Saturday Caps Clips
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2010 7:50 AM EDT
in Caps Clips
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PrintYour savory breakfast links:
- Plenty of coverage of Alexander Semin's fender bender. [Puck Daddy, Alex Ovetjkin]
- Bruce Boudreau discusses the rule changes the NHL is considering. [CI]
- A couple of Willie Mitchell takes... [Jumping the Glass, OFB]
- ... and more on those Tomas Fleischmann-for-Sheldon Souray rumors. [Hockey Or Die!]
- A look back at what 22-year-old netminders have been able to do in the past. [Dump 'n Chase]
- Kind words for the latest additions to the Caps' stable of Russians. [Puck Prospectus]
- The Boss previews The Hockey News' yearbook for you. [Ted's Take]
- Does George McPhee think Finns can go to Hel...sinki? [RtR]
- On paper, the Caps are a much better team than the Canadiens. That sounds strangely familiar. [Masisak]
- The Caps will have new practice jerseys for 2010-11. [icethetics]
- Mainstream outlet rips off blog, creates giant s-storm. [Red Line Station]
- Thoughts and prayers, Dino... or not (see comments). [Snapshots]
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Waiting for Wysh to put out Dimitry’s transcription of Ovi’s radio interview. Here’s a piece of it. Hard to believe he really said all that about the state of Russian hockey. Sounds like he’s ready to come back to DC.
"HISTORY DOESN’T MATTER!!! .... Who cares if it’s never been done? We aren’t those teams who failed before. We are in control of our own destiny, and we will make it happen our own way.." - A Gordon, June 2010
it’s up now, and well worth the read. Ovie doesn’t hold back.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
I’ve always had the same thought about the Caps and Finns! I love that we’ve got a huge Russian fanbase, and to a slightly lesser extent extent, a large Swedish fanbase as well. Wish we could do that with Finland.
A Capital Wasteland - art & hockey from Washington, D.C.
As much as I usually like MP’s posts, this is one dubious conclusion. By the numbers he posted, the Caps simply do not draft an unusually low number of Finns. The number is comfortably within a normal distribution of draft selections. But even if it weren’t, that would not be evidence of some nefarious bias, but could easily be attributed to issues with scouting in Finland. Also, since there have been examples of a Finn being traded for, there is no basis to conclude that McPhee has some anti-Finn bias.
Not calling McPhee racist
While McPhee doesn’t draft an unusually low number of Finns (still below average), the Caps don’t use them. In 14 drafts: 4 draft picks, of which 2 signed and played with the Caps. No signed RFAs or UFAs, 1 trade for a Finn who played for McPhee before and had 5 Cup rings, no trades for a Finn that didn’t play for McPhee before. Also, McPhee traded away 3 of the four Finns who laced them up for the Caps and in only 1 trade could it be said the Caps came out ahead or even. The other Finn he let walk as a UFA.
The biggest number: 38 games played by Finns for the Caps in 12 seasons. The average number played per team over that period is 693. The average number per team per season is 58.
He occasionally drafts them, but he doesn’t keep them, sign them, trade for them, or play them much.
If McPhee thinks he can win without Finns, he’s a smart enough guy to figure that out, but I don’t know why.
Following the Caps at Rock the Red.
by Marshall Pirate on Aug 21, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d presume the scouts (including Petri Skriko) aren’t seeing anything out there, but who knows.
Hasta siempre Jaime.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 21, 2010 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The average games played per season per team by a Finn is 58. That’s less than one player per team. It doesn’t take much to take a team from league average to zero. When you’re dealing with such small numbers, any difference can appear significant when it is not. I just would need to see some actual evidence that the Caps are truly avoiding Finns — as opposed to not being lucky with the small handful that they drafted — before concluding that they are making a mistake by doing so.
I tend to agree. I’m not necessarily saying there is a conspiracy or a mistake. What I’m saying is the Caps don’t use Finns, and the evidence shows that conclusively. I don’t have any evidence there is a personal or professional bias against Finns by McPhee or anyone else in the organization.
It is a hugely significant number when you consider that Lepisto was traded away for nothing when McPhee gave up on him and he went and played 66 games in the desert. Those games played with DC would have pushed the Caps over just two teams, New Jersey and St. Louis. Lepisto is a player that could have helped the Caps, younger and cheaper than Jurcina or Morrisonn.
Following the Caps at Rock the Red.
by Marshall Pirate on Aug 21, 2010 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, the Lepisto trade is really the one that stands out. I’m curious if anything else went into their decision to basically give him away, because his on-ice AHL performance was good enough to consider him a solid prospect.
at the time, GMGM said Lepisto was buried on the depth chart and they were concerned he may opt to go back to Finland (he was an RFA) rather than continue to play in Hershey. They decided to trade him to a team he would get some playing time on and get something in return, rather than lose him to Finland for nothing.
Maybe that’s just GMGM spin, but it makes sense to me.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
I agree that Lepisto was buried pretty far back in the depth chart. We had too many defensemen. Still, it seems that he never did get another chance with the Caps after that game where he had done so poorly. It seemed like he was the designated scapegoat at the time.
I don’t think his ethnicity had anything to do with it. More like in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Rocking the Red since 1975
I agree that it wasn’t his ethnicity, I don’t think he ever looked all that strong when he was up with the big club. He seemed slow to adjust to the speed of the NHL game, so without being better than the players ahead of him or a better prospect of those behind him.
