Confessions, Arrests Made in Sean Taylor Case

Sean Taylor's body isn't even in the ground yet but his assailants are already rotting in jail.

Kudos to the Miami Police for getting this done so quickly and Thank God his assailants had the decency to confess to their crimes.

It's Nice But It Won't Stop The Complaining...

Yesterday the NHL approved a return to the schedule format that was in place before the lockout. This means of course that teams will no longer play the other teams in their division 8 times and will play every team in the league at least once per season.

The NHL is also considering expanding the schedule back to 84 games which the league last did in the 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 seasons. This would allow the NHL to schedule at least two games between every team (until the league expands again of course). However, that has not been approved for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.

Like everything else in life, there are pros and cons to the "new" scheduling format. Under the current system, a team's travel is greatly restricted. Teams don't go as far as often so the strain on them is less and save finanically strapped franchises $$$$$. However travel does create great opportunities for team building and bonding. With the exception of Southeast Divisional games, divisional games are the best attended games around the league. In a gate driven sport such as the NHL, that is a factor that cannot and should not be discounted. However, in spite of the great attendance figures for divisional games, the fans claim they're tired of seeing the same teams seemingly all the time. There is allegedly a great desire to see the teams in the other conference yet, very often the ticket sales don't live up to this. Now that the fans have what they want, they'll have to step up to the plate and buy the tickets when L.A., Phoenix, and Chicago come to the Southeast and when Florida, Atlanta, and Carolina make a trip to the West Coast.

So in short, the NHL has listened to its fans. It is now time for NHL fans to reward the NHL for doing what they've asked them to do.

Caps @ Hurricanes 11-30-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-17; 18 points) @ Carolina Hurricanes (13-12; 29 points):
Caps Game #26, Road Game #14, NHL Game #365

RBC Center, Raleigh, NC. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Carolina TV: None. Radio: WCNC 99.9-FM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps head out on the road for the first of back-to-back games away from home when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes. The Caps defeated the Canes 5-2 this past Saturday night at home in the third meeting of these two teams this season. Since then the Canes lost to the Flyers on home ice on Wednesday night, 3-1, for their third loss in their last four games. So far this season, the home team in this series has held serve and won on home ice.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Durham Herald-Sun. Raleigh News & Observer: goals drying up, eye on the Canes. Canes.com.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

The injury bug has stung again as the Caps head into tonight's game with Captain Chris Clark, Boyd Gordon, and Alexander Semin heading towards the shelf again with injuries. The good news for the Caps is that after tomorrow night's game, there is a five day break in the schedule for these injuries to heal (though Gordon is listed as "week-to-week"). The bad news is that they have two divisional road games to play before they get to that break. (On a side note, why can't it be Mr. Donald Brashear or John Erskine Bowles who get hurt? Not that I would ever wish an injury on anybody {ok, Canadian Diving Team Captain, Secondary Assist Cindy Crosby excluded} but why do the players we would actually miss end up getting hurt? Murphy's Law would put A.O. and Olie Kolzig on the shelf) Special teams could be the big factor in tonight's game as the Canes have the 2nd overall Power Play but the 29th Penalty Kill. This of course means that the Caps could desperately use another 3-for-4 performance on the Power Play while staying out of the penalty box as the last time the Caps went into Raleigh, they gave up 3 Power Play goals, including two in the first period.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Canes 4
Winner by Stillman

(15-10 on the season)

Editorial Note For The Dozens of Readers of This Blog:

I will not be watching this game tonight because I will be heading out to College Park to watch the Maryland Women play Ohio State in the Inaugural Women's ACC Beatdown of the Big "Ten." Therefore, there will be no Post-Mortem after tonight's hockey game.

Caps vs. Panthers 11-28-2007 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Miami Herald: Weiss waits to score, minor issues.

Final Thoughts:

One of my biggest concerns with the firing of Glen Hanlon was the ability of Bruce Boudreau to install his systems in the middle of one of the busier stretches in the schedule. Bourdreau's forechecking system was installed on Tuesday and he openly admitted that they had trouble implementing it last night. This is why I thought that George McPhee would wait until this coming Sunday to pull the trigger because when you're trying to move up in the standings and get yourself out of a hole like the the Caps are, you need every point you can get. Now the pessimist would say that losing last night's game was a result of that while the optimist would point to the fact that we squeezed out a point in spite of playing a confused game. So today I'll let you guys decide which one is which, did the Caps blow a point last night or did they end up stealing one?

25 down, 77 to go.

Caps vs. Panthers 11-28-2007 Post-Mortem

I swear I've seen this game before... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• I don't recall any bad turnovers by Michael Nylander tonight.
• Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green is very much growing into an offensive force. He's still a little raw and he needs some polish but he's somebody we need to keep going forward.
• A moving a classy tribute to Sean Taylor before the game tonight by the Caps that was very well done and very appropriate.

THE BAD:

• The November-December "blahs" have really set in now. Neither team nor the crowd was showing much in the way of life tonight.
• The Power Play could use some more tweaking. Mostly somebody telling Green to return to the point after he's done with his backdoor cut. Green standing on the half wall makes it too easy for teams to cover him and A.O. It would also help if set-up men Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom shot more instead of passing.
• 13 shots on goal allowed in the first period. You can't have that when you're struggling and playing a team that you've had little success against recently.

THE UGLY:

• Of all the Caps on the roster that you would think would battle for a juicy rebound in front of the net, how does Mr. Donald Brashear not do something like that? I know the guy isn't a goal scorer but he passed up a golden opportunity in the second period.
• The question I would ask if I had access to the coaching staff and management is why wasn't Alexander Semin sent to Hershey for a conditioning assignment before he came off the IR and returned full-time? I've seen Semin play lazy and look uninterested before, but I can't help but think a great part of his current malaise is the fact that his conditioning cannot be very good right now.
• The game was decided by a gimmick.

Those fans who complained about the "boring hockey" during the 5 minute overtime period before Bettman decided to reward losing teams with points in the standings should be forced to watch the entire third period of tonight's hockey game. What we saw in that 20 minute time frame was two teams who knew that they had a point and spent the entire period trying to protect it. Even once the game got into overtime, there was more caution being displayed than aggression until the Caps got a Power Play with 1:59 left. As a matter of fact, the Panthers didn't even register a shot on goal in the extra session. With the way this game was played, using a gimmick to declare a winner is especially outrageous because neither team deserved to win tonight.

