play for him. All I do know is that the play I described above is not what got Semin 40 goals this season.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on May 1, 2010 1:25 AM EDT up reply actions
An eye-opening one, though, as a non-Caps fan. Sounds like Boudreau’s on the hot seat next season.
Blogging on hockey at Globe on Hockey
by James Mirtle on Apr 30, 2010 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Its conference finals or bust next year. Has to be. There’s too much invested in the team for them to continually shit the bed like this.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d be fine with that, but then again, I was saying that this year…
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
When did all this bed shitting start anyway? I mean, I’ve heard of wetting the bed, but how often is someone dropping a deuce in there?
Choking since 1985.
It is a little too public for my tastes.
Signed,
N. Davenport
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I can think of at least three Caps who will be using their 20% Bed Bath & Beyond coupon to buy new sheets this weekend.
by Cluster on Apr 30, 2010 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
There’s a BBB coupon?
Blogging on hockey at Globe on Hockey
by James Mirtle on Apr 30, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Bed shitting doesn’t matter as badly if that happens, because progress will have been made.
The franchise hasn’t been to a Conference Final since 1998, and has only been to, I believe two in their entire history. It would be a pretty big deal.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Its why I keep comparing this whole situation to the Oilers and The Miracle on Manchester.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it was ECF-or-Bust this year. Losing a 3-1 series lead to the eighth seed raises some significant questions of viability going forward, in my mind.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
no, it was Cup Finals or bust, period, from Day 1 of training camp. and given how the Caps stormed their way through the season, it was a very reasonable expectation back on April 15.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
I disagree — the Pens were the defending champs, I was hoping for, but not expecting, a SCF finals trip this season. I also thought the Flyers were going to be much better than they turned out to be.
Back on April 15th, I absolutely agree with you – it was SCF or bust, because they had been by far the best team in the East. Just not at the beginning of training camp.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Certainly we expected the Flyers to have a better regular season record than they did. And I would have said the same about the Bruins. But both those teams are still alive in the playoffs which is more than we can say about the Caps.
Rocking the Red since 1975
Philly lost two goaltenders, too. They’ve all sorts of injury issues.
Blogging on hockey at Globe on Hockey
by James Mirtle on Apr 30, 2010 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, but neither of those goaltenders were any good. It’s not like they started the season with Miller before having to settle with Boucher.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on May 1, 2010 1:27 AM EDT up reply actions
This pretty much sums up my feelings, right now.
It always gets stuck right after you put your money in.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 7:30 AM EDT reply actions
Isn’t this how Ovechkin and Leonsis met?
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 30, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Fedorov to the Rescue -- Again
Thanks so much for the link to the splendid Fedorov interview. I seem to recall that last year Fedorov said it took Detroit about four years to get to the Cup, even when they had all the pieces put together. I wish he would come back and coach with Boudreau in some capacity, though he’s never indicated any interest in coaching. Maybe Semin will work on him at Worlds. It’s hard to think positively at this point, but I was glad to hear that dotty but loveable old Uncle Ted isn’t going to blow up anything, and this interview by Chesnokov has provided my Fedorov fix for the year, so it isn’t all bad, I suppose.
There’s some good stuff there and some stuff I’m not as in agreement with (seems a little harsh on Mike Green’s partner, for example). But yeah, good stuff from a good man overall.
Oh, and the interview was Lysenkov, not Chesnokov, though plenty of thanks to Dmitry for bringing it to us.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
And it makes you wonder that if Feds was still on the team, that 3-1 lead would never have been blown. I know he’d have been an improvement over anything else we had for the #2 center and he’d have been a calming voice for Semin. Too bad we just couldn’t afford him.
In part. Also the dollars that Feds wanted, frankly, were way high for his value as an NHLer at this point.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Wow, that woulda been interesting.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Totally. If he couldn’t accept that he wasn’t worth $4 million, there’s nothing more that can be said. I loved him here, too, but it had to be for half of that.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
I was impressed by the fact that even though the Caps wouldn’t meet his contract demands he still loves and follows the team and is friendly with George. It would be great if they could ever find some kind of advisory role for him with the team.
I’d guess that would be too much travel for the Nylander clan (and I think Petri Skriko does the Sweden/Finland scouting).
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Why yes, yes you are.
/gets another cup of coffee
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions
If you recall, he had quite a few financial issues last year (so much so that he had to take it to court), so I can’t say that I’d blame him for going for the money. That said, with the KHL in it’s own money crunch this year, I wonder if he’ll still get that paycheck.
"It hit me on the pants. I had protection. It felt good. Why? I wanted to win."
Fedorov got way more $$$ than the Caps were willing to, or should have, spent on him. Feds knew this too, and there were no hard feelings anywhere…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
At this point, you are paying for the Feds skill plus the Feds leadership plus the Feds brand. The Feds brand has value in Russia that does not have for the Caps. Both sides made the right decision and I’m pleased that both sides are mature enough to have a positive relationship moving forward.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
I was on board with the Fedorov departure at the time it happened, and I haven’t really changed my mind. His legs were shot by the time the playoffs rolled around last year, and he was taking penalties at an alarming rate. BMo and Belanger weren’t stellar, but they at least stayed out of the box.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
by fat_daddyo on Apr 30, 2010 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
that was a great read, and I was somewhat surprised about his at-times adamant defense of the Caps. He has a (well-earned) reputation for burning bridges, so it was great to see that he still has such a positive relationship with the Caps.
he may have lost a step or six, but I can’t wait to watch him skate at worlds.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Yeah, I was hoping he’d be willing to sign with the Caps for ~2 million to be our second-line center.
"Now wait a minute. This is just purely a social call. You know, just two adults getting a stew on, man."
by The Ghost of Bebop on Apr 30, 2010 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Worlds
Anyone have any information on TV/internet coverage for worlds? I’m looking forward to watching also!
Universal Sports carried the games last year and it looks like the network will have do so again:
http://www.universalsports.com/ice-hockey/index.html
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
they’re showing them on TV? AWESOME
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
my self-imposed hockey fast is going to last a whooping 5 days, I bet. happens every spring.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
i can watch some western conference action. but the thought of seeing Ovie and Semin lighting it up in that stupid exhibition. that actually makes me angry.
Choking since 1985.
I’m not happy about that either. But I’m less happy about the prospect of the Penguins advancing to the Stanley Cup finals, essentially unopposed.
It’s annoying as heck, a team that finishes the equivalent of a Wild Card team, somehow advancing to the SC Finals so often. Two years in a row, and probably this year.
I detest the NY Yankees and Dallas Cowboys but they at least win their division in the regular season when they make it to the championship round of their sport. I don’t mind a wild card advancing to the finals every so often. But year after year, of my most hated team being the Wild Card and advancing all the way, that really bothers me.
Rocking the Red since 1975
We can detest it all we want…but I can’t hate on them when they turn it on when they need to. Maybe we did suffer some bad breaks, but there’s no way we shouldn’t have done enough to won our series. When their star had a horrible Game 6, the rest of the team stepped up to win it without him. The only really bad game I thought Ovie had was #1, but you get the point. Their team as a whole plays playoff hockey better than our team. We need to learn.
Everything ends badly...otherwise it wouldn't end.
by Davethecapsfan on Apr 30, 2010 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m of the opinion that Pittsburgh is really the best team in the EC until it is proven otherwise. No matter who is “technically” at the top of the Conference standings during the season.
When you get right down to it, the Pens have NO real incentive to finish first in their division so they don’t go all out in the regular season.
They also manage to pick up great deadline acquisitions every year.
Meanwhile, no other team in the EC holds a candle to Pitt when it comes to playoff hockey, sad to say. They’re a great team. I still hate them.
Rocking the Red since 1975
This doesn’t make me feel any better. How did Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury have to learn?
Choking since 1985.
One example to the contrary doesn’t make this any less true – and as with everything else in the playoffs, winning the Cup comes down to as much luck as it does talent.
It’s not like they didn’t have to learn from losses, either, it was just a different path. They lost in 5 games to Ottawa two years ago, the team that eventually went to the Finals. The following year they lost to Detroit in the Finals after getting there on a combo of luck and talent. That’s the experience they needed to win the following year – maybe this is the wake-up call we need to do the same.
I’ve been saying elsewhere that frankly I think this one is a bigger wake-up call for the team than last year’s loss to Pitt ever could be. All season they’ve been going around saying “hey, we took the eventual Cup champs to 7 games – that 7th game goes differently and who knows?”. Combine that with the President’s Trophy, the dominance they had over the rest of the League, going up 3-1…there’s a chance that subconsciously they let down a little. And once the Habs were back in the series that was it.
But the reality is, every team takes a different path to the Cup. I have to believe this is just part of the Caps’ path – they’re just too good and there’s too much potential. They’ll get their shot. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now (and believe me, it’s hard for me to type it) but this may end up being the best thing that could have happened.
I heard that last year and the year before that. I haven’t seen any learning from experience.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Read the second to last paragraph I just wrote – that’s why I think there was a step back. As heartbreaking as it always is to lose to the Pens, at least they advanced AND they took the eventual Cup Champs to 7 games. This time…much more embarrassing, much more of a wake-up call.
Granted, I don’t know with any certainty that this team is able to turn this loss into the ultimate victory. We won’t know until a year from now, but this is just what I have to take from this. You can be frustrated and pissed off and sad – and I’m all of those things too, believe me – or you can choose to find something good in all of this.
A kick in the teeth and then a kick in the balls wasn’t enough?
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
“A kick in the heart” sums up this playoff experience quite effectively for me.
Last season I was sad with the miserable game 7 loss, but I definitely felt that the Pens were the stronger team. This season the Caps were stronger so this loss is a major heartbreak for me—as it is I am sure for the guys.
So hopefully you are right, in that the Caps can use this kind of devastating experience—being outworked, outplayed, and out-coached by an inferior team after such a glorious season of success—in order to figure out exactly what it takes to win the Cup. The talent and desire is there.
A little luck from the hockey gods would help too. Of all the teams to draw in the first round, the Habs were IMO the worst matchup.
by capsyoungguns on Apr 30, 2010 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s a Russian saying that in order to reach something, one has to get through fire, water, and copper trumpets (fanfares). This was the years of fanfares I guess, when the Caps were overconfident in the first round. Hopefully this’s going to teach them.
No signature needed. Just get me the Cup.
I just fear this sense of complacency and that the window is going to be open forever. We figured in the Rangers series that they would have learned from the Flyers series. They didn’t. We figured in the Montreal series that they would have learned from the Rangers and Penguins series. They apparently didn’t. I don’t want to be here a year from now with the same lament.
They are indiscriminately wasting chances that won’t always be guaranteed in the future.
by CVDTerp on Apr 30, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Listen to the Ovi interview. No complacency there. Lots of analysis. He’s looking at this loss critically and honestly.
by capsyoungguns on Apr 30, 2010 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Sure, but this really isn’t all that different from what we’ve heard before. It needs to translate to actions, and we now have to wait another 12 months to see if that happens.
I don’t doubt their desire…every player in the NHL wants to win the Cup. Not every player has that opportunity in a given year. They need to respect the opportunities they have been given and will have in the future.
I disagree in terms of what Ovi is saying in the interview. Last year as I recall it was much more of the they didn’t play well, that he didn’t play well in that game 7, and a lot of what ifs if they had managed to get past the Pens. This interview had a much more somber “we need to rethink and retool” tone to it. He is IMO trying to figure out how to adjust his game and how the team needs to be able to adjust to other playing styles.
Mind you I am commenting specifically on Ovi’s words, not the coach or management or ownership.
IMO as far as the top talent and captaincy goes, Ovi is the one who needs to bear the responsibility, so I am heartened to hear his honest assessment of why he thinks the team lost. And he named complacency as one of the factors given just how well they did over the course of the season, and how that doesn’t translate into playoff success.
All said in broken English of course. But I am someone who prefers to listen to the interviews as uncut as possible and form my own opinion. You may well have a different take on his words.
by capsyoungguns on Apr 30, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I just listened to Ovi’s interview, and much of what he said does come under “fanfare” or overconfidence.
