Saturday At The FanHouse

I've been busy over at NHL FanHouse today, hitting topics from Ray Emery's dominance of the Habs to the Western Conference's newest great rivlary to Tie Domi's meltdown at his kid's peewee game. Stop by and check it all out.

Saturday Set-Up

Last week the focus on Hockey Night In Canada was squarely on fighting and violence in the NHL. Since the League actually managed to make it a week since then without any significant on-ice player-inflicted injuries, one would assume that this week's spotlight will be where it should be - on the games.

With a ten-spot of games on the slate and every single one carrying playoff implications, expect the analysis to be more on X's and O's and less on KO's. And don't forget to be back here for Sunday Pucks Brunch tomorrow for a recap of all the news and notes from the second-to-last Saturday night of the season.

Psst... That's A Goal

Cheaters.

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

A quick housekeeping note: as of today, in addition to keeping The Rink up and running, I'm also blogging over at the brand spankin' new NHL FanHouse with an incredible group of bloggers including James Mirtle, Eric McErlain (of Off Wing Opinion), Tom Luongo (of Sabre Rattling), Jes Gölbez (of Hockey Rants) and Tyler Dellow (of mc79hockey).

So bookmark the FanHouse (and/or just my contributions thereto) and check it often - with that group of bloggers and the backing of AOL behind us, it's going to be big.

Friday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Cats

[SeSo Open Thread]

With five games to go in the season, the Caps have 26 wins and 65 points, three wins and five points behind their totals from a season ago. Whether or not they can best last year's point total will be of great importance to some onlookers, but wins and losses alone don't tell you everything about a team's progression (or lack thereof). Of course, neither do raw stats and rankings, but here are a handful anyway that probably better reflect where this team is now versus where they were at the end of last season:

• The power-play is up 2% to 16.7% (moving the Caps up four spots in the League rankings).
• The penalty kill is up 1.3% to 80.2% (a jump of four spots as well).
• Goals per game are up .14 to 2.94 (a nine-rank leap, up to 14th in the League).
• Goals against per game are better by .24 to 3.42 (a two-place bump).

And while similar improvements next year would likely put the Caps in playoff contention, as we've all seen with our friends from Steeltown, sometimes young teams can make bigger-than-expected leaps. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Back to the here-and-now, while the Caps can perhaps still play the spoiler a bit in some of their five remaining games, fan attention is likely more focused on individual milestones, and none are bigger than these three:

• Alex Ovechkin has 43 goals and 87 points. 45 and 90 are nice round numbers and should be no problem (and no, I'm not counting him out for 50 quite yet).
• Alex Semin has 38 goals and 72 points. 40 and 75 would be huge and more than anyone could have realistically hoped for.
• Chris Clark has 29 goals. Raise your hand if you thought he could be a 30-goal guy.

In a season with more than its fair share of disappointment in the nation's capital, a trio of 30-goal scorers would be an impressive highlight. How many other teams will have three 30-goal guys by season's end, you ask? Well, Buffalo has four. Already. Calgary has three already. Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Carolina are all on the verge of having a hat trick of 30-goal getters and that's it by my count. Not a bad bunch of teams to be lumped in with, is it? And only two other teams - Tampa and perhaps Atlanta - have a shot at a pair of 40-goal scorers.

There's one more "magic number" I'd like to see before the year ends, and that's 2.99 - as in Olie Kolzig's goals against average. Currently, Olie's GAA stands at 3.05. If he plays sixty minutes in four of the final five games and gives up nine goals, he'll end up at 2.994, certainly respectable and certainly doable. By contrast, if Brent Johnson played every minute of the last five games and didn't give up a single goal, his GAA would finish up at a relatively-bloated 3.20 (and that's neither terribly respectable nor is it doable).

But it all starts tonight, in Sunrise, against a Panthers team that has scored nearly at will against the Caps in the last four meetings, racking up 23 goals in those four wins. Hopefully the Caps can get back on track and finish up strong for themselves both as a team and as individuals with goals... and saves.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jarome Iginla (3G, +2, 4 SOG)
  
• Ross: Teemu Selanne (4 points)
  
• Norris: Chris Pronger (2G, A, +2, 7 SOG, 2 hits, 1 blocked shot)
  
• Vezina: Chris Osgood (W, 1 goal allowed on 25 shots against in 2-1 win at Nashville)
  
• Richard: Jarome Iginla (3G)
  
• Calder: Phil Kessel (G, A, +2, 2 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Niklas Backstrom (2 goals allowed on 2 shots against in just 1:20 of work)

Get well soon, JP

"And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men."
Judges 15:16

Get well soon, JP.

Please feel free to sign the GWS card with your comments.

Mid-Week Open Thread

Have at it for the next couple of days while I'm gone.

Hey, Sid Really Is Thirsty

If you live south of the (U.S./Canada) border like most of us, you won't get to see this ad on television any time soon. It's a pity, because it's a stunning advertisement as much for hockey as for the product it's actually trying to move. But wouldn't it be a bit more realistic if the NASA-like team inside Sid the Kid's head decided to make him dive in hopes of drawing a penalty rather than go high-glove with a sick wrister?

Tuesday Roundup/Gamenight: Pens @ Caps

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

In advance of tonight's game between the Caps and Pens, I initially was going to use this space to detail the fallacy of comparing the two teams' respective rebuilds, but Dave Fay made me move that post up a week.

I would have used this space to discuss GMGM's appearance on WashingtonPost Live last night (a clip of which you can watch here), but he didn't say too much that you didn't know already (unless you're host Russ Thaler, who GMGM had to correct a number of times).

There are notes from Tarik's article this morning (that initially appeared in his blog yesterday) worth mentioning - the Alex Semin/Bryan Muir fight at practice yesterday; the return to red, white and blue uniforms for next year; Brian Sutherby likely missing the rest of the season - but no real big discussion topics.

I could throw some Stan Fischler quotes out there for you to digest ("The Boston Bruins blew it, sending Milan Jurcina to Washington for a fourth-rounder. Jurcina is turning into a HUGE asset on the Caps blue line," or "Much as we admire Sid (Der Bingle) Crosby, some of his on-ice antics are infuriating the (non-Pittsburgh) hockey community. As Bryan Murray notes, The Kid is becoming a master at diving and its assorted penalty-getting variations," for example), but I swore off the Maven a while back.

So what's left on this Tuesday morning? Not much, I guess - seems I covered it all, though I would like to follow-up on something KB reported on Sunday, namely that Richard Zednik has taken a leave of absence from the Isles for personal reasons. Word is that he has headed back to Slovakia for a health-related family matter and won't be back any time soon. Obviously, we all wish him and his family the best.

Finally, a quick administrative note. I have to go in tomorrow morning for some surgery and will be out of commission for a couple of days, so it's up to you all to keep things around here lively in my absence. Cheers.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Dominik Hasek (25-save shutout win)
• Ross: Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, Mathieu Schneider (1 point each)
• Norris: Mathieu Schneider (A, +1, 4 SOG)
• Vezina: Dominik Hasek (see above)
• Richard: Pavel Datsyuk (1G)
• Calder: Corey Perry (7 SOG, 2 hits, 2 takeaways)
• Aiken: Francois Beauchemin (-1, 0 shots on goal in 1-0 loss)

A Busy Night Ahead For Verizon Center Custodial Staff?

[On the eve of the Pittsburgh Penguins' final Verizon Center visit of the 2006-07 season, I thought it would be nice to revisit one of the off-ice highlights of the year.]