Nope, Athletes Are Not Role Models

Where do kids get these ideas? (Link from DRUDGE)

This is right of out of the "You Reap What You Sow" file. Of course this is a concept that Ultimate Fighting on Ice (UFOI) Fans just don't seem to comprehend. But then again, what else is new?

Sure you can show me UFOI Fans who are wringing their hands and nervously rubbing the back of their necks saying that this is inappropriate and way out of line. Some might even try to pull a slight of hand and say this is not the fault of the kids but of their coaches and the adults who encouraged them to fight. While I'll come back to this later, the question still begs, who got the idea in the first place that not only is this a good idea but acceptable behavior at any level of play?

To answer that question, it isn't too hard to find out. You have the UFOI Fans who insist up and down the street that not only is fighting in hockey a noble thing, it is also necessary for the survival of the sport both on the ice and at the box office. We're told that taking fighting out of hockey would, well make it just not hockey anymore. We're told that the players want it in the game that it would keep the game "clean." We're told that the fans want it and that without the possibility of fights, the stands would be empty, nobody would watch the game on TV anymore, and newspapers wouldn't be able to sell their papers anymore.

Well folks, these eight year olds were just playing hockey. If fighting is a vital and integral part of the sport, why shouldn't these eight year olds play the game the "proper" way and be fighting each other just like the pros? I mean the Boogaard Brothers held a fighting camp for kids this summer saying it's part of the game and they're only helping these kids by showing them how to defend themselves and not get hurt as their justification. If there is little to no outrage over this, why should anybody be seriously outraged when kids take the lessons they learned at camp and apply them in their games? How low must things go before the hand wringing and neck rubbing stop?

As for blaming the coaches, again, aren't they just upholding the game's glorious tradition by bringing some "Old Time Hockey" to youth level? Personally, I think not only should these coaches be suspended but they shouldn't be allowed anywhere near children again. We do the same thing to pedophiles in this country (I know this took place in Canada but allow me to finish my point) and I defy anybody to tell me that these coaches aren't harming these children by encouraging them to fight like this. The tournament organizers also did a grave injustice by not throwing the teams out of the tournament. Those organizers gave a tacit seal of approval despite the fact that the police had to show up at their event. Usually when you have to call the police, it is because you don't want somebody around anymore.

Until fighting is totally removed from the NHL, you're going to see these kinds of things pop up. I'd dare say you'll see them popping up more and more too. Professional Sports is often described as "grown men getting paid to play a kid's game" and how sad is it that NHLer's fight like that? If you UFOI Fans want to know why some people believe that hockey is just people beating up on each other you need to look no further than this incident. Why on earth should anybody think otherwise? If you really want these black eyes from the game to be removed and stop occurring, you'll have to get rid of the fighting because the sad part is, this isn't even the worst fighting incident to occur this year at the youth hockey level, only the youngest.

Caps vs. Panthers 11-28-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-16; 17 points) vs. Florida Panthers (11-13; 23 points):
Caps Game #25, Home Game #12, NHL Game #351

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Florida TV: Fox SportsNet Florida. Radio: WAXY 790-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic Plus feed.

Tonight the Caps start to close out a 10 games in 17 days stretch with three games in four nights in three cities when they host the Florida Panthers. The Panthers were here just nine days ago and this is the third time in this stretch that the Caps have faced Florida. The Caps are still looking for their first win against the Panthers who have won four of their past five games and three in a row with two of those wins coming over the Caps. Florida last played however on Friday night when they beat the Rangers at home in a gimmick 3-2.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Miami Herald: avoiding surgery, young trio.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Is Bruce Boudreau behind the bench enough for the Caps to get past the Panthers? The Caps are in the middle of a tough stretch of hockey games while the Panthers have had some time to catch their breath with four days off. As a matter of fact, these two teams meet again on Saturday night in Sunrise playing half of the season series in the span of 17 days. The Caps have already dropped a pair of one goal decisions to the Panthers and losing another one to the Panthers will certainly bring more than just the coaching into question. Boudreau has shaken up the lines again and blamed Monday's loss on not playing smart enough. If nothing else, we can see if Michael Nylander can drag down A.O.'s plus/minus tonight.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Panthers 3
Winner by Booth

(14-10 on the season)

Sean Taylor 1983-2007

Picture courtesy of the Washington Redskins.


By now you should already know the tragic news that Sean Taylor has died as a result of the injuries sustained when he was shot in the leg early Monday morning at his home in Miami, Florida.

Words right now cannot express the loss of what was turning into not only an outstanding athlete, but a fine upstanding gentleman. All of the reports about the incident bring up Taylor's troubled past which included arrests, fines, suspensions, and the possibility of jail time. It would also be very easy to link Taylor's death to the still unsolved murder of Bryan Pata last year and the Miami Hurricanes football program.

However those same reports along with Taylor's coaches and teammates also quickly point out how quickly Taylor matured after the birth of his daughter 18 months ago. It is very easy to forget that he was also somebodies son, brother, father, and fiancee and all of those people are hurting very much right now.

Looking around the Internet, I've seen some University of Maryland fans comment on the similarities of this tragedy with the Len Bias tragedy 21 years ago. Two very gifted young men who had their lives and nothing but great opportunities ahed of them saw their lives cut tragically short and left behind misery, grief, and sorrow. For whatever reason, there are certain people who have all the talent in the world and they make the same stupid mistakes that end up costing them their lives at too young of an age. It almost as if some of these guys never learn.

Bias unfortunately didn't get a chance to learn and turn his life around before his untimely death. Taylor however got the message and was doing what he needed to do to turn his life around. He dedicated himself to becoming not only the best he player could be but the best person he could be as well. He moved himself and his family into a safer neighborhood and ended the fooling around that got him into trouble in the past and began to take care of his family. But it looks now as if his past transgressions wouldn't let him go and cut him down in the prime of his life. If you've been to or watched a Redskins game over the past four years, I'm sure you've seen the gold T-Shirts with the burgundy letters saying "FREE SEAN TAYLOR" on the front. Tragically today, Taylor is finally free of his past troubles.

Sean Taylor was only three years old when Len Bias died. One can only hope that now the lessons finally begin to sink in for these young athletes who have the world at their disposal and feel as if they are invincible. If Adam "Pacman" Jones or Michael Vick haven't served as enough of a lesson for young athletes that their actions can have severe consequences in spite of their ability; Sean Taylor, like Len Bias, should.

