After some time to reflect (and lick the wounds)

I've written several times before on how the Capitals are a young, inexperienced team and that fans need to adjust their expectations accordingly. As I said in my January 1st post,

"What lies ahead for the Capitals this year seems apparent. They will work their butts off to win a lot of games they wouldn't take on talent alone. They will lose some heartbreaking games they should win."

At the same time, what happened against Florida was nothing short of a disgrace. I'm willing to give the team the benefit of the doubt, but getting absolutely crushed by a team that's near last in the league is completely and totally unacceptable. Not showing up for a game is completely and totally unacceptable. If I were Coach Hanlon, there would be no pucks in practice for the next few days. Just lots and lots of hard skating, a la Herb Brooks after Team USA's pre-Olympic tie with Norway.

There are two trends the Caps absolutely need to buck if they want to make a serious run at the playoffs. The first is their current inability to bring home points on the road. 0-5 on the last road trip (I know it was a murderous schedule, but is an OT loss too much to ask for?). 0-2 to start this one, with both losses coming against Southeast Division opponents that were below us in the standings. If they continue to throw points away like this, they'll be able to make tee time reservations well before the end of the season.

Maybe Hanlon needs to pack some Teddy Bears for these guys to make them feel like they're at home. On second thought, probably not. They've been playing soft enough on the road as it is.

The second issue that needs to be addressed is their constantly being outshot by other teams. In the past few games they've been outshot by a large margin by two of the worst teams in the league (Florida and Philly). They need to pressure forwards in their own zone more, and make more plays at goal in their opponents territory. Now I know Caps teams have forever been known for their cycling down low in the attacking zone, but at some point they need to get pucks at the net. Even weak shots on goal can yield rebounds, deflections, and other scoring chances.

Next game is Tuesday against the Ottawa Roman lookalikes. At least we know the boys won't be spending too much of their time at the beach before that one.

Ouch

That hurt. Bad.

His middle name is Gretzky

Man, I think I'm developing a serious man crush on Donald Brashear. When was the last time you saw an enforcer thread a two line pass through 3 opposing players and right on the stick of a teammate for a breakaway?

If you said anything other than never, you're a liar.

Also, Sasha Semin has really good balance. You don't often see a guy fake a shot, stickhandle, and snipe a goal all on one leg.

Also, I wish I'd had the guts to predict Clymer's goal yesterday. I had a feeling he'd pot one against his old team, but I wussed out on calling the shot.

Unfortunately, you don't get points in the standings for style. Caps fall to Tampa, 5-4. Next game is tomorrow night in Miami against the KittyCats.

This just in... E.J. Hradek is an idiot

Yet again, another ESPN hockey "reporter" has written a glowing piece about how Secondary Sid is "the very best player in the NHL." To which I reply, "bull$#!#."

The only reasons I can see that these "experts" continuously stroke the Secondary One in print are 1) there is only ever 1 TV on that shows hockey in all of Bristol, and they only get good reception from the Pittsburgh feed and 2) nothing beats the Pittsburgh sob story (an up and coming team that may be forced to relocate because they have a crappy arena).

Let's face it folks, Alexander Ovechkin has more charisma in his right pinkie than Crosby has in his whole body. He also has more scoring ability than Crosby will ever dream of. Disagree? Compare The Goal to The Imitation. One is a goal for all-time, something I'll be telling my brother's kids I saw years from now. The other? Someone laying out to make a deflection. And yet every hack with a keyboard in Bristol seems to think that they belong in the same conversation. They don't, and time will show that they won't.

You want to talk about being a complete player? How about putting a shoulder into someone. I've never, EVER seen Sid put a solid lick on any player, much less a physically imposing one. Alexander Ovechkin plays a monster physical game against every team he plays. He doesn't just beat up on the small guys, the grind guys, the lesser players of the NHL. Don't believe me? Ask Forsberg how his head feels. Or search youtube for Crosby and hits. Find anything? Thought not. Now do the same for Ovechkin. I'll see you in half an hour when you're done with the first few pages of highlights.

But yeah, E.J., you're right. Crosby is a complete player. Completely soft. The guy has more diving minors than hits.

Oh, there's also that little thing called the Calder trophy, given to the best rookie in the NHL. Last year, Ovechkin "edged" Crosby in the voting, winning by a margin of only 119 first place votes (there were 129 cast). That after "experts" like Hradek and Suck Burnside predicted one of the closest votes of all time.

