Caps vs. Stars 11-30-2006 Post-Mortem

Once again a team from Dallas comes to Washington looking for a win, comes close, but doesn't get it. That's two in a row now. Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Not only did the Caps have a 2-0 lead after one period tonight, they also jumped on a tired team by out shooting them 9-8. Alas, it wouldn't stay that way for the entire game but you have to like the way the Caps came out of the gate.
• After giving up an ugly goal early in the second, the Caps not only shook off their second period doldrums but they actually extended the lead. The only good thing about taking 5 shots in the second period is that the Caps scored twice on those five shots.
• A.O.'s point streak came to an end tonight. Why is this a good thing? Well, the Caps scored four goals, collected a total of ten points, and won tonight without any help on the scoresheet from their best player. A.O. isn't the only player on this team and the rest of the team needs to score in order for the Caps to have a chance to win.
• The Special Teams did well tonight in a game where not much was called. The Power Play was 2 for 5 and the Penalty Killers were 4 for 4. You can't ask for much more than that.
• The much ballyhooed return of Jeff Halpern wasn't much for Jeff to write home about. 1 shot, 1 hit, 1 giveaway, 2 blocked shots, 7-7 on faceoffs, and a -1. Though I have to say that I am miffed that the local fans booed the Local Boy. He didn't want to leave, didn't give a substandard effort when he played here, and has had nothing but nice things to say about his time in Washington and about the organization. I understand not wanting to give him a standing ovation either, but let's show some class.

THE BAD:

• When you take a 4-1 lead into the third period at home against a team playing on consecutive nights, you need to close the door on the game. You can't allow 20 shots on goal and come away with a one goal victory.
• When A.O. gets awarded a penalty shot and doesn't even get a shot on goal, maybe you should spend some time in practice going over penalty shots. Yes, I know you cannot duplicate the pressure, but practice is clearly needed here. Either that or some sort of voodoo/exorcism. With the "new NHL" in its infinite wisdom making penalty shots as common as things named after Robert Byrd in West-By-God-Virginia, you need to do a little better than Oh-for-the season. This is getting embarrassing kids.

THE UGLY:

• Jamie "Home Run" Heward's giveaway at the start of the second period that got Dallas on the scoreboard. No excuse as it was nothing but a total lack of effort on Heward's part.
• Michael Smith's goaltending line tonight, 10 saves on 14 shots, for a .714 save percentage and the loss. No wonder he got yanked at the second intermission.
• How does Olie Kolzig make 35 saves in what turned out to be a one goal game and not get one of the three stars?

Well, another game, another chased goalie, and another nail biting win. It is abundantly clear to this observer that the margin of error for this team is very, very small. But let's celebrate two in a row; getting #3 is going to be a real challenge for this team.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!

Caps vs. Stars 11-30-2006 Preview

Washington Capitals (9-17; 24 points) vs. Dallas Stars (16-8; 32 points):
Caps Game #25, Home Game #12, NHL Game #364

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTEM 980-AM. Dallas TV: Fox Sportsnet Southwest. Radio: WBAP 820-AM. National TV: HD NET. NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.

After ending their six game losing streak on Tuesday night by beating the Ning, tonight the Caps close out the month of November and open up a four game homestand by welcoming back their most recent Captain and his new team to the Phone Booth. Jeff Halpern has posted 3 goals, 5 assists, and -1 so far this season for his new team that is coming off a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last night. Not only are the Stars playing in back-to-back games tonight, this is also their third game in four nights on the road.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Dallas Morning News: Stars blow a lead, Stars-Caps preview, minor league update (reg. might be required). Stars.com does not have a preview up yet.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Well, the Dallas paper likes to boast about "four defensive lines" to contain A.O. but that job is likely to fall to the checking line centered by local boy Jeff Halpern. How well Halpern can handle a line that is not only bigger, but faster than him will be the key. These aren't the same Caps that got beaten 4-1 in Dallas last year. The Caps have more skill and if Alexander Semin and Richard Zednik can get on a roll again, the Caps will be very tough to defend. Dallas though is a very talented team in its own right though and will be a very tough opponent for the Caps to beat.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 2
Stars 3
Winner by Modano

Caps @ Ning 11-28-2006 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post ??(Olie Kolzig scored and Alexander Semin also made 48 saves? How did I miss that???). Times: Goals in strange places, Caps Report. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

St. Petersburg Times: They shoot, they lose, Cap relief, sellout streak snapped. Tampa Tribune: Firing on all cylinders, Cap relief again. Ning.com.

Final Thoughts:

Caps fans can certainly emphasize with the Ning about taking 50 shots, only getting two goals, and losing the game. It has certainly happened to us on more than one occasion. The object lesson often times is the quality of the shots, not the quantity that counts. Idiot fans who keep yelling, "SHOOT!" need to look at games like this to learn the error of their ways, but it wouldn't sink in anyway. The Caps were credited with 11 shot blocks and Tampa was credited with 20 missed shots. Adding the numbers together that's 81 shots taken by the Ning last night. Even if the quality of those 81 were low, that is still too much of a quantity. 24 down 78 to go.

Caps @ Ning 11-28-2006 Post-Mortem

This won't be a full-fledged Post-Mortem as my building, chores (my office job likes it when I come to work in clean clothes, they're funny like that...), and Maryland doing their part in the Annual ACC Beatdown of the Big "Ten" on the Basketball Court conspired to have me only watch a little over a third of the Caps 5-2 victory over the Ning.

A few thoughts though on the end of the six game losing streak:

• Maybe we shouldn't complain about the high number of shots being allowed...
• It is good to see Alexander Semin back on the ice and scoresheet just like it is nice to see more than one other player not nicknamed A.O. scoring goals.
• Why did Tortorella pull Holmqvist after giving up three goals? None of the three looked particularly bad except for the Shorty that Boyd Gordon scored.

Either way, it is nice to have a win again, of course this doesn't solve all of the problems but it does demonstrate the importance of the skill players on this team.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!

Caps @ Ning 11-28-2006 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-15: 22 points) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (13-11; 27 points):
Caps Game #24, Road Game #13, NHL Game #355

St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL. 7:35 pm. Washington TV: NewsChannel 8. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. Tampa TV: Sunshine Network. Radio: WDAE 620-AM. NHL Center Ice: Sunshine Network feed.