Caps vs. Buffaslugs 11-26-2007 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

The Loserville...er...Buffalo News: Alive again, new top pairing.

Final Thoughts:

24 down, 78 to go.

Caps vs. Buffaslugs 11-26-2007 Post-Mortem

At least we didn't blow a three goal lead... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• With his 17th goal this season (and the only real offense the Caps mustered all night), A.O. pulled into a tie with the late Gaetan Duschene for 26th on the Caps All-Time Scoring list. A.O. now has a nine game point streak going and next up on the list at 25 is Joe Juneau who rang up 236 points in 321 games with the Caps.
• The Penalty Killers went 3-for-3 tonight bottling up a dangerous Power Play unit and allowed only 4 shots on goal.
• The Caps dominated in the faceoff circle tonight winning 61% of the draws going 40-26 with Michael Nylander and David Steckel leading the way.

THE BAD:

• Bruce Boudreau shuffled up the lines after only two games and three periods. Not counting the return of Alexander Semin at the expense of Matt "Princess" Pettinger. Nicklas Backstrom was moved to the second line, Tomas Fleischmann was dropped to the third, and Boyd Gordon was moved to the fourth line for the third period. All this accomplished was making the fourth line ineffective.
• We knew the Power Play wasn't going to go 3-for-4 again tonight and had a stiff challenge in the Buffaslugs Penalty Kill. Going 0-for-3 doesn't bother me as much as only getting one shot on goal and once again having trouble establishing themselves in the offensive zone.
• I counted on five different occasions tonight where the Caps blocked their own shots on goal. While the number of blocked and missed shots has decreased, we still shouldn't be thwarting our own attempts.

THE UGLY:

• Was it me or were Nylander and Semin having a competition for worst forward on the ice tonight? As a matter of fact, Nylander once again tonight had an ugly turnover that lead to a goal for the other team and he finished -2 on the night. Kinda makes you wish that we still had Brian Sutherby doesn't it?
• At some points tonight, especially when we were trailing, the Caps looked way too casual with the puck. Has the Boudreau bounce worn off already?

Maybe it was me but tonight looked like what was happening to this team when Glen Hanlon was behind the bench and not Boudreau. The Caps certainly played well enough, however they couldn't take advantage of the opportunities they had and their mistakes killed them. Maybe it is the hectic schedule catching up with them, the new coach bounce wearing off, us playing a team that has our number, or a combination of all three. Either way, here is a prime example of why George McPhee has placed an interim tag on Boudreau. I'm not ready to say that he won't get the job done but how we come out for Wednesday's game against Florida will show an awful lot about him.

Sean Taylor Shot, In Critical Condition

As if the Redskins didn't need anymore problems/distractions this season, Injured Safety Sean Taylor was found shot twice in his home earlier this morning.

I'd have to say that this will just about end his season should he pull through.

UPDATE: Taylor is out of surgery but as is often the case when suffering a gunshot wound, he's lost a lot of blood. He's currently in intensive care and according to his lawyer is "clinging to life right now."

UPDATE 2: Last update came from and more info can be found on the La Canfora's Redskins Insider blog.

Caps vs. Buffaslugs 11-26-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (8-15; 17 points) vs. Buffaslugs (10-11; 21 points):
Caps Game #24, Home Game #11, NHL Game #343

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: None. Radio: WWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Loserville...er...Buffalo TV: None. Radio: WWBR 550-AM. U.S. National TV: Versus. Canadian National TV: NHL Network. NHL Center Ice: Not picking up the game.

After winning two in a row the Caps looks to match their longest winning streak of the season when they host the Buffaslugs tonight at the Phone Booth. Since beating the Caps in Loserville...er...Buffalo a month and a half ago, the Buffaslugs have taken a nose dive and until recently, were kept out of the Eastern Conference cellar by the Caps inept play but now find themselves tied with the even more inept Toronto Maple Leafs. The Buffaslugs have been improving as well recently with a four game winning which included a sweep of a home-and-home series this past Friday and Saturday over Montreal.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

The Loserville...er...Buffalo News: Buffaslugs streaking.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Before Bruce Boudreau took over as Head Coach, the Caps Power Play unit was ranked near the bottom and after going 4 for 7 over two games it is now ranked 16th in the league. They'll get a strong test tonight when they face the Buffaslug Penalty Killers who are ranked 7th in the NHL. For some reason it doesn't matter how good or bad the Caps and the Buffaslugs are or where the game is played, the Caps historically have a hard time beating the Buffaslugs. So while the Buffaslugs have the worst record of the teams Boudreau has faced in his interim run as Head Coach, this looks to be his toughest test so far. If the Caps can build another 3-0 lead tonight, they cannot afford to let Loserville...er...Buffalo back into the game as the Buffaslugs come at you in waves.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Buffaslugs 5
Winner by Kotalik

(13-10 on the season)

How To Tell You Have A Bonafide NHL Superstar In One Easy Step...

Larry wants him on Broadway.

While I do appreciate my intrepid readers alerting me to Larry's latest idiocy, please folks, don't subject yourself to it. I read Larry Brooks so you don't have to and today's column really isn't worth reading lettalone getting yourself worked up into a lather over.

All today's column means is that A.O. is a bonafide NHL Superstar. If you are any kind of hockey fan, you already know this, Hades, even some non-hockey fans I know are aware that A.O. is a superstar. Because Ol' Lar is desperately wants A.O. on Broadway (even though he doesn't explicitly say it) it is nothing more than proof positive of this fact. As a matter of fact, Ol' Lar doesn't even come up with an original thought in the whole thing.

What you're really reading is a continuation of various Larry Brooks themes. "Everybody wants (or should want if they know what's good for them) to be a Ranger" and "The CBA really won't help small market teams." After the lockout ended Larry wrote on July 14th, 2005 (links no longer work):

This system will yield less parity, not more. Bank on it. It will yield a tiered league in which the most attractive 12-14 teams will attract free agents willing to take somewhat less money to fit under a cap in order to play in desired locations and for desired managements.

Can't you just imagine the Oilers' recruitment campaign?

Edmonton: When There's No Cap Space Anywhere Else.

Ol' Lar had an epiphany just three days later and realized:

The cost of real estate is higher is higher in New York. The cost of living is higher in New York. The taxes are higher in New York. It's more difficult to live in New York. Dollar for dollar, even when the Rangers paid more, the players took home less, which is one reason it usually took a lot more to get them here. Did you know that the Panthers agreed to pay the difference in Pavel Bure's taxes as part of the trade that sent him from Florida to New York?