I liked what he said, how he is taking responsibility for the loss, and how he already thinking of the changes that need to happen next season in order to win the Cup, starting with defense. Also how winning during the regulation season doesn’t necessarily prepare a team for the playoffs, that they need to work on the playoff style parts during the regular season.
by capsyoungguns on Apr 30, 2010 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
someone here wrote that after we locked up the president’s trophy, we should’ve started taking lots o’ penalties to practice the PK.
In hindsight that perhaps would have been good. Oh and really experiment with the PP. Or practice more shut-down hockey after getting a lead.
by capsyoungguns on Apr 30, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
TEB Tweet of Walker quote
Walker: “But, eventually, as an older player, I can tell them that you run out of ‘next years.’ You have to make it while you can.”</blockquote
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Also how winning during the regulation season doesn’t necessarily prepare a team for the playoffs, that they need to work on the playoff style parts during the regular season.
But shouldn’t this have been obvious already? Even before the upset loss to the Habs?
That’s my problem with these playoff exits being learning experiences, they’re not really teaching them anything they shouldn’t have known already:
Pretty hockey doesn’t happen in the playoffs. Most goals are ugly goals. When a goalie is shutting you down, you have to get in his way, throw stuff on net and pray for rebounds. When the PP isn’t working, completely change philosophy, etc etc.
This stuff was obvious, they just weren’t up to the task. I’m not sure we’re going to win if key pieces of our team (green, Semin) don’t know how to get it done in the playoffs.
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
Surprisingly, the Laich story made the front page of my paper Post this morning.
"Yes, but Rimmer Directive 271 states just as clearly, 'No chance you metal ba****d.'"
He’s going to have a heck of a morning once they’re made available to the press. I can picture him being embarrassed at the attention.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
like, A1 front page? Now I’ll have to go grab a copy
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
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Post front page
No picture of Laich though, but the Bog article is to the left of the Arizona immigration story.
"Yes, but Rimmer Directive 271 states just as clearly, 'No chance you metal ba****d.'"
I’ll grab a copy. I was documenting the season, in pictures, tickets, and every damn newspaper clipping I could find. doing the last few games last ngiht was just depressing. i think that will make a very fitting second-to-last page
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It’s part of Yahoo’s Home Page of rotated items now too.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Whats left to do but root on our boys in the World Cup? I was so hoping for a Caps SC and a Team USA Semifinal round appearance.
4th Floor, is next, swimvare, undervare, Eric Fehr...
That may involve a quick exit as well. Unlike the Caps that roster is littered with injuries.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Glad you got my response BP. I can imagine several folks going to the USA Hockey website and being confused.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I've changed my mind
I was rooting for a Hawks – Bs final.
Now I’m rooting for the Sharks.
I know, Hawks and Bs fans have had to wait even longer (61 and 72, respectively), but during those years, with tight-fisted owners at the helm, you couldn’t exactly mistake either franchise for perennial Stanley Cup contenders.
But the Sharks? They’ve been contenders every year since the lockout. And every year they’ve fallen on their faces. Hard.
Now I know what that feels like. Nobody should have to go through that. Dan Boyle may be a giant douche (but be honest with yourself, wouldn’t you say the same thing about Green if he weren’t a Cap?); Joe Thornton may pull more disappearing acts than David Blaine (but be honest with yourself, wouldn’t you say the same thing about Semin?); and their Russian goaltender may be maddeningly in consistent (duh), but think about their fanbase.
Think about going through what we just suffered every year for the last four years. Think about things getting so bad that we boo our players in Game 1 of an opening-round series because they’re not winning.
I can’t wish that on anyone.
Go Sharks.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
by D'ohboy on Apr 30, 2010 8:20 AM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Good stuff there. I’ve hitched my wagon to San Jose, as well, for many of the same reasons, and otherwise because a) I don’t care about the east outside of the Caps, and 2) the four West remaining teams are coincidentally Nashville’s biggest rivals, SJS just being the least of the evils.
Also, I’m just fucking ready for Detroit and Pittsburgh to go the hell home. Even if the Flyers have to win the East.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 8:23 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I’m a huge donut-shaped puckhead, but if the Finals are Detroit-Pittsburgh again, I can honestly say that I probably won’t watch a game.
To quote Green Day, “Wake me up when September ends.”
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
I won’t either. Don’t want to watch the Crosby lovefest or Detroit.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions
My wagon is hitched to San Jose too…. when you marry a Sharks fan, then once the Caps are out, you kinda have to pull for her team…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d say the difference between Doyle and Green is the on-ice douchebaggery. Green is at least a respectful player, if not trashtalker.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 8:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Doyle…LOL.
Yeah, I haven’t seen Green do anything truly stupid on the ice.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Michal Frolik begs to differ.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 30, 2010 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I disagree that it was douchebaggery; there have been lots of those plays on the ice, and I can’t imagine it was intentional. There haven’t been too many willful, intentional slew-foots, though.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Too close to tell if it was intentionally douchey or not, but Green got called for one of those recently.
Still nowhere near as big of a d-bag as Boyle, though.
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
The one Green got called on, though, was crap – the guy was going down before Green’s leg came up. Looked worse than it was.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I’m pretty sure that I’m comfortable calling any hit that requires supplementary discipline from the League a bit douchey. Ironically, of course, there was no discipline – supplementary or otherwise – on Boyle’s garbage.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
That’s why I’d take “any hit that requires supplementary discipline from the League a bit douchey” with a spoonful of salt, personally.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 8:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Of course it doesn’t (nor is that expressly or implicitly stated in what I said).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Sorry, that came off as snarky on my end. I was really taking a shot at the NHL and their Minister of Justice.
Right on – just wanted to clarify that the second-to-last thing I would want Colin Campbell to be arbiter of is douchiness (last, of course, is NHL justice).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 30, 2010 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Hmm. I believe Green to be a class act douchebag in most facets of life, or at least whenever he is in front of a camera. Not to say he can’t grow or mature… but… yea.
by Bushwood Bushwhacker on Apr 30, 2010 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Class act douchebag.
Holy Oxymoron, Batman!
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Good catch.
Like saying — she’s a “fucking virgin.”
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
by STLSpidey on Apr 30, 2010 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ohhhhhh, one o’ them fuckin’ virgins, eh?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hahahah. Maybe I meant first class douchebag? Is this coffee I’m drinking? What is going on here
by Bushwood Bushwhacker on Apr 30, 2010 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Which would explain why he was named a finalist for the NHL’s Foundation award for his charity work…..wait, what?
"It hit me on the pants. I had protection. It felt good. Why? I wanted to win."
yeah, Green may be an airhead, and lack a filter on his mouth at times, but when it comes to community involvement and charity work and taking the time to make a visiting youth hockey club’s trip to Kettler extra special, he’s always there.
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Just so we're clear
I’m not saying Green is a douche, I’m saying:
wouldn’t you say the same thing about Green if he weren’t a Cap?
Pretty much everyone else in the league sees the tats, the hair, the “GreenLife52,” the customized Lambo and ’Slade and thinks:
DOOOOOOSH-BAG!
I happen to like Green, and he’s probably a good guy. But his “optics” are terrible and, sadly, that’s what I think a lot of people judge him on, just as we judge Dan Boyle primarily on one totally douchey play from the Olympics.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
by D'ohboy on Apr 30, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I judge Dan Boyle on the fact that teal is a terrible color with his skin tone!
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by RedBirdie on Apr 30, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I judge Dan Boyle on being a Shark!
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
just as we judge Dan Boyle primarily on one totally douchey play from the Olympics
I do that because it was a premeditated move that he made because he was ticked off that someone dared to make a big, legal hit on him in the waning minutes of a blowout (not to mention he could easily have ended someone’s season right then). He’s over 30 and proved he’s no better than a hotheaded kid who just came into the league. Would I change my opinion if he came to the Caps? No, but I’d have to root for him, I guess.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
My understanding is he’s selling or has sold the Lambo and now has a Bentley…. and no I don’t think he’s a d-bag at all…
by markbona-capsfan99 on Apr 30, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
you mean like skating after Semin
in the olympics and hauling him down with a ridonkulously dangerous slew-foot?
A danger to myself and others on the ice
Hawks fans kind of strike me as arrogant. You’d think they’d be thrilled after their team sucked for so long, but with the signing of Hossa, Campbell and Huet, they are almost a little Yankee like and worth rooting against.
Choking since 1985.
it’s not just the fans, it’s the way the team conducts it self as well. red carpets? murals with the Cup? Quennville crying about everything?
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She leaves out the part where she’s married to a Wings fan and he’d probably divorce her is she liked the Hawks.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
lol. but I really don’t like that organization.
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CP Article on Ovechkin
Did they just run over to CI and grab some mouth-breather to write that article?
Quoting Hamilton? Why don’t you call my 10-year old nephew? At least he’s got a clue.
As an aside, after the Backstrom “Own Goal” game against Pittsburgh in 08, I taught him the definition of “choke.”
I’m guessing he got to use it in a sentence in school yesterday.
I almost feel bad that I turned that kid into such a huge Caps fan. He had a bright future. . .
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
As an aside, after the Backstrom "Own Goal" game against Pittsburgh in 08, I taught him the definition of "choke."
I’m guessing he got to use it in a sentence in school yesterday.
Is “Munson” also acceptable?
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 8:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Has there been any news of Semin going public he wants out? Someone called into the junkies and ask why we gave him another year if he was disgruntled….I hadnt heard anything about that.
Someone called in
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
by jordanDC on Apr 30, 2010 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
A caller called in and said that? And no one from here has heard that Semin wants out or is unhappy?
I wouldn’t put much stock in that caller.
4th Floor, is next, swimvare, undervare, Eric Fehr...
Im not….just thought I’d ask….the caller also asked why we gave him a 2 year extension…so I guess that answers my own question.
Ask Tracee Hamilton, she follows hockey.
/Junkies’d
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 8:44 AM EDT up reply actions
We gave him a one year extension, so the caller is clearly wrong on several levels.
"Now wait a minute. This is just purely a social call. You know, just two adults getting a stew on, man."
by The Ghost of Bebop on Apr 30, 2010 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Not the least of which is turning on the Junkies in the morning with the reasonable expectation of quality hockey talk.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I had no idea that Bruce “Malkin to the Kings” Garrioch was a fan of the Junkies…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
MP Clutch
Hi, I only score terribly important goals. Can I have a job in the NHL, please?
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
by jordanDC on Apr 30, 2010 8:36 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
"I just got it up," Perreault said, "and it was in."
Matty needs to stop getting his haircare advice from Backis, though.
needs to stop
Why? Because he’ll eventually get his own Obamaicon with “$$$” as the title?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 8:55 AM EDT up reply actions
So his Obamicon will have prettier hair than Nicky’s.
Also, a little love for Chris Bourque please, who had a piece of all five Hershey goals last night.
The CBo lobby reawakens cautiously…
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Wouldn’t it be nice to have some wings who actually improve their play when the pressure is on?
I still say I’d have preferred Bourque on this team over Flash.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
I still say I’d have preferred Bourque on this team over Flash.
This somehow a compliment? Given Flash’s inability to win simple puck battles I’d have preferred ben Clymer over Flash.
I’m glad CBo is playing great as of late for Hershey. I also hear Aucoin & Giroux have looked good in the AHL as well. Moving on…
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
CBo put up 1.5P/G this year. He’s only 24 – he’s not ready to be lumped in with career AAAA guys. Yet.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
I don’t completely disagree. Just sick of the focus on a guy who at best is a 3rd/4th line NHL guy and gets focus because of his last name. Osala has a better shot than he does of making the league and probably was mentioned half as much around here during his time with Caps org.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes. And this tells you my thoughts on CBo’s real chances.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
First – I could care less about his last name: my assessment of C-Bo is based entirely around what I saw from him in Hershey and in brief stints here.
Second – I have a fetish for smart, tough little players who can skate.
Third – Flash is, at this point on the Caps, at best a 3rd/4th line guy and, at worst a healthy scratch. C-Bo likely wouldn’t score as much as Flash, but he also wouldn’t disappear entirely. I think, given decent ice time, he could be a 10-15 goal / 20-25 assist guy who can kill penalties. Not a world-beater, but a valuable piece.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
Flash on the 3rd/4th line bring no value in my mind. hence, I like others including you I beleive wish he had been dealt at the deadline when he probably had the highest value he’ll ever have.