I wish him well, but don’t think he was coming up at the right time for the Caps.
by Eggseronius on Aug 22, 2010 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree he didn’t look all that strong defensively during his call-ups, but that’s not unusual for a rookie defenseman. What was unusual was Lepisto’s ability to pass the puck on the powerplay. What bothers me is that if we had signed him instead of Jurcina, we get a younger, cheaper player with at least as much defensive awareness but with some actual upside, we may not even have needed to give away Pothier, Osala and a 2nd round pick for nothing.
Following the Caps at Rock the Red.
by Marshall Pirate on Aug 22, 2010 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Why go for a Finn when you can get a Swede? ;)
by SwedeTom on Aug 21, 2010 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Bruce’s take on the rule changes was very interesting. As a non-fan of no-touch icing, I like the faceoff dot race as a compromise. But to me, the no-icing-while-short rule is fascinating. I see a real benefit for a team like the Caps, if only because it would force Bruce to completely re-design the kill: an emphasis on more forechecking would be a welcome addy to our current PK and it would be vital with the no-icing rule.
is it cold yet?
I can’t believe people actually think GMGM would bring Souray here via trade. Hasn’t he been on waivers two or three times in 2010? Not happening.
What’s gross is the people who actually WANT Souray here. Ew!
Fleischmann for Souray; Could It Happen?
No.
'Cause the end of what it was is what it is right now...
Aw come on, why are you hating?
On the worst team in the league, at even strength he was the #3 defenseman in points per 60 and his GAON/60 (3.47) was .83 goals per game higher than his GAOFF/60 (2.64) — the worst differential for any Edmonton defenseman.
You don’t think that kind of production merits a salary higher than Mike Green’s over the next two years?
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Aug 21, 2010 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
He can be our Rolston. Winger that just bombs away and gets paid a pretty nickel and that’s pretty much it.
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 21, 2010 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
I can believe GMGM would talk to Edmonton, but I can’t believe it would be about Souray and maybe not Flash either. I know very little about the Oilers or how they’d use Flash, but looking at their roster, they seem to have plenty of Cs and LWs already (or at least they have Brule, Gagner, and Cogliano at C and Penner, Horcoff, Hall, and Giroux as LW). I don’t know enough about their D to speculate as to who the Caps may want, but they wouldn’t take Souray and his contract.
For those of you interested in what happened to PPP yesterday, it happened again today:
http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2010/8/21/1634877/the-toronto-sun-has-stolen-our
Per Broad Street Hockey, Arron Asham just signed a 1-year, $700,000 deal with Pittsburgh.
It sucks one of the few Flyers I liked went and signed with the one team I hate more than the Flyers.
A Capital Wasteland - art & hockey from Washington, D.C.
So now the Pens are adding to their goonery quotient. Agree with you on hating the Pens more than any other teams, even the Flyers. I confess to the fact that I was actually rooting for the Flyers in the Pens-Flyers series in 2009. Reluctantly rooting for them but rooting for them, nonetheless.
Rocking the Red since 1975
did Pittsburgh really need another third line winger?
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Guess they figure “third line gritty” wingers will get them further in the playoffs than “second line skilled” wingers, which is what we have a surfeit of.
Rocking the Red since 1975
I think that’s what they read on their rings :(
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 21, 2010 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Souray make a lot of sense
1. He fills the hole left by Michael Nylander for the contract who makes fans cry when they think about it.
2. We really need an offensive defenseman, it’s not like we have the best one in hockey or anything like that.
3. Tomas Fleischman needs company in the pressbox the next game 7 of the playoffs we’re in
4. Souray’s mother likes the color red
5. Alex Ovechkin makes so many funny vacation photos, why not do whatever possible to give him more vacation?
6. The blackhawks won the stanley cup with no cap space, ergo, we need to do whatever possible to do the same!
7. Our anemic offense needs a boost.
8. Rather than “Rock the Red” we can chant “Bring out your dead!” (Monty Python joke)
by 8vechkin on Aug 21, 2010 12:31 PM EDT reply actions 15 recs
I can picture the first five on DGB easy. Rec’d
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 21, 2010 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
haha
Amazing.
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
by Karina on Aug 21, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
So the secret to getting comments on your CSN column (even more than Redskin fans on a gameday) is to predict the Habs will finish lower than the Leafs. I think he struck a nerve. Brilliant, Corey.
"HISTORY DOESN’T MATTER!!! .... Who cares if it’s never been done? We aren’t those teams who failed before. We are in control of our own destiny, and we will make it happen our own way.." - A Gordon, June 2010
I’m sure it’ll be in Clips tomorrow or Monday, but today was DCPS Beautification Day. Mike Green (and oh, that hair. Hope he doesn’t make any stylists cry during commercial shoots this year, but I’m not holding out much hope) and some Rink Rats and Rabbits (and other Caps fans) volunteered at one school and you can check out the video.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
54 | 26 | 17 | 11 | 63 |
|
Washington
|
54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
57 | 26 | 25 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
54 | 24 | 24 | 6 | 54 |
|
Carolina
|
56 | 20 | 25 | 11 | 51 |
(updated 2.12.2012 at 8:46 AM EST)
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