In other words, a max contract in New York doesn't go as nearly as far it would somewhere else. (Makes you wonder what Chris Drury and Scott Gomez were thinking huh?)

Of course this doesn't matter very much to Ol' Lar now. He's continuing the line that some cities offer more "amenities" to playing there than others. We saw that this summer when Edmonton was spending Confederate $$$$$. This is in spite of the fact that such things are expressly prohibited by the CBA. Want to know why Mary-OH! Lemieux is charging rent to his youthful ward, Canadian Diving Team Captain, Secondary Assist Cindy Crosby? It is because giving her (or arranging for) free room and board would be considered a circumvention of the salary cap. And if league sponsors started dictating where players played, how much longer do you think it would be before that one got included in the cap too?

Something that also needs to be realized is that the NHL is run by Canada for Canada (or more specifically, by Toronto, for Toronto). While A.O. hands down has a better and much more engaging personality than Cindy, Cindy is Canadian so the NHL is going to push her harder than anybody else (save of course for another Canadian). A.O.'s limited English skills are also displayed in one of the six ads running on the NHL Network when A.O. has to say "Is this the year?" in Russian with subtitle help while everybody else speaks good King's English. Quite frankly, A.O. could play in Toronto and he still wouldn't get the kind of push that Cindy enjoys. How much of a push does Mats Sundin get from the League by being the Captain of the Maple Leafs?

However if A.O. should decide that his future in Washington would not be as successful as he wants, he certainly can do better than the Rangers who have just one Cup in the past 66 years. He said during his rookie campaign that he wanted to play for Toronto as a youth but the Leafs haven't even played for a Cup since the "Next Six" came into the league. Detroit would meet the criterion of a "big stage" and having a real chance at winning. But A.O. is not only too young for Detroit but also too late. The Red Wings have traded out the Russians and now stock themselves with Swedes (so they'll take Nicklas Backstrom in about 15 years and Michael Nylander when his current contract ends).

As for the shots at D.C. Well, even then, not only is this more recycled Larry Brooks, there is also a bit of truth to it. When certain Caps bloggers and management so bitterly complain about the local media coverage (or complete and total lack thereof) to the point that even the Christian Science Monitor takes notice, one doesn't even need attendance figures to bolster the idea that the Caps are an afterthought in their own market. (Sorry folks, but you reap what you sow, though I would very much appreciate it if you could show me where the College Hockey coverage is on the New York Post website) Though at least the Caps haven't gone into bankruptcy twice and ended up accepting less $$$$$ to stay in their "home" market.

Though if one considers posting back-to-back 70 point seasons after coming up with 59 points "regression" I'd like to see Larry's Thesaurus. As we pointed out there on Thursday the 1981-1982 season not only saw a mid-season coaching change but a GM firing too. The Caps started off a 14 year playoff streak the next season so the idea that firing George McPhee now or at the end of the season will lead to another or extending the rebuilding is just ignorance.

So in short folks, there's really nothing to see here. If you've read Larry Brooks as much as I have (and still don't hate yourself for doing so) then you've already read this one before. At some point in the future Ol' Lar will dust this one off again, change the name of the player and the city involved and get those fans writing incoherently angry e-mails to him. Why waste the time and give him the pleasure? At least make the Union Thug Mouthpiece come up with an original thought before you get angry at him.

Caps vs. Hurricanes 11-24-2007 Wrap Up

Yes, yes, I've seen Larry's latest... As much as I wish, these posts don't research and write themselves... Besides all good things come to those who wait (which are often the leftovers of the people who got there first...)

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Durham Herald-Sun. Raleigh New & Observer: Caps magic number, Walker back soon.

Final Thoughts:

Just like losing, winning is contagious. The Caps have to have growing confidence now and the things they need to guard against is cockiness and overconfidence. When getting up by three goals, the Caps need to stop letting the other team get back into the game and close things out before it gets close again.

23 down, 79 to go.

Caps vs. Hurricanes 11-24-2007 Post-Mortem

Looks like they're starting to get it... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• 3-4 on the Power Play with 5 shots on goal. If that isn't efficiency then I don't know what is. As a matter of fact, I think this is what everybody thought I our Power Play would be like when the season started. Hades, we've even seemed to have solved the problem of getting set up in the offensive zone.
• And speaking of the Power Play, 3 of the 5 goals Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green has scored this year have come on the Power Play. Bruce Boudreau deserves all kinds of kudos for putting him out there with the first unit and Glen Hanlon looks even more foolish for not using him on the Power Play.
• A much stronger finish to the game tonight than yesterday. A.O.'s second goal was a huge goal for the team and Boyd Gordon's shorthanded goal into the empty net was a pure hustle play that took advantage of a sloppy pull of the goaltender by Carolina.
• Of course Carolina didn't try to goon things up like the Flyers but the discipline was much better tonight as the Hurricanes were 0 for 3 tonight on the Power Play. Though I think some of that had to do with the bizarre game Chris Rooney and Paul Devorski called tonight.

THE BAD:

• Sure he had a goal (which was the game winner) and two assists all on the Power Play and was named the second star of the game, but Michael Nylander also had some very ugly turnovers (one of which lead to the Canes' first goal) and finished the game a -2. The turnovers are the most troubling part of his game tonight as he is known for his ability to keep the puck on his stick.
• It was a good thing the Power Play clicked early tonight because it bailed out a bad start by the Caps. Once the Caps had the lead, they settled into their game and kept things going well for the most part, but the start of the game was rather harrowing and it looked as if the Caps were reverting to form.
• The Caps gave up 37 shots tonight. While Olie Kolzig stopped 35 of them and didn't do too much standing on his head, that's way too many shots to be giving up.

THE UGLY:

• I think Olie would like to have that second Canes goal back. Once again Olie didn't look ready for the shot and on a couple of occasions looked to be badly out of position.
• What does Steve Eminger have to do to get into the lineup? Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz gets scratched but John Erskine Bowles gets into the lineup and trips over his own two feet when Carolina got on the board with Eric Cole's goal with 9 seconds left in the second period.