As for CBo, I love little scrappy guys. You’ve seen me why wouldn’t I. :-) Cliff Ronning and Dino are two of my all time faves. However, I don’t get the fire/hunger from CBo that you need to make it in the NHL. In addition when I’ve seen him play I’ve questioned his decision making with the puck. From what I read during his brief stint with the Pens their fans had similar concerns.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
To which, allow me to add:
Fourth – If you think this franchise always accurately assesses talent allow to point out:
The extension of Erskine and Sloan in light of dumping of Lepisto, keeping JC and KA down in Hershey.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
Yaaaaawn….out of hibernation.
The entire British Empire was built on cups of tea, and if you think I'm going to war without one, you're mistaken.
Ramblin' on.
by Steck It Out on Apr 30, 2010 11:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Serious question – Im getting another jersey. Should I go with the Carlson (obvious choice) or take a gamble on MP? Do we think he will get more time up here next season?
#NeedsMoreBradley
I would go Carlson, clearly. But are we 100% certain he’ll be #74 next year?
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
It does if you’re spending $200+ now, only to show up in six months and see him in a different number for the next 20 years.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
Mike Wise hates you.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 30, 2010 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think it’d be cool I wish I’d bought an Alzner 47.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I personally think having a guy’s pre-change number is pretty cool.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I can live with that answer.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
An original Semin 74 would be fun to have.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 30, 2010 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Didn’t Gonchar wear 17 his first year or so here?
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Here’s your full list of numbers.
It does not show Semin as #74. Only the immortal Brantt Myhres.
Gonchar is listed as having worn #17. Very good.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
Caps must lead the league in all-time number of players wearing “74”
If you've read this far...seek help.
Since you asked, and since I’m working at home today:
Joel Bouchard Rangers (04)
John Carlson Capitals (10)
Paul Coffey* Bruins (01)
Sergei Kostitsyn Canadiens (08, 09, 10)
Jay McKee Sabres (99-04, 06) Blues (07) Pens (10)
Brantt Myhres Predators (01) Capitals (01)
T.J. Oshie Blues (09, 10)
Nick Tarnasky ’Ning (06-08) FLA (09, 10) Preds(09)
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
That’s how I knew Darcy Verot sucked. He missed by two numbers.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Any chance that’s pre-season?
Hockey-Reference also shows him only in #28.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
The picture is very clear, I agree.
He put the jersey on and made a hockey move somewhere sometime, but apparently not in an official game.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
He did for a few games, then switched over to 55.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s the AO of the AHL!
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
The Pensblog article killed me because there wasn’t any real mockery involved. It’a basically what I’m feeling myself. I would’ve preferred if it was full of semin is gay photoshops or whatever…
Yeah, I got the Sharks as the lesser of several evils, plus family in NorCal. Everyone else is infuriating.
by galaxysong9 on Apr 30, 2010 8:37 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
it was well done, with a dose of 20/20 hindsight and selective editing. that “meaningless game” on NBC wasnt so meaningless to the pens fans i saw who were po’d at the loss and i’m sure a look at the pensblog message board after that game would show that it wasnt so meaningless then.
also, the conveiniently left out the last line of ted’s blog quote. something to the effect of, enjoy the teams success so far, “for today”.
otherwise, well done.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Apr 30, 2010 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions
They lost me when they said that it was crazy for BB to sit Flash in favor of Walker.
by Gin and Tonic on Apr 30, 2010 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Same thing here. Thanks for showing that you didn’t pay attention to any of this series geniuses.
TED LEONSISSESS IS FAT
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I think he’s in hiding.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
F&B could write the paragraphs about Staal… he’s a big fan. ;-)
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
he did a whole fanpost on the awesomeness of the Staal brothers. it was epic reading. Chris Burton’s love letter to Mike Green was almost as good.
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I remember that, which is why he should write that section of the Obit…
The only problem I see is that there aren’t any teams left who the Pens should lose to…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
eh. every remaining team in the West.
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I don’t see it. Do the Hawks have enough D to stop Crosby and co? I don’t think they do, and they’re the best defensive team out west…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions
That goal may get me watching the Habs Pens series. I can see the title already:
“MIDGETS NO MORE!!!”
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Naturally, I love the guy, and his record’s been awesome but OHL to NHL is a huge jump.
Too bad there’s (virtually) no chance he takes an assistant job first.
I know youre right, but I would still like to see him back with the Caps in some capacity. “hockey consultant” maybe?
#NeedsMoreBradley
The article we had the other day (which seems to have gone missing from the London Free Press website) Said Dale wants a guaranteed three year deal to be a head coach in the NHL and is a man accustomed to complete autonomy as owner/coach of the Knights.
He was rumo(u)red to have been very close to getting the Ottawa job that Corey Clouston got. Obviously he and Bryan Murray have history (or, as Murray would call it, “hithtory”).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 30, 2010 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
hithtory
Nice.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
by D'ohboy on Apr 30, 2010 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That comment deserves a Jordan Kitts organ kind of rec.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t want to know about anyone rec’ing an organ…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
More like that than head coach, I’d think. This roster could use some Dale Hunter fuel additive, not some Dale Hunter chief engineer.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
I can see why you’d object to firing BB, but why the objection to Hunter as a potential replacement?
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
If BB goes (which I’m quite against), I hope and expect he’d be replaced by someone with even more proven experience. Hunter’s got something this team needs more of, but I’d be aghast to hand this moment over to an OHL coach, no matter what his name means to us.
/“Butch” Cassidy’d
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Proven experience?
I’d much rather have a good AHL or CHL coach than a re-tread like Keenan, Hitchcock or Hartley.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
yeah, because its not like he can bench the entire team, like he did to Juice.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
I can see the “FREE THE ENTIRE TEAM!” signs now.
"Stop hating and just accept the new Red Jesus into our life." --F&B on 14
so, you're saying we'd need to add to this collection?
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
grammar fail aside, the trend since Butch Catastrophe has been coaches who’ve done more and won more than their predecessors.
An AHL coach with two AHL finals runs got an interim appointment, and turned ‘permanent’ by winning. The Caps have less time and need for experimentation now.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
But does a recycled NHL guy give you anything more. I’m for judging individual candidates on their own merits. What each team needs from a coach at a given time can be different things.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
I think finding a coach who’s been an asst on an successful NHL coaching staff would split the diff between one bad idea (leapfrogging 32 into BB’s slot) and another bad idea (giving that drone Ken Hitchcock the keys).
I hope and expect that BB will be back. I might freshen up my resume if it said “Dean Evason” at the top…
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
Actually, I object more strongly to hiring Hunter as a potential replacement than to firing BB.
I’ve seen the “no NHL experience” movie before, and I’m not sure I like how it ends.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Ok. There are probably a few NHL assistants I’d prefer. #1 being Mike Sullivan.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
I could go for Sullivan. I feel like we’ve seen the Bruce Boudreau movie before, and we how that one ends, too.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
Anybody see. . .
the headline over at ESPN on the hockey page? It says “A day later, worries about Ovechkin” and it is an insider story (which I do not have). Probably not terribly important or fascinating since ESPN is the first to run it but I am curious what they are getting at?
Forget about finding your perfect match, I want a website where you can find your perfect arch-nemesis
I can pull it down, but I don’t see the link.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
There was one on the Preds, too…/cough.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Just for You
Hamhuis could explore FA market
(Shocker – huh?!)
Dan Hamhuis likes Nashville and says it’s possible he could be back. But he told the Tennessean, “At the same time, there are options out there, too.”
Although there haven’t been any contract talks since the trade deadline, when he was rumored to be on the move (and, surprisingly, ended up staying), Hamhuis figures his situation will get settled pretty soon.
That said, if Hamhuis wants to explore the free agent market, he probably won’t be back with the Preds because, at that point, the Preds will have already taken steps to play without him, likely committing money elsewhere.
And Hamhuis will likely be in high demand this offseason, fetching something like $4 million a year — an amount the Preds don’t want to pay.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
Ah, thank you sir. Not ‘insider’ information, though, really. Morning paper had that in it. Also says Ellis won’t be back :(.
Really interesting stuff on Arnott’s captaincy from Trotz in yesterday’s presser. Got me all hopeful.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Found It
Headline is “Ovechkin Not Fit for ‘C’?”
Uh-oh, here come the Alex Ovechkin critiques. After failing to lead his Washington Capitals out of the first round in his first year as captain, some are wondering whether Ovechkin has some changes to make.
Of course, one can’t fault him for his on-ice play and attitude. But the Washington Post’s Tracee Hamilton writes, “Ovechkin, at 24, still has time to grow into the role. I’ve taken shots at Albert Haynesworth for failing to attend voluntary workouts at Redskins Park during the offseason, but the truth is, Ovechkin often skips the optional workouts as well.”
In fact, the day before Game 7, Ovechkin skipped an optional skate, while most everyone else was there. Alexander Semin also didn’t show up and, as Hamilton writes, “One might have thought he could use the practice. One might have thought his captain would tell him so. But it’s hard to lead by example when you’re not in the building.”
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
When did Tracee Hamilton become an expert on the day-to-day workings of the Washington Capitals? Did I miss something? Was there a press conference?
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
t hamilton
she was gushing about the team about a week ago. and i think she may have pushed for ovi to weat the “c” back in december/january when the caps made the trade for chimera.
wtf, people. This is the same guy that showed up like two months early to DC to skate with the kids at development camp. Give me a fucking break.
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
Its just beyond stupid. Everyone in the local media (and plenty of Caps fans) seems to have had a collective brain melt down over the last few days or so.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions
No one buys the newspaper any more you silly goose ;)
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions
apparantly, not enough.
Figures released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations show average weekday circulation fell 8.7 percent in the six months that ended March 31, compared with the same period a year earlier. Sunday circulation fell 6.5 percent At The Washington Post, average weekday circulation fell 13.1 percent to 578,482 and dropped 8.2 percent to 797,679 on Sundays.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Apr 30, 2010 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Would love to… but my wife only buys tilapia. Me, I like catfish but she won’t buy it because it smells up the kitchen when you cook it…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
So the Redskins don’t sell papers? Shocked.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions
we are spending time on tracee hamilton who, due to the nature of the media business, has to spend her time on places like kornheiser’s show, rather than actually figuring out what is going on with the Caps for the whole year. Not qualified to fully go into this. Wake me up when Corey starts making this a story of significance.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Other Insider Headlines of Note
More on Regehr to Caps
Could Semin be dealt?
Hints on Caps’ moves
Everyone is speculation or rehash of writing elsewhere that has likely already been discussed here.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
This is where writers come to get their story ideas. Unfortunately, they just come for the ideas part, not the truth part.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
OHL Championship update
The Colts have fallen behind 0-2 to the Windsor Spitfires. Both games determined by one goal. They head to Windsor for two games this weekend. Good luck!
Bäckström playing injured
According to Expressen Bäckis have been injured for a couple of weeks and it’s possible that the organization is advising him against playing in the world championship because of it.
According to his agent Bäckström will make a decision about it over the weekend.
Due to the fact that his contract is expiring there is some insurance problems as well, meaning the insurance will be crazy expensive.
The articel also says that the contract negotiation isn’t finished.
What can I say I’m a JP fangirl. I will follow him into the darkest and filthiest of alleys, even the comment section at Puck Daddy.
by Malin A on Apr 30, 2010 9:51 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Thanks, Ice Warrior.
Nick: Please heal up. Also: Sign your contract.
Thanks.
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
Go to Germany. Cheer on your buddies Ovi, Sasha, Semyon, and Brooks. From the stands. Then go say hi to all the pretty German ladies. Oh, and sign your kontrakt.
Rumor has it he was injured the Northern Virginia Magazine shoot… upper body injury (fake smile over 30 takes sprained tendons in his neck)
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 30, 2010 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I hope he has a better time in Germany than Gustavus Adolphus.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
by D'ohboy on Apr 30, 2010 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec’d for someone who knows their history….
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Injury update
The injury is a bum shoulder. Acording to Swedish TV the shoulder been dislocated a couple of times this season.
What can I say I’m a JP fangirl. I will follow him into the darkest and filthiest of alleys, even the comment section at Puck Daddy.
by Malin A on Apr 30, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I bow in awe and wonder to the streak.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t remember if it was BB or GMGM that said it but it was something like: “I can’t understand how he can skate when he barely can walk” about Bäckström in last years playoffs he’s pretty resilient and good at playing through things.