The Caps tonight take their six game losing streak back on the road to face the Ning who have won three in a row since dropping a 7-2 game to Buffalo on November 20th. After some false promise on Saturday night, Alexander Semin is expected to return tonight and Richard Zednik will be a gametime decision.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

St. Petersberg Times. Tampa Tribune: Holmqvist arrives, St. Louis a star. Ning.com

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

At some point in time the Caps losing streak will end folks. I know it is chic to short out the panic button and go all doom and gloom with this hockey team after they lose a couple of games. First of all it pays to remember that this isn't a playoff team in the first place. Hopefully the return of Semin tonight along will increase the skill level of this team to the point where they can at least score more than one or two goals. Of course it would be even better if Semin not only returned, but brought his scoring touch back with him.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 2
Ning 4
Winner by St. Louis

Redskins Playoffs Possibilities.

The (Com)Post's Dan Steinberg over at the D.C. Sports Bog breaks down the Redskins playoff possibilities.


The only thing that needs to be said is this...

Sunday Smorgasbord 11-26

• As noted in the earlier post, I was at the Redskins 17-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers today. First things first, Jason Campbell was ok, but certainly had Carolina concerned because in the second half I noticed that they were using Julius Peppers as a spy for him. I don't think teams would be doing that with Mark Brunell. The key to the Skins victory today was forcing Carolina to work with a long field on offense all day long. However the Ron Jawarski article in the (Com)Post on Friday vindicated my opinion of the Redskins offensive line (it stinks). The Redskins would be well served to figuring out a way to get better linemen and they can start by dumping the vastly overrated Chris Samuels. Now at 4-7 the Redskins have a decent shot at putting together a respectable record.
• Congratulations are in order to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons who earned a spot in the ACC Championship game last night by beating Maryland 38-24 for the Atlantic Division Title. I saw a lot more offense last night than I thought I would see and I have to give credit where credit is due, Wake Forest is a legitimate football team folks. Of the Tobacco Road schools in the All Carolina Conference, Wake offends me the least (but that isn't saying a whole lot). The Terps were done in by three first half interceptions by Sam Hollenbach that forced Ralph Friedgen into conservative play calling in the second half. While the ending of the 8-4 regular season is a disappointment, you have to remember that this is a team that was coming off two consecutive 5-6 seasons and wasn't expected to be much better than that mark this season. The Terps have a bright future ahead of them and are likely headed to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. to face Navy on December 30th or the Music City Bowl in Nashville on December 29th which is nothing to sneeze at.
• In other ACC Football news, N.C. State's Chuck "The Chest" Amato became the third ACC Head Coach to be fired joining John Bunting from North Carolina and Larry Coker from Miami. Amato was an overrated coach who was living off his resume from F$U and his recruitment of Phillip Rivers. And even when he had Phillip Rivers, he didn't do as well as he should have. Larry Coker though is the victim of circumstance. He was 59-15 at Miami winning a National Title and playing for another. Coker should have been given more time to "turn the program around." Bunting however suffered from working at a basketball school.
• On Frozen Blog deserves credit for breaking the news that long-time Caps Equipment Manager Doug "Sluggo" Shearer had been quietly replaced with Brock Myles who had been the equipment manager for the Portland Pirates of the AHL. Well, I tapped into my vast network of spies and informants and all I have been able to uncover is that Sluggo "was relieved of his duties." No reason as to why in any general or specific manner has been uncovered by the likes of myself.
• My vast network of spies and informants also report that the Atlanta Journal and Constitution's report of Caps Head Coach Glen Hanlon heading towards the Atlanta locker room after Wednesday night's cheapshot and fight filled hockey game is more or less accurate. According to what I've been told, heated words were exchanged between the coaches and both men had to be restrained. Hanlon by arena security and Hartley by his own players. Kudos to Hanlon for following in the tradition of George McPhee for continuing to stick up for his team after the game was over. Odds are that the return bout on December 15th is going to leave Ultimate Fighting On Ice fans bitterly disappointed.
• Just how bad is Darwin's Waiting Room? Well, they finally got under Ted Leonsis' skin this week. There's a reason why I have very little use for those people anymore. If I wanted to I could do a daily post attacking the rank stupidity that dominates that place, but this would become a very boring blog. My advice to Mr. Leonsis is to ignore them, they're idiots and no amount of administration is going to change that. The fans that think this team is soft and has no identity aren't interested in watching hockey, they're interested in watching Ultimate Fighting On Ice. These are the fans that the NHL desperately needs to leave behind if they ever want to grow the game to become as big as the NFL. It should also be noted that Ted felt the need to respond to this nonsense one day before the Caps and Thrashers had their little disagreement on the ice.
• Sorry, once again I just can't resist, but did the Jints blow a 21 point lead in the fourth quarter and lose to the Titans???? BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
• And on that note, this week, the Caps once again have three games on the schedule but they don't play them in four nights. They visit the Ning on Tuesday at 7:30 pm before coming home to games on Thursday night vs. Dallas at 7 pm and Saturday night vs. Buffalo at 8 pm. The Terps Men's Basketball team takes their 7-0 record to Illinois on Tuesday night for the Annual ACC Smackdown of the Big "Ten" on the Basketball Floor. ESPN televises the game at 7 pm. On Sunday they play the third game of a triple header in the one day BB&T Classic at the Phone Booth against Notre Dame around 6:30 pm. The Redskins are back home on Sunday facing the Atlanta Falcons and I'll be there once again for the 1 pm kickoff.
• As always folks, please send all comments, questions, criticisms, corrections, suggestions, and the location of the Holy Grail to "capsnut" over at gmail dot com. Once I get some sleep, I'll check the e-mail and if I don't throw it in the spam file right away, I might just respond.

Caps @ Islanders 11-25-2006 Wrap Up

After getting home from the Redskins game and changing clothes, I fell asleep on my recliner, but that's for another post...

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times: Streak continues, Caps Report. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

New York Post. Newsday: Blake carving a place, Bourne inducted. Islanders.com.

Final Thoughts:

Well, it took the losing streak to reach six games for Olie Kolzig to start breaking sticks. You have to wonder just how much the injuries that are piling up on the skill players are have a role in this current skid. 23 down, 79 to go.

College Football, Terps vs. Deacons 11-25-2006 Preview

Maryland Terrapins (8-3, 5-2) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-2, 5-2):
Terps Game #12, Home Game #7

Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, College Park, MD. 7:45 pm. Maryland Radio: WFHS 105.7-FM and WJFK 1300-AM in Bhawlmuher, WMAL 630-AM in Washington, D.C. Wake Forest Radio: WBRF 98.1-FM. National TV: ESPN.

Whodda thunk that this game tonight in College Park, MD would be as important as it is? Simply put, the winner tonight plays next week in Jacksonville, FL in the 2nd Annual ACC Championship Game. The loser will sit around and stew in their juices while waiting for a bowl bid to be announced on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006. Both teams are coming off of big loses from last week, Maryland to Boston College and Wake from Virginia Tech. However in light of Miami's win over B.C. on Thursday night, both teams are still in control of their own destiny.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post: Terps in a good spot, similarities. Times: Terps greedy, remember Josh Allen? Bhawlmuher Sun: Terps relishing chase, Bowl implications. UM Terps game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Greensboro News-Record: Big game, Title Game at stake. Deacs.com pdf game notes.