Tonight the Caps didn't blow the three goal lead despite coming very close to doing so. However they were able to pull away at the end and avoid giving up a point to a division rival. So it looks at least as if the Caps are learning and starting to move forward again now that Hanlon is gone. As for the Power Play, it isn't too hard to figure out what Boudreau has done to jump start the unit. He's moved A.O. to the top of the circles, has Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom playing down low/ the half wall. Tom Poti and Green are on the points and the Caps are looking to either set up A.O. somewhere in the circles or hit Poti and Green on backdoor cuts while Nylander and Backstrom quarterback the whole thing. Having two shooting options instead of just one is what we've needed all season on the Power Play. I don't expect many more 3-for-4 nights, but I think the unit has finally turned the corner. Let's hope the rest of the team follows.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!

Caps @ Flyers 11-23-2007 Wrap Up/ Caps vs. Hurricanes 11-24-2007 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia Inquirer. Flyers.com.

Final Thoughts:

The problem in the past has been building on momentum from one game to the next, at least we don't have to wait too long to see if we can keep it going.

22 down, 60 to go.


Washington Capitals (7-15; 15 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (13-10; 29 points):
Caps Game #23, Home Game #10, NHL Game #328

Verizon Center, Washington, DC. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Carolina TV: None. Radio: WCNC 99.9-FM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps look to string wins together for only the second time this season when they face the Division leading Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina played last night at home, beating the Ning 4-3. The Canes have been alternating wins and losses over their last four games and have just two wins in their last five games.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Durham Herald-Sun. Raleigh News & Observer: touch returns, last night's turning point, tonight's game, Canes notebook.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Will we see the third shutout in three games in the season series tonight? Since I've just jinxed it, I doubt it. But tonight pits two teams looking to regain their footing playing each other after big wins yesterday. The Caps have a little more rest than the Canes because the Caps played a matinee yesterday while the Canes played a regular night game. The question for the Caps now is how long with the "bounce" of having a new head coach last? We've already seen that the Caps can play with the Canes so it which team is going to show up tonight? I have to think that the "bounce" is going to last more than one game.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 5
Canes 2
Winner by Poti.

(12-10 on the season)

Caps @ Flyers 11-23-2007 Post-Mortem

Almost... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Well, the five game losing streak is over and that is never a bad thing no matter how you go about doing it.
• The Penalty Killers put on an impressive display killing of a 1:45 5-on-3 and not giving the Flyers much to work with in the first period. Had the Flyers scored on that, it would have been a very different hockey game. The one goal they did give up today was a bit of a joke as why the referees didn't blow the whistle is beyond me.
• Getting A.O. off the point and placing Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green on the point paid instant dividends as the Power Play got an easy goal early on. The Flyers were more concerned about A.O. on the half-wall which left Green wide open for his shot. Why Green didn't regularly play on the Power Play before today is one of the mysteries of the Hanlon era.
• And speaking of A.O., we scored four goals today and he didn't score a single one of them himself. I'm interested to know the last time that happened...
• Our forechecking game made an appearance today and had the Flyers bottled up in their own zone for a good portion of the third period. I never understood why we got away from that when it was a large part of the 3 game winning streak that opened the season.

THE BAD:

• Captain Chris Clark taking 19 minutes in penalties late in the second period which spurred the Flyers comeback and all because of a clean hard hit. The Flyers once again were looking to goon things up and the Caps once again took the bait. At least we won the game this time around which is the ultimate revenge but we need to maintain our discipline in order to be successful.
• Milan Jurcina returns to the lineup and is a team low -2. Will we see Steve Eminger soon?

THE UGLY:

• Admit it, when the Flyers tied the game up at three, you thought "here we go again, the more things change, the more they stay the same." You could even see it on the players' faces and in their reaction when the Flyers tied it up. The Caps did well enough to get into the second intermission with a 3-2 lead but the game should have never gotten into overtime. The bad breakouts and turnovers returned as the game wore on.
• What was the deal with Bruce Boudreau's shirt??? Was that thing battery powered???

Well, a win is a win is a win and this came against a pretty good hockey team on the road too. It wasn't as if the Caps did this against the Phoenix Coyotes or the Edmonton Oilers. I think it is safe to say that for the first time this season the Caps found a way to win. While they have a long way to go to climb out of this hole, this is something to build upon.

It has been... A TWO POINT DAY!!!

Caps @ Flyers 11-23-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals ( 6-15; 13 points) @ Philadelphia Flyers (12-8; 25 points):
Caps Game #22, Road Game # 13, NHL Game #316

Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA. 1:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Philadelphia TV: Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia. Radio: WWIP 610-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

The Interim Bruce Boudreau era begins today as the Caps take their five game losing streak to Philadelphia where they've won just twice in their last 16 trips. Both of those wins came last year when the Flyers were by far the worst team in the NHL and setting their lowest point total in franchise history. Unfortunately, that is not the case this year as the Flyers are currently in the hunt for the lead in their division and have dragged out yet another "Broad Street Bullies" revival for good measure. The Flyers are coming off a 6-3 win in Carolina on Wednesday night which snapped a two game losing skid.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times: Change comes, Hanlon dismissed, Boudreau takes over. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia Inquirer.

What Do I Expect Today?:

Today we get to see the other side of an early season coaching change. Last year the Flyers dumped Ken Hitchcock for John Stevens and things didn't turn around for the Flyers until the new season started. New Head Coaches for the Caps have a record of 6-7 in their debuts and the Caps were 3-6 in matinee games last season. With the sudden and abrupt change in head coaches, the Caps could easily be described as a wounded animal right now. There is an old saying that says a wounded animal is the most dangerous kind. However are the Caps fatally wounded right now? The players had been talking for a couple of weeks that it wasn't the coach but their coach just got fired so now more than ever is the time to see if these guys really felt that way. This is a tough game for me to predict because I don't think this game will be close; the Caps will either blow the Flyers out of the Wachovia Center today playing all kinds of inspired hockey or will get themselves shellacked again because they're feeling sorry for themselves.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 6
Flyers 2
Winner by Ovechkin

(11-10 on the season)

The Glen Hanlon Watch Day 16/ The Interim George McPhee Watch Day 1

Shows how much I know...

Well, today was the day that the trigger was pulled and Glen Hanlon was relived of coaching duties. Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau takes over on an interim basis and that begins the Interim George McPhee Watch. I originally missed this because I was busy peeling baked sweet potatoes for my Jack Daniels Sweet Potato Casserole.

I said earlier this week this would happen (the GMGM watch starting that is) if Boudreau took over for Hanlon. I do not think trading one minor league coach for another is a wise move. By all accounts Boudreau's strengths are also Hanlon's, so I fail to see how this is nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

However, I will reserve the right to end the Interim GMGM Watch if somebody else is named as head coach. However should the interim tag be removed from Boudreau, the interim tag will be removed from the GMGM Watch. We need a coach who knows not only how to make the playoffs in the NHL, but win in the NHL playoffs.

