Stat Of The Day

From the folks at Elias Sports Bureau (via the NHL):

"The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin had only eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in his first 11 games this season but he’s scored 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in the team’s last four games, with at least one goal and two points in each game. Ovechkin is the first Capitals player to register at least one goal and two points in each of four consecutive team games since Jaromir Jagr had two such four-game streaks in the 2001-02 season. The only player in Capitals history with a longer streak of that kind was Dennis Maruk in 1980-81 (five games)."

NHL Season Preview: Atlanta Thrashers

Working our way up last year's standings from horrible to crappy, we find ourselves today previewing the Atlanta Thrashers. Head over to FanHouse to see where I predict the Thrash to finish (hint: DFL), and here's a hit and a miss from my preview a year ago:

Hit:

[S]ince [Don Waddell] can fire head coach Bob Hartley and Hartley cannot fire Waddell, it's Hartley who will take the blame and be the first casualty should things start going awry in the ATL. Heartless, err, Hartley has seen his Thrashers improve in each of his first three full seasons with the club, but was outcoached in the playoffs and his handling of Lehtonen (playing him without rest for long stretches of the regular season and going back and forth between he and Johan Hedberg in the playoffs) could have a lasting impact on the youngster's psyche. Coaching is very much a "what have you done for me lately?" vocation, and should Atlanta get off to a slow start, don't be surprised if someone else is behind the bench come Christmas

Hartley was fired after six games (sidenote: enjoy Omsk, Bob, where Jaromir Jagr seems to have already donked off the head coach).

Miss:

Prediction: 2nd Southeast Division and into the playoffs by a feather.

Hey, you guys get what you pay for from me.

So what do you think - is there any chance Atlanta isn't lottery-bound? How many players on their entire roster would even make the current Caps' lineup?

You Know It's August When...

Check out the lengthy feature on a 27-year-old who has played three NHL games and is going to try to make the Ducks roster this fall (coincidentally leaving an organization just before Jaromir Jagr joins it for the second time in his career).

It's actually a relatively interesting piece (emphasis on relatively), but it boggles the mind that Kris Beech is probably only the third (or fourth?) crappiest player involved in that Jagr trade.

Love Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry...

... Which makes it all the more clear that Jaromir Jagr never loved us:

"Looking back at my career in NHL, I would like to say sorry to the owner of Washington Capitals Ted Leonsis who spent a lot of money to get me, but I didn't play like many people expected. If I have opportunity to talk to him some time in the future then I'll try to explain him everything."

But really, what's left to explain? You got paid, you got horrible, you got traded, we got Ovechkin. End of story, no?

H/t SPAC2 on the link and translation

Saturday Funnies

Two brilliant quotes from a pair of men who have certainly been on the receiving end of our criticisms and mockeries once or twice lead off today's funnies.

First, yesterday, as you know, was Independence Day - the day on which the bands which have connected the NHL and Jaromir Jagr were finally dissolved. I can't say that I'll miss J.J. (make sure to stop by Puck Daddy for a fitting eulogy to #68's NHL career), but have to give him a golf clap for his parting shot:

"And I also want to say to the people like Mike Milbury who made their living by criticizing me all the time, that they can kiss my ass."

It's a good thing I have a real job, or I might be in line to pucker to the posterior.

Our next quote is from Kevin Lowe who, emboldend by P.D.'s praise, is sick of Brian Burke running his mouth:

"Where do I begin? He's a moron, first of all. Secondly, he really believes that any news for the NHL is good news. Thirdly, he loves the limelight and I don't think anyone in hockey will dispute that. Lastly, he's in a pathetic hockey market where they can't get on any page of the newspaper let alone the front page of the sports, so any of this stuff carries on.

He's an underachieving wanna-be in terms of success in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup? Great. I've won six Stanley Cups, you want to count rings? Who cares, it's just a little pathetic that he carries on."

Throw in Dan Boyle's blasting of the new owners in Tampa and, to a lesser extent George McPhee's frank discussion of the Cristobal Huet fallout and this is officially now the Summer of Claws. I think I speak for all of us when I say I can't wait to see what's next.

Finally, here's a not-so-secret document via Tapeleg - The Book on Jose Theodore:

All of which presumably leads to this:

Hopefully he'll write a new chapter in D.C. that ends a little bit more like this:

Avangard Omsk Woos Jagr

Yesterday we mentioned that Jaromir Jagr has been offered a ridiculous sum of money to play next season for Avangard Omsk, a member club in the newly fortified KHL and one of the teams for which he played during the NHL's lockout.