The Penguins Golden Boy Showered In... Praise?
(Originally published December 13, 2006)

I made mention of them the other day, but have now received an email from a gentleman claiming to be the evil genius behind Monday night's, um... pamphleteering:

As of about three years ago I began paying tribute to the Penguins by offering fans of both teams the ability to urinate on a "star". This year happened to be Sid with a small caption to entice those willing participants to aim more precisely.

I successfully placed these little pee-pics [pictured] in all the urinals at Verizon Center this past Monday night.

FYI, the "small caption" read "I'm Thirsty," and by "all the urinals," he means all the urinals, from the 100's to the 400's. As someone on the Caps message board noted, this would be a great new Versus ad - "Honey, what's Sidney Crosby doing in the urinal?" "Oh, he's just here to remind us that there's a game on Versus."

The "pee-pics" are fast on their way to becoming legend, thanks to tales like this one:

A Pens fan was in one of the upper level restrooms with a plastic bag from the concessions over his hand trying to pick them out of the urinal and still couldn't (while the Caps fans stood back and laughed at him).

Great story, but we all know that a real Pens fan - like this guy - wouldn't have needed the plastic bag.

Happy Birthday, Pooh

I'd like to take a brief detour from pucks to wish my little brother Pooh a Happy 30th Birthday. Many happy returns, old man.

The rest of you should feel free to use this as your Monday Open Thread until I get something else up. Cheers.

Sunday Pucks Brunch: Hockey Notes From Saturday Night

[Note: Sunday Pucks Brunch is a new weekly feature here at The Rink that will recap the hot topics, news and notes from around the NHL with a focus on the previous evening's Mainstream Media (MSM) coverage. In other words, go out and have fun on Saturday night - Sunday morning we'll let you know what you missed. Feel free to comment on anything contained herein or anything else in the hockey world, as well as how you like your eggs and what sides you'd like with them.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to introduce KB as a Rink contributor. Have at it, Ken. - JP]

Given all of the discussion about the Colton Orr/Todd Fedoruk shot heard round the world, it was little surprise that the Hockey Night In Canada (HNIC) pre-game show would focus on fighting in the NHL. Beginning with an interview with Detroit winger Todd Bertuzzi, followed by a chippy conversation between HNIC Host Ron MacLean and NHL Senior VP Colin Campbell, and ending with a Sun Tzu-themed intro to the Buffalo/Toronto game, violence was Topic A.

In the interview, a stoic Bertuzzi disclosed that Florida did not offer him a new contract “nor did they ever intend to.” Wings' head coach Mike Babcock was optimistic about his team’s acquisition of Bertuzzi. Babcock defended the move and the wisdom of offering him a third chance in Detroit by saying, “In my coaching career I’ve done and said a lot of stupid things.” And when asked whether he had changed as a person since the incident in Vancouver, the ever contrite Bertuzzi responded, “I’m still me.”

The usually patient and prudent Ron MacLean was downright feisty in his 15-minute interview with Colin Campbell. MacLean expressed open disbelief (“You’ve got to be kidding”) at hearing that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has “never talked about whether fighting should be in the game or should not be in the game,” dismissed the league’s solution of having the Competition Committees look into banning fighting as a “cop-out,” and accused Coh-lin Campbell of resorting to “corporate speak” in trying to evade serious discussion. The CBC has an account here.

For many, the highlight of any Saturday night of hockey-watching is Don Cherry's “Coach's Corner,” and for these folks, Saturday night's segment did not disappoint. Wearing a necktie with doves and olive branches, the sartorially subtle Cherry made viewers aware of his inner pacifist while holding court. (Perhaps it was the peace cravate that prevented him from delivering his usual shout-out to the troops.) He defended his “friend,” Cah-lin Campbell, against MacLean's malice. (Alliteration abounds!) Grapes also came to the aid of beleaguered Leafs' goalie Andrew Raycroft saying, “You’re out of your mind blaming Raycroft. The Leafs are 28th in the league on the PK.” You can watch Coach's Corner, complete with an archival clip of a softer Cherry from 1991, and read a press account of his comments here.

[Ed. note: Chris Zelkovich from the Toronto Star reviews the performance in today's edition, 3/26.]

In the “Satellite Hot Stove” segment, Eric Duhatschek claimed that Jarome Iginla has flip-flopped on the instigator rule and now wants to see it removed. He also stated that Keith Primeau will ask that stick infractions be penalized as significantly as fighting infractions. In news about actual hockey, Duhatschek reports that Henrik Zetterberg is skating with the Red Wings and is on target to return next week. Red Wings’ coach Mike Babcock has spoken to Dominik Hasek about his Louganis against Calgary and they’ve reached an accord. (Apparently Leafs’ coach Paul Maurice isn’t nearly as agreeable, suggesting that Babcock is making “all of us coaches look bad by telling the truth.”)

Asked who will win this year’s Hart trophy, Scott Morrison said he was leaning toward Roberto Luongo, Pierre LeBrun believes Joe Thornton is making a strong case, and Duhatschek said it would be, “[Sidney] Crosby in a walk.”

Kelly Hrudey reported that Edmonton netminder Jussi Markkanen will not be returning to Edmonton next season. Hrudey also told of an unnamed professional scout who watched Nashville blueliner Shea Weber in Kelowna and predicted that the 2nd round pick (49th overall) will be a better player than Dion Phaneuf (1st round pick, ninth overall).

The CBC broadcast of the Leafs’ game busted highlighted Toronto pivot Kyle Wellwood’s self-described “semi-legal” face off technique, in which he uses his right skate to block his opponent’s stick as the puck is dropped.

---------

Lines of the Night:

• First star: “The Leafs’ coaches must be throwing up behind the bench right now.” - Harry Neale
• Second star: “We [Gary Bettman and I] have never discussed fighting in hockey.” - Colin Campbell
• Third star: “Zubov, Zubrus. Same thing.” - Don Cherry
  

---------
Islanders' forwards Richard Zednik and Miroslav Satan are both listed as day-to-day for personal reasons. According to a Saturday afternoon post in the Newsday blog, Coach Ted Nolan referred to both players and said, “We’re a family-oriented team, and both guys are where they should be.”...Red Wings’ D Brett Lebda sustained a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher after being checked into the glass by St. Louis' Ville Nieminen. He will be out 7-10 days... Thrashers’ F Jon Sim underwent surgery to repair a broken left orbital bone suffered in a fight with San Jose's Mark Bell and is out indefinitely... Dallas' D Stephane Robidas missed his fourth straight game and is expected to return to lineup within the next week... Capitals’ Ben Clymer will not return this season and will be undergoing sports hernia surgery this week... Detroit’s D Chris Chelios moved into ninth place on the NHL's career games list with 1,541, passing Johnny Bucyk... Pierre LeBrun reports that Jacques Martin has the inside track on coaching Team Canada in the 2007 World Championships...NY Rangers’ C Michael Nylander scored his 600th career NHL point against the Bruins... Flyers’ D Joni Pitkanen played in his 200th NHL game... Canadiens’ D Sheldon Souray played his 500th regular-season game and became the first Montreal defenseman to reach 60 points since Chelios had 73 points in 1988-89... Rick Vaive, Toronto’s first 50-goal scorer, was introduced to the ACC crowd to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of his feat... Vince Papale, former Philadelphia Eagle and the bio behind the Marky Mark pic, “Invincible,” visited New York's locker room after the game wearing an Islanders jersey... Buffalo is 33-0-0 this season when leading a game by two or more goals at any point... Pittsburgh has a winning record against every division this season except the Southeast... The Florida Panthers are 13-4-3 at home since Dec. 25th... Edmonton had its 73d consecutive sellout, dating back to Nov. 29, 2005... The Minnesota Wild set franchise records for home wins (26) and total points (97)... Four NHL games were decided in shootouts Saturday and the visiting team won each. The road teams have now moved into the lead (149-148) since the NHL adopted the shootout.