Yes, the playoffs aren't happening in D.C. this year however in the 1981-1982 season (which we've seen comparisons to this morning in terms of point totals after 21 games), Gary Green was fired in early November, then GM Roger Crozier took over on an interim basis and then hired Bryan Murray (who was in his first season as Head Coach of the Hershey Bears). Murray didn't get the team into the playoffs until the next season but the foundation had been laid. Whoever ends up taking over as head coach of this hockey team will go a long way to determining just how much longer GMGM stays in Washington. (It should also be noted that Roger Crozier stepped down as GM at the end of the 1981-1982 season, leading to the hiring of David "Bud" Poile as GM)

However, in the interim, Boudreau has his work cut out for him. We'll see exactly how the team reacts in about 24 hours.

Caps vs. Thrashers 11-21-2007 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: five unanswered, sold on Waddell.

Final Thoughts:

When players on the other team think you're trying to get your coach fired and talk openly about how a coaching change can turn things around for you (on the local sports network no less) continuing the company line of "the coaches aren't the problem" looks more and more ludicrous. Other than that I do want to take the time and say that I believe that all the coverage of Ted Leonsis's vacation plans is a bit of a cheapshot (the NHL Network made mention of it as well). Whether or not Ted has a say in the firing of a coach is immaterial. In case you haven't noticed, today is Thanksgiving and people typically travel somewhere for the holiday, even if their sports franchises happen to be playing the night before or on the holiday itself. I for one would be very surprised to see Glen Hanlon fired today not just because of the holiday today but because we have a matinee game on the road tomorrow and another at home on Saturday night. The idea that Ted is an absentee owner or unconcerned about the direction of his franchise because he was not at the game is simply wrong. Had the Caps won last night 5-1 instead of losing 5-1, there would not have been any talk about where he was or was not.

21 down, 61 to go.

Caps vs. Thrashers 11-21-2007 Post-Mortem

It just can't come soon enough... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Jeff Schultz won the only faceoff he took tonight (he was however on the ice for three of the five Atlanta goals).
• I've been waiting for years for that infernal Hockey Song to be booed. Tonight it finally was... I'm a Happy Camper...

THE BAD:

• A 0-0 tie after the first period was about the high point of this hockey game. Sure, getting out to a 1-0 lead was nice, but you knew what was coming next.
• Ok, I promise I won't harp on the blocked and missed shots for just one night tonight but I will make special mention of one of the points of emphasis from yesterday's practice, turnovers. 20 giveaways tonight. Six by Alexander Semin himself.
• The Penalty Killers were 2 for 4 tonight and shockingly easy to be broken down too by the Atlanta Power Play.
• Wes Johnson, the Caps Public Address Announcer, was as off his game as the Caps were when he announced a Penalty on the Ning in the third period.

THE UGLY:

• The Power Play was 1 for 6, blew yet another 5-on-3 (27 seconds and no shots on goal though at least Glen Hanlon didn't blow the timeout again before the exercise in futility began) and once again scored because A.O. made a great individual play.
• I laughed as hard as I've laughed in a long time when Hanlon deployed a Power Play unit that did not contain A.O. or Semin late in the third period. While there was finally some rather nice passing on the Power Play, the Caps looked as lost I have seen them on the Power Play because not a single player on the ice knew who was supposed to shoot the puck without A.O. or Semin out there to take the shot.
• The other point of emphasis yesterday, shorter shifts, broke down like this for the forwards, A.O. 1:08, Viktor Kozlov 1:05, Captain Chris Clark 1:00, Semin :59, and Michael Nylander :54. Those may be skewed by the 10:49 of Power Play time the Caps had tonight but something tells me, it still isn't supposed to be that skewed.

The players have been saying that the coaches are not the problem. They say that the coaches prepare them well and that they have installed a good system for them. The players insist it is a problem of execution that is causing all the problems. However watching his hockey team, you do not get a sense that these players are worried about their coach getting fired. On the contrary, a good number of the players are playing like they want him to be. So the only question left to ask now is when?

Caps vs. Thrashers 11-21-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (6-14; 13 points) vs. Atlanta Thrashers (10-10; 20 points):
Caps Game #21, Home Game #9, NHL Game #302

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Atlanta TV: SportSouth. Radio: WCNN 680-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps get a firsthand look at what a coaching change can do for a hockey team. After starting the season 0-6, the Thrashers are 10-4 and have won six of their last seven including their last three in a row their most recent win being a 4-3 in overtime at home against Tampa Bay. They beat the Caps 2-1 in overtime in Atlanta 15 days ago.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Thrashers.com .pdf game notes.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

The last time the Caps focused on something specific in practice, the work didn't last very long as the Caps are still registering double digits in blocked shots every single game. Though we should be happy that the coaching staff finally found something to work on in practice so at least it is a start. While the shifts tonight might be shorter and the turnovers fewer in number, will the results be any different? The same goes for the new line combinations which right now has done nothing but rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. A key to tonight's game for the Caps will be avoiding overtime as the Thrashers are 5-0 this season in the extra session and gimmick. But with the way the Caps have been playing recently, that shouldn't be much of a concern as the Caps have fought back to force overtime only once this season.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Atlanta 4
Winner by White

(10-10 on the season)

Caps vs. Panthers 11-19-2007 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times: not enough, Sutherby dealt. Caps.com.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Miami Herald: road woes over, Van Ryn goes home.

Final Thoughts:

You want to know how bad things are for us right now? Michael Nylander last night prevented a sure goal for us last night by swiping a puck off the goal line in the first period. And if "uptight" means, "uninspired" then yeah, the Caps were very uptight last night. But the idea that this team doesn't have anything it needs to work on is laughable. Forget our record for a second and look at all the blocked shots and intercepted passes/turnovers in the offensive zone last night. Our offense is too predictable right now and has been that way for over a month and nothing other than rotating players among the first two lines has been done to change that.

20 down, 62 to go.

Caps vs. Panthers 11-19-2007 Post-Mortem

I told you it would get ugly... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Sorry, no obligatory A.O. climbing the Caps All-Time scoring chart update in an attempt to be positive.