Now I'm not saying Crosby is not a good player. He most certainly is. In time he may become one of the all-time greats. What I am saying is this: Putting the Secondary One on a pedestal above the Russian Machine (see, he's even got better nicknames) is more than just lazy journalism. It's downright offensive, and it makes a mockery of what a "complete" player, and hockey in general, should be all about. And Caps fans should be LIVID about it. I know I am.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Caps programming

Tonight the Caps take on the Light Breeze at the St. Pete Times Forum in, well, wherever the heck the St. Pete Times forum is. The Caps roll in having won their last 3 games, and need a strong showing against the Breeze in order to maintain their momentum. Meanwhile, Tampa has won their last two against the Flightless Devilbirds, and are playing strong all around hockey.

To win this game, the Caps are going to need to put one in on Marc Denis early. They haven't had much success against him, and overcoming that mental block will probably be the deciding factor. The Caps also need to come out MUCH stronger in the defensive end than they played against Philly. It's one thing to surrender a ton of pressure to the league's leaders in suckitude. It's entirely different to do so against a team with as much firepower as Tampa. Mike Green is going to have to step up his game tonight, because he's the only one that has the wheels to keep up with Martin "Don't call me Mini-me" St. Louis. If Green makes a conscious effort to play strong in the Caps end, even at the detriment of his offensive game, I think the Caps take this one. If not, our chances aren't nearly as good.

Also, lets see if the Caps have a solid gameplan for dealing with the odd 3 wide offensive alignment Vinnie Lecavalier used so effectively last game. Lets hope they do, because they're toast if they don't.

Game time is 7:30. Set your TiVos accordingly, 'cause this is going to be a good one.

Bring on Mr. Posh

Non-soccer fans should probably skip this post.

Just a short note for all the soccer fans out there that Becks has signed with the Galaxy. Of course he did. I'm getting real tired of MLS stacking the deck for LA (like they do almost every year) in order to increase the fan base out there. Hey Galaxy fans (all 3 of you) , can't wait to see you all as you walk out of RFK, tail between your legs once again this year.

And here's a free one for the Barra and the Eagles to start working on: "Chris-tian's Be-tter!"

Takin' Care of Business

Just like Elvis, the Caps took care of business last night against the Philadelphia Fallers, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and going on to win 6-2. Ben Clymer scored on a squeaker that eluded Bob Esche only 15 seconds in, and Alex Ovechkin was, well, Alex Ovechkin, scoring an sniper's goal from a bad angle in early in the first and again in the second to begin the route of Philly. Olie Kolzig provided excellent play early on while the Caps defense was on its heels, and continued his steady play throughout the game.

Big Donnie Brashear netted his first goal as a Capital off what can only be described as a moonshot, but had to delay his celebration for about 5 minutes while the goal was under review. Man, enforcers just can't catch a break.

As for the tone of the game, I can only describe it as Us Vs. The Men Wearing Orange and Black, and I don't just mean Philly. The refs once again made a mockery of the game of hockey, especially on Clymer's "interference" call in the second. The NHL needs to recognize that this is hockey, not figure skating, and that last I checked, a hip check is still legal. There was nothing even remotely illegal about the play. Listen, if the fans wanted to watch no-contact hockey, they'd move to Sweden.

The only good thing about the string of bogus calls was the energy they supplied the crowd. It's good to see the fans finally realizing that they CAN make noise, get rowdy, and support their team at the top of their lungs, especially when said team is getting the shaft. The fans really came together to give it to the refs and, more importantly, to let the penalty killers know their efforts were appreciated. So pat yourselves on the back, Caps fans. Good job. Lets try to keep up that intensity for the rest of the season.

There is, however, one small issue I have to take up. Lets quit all this sweep nonsense. The term sweep should ONLY apply to the playoffs. This wasn't the playoffs. I mean, seriously. These days, if you win ONE GAME against a Western Conference team, you've technically swept the season series. So lets retire the word until we get into some 7 gamers.

Also, Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles could be heard through the entire arena this time. Gran trabajo, muchachos!

Oh, and Zubrus is starting to look lazy out there again. Don't make me eat my words, Zubie-doobie-doo.