Sources: AP, CBC, Comcast, Elias Sports Bureau, FSN, NESN, OGP, SUN Sports, TSN

Fighting In The NHL: A Compromise? Part Deux

Yesterday's post on fighting in the NHL brought a nearly-unprecedented amount of traffic and discussion to this little ol' blog (combine that with a link from the mighty Deadspin on the Jagr-in-drag post and traffic was like the beltway at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon in July). Reading some of the comments here and elsewhere (thanks to whomever seeded it - I like being called a moron in as many fora as possible), I wanted to clarify two apparent misconceptions:

1. I'm not for banning fighting in the NHL. That's why I wrote "the NHL needs fighting."
2. I don't think that cheap shots like the Chris Simon two-handed chop and fighting are the same thing. That's why I differentiated amongst three distinct events running the cheapshot-to-fair-fight spectrum and noted how while hockey fans can tell the difference, the mainstream media and casual fans often cannot.

The bottom line to me is that fighting is hockey's "gun control" or "abortion" or "gay marriage" - everyone's got an opinion on it, most people voice an opinion borne of passion and, to an extent, tradition and/or morality, and the vast majority of the public is somewhere in the middle on the issue. Nevertheless, the voices that you hear reverberating through media outlets, chat rooms and message boards come from the extremes - "if you take away my assault rifle, my hand gun will be next" or "keep your laws off of my body," or, in the case of fighting in hockey, you'd think it was a choice between "if you don't like fighting, go watch figure skating" or "if you want to watch fighting, go watch the UFC."

What I did was to take a stab at trying to come up with a middle ground, a compromise that maintains nearly all of the physicality of the game (and its adoring fans) while at the same time protecting players and the game's image, allowing new fans exposure to the game we all know and love.

If ever there was an issue in hockey that was playing out like something straight from Capitol Hill and political talk shows, it's this one. And just like in American politics, the noise machines at either end of the spectrum are drowning out the overwhelming majority of the interested public who occupies a sensible middle ground, a middle ground in which they can enjoy a good scrap that serves a purpose but have less fear that they're going to see someone die right before their eyes.

Hugs Or Uppercuts?

While by no means the best fight clip out there, this one will be of particular interest to Caps fans starting at around the one-minute mark (and to awful uniform fans from the get-go):

Thanks to capsfaninbc for the pointer.

Friday Roundup/'Canes 4, Caps 3

[SeSo Open Thread]

A one-shot first period deserves a commensurate recap post.

Feel free to get your comment on.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jonathan Cheechoo (3G, A, +4, 4 SOG)
• Ross: Jonathan Cheechoo, Christopher Higgins (4 points each)
• Norris: Andrei Markov (G, A, +1, 2 SOG, 3 hits)
• Vezina: Fredrik Norrena (W, 35 saves on 36 shots against in 2-1 shootout win at Detroit)
• Richard: Jonathan Cheechoo (3G)
• Calder: Phil Kessel (G, A, +1, 4 SOG)
• Aiken: Ed Belfour (L, 4 goals allowed on 9 shots against in 31:50 of work)

Fighting In The NHL: A Compromise?

By now you've no doubt seen the video of Colton Orr likely ending Todd Fedoruk's NHL career with a haymaker to the left side of his recently-reconstructed face. It was an awful moment for any hockey fan to witness, and it undoubtedly adds yet another piece of damning evidence to the "ban fighting" lobby.

Whether it's Orr on Fedoruk (a freak occurence in the middle of a clean fight), Jordin Tootoo on Stephane Robidas (a questionable punch by a player ostensibly defending himself) or Chris Simon on Ryan Hollweg (a cheap shot that had nothing at all to do with fighting), the NHL's image has taken a beating lately (no pun intended), and the mainstream commentators parrot the conventional wisdom that events like these happen because the NHL condones - even encourages - fighting.

Now, clearly if fighting were banned entirely, Todd Fedoruk would be waking up in his own bed - and not in a hospital bed - today. Then again, if fighting were banned entirely, Todd Fedoruk wouldn't have a job in the NHL. But fighting in hockey doesn't exist to keep plumbers like Fedoruk employed. Rather, the argument goes, it exists to keep skilled players alive and well and fans in the seats. I'm not going to go into a detailed explanation here of why the NHL needs fighting - read "The Code" or check out this bulleted list for some of the pros and cons of banning fighting - but I believe that there is a time and a place for pugilism in the NHL game. But when events like those referenced above happen and make it into mainstream sports or even news broadcasts, something needs to be done about the culture in the game because for most Americans, that is their primary exposure to hockey.

All of this is a rather drawn-out lead-in to my suggestion: the NHL should pass a rule whereby a) a player who gets in multiple fights over a given span of time gets suspended, and b) a player who receives a concussion in a fight and gets in another fight over a different time period gets similarly suspended. For example, if a player gets in a fight on Tuesday, he can't get in another until, say, the following Tuesday (maybe two weeks is better, but I'm not the expert) or he gets suspended for a game. The second time it happens, it's two games, and so on. If a player gets concussed in a fight, he can't get in another for a month or he gets suspended.

Think this is Draconian? The World Boxing Association mandates that any boxer who has suffered a knockout be kept out of the ring for sixty days. If that boxer suffers a knockout in his next fight or within three months of the first knockout, he's not allowed to fight for six months. In fact, a boxer can't get back into the ring under WBA regulations for at least 14 days after a fight, regardless of the result or length of the fight. And, oh yeah, boxers don't drop their padded gloves before they fight.

The specifics obviously need some ironing out, but the benefits of rules like these that I have proposed are numerous. For example, the NHL can look like they're serious about curbing violence in the sport, which will be a tremendous public relations boost at a time that it's needed. They'd get rid of some of the pointless "I'm tougher than you are" fighting that is far too common in the League (why on earth did Andrew Peters challenge Donald Brashear last night anyway?). And obviously it would protect players from some of the long-term effects of having their heads used as punching bags. At the same time, however, the League would keep the "tradition" and intimidation/enforcement aspects of fighting in the game and not alienate (too much further) the blood-thirsty neanderthals who would rather pay money to see the Jordin Tootoos of the League than the Paul Kariyas.

One problem with rules like these are that you would have games in which a player was carrying with him a fighting major and would potentially be unable to perform his role as an enforcer until he was in the clear to fight again. But all that does is add a little more thought into the equation, as the player would have to think to himself, "Did the guy I want to fight do something that's worth me taking a game or two off to redress?" Chances are that with that calculus going on, the "right" decision will be made more often than not, and unnecessary fighting will all but disappear.

Would these rules have saved Todd Fedoruk last night? Actually, if it was a two week rule, it would have. But that's not really my point, which is simply that the NHL needs to improve its image with respect to sensational violence and this is one way to do it without sacrificing fighting altogether. It's a compromise between the two sides of the issue and one that makes sense for everyone involved.

UPDATE: I've followed up this post with another that contains some clarifications for those of us whose reading comprehension skills might leave something to be desired (or, perhaps, in the event that my fingers didn't fully keep up with my brain in this post).