What can I say I’m a JP fangirl. I will follow him into the darkest and filthiest of alleys, even the comment section at Puck Daddy.
I thought that was about Poti and his broken foot. Was Backstrom injured last year?
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
It wasn’t discussed like Green and the “mono” as matter a fact I’m not sure if anyone wrote about it. I heard it on one of BB’s pressers on caps365. He never specified what was wrong with him just that he was amazed about the fact that he could skate when he barely could walk.
What can I say I’m a JP fangirl. I will follow him into the darkest and filthiest of alleys, even the comment section at Puck Daddy.
holy shit. dislocated TWICE? that’s an incredibly painful injury.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
So, “dislocated shoulder” is “migraine” in Swedish, isn’t it?
No signature needed. Just get me the Cup.
by fnralch on Apr 30, 2010 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Different language. Nicky wasn’t out with the flu at all.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Because I read the comment as migraine = dislocated shoulder or flu = dislocated shoulder. And no one ever said he had the flu.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
He stayed home from a practice at the beginning of the playoffs and they said he was “sick” and weren’t sure if he would be able to start.
Didn’t BB initially tell Tarik he was hurt, but then back-tracked and said he was sick the next day? With all the smoke-screens during the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were just covering it up.
"It hit me on the pants. I had protection. It felt good. Why? I wanted to win."
yes. I’m searching for the Caps insider post right now
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
ok, i think the back and forth happened on twitter, but here’s a CI post about Nick not wanting to discuss his “illness” and how he was also one of the first off the ice when he did practice the next day.. hmmmmmmm
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
I translated a interview about it and the reporter said that he sounded sick. So if that was just a smoke and mirrors thing either the journalist was in on it or Bäckis did the interview in a faked sore throat voice. As entertaining of a thought that is the logical explanation is that he indeed was sick. If you are just faking the flu why talk to the journalist in the first place?
What can I say I’m a JP fangirl. I will follow him into the darkest and filthiest of alleys, even the comment section at Puck Daddy.
I know I’ve thanked everyone about 5 million times at this point, but I to want to give one more huge thank you to everyone who participated in Saves for Kids, and the wonderful blog leaders we have here who tirelessly bumped the fanposts every couple of days so it would stay on the front page.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
EOTP Post-Mortem
After reading all their good work on the goal-breakdowns, I was expecting a little more from EOTP in their post-mortem. Rehashing a bunch of cliches, even if they’re slightly true (but in my opinion, not entirely applicable in this case), just doesn’t do it for me.
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
Yeah, that blog is really inconsistent. I pretty much stopped reading after the post complaining about how the refs wanted the Caps to win.
"Now wait a minute. This is just purely a social call. You know, just two adults getting a stew on, man."
by The Ghost of Bebop on Apr 30, 2010 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
That is the problem when you read Japers every day. 99% of other blogs you will read will then disappoint you.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
heck, 99% of life disappoints me. it lacks the quality of Japers’
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
by RedBirdie on Apr 30, 2010 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Surprisingly, I woke up this morning feeling far worse than I did yesterday. It was like amputee victims who swear they can still feel their missing leg. I woke up today and started thinking about a game this Saturday. Realizing there wasn’t one was just depressing.
It caught up to me yesterday evening as I was changing trains at Gallery Place. The night before – a sea of Caps sweaters. And I realized no more such nights ’til September.
Ow!!! Those Gallery Place businesses are taking the ultimate hit. I shudder to think about the economic impact to Gallery Place and this city in the midst of a recession, school cuts and the like to lack those out of District dollars coming in for at least two extra weeks.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
This.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
From Tarik
scott walker “we could play a little bit harder, compete a little bit harder.”
matt bradley “we didnt work hard enough.”
with all the talk about systems and not adapting and green/semin dissapearing, these quotes say a lot more about why this team failed. very very very freakin’ dissapointing to read things like this.
hard work and doing what’s necessary to win in the playoffs are lessons that should have been learned over the past two seasons. is this coaching? locker room leadership? chemistry? dont know. dont care. but i do think that this screams for a few guys who have been thre and done that. guys with rings. hope thats high on GMGM’s shopping list next year.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
More from TEB
Very scary sounding:
Tom Poti said he had four plates and a bunch of screws inserted to fix fractures in his face. Vision will be fine, he said.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
god, poor guy. I know he was rather happy to have escaped having to have his broken foot surgically repaired last season.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
yep. lost vision for 24+ hours. scary scary. wll be interesting if he wears a visor next year. wonder it it would have helped anyway.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Apr 30, 2010 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ve get to see video of the puck hitting him, so I have no idea how it even happened.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
CSN showed a replay prior to Game Seven. A visor would probably helped absorb some of the energy and redirect the puck a bit, I think.
That’s two Caps who were hurt because they won’t wear a visor. Both of them need to start wearing one. Now. I don’t really care that they think their on ice vision may be slightly impaired. I don’t suppose they’ve noticed that the best player on the team wears one.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Scott Walker would know coming from Carolina. They don’t have the Caps talent, but they’re one of the hardest working teams in the league which is why they went to the Conference Finals last year. I’m sure if you got a couple of beers in him and closed the door, he’d have some eye-opening comments about the Caps compete level.
Were Walker and Bradley guilty of this, though? Walker had to be frustrated as a healthy scratch watching Flash, saying “I waived my no trade to watch this dude?”
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
If he was ready for Game 7 he was ready for Game 6. Tragic that BB couldn’t embrace a “let’s forecheck them to death” ethos until it was too late.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Anyone think we see Walker back next year? I can’t imagine he’d be all that expensive and I kind of loved him…wish he’d been a bigger part of the postseason. It might have lasted a bit longer.
Walker could be back if he is willing to take something just over the minimum (maybe 750K). He’s well down on the list of FA’s though.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Anyone think we see Walker back next year?
That’s a crowded 4th line as it is, would like to see him back, won’t be shocked if he wasn’t.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Walker and Bradley (and the rest of the bottom 6 forwards) certainly weren’t guilty. But of course they aren’t going to say “they didn’t work hard enough”.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
sorry, I missed it above. Or rather, didn’t read above. The reason for me would be he brings a grit and leadership that could help rub off on players. He has proven as the coach of the Knights, the ability to develop players. He is a Cap icon. I cannot really see any negatives to bringing him on board. Unless they want to detach from the past….
it was not my intention to hire him as a head coach. I think he would leave a head coaching position in the OHL for a assistant gig in the NHL in a heart beat, but I could be wrong.
He and his brother (Mark) own the Knights, and Mark’s the GM, so he’s more tied to the team than your average OHL coach.
I am aware of his stake in the team, but if the NHL calls, he has to listen. He isn’t getting any younger to be plucked out of the OHL. I think he leaps if he is given the opportunity. I don’t think his stake in that team, would keep him from moving to the big show….I would be shocked if he didn’t take the opportunity.
Hunter is a different cat than Gretzky. Gretz was a superstar who had a ton of natural gifts. Hunter had to work much harder to succeed. Stars rarely make good coaches because things come relatively easy to them. Lunch pail and marginal guys tend to make better coaches because they had to work extremely hard at the little stuff and seem to be able to convey the little stuff better. It’s true in every sport.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree wholeheartedly. It takes a rare player who can succeed at both. Goes to show you how impressive it is for guys like Singletary.
I think Hunter would be a good fit here, but is he really wanting to be an assistant?
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
So far, every UFA who’s been quoted in a tweet says he wants to stay. Would you expect them to say anything different? Even if they don’t?
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
From TEB
Scott Walker also said GM George McPhee would try to “fit him in” but acknowledged it would be tough.
Brendan Morrison, a pending UFA, said he would like to come back, but has had no discussions with GMGM about contract.
Eric Belanger said he wants to come back and that the team is interested, as well.
If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak.
by Hang a Laingtern on Your Problems on Apr 30, 2010 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Sounds about right. I’d like to see Belanger back as 3C, but Morrison…I’d just let him go.
by David Getz on Apr 30, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
It’s not that I’ll be sorry to see Morisson go, but I hope that guy lands on his feet somewhere. He always came off as a solid dude, if he wasn’t quite what the team was looking for.
If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak.
by Hang a Laingtern on Your Problems on Apr 30, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed. I was loving that redemption story, but I just don’t think he has what it takes to be the Caps number two center next year.
I think he’ll get picked up, somewhere, to be 3C.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Early on, it looked like the best free agent signing of the year almost anywhere, didn’t it? But in the end, he’s not the right guy in the right place. I think he’s at least earned a contract somewhere for next year, which is what he was after in the first place.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
BMo is DONE.
If he couldn’t produce in this system, what is he going to give anyone?
Choking since 1985.
BMo is hardly done. This was his first full season playing without injuries and their effects in several years. He’s lost a step from the time he had off and from age, but he still has a lot to offer a team.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
I might follow that if 1st half of his season was actually the 2nd half.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
I can’t do the search right now, but there was a point in the season, just before Knuble came back from his injury, that I went to look up team +/-. At the time, other than GP, BMo and Knuble’s stats were pretty much identical. Eerily identical, as a matter of fact, and I posted something along the lines of “how can we say they are not worth identical salaries” or something similar.
Why? You are fresher and more conditioned when you start the season.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
You missed my point. MY point was that he looked good in the first half and then tailed off midway through the season. That doesn’t bode well for a player of his age. Even more so when you are coming off injury plagued seasons. Assumption would be that you would start slow and get better as season progressed.
I’d add I was a big fan of them signing BMo and I thought it would work out better than it did.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
I don’t know why you feel a slow start followed by a strong finish would be the assumption. In my experience it is the opposite – strong start because you are refreshed and conditioned after your first long practice period in years plus you are eager to prove yourself and happy to be doing what you love again, then you hit a wall and get a reality check in the second half because you haven’t done the long haul in a while. The following year after your first healthy return you last longer because now you have a year behind you of readusting to the rigors and you build on that.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
So next year he only disappears after January? Dude is 35 when next season starts, you are thinking very wishfully.
Choking since 1985.
I like Belanger, but I don’t see him as anything but a default position as a second line center. I don’t think he is going to put up enough points to play in that role, and I suspect he would end up playing too many minutes relative to his higher value of playing against other teams’ scorers.
The Caps have had a second line center problem since the lockout, and they still have one.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 30, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
I think he’d make a great third line center:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Laich-legit 2nd line center (hopefully)-Semin
Chimera-Belanger-Fehr
Bradley-Steckel-Gordon
I really dig that lineup.
This is why I’m against signing Belanger again. MP frees up more money for an impact second Center.
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
Agree to a degree on this, though I think that a 2C is going to have to be traded for, since the UFA market (if memory serves) could force an overpayment. I’d like to have Belanger for two years so both MP can figure out his role in the lines and Mackan can break in.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not ready to hand him the second line center role and I like Belanger more for the third line.
What I’d like to see them do is bring Perreault up and try him in a variety of situations to figure out exactly how to use him.
I’m 100% with you DMG. Belanger is no 2C and I don’t see MP being ready for 2C (he may never be a 2C). Problem is going to be how and how much it will take to get a legit 2C.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think anybody reasonably expects him to come up and be a second line center next year. Why not a third liner, though?
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
It’s a gamble, and that’s got to be the sales pitch from the marketing pitch next year. Pitch Carlzerson, MP and say and some another guy from Hershey as sheer toughness.
By the way, stupid question here, how far is Della Rovere away and doesn’t he bring the kind of gritty toughness that we need for maybe like ’12? How does he figure into the plans going forward as we start thinking about how to handle reupping all of these young players.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think anyone knows for sure right now. Need to see him play in AHL first.
SDR sure seems to be showing he can adapt and play different styles depending on what teams/linemates need based on his junior & Hockey Canada experiences
I agree his combo of grit and skill would be a huge asset to this or really any team in the postseason. Unless he just dominates in Hershey next year I don’t see him in NHL for another couple of years. I sure hope its sooner though.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d think he’s gotta go to the A for a while to get a good look.
There’s going to be a lot of pressure on the Bears this off season with all these young forwards needing some playing time. I guess Cody can go back to Swift Current but Dmitry and Stefan (post-Colts post-season) are done with their juniors careers. Plus Dustin Stevenson will be coming down from Saskatchewan in a week or two as well, and Orlov from Russia.
