Washington Capitals (2010-11)

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Too bad about the apartheid.  But yes, nice winters and great gardens.

I forgot architecture, sailing, mild winters, beaches, nubile nymphets.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Why didn't our Swedes step it up like the Sedins?

[Dave B]

these are the only beach scenes i want to see out of ovie and backstrom this summer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=h0qVUn4797g#t=156s

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

That looked like it was about to get x-rated.

these are the only beach scenes i want to see out of ovie and backstrom this summer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=h0qVUn4797g#t=156s

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

If you have never seen "DC Cab", that is the definitive Mr T flick. 

[UMDNats]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/capitals-still-need-to-add-some-bite/2011/05/05/AFLZcD2F_story.html

At times like this, when a No. 1 seed gets swept by a No. 5 seed, you line up the firing squad or you line up the excuses. For the second straight year, the Caps went with the excuses. McPhee and Boudreau ran through a long list of Caps injuries, especially to four of their best puck-carrying defensemen. All teams have injuries. The Lightning was probably just as hamstrung. But the Caps hate to be cruel. What others might call whining, they see as mitigating circumstances.

[BerkeleyNat]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/capitals-still-need-to-add-some-bite/2011/05/05/AFLZcD2F_story.html

Boswell didn't pull any punches in that article. I completely agree with him though.

[MarquisDeSade]

Ok, a couple of questions, since I haven't followed hockey in a while.  Who is Boswell referring to here:

"They don’t want to act in haste and repent at leisure, even if it means soft players aren’t traded and get to repeat their spring failures."

Anyone else find this part a little Dibble-esque?

And Leonsis knows that McPhee built the roster that fills his arena every game with fans who wear actual Caps jerseys, the expensive kind, not those free giveaways.

[spidernat]

The Caps brass doesn’t yet acknowledge how decisively Tampa Bay beat them.

This could apply to a few Caps fans as well.

[CatsEye]

  

Ok, a couple of questions, since I haven't followed hockey in a while.  Who is Boswell referring to here:

"They don’t want to act in haste and repent at leisure, even if it means soft players aren’t traded and get to repeat their spring failures."

Anyone else find this part a little Dibble-esque?

And Leonsis knows that McPhee built the roster that fills his arena every game with fans who wear actual Caps jerseys, the expensive kind, not those free giveaways.

    My take on it, being a former Caps ST and long-time hockey fan is:
       a.) Several Caps players did not live up to the hype for the play-offs  and didn't deliver as anticipated . However, with the disappointing ending, management doesn't want to jump too quickly and make trades that they may regret later - when cooler heads prevail and some time has elapsed since the play-offs came to a crashing end for the Caps.
      b.) Secondly, Leonsis may know that George McPhee built a roster that fills his arena every game- BUT- Leonsis wants to win the Stanley Cup and will go to all ends possible to achieve that goal - Ted is a goal-oriented person, and whether it's trades or a new coach, Ted will do what is necessary to achieve a winning team.....and winning the Division, is not enough for him.....Bank On It...
                                                                                                        

[MarquisDeSade]

   
    My take on it, being a former Caps ST and long-time hockey fan is:
       a.) Several Caps players did not live up to the hype for the play-offs  and didn't deliver as anticipated . However, with the disappointing ending, management doesn't want to jump too quickly and make trades that they may regret later - when cooler heads prevail and some time has elapsed since the play-offs came to a crashing end for the Caps.
      b.) Secondly, Leonsis may know that George McPhee built a roster that fills his arena every game- BUT- Leonsis wants to win the Stanley Cup and will go to all ends possible to achieve that goal - Ted is a goal-oriented person, and whether it's trades or a new coach, Ted will do what is necessary to achieve a winning team.....and winning the Division, is not enough for him.....Bank On It...
                                                                                                       

Thanks, who exactly is he referring as "soft" though?  I'm just little perplexed by that description.

[Frau Mau]

   
          b.) Secondly, Leonsis may know that George McPhee built a roster that fills his arena every game- BUT- Leonsis wants to win the Stanley Cup and will go to all ends possible to achieve that goal - Ted is a goal-oriented person, and whether it's trades or a new coach, Ted will do what is necessary to achieve a winning team.....and winning the Division, is not enough for him.....Bank On It...
                                                                                                       

I prefer your take on it as to how I read Boz's. Boz seemed to be implying that as long as Ted was making a buttload of money that he wouldn't push for a change. IMHO that is a very short-sighted thought and I agree, though Ted may be reluctant to make changes, if he does not feel that there has been improvement season after season, he will.