Thursday Roundup/Sabres 5, Caps 2Gamenight: Caps @ Hurricanes

[NHL.com Recap - SeSo Open Thread]

Quick hitters today, as it's all I've got the time (or the stomach) for:

• When did Shaone Morrisonn start taking Brendan Witt pills? That's three multi-minor games in his last six times out. Not good.
• The Donald fed Andrew Peters his lunch in the first. I actually talked with Donald for a few minutes at Clyde's last Friday night and shaking his hand was, as my friend DK described it, like shaking hands with a grizzly bear - so strong.
• Jerky keeps blowing people up, this time Adam Mair in the second along the boards.
• Late period penalties bit the Caps in the butt not once (Boyd Gordon) but twice (Jerky).
• Jeff Schultz had a pretty lousy game.
• Is it just me or did the Caps miss Brian Sutherby? The forwards just weren't hitting anyone or playing with much physicality, Sutherby's strong suits.
• How about some of those bounces?
• Christ, Emmy - play the body, not the puck on that Stafford rush.
• Tomas Fleischmann had a nice pick-pocket early and a nice rush late.
• You have to admire Alex Ovechkin for not blaming anyone else for his recent slump ("It's not my partners, it's me," he said), but let's be realistic - when your linemates are Jiri "Novo-Flop" Novotny and Alexandre "Rooster" Giroux, you have a limited opportunity to succeed. At least give the kid Chris Clark back.

That's it - you guys can take the discussion from here (and feel free to discuss the ugly Colton Orr/Todd Fedoruk fight).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jonathan Cheechoo (2G, A, +2, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Ross: Jonathan Cheechoo, Joe Thornton, Tyler Arnason (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Matt Carle (2A, +1)
  
• Vezina: Roberto Luongo (20-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Jonathan Cheechoo, Drew Stafford, Milan Michalek, Sean Avery, Ian Laperriere (2G each)
  
• Calder: Drew Stafford (2G, +2, 4 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Dwayne Roloson (L, 4 goals allowed on 22 shots against in 34:17 of work)

Lohan-ny, Shanny And Trannies

Thanks to The Forechecker for your "no-introduction-needed" hockey story of the day:

March 20, 2007 -- Lindsay Lohan continued her New York party over the weekend.

On Saturday night, she and her pals, deejay Samantha Ronson and p.r. powerhouse
Lisette Sand-Freeman, hit the Beatrice Inn before going to The Box at 1 a.m. - where Lohan got up on the stage and sang while doing a "stripper dance" to thunderous applause. She got off easy - after her, New York Ranger Brendan Shanahan was blindfolded and ball-gagged as trannies danced around him.

I have yet to receive confirmation as to whether or not Jaromir Jagr was one of the above-referenced trannies, but in case you're wondering what that would look like...

Focus, People!

Ever sit there reading poll results or consumer studies and thinking to yourself, "Hey, they didn't ask me for my opinion"? No? Well in case you want in on an NHL focus group, here's your chance. I got this email earlier today from my good friend KB and figured I'd pass it along:

Hello Washington Capitals Fan -

The NHL Fan Face Off Team needs your help! We need your help in recruiting other Washington Capital fans to be part of the panel. Currently, the Washington Capitals have one of the smaller representations on the panel. Please email [this] link to your fellow Washington Capital fans and have them join the panel.

So have at it, fellow Washington Capital fans - make your voice heard and whatnot.

UPDATE: If that link doesn't work for you, go here and "click to join."

Backstrom Ready To Cross The Pond?

Despite Dave Fay's fear-mongering to the contrary, it looks as if Caps' uber-prospect Nick Backstrom is ready to begin his NHL career next fall.

According to a translation of this Swedish paper:

Nicklas Backstrom and Anton Stralman have both decided they will be playing in the NHL next season. The negotiations with both NHL clubs started yesterday.

"That’s right," says agent Gunnar Svensson, "Both players have given me the 'go-ahead' to begin negotiations with their respective NHL-teams." Brynas and Timra (the duo’s previous clubs) received word yesterday that they will not be getting their young superstars/talents back for another season.

"It could be as quick as days or it could take months for negotiations to be finalized but seeing as the interest from Washington (Backstrom) and Toronto (Stralman) is huge, I'm pretty confident that we’ll reach an agreement soon, says Gunnar Svensson (agent of both players)."

Take it with the requisite grain of salt, but if true this is obviously great news. Given the relative ease of entry-level contract negotiations, there would be no reason not to expect Backstrom in Caps camp in the fall.

Hat tip to HD89 on the translation and ComebackKono3 on the link.

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Sabres

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Pregame]

Zubie doobie doo...

Tonight's "big storyline" is the first head-to-head matchup between Dainius Zubrus and his former linemate Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the Caps. Forgive me for not getting too wrapped up in that one (and personally I'd love to see AO plaster Zubie into the boards, but I'm cold-hearted like that).

The secondary storyline, of course, is the Daniel Briere-Ovechkin feud, but you've got to believe it's all water under the bridge by this point (though personally I'd love to see AO plaster Briere into the boards, but I'm cold-hearted like that).

The real story, in my mind, is to see if the Caps can keep their momentum going and play a strong game against a somewhat-slumping Sabre squad (woo hoo - alliteration!). A week ago, the question would have been "Can the Caps keep the score respectable?" but with Olie Kolzig back in net, the question now is... "Can the Caps keep the score respectable?" Make no mistake about it - this is a borderline-great Sabre team that has perhaps lost a little focus as they prepare for the playoffs. They can score goals in bunches and embarrass anyone.

What can the Caps do to give themselves a chance? Obviously playing smart helps (despite recent powerplay woes, the Sabres ice some scary talent in every situtation, so allowing them time with the extra man makes life that much more difficult for opponents). But the Caps can't afford to play passively - on some nights these Sabres don't seem interested in playing a physical game (much as Toronto didn't on Friday night), so if the Caps can bang 'em early, they could set the tone for a close game.

Can the Caps keep the score respectable? Sure. Can they win? Sure. Will they? Tune in and find out. [Ed. note: I really should be charging you all for this in-depth analysis.]

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jaroslav Halak (30-save shutout win)
• Ross: Chris Kelly, Antoine Vermette (3 points each)
• Norris: Filip Kuba (Game-winning OT goal, 3 SOG)
• Vezina: Jaroslav Halak (see above)
• Richard: Fredrik Modin (2G)
• Calder: Jaroslav Halak (see above)
• Aiken: Nikolai Khabibulin (L, 5 goals allowed on 30 shots against versus lowly C'bus)

Think The Vezina Race Is Going To Be Close?

Take a look at the two leading contenders for the Vezina Trophy as the League's best goaltender (stats through last night's games):

Martin Brodeur: 69 games played; 42 wins, 20 regulation losses, 7 OT/SO losses; 1,956 shots against, 1804 saves (.922 %)

Roberto Luongo: 68 games played; 42 wins, 20 regulation losses, 5 OT/SO losses; 1,956 shots against, 1802 saves (.921 %)

That's right - the same exact number of shots faced, wins and regulation losses for the two. Brodeur has the edge in goals against average (2.20 to 2.30) and shutouts (12 to 3), but this race is going to come right down to the wire.