Neutral Views:

AP Wire. ACC.com weekly football pdf notes.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Well, pain for the viewers outside of the Maryland and Wake Forest radio area for having to listen to Mike Patrick call tonight's game for starters... Maryland is favored by one which means that the bookies have been paying attention to the Terps and their style of play recently. The Terps have a chance to tonight to wrap up their first undefeated season at home since 2003. Don't expect some sort of high scoring wild shootout tonight as that is not the style of either team. Maryland has won the last seven games vs. Wake Forest and will be playing in front of a revved up home crowd. Wake has been a great story this season and Maryland has been a surprise to a lot of people. It is going to be a hard fought game, but I think Maryland is going to find a way to pull this game out tonight to set up a rematch in the ACC Championship against Georgia Tech.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Terps 17
Wake 14

Caps vs. Leafs 11-24-2006 Wrap Up/ Caps @ Islanders 11-25-2006 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post: Caps wilt, unapologetic. Times: Caps reeling, Caps Report. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Toronto Globe and Mail: Leafs cruise, drunk driver. Toronto Star: Leafs punish Caps, publicity hounds (submitted without comment). Toronto Sun. Leafs.com.

Final Thoughts:

The best way to deal with a game like this is to forget about it and move on. 22 down, 60 to go.



Washington Capitals (8-14; 22 points) @ New York Islanders (11-10; 25 points):
Caps Game #23, Road Game #12, NHL Game #336

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY. 7:35 pm. Washington TV: WDCW Channel 50. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. New York TV: Fox Sportsnet New York. New York Radio: WBBR 1130-AM. NHL Center Ice: Fox Sportsnet New York feed.

Tonight the Caps take their five game losing streak on the road to face the New York Islanders who have won four in a row including yesterday's 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tonight the Caps are expected to get Alexander Semin back from injured reserve and Brian Sutherby back from suspension.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

New York Post. Newsday: Huge crowd, fans happy with win. Islanders.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

During a good part of the 1990's the Caps dominated the series between these two teams. Now the Caps haven't won on Long Island since December 2nd, 2003. Up until recently, the Caps have responded well when they had their backs up against the wall. At some point in time the Caps are going to break out of their funk and start winning some games. In some of these recent losses, the effort has been there, but the luck hasn't been.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 5
Isles 2
Winner by Ovechkin

Editorial Note For The Dozen Readers Of This Blog:

Once again work commitments prevent me from watching tonight's game and considering my recent track record (I haven't watched the Caps win since 10-30-2006 @ Calgary) this is probably a good thing. Therefore, no post-mortem tonight.

Caps vs. Leafs 11-24-2006 Post-Mortem

I hate it when I am right about certain things... Tonight was a game that we lost in the closing minutes of Wednesday night when Donald Brashear took the instigator penalty and got suspended for tonight's game (along with two others). Why do I say that, well because as the Battle Damage Assessment will show, the Leafs are still the same bunch of thugs that they have been in recent years despite the departure of Pat Quinn and Tie Domi.

THE GOOD:

• Go ahead, call me crazy, (it wouldn't be the first nor the last time) but with the exception of the first few minutes of tonight's game, a small stretch in the second, and the last half of third period tonight, I thought that the Caps played a good hockey game. Yes, ugly glaring mistakes were made and they should be duly noted and fixed, however tonight was a game where the Caps didn't get very many bounces going their way.

THE BAD:

• The stats for Brent Johnson tonight are not for the faint of heart or for any fanboys and puckbunnies he might have. 7 goals allowed on 28 shots for just 21 saves which works out to a .750 save percentage. OUCH! I actually felt sorry for Johnny out there tonight as the, yes, last five goals he gave up really were not his fault. Yes, Johnny didn't pull off any big saves that I can remember tonight but there was just nothing he could do on some of those goals tonight. Pulling him in favor of Olie Kolzig would have only been fair in the sense that Johnson just wasn't having any luck tonight.
• In the past month the Caps have shown a glaring inability to breakout of their own zone and when they occasionally accomplish that feat, they have major issues gaining the offensive zone under control. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the Power Play which went 1 for 6. I think this is now the sixth straight game with a Power Play and in all fairness, the Leafs are in top ten in penalty killing (which they better be) but the Power Play just was not clicking at all tonight. Again, I don't think it was a lack of effort, just a lack of luck tonight with pucks bouncing the wrong way at the wrong time.
• I find it disconcerting that the Caps have a hard time dealing with adversity during a game. After getting out of their early game funk, the Caps were battling back as they usually do when they became the victim of two horrific penalty calls in the second period. The call on Richard Zednik was nothing more than a make-up call because at that point, the Caps had already been on the Power Play four times and the Leafs hadn't had one yet. But the call on Captain Chris Clark was a flat-out joke. Kyle Wellwood dove and got away with it and the Penalty Killers were faced with a 5 on 3 for over a minute and a half. After the Leafs scored, there was a bad bounce and the Leafs extended their lead to 4-1. The Caps seemed to give up until Glen Hanlon used his timeout which was too little, too late. I don't know why the Caps react like that to adversity, but they need to fix it pronto.

THE UGLY:

• Could somebody please explain to me why teams with two goal leads feel the need to act like a bunch of thugs? I credit the officials tonight for not allowing Toronto to get away with their goonery after watching Atlanta and Boston have their way with the Caps in the past two games. But if there ever was a need for Brashear, tonight was the night. Alexi Ponikarovsky should have at some point been called into account for his continual dirty pool tonight and wasn't.
• While I don't blame the Penalty Killers for two of the three goals that they allowed tonight, the third goal was a complete and total undressing of the Power Play unit. Officially they were credited as going a dismal 2 for 5 in the Penalty Killing department. But one of those two kills was only 31 seconds long.
• John Erskine Bowles made a mockery of himself again tonight. It is easy now to see why the Stars and the Islanders had no use for him. Hopefully the Caps will be making him a healthy scratch again soon.

On November 9th the Caps were 6-8 and flying high after erasing a 3 goal first period deficit against the Senators and winning in overtime. The Caps lost that night to Carolina 5-0 in Raleigh. Since that Ottawa comeback, the Caps are just 2-6. I said after their last win that the next big test for this team is how they handle the inevitable losing streak. Well, the losing streak is at 5 now. Tomorrow night on Long Island against a hot Islanders team is going to tell us a lot as to how far this team still has to go.