[Dave B]

The building wont be filled for long once people start to realize that the team doesnt do anything in the playoffs. So I dont buy the "Ted is happy with a good regular season team" argument. I might have if the Caps were still scoring assloads of goals and getting people wings every night. That was entertaining and could possibly overcome playoff disappointments.

I like how boz pats himself on the back for saying the caps needed to change.  Boz doesnt realize that you (particularly McPhee) dont really build your team over the summer. You do it near the deadline when you know what you have and what you dont have and what players are available. Boz also doesnt realize that McPhee isnt going to say "I'm going to trade the bum Semin" the day after being eliminated no matter what he thinks of the player's value to the team.

Either A) the playoffs are random and it doesnt really matter if you go with the current group or make changes. Both could disappoint or surprise or B) the playoofs arent that random and the Caps need different players

If A) changing players makes no difference. If B) changin players helps. So it doesnt hurt to change things up

BTW, Russia doesnt even want Semin right now for the World Championships

[CALSGR8]

Why is it that

When Bobby Cox of Atlanta Braves doesn't win a WS in years, but made the playoffs for more than 3 years, he's a managerial genius.

When the Redskins institute a new playing philosophy (3-4 or 4-3), its ok if the players take more than a year to learn it.

Yet when the Caps institute a new system, they have barely a year to learn it and make it a success.

When the Caps make the playoffs for 3 years and don't win a CUP, its time to fire the coach and get rid of players and Big changes have to be made????

I mean I didn't see Bobby Cox get fired or Maddux, Glavine, or Smoltz get traded!

I don't see big changes happening to the Redskins.

Why is it everyone gets impatient when it comes to THECAPS???

Sounds like an unfair double standard to me!

[Dave B]

Why is it that

When Bobby Cox of Atlanta Braves doesn't win a WS in years, but made the playoffs for more than 3 years, he's a managerial genius.

When the Redskins institute a new playing philosophy (3-4 or 4-3), its ok if the players take more than a year to learn it.

Yet when the Caps institute a new system, they have barely a year to learn it and make it a success.

When the Caps make the playoffs for 3 years and don't win a CUP, its time to fire the coach and get rid of players and Big changes have to be made????

I mean I didn't see Bobby Cox get fired or Maddux, Glavine, or Smoltz get traded!

I don't see big changes happening to the Redskins.

Why is it everyone gets impatient when it comes to THECAPS???

Sounds like an unfair double standard to me!

The Caps have actually been good enough that they have had expectations placed on them. If they were finishing somewhere in the 5th through 8th seeds every year, nobody would really care.

Football is a bit more complicated

Bobby Cox made the playoffs a bunch of times when only 4 teams in the league made it. 16 teams make it in hockey. Its not just the Caps that this situation applies to. Lots of successful but disappointing hockey teams might make a change to get to the next level.

There are some guys we can be patient with like Backstrom. It might be worth seeing if we can turn Semin into something else. However, I wouldnt expect that to happen this summer. If he has a goo regular season, there could be an offensively starved team looking for scoring at the deadline.

Players do get better.  A couple years ago, when Pavol Datsyuk was a FA, people on the Caps board didnt want him because until that time he was a playoff non-performer, even though we hadnt made the playoffs yet.  He didnt have a good playoffs until his sixth playoff season at the age of 28/29.  He is one of the best players in the league now.

The Pens and Blackhawks however have shown that young players can win.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Four plus own goals during the series and what, six disallowed?

If I didn't know better I would say that the fix was in. 

Sure, the total evaporation of Backstrom (and Semin after Game 1 against the Rangers) didn't help.  I don't think that Green was as much of a bust as some people seem to think.

And then there's the usual coach and GM song and dance.  I'm sure that P-Can is out there running insanely around the family estate in horse country stabbing knitting needles through a Boudreau bobblehead.  OK fine, you want a veteran NHL coach?  Barry Melrose is probably raring to go.  Or Pat Quinn?  Both made the Stanley Cup Finals (granted that was around the time of the Treaty of Utrecht).  Just look at what Gibbs 2.0 and Shanahan brought to Washington with all of their experience. 

I think that it is probably inevitable that Boudreau is gone, and that Green, Semin, Laich, Varly, Gordon, Poti, and probably several others are either going to be shipped or allowed to walk.  Hopefully this will be a case of change being good for change's sake.

Ted was a real Robespierre in 2003, so he's obviously not philosophically averse to blowing crap up.     

 

[Dave B]

Four plus own goals during the series and what, six disallowed?

If I didn't know better I would say that the fix was in. 

Sure, the total evaporation of Backstrom (and Semin after Game 1 against the Rangers) didn't help.  I don't think that Green was as much of a bust as some people seem to think.