As for the likely third finalist, this guy gets my vote:
[h/t to Dobber on the pointer]

You Might Want To Check Your Facts, Lites

I didn't post anything on the Jordin Tootoo incident (but feel free to discuss it in the comments to this post), but something else out of Saturday night's Preds/Stars game struck me, namely Dallas Stars owner Jim Lites' indignation about how the host Preds handled a certain NHL milestone:

Dallas Stars president Jim Lites has ripped the entire Nashville Predators organization for the 'horrible thing' they did by not acknowledging the Stars' Mike Modano tying and then breaking the record for goals scored by an American-born player Saturday, according to a published report.

"Their owner, management, public relations people, coaching staff -- I think they all failed the game," Lites told the Dallas Morning News. "It's because of people like Mike Modano that they even have a team in Nashville. He has helped pioneer the game in the South, and for him to be treated like that in a milestone moment ... it's just a horrible thing."

Aside from Lites' ridiculous over-the-top mock outrage (Failed the game? Horrible?) and hyperbole (Atlanta, a Southern city, last I checked, had an NHL team when Modano was two-years-old), there's this little tidbit:

At the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, Dallas Stars forward Mike Modano said he thought that Nashville and Carolina should be contracted.

Oops!

So, Mr. Lites, please forgive the Predators owner, management, public relations people and coaching staff for not stopping the game to fete a guy who, if he had his druthers, would see them all out of jobs.

Dave Fay Doesn't Get It

It's certainly not the first time and hopefully won't be the last, but WTimes Caps beat writer Dave Fay has once again shown how out of touch he is with both this current Caps team and hockey reality.

Fay begins his ridiculously-titled rant ("Capitals Keep Getting Worse, Not Better") with the equally-ludicrous implication that the Caps should have been buyers at this year's trade deadline.

Hours after the trading deadline ended late last month, Buffalo general manager Darcy Regier said, "The message to the players is 'We want to get you immediate help.' " Enter Dainius Zubrus and backup Ty Conklin, and the Sabres were better.

It was the same thing in Nashville. The Predators had to make a statement, and general manager David Poile got Peter Forsberg -- a pretty positive statement.

In Atlanta, the statement was Keith Tkachuk. On Long Island, Ryan Smyth arrived to help. In Pittsburgh, the Penguins talked character forward Gary Roberts into leaving Florida and grabbed Georges Laraque from Phoenix.

In Washington, where players have known for a long, long time they need immediate, mid-term and long-term help, it was more of the same: We'll be there when you need us, guys. Don't worry, we've got your backs.

Lots of mouth but no help, not unless Jiri Novotny, who arrived from Buffalo as a fourth-line defensive center and has done nothing to change that impression, is considered help.

Should we stop reading now? Probably. But we won't. Fay continues:

The Caps are fielding a team that has two players with measurable skill levels -- Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin -- and the marketing department wants fans to believe they are dealing with the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. To make matters worse, there is nothing on the horizon that guarantees things will improve in the immediate future.

Personally, I'd consider Olie Kolzig's skill level to be "measureable" (using metrics such as "Vezina Trophies" or "career NHL wins"). I'd also consider Chris Clark's and Matt Pettinger's 20-goal seasons to be measurable. And regarding his statement above that the Pens had to add character and toughness in Roberts and Laraque - wouldn't he rather have already had that grit on the roster in guys like Clark and Donald Brashear?

As for the assertion that "there is nothing on the horizon that guarantees things will improve in the immediate future," he's right. But then again, there is nothing on the horizon that guarantees anything other than the sun rising and taxes being due on April 15 (actually April 16 this year), is there?

More Fay:

This is the direction the Caps are headed. Two years ago Washington and Pittsburgh started out about the same level -- two bad teams with one exceptional young talent. That seems to be where the teams separated. Today the Penguins are fighting for home-ice advantage in the playoffs after rebuilding to support their young star while the Nationals stand a better chance of making the Stanley Cup playoffs than the Caps do.

Not true. At all. Two years ago the Pens had four top-five picks from the previous four drafts under contract (or at least the exclusive rights to negotiate with them, in the case of Elbows Malkin). The Caps, on the other hand, hadn't had a top-five pick other than Ovechkin since 1996 (that 2005 draft lottery was really fair, wasn't it?). Quite simply, the two teams weren't at "about the same level", and only a superficial glance at a marketer-manufactured rivalry and the year-end standings would make it seem so.

Here's the picture: Take Alex 1 and 2 off the roster and this is a team that would have trouble winning in the American Hockey League.

Odd claim, given that - sans Alexes - the Caps' AHL affiliate won the Calder Cup last year and is in position to make a run at doing the same again this year.

Then comes the bombshell:

To begin with, word out of Sweden is that Nicklas Backstrom, the Caps' top pick in the draft last summer, might not want to come to the NHL this season or even next season. There goes the theory of a first-line center.

"Word out of Sweden... might not." Well-sourced and definitive. Is Eklund an intern at the Times? And what does he mean "this season or even next season?" Backstrom can't come over this season anyway due to IIHF regulations (though I'm sure he'd be chomping at the bit to race over here for a half-dozen meaningless games anyway). Oh, and the Caps see him as a #2 - not a #1 - center, pairing with Alex Semin, Dave. Do some homework.

The rest of the article details the Caps needs - center, powerplay defenseman, rightwing - offering nothing new or particularly insightful and, in fairness, noting that Ted Leonsis et. al. have acknowledged these deficiencies (though Fay is skeptical of the organization's wilingness to address them).

It's hard to tell whether Fay believes that the Caps are getting worse (which he claims in his headline, but doesn't assert in the article), that the Caps should be in a similar situation to that of the Penguins (which he implies, but it's a borderline-idiotic argument - hint: both teams essentially started their rebuilds by trading Jaromir Jagr; should they really be equidistant from the finish line when one got a multi-year headstart?) or that the Caps need to be knocked down a peg after actually winning back-to-back games (there's nothing in the article to support this, but it would fit his M.O.). Whatever the point of this article, Fay has made a larger point - that he'd only be marginally worse as an NHL general manager than he is as a journalist.

Monday Roundup/Caps 7, Bolts 1

[SeSo Open Thread]

This (from NHL.com) is sweet (and in case you're wondering those first two guys are just eight years older - combined - than that third guy):

That tells you most of what you need to know this morning (though it doesn't mention Dan Boyle's reckless high-stick on Alex Ovechkin or how good Olie Kolzig has been since returning from injury -100 saves on 105 shots against), but this quote from Bolts captain Tim Taylor in Tarik's recap struck me:

"[The Caps] are out of the playoffs. They have no chance. Every year they are like this."

Obviously you don't mean every year, do you Tim "The Toe" Taylor?

Daily Awards

• Hart: Joe Sakic (4A, +1, 6 SOG in 4-3 win)
  
• Ross: Joe Sakic, Tomas Fleischmann (4 points each)
  
• Norris: Alexei Zhitnik (G, 2A, 1 SOG, 2 hits, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways)
  
• Vezina: Olaf Kolzig (W, 30 saves on 31 shots against)
  
• Richard: Alexander Semin (3G)
  
• Calder: Tomas Fleischmann (2G, including the game-winner, 2A, +4, 5 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Sean Burke (2 goals allowed on 2 shots against in just 4:22 of work... that's a 30.00 GAA and a 0.00 SV%)

Datsyuk To Stay In Detroit?

According to the Detroit News:

Center Pavel Datsyuk laughed off an Internet rumor he was planning on signing with Washington this summer to team with Alexander Ovechkin.

Datsyuk can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and his agent Gary Greenstin and the Wings have made mild progress on a new deal.

