Get To Know Joe Corvo

Now that Joe Corvo is a Southeast Division rival, I figured it would be a good idea for all of us to get a bit more familiar with a blueliner who has no goals, one assist and a minus-three rating in eleven career games against the Caps (one of which he gives an interview during here) - after all, we'll see him 19 times over the next two-plus years.

For one member of the Caps family, however, no introduction is needed - Bruce Boudreau coached Corvo in AHL Manchester for parts of two seasons half-a-dozen years ago. At the time, Gabby had this to say about his young blueliner:

"He's an offensive defenseman that can play well defensively. He can skate and stickhandle. Those are things you don't find in many defenseman."

But, added Boudreau,

"He has a tendency to hold onto the puck too long."

Corvo racked up 21 goals and 76 points in 106 games for the Boudreau's Monarchs. Know what else he did? He got arrested and charged with felony assault with a weapon. The weapon? His foot. The circumstances? He grabbed a woman's posterior in a restaurant and, at some point after she had fallen to the floor, punched and kicked her. In the face. The punishment? Thirty hours of autograph signing and a three-game suspension (for much more on the incident - as if you need it - click here).

But that was then, this is now, as they say, and the heavily inked Corvo has developed into a blueliner with horrendous facial hair and frosted tips "intriguing scoring potential from the back end," and "enough size to play an effective defensive game" who "[m]ay need to play a less risky game in order to see regular ice time in the NHL" and "[m]ust tighten up his defensive-zone coverage."

Huh. Sounds as if his game hasn't changed all that much from the day Boudreau made the assessment above. Hopefully he has matured a lot more off the ice.

H/t to CasonBlog on the 411