You know more about Eakin than anyone, so I’ll ask this question I’ve been thinking about. Would sending Eakin back to juniors help or hurt his development?
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Good question. Cody is eighteen, turning nineteen next month, and is listed at 5’11", 176. So he probably has some physical development left to do.
He was clearly able to hang with the big boys in the (I think) three games he played at the end of the Bears’ season, with two goals, an assist, his first 2 pro penalty minutes, and his first pro healthy scratch.
My question was more about room on the Bears for all these new guys, and the fact that Cody is still junior-eligible prolly gets him a ticket back to the Broncos. And another look from Team Canada for WJC. I don’t really see him going to Charleston.
But I am no hockeyman, and they may see things entirely differently.
I’d be perfectly fine with that.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m a charter member of the MP lobby. Dude made Tyler Sloan look like a serviceable forward, how could I not like him?
See my comment above in response to D’oh about CBo. I always love watching guys my size succeed in NHL.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The lineup I’d like to see:
Ovie-Bax-Knuble
Laich-Marleau-Fehr
Chimera-Belanger-Bourque
Bradley-Gordon-Gordon
2009-2010 Washington Capitals: Watery, with a smack of ham.
Gordon-Gordon confused the crap out of me for a minute. Also, I love your sig.
Sometimes, you really just want to hit a b**ch.
Bradley-Gordon-Gordon
That’s rough.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Belanger is not the ideal 2C, no doubt about it. He’s a viable option as a 3C. The question boils down to, as it always does in this era, the cap dollars and whether there’s an option that puts the club in a better position.
If you commit to Belanger as the 3C, then you’ve got to look at getting a 2C via FA pickup, or committing to MP as 2C. I highly doubt the club wants to put a rookie on the second line. But they might be willing to go with MP as a 3C and take the dollar savings that MP brings vs. Belanger and shove that into a FA pickup.
Or they could trade for a 2C
Watching BMo get shoved around by the Habs D leads me to believe he’s gone.
Agree with you that 2C is a problem, and it’s at the top of my player personnel issues that the club needs to deal with.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
I would like to see Belanger back as well. He makes a very good 3C with solid D and great faceoff ability, and he can fill in at 2C if needed. Sign Belanger and let him, Perreault, Mackan and anyone else fight to try to lock down the 2C spot. If none can step up you can make a trade in the season, since as you mentioned free agency isn’t the best source for a 2C now.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Belanger would be the ideal 3C for this team.
BMo only stays if he’s willing to take a pay cut… which he did when he came here in the first place. On the open market he can probably get what he got this year, 1.5M. I don’t think the Caps pay that much for him.
Walker could be back if he’s willing to take 750K…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
TEB:
Eric Belanger said he wants to come back and that the team is interested, as well.
Brendan Morrison, a pending UFA, said he would like to come back, but has had no discussions with GMGM about contract.
Tom Poti said he had four plates and a bunch of screws inserted to fix fractures in his face. Vision will be fine, he said.
Corey:
Poti said he couldn’t see in his right for 24-30 hours and may not feel anything for several weeks on that side of his face.
Michelleztv
Tom Poti came out to talk to the media but didn’t want to be on camera. Told us it was the scariest moment of his career.
I’ll continue as I see more pop up
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Followed the stream around, let’s see what might be worth posting, as opposed to the obvious.
From Sky Kerstein (106.7 beat guy)
Eric Belanger says a lot of the key players are young players learning how to win, told Bruce he would like to be back
Alex Ovechkin says its fair to criticize him
Brendan Morrison says they can’t stick this on the coaches
Scott Walker says this is a place he definitely would like to get back to, says every game scratched kills you inside
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Here’s a totally random observation from Chesnokov.
One thing I never noticed about Ovechkin – the amount of gray hair on his head. Hockey sure is tough on anyone.
Makes me feel guilty that I have none.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Ovie’s had a lot of gray hair for several years now. His father turned prematurely gray, so it’s genetic.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
Definitely genetic, hence the reason I don’t have any yet. There are times when I think I see gray in someone’s hair, but just assume it’s the lights.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
But stress can definitely increase the gray. Just look at our Presidents—they all turn gray quickly. Or stop dying their hair.
by capsyoungguns on Apr 30, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought he looked like he was going gray, but I thought maybe I was imagining things.
premature gray sucks.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
going gray? maybe it’s different because I’m a girl and it happened to me so young, but it was nothing but 100% suck.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Wysh;
Theodore felt he had been consistent enough to earn more playoff time. Was frustrated by quick hook.
Theodore would like to return to DC. ’We have unfinished business here
’
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
And sadly, Theo, business will send you elsewhere. We kind of systematically destroyed your reup value by not giving you playoff exposure and then will not have the money to resign you. That Salary Cap is so tough when it comes to guys like Theo who certainly earned the right to be no. 1A next year at a good price if it was within the rules.
Where could he possibly land? That will be an interesting offseason story.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Theo knew that when he signed with DC it was a temporary assignment. He was brought in to bridge the gap from Kolzig to Varly or Neuvy or Holtby, after Huet didn’t want to accept the contract he requested….
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Confused a bit by
That Salary Cap is so tough when it comes to guys like Theo who certainly earned the right to be no. 1A next year at a good price if it was within the rules.
we could re-sign theo at (almost) any price, so it’s certainly within the rules. Just have to pay him the veteran minimum. Nothing in the rulebook says he has to get same or more salary next year as a UFA. Not that it’s going to happen or anything, just sayin.
Hmm. No, thank you.
If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak.
by Hang a Laingtern on Your Problems on Apr 30, 2010 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
That’s such a big decision. To go with the two kids, or keep a vet around. Can’t see Theo, though, both for money and being the backup, because you have to believe the starter’s job is going to be Varlamov’s to lose this time. Doesn’t mean I agree 100% with it, just how it appears.
I feel bad for Theo. Also surprised he’d say he wants to be back with how he’s been treated twice in the playoffs.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Philadelphia, maybe? I think they’re too close to the cap though.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
PHI has 48 million committed next year, and it doesn’t look like they have a lot of commitments on their own team as FAs…I see Carcillo, Asham, Leighton, Coburn and Parent
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Theo knows DC is probably his best shot at a Cup, and he’s quite close to several of the guys on the team. He also seems to like the city itself.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
More Theo, from Wysh:
Theodore on Masterton: It’s mixed feelings. Proud of accomplishment but brings back ‘sad memories’
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
That’s the predictable answer, I suppose. It will be interesting to watch the awards.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I could see Theo returning, but the chance is so ridiculously slim. Although honestly I didn’t think he would ever want to come back here even if he’s close to the guys.
He’s a really great guy though and I’ll be sad to see him leave.
Rink Rabbit & newest member of TySlo's fan club.
I’m also surprised he’s saying he wants to come back, after being benched two years here in a row during the playoffs. But I’d also guess he’s not speaking out of immediate emotion after the playoffs, (even with the frustration about the quick hook) but had given this some thought before. He knows what stage he’s at in his career, has worked with both Varly and Neuvi, and probably knows what the numbers are with the Caps salary commitments.
Thanks for using that photo of Markov hugging Ovi. Makes me sad, but it is the perfect choice for today’s clips. I’m still in a state of mourning and am steadfastly avoiding all sites where the discourse will be Caps/Ovi bashing, and I am sad to say that includes the Washington Post. (I am one of the few remaining who reads the paper in the print version).
If folks haven’t read it yet, Peerless’ latest is terrific.
http://peerlessprognosticator.blogspot.com/2010/04/now-what.html
Peerless brings the cold. I like the tone, and I like some of the historical context.
I especially like this is a solution to answer the question of “Why should I care about the regular season?”
You would think that players coming through the system via Hershey will get a long look, perhaps a longer one than one might usually think. Hershey is, after all, a critical part of "the plan" to which the Caps have adhered for the past several years. John Carlson and Karl Alzner are almost locks to stick with the parent team next year, and both of them look to have not only talent, but the indefinable sense of being "winners." You have to ask the question whether there are others in Hershey who can provide that "playoff-oriented" style that seemed so lacking on the big club this spring.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Well it’s not like the current Caps team wasn’t full of a bunch of guys with playoff success in the AHL. It didn’t really help.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s a different situation, though. The AHL guys we are calling up on this stage have to battle to join a train that’s already in motion. They have to live up to an expectation of success that will be based on playoff style stuff and they will know that the only way they can break in is to grind. The guys we have now were greeted with a “thank god you guys are here to give us some hope” and didn’t have as much risk of getting sent back down. The AHL guys who won before have a lot of self-satisfaction from starting the train to a certain extent.
I will admit this is part of my baseball fandom speaking that has a bias for homegrown players who have to fight for every inch rather than salvation via trade when someone has decided to trade the guy you’re getting because they didn’t contribute enough to win the championship with their original team.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
TEB has a long update on Poti
Tom Poti didn’t want to do his final interview of the season on camera.
Given the swath of stitches on the right side of his face, his blood-filled eye, and the black-and-blue bruise surrounding it, his request was totally understandable.
…
“There are four fractures in there, so they put four plates in there, a bunch of screws and stitches,” he said. “I broke my orbital bone, nasal bone, another one on this side and the bone that holds all my teeth in, that one shattered, too.”
apparently, there was concerned that he wouldn’t be bale to play hockey again.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Poti said he’ll take a visor home with him this summer and “toy around” with it and “see if I can get used to it.” But he stopped short of committing to wearing one next season.
He’d better.
/Mom mode
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Poti said he’ll take a visor home with him this summer and "toy around" with it and "see if I can get used to it." But he stopped short of committing to wearing one next season.
Now I’m having visions of Poti trying to adapt to visor in every day life. Hits himself in the face with the fridge door, misses the bread with his mustard because of the visor cut off when he’s looking down, grabbing and missing the recliner arm because his peripheral vision is obstructed….
by David Getz on Apr 30, 2010 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Thanks, that’s going to go alongside the ‘puppy pile’ in my mental file of funny Caps scenarios imagined on Japers’ Rink.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
That may be, but that would be a helluva way to get used to wearing it.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Tom Poti plays with visor...
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 30, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Ted has a little piss ‘n’ vinegar thing going today (from Teds Take):
Thanks Russ– I Think :-)
I was glad to do interviews the day after, mostly with our rights holder Comcast Sportsnet.
We have great and interested and passionate fans. We generated a rating of more than 8 and we were the leading show in the demographic across all networks. We were the number 1 rating for Comcast Sportsnet and perhaps ever in their history. Perhaps Cal Ripken’s last game maybe generated better ratings? I don’t know.
Watch this interview. I thought it was a very weird question to hear your rights holder ask if the regular season mattered anymore :-). And how can we interest your fans in the regular season anymore?
So let me ask you a question Russ… will Comcast Sportsnet let us take back our programming? Will you let us out of our deal and allow us to take the regular season games to another outlet?
I expect an answer. It is a two way street. Can I have my rights back? Let me know… Thanks. Go Caps.
What does that even mean? Why is he getting all rick about an innocent question?
Calder Cup gon' get Perreaultwned
speaking of rick ….. I have Spring Break tickets …
The Farm report is DA Bomb... read it, rec it, love it ....
by TheFuryUnleashed on Apr 30, 2010 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I read that and asked myself, WTF? Russ is talent, nor corporate. Russ asked a question a lot of hockey media are asking this morning — does the regular season have meaning? What that has to do with the suits making business decisions doesn’t register here.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 30, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
And how can we interest your fans in the regular season anymore?
Eff Thaler. He’s in the entertainment business, as is Leonsis. Whether the insipid question above is asked ‘on behalf of’ the hockey media (of which Comcast alleges to be part) or on behalf of the fans, the answer is: feel no obligation to buy a ticket Russ. I’m pretty sure I can drum up interest without wearing your clown outfit.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think it’s such an awful question. We’re diehards so we’ll be there every night regardless, but let’s face it – getting excited for anything next year will be a bit harder after this one, even for us. Hard to get invested in phenomenal regular season success when you’ve seen that same team crash and burn in the first round when it counts.
And for the casual fan…yikes. You just have to hope the exciting brand of hockey this team plays and the chance to see the best player in the world are enough of a draw to keep people coming back. And also to hope that next postseason has a much happier ending.