Spector reports that Datsyuk is seeking a laughably-high $6.85 million per year deal, and I'd be shocked if the Wings - or any other team - paid him that much.

As far as the Caps are concerned, my money is still on them making an aggressive push for either Chris Drury or Scott Gomez. Then again, it isn't my money we're talking about, is it?

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Top of the morning (or afternoon) to ye. Have a Guinness on The Rink (I'll pay you back, I promise) and celebrate your Irish Cap superstar, Alex O'Vechkin.

Also, to get you in the mood of the day, check out last year's Rink list of the Top 10 Patricks in NHL History. Sláinte!

Zubrus Update: One Man's Perspective

Tom L. over at Sabre Rattling (a personal fave of mine, despite its subject matter), offers this assessment of former Cap Dainius Zubrus's play of late (Zubie scored his second goal in the past three games - and second since being traded - in last night's win over the Panthers):

Is anyone still complaining about having given up Jiri Novotny [and a first-round pick] for Danius Zubrus? If so, I’m personally revoking your hockey credentials. This guy is a horse. If anything he plays the game a little too cautious, but that said, he’s been our best fore-checker now for the past 5 games. When [Ales] Kotalik returns we’re going to have a much more physical team up front as we’ll have 2 guys who can tie up 2 guys along the boards and still win the puck. Zubrus has better vision than Al and softer hands.

Sounds like the Zubie we all knew and loved/tolerated/were frustrated by, doesn't it? But if Zubrus has softer hands than Kotalik, that must be the latter moonlighting as the blue robot in those Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Dodge ads.

Friday Roundup/Bruins 4, Clark 3 (SO)Gamenight: Leafs @ Caps

[NHL.com Recap - NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Pregame]

With all due respect to The Captain's hat trick and The Phenom's vintage shootout goal, the most spirit-lifting aspect of last night's 4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins was the return and stellar play of netminder Olie Kolzig. The team simply plays with more confidence and accountability in front of him, and though the song remains the same in the results column, I now firmly believe the Caps will actually win another game this season (and soon).

On the other end of the spectrum, however, was the return of the stupid penalty, including four different stick penalties (for ten minutes in the box, since it includes Shaone Morrisonn's high-sticking double-minor). These penalties took their toll on the team, leading to three Boston powerplay goals in a span of just over three minutes of game time sandwiched around the second intermission and that, as they say, was pretty much the ballgame.

Some thoughts on the game:

• Kolzig was great for 65 minutes. You could have had Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo in net and I'm not sure they would have stopped the three Bruin goals. In the shootout, however, Olie looked a little rusty (maybe the result of the Zdeno Chara shot to the knee cap at the end of overtime), and was beaten twice.
• Alex Ovechkin's shootout goal was a flashback to early in the 2005 season. It was breathtaking. Alex Semin's effort? Not so much. And when you play a full game and one player has accounted for 100% of your three goals, why not let him take a shot in the shootout, if for no other reason than to reward his contributions? Besides, could Chris Clark have done worse than Brooks Laich?
• Speaking of the shootout, I'll have to check, but I think that only Alexander Hamilton has a worse shootout record than the Caps.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Clark was the first NHL player to score the first three goals of a game his team did not win since Dec. 11, 1996, when the Blues' Al MacInnis did that in a 5-5 tie at Dallas. On a sidenote, I can't decide whether being a researcher at Elias would be the best job in the world or the worst.
• Steve Eminger rebounded from an awful game to have a very good one (with the notable exception of his high-sticking penalty.
• Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina continue to just crush people (though last night had to be one of Mo's worst games of the year).
• Only 6:52 of ice time for Mike Green after his rough game against Atlanta. That'll help the confidence.
• Ben Clymer left the game with a groin injury.
• I've said it before and I'll say it again - Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron are a joy to watch.

For some reason, last night's loss - despite it's 3-0-lead-blowing atrociousness - left me encouraged, as you can tell. Was it Clark's hattie? Ovie's deke and finish? Olie's play? For sure. But there was more to it than those individual performances, something cosmic, and I have finally put my finger on it. The fact of the matter is that one can't help but have a restored faith in the universe and everything therein on a night when Duke is bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first round - it's truly soul-refreshing.

Anyway, the Caps return home to face Toronto, another team desperate for points and a playoff berth, tonight at the VC, and I'll be doin' the press box thing so if you've got any (legitimate) questions for any Caps or Leafs let me know and I'll try to get 'em answered. But be forewarned: I will not ask Darcy Tucker how he sleeps at night (because I already know the answer - on the crushed bones of little children).

That's all I've got for now, unless you want to see a picture of Carmen Electra dropping the ceremonial first puck at last night's Kings game. Enjoy your Friday, all.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Chris Clark (3G, +2, 7 SOG)
• Ross: Joe Thornton (4 points)
• Norris: Brian Campbell (3A, +3, 6 SOG, 3 hits, 2 blocked shots)
• Vezina: Niklas Backstrom (W, 22 saves on 23 shots against)
• Richard: Chris Clark (3G)
• Calder: Drew Stafford (2G, +2, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
• Aiken: Ed Belfour (L, 5 goals allowed on 20 shots against)

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ B's

[NHL.com Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Pregame]

It's a fair question, I guess: why is Olie Kolzig going to play tonight (or in the next three weeks, for that matter) when the season is lost and he's coming off a somewhat-significant knee injury? The answer is twofold: because he can and because he needs to.

To begin with, the fact that the Caps are where they are in the standings should tell you all you need to know about Kolzig's knee - it's fine. The team wouldn't risk the health of any of their players (much less one of their two most important guys) for relatively meaningless games; if Olie's knee wasn't 100% ready, he wouldn't be playing. Period. One would have more reason to worry that the Caps were rushing him back too soon (or that Kolzig was pushing himself to come back too soon) if they were fighting for a playoff spot and needed his skill and leadership in the lineup. But with little on the line there's no incentive to hurry him back before he's as healthy as he's going to get. So let's put to rest the second-guessing of actual doctors who give clearances based on medical records and patient evaluations, okay? Only Bill Frist can make a diagnosis of a patient's condition without ever actually being in a room with that patient and without being a specialist in the relevant field of medicine, and I don't see him as one of my regular commentors.

Now, my second point might contradict that first point in some ways, but it's my blog so I can do that on occassion. Quite simply, the Caps need Kolzig to come back as soon as he's ready. Sure, some veterans on other teams would shut it down for the year in similar circumstances. But the young guys on the Caps need to see that no one - no one - takes games off when other guys are out there busting their respective asses (in theory) for the team. Pick your favorite "teamwork" cliché, because this is where it applies. The Caps have gotten a healthy dose of this type of leadership this year from guys like Chris Clark and Jamie Heward, and now it's time for Olie to do the same, and I'm certain that he's chomping at the bit to do so.

So it's off to Boston for Los Capitales, with their Vezina winner in goal and their Calder winner showing signs of the beginnings of a new hot streak. Hopefully the combination is enough to inspire the rest of their cohorts to their first win in a couple of weeks.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jiri Hudler (2G, including the game-winner, +2, 4 SOG)
• Ross: Fredrik Modin, Rick Nash,Scott Niedermayer (3 points each)
• Norris: Francois Beauchemin (2G, +2, 6 SOG, 5 hits)
• Vezina: Jocelyn Thibault (24-save shutout win)
• Richard: Jiri Hudler, Nikolai Zherdev, Francois Beauchemin (2G each)
• Calder: Jiri Hudler (see above)
• Aiken: Manny Malhotra (0 points, -3)

NHL To Reward Playoff Chokes, Punish Cinderella

Let me get this straight - the NHL has voted to rework the entry draft order so that teams that squeak into the playoffs and go on miracle runs can pick behind teams that win their divisions but fold as soon as the calendar turns to April?