And then there's the usual coach and GM song and dance.  I'm sure that P-Can is out there running insanely around the family estate in horse country stabbing knitting needles through a Boudreau bobblehead.  OK fine, you want a veteran NHL coach?  Barry Melrose is probably raring to go.  Or Pat Quinn?  Both made the Stanley Cup Finals (granted that was around the time of the Treaty of Utrecht).  Just look at what Gibbs 2.0 and Shanahan brought to Washington with all of their experience. 

I think that it is probably inevitable that Boudreau is gone, and that Green, Semin, Laich, Varly, Gordon, Poti, and probably several others are either going to be shipped or allowed to walk.  Hopefully this will be a case of change being good for change's sake.

Ted was a real Robespierre in 2003, so he's obviously not philosophically averse to blowing crap up.     

I'm reading way in to some of the stuff I read today (maybe from Capitals Insider) about the free agents.  Laich didnt give the obligatory "I want to come back" statement "He was kinda like 'We'll see...'". Arnott said he wanted to come back, but he might just be keeping all his options available.

We dont need both of the goalies so Varly can go. However, I think if he goes to Russia we are left empty handed. If he signs with another team, we'll get some picks.

I think every thing has become a bit too cozy in the locker room. People all know each other and are too nice.  Bring in guys like Hendricks or better who want to fight for ice time and don't care if someone loses a job or gets demoted. Hendricks was only a 4th liner, but get some guys who wanna be second liners, etc.

Someone like Bradley has accepted he is 4th liner in this life. Put a young guy back there who might have higher aspirations. 

As I watch some of these playoff games, I dont really know what other teams 2nd-4th lines are. They all play the same and guys chip in

[CALSGR8]

Its just that last years' Stanley Cup Champion has been ousted and the only team that's a number 1 that is left is Vancouver. 

[Dave B]

There is some amount of panicking that is going on. However, at some point you get tired of watching the same players screw up over and over.  At least get me some new players who are going to screw up.

The question is: are the Caps progressing or are they just going to have random levels of success (which wouldnt be uncommon)? If you feel they are progressing or have room to grow, maybe you keep people. If it is random, change for change's sake won't hurt (or help). I'm not sure if our players are learning lessons or going to get better.

At least if we have new players who aren't going to get the puck out of the zone or control it along the boards, it will take some time to realize the trend instead of expecting to see player X mess up and the first time it happens in the season say "Here we go again"

[Dave B]

Its just that last years' Stanley Cup Champion has been ousted and the only team that's a number 1 that is left is Vancouver. 

they did lose some players, though none of their "stars". and they did make the playoffs on the last day of the season, i think after they lost and needed someone else to lose.

and the pens did lose to montreal last year too. they were an intact stanley cup winning team. crosby scored a whopping one goal in seven games.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

If the Canucks make the finals, that city will go apecrap no matter what the outcome.  I was there in '94 when they lost to the Rangers by a goal in game 7 and the place erupted into very un-Canadian rioting and mayhem.  Somehow that didn't seem to happen when Calgary and Edmonton lost in their respective finals in game 7.

[CALSGR8]

All I'm sayin is other teams are in a similar situation.   Its not just us! 

[UMDNats]

Changes that I hope to see this offseason:

1. Bruce is fired

Self explanatory. AHL coach. Difference between Bruce and Blysma/Boucher/everyone is blatantly obvious.

2. Poti hangs them up.

I like Poti but his contract is b-a-d and he's got seriously injury issues. McPhee thinks it's possible, I think it'd be a benefit for the team and hopefully the health of Tom, who has gone through a lot in the last few years.

3. Schultz is moved.

He just doesn't add anything to this team, he took a huge step back this year, there are definitely teams who would be interested in him.

4. McPhee shops Mike Green and Alex Semin.

It's time to shake up the young guns, and these are the 2 guys who can/should be moved. Green has much higher value than Semin, and we shouldn't take a low ball offer for Green. But Semin I'd move for a solid gritty 2nd liner or veteran defenseman. We'll probably have to undervalue Semin at this point to move him.

5. Semyon Varlamov is traded.

Michal Neuvirth should be our guy moving forward, and his backup should be Holtby. I love Varly but he is not reliable health-wise and we should move him before injuries ruin his career.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

This came as a bit of a surprise...good for Avery, I hate him a lot less for having the moxie to do this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Why-Sean-Avery-s-endorsement-of-gay-marriage-is-?urn=nhl-wp4424

[PANatsFan]

This came as a bit of a surprise...good for Avery, I hate him a lot less for having the moxie to do this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Why-Sean-Avery-s-endorsement-of-gay-marriage-is-?urn=nhl-wp4424

Good for him and the idea that someone would use this against him is moronic.