Apparently in addition to throwing cash at the former superstar, J.J.'s suitors penned and had performed a ballad in his honor, a copy of which we managed to obtain. Have a listen:

You've got to hand it to Avangard - they sure do know Jagr.


For the record, the song above appears on a CD of children's lullabies. Nice.

Friday Afternoon Notes

A few somewhat random thoughts as the weekend begins:

Either John Anderson either spilled the beans on the Thrashers' opponent in their home opener (hint: it's the Caps), or he was looking at last year's schedule.... If the rumors of Jaromir Jagr possibly headed to Avanguard Omsk next season are to be believed, it's interesting (ok, "interesting" might be over-selling it) for a couple of reasons: first because he'll be wearing a jersey featuring an eagle swooping downward from right to left (again), and second because he might be a teammate of Ross Lupaschuk, who was part of the package that the Caps sent to Pittsburgh for J.J. nearly seven years ago.... I don't know how I missed this earlier, but apparently Mick McGeough will no longer be officiating NHL games. Huzzah!... Finally, Olie Kolzig apparently "didn’t get sour when [Cristobal] Huet was brought in and took over the starting role," and perhaps "he’ll embrace a backup role on a contender." Um, ok.

It's Funny Because It's True

Indeed he does...

H/t CP

Sunday Open Thread

Welcome back, Jaromir, you big girl.

Nylander's Done - Whom You Should Blame

So Michael Nylander is out for the year with a torn rotator cuff. Whether or not Nyls has been all that you hoped he would be thus far, you, as a Caps fan, are understandably disappointed and frustrated at this turn of events (unless you're one of the morons who think that the Caps won't miss the guy who's leading the team in power play scoring, is second in overall scoring and in ice-time among forwards and has taken the second most faceoffs on the squad... then again, if you are one of those morons, this probably isn't your blog of choice).

And since you're American, the obvious question is "Who can I blame for this crap hand I've been dealt?" Here, then, is a list of folks at whom to direct your anger:

• Michael Nylander. While I don't normally advocate blaming the victim, this is one instance where it might make sense. Did Nyls injure his shoulder attempting to sign one too many SPCs in the off-season? Is he faking the injury in attempt to duck Kevin Lowe whose Oilers come to town for a game Thursday night? Did dipping his shoulder on one thousand too many offensive-zone pirouettes do the harm?
• The New York Rangers. Did those bastards send a lemon into unrestricted free agency just to screw us? Is the curse of Jaromir Jagr alive and well?
• The Verizon Center Ice. It's been blamed for just about every other injury the team has suffered so far this year.
  
• Nolan Yonkman. It wouldn't be the first time...
  
• Me. Is karma paying me back for this morning's line about Dany Heatley's shoulder?

What are our other options? It can't just be bad luck, can it?

On a sidenote, a beer on me to whomever is first with the inevitable rumor of the Caps pursuing this guy to fill their newly found "veteran Swedish center" deficit.

[Note: In all seriousness, Nyls deserves kudos for playing through the pain as long as he did, even when other teams were targeting the injury. You don't typically think of him as a "tough guy," but he certainly demonstrated both guts and leadership to a young team - which is part of the reason he was brought to town in the first place.]

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: Rangers @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

What better opponent for an '80s night mullet giveaway (be sure to check in with The Peerless for an in-depth history of the mullet) than Jaromir Jagr and the Rags, who may or may not show up in these uniforms?

The Rangers enter tonight's game dead last in the NHL in goals per game (2.13) but atop the League in goals against average (2.10). And yet they're 16-12-2 and have won 70% of the games in which they've been outshot. If it wasn't for Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers would be such a glorious drama right about now, but, as it is, they're just a winning team with a pouting, underachieving superstar.

The Blueshirts are 1-3 in their last four games, scoring just five goals in those four games and connecting on just two of 15 power plays. Not surprisingly, #68 has just one point during this stretch, and is scoreless with a minus-seven rating in his last three games. Woe captain, my captain.