The Checking Line has all of the details, and if you're curious as to how it would have played out last year, the Edmonton Oilers - with their 95 regular season points (14th in the NHL) - would have picked 29th (versus 17th under the old rules) while the Detroit Red Wings - with their 124 points (1st overall) - would have picked 26th (versus 29th under the old rules). Buffalo and Anaheim, both of whom finished behind Detroit in the regular season, would also have picked after the Wings.

No, it's not a huge difference for Detroit, but it punishes a lesser team for a good playoff run and diminishes the importance of the regular season even further - give me an 82-game season as a measure of a team's ability over a 4-to-28 game snapshot any day.

So who's brilliant idea was this?

The change, apparently spearheaded by Red Wings GM Ken Holland, gives teams with good regular-seasons that flop in early playoff rounds better spots to pick from.

Uh huh.

But really, would you expect anything different from the League that rewards failure?

UPDATE: Bob McKenzie clarifies a bit, but I don't think it changes my example - or the underlying point - above.

Primary Alex And Secondary... Sakic?

Caps fans are familiar with the nickname "Secondary Sid" for Sidney Crosby, earned due to his high percentage of secondary assists (currently more than 43%). But did you know that more than half of Joe Sakic's assists - a whopping 56% - are secondary? You would if you read The Forechecker's post on the matter.

The Forechecker breaks down the top 30 scorers in the League by primary versus secondary assists and has some interesting findings, not the least of which is that Alex Ovechkin leads the top 30 scorers in primary assist percentage (73.8%), no doubt due in large part to teammates banging in rebounds of his shots. In fact, "if only goals and 1st assists were counted, as was the case decades ago, when helmets were a rarity," Ovechkin would currently be ahead of Crosby in the scoring race.

The Forechecker concludes that

[v]iewed through this perspective, Sidney Crosby's dominance is somewhat diminished. Four of the five 40-goal scorers (Lecavalier, Heatley, Ovechkin and Hossa) pass ahead of the youngster in the modified standings, with perhaps the most notable jump made by Alex Ovechkin, based on the fact that nearly three-quarters of his assists are of the more substantial variety.

In other words, even with Malkin, Staal, Recchi, Gonchar, Malone, Whitney, et. al. to skate with, Crosby is less impressive than Ovechkin. But you knew that already, didn't you?

People That Need To Never Appear On My Television Again... Ever, Volume I

This young lady, from the Quizno's ad. She's only tolerable as a still because you don't have to hear her laugh (and because Quizno's happens to be awesome).

The Worldwide Leader In Recycling

Hey, look - ESPN has re-posted Scott Burnside's ridiculous "Rating NHL Moves" column as if it were new. Does that give me the right to re-post my response verbatim? You bet it does! So here it is... in its entirety... ESPN-style, because that's how I roll.

[Ed. note: put the kids to bed before reading this post, as some of the language may not be suitable for younger readers.]

One of the great thing about being an unaffiliated blogger is that I can write things that the mainstream media or team-employed writers can't. For instance, you'll never see "Alexander Ovechkin has been scoring more than the sheep on 'Hurricanes fans drink free night' in Raleigh" appear on Tarik's blog. You'll never read "Steve Eminger couldn't punch his way out of a piss-soaked paper bag" on Vogel's blog. And there aren't too many places you'll read "Scott Burnside can go f..k himself."

But I can write it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I just did (well, almost anyway).

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Burnside's work, he was "a freelance writer based in Atlanta and is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com" (that starts him out with two strikes against him, doesn't it?) who now "is the NHL writer for ESPN.com." In his latest excremental article, he tackles franchise relocation in the NHL in light of today's news that the Penguins may not be long for Pittsburgh. In the interest of time, I'll skip straight to the "good" part which begins:

No one asked us, but if we were going to move an NHL team, there are a few we'd pick to relocate ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

We? What, do you have a turd in your pocket, Scott? Be a man and assert that what follows are your own ideas. Either that or share the byline. Anyway, you can probably see where this is going. Sure enough, the first team that should pick up and move before the Pens are "forced" to?

Washington Capitals: Let's review. Fans in the nation's capital wouldn't come out when the Capitals boasted Jaromir Jagr, the game's most exciting player. Now, they won't come out when the Caps boast one of the hardest-working teams in the NHL and one of the game's most exciting figures in Alexander Ovechkin. Maybe that's a sign. We're just guessing, but we bet fans in Houston or Kansas City, or even Waterloo, Ontario, would appreciate Glen Hanlon's squad a whole lot more.

Where to begin... How about with the fact that when Jagr was in D.C. he was not the game's most exciting player, but rather a lazy, selfish, pouting baby? Or, more importantly, the fact that fans did come out to see Jagr anyway to the tune of 17,341 (92.9% capacity) average per night in Jagr's first relatively-unproductive season? And while attendance is poor right now, it's still better than four other teams in the League and only four spots behind his beloved Thrashers.

Speaking of the Thrashers, earlier in the article Burnside chides the Devils for drawing "an announced crowd of less than 11,000 with the high-flying Atlanta Thrashers in town." If he were to check some facts, though, he wouldn't have been surprised as the Thrashers are the second-worst drawing road team in the League. How about them apples, Scottie?

But let's look at this at a more basic level:

• Reason #1 that the Caps should not be relocated before the Penguins: they have an owner.
  
• Reason #2 that the Caps should not be relocated before the Penguins: they have an arena.

I could go on (for example, I'm sure fans in Houston or K.C. would love the Caps - I know I do - but as D.C. has the fourth-highest per capita personal income of any metropolitan area in the country, as opposed to Houston (31), Kansas City (60) and Pittsburgh (54), I'm not so sure any of those cities could support a team better than D.C. potentially can - and I believe will). The point is... well... I'm not sure what the point is other than providing a cathartic rant about a biased columnist's neglect of facts and common sense. But then again, being able to write something like that is one of the great things about being an unaffiliated blogger, isn't it?

[Thanks to the folks in this thread for some of the numbers and ideas.]

How Alex Ovechkin Is Going To Get To 50 Goals And Win The Rocket Richard Trophy

Here's the deal - Alex Ovechkin currently has 41 goals on the season. Vincent Lecavalier (46) and Dany Heatley (42) are the only players ahead of Ovechkin. AO and Vinny each has 12 games left, Heater has 13 (oooh... unlucky already).

Let's look at it game- by-game for AO:

1. Boston - Alex has one goal in three games this season against the B's and three in seven for his career. He's always had trouble with Zdeno Chara, so maybe he doesn't score in this one.
2. Toronto - Two goals in three games this year, seven in seven for his career. GOAL #42.
3. Tampa - Four in six this year, nine in 14 for his career. GOAL #43.
4. Buffalo - Two in two, four in six. In Buffalo. No goal.
5. Carolina - Five in seven, eight in 15. No Ward, maybe no playoffs... GOAL #44.
6. Montreal - Zero in three, two in seven. Is he due or does Andrei Markov have his number? The Habs goaltending has been atrocious, so we'll go with... GOAL #45.
7. Pittsburgh - Zero in three, three in seven. Marquee matchup and... GOAL #46.
8. Florida - Four in six, seven in 14. Florida's tough at home. No goal.
9. Tampa - Four in six, nine in 14. When Alex sees the Bolts, fans see the red light. GOAL #47.
10. Florida - Four in six, seven in 14. Back at the VC it's a different story... and GOAL #48.
11. Atlanta - Seven in seven, 12 in 15. Pucks find their way in for AO against the Thrashers (ask Andy Sutton). GOAL #49.
12. Buffalo - Two in two, four in six. In overtime, Alex boards Daniel Briere (who, come to think of it, probably won't even dress for this one) from behind to take the puck and races in on goal, does a spin-o-rama, is tripped from behind but somehow manages to wedge his stick in his skate blade and swings his leg to lift the puck over a sprawling Ty Conklin for... GOAL #50.