Caps vs. Leafs 11-24-2006 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-13; 22 points) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (12-11; 28 points):
Caps Game #22, Home Game #11, NHL Game #327

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. Toronto TV: Leafs TV. Radio: CFMJ 640-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Losers of four games in a row, the Caps take to the ice on Black Friday to host the Toronto Maple Leafs who have lost three of their last four games. Toronto is coming off a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times (notes that Eric Fehr has been recalled). Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Toronto Globe and Mail. Toronto Star. The Toronto Sun hasn't updated yet and should I figure out Leafs.com I'll post a preview from there too. But this may not be updated before the game.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Without the services of Donald Brashear and Brian Sutherby because of Wednesday night's brouhaha the Caps could be in for another rough outing tonight, and I don't mean on the scoreboard because the Leafs have not been known for gentlemanly play over the past few years. The Caps took two of three from Toronto last year including both games at the Phone Booth as the Leafs missed the playoffs last year. The Leafs have since retooled and are currently trying to hold off Montreal in the Northeast Division. The Caps have played two games in a row now where liberties were taken against them. I have no doubt that Toronto is going to try the same thing. The Caps will need to maintain their gang mentality tonight and stick together.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 3
Leafs 2
Winner by Zubrus

Gee What A Surprise...

Suspensions handed down.

Atlanta's Scott Mellanby and Washington's Brian Sutherby are suspended for one game.

Donald Brashear gets three games.

Now does Donald get more because of his reputation, because he bloodied a Vitaly Vishnevski who didn't want to fight, or both?

Brad Larsen didn't want to fight Sutherby and Jamie "Home Run" Heward wasn't interested in fighting Mellanby either. But I guess since Larsen and Heward didn't get bloodied, Sutherby and Mellanby are ok.

Typical "justice" from the NHL. The side that provides a response to all the cheapshots gets hit hard.

Caps vs. Thrashers 11-22-2006 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times: Caps go down fighting, Caps Report. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Atlanta Journal & Constitution: Streak over, new defensive pairings and a Bondra update. Thrashers.com.

Final Thoughts:

What gets lost in all of the mess from last night is that the Caps once again blew a 2-0 lead on home ice to Atlanta. Instead of trying to figure out what this team can do to get better, we're stuck discussing a bunch of fights. Fights that BTW, didn't change the fact that the Caps lost 4-2. On that subject for the final time, Dave Fay of the Washington Time pointed out in Glen Hanlon's press conference that this isn't the first time that the Thrashers have had these kinds of problems. Last year, Toronto of all teams complained about Atlanta gooning things up.

Well folks, have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy watching football today. We'll get back together once the games are over to see what if anything else the league hands down in light of this brouhaha. 21 down 61 to go.

Caps vs. Thrashers 11-22-2006 Post-Mortem

Welcome to the "new NHL" folks. Where minor stick fouls like hooking, holding, slashing, and tripping are generally called every time they occur and physical cheapshots are a-ok. This is going to be an ugly Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Jakub "and sons" Klepis had a goal and an assist tonight, keying the second Power Play unit (which totally outclassed our first Power Play Unit) and helping the Caps go 1 for 3 on the Power Play tonight. Yep, just three Power Plays. Oh, we'll talk more about that later...
• The Caps were able to build a 2-0 lead on Atlanta despite being outplayed and not having much in the way of jump in their skates. They turned things on in the third period, but were unable to come up with any goals.

THE BAD:

• Once again, the second period was the undoing of the Caps. Gone was the 2-0 lead built up and a 3-2 hole was dug. What turned out to be the game winning goal is something that Olie Kolzig certainly wants back.
• Shaone Morrisonn's giveaway to Ilya Kovalchuk for the final goal of the game. Not only did it put the game away, but it led directly to the ugliness that ended tonight's game.
• Referees Dave Jackson and Tom Kowal had no control over tonight's game and did precious little at the end to try to re-establish control. This folks is the same Dave Jackson that in Game 5 vs. the Ning in the 2003 playoffs that called a double minor on Kolzig for high-sticking Vincent Lecavlier on a follow-through of a clear. That happened to be the last playoff game Dave Jackson worked that year as he was yanked from Game 6 of that series and didn't work anymore. It is safe to say that he is one of the worst referees in the NHL.

THE UGLY:

• You knew this rant was coming didn't ya? The nonsense at the end of the game tonight was entirely avoidable. It was avoided this past Saturday night in Boston because it remained a one goal game. But once it was clear that tonight's game was over, Glen Hanlon clearly decided that he was going to extract a pound of flesh for the liberties that the Thrashers were taking all night. Now again, even if this hadn't been a one-goal game, the referees could have prevented this ugly ending had they bothered to call the obvious penalties on the Thrashers. Twice tonight I saw Atlanta players stick out their legs to trip up a Cap when the Cap beat them. Bobby Holik was running around cheapshotting just about anybody he could. My personal favorite was his planting of an elbow in the ear hole of Ben "What A" Clymer right after exiting the penalty box in the second period. What made that non-call so mysterious was that Clymer had the puck when he took the shot to the head. There was no reason on earth why two referees who are supposed to be watching the puck could have missed that one. Holik later delivered a punch to the back of A.O.'s when A.O. was in the corner digging for the puck in the third period. I'll give these referees credit; they called just about every stick foul that there was (except of course two obvious stick tripping calls on Atlanta). But headshots at Caps players were allowed all night and the Caps only drew three freaking Power Plays. The ending is what you get when that nonsense is not policed better by the on-ice officials.

When Glen Halon sends out Donald Brashear, Matt "Omar" Bradley, and John Erskine Bowles at the end of a game that has been filled with cheapshots, you know that Hanlon isn't trying to run out the clock. It is a shame that Hanlon had to do that but he needs to send a message that cheapshots against the Caps are not ok just because the refs don't bother to make the calls. The lack of control by the referees tonight was a disgrace to the NHL. If anybody wants to wonder why the NHL does not appeal to the casual fan, this game tonight is a prime example of why. Name me another major-league professional sport other than boxing where the fans are chanting "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT" at the end of the game. That's what I thought.

The sad part about all of this is that Brashear and Brian Sutherby are now suspended for Friday night's game against Toronto. Again, welcome to the "new NHL" where instigator penalties in the last five minutes of the game draw a one game suspension, doubling every time the offense occurs. And let's be honest here, Toronto has not had a reputation for gentlemanly play in recent years. Tonight is the type of game that could have very well cost us the next one. We now await to see what additional "justice" the "new NHL" decides to hand down in light of tonight's festivities.