THE BAD:

• Forget the "FIRE HANLON" chants started by a guy who has been given a microphone on more than one occasion this season to get the crowd going, even the boos were half-hearted tonight. When Bruce Cassidy (and the Sundance Kid) was stinking up the joint behind the bench, the team got booed louder and with more passion than tonight. Same thing for Ron Wilson's last season. Don't be concerned because they were booing and calling for the coach's head, but concerned because they really weren't into any of it.
• What turned out to be the game winning goal should have never have counted because after leaving his drop pass to Olli Jokinen, Richard Zednik ran a moving pick on Tom Poti that was a classic case of textbook offensive interference; but the officials (as they all too often do in these cases) refused to call it.
• Though even if we got the Power Play on that, what good would we have done with it? Sure we were 1 for 3 which is respectable but what isn't is blowing 1:28 of 5-on-3 time and only getting a single shot on goal. We STILL haven't scored a 5-on-3 goal this season. At least Glen Hanlon didn't waste our timeout on the situation in the first period.
• Am I the only one tired of the Caps storming back to within one goal in the third period at home but not getting the game tying goal? This is the third time (fourth if you count the Islander game that they tied up in the third period and then gave up three straight goals) they've done this.

THE UGLY:

• For the first time all season, the Caps tonight looked like the worst team in the NHL. Four of the three goals they gave up tonight were the result of just not having any fight in them and Olie Kolzig shouldn't be blamed for any of the four goals he allowed tonight. The Caps were simply beaten to pucks all night long and looked about as interested in being at the game tonight as most of the crowd was.
• Guess what? The Caps actually had fewer than 20 shots blocked by the Panthers (it was 19). And three of them came on the final sequence after we won the faceoff in the Florida zone. 8 shots missed everything and once again we have almost as many misses than we have shots on goal (30 tonight).

If I were a betting man I would wager than Hanlon will be put out of his misery on December 2nd. That's the first day of a five day break and it would give the new coach a chance to settle things down and install his system without having to worry about playing games before it was all installed. But we now have our third four game losing streak the season going. We're dead last in the NHL and I don't think things could get much worse on the ice than they already are. To quote the famous Jim Mora rant "PLAYOFFS? I just want to win a game."

Though JP has a report that Hershey Coach Bruce Boudreau heads the list of replacements for Hanlon. If that happens, I'm joining the Fire George McPhee Bandwagon. Replacing one minor-league coach with another will not solve anything in the long run.

Sutherby Traded

With Alexander Semin coming back tonight, the Caps had to make room on the 23 man roster and the odd man out is Brian Sutherby who has been traded to the Anahiem Thug Ducks for a second round pick in 2009.

And so ends Sutherby's run in Washington. A former first round draft pick of the Caps (26th overall in 2000), Sutherby was once touted as a future captain of the team. As a matter of fact, he was given an "A" despite not being close to being a regular player on the team at the beginning of this season.

Sutherby isn't afraid to mix things up so he should fit in well with the Thug Ducks. However, the Thug Ducks are already going to have a nightmare with RFA's this coming offseason and Sutherby only adds to their list of RFA's after this season. That 2009 second rounder Anaheim gave up could be very close to the first round.

So there's a possibility that Sutherby could return in the offseason, but I wouldn't count on it. It makes you wonder though just what is going on that the team can continue to struggle as much as it has but young guys like Sutherby and Steve Eminger can't crack the lineup but John Erskine Bowles and Donald Brashear can.

Caps vs. Panthers 11-19-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (6-13; 13 points) vs. Florida Panthers (8-13; 17 points):
Caps Game #20, Home Game #8, NHL Game #292

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Florida TV: Fox SportsNet Florida. Radio: WAXY 790-AM. Canadian National TV: NHL Network. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic Feed.

Tonight the Caps return home for five of their next seven on home ice opening the stretch with the Florida Panthers. The Caps and Panthers met 4 days ago in Sunrise with the Caps falling 2-1. Since then the Panthers lost Saturday night in Carolina by the same score. These two teams are going to become well acquainted with each other as this is the second of four meetings between the two team in 17 days.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Miami Herald: Slump ended, daily report.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

Giddy over the return of Alexander Semin are you? Forgetting that Captain Chris Clark's return also came against the Panthers last week and yielded familiar results? Add in Glen Hanlon's fetish with John Erskine Bowles rearing it's ugly head again and there shouldn't be much doubt about how this game is going to turn out. If you're looking for a bright side to tonight's game, at least we now finally have our full lineup on the ice. Sure you can lean on chemistry and the conditioning of Semin, but all hands are on deck now and this is the lineup the coach wants. So no more excuses for poor results.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Panthers 3
Winner by Weiss

(9-10 on the season)

A Walk Through Sports Uniform History

Today's posting is only merely inspired by our Old Friend Larry Brooks as just six weeks after ripping the Canadian Diving Team Captain, Secondary Assist Cindy Crosby for having the audacity to be willing to work with Reebok on the new NHL Uniform systems; today in true Larry Brooks style he's offering praise to Cindy for apparently bringing down the new form fitting Reebok jerseys.

On a side note here, a Dictionary lesson is giving people the definition of a word, a Thesaurus lesson is providing synonyms and antonyms. Please make a note of that Larry.

Of course Ol' Lar much like the haughty-high-and-mighty-holier-than-thou self appointed "hockey purists" (most of whom never saw a game before 1982) drones on about the "classic" and "sacrosanct" look of NHL uniforms (which of course includes the ironclad rule that the home team ALWAYS wears white) that did not need an update or a change.

I mean, "hockey tradition" has been such a boon for the NHL in the first place. The much ballyhooed golden days of the 1970's and 1980's saw the NHL fourth among the four professional sports leagues. Lose their U.S. Network TV contract and was capped off with their banishment from ESPN to a conglomeration of local cable sports networks.

Yeah, the NHL "tradition" was such an unmitigated success in the past that only the biggest of fools would dare attempt to change it and grow the game beyond the tens of thousands of people who come out to watch the game and the million or so who bother to tune in on TV.

But, we've been down this road before so without much further ado, here's a history of various uniforms worn by professional athletes (pictures credited where possible):

Here's old "Slingn' Sammy" Baugh. Not a whole lot of extra fabric there. Though I wonder if he approved of:


Joe Theismann's single bar facemask? Look at the extra jersey hanging off the shoulder pads and hanging over the pants here.
Courtesy of the Washington (Com)Post

Not only does Jason Campbell have a full facemask, his jersey is rather tighter than Theismann's. I'm sure Baugh however thinks both of these guys are wimps not only because of the plastic protective helmets they're wearing, but because they also only play one position as opposed to the four he played.


