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)."

Which Cap Is Next To Have His Number Retired?

The obvious question to ask when a team announces that it will be retiring a jersey number is, "Does he deserve it?" Once every side of that argument is beaten to death, however, thoughts naturally turn to, "Who's next?"

If we look at the honor the team is going to bestow upon Mike Gartner as recognition for all that he did for the Washington Capitals franchise, you'd think that Peter Bondra and/or Olie Kolzig would be in line for similar ceremonies. If we look at Gartner's Hall of Fame enshrinement as the key to his soon-to-be-memorialized Caps immortality, perhaps Scott Stevens and/or Larry Murphy (sorry, Alex, pick again!) deserve a look. Of course, in Gartner's case, it's a combination of the above - his years and stats in D.C. constituted a significant portion of his Hall of Fame career - that has ensured that no one will ever again wear the number 11 for the Washington Capitals (sidenote: kudos to the rest of the Caps blogosphere for steering clear of the obvious and lame "It No Longer Goes To Eleven" post title).

But perhaps it's more than just those factors. Perhaps... it's the 'stache.

Here's a look at the three players who have previously had their numbers retired by the Caps and Gartner (from left to right, Yvon Labre, Rod Langway, Dale Hunter, Gartner):


How Hunter ever got his number retired is beyond me, given the push brooms mounted on the other honorees' upper lips. But if we take the team's apparent facial hair fetish to its utterly illogical conclusion, perhaps we can make a more educated guess as to who's number is next to be set aside for good. Here are the best bets:

Olie Kolzig
Kolzig hasn't had this Dirty Sanchez Clark Gable-esque 'stache since very early in his career, but combine it with his lifetime numbers with the team and I'd say he's a lock to have his number 37 hanging from the Verizon Center rafters before too long.

Dennis Maruk

Before there was Gartner or Bondra or Ovechkin, there was Maruk. From 1978 through 1983, Maruk potted 182 goals and 249 helpers, including a 60-goal/76-assist/128-PIM 1981-82 that still stands as the single-season team high in points (the goal total stood for more than a quarter of a century until A.O. came along). Throw in a non-ironic, heterosexual horseshoe moustache and you've got to consider 21 a contender for retirement. At least Maruk can rest easy knowing that the number is currently being honored by the über-manly Brooks Laich on a nightly basis.

Ron Low
Low started 145 games for the Caps from their inaugural season of 1974-75 through the end of the 1976-77 campaign, racking up a 30-94-9 record and a 4.86 goals against average, as well as the Caps record for losses in a season (36). No, Brent Johnson won't have to give up the number one anytime soon, but man... that 'stache/hair combo is something special.

Bill Clement

Clement only played 46 games for the Caps back in 1975-76 and scored but 10 goals. And his cookie duster wasn't/isn't even that great. But there's something to be said for longevity (and having a damn goofy hockey card), and given that he's had it for 30-plus years, that's an honorable display of commitment... but not enough to send number ten skyward.

Honorable mentions go out to Brendan Witt (whose Spring, 2006 lip scarf I've never been able to find a picture of) and the following half-dozen hirsute hockey heroes:


So there you have it - a couple of former Caps who could be next in line for the ultimate honor a team can give one of its players, a handful of other manly men and Bill Clement.

As for possibilities from the current Caps squad, pickin's are indeed slim (assuming, that is, that the team doesn't invite any of these guys to training camp)... though perhaps Karl Alzner is somehow even more savvy than we all thought.

Thursday Roundup/Caps 3, Sabres 1

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Box Score