Caps vs. Thrashers 11-22-2006 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-12; 22 points) vs. Atlanta Thrashers (12-10; 27 points):
Caps Game #21, Home Game #10, NHL Game #310

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. Atlanta TV: Sport South. Radio: The Fan 680-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps return to action with a three game losing streak kicking off another three games in four night stretch by playing their annual Thanksgiving eve home game against the Thrashers. The Thrashers are on a four game losing streak of their own which has dropped them into a tie with the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Southeast Division.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Atlanta Journal & Constitution: No controversy, unbalanced. Thrashers.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

This is the fourth of eight meetings between the Caps and the Thrashers this year. All three previous games ended with the same result, Atlanta 4, Washington 3. Both teams are struggling right now and one is going to have their losing streak come to an end. The Caps are getting most of their walking wounded back for tonight's game while Atlanta is dealing once again with goaltending issues. The last time these two teams met I came to the conclusion that the Thrashers were simply the better hockey team. The Caps will need to come up with a great performance tonight to get the win.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 3
Thrashers 4
Winner by Sim (who am I to go against the grain?)

Funny How These Things Work...

First of all, thanks to John Derbyshire in The Corner for the tip off to this local lunacy. But I think Derb let's this guy off light by a simple tar and feathering. He should be drug out into the street and shot. If Dan Hinkle wanted his son to play nothing but defense, then Mr. Hinkle should have coached the team himself.

And let me also interject some personal experience here as well. The coaches moved Scott from defense to offense to play guard. I played youth football growing up. If the coaches stuck him in at an offensive linemen's position (which is what I played growing up), then the kid isn't a skill player. Scott is going to go to high school and run into the boys who couldn't make weight for youth football and will find himself sitting on the bench if he even makes the team. I know because it happened to me.

One can only wonder what Daddy Dearest would do when that happens...

But anyway, back to my point. This is the this stuff that surfaces when you have a parent who is overly involved with their child's life. There are all sorts of stories out there of megalomaniacal parents seeking to control every aspect of their child's existence and this story is simply par for the course. If somebody could dig up similar stories about the parents of A.O.'s parents. I'll reconsider my position.

What Did I Tell You???

Last week when I commented on the news of A.O.'s curious decision to fire his agent, I said it was quickly descending into silliness and of course I was right.

Eric's partner in crime over at Off Wing Opinion, Ann Scrimenti, does a number on this news. First she links to a post from The Pink Seats (that I saw first thanks to Dan Steinberg's Sports Bog but ignored until now) and says that sums it up "perfectly"?

How so? #1. A.O. is an athlete and not some overdone Hollywood Junior Diva. Divas don't get very much respect from their peers in the NHL. Just ask the Canadian Diving Team Captain about how much respect he gets from around the league compared to A.O. #2. Maybe it needs to be said once again so that it sinks in, but Tatiana Ovechkin won two Olympic Gold Medals playing women's basketball for the Soviet Union. Now while that isn't the same as winning two gold medals in gymnastics, Gold Medalists in the former Soviet Union were treated very well as the Soviets placed a high priority on their sports programs. Tatiana and Mikhail don't need to ride their son's coattails to fame and fortune because they have already been there themselves.

Ann also uses Hockey Passion to bolster her argument. DannyT99 falls short in his comments because it is forgotten (or just not known) that Tatiana Ovechkin once ran the Russian Women's Basketball program. No, that's not being an uber-agent for a stable of high-profile professional athletes, but it does show that the woman does have an idea of how the business side of athletics is run. And personally, I don't think the business world of sports is that darn complicated that you need an uber agent to handle everything for you. Does anybody think that A.O. is go to have difficult negotiations with the Caps when his contract is up? Basically all an agent is going to do for A.O. is sift through the endorsement opportunities for him.

I still think J.P. had the right idea of thinking "Carl Lindros" at first and I wouldn't blame somebody for invoking Richard Williams either but as I said before, there is no evidence of A.O.'s parents being head cases like Carl Lindros and Richard Williams. There is also scant evidence of his parents trying to ride their son's coattails into stardom.

What makes this so silly is that the whole thing is speculation at best. There has not been any kind of announcement that Tatiana was taking over as her son's agent. And when asked point blank by D.C. Sports Chick is she was, she said "no, just the mother".

Now that could have been a diversionary tactic, but considering what high marks those folks get from all corners for raising such a great person, the least we can do is give them the benefit of the doubt should his mother really be taking over as his agent. She's done a great job with him so far, why wouldn't she continue to do the same?

Sunday Smorgasbord 11-19

• Breaking news according to the (Com)Post website, Alfonso Soriano signs with the Cubs. 8 years and $136 million is what it took. The Nats were reportedly offering $14-15 million a year. I have to say, I think even $14 million is too much for what is a rebuilding franchise. At least he didn't go and play for the B.O.'s or another NL East team. But the Chicago Cubs? So much for apparently wanting to win another World Series title...
• Well you knew it was going to come to an end as the Terps fell off the tightrope that they had been walking in yesterday's 38-16 loss at Boston College. When the Terps laid an egg in Morgantown, the offense didn't take the field until they were down 14-0. Yesterday the Terps defense didn't see the field until they were down 14-0. The Eagles got another defensive touchdown on an interception return in the third quarter. But I think it is safe to say now that Sam Hollenbach is the worst quarterback Ralph Friedgen has ever had run his offense. Now at 8-3 with one regular season game to go, the Terps will need help to get to Jacksonville for the ACC Championship game because Virginia Tech defeated Wake Forest last night. The game to watch on Thanksgiving is Boston College @ Miami. Should Boston College win, Maryland will be eliminated from the ACC Championship. If Miami wins, Boston College will be eliminated and the winner of Maryland vs. Wake Forest on Saturday night will go to Jacksonville. Therefore, GO CANES!
• Congratulations are in order to the Maryland Field Hockey team who successfully defended their National Title earlier today by defeating Wake Forest 1-0 in Winston-Salem, N.C. This is the fifth overall National Title for the Field Hockey program and the first NCAA Title for Maryland in this academic year. Last year the Maryland Athletics program grabbed three NCCA Titles. One of those National Champions from last year, the Men's Soccer team, lost to Notre Dame last night and will not make their fifth consecutive College Cup appearance. The third NCAA Champion from last year, the Women's Basketball team, continues to roll as they defeated George Washington today. The Terp women are now 5-0 and will hold onto their #1 ranking for another week.
• Congratulations also to the Maryland Men's Basketball team who won the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament on Friday night. The Terp men are also undefeated at 5-0 and should find their way into the rankings on Monday. The Terp men destroyed St. John's on Thursday night and escaped from Michigan State to wrap up the title on Friday. D.J. Strawberry was named Tournament MVP.
• The Jason Campbell era got off to its expected start today as the Redskins lost to Tampa today, 20-17. From what little I did see of the game, Campbell has decent mobility and a good arm, but working without Santana Moss and Clinton Portis, he doesn't have much of a chance. And as I have been saying all along, Campbell taking over will not make the defense any better. And from what I saw of the defense, that was certainly the case. Anyway, the Skins dropped to 3-7 and are now only playing for pride and a high draft pick in 2007 to some lucky team that it has already been traded to.
• Sorry, I can't resist, but did the Titans beat the Iggles today??? BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!
• Ok, back on track here, this week the Caps have three days off before starting a three games in four nights run once again. The Caps host Atlanta in the annual Thanksgiving eve game at the Phone Booth. The day after Thanksgiving, the Caps host the Toronto Maple Leafs and then play on Long Island on Saturday night. The puck drops on all three games at 7:05 pm. The Maryland Men's Basketball team faces Winthrop tomorrow night at 8:05 pm and High Point on Friday at 1:35 pm, both games are at the Cable Box. The football team will play Wake Forest on Saturday night at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium on ESPN kicking off at 7:45 pm. That means the Terps get the insufferable Mike Patrick calling their game. At least Dookie Vitale won't be in the booth next to him and the Terps are playing Wake Forest and not UNC or Dook. The Redskins face the Carolina Panthers at home next Sunday kicking off at 1:00 pm.
• As always, please send comments, criticisms, corrections, suggestions, questions, and recipes for Thanksgiving dinner side dishes to "capsnut" over at gmail dot com. Once I stop procrastinating on my War College mid-term, I might get around to reading your e-mail and you could be this month's lucky winner of a response to your e-mail!