“How can “we” (no faceoffs on tv, Redskins in March, CSNminus) interest “your” fans (people who, by definition, already are interested) in the regular season" ?
If it’s not an awful question, then “Maybe you can’t. Let me see if someone else can” is not an awful answer. If Comcast thinks it has some interest or responsibility to sell the game to newbs, you wouldn’t know it from the broadcasts. And as unsatisfying as the last three playoffs have been, I note with interest that RS attendance and viewership has grown each of those years vs. (ha!) the previous. So it’s either a dumb question, or a goad from someone who lacks standing to offer one. Either way, Ted’s answer is nicer than the porcupine I’d have offered.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
teds a bit crusty these days. understandable. i appreciate his openness but sometimes he does come off as petty in his comments.. i’m sure he gets a ton of shit in his inbox everyday, but he knows he needs to be above it.
seems a pretty fair question to me. i dont think russ meant it as a criticism or suggestion that CSN somehow doesnt want to broadcast meaningless games.
ted should maybe step back from the keyboard for a few days.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Apr 30, 2010 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Where does he want to go? MASN? Create a Caps network? Some kind of 41 free games 41 on the extra special pay me my money tier?
I can understand not being ecstatic about Comcast, which is not as good a fit for the Caps as long as they are the Redskins network and will not pay attention about your team from October to January.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
MASN’s not a realistic alternative, if only because they have no reporting function. But you can use them for leverage.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
But aren’t the Caps and isn’t Ted the kind of cat that could have more of this stuff team generated? Ted’s probably at the point where he believes he has enough leverage to find a network that will make his team their focus from October through June/July. Especially now that he can take the combined Wizards/Caps somewhere as a team and basically make Comcast the Redskins Wrapup network.
Between WaPo Live and Redskins Propaganda on a daily basis, though, Comcast ain’t my favorite friend.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Basically, Ted has got to be tired of coverage of his team being limited to Ovi vs. Sid as his major asset to the league. He wants an outlet where he can groom and educate fans into having a loyal relationship with the organization as opposed to with its star.
Ted would have some like Bloggers Weekly Roundtable Live where cats like Peerless and Japers get TV time to start figuring out how to leverage their online passion into visibility and dollars as opposed to That Boob Ivan Carter. Every day he sees Comcast 5:00-6:30 stuff he has to be seeing how Snyder’s ego colors Redskins Nation and weakens his product. He knows that he could extend viewers’ attention and market his players better in a trailblazing way for the NHL market.
Not only that he knows he’s got a narrow window of time to realter the landscape because he is Ovi injury or 2 more years away of playoff futility or God forbid a Redskins deep playoff run from losing the spotlight the market is shining on him right now.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That’s so tough because they are part of a bad league with bad officiating and a bad product. I really wanted to see if Durant could beat the Lakers in Game 5, I think I made it 5 minutes before figuring out how that game was going to turn out and said, Nah, I’ll watch baseball highlights instead.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point about the Wizards. That gives him incredible leverage now. He could probably put MASN on the map for non-baseball content, giving them the means to create programming. Not sure how they’d handle hockey/baseketball playoff overlap in April and later and potential baseball playoff (no laughing, it’ll come someday) overlap in the fall.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Wizards, Mystics, Capitals. You’re right.
Granted, the Yankees are a bit bigger, but Steinbrenner created Yes with just the Yankees and Nets. He sold the Nets on the value that the Yankees name could bring to their franchise.
No reason that Ted couldn’t sell the Lerners on the package. Or maybe, he goes to DC United and uses them as a summer fill-in with the Mystics?
One other thought — there’s no Fox Sports MidAtlantic or Fox Sports DC, right? Why not go to Fox and ally with them? Then you get all their other programming of college football, etc.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
CSN is essentially Comcast-brand FSN.
The problem with a Caps/Wiz network is getting it on the air, considering the problems MASN had that first year and the overlap of the NBA and NHL seasons means Ted would need a MASN2 or CSN+. I could see Ted produce the content himself though and selling the broadcast rights. That way he could better dictate channel coverage (i.e. no more CSN+, maybe the return of games on OTA stations)
"Yes, but Rimmer Directive 271 states just as clearly, 'No chance you metal ba****d.'"
MASN’s got two channels locally. If they say, Bye-bye Orioles locally it could work. Or they start figuring out some ways to show stuff on more broadcast channels.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
MASN is mostly owned by Angelos. That’s not happening. They’d need more overflow channels.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
MASN has no viewers and I assume that Angelos likes to make money, also I believe that the ownership will shift from Angelos over time. Don’t quote me on that.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
MASN was created as part of the deal the O’s made to allow for the Expos to move to D.C. It’s not going anywhere.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Considering that Comcast sued the Orioles to keep them off MASN, maybe they would be interested in sticking one in Comcast’s eye.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Problem is what do you do about playoffs coverage. You’ve got 2 channels that show Nats and O’s games pretty much every day starting in early April every year. How do you squeeze in Caps playoff games, and wait for it, Wizards playoff games? Mystics play during baseball season as well. I just don’t see it working.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
MASN has no viewers because the O’s have been bad and the Nats have been worse recently. If either or both teams start winning regularly, they’ll get an audience.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions
MASN is co-owned by the O’s and Nats and was founded from the remains of “O’s TV”. The last few years of the O’s on CSN were basically the Orioles producing the game and then sending the feed to CSN for redistribution.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
The Nats are 1 game back of first in the NL East right now at 12-10.
/packs this in “holy shit” file
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
and baseball jesus hasn’t even arrived to save them yet!
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Sorry but baseball jesus plays in a city north of D.C.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
what? who are you talking about? ike davis?
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
Yup.
As the folks at RMNB’s sister blog say -
Even Atheists Believe In Matt Wieters.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Stephen Strasburg is a pitcher in Harrisburg. Not a catcher named Matt Wieters.
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions
MY LINE.
If I had known it would get spread around, including to the front page of the Post’s sports section, I wouldn’t have written it anonymously.
Waiting 'til next year.
Clearly he hasn’t translated into improvement in the in column yet for the Birds. Great player, though. Would love to have Weiters.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
Early, early, early. But I’m a fan who has followed them pretty much the whole way and became a Nats fan the moment they came to town. Nats focus is on beating the Fish tonight and trying to put together another series win. The Marlins have always abused the Nats and this would be a great self esteem series for the squad.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
It worked for the YES network. A network featuring the Caps, Wizards, Mystics, and assorted summer offerings might be something to consider. But thoughts like that are probably why I’m not in business.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 30, 2010 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I think as Caps fans, this has got to be something that you would root for. Basically you’d have the Danny/980/CSN vs. Ted/106.7/New entity for control of the DC sports market, and more importantly, control of what empire building in the DC market means. With the Danny, its basically squeezing the blind loyalty of historical fans like my dad any my brother to the maximum part of their dollars. My brother bought Redskins club level seats and he lives in New York! Such loyalty and such a feeling of being highway robbed that will never make him a ’Skins season ticket holder again.
Ted is appealing to our sense of reason in many situation by saying, “I’m going to earn your trust and I’m going to convince you that we both understand it’s a long term investment. And I’m going to build all of this content to make my Brooks Laich human interest guys connect with you while D’Hall, Haynesworth, and CP require you to do Ethical Twister to emotionally connect with them.”
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Caps on MASN? Naaahh….
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Already? (Don’t click if easily depressed)
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
Only surprised that it took this long.
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
Saw that this morning when I turned on NHL Network (first time I turned it on since Wed). Way to rub salt, NHL.
"It hit me on the pants. I had protection. It felt good. Why? I wanted to win."
Wow, what? I got so used to the parodies I just assumed this was another one.
Sometimes, you really just want to hit a b**ch.
Last I checked, MTL hadn’t won the Cup yet. That’s out of line with the theme.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
No, they are doing ones for the current playoff now. Wings one was up on Wednesday. They used the older stuff for the kickoff of the campaign.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Jokes are Flowing as Well
(sorry if you heard this before – it was just emailed to me.)
A guy walks into a bar. Bartender says “What’ll it be?”
The guy says, “I’ll have an Ovechkin.” “What’s an Ovechkin?”, asks the bartender.
The guy answers, “It’s a White Russian, but without the ice and without the cup.”
Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray,shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less!
Zing. You hear stuff like this and you become more of a San Jose fan everyday and root for the Midgets to be highway fodder for them in the Finals.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
by souldrummer on Apr 30, 2010 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Brooks Laich says the daughter was in a Varlamov jersey but said Brooks was her favorite player
Brooks Laich says just because his day sucked doesn’t mean he can’t help others
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
Brooks Laich = Chuck Norris?
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
In Chuck Norris’s dreams.
If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak.
by Hang a Laingtern on Your Problems on Apr 30, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Chuck Norris stopped a mugging—by threatening to call Brooks Laich.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Brooks Laich > Chuck Norris.
There used to be a website of Brooks Laich facts… dunno what happened to it.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 30, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
See, every time I start to worry that I only love the guy for aesthetic reasons he goes and does something like this, and reminds me of all the reasons that I love him. Amazing, amazing guy on and off the ice.
He can say “it’s just a tire” but let’s be honest – how many regular people would pull over and help, let alone a millionaire athlete who just lost a crushing Game 7? I can say with full certainty that I wouldn’t have stopped (only partly because I’ve changed one tire in my life, with help, and would probably make everything worse).
I wouldn’t have stopped either, under those circumstances.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Troof. Just add looks, talent, and money, though and I’m there.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I once stopped to help a woman, who ran to her car and cussed me out through the part-open window.
And you thought you were judgmental!
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Nick, courtesy Wysh:
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
That shirt may be the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen.
If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak.
by Hang a Laingtern on Your Problems on Apr 30, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I want it.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
by redlineblue on Apr 30, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Chemmy just tweeted where you can get it
For anyone looking for the Backstrom tshirt it’s by @Gongshowhockey http://www.gongshowgear.com/gears/12/s=156.html#
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know. Given Backstrom’s personality, I think it’s kind of funny. If Mike Green were wearing that shirt, he’d probably be dead serious.
Choking since 1985.
You ain’t kidding.
On the Forecheck/Twitter/CLS
"What do you think this is? Major League Baseball?"- Shea Weber
by Chris Burton on Apr 30, 2010 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
that’s ballsy to wear that shirt to MEDIA DAY. but funny because its true.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Goal being waved off
So where did I miss all the discussion about Ovi’s goal being waved off?
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
I don’t know if it’s been discussed around here but Puck Daddy did a pretty good breakdown of why it was waved off. I still don’t completely buy it, but there you go.
I thought it was stupid. You can’t have something like that basically decide the game in the 3rd period.
And all after Bettman said “I hope the refs don’t screw up” at the first intermission
/facepalm
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Apr 30, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
We were at the game, and at the time, Mr. B was willing to buy that it should have been waved off. He saw it again last night from a bunch of different angles and said “Damn, Caps got fucked.” (for what that’s worth) It’s frustrating, but the Caps had chances to win the game. they didn’t.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Indeed. If they’d tied it and that happened during OT, it would clearly be a terrible call, and worthy of a full summer’s rage. But that incident can’t be blamed for the loss as things went.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, yeah, that’s why I knew it was over after game 5.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Yesterday TEB mentioned that he’d been waiting for clarifications from NHL. Nothing showed up today though.
No signature needed. Just get me the Cup.
And it won’t. You can’t use that as an excuse for why they lost, but there would have been an incredible momentum shift, both with the team and the fans, and it could have easily turned the game in favor of the Caps.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
It was a horrible momentum shift. The air got sucked out of the room. The crowd went dead-silent, and not even UNLEASH THE FURY or REF, YOU SUCK could revive it.
Bad, bad call.
Not the entire reason we lost, but still… bad, bad call.
It would have been better if they’d explained it on the ice at the time, so people understood without the, “here they go jobbing us again,” mind set.
Photography: I Rock the Red
Twitter: @IRockTheRed
E-mail: irockthered {at} gmail {dot} com
The ref announced his position that there was “a man in the crease”. Whether he was referring to Gill, or to Halak, I do not know. ; l
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
Related to this, I think Colie put out a memo about guys being in the blue (or to this effect) before the playoffs started, but I could be wrong.