Expect Olie Kolzig in goal, Brian Pothier back in the lineup, and a confident Caps team to try to keep the ball rollin' at home.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Thanks to Tyler for pointing us to this article about SKA St. Petersberg (Jamie Heward's current squad) and Russian current events.... Vote Weagle!... The Flyers are going to induct Ron Hextall into the team's Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Caps. Something tells me that Dale Hunter's Game Seven OT breakaway goal won't make his highlight montage.... Karl Alzner is at Canadian national junior team camp and is (surprise) giving great interviews.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Joffrey Lupul (3G, 3A, +4, 12 SOG)
  
• Ross: Joffrey Lupul (6 points)
  
• Norris: Erik Johnson (3A, +3, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Miikka Kiprusoff (32 saves on 33 shots against in shootout win)
  
• Richard: Joffrey Lupul, R.J. Umberger (3G each)
  
• Calder: Erik Johnson (3A, +3, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Aiken, Pt. I: Dany Sabourin (L, 5 goals allowed on 25 shots against in 39:56 of work)
  
• Aiken, Pt. II: Ty Conklin (3 goals allowed on 15 shots against in one period of work)
• Aiken, Pt. III: Rob Scuderi (0 points, -4)
  

Tuesday Roundup/Sabres 3, Caps 1

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]

I'm a bit conflicted about last night's game. In some ways, it was good that the Caps gave up the game's first goal. Along the same lines, it wasn't the worst thing in the world that they trailed by two heading into the third period. Why? Because it was important to see how this team would respond in such situations. And, for the most part, they responded pretty well. Outside of a couple of absolutely miserable turnovers around the midpoint of the second period, the Caps played well enough to be in the game until the end, dominating the game for stretches at a time (though I can't recall exactly how, given more than a few awful performances). I know that we're well beyond the point where "close" counts for much, but this dose of reality should clarify what - and perhaps more importantly who - needs work.

Some other thoughts on the game:

• If there's worse ice in the League than that at the VC, I haven't seen it.
  
• Alex Ovechkin's goal was another one for the highlight reel - what an individual effort.
  
• Speaking of sensational, Olie Kolzig's third period stop on Jochen Hecht might be his save of the year so far.
• Is Alex Semin's passing accuracy so atrocious because he passes so infrequently or vice versa? Someone ask the owl.
• Five bucks says Matt Bradley is wearing a suit and not a sweater for Wednesday night's game.
• Then again, the entire second line had scratch-worthy games themselves. How Michael Nylander, Tomas Fleischmann and Semin were credited with only three giveaways among the three of them is beyond me (and when is last year's Semin going to show up - this year's stinks so far).
  
• Nicklas Backstrom was awesome again last night. He might need to scoot up to the top line again soon.
  
• The John Erskine-Steve Eminger pairing made me shudder every time they took to the ice, and it wasn't because of Emmy (who notched his first assist of the season on the Ovechkin goal).
• Andrew Peters is quite the tough guy, challenging Donald Brashear when the latter was at the end of a long shift and begging off when they were both fresh.
• Tom Poti played 31 very solid minutes on the blueline. As I said the other day, new coach, new Poti.
• AO had nine shots on goal and only three that were blocked or missed the net. He's locked in right now, which is amazing considering how little help his linemates are providing.
• The Caps won 40 of 66 draws (61%) and out-hit Buffalo by a similar ratio, 15 to 10.
• The third line had a pretty solid night, as evidenced by the fact that the top line of Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Ales Kotalik was held off the score sheet.
• For a Cornell guy, Versus' Darren Eliot sure does say some stupid things.
  

So while Bruce Boudreau figures out which of GMGM's players are "his guys" and the team learns a new system, there will be some bumps along the way. Unfortunately, the Sabres are a team that makes you pay for your mistakes, and they certainly did so last night. Wednesday night's opponent, however, is much more forgiving, and that game against the Panthers is just about a must-win for this Caps team. And if they play like they did tonight (and the second line bounces back from this stinker), they should win.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

On this date in 1985, Bengt Gustafsson set a team record with an assist in a ninth straight game.... Another week, another Flyer likely headed for Suspensionville. Anyone want to guess on for how long?... The Rangers have dropped the team option on Jaromir Jagr's contract for next year, meaning the only way the Caps will be on the hook for a dime of his '08-'09 salary is if he hits his performance incentives (and check with The Peerless to see how he's doing on that front).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jochen Hecht (2G, including the game-winner, A, +2, 3 SOG)
  
• Ross: Marc Savard (4 points)
  
• Norris: Zdeno Chara (2A, +4, 3 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Dwayne Roloson (W, 36 saves on 37 shots against)
  
• Richard: Mike Modano, Jochen Hecht, Glen Murray (2G each)
  
• Calder: Andrew Cogliano (Game-winning goal, +1, 4 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Martin Biron (3 goals allowed on 14 shots against in just 23:42 of work, and he would've had the loss if NHL scorekeeping rules made any sense)
  

(Hat)Trick Or Treat

After taking a puck in the mouth during Monday night's 3-1 win over the Lightning, Ranger winger Jaromir Jagr remarked of his swollen, toothless mug, "It's Halloween...I don't have to buy a mask."