Caps @ Bruins 11-18-2006 Wrap Up

Isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? Why I am always so busy on Sunday???

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times: Caps out manned, Caps Report. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Boston Globe: Bruins on a roll, Boyes lost, violence free hockey. Boston Herald: Bruins over .500, Lewis playing to win, Stuart's a keeper. Bruins.com.

Final Thoughts:

There isn't much to complain about with the Caps when they play as hard as they did last night. About all you can do is curse the fates that conspired to have them lose last night. 20 down 62 to go.

Caps @ Bruins 11-18-2006 Post-Mortem

Maybe I don't feel bad about not being able to travel to Boston today. The Caps fared about as well in Beantown and the Terps did today. Let's get on with the Battle Damage Assessment:

THE GOOD:

• You have to admire the effort that the Caps did put out tonight with them playing on back-to-back nights, their third in four night and fourth in six. Throw in injuries to Captain Chris Clark, Alexander Semin, Dainius Zubrus, and allegedly Steve Eminger, and the Caps had just about every reason to get a roll of stamps and mail this one in. They didn't as they played hard all night which is all you can ask of any team at any level.
• The Caps made Tim Thomas work tonight as they fired 29 shots on goal tonight. They had more on Wednesday night, but tonight's shots were much harder for Thomas to handle.
• Donald Brashear played a good game tonight. He had two shots on goal and during his 8:06 of ice time, you noticed when he was out there because he was hitting people and creating chances for himself and his line. With what amounts to an entire top line out with injuries tonight, Brashear answered the call to step up and deserves kudos for it.

THE BAD:

• The Caps gave up 16 shots in the third period after giving up exactly that many through the first two. Some of that was due to the Power Plays that Boston got in the third period (they had 3 including a 5-on-3) but the 16 shots the Bruins got in that period gave them 32 for regulation. The Caps still need to cut down on the shots against.
• The Penalty Kill went 2 for 8 tonight. Too many penalties once again for the Caps but I will rant on this more later. But I will say that taking penalties in overtime is almost a death wish.
• The Power Play was 1 for 6 tonight and only got one shot on goal on their first four Power Plays. To be fair though, this is very likely due to the injury situation that the Caps faced tonight. They can't afford having three players from their top unit out and expect to generate much offense.

THE UGLY:

• The officiating of referees Kelly Sutherland and Ian Walsh was downright incompetent tonight. Had this not been a one goal game all night, you would have very likely had seen the type of ugly incidents that mar the NHL in this game. The referees had no control over the game tonight as Boston had free reign to do what they wanted to the Caps in the physical department, but the Caps were given no such liberties. Of the penalties called on Boston tonight, 4 were hookings and 2 were slashings. Yet the Caps were hit with boarding and high sticking calls (butt-ending a player in the face is a high-stick) that the Bruins were allowed to get away with all night long. The absolute worst came in the second period when Matt "Princess Pettinger had to take a retaliation penalty because of a clear-cut interference call on Brad Stuart that was missed when he decked Jakub "and sons" Klepis. Glen Hanlon went ballistic on that one and had the censors looking to cut away from him out of the fear of lip readers at the FCC. Ben "What A" Clymer also took a retaliation penalty after he got boarded in the first period. The referees furthermore botched the penalty shot award to Marco Sturm as he was NOT denied a scoring opportunity (Johnson just simply stoned him). Maybe we can equivocate this by saying that the referees just had an "off night" like teams and people have from time-to-time. But that does not make what went on tonight any better.

Brent Johnson once again deserved a better fate tonight. The Caps come away with a hard fought point only because the NHL rewards losing after 60 minutes of play. While the Caps made some of the calls against them easy, some of the calls against them shouldn't have been called at all or at least called on Boston as well. The Caps now have three days off and it is expected that Zubrus, Clark, and Eminger will be back in the lineup on Wednesday night. But I can't help but to have a bitter taste in my mouth after the festivities in Boston today.

Caps vs. Canes 11-17-2006 Wrap Up/ Caps @ Bruins 11-18-2006 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times: Canes buzz saw Caps, Captain Chris Clark Courageous. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Raleigh News & Observer: Dads happy, Brind'Amour streak broken. (For those who need a good laugh after last night's game, watch your speakers, click here, and stay for the outtakes at the end.)

Final Thoughts:

Glen Hanlon and Olie Kolzig were right when they noted that this isn't the Carolina Hurricanes team that the Caps blew out in the home opener. The Canes are where the Caps want to be and clearly are not there yet. 19 down, 63 to go.


Washington Capitals (8-11; 21 points) @ Boston Bruins (7-9; 16 points):
Caps Game #20, Road Game #11, NHL Game #283

TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: WDCW Channel 50. Radio: WTNT 570-AM ( I thought we signed a contract with WTEM?) Boston TV: NESN. Radio: WBZ 1030-AM. NHL Center Ice: NESN feed.

