Where have we been? Part 1

So nice of you to ask. Some of you may have noticed that this site wasn't updated much this past week or weekend. There's a good reason why. A few months ago, Original 6 and the Deuce came up with a plan for a hockey guys weekend out. And they were thinking big (or, more accurately, FAR). How far? NORTHERN QUEBEC far.

Now why would any right minded individual make such a trek IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER? They wouldn't, of course. But if you read this blog, you know that you're not dealing with right minded individuals.

Original 6 had gotten it into his head that he wanted to see explosive Caps prospect Francois Bouchard of the Drakkar du Baie-Comeau in person. He floated the idea to the Deuce and I, who were all for it.

Until we looked at a map.


View Larger Map

How far is it from DC to Baie-Comeau? Really, really far. Almost 1000 miles into the great white north. Despite our desire, it was clear that young Francois would have to make due playing out his QMJHL career without us to cheer him on.

Undeterred by our initial roadblock, the Deuce and Original 6 continued to plan for a hockey centered getaway. While their plan to visit one of the one of the most remote outposts in Quebec was thwarted, they instead turned their attention to one of the closest (and certainly the most cosmopolitan). Instead of Baie-Comeau, we would journey to the province's cultural and economic center: Montreal. After scanning the schedules of both le Canadien and our own work and personal plans, a weekend was chosen, and the plan began to take shape.

Since Albany was only a few hours drive from Montreal, we would fly into Albany on Friday the 18th of January to see the Albany River Rats take on the Capitals own Hershey Bears. From there we would drive to Montreal, where we could heartily boo the Pittsburgh Penguins and Secondary Sid as they took on the hometown Habs the very next night.

Our plan in place, Original 6 generously slapped down his credit card for plane tickets, hotel reservations, car rental and ridiculously marked up tickets to the game at the Centre Bell. One would think such kindness would have kept us from busting his chops nearly the entire trip. Alas, it was not to be.

coming soon... Part 2 - The trip begins.

The Vets speak

The Deuce and Original 6 (my older brother and father) have been lighting up my email box today with reaction to the Zubrus trade, so I figured I'd share their wisdom with all 5 of my readers. Without further ado, it's Grumpy Caps Fans - Old Timers' Edition:

From: The Deuce

I like the deal. We get a 23 year old six foot two center/winger (right
handed) for a 32 year old six foot one center/winger. So the kid is not a "natural goal scorer." Neither was Zubrus. Plus a first round draft pick (even though it may be the last pick of the first round). We get younger, stockpile more picks, and, if we really, REALLY want to, we can resign Zubie in the offseason (no way Buffalo can do it -- they've got two centers named Drury and Danielle who'll want to get PAID)!

Response from Original 6:

Jiri Novotny. Another 1st rounder! The Caps keep praying that a few of their young 1st rounders will turn out to be decent NHLers! Can we wait that long?

The Deuce:

Yes. Novotny is an NHL ready player now. He's played 50 games this year for buffalo, which means he could have played in every game for us.
Plus he's only 23. He'll be a decent third-line center (read: cheap replacement for Zubrus) next year. I am very confident the Caps will sign a big name center this summer. The way McPhee has been talking in his interviews, he'd better back it up, or else the fans will riot.

Original 6:

With Backstrom and Novotny (the jury is still out with him as far as I am concerned even though he played with Buffalo - only 6 goals and 7 assists this year) we will have 2nd and 3rd line centers. Backstrom will need a year or two to become a first line center. My concern is that we have traded 2 of our few veterans. In order to make it to the highest levels a team has to have a blend of young players and veterans.
Where are those veterans on the Caps now?

I'm glad that you are confident that they will sign a first line veteran center over the summer. They have only once made a big deal like that and you know how that worked out. Aren't we still paying some of Jagr's salary?

The Deuce:

Yes. And Teddy will never, EVER make that mistake again. They will not look for pure talent. They will look for leadership and talent. See, Drury, Chris; Smyth, Ryan; Gomez, Scott just to name a few upcoming UFAs. Those guys are no Jaromir Jagrs. Plus, in todays NHL, Ovechkin and Semin are now cagey veteran graybeards!

--------------------------------------------------------
So there you have it folks... feel free to share your opinions on the trade in the comments section.

Caps blown away in first two periods against Light Breeze

The Caps came out flat against a hungry Tampa team and dug themselves a hole they were unable to get out of last night. The Light Breeze capitalized on the Capitals overall slugishness, drawing several power plays and capitalizing on three of them. Much had been written on Tampa's inability to score on the power play, but with the talent of Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis their slumping PP numbers couldn't last forever.

Tampa also looked to have discovered a weakness in the Capitals defensive alignment, frequently pushing all three forwards in a lateral line at the blue line, feeding the center, then passing off to whichever wing was left open by the defenseman when he shifted over to cover the center. Vinny "don't call me Testaverde" Lecavalier had no trouble finding the open man, which created several easy scoring chances in the first period.

Also, it's worth noting that Olie looked to be fighting the puck in the first couple of periods. He just didn't look very sharp. He should have swallowed up the rebound on the odd angle shot on the first goal (or at minimum directed it away from the front of the net). At the same time, Tampa is not like a lot of teams in the NHL in their shot selection. You simply do not see them take many shots on the ice hunting for rebounds. Their players shoot for the corners EVERY shot. And a couple shots whizzing by the ears can take any goaltender off his game.

Negativity aside (I know, it's rare here) it's important to note the progress that this young team is making. Last year, down by three this team would have been broken, and certainly would not have rallied with the passion and intensity they did in the third period. You can see that this team is maturing, and that they not only believe they can beat anyone in the league, but also that they are never truly out of a game, no matter the score. That's an incredible leap from last year, and it shows that win, lose or draw, er... overtime loss, the team is headed in the right direction.

Also, Alexander Ovechkin created another goal by knocking an opponent off the puck, muscling past another player and passing the puck off to Muir for the shot from the point. He has generated a number of scoring chances by being so physical on the forecheck. After all, it's hard to defend well when you're sitting on your butt checking to make sure you still have all your teeth (or at least the same number you started your shift with).

On a personal note, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my father, who, in my brother's terms, "is officially older than dirt." Here's are two items that should put his age in perspective.

1. When my father was first a hockey fan, he wasn't a Caps fan, but it wasn't his fault. There were only 6 teams in the NHL at the time. The Original 6.
2. When my father was first a fan, Goalies didn't wear masks. And I don't mean they wore Kelly Hrudey style helmets. I mean they wore no head protection at all.

Happy birthday, Dad.