Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Accountability Guys

As the San Jose Sharks continue to lick their wounds (can Sharks lick wounds?) after another playoff series loss without even getting close to hockey's promised land, head coach Ron Wilson was reluctant to offer a knee-jerk reaction...
But he did cite one ingredient he thought the Sharks lacked in the postseason, something his 1998 Washington Capitals — Stanley Cup finalists — had: Players who didn't care what their teammates thought of them. Accountability guys, Wilson called them.

"They were mirrors," Wilson said, later identifying forwards Brian Bellows and Esa Tikkanen by name. "They stood in front of people and made them look at themselves."
Interesting that Wilson named those two short-term Caps rather than guys like Dale Hunter, Steve Konowalchuk, Mark Tinordi, Calle Johansson, etc., but he was in the room that Spring and I wasn't.

The bottom line is that that team had more character and accountability in a dozen or so players than most Divisions have these days, and no amount of Joe Thorntons and Patrick Marleaus (or Daniel Brieres or Thomas Vaneks, for that matter) can make up for that deficiency if it exists.

Oh, and Esa - thanks again for missing that open net in Game 2. It would have been awful to come back to D.C. tied at a game apiece. It's good to hear that at least you were "accountable," if not "able."

6 comments:

FAUXRUMORS 2 said...

1) You can bet the folks in Boston aren't too unhapy to see their former star (again) fall on his face in the post season.(9 goals in 57 playoff games)for big Joe.
2) Rumors have the Sharks looking to possibly trade Marleau. Perhaps the caps could throw together a nice package of picks/prospects to get the #1 center they need?

JP said...

I'd seen Marleau-for-Seabrook (no, not ours) and something, but I'm sure the Caps would send out feelers if a guy like that was available.

Anonymous said...

thanks a lot for the reminder j.p. i want to cry(again) every time i think about that

Abhinav said...

I'll never forgive the Finnish people for Esa Tikanen.

Though I love their names.

Anonymous said...

Kono wasn't there either. After playing nearly a full season he missed the entire playoff with a wrist injury.

Not that it would have made a difference...

JP said...

Good point, I'd forgotten that.

Sub in "Joe Reekie" for "Steve Konowalchuk" - the point's the same.