Additionally, Sabourin (I believe) mentioned that Martin and the coaches allegedly sent some film to the league about the crease presence after Game 2. Not the “this is illegal” variety, more the “can you watch for this going forward?” type.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
But you’re allowed to be in the crease, right? It’s not 1999 any more. It’s the contact that’s the problem.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
you can be in the crease but not impede the movement of the goalie. Obvious “impede” is left up to the discretion of the refs.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
But, just like that goal was allowed to stand since it (Hull’s foot) didn’t affect the outcome of the play, so should have Ovie’s since Knoob’s touch wasn’t even noticed by the goalie nor did it affect his ability to make the stop. IMHO. Spilt milk, though. I’m not even slightly perturbed by it.
"More #32, please."
I get more and more irritated the further I get from it. Should the Caps have come out just won the eff’ing game? yah. But that call was killer. absolutely sucked everything right out of the building.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
by RedBirdie on Apr 30, 2010 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That’s where I am on it. Caps never should have been in that position, but it sucked the energy and life out of the building and the team. If that goal stands, the way the Canadiens were being peppered, I have no doubt the caps win.
Still, its a cliche now, but the Caps shouldn’t have put themselves in the position to have a potentially series deciding goal waved off int he the 3rd period of game 7
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
by Sombrero Guy on Apr 30, 2010 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions
This is pretty much what I said about it right after that night to the friends who went with me. And it is very cliche. There isn’t anything we can do about it. We haven’t learned to “make our own luck” yet I guess. I agree it was a big call and if it goes the other way, good chance the end result is different. The whole “Ovie is a choker” party line gets dented a little as well. But let’s not mess any of that up.
Next year we can feel like no one expects anything from us.
Everything ends badly...otherwise it wouldn't end.
by Davethecapsfan on Apr 30, 2010 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not even slightly perturbed by it.
I’m with you. That goal shouldn’t have had to be the deciding factor in the series. Granted, I wasn’t there at the game, but I really don’t think it was. We had 160 minutes of hockey we could have won before that. I’ve also seen teams respond to a disallowed goal by immediately coming back and scoring one that counts. The team could have done that, been fired up about being wronged instead of just deflated.
Sometimes, you really just want to hit a b**ch.
Knuble made contact with Halak in the crease as the shot was being taken. I don’t think it had much of an effect, but I don’t have a problem with a zero tolerance policy on any incidental contact in the the crease. That’s what it’s there for.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I had no problems with the call. It was split second deal that could have gone either way.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Yeah, it wasn’t like something they were just calling out of the blue. The refs have been calling goalie interference extremely tight. It was a blown call, big time, but they were told to protect the goalies.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
I don’t think it was a blown call at all. In my mind, if the goalie is in the crease and a player makes contact without being pushed, it is no goal. End of story.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s some leeway. So much contact happens in the crease that half the goals Knuble scored this season would have been waved off.
It’s a blown call, but at the same time it was the right call. Only during slow mo you can see how little contact happened and how well Halak sold it.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
But that hasn’t been the case throughout the playoffs. Goalies have been touched in the crease in multiple games and it wasn’t called.
by Direction 87 on Apr 30, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
and it sure as heck isn’t the case in the regular season 99% of the time.
I hate how games get called very differently come playoffs.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
TEB Tweet
I think even TEB is a little pissed off at the team too. Actual sarcasm in a TEB tweet. never Never thought I’d see the day.
Mike Green, Alexander Semin and Tomas Fleischmann did not speak to reporters today. Shocked, I tell you.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Two of those guys will never wear the sweater again, hopefully.
Choking since 1985.
by macvechkin on Apr 30, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Mike Green. Booooooooo! Mike Green could have gone a long way in the leadership column by stepping up and taking some of the heat off of BB and Semin because he’s basically bulletproof for next year.
Semin’s not gonna speak. Flash may be gone anyway. But you Green could have stepped up and been a man TEB is right to be mad at you.
A real American hero...taking down Habs one game at a time
Disappearing is their forte.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
by fat_daddyo on Apr 30, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Wasn’t sure if I hung that over the plate or if you spotted it before hand, so thanks.
But seriously though, considering he was caught flapping his gums here and there over the last 10 days, the fact that GreenCries52 can’t spend 10 minutes giving credit and/or taking blame is pathetic.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rovnak tweeting trying to defend it just makes it worse in my mind.
You step up and take the heat for what you did/didn’t do and then you and everyone else moves on. You refuse to step up and the heat only gets turned up. People will forgive others for mistakes far worse than losing a sports game. However, what people won’t forgive is not accepting responsibility for your actions.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
I noticed he seems to be defending Semin’s absence…while not touching Mike Green’s. At least not directly. Both despicable in my opinion but Green’s is especially bad.
I noticed he seems to be defending Semin’s absence…while not touching Mike Green’s. At least not directly.
Yeah, that’s how I was reading it, though I could have missed something.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
This tweet from Rovnak is particularly absurd:
paulrovnak @cmasisak22 maybe he was skittish 2day bc you misquoted him on twitter during playoffs. Maybe that was his reason which would be bc of media
Keeping this story/issue alive is completely stupid on Caps PR part. Rovnak seems to believe if he keeps posting that eventually the public will go and burn down press reporters houses or something.
This situation though is one where they can’t win, so should let this thing die down. Pissing off press and the fans after what happened this postseason is not a smart move.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Corey fisked that pretty easily, and the fact that he did it without the sense of media entitlement makes him all the more awesome.
You are right @paulrovnak. I misquoted him. Left a word out. Then I realized it, corrected it and was accountable for my mistake.
And Mike Green talked to me several times after that. Even talked to me after BB threw me under the bus to protect him.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
i know paul and nate ewell have a tough job, and are trying to put a good spin on things, but paul’s defense of green is rediculous.
telling corey that perhaps green didnt want to talk with him cause corey misquoted him on a tweet during the playoffs. which corey corrected. guess that doesnt explain why he didnt talk w/ tarik.
then telling lindsay from the post that they should focus on the guys who did talk and not who didnt. for example, why not talk about qunitin lange and his comments.
paul, stop. you are making it worse. your job was to convince MG52 that it was in his best interest to spend 5 minutes talking to the press. he didnt do it wednesday night and now this. thats a pr fail.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Apr 30, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Most baffling to me is this
paulrovnak not defending them, just interesting how media quickly jump on those who didn’t talk when so many did.
He is defending them. It is his job to do so. They did (failed to do) something for which they need to be defended.
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 30, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Semin didn’t speak to reporters? It must clearly be because of his performance in the playoffs.
Waiting 'til next year.
Meh, he never really does anyway. Besides, it’s not like he was talking crap about the opposition or specific players, or telling people to watch his game on a particular night.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Just because he normally doesn’t is no excuse in my book. When you lose the way this team did you need to face things head on for two reasons. Number one, it lets you move on quicker. Now the questions that would have been asked today will get asked at training camp. Second, from a PR standpoint taking the the blame always comes off better.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Agreed and I’m not excusing it, but considering his day to day interactions with the press, I’m not going to be surprised/offended by it.
Green is far and away the most visible North American member of the team, that’s the guy whose silence I’m most disgusted by. People can berate Tom Poti for his play this year but at least he (and his half cyborg face) showed up and spoke today.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
It speaks to Green’s maturity issues. He’s going to have to grow up a little more in order to take his game to the next level and, in turn, win back the fans.
Maturity & self-confidence seem to be definitely lacking. As I mentioned in my post mortem novel yesterday from everything I’ve seen the guy need’s to work with a sports psychologist.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I also suspect (speculation alert) that a little bit more conditioning and taking care of himself could go a long way. He’s been around long enough and worn down by two playoffs in a row. Hopefully he approaches the next 12 months with a slightly higher commitment to his body.
Building on STLSpidey’s idea of bringing in outside consultants to help coach the the team, it seems like Green could really use a mentor. Anyone have Brian Leetch’s phone number?
Or call Chris Bourque’s dad. Maybe there’s a reason they’ve been stockpiling bloodlines.
in the face of adversity, never, ever blink
by HolyJumpin on Apr 30, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You know what else would go a long way? Cutting some of his ice in the regular season. Playing ~22 or ~23 minutes a game instead of ~26 would be a huge difference (4 or 5 full games worth of hockey). Not just that, but consistency and commitment to that lower ice time. Once a player is burned, it’s harder to make a recovery than if their ice time was just kept slightly lower to begin with (this is true of all exercise). That either falls on BB’s changes, or on BB giving Green (and to perhaps a greater extent, Ovechkin) too much playing time leash and not enough shift discipline.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I dearly hope they can take up a lot of the slack, especially on the PP. That’s going to require patience, though – they’re both still essentially rookies and they’re going to have their ups and downs.
Green should tread very carefully, lest he go down the path that Phaneuf did in CGY.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Given that the regular season means nothing, I’d be fine with 19-20 minutes a game for Green unless it’s a big game.
I’d have zero problems with this either. I just don’t think it’s realistic, but 22-23 probably is.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t have a problem with cutting his ice time a bit, but I’m not buying that as an excuse for his poor performance. Green is 24 years old, and it’s not like he was skating so much more than other top defensemen. If guys in their 30s like Lidstrom, Boyle, Pronger, Niedermayer, or Chara can skate 25-27 minutes in the regular season without falling apart in the playoffs then there is something very wrong with Green’s conditioning.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
My sense is that Green isn’t as hockey-smart as Lidstrom, Pronger and Nieds are, so he has to skate more and at higher intensity than they do at the same minutes. I may be wrong on that and the reasoning, but I do know that players wear down with long minutes and it takes a long time to recover from overuse.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
That may be true (although Niedermayer is all over the ice the same way Green is) but I don’t know how much that compensates for the huge age difference. Green also plays a lot more minutes on the PP and fewer on the PK. So I still think his conditioning is a huge problem if the amount of minutes he is getting is the reason he sucked in the playoffs.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I can buy that, but still think that cutting his ice by 3-4 minutes a night would be a big help for him, especially if his conditioning is less than top-flight.
That said, if conditioning really is the issue, he has to decide whether he wants to be a hall-of-fame defender with multiple cups, or just a really talented guy pulling down a lot of money and banging models.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Completely agree, especially with the second part. Cutting his time in the regular season and getting him committed to staying in shape may be the perfect recipe to get the best of Green from October through June (hopefully).
It also could just be that the playoff pressure gets him thinking too much, and in that case even better conditioning won’t help. I’m not sure which I’d rather be the cause of his playoff performance.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Totally agree as well, and this is where the advice of an older D who’s been where Green has or maybe a talk from your team captain could make an impact. Of course, if the pain of this series loss isn’t enough to make him change whatever habits may have contributed to this debacle then I don’t know what more motivation the guy needs.
I don’t want to be a Green apologist, but I do wonder if he hit the point where he doesn’t want to deal with the media any more. For a guy who is a bit immature, lacking in self-confidence, and is constantly trying to please everyone, I gotta imagine seeing people attacking you as a player and as a person, no matter what you do, has to get real old, real quick. Particularly when you have made yourself accessible
again, not trying to defend him, just trying to think of where he might be coming from.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Do you think he’s doing any favors by painting himself in the light he does? The GreenLife attitude? The stupid comments about the other team having “nothing”? Doesn’t sound like he’s that want for self-confidence. Unless of course he’s over compensating…
Choking since 1985.
That sounds exactly like a lack of self confidence. You are confusing what a person says with what a person feels.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
When I’m on this blog…commenting my way…you got nothing CP.
You really don’t. ;-)
Choking since 1985.
like I’ve said, I think it’s a bad, really bad, combination of him lacking a filter and having absolutely zero confidence in himself. He wants everyone to like him, but says stupid shit, it’s a nasty cycle. His head pretty clearly isn’t screwed on right, he needs a good sports shrink (and maybe he has one, who knows).
I know I’m dangerously close to armchair shrink and shouldn’t play it, but Green strikes me as a guy who has a lot of issues and whose head isn’t in the right place, even if he heart frequently is.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Let’s also not rule out the possibility that PR asked him not to speak to the press, not that he was avoiding them. They could be worried about him.
Not a defense, just looking at all possibilities.
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
I can’t think of any reason the PR staff would do that. I think teams generally realize it’s better to talk to the press, even if you say little, than to avoid it entirely.