If you thought the "Classic" NHL jerseys were baggy, here Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson show you just what a baggy uniform is.


Babe Ruth however needed all the extra fabric to hide his beer gut in the later years of his career...


Of course Big Head BALCO Barry Bonds* might have appreciated the extra fabric because it would have helped hide his transformation into this...


from this...


If you look closely, you see Bob Cousy wearing a belt.


Dr. J however didn't wear a belt in his day.


I wonder if NBA fans are angrier with Kobe Bryant for his antics on and off the court or the fact that his uniform is a direct affront to "NBA Tradition"????

Courtesy of the Boston Herald

Here's the most famous picture in NHL history. You realize that this picture was taken in the Boston Garden right? Look at all the extra jersey flapping in the breeze...


Is it me or does Wayne Gretzky here seem to have close to the same cut as Bobby Orr does in the picture right above this one only with more equipment?

Courtesy TSN.ca

Do you think A.O.'s All-Star Uniform (which is where the Reebok system first debuted) look more like the "modern jersey" or:


Maurice "Rocket" Richard?

Of course these uniform rants are rather odd if you ask me. Gary Bettman is vilified because the self appointed "hockey purists" believe he's trying to turn the NHL into the NBA. There's some rational logic behind this because Bettman was an understudy for the current NBA Commissioner David Stern before taking over the NHL. Of course, before David Stern took over the NBA, the NBA had tight, form fitting uniforms. The NBA's uniforms didn't "expand" until after Stern took over. Now the NHL's jerseys were "expanding" by the time that Bettman took over but the "baggy" look wasn't considered "cool" until Bettman was in charge. Now Bettman is trying to take the NHL back to its roots and the self appointed "hockey purists" demand the NBA look in the NHL in the name of tradition.

I know, I know ... makes total sense doesn't it???

Caps @ Ning 11-16-2007 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

St. Petersburg Times: streak at five, ice time. Tampa Tribune: Ning win again, defense helping offense. Ning.com.

Final Thoughts:

After a game last night's you almost already know what the story is. The Caps play hard, but come up short. Two goals usually isn't enough to win when Olie Kolzig is in net but when it's Brent Johnson, you know it isn't. And that isn't a knock on Johnny as much as it is a hard truth. However, once again the Caps had almost as many shots blocked (25) as they had on goal (30) while some of that is shot selection; a good bit of it has to do with a predictable offense, especially when A.O.'s get blocked more than anybody else.

Now we're dead last in the NHL. See what talking about the Stanley Cup after just three games does? Memo to Ted: if you think the fallout from firesale season or any other low point was bad, you better start alerting Phone Booth Security to be on the lookout for pitchforks and torches if things don't turn around and soon. This is what the premature talk of "rebuilding is over" and "we expect to make the playoffs this season" is going to yield you.

19 down, 63 to go.

The Glen Hanlon Watch, Day 10

In the useless print edition of The (Com)Post today is an interesting stat. The Caps right now are on pace to score just 193 goals this season. That would be the third lowest total not counting the 1995 lockout shortened season.

So I took a look through my brand-new media guide and saw that the under the intrepid direction of Glen Hanlon the Caps have scored about 629 goals. 116 in the firesale 2003-2004 season (186 total that year but don't forget Hanlon took over on December 10th), 237 in 2005-2006 after the lockout, 235 last season, and 41 so far this season.

As a matter of fact, 193 would be an improvement on the 186 in that disastrous pre-lockout season that lead to the firesale. However, last season's 235 goals for were more than any Caps team had scored since the 1995-1996 team that scored 234. Caps teams that had Jaromir Jagr and Peter Bondra only topped out at 228 goals in 2001-2002.

Now this may look as a case FOR Hanlon. After all, with only A.O. to really run the offense through, what more could you ask for? Well, first of all, Ron Wilson and Bruce Cassidy (and the Sundance Kid) were shown the door after the weak offensive output that was at least supported by better defensive numbers (Crazy Ron only twice had a negative goal differential, the second occurrence came right before he was fired and in his one full season Cassidy was +4 and neither gave up as many goals as Hanlon has). Secondly, the Caps offense had Jagr, Bondra, Oates, and Lang to name a few, who all missed time during those seasons due to injury or had uninspired play.

But the real cause for the concern is that the offense is declining after hitting a high water mark right after the lockout with a Rookie A.O. and a team of cast-offs and other rookies. While I am not making a case for the return of Jeff Halpern, Dainus Zubrus, and Brian Willsie, I do wonder what happened to Matt Pettinger who scored a career high 20 goals that season? What's the deal with Brian Sutherby not being able to crack our offensively deficient line-up when he posted a career high 14 after finally getting a full season's worth of icetime that year? We also had Ben Clymer score a career high 16 goals that season.

And remember, Alexander Semin wasn't in Washington that season either.

Some of it has to do with scoring settling back down around the league after the rule changes that were made right after the lockout. However, most of the players I just listed were more than willing to score the "dirty" goals the Caps keep talking about how they need to score right now. This of course brings to mind some of the problems right now. There's no doubt that A.O. will score a dirty goal (he did last night), Captain Chris Clark has made a living scoring dirty goals, but does anybody remember Michael Nylander camping out in front of the net? And while Viktor Kozlov, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tomas Fleischmann showed some impressive chemistry early on, does anybody believe that they'll get their noses dirty to score a goal?

Now I know certain factions will point to this lack of "grit" and blame George McPhee. However, McPhee does not set the line combinations. I don't think it was an accident that Clark started scoring when he was reunited with A.O. While Matt Pettinger may not be a true right wing for the second line, you know the guy will go to the net and score goals because he's done it on that line before. Sutherby is another guy willing to get to the front of the net when he's been given the chance. There's also the question of where will Semin skate when he returns? Will Hanlon break up A.O. and Clark again? Or his he going to try Semin in Fleischmann's place on the second line? (As long as Semin and A.O. aren't manning the point together on the Power Play...)

But the point is this, Hanlon somehow was able to mange more offense with less offensively skilled players than he is with more offensively skilled players. This my friends makes the injuries excuse moot because you can't reasonably explain how we were able to score considerably more goals with less talent than we are now. The predictability of our offense right now is staggering as everybody knows just who we're trying to feed the puck to and who we want taking the shot. Trading A.O. to force the rest of the team step up is not a viable option. But a new coach who is willing to develop other scoring options is.