Tonight the Caps limp out of this week and a three games in four nights set by visiting the Boston Bruins. Since beating the Caps in a gimmick, the Bruins beat Toronto 2-1 in overtime on Thursday night.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Boston Globe: Thomas couldn't see, Neely has hip replacement. Boston Herald. Bruins.com. Bruins.com game notes.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

With Clark and Alexander Semin not making the trip tonight along with the recent spate of poor play, there isn't much reason to bet on the Caps tonight. So far in this young season the Caps have responded well and have played good solid hockey games after very poor performances with their backs against the wall. The Caps are likely to start Brent Johnson in goal tonight which has always seemed to pick the team up a bit. Whether or not this all translates into a much needed win remains to be seen.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 1
Bruins 2
Winner by Bergeron.

Caps vs. Canes 11-17-2006 Post Mortem

Well once again the Caps and Canes combine for five goals and the Caps actually got one of them this time. Too bad that means Carolina got the other four...

THE GOOD:

• The first period tonight actually served as the high water mark for the Caps. It was as bland as the Boston game was which makes this really, really sad.
• Tonight the Caps gave up only 29 shots on goal. This again is an improvement and is about where you want to be in terms of shots allowed.

THE BAD:

• Problem is, Olie Kolzig gave up four goals on those 29 shots. Maybe Kolzig needs more shots against in order put in a better performance? I would caution against that because two of the four goals were off of rebounds.
• The Caps themselves only took 22 shots. This was largely due to the fact that the Caps could not get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone. In the second period, they were like a struggling college basketball team that rushes forward quickly, takes a force shot that misses badly and then has to get back on defense for awhile.
• The Caps actually came out with some jump in their skates to start the second period. Unfortunately for the Caps, referees Greg Kimmerly and Chris Lee set about to evening up the Power Play opportunities and the Caps never recovered. If I ever get around to checking my recording of this game, I'll have to see if the calls were legit or they were as phantom as they seemed in the arena. I'm usually pretty good about seeing what they're calling but I didn't catch any of the second period calls. Though I'm curious as to how Eric Cole could run Kolzig in the third and NOT take a goaltender interference call. But considering that Carolina got away with every single stationary and not-so-stationary pick in the offensive zone, I shouldn't be too surprised that it wasn't called.

THE UGLY:

• The Penalty Killers went 4 for 6 tonight and quite frankly, should have been worse. It was clear in the second period that the Canes were having their way with the Caps when the Canes were on a Power Play. One great save by Kolzig and poor execution on Carolina's part prevented it from being worse.
• And as bad as the Penalty Killers were tonight, the Power Play was even worse. The Caps had three first period power plays and didn't even come close to scoring. The Caps lone goal from Richard Zednik came on a Power Play in the third as they finished 1 for 5. But that doesn't diminish the pathetic performance of the Power Play tonight. The Caps had big issues getting entrance into the Carolina zone all night. They were often waaaaay offsides and even iced the puck on the Power Play once tonight (and were lucky to beat out another icing call). When Glen Hanlon puts Donald Brashear out on the Power Play, you know that the Caps Power Play is stinking up the joint.
• And speaking of stinking up the joint, John Erskine could be investigated for treason tonight. The "jump" of being called back up to the NHL looks to be wearing off and Erskine seems to be reverting to form. Erskine had ugly turnovers, missed assignments, and bad step ups and pinches tonight. He was only a -1 because Power Play goals do not effect +/- but was on the ice for three of the four Carolina goals.

I hope that tonight can be simply explained away in that the Canes are reverting to their Stanley Cup winning form and that the Caps simply are not in the same class as Carolina right now. I hope that this isn't a sign that the Caps are reverting to their form as well. Simply put, IF the Caps were to make the playoffs this season, Carolina is the class of team that the Caps are going to face in the first round. In the past 8 days the Caps have been outscored 9-1 by Carolina in two games. Clearly, the Caps are not a playoff ready hockey team.

Caps vs. Canes 11-17-2006 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-10; 21 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (10-10; 23 points):
Caps Game #19, Home Game #9, NHL Game #273

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. Carolina TV: Fox Sportnet South. Radio: Y102.9-FM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.

After Wednesday night's gimmick loss to the Bruins, the Caps start a back-to-back game set tonight at home with the Hurricanes, just a little over one week after the Canes provided a 5-0 reality check to the Caps in Raleigh. Since then the Canes have also won two out of three games, most recently a 2-1 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night in Raleigh.

What The Native Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Raleigh News & Observer: Canes a little confused about when Father's Day is, Eye on the Canes. Canes.com. (it's the default page so it should automatically update itself.)

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Another scintillating Southeast Showdown baby! After last week's egg laying in Raleigh I would expect the Caps to come out tonight with something to prove. Both teams have been playing on the same days since the last meeting and both are playing again tomorrow night, so neither team has an edge when it comes to rest. Carolina seems to have shaken off their Stanley Cup hangover and this is the time of year where the contenders start to separate from the pretenders. The Caps will need to come up with a really good hockey game tonight in order to win.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 2
Canes 3
Winner by Staal

Better Local Sports Coverage On The Way

Channel 4's George Michael is retiring.

Here's a picture of him before hitting the makeup chair...

College Football Rankings

I was having a discussion with my Worthy Grand Knight after church on Sunday about the College Football rankings. I asked the question as to how many of the Top 10 teams right now were ranked at the start of the season?

Well comparing Week 1 with Week 12 and the answer is 8 of the Top 10 teams were ranked at the start of the season. Of those 8 Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, USC, LSU, and West Virginia are in the Top 10 both weeks (full disclosure here, I did not check to see if they fell out of the Top 10 at some point during the season). Rutgers and Arkansas are the two "party crashers" in this sense but both were receiving votes at the start of the season. (Furthermore, I think Rutgers' ranking is due entirely to the fluffing of the Big East Conference for BCS purposes.)

But nowhere else is the Rankings insanity worse than it is when it comes to the ACC. In that first poll, F$U, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Clemson were all ranked. Today none of those teams has any chance of going to Jacksonville on December 2nd and only VT and Clemson are still ranked. Boston College and Georgia Tech received votes in both polls, Maryland got a few in the Coaches' poll, and Wake Forest was entirely shutout of the process (Steve Spurrier always casts a vote for Dook in the Coaches' poll at the start of the season).

So what's my point? While it is clear that Ohio State is the best college football team by far in the country, the rest of the College Football rankings are pure politics. The lack of respect being shown to the ACC is appalling simply because the better teams in the ACC got little to no recognition at the start of the season. Wake is 9-1 (but should be 10-0) and the highest ranked ACC team at 14. But why is that? Wake just laid a 30-0 thumping on F$U in Talahasse. The same F$U that was ranked 11 and 10 at the beginning of the football season. Wake's schedule and early season results aren't any worse than Rutgers who is ranked 7 and 8, yet Wake is behind them. Three seasons ago, Maryland laid a 34-7 whipping on West Virginia in September. Yet when the teams met later that year in the 2004 Gator Bowl, Maryland was ranked lower than West Virginia despite that victory AND having a better record than the Mountaineers. BTW, Maryland beat West Virginia even worse the second time around, 41-7.