Blogging on hockey at Globe on Hockey
by James Mirtle on Apr 30, 2010 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Sad part is I’m sure he’s a quality guy. Just needs some guidance it appears.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
by Carl Putnam on Apr 30, 2010 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
which is probably why I (ir)rational defend him.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Now I’m wondering if the spectacle around the awards show will throw him for a loop.
/armchair shrink’d
in the face of adversity, never, ever blink
do AO and green even show in vegas? at this rate, wouldn’t be surprised if one of the two skipped.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 30, 2010 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I can see and understand that to a degree, but I see much more in Corey’s tweet:
Mike Green not talking to the media today has nothing to do with the media. All about letting teammates answer for his mistakes.
Combined with mac’s post below (or above) though, I just can’t buy it.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
like I said, just trying think about how Green might be trying to rationalize it to himself.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Now the questions that would have been asked today will get asked at training camp.
I disagree that anything the guys could say today will have any effect on what’s asked at camp. Ze.ro.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
I guess we differ then. I don’t think beat reporters would rehash the whole “what happened” thing if you give answers now. Sure they will allude to the playoffs and ask what you did over the summer to prepare, but it will be of a different tone and be less inquisitive. If a guy thinks you already answered a question previous he’s going to ask a different one. Sure national guys and columnists will rehash the the whole drama for every player, but the beat guys and how the story plays out in D.C. are affected by what you do now. You don’t want to be seen as a guy who won’t take responsibility. It damages your reputation.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
More details on Brooks and the tire.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/802784—capitals-forward-redeems-team-by-saving-stranded-fans
Sig temporarily on hiatus to ease the pain.
fans of other teams keep sending me articles about it with “This must make you feel better” notes. No, not really, it doesn’t take the sting out of Game 7. But if it shows the world that Brooks Laich might be the best damn person on the planet and they understand why I am so damn proud to say “Brooks Laich plays for my team,” well, it’s not all bad. it just doesn’t make Wednesday hurt any less.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
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I’m in Montreal right now, and you wouldn’t believe how crazy it is. I heard some lady talking about Halak with her friend, “the next Patrick Roy right there!” They had to use tear gas to controll people on Thursday night. I want to go home.
by ThatCostsMoney on Apr 30, 2010 3:57 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Boudreau currently going on about Montreal via CM twitter
“They were a bad matchup for us.” " I don’t want to play Montreal."
Basically fearing playing Montreal. Just how you want a coach to be. Welcome to self-fulfilling prophecies.
Choking since 1985.
Kinda makes the perceived lack of any adjustments all the more galling…did he even try? Although GMGM says adjustments were made and it was on the players. Whatever. Still not anything I’d want to hear from BB, even if it is quite honest.
We’ll see what else he has to say, but that definitely doesn’t come across very well.
Leonsis stepped up and took responsibility. So did McPhee. And Ovechkin, Backstrom, Bradley, and Walker. And Boudreau’s making excuses.
Temporally, the further away I get from this series, the worse it reflects on Boudreau, especially in light of these comments.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Speaking of which, we (the authors) looked at last year’s rink wrap for Boudreau and…
The team has gone from losing to winning despite their bad habits; they should now look to go from losing to winning with bad habits to winning without bad habits. Don’t get me wrong, like all Caps fans I’m thrilled the team is winning and love watching the exciting brand of hockey they play. But if they can play the way they’ve been playing only with fewer bad penalties and bad decisions they’re going to become even more difficult to beat.
I think Tuvan Hillbilly is completely right about needing to be willing to use the stick in that type of situation. It seemed to me that most of 08-09 was a honeymoon period for Boudreau; like he was happy to let the team do what they wanted as long as they were winning regularly. That’s a pretty stark contrast to a lot of what he said and what was said about him when he first arrived from Hershey. He was really big on constantly striving to get better regardless of what you’d already achieved and setting seemingly impossible goals for yourself. Hopefully he brings some of that type of attitude back next season because if he doesn’t, this team is destined for another disappointing playoff exit.
Sometimes it really sucks to be right.
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
There has been a lot of stuff about this series that it really sucked to be right about.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Don’t ask him – he’s the coach.
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Apr 30, 2010 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Maybe he's trying to draw fire!
Yeah, that’s the (unused conference semi-final) ticket.
Anyway, the hell with it. I think the IOC, CCC, CC, 92 all took a toll. The guys you thought might flake out, did. And, of course, Caps got outcoached: I’d rather that cost BB some say about the groceries, than have it cost him his place in the kitchen.
At least for now.
Hey let's go, today is going to be our night
It really pissed me off that after each of the last three games when Montreal was blocking a ton of shots and Halak was stopping everything BB’s response always seemed to be “what can you do, I don’t know.” Um, how about change your strategy. You won a freaking Adams Trophy, I should hope you can figure out how to make appropriate adjustments in a playoff series.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Apr 30, 2010 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m surprised there wasn’t more commentary on the mc79hockey post on valuing Nick Backstrom.
I think the concerns he raises are in fact legitimate. The Caps did convert a higher proportion of their shots into goals than teams normally do and Backstrom was certainly a beneficiary of that. That means that there’s a good chance that he’s not a regular 100 point player in the NHL (There are three guys with that ability right now, 8, 71 and 87, Stamkos could join them next year by virtue of his PP time and subsequent scoring). That’s not a slight, it’s just something that their statistical analysis points them to.
This line popped out at me, especially:
The guy who caught my eye while looking at this was Paul Stastny. Stastny, who earns $6.6MM has been a 70-80 point guy for most of the past few years, while playing on a lousy Colorado team. If you could flip Backstrom for him and, say, the Avs first round pick next year, would either team do that? I suspect that the Caps wouldn’t – management would rather make the perceived safe risk and not make the move. I’m not saying I’d do it either, but I’m reasonably certain that the distance between Backstrom and Stastny is alot smaller than it appears. If that’s not reflected in Backstrom’s new deal, well, Washington will have made a mistake. As someone who’s seen the results of an overpay here and an overpay there…it’s not pretty.
If I’m the Caps, I’m thinking very, very hard about doing this, or another deal like it, if reasonable terms can’t be reached. Production per salary cap dollar is the key stat in a league with a hard cap and as much as I’d like to keep Nick and Alex together, if they can’t get at least average $/production from Backstrom, it is categorically not worth it.
I understand that there are concerns about Corsi and its usefulness, but it correlates to production over the long term better than just about anything else in the category that really matters: winning hockey games. Seeing that Nick’s Corsi suffers more than Alex’s when they’re separated tells me that while both are benefiting from playing with each other, Nick needs Alex more than Alex needs Nick and that should be priced into his contract.
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:03 PM EDT reply actions
Yep I agree, huge overpay. Stats is a nice player but he doesn’t sniff Nick’s behind, and he’s brittle where Nick isn’t (knocking…).
Some people die just a little.
The durability is definitely added value, since a player can’t contribute if he isn’t in the lineup. That said, Stastny doesn’t have a guy like Ovechkin on his team, nor play on a PP with Green, Semin and Knuble in addition.
The other thing Nick has going for his is being younger than Stastny and not as close to his ceiling because of it. There’s a difference between the players, but if we could get a mid-first rounder + Stastny for Nick if his contract demands are too high, then that’s something GMGM needs to give serious consideration to.
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions
True, but the cupboards aren’t exactly bare in Denver either. And, Backis seems to perform when 8 isnt in the lineup….nah, just too valuable. IMO, GMGM needs to keep Nick; now, if he can flip 28 for Stats and mid first rounder…
Some people die just a little.
True, but the cupboards aren’t exactly bare in Denver either.
The contents of those cupboards are very young and had a very high shooting percentage to go with Craig Anderson’s very high save percentage.
And, Backis seems to perform when 8 isnt in the lineup….nah, just too valuable.
That’s the point of the entire analysis: looking at how players perform when their linemates are on and off the ice. AO’s territorial dominance (approximately what Corsi measures) suffers much less without Nick than the converse. I don’t think there’s any question that Stastny’s numbers would get a boost from playing with AO, instead of whoever he was playing with most of the time in COL.
IMO, GMGM needs to keep Nick
Another point of this analysis – it just isn’t that cut-and-dried. It all depends on what Nick can be signed for; if they can get him for a Toews/Kane deal, you do it in a heartbeat. If he wants Malkin/Crosby money, or even Gaborik money, you have to consider arbitrage of some kind.
now, if he can flip 28 for Stats and mid first rounder…
Then you break your finger on the fax machine, slamming send.
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep, COL overperformed this year but they have a very bright near term future. And of course, I agree that Stats has had less to play with, when he’s been in the lineup.
For comps, I steer away from using 1st line wings, so Gaborik, etc. are off the table for me. Crol$kin money is simply out of the question, so I’ve been yardsticking Toews’ deal and the H. Sedin deal with Nick’s potential deal and that’s the right neighborhood. Or, going back, Mike Richards’ longtermer. I could even see 7M (avg cap hit) over 5-6 years and still have no doubt. There just aren’t that many bona fide 1C’s out there, and Nick is one of them. At 22. But if it gets over 7.5-8M, yeah, Plan B better be something like what Sasha got (one yr extension with a bump, and agree to come back next year). And we still need a 2C
Some people die just a little.
But aren’t the other players Nicky centers (Sasha in particular) more streaky, thus disproportionately effecting his numbers? His performance at the Olympics was impressive when he was centering players he is less familiar with.
Plus, Nicky seems to be tapping into his goal scoring ability and liking it. A few more seasons are needed to determine what that norm is for him.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
Corsi tends to be less streaky than Goals, Assists, or points, which is part of why it’s attractive. Corsi differential also correlates better with goal differential than any stat aside from Fenwick (which is Corsi less blocked shots).
The analysis isn’t attempting to explain why, it’s simply highlighting that it is. Also, if Nick isn’t playing with AO, he probably is playing with Alex Semin. The drop-off from AO to Semin is far less than the drop-off from Nick to the 2C on any given night, so we’d actually expect the opposite of what the analysis showed if Nick was boosting AO’s numbers, rather than the other way around.
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I would hope no one is surprised by those results. Nicky’s points have been increasing every year for more than one reason, but obviously one of them is going to be playing more time with Alex. Clearly he is coming into his own more as well, everyone can see that. Given that Ovie puts up those numbers whether he’s splitting time with Nicky/Feds as his center or Nick his center the entire year the face he sees less of a dropoff shouldn’t be surprising.
Backstrom got a lot more praise this year and rightly so but it’s only natural for more of the focus to shift to someone who is increasing his level of play. Ovechkin just did his usual, lead the league in points per game and lead the team in playoff scoring. Obviously Backstrom was no slouch in the series either, although painfully absent from the scoresheet in Games 5-7.
Everything ends badly...otherwise it wouldn't end.
by Davethecapsfan on Apr 30, 2010 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve seen some suggest that Nick might be what’s making AO tick, rather than the other way around. Like I said, they’re both better together than they are apart, but AO sees less dropoff than Nick.
The upshoot is that while Nick is an elite player, he’s not in the category of AO, Sid, or Evgeni Malkin as far as generating results on the ice (at least as far as territorial advantage is concerned).
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that will continue to improve though. He’s gotten better every year. Ovie, Sid, and Malkin are in a class all their own above anyone else. But I think Nick is in that discussion of Top 5 centers in the game and Top 10 players in the game. His stock may fall a little bit not producing the last 3 games of the first round, but his comments all point to him getting a deal done and being ready for October.
Everything ends badly...otherwise it wouldn't end.
by Davethecapsfan on Apr 30, 2010 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions
What would you consider a fair contract for Stastny?
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by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Off the top of my head – for a young RFA who has never scored more than 80 points, nor topped 30 goals?
In fact, that deal was signed before the start of the season, when he had only manged one healthy season in three.
$5M max, and I think that’s inflated because of his early success and his name. Maybe they were over-paying a bit to buy a year or two of his pending UFA. I don’t know. But contracts like that ruin comparables.
Choking since 1985.
I know it weren’t directed to me, but Ryan Kesler’s deal seems about right (and, imo, Kes > Stats).
Some people die just a little.
In the general case, when I ask a question like that, I welcome all reasonable responses.
What’s your basis for Kesler > Stastny? Points, defense, agitation ability, advanced stats, gut feeling?
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll think about it, working on homework for tomorrow’s class and if I do turn it into a fanpost, it needs some more fleshing out and analysis.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Apr 30, 2010 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions
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