Good line by J.J., but we all know what #68's really going to be for Halloween...

Stat Of The Day

Both Jaromir Jagr and Alex Ovechkin have registered 201 points as members of the Washington Capitals, but Ovechkin has scored his 201 in 166 games whereas it took Jagr 190 games to do so. AO also has 16 more goals than Jagr (99-83) among his 201 points.

H/t to Paul Rovnak on the stats

Let's Not Get Carried Away... Alright, Let's

Take a quick look at the Eastern Conference standings. Pretty, isn't it? You don't have to scroll down even one click on the mouse wheel to find the Caps.

Head over to FOXSports.com for their initial NHL Power Rankings. And that was before Monday's win over the Isles.

While reality might very well rear its ugly head this weekend in the Empire State - the Caps do, after all, have to pay a visit to the reigning State Champions - there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying these times, fleeting as they may potentially be (and there may be something wrong with conjuring up certain visuals along the way).

Think about it (or don't) - we've suffered through three straight last-place finishes for the first time since 1979-82.

We've suffered through blueliners named Kwiatkowski, Doig, Biron and Majeskey (to say nothing of Gruden, Grand-Pierre, Rohloff and Zinger), forwards named Fata, Cassels and Friesen, and five games of a goaltender nicknamed Yahtzee.

And we've suffered through two-plus years of an underachieving (to put it mildly) Jaromir Jagr that sent a perennial playoff-bound franchise (17 post-season appearances in the 19 seasons prior to #68's arrival) straight to the cellar and back to square one.

Yes, it's only three games and yes there's still a vast amount of room for improvement. But even if drinking it all in seems a little premature, don't hesitate to take a small sip every now and again - we certainly deserve it.

Mullet Night In Washington

The Caps have released their promotional schedule for the coming season and there are certainly some attractive giveaways, but perhaps none more appropriate than the schwag they'll be handing out on December 12 when the Rangers are in town. Though they usually don't need any extra bait to lure folks to the VC when the Broadway Blueshirts come 'round, on that night they'll be giving out "red mullet wigs" to the first 5,000 fans.

Rangers... mullets... I wonder what the connection is.

And If Schadenfreude Is Your Thing...

Jaromir Jagr had this to say of Michael Nylander's departure: “I am little disappointed the Rangers were not able to keep Nylander on the team. It was really good for me to play with him. We played together for 2 years with the Rangers and 1 year in Washington. We worked well together and knew what to expect from one another.”

The View From Your Playoff Seat

"Broadway Blueshirts Win...Again"

Sent by Patrick. Brooklyn, NY

Friday Roundup

What do you guys want to talk about today?

Do you care who among Montreal, Toronto and the Isles gets the last playoff spot in the East, or whether Colorado can catch Calgary for the last spot out West?

How about our good buddy Jaromir tying Mike Gartner's record last night with fifteen 30-goal seasons?

What about Alex Ovechkin needing two goals tomorrow to hit an even 100 goals, 100 assists in his first two NHL seasons or Alex Semin needing a pair (if he even plays, which I'd imagine is doubtful) to hit 40 goals for the year?

Are you going to say a teary goodbye to Bryan Muir's career as a Capital or to the black sweaters tomorrow? Will it be Steve Eminger's last game as a Cap?

Basically, I've got nothing so I'll turn it over to you guys for now. The Rink... even more interactive than ever! Enjoy.

The Brilliant Musings Of J.P. You May Have Missed From The FanHouse:

• Nothing But Meaningful Games On The Schedule
• Perseverance and Dedication? Get on the Bus!

Daily Awards

• Hart: Milan Hejduk (3G, including the game-winner, +3, 10 SOG in 3-1 win at Vancouver)
• Ross: Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny, Jaromi Iginla, Tom Poti, Thomas Vanek (3 points each)
• Norris: Tom Poti (3A, +1)
• Vezina: Nikolai Khabibulin (56 saves on 58 shots against in SO win)
• Richard: Milan Hejduk (3G)
• Calder: Paul Stastny (3A, +3, 2 SOG in 3-1 win at Vancouver)
• Aiken: Rhett Warrener (0 points, 0 SOG, -3 in 4-3 loss)

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...