It could happen. And before you give me "but most of those previous numbers came with Dainius Zubrus in the lineup," I'd note that AO has nine points in seven games since that trade, including six goals - both better than his pre-trade pace (Dainius who-brus?).

There you have it - how AO gets to 50. Now on to perhaps the more difficult task- explaining how AO ends up with more goals than Lecavalier and Heatley [must... resist... utterly tasteless "maybe Vinny will catch a ride home one night with Dany" joke].

To begin with, of those three, Ovechkin's Caps face the worst combined goals against average (~3.06) the rest of the way (the Sens face an approximately 3.02 GAA and the Bolts face 2.97), so Alex faces the crappier goalies.

Assuming Alex gets to 50, Heatley would need eight goals in 13 games to tie AO's 50, his current pace would have him score ~7.9 goals the rest of the way, so he falls just shy with 49.

As for Lecavalier, how is he not going to score four goals in 12 games, especially with two games left against the Caps? Oh, Donald...

Tuesday Roundup/Thrashers 4, Ovechkin 2

[SeSo Open Thread]

Early in last night's 4-2 loss to the Thrash I asked the hockey gods if these Caps could "win just one [expletive] game that they're not supposed to." Maybe the puck deities are saving it for later in the season (and maybe I should have asked for more than just one win), because it sure didn't happen last night, as the Caps lost for the eighty-fourth straight time.

A couple of quick thoughts on the game:

• Alex Ovechkin did his best Alex Ovechkin impression, scoring the Caps only two goals and hitting the 40-goal plateau for the second-straight year. He now has 41 goals (five back of League-leader Vinny Lecavalier) and has 12 games left in which to score 9 goals if he wants a second 50-goal campaign to start off his career. Is it likely? No. But does anyone doubt he's capable of doing it?
• Milan Jurcina, Shaone Morrisonn and Chris Clark were all plus-one, the only Caps on that side of zero.
• Clark's six shots on goal tied Alex Semin for the most on the team last night.
• To me, Jeff Schultz is like an offensive lineman in football in that when he's at his best, you don't really notice him - he just does his job without doing anything spectacular. Last night was one of those nights.
• Are Mike Green and Steve Eminger having a contest to see who can regress faster? Since the All-Star break, Green is minus-9 in 13 games and Eminger is minus-11 in 15 games, and both were awful last night, finishing minus-three with 2 shots on goal, 1 hit and 1 blocked shot between them (and all of those were Green's). And how on earth was neither credited with a giveaway?

But of course, the talk of CapsNation this morning are the money quotes in this morning's WaPo from the team's two most important players:

"It's not important for me, it's important for our team," said [Ovechkin]. "We need players. We need help. We are young, that's why we need guys who have experience, guys who [have played in the] playoffs. Sometimes experience wins the game.

"Our bosses know what they do," he said. "This summer [General Manager George McPhee] will sign somebody. Not just players, real good players. Because we need it."

"We need some players who are going to make an impact," said injured goaltender Olie Kolzig, nodding in agreement with Ovechkin's assessment. "We just have to trust that ownership and management will get the players who will help us get to the next level."

Sure, those quotes come from the "No Shit" file, but from an organization that has done a great job of keeping in-house frustration in-house, it's interesting to see these guys voicing these opinions to anyone who will listen. Obviously, we'll see what comes of it.

Anyway, the Caps next travel to Beantown for a Thursday matchup with a desperate Bruins team who, despite shelling out big bucks in the offseason, is fighting for their playoff lives. Take a good look, Caps fans, because that may be your team next year. And we'd all gladly take that, wouldn't we?

Daily Awards

• Hart: Kristian Huselius (G, 3A, +1, 3 SOG)
• Ross: Kristian Huselius (4 points)
• Norris: Rob Blake (G, 2A, +4)
• Vezina: Mikael Tellqvist (24-save shutout win)
• Richard: Alexander Ovechkin, Lee Stempniak, Mike Cammelleri (2G each)
• Calder: David Moss (G, A, +2, 4 SOG, 3 hits)
• Aiken: Derian Hatcher (0 points, -3, 0 SOG, 2 giveaways, 0 takeaways)

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Thrash

[SeSo Open Thread]

That alarm clock went off pretty early this morning, didn't it?

After playing their best game in recent weeks Saturday night on the Island, the Caps took the midnight train to Georgia where they'll take on the Thrashers tonight at 7:00. Check out pre- and post-game analysis over at SeSo, and if you need alcohol and a support group to get you through the game, a bunch of bloggin' types (I believe I'll be among them) are gathering at the Hyatt by the VC to watch the game and make awkward conversation.

As for the Caps at this point of the season, I stumbled upon a post over at Hot Oil entitled "Top Ten Signs You're Actually An AHL Team." Let's take the test together, shall we?

10. The St. Louis Blues have more points than you. Check.

9. Toby Pederson is the only player who scores. Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina are tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead in points in March. Does that count?

8. Laddy Smid leads your team in minutes. It was Jurcina on Saturday night.

7. Only six of your skaters have a season of NHL play under their belt. I assume this is hyperbole, in which case my guess is that the Caps roster is probably even less experienced than the Oil's.

6. You've been outscored 24-5 in the last 6 games and you've lost 10 of your last 12 games. The Caps have lost 10 of their last 12 and have been outscored 28-13 in their last six games.

5. You don't have a farm team, so all your prospects just play on the NHL team. The Caps do have a sweet farm team where several prospects are currently developing. Huzzah!

4. Hot-Oil poster "Loxy" forgets that her hometown has a team. Um... check?

3. You're checking if it's mathematically possible for Philly to pass you in the standings. Sigh. I have. And it is.

2. You traded away Ryan Smyth. Nope. Dainius Zubrus, Richard Zednik, Jamie Heward and Lawrence Nycholat all put together would have difficulty carrying Captain Canada's jock (though that visual is pretty humorous).

1. You are the Edmonton Oilers. Nope - thankfully there are no multiple Stanley Cup Champion banners or recent Finals appearances in D.C.

So there you have it - the Caps, contrary to popular belief in some circles, are actually an NHL team.

At least they are by this metric.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Teemu Selanne (2G, A, +2, 2 SOG)
• Ross: Teemu Selanne, Andy McDonald, Marc Savard, Marco Sturm, Sergei Zubov (3 points each)
• Norris: Sergei Zubov (3A, +2)
• Vezina: Evgeni Nabokov (22-save shutout)
• Richard: Teemu Selanne, Andy McDonald, Dustin Brown, Marco Sturm, Mikko Koivu (2G each)
• Calder: Jiri Hudler (G, A, +2, 2 SOG)
• Aiken: Dominik Hasek (L, 6 goals allowed on 25 shots against)