IMHO, the scam is not that the College Football National Championship is determined by a one game bowl playoff. It is the rankings systems that are entirely politically charged. College football would be well advised to do away with the rankings. But I am not holding my breath.

Ovie's A Mamma's Boy Isn't He???

The discussion that has started over A.O.'s curious decision to fire his agent is quickly descending into silliness. (Of course, Darwin's Waiting Room is in full chicken little mode) First of all, it is only speculation that A.O. is replacing Meehan with his mother. Now I'll stipulate that this is a good possibility. I'll also admit to thinking "Eric Lindros" too when I first came across this story in the (Com)Post this morning.

But even if it is the case that A.O. has done away with Don Meehan and is going with his mother, his mother at one point was in charge of the Russian Women's Basketball program and very well could still be. Secondly, unlike the Lindros circus, there is no evidence that his parents have attempted to interfere with their son's career before now. Carl Lindros was a known head case in hockey circles and engineered which teams Eric would play for going back to his days in Juniors. If somebody could dig up similar stories on Tatiana Ovechkin, I would appreciate it because then I will reconsider this move. However, I don't think his mother is a stupid person or a head case like Carl Lindros. Just about every story about A.O. and his background comments on just what a great person Tatiana and Mikhail have raised in A.O. and how they have been a positive influence on him.

Yes, this thing could blow up but until then, all the discussion is just making a mountain out of a molehill. Let's give the woman a chance before we start decrying this move and calling it a mistake if she really is taking over as A.O.'s agent.

Caps vs. Bruins 11-15-2006 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Boston Globe: Video work goes to waste, newcomer adds excitement. Boston Herald: Gimmick win, injured goaltender. Bruins.com.

Final Thoughts:

After sleeping on last night's game and reading through the articles listed above, my thoughts on last night's game haven't changed. 18 down 64 to go.

Caps vs. Bruins 11-15-2006 Post-Mortem

The mid-season doldrums set in tonight. Two teams without much fire in their skates and fans yawning in their seats as the Bruins won 3-2 in a gimmick. The holidays must be around the corner...

THE GOOD:

• The Caps only gave up 30 shots in regulation and 35 for the game which went into OT. While this is below their average and way below their most recent outings, I would say that overall this is a little on the too much side. But the improvement needs to be acknowledged.
• The Caps took 35 shots of their own during the game tonight. The Caps didn't make Tim Thomas stand on his head, but they were making an effort to get the puck to the net tonight.
• The Penalty Killers killed all six Bruin Power Plays tonight and Matt "Princess" Pettinger went and Got Shorty.

THE BAD:

• The Power Play tonight went 1 for 8 and other than the one time they did score, the Caps only seriously threatened once.
• Dainius Zubrus got hurt and left the game in the third period. Let's hope this "lower body injury" doesn't keep him out for too long. If it does, we can always blame Dave Fay for putting the hex on us.
• Now I know I've professed my hatred for the gimmick. But why on earth are the Caps unable to score in it?

THE UGLY:

• As noted before, the overall style of play tonight by both teams was rather bland. The excitement of the new season has worn off and bland style of play didn't stir many emotions.
• Boston scored their first two goals on only six shots. Olie Kolzig was solid the rest of the way, but the poor start put the Caps behind the eight-ball early.
• The game was decided by a gimmick.

I'm sure NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who was in attendance, was pleased with tonight's game. A game that was begging to end in a tie was denied its request. Why games like this in the middle of November absolutely positively need to have a declared winner is beyond me. Congratulations, I guess, are in order to the Bruins for winning this dog of a game and to the Caps for getting a point in the standing despite being declared the loser. I'm sure someone somewhere will note how the crowd cheered louder than they did all night when the gimmick came around, but I really can't compare notes on that one because I left at the end of overtime. (I refuse to watch the gimmick.) But I would suggest that they cheered as loudly as they did because their torture was about to end. They didn't have much else to cheer about tonight.

All-Star Balloting Is Open!

The link is buried on the front page of Caps.com, (way to go guys) but you can Click Here to vote for the NHL All-Star starters or click on the link under Stuff the Ballot Box. (So like good Democrats, vote early, vote often, especially if you're dead and/or the family pet!)

A.O. and Olie Kolzig are on the ballot and I strongly endorse a write-in campaign for Dainius Zubrus.

Given the amount of web traffic the Caps generate (have you seen the number of Caps related blogs to pop up recently???) a coordinated effort to write-in Zoobie-Doobie-Doo's name won't necessarily get him a starting spot in Dallas on January 24th, but I think it would be high-larious if he at least gave the Canadian Diving Team Captain a run for his $$$$$, if not putting him into a secondary role that he is quite accustomed to.

And while you're at it, don't forget to Vote For Testudo as well.

Caps vs. Bruins 11-15-2006 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-9; 20 points) vs. Boston Bruins (5-9; 12 points):
Caps Game #18, Home Game #8, NHL Game #260

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:05 pm. Washington TV: NewsChannel 8. Radio: WTNT 570-AM. Boston TV: NESN. Radio: WBZ 1030-AM. NHL Center Ice: NewsChannel 8 feed.

Tonight the Caps kick off a three games in four nights stretch at home versus the Boston Bruins. The Caps have won four of their last five games including the last two. The Bruins on the other hand have won only twice in their last five games including their most recent game, a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators Saturday night in Boston.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com. Caps.com pdf game notes.

Open Source Intelligence:

Boston Globe: Chistov development, Caps Thumbnails (ewwww.....). Boston Herald: Another Chistov article, Bruins at Caps Scouting Report. Bruins.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Last year the Bruins gave the Caps fits as the Caps went 1-3 against them, with the one win coming at the end of the season in overtime in Boston as A.O. collected his 100th point and a pie in the face courtesy of former Captain Jeff Halpern on national cable TV (Click here to relive the memory). Boston was able to do this because the only other teams in the Eastern Conference to hold A.O. to a point or less per game last year were Montreal, Joisey, Ottawa, and Florida. Boston did it with Hal Gill and this year, they have Ottawa's secret weapon from last year, Zdeno Chara. This too is another game I can see going either way tonight, but something gives me a bad feeling about it. Though that probably has more to do with the fact that I'll be able to attend tonight's game.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 2
Bruins 3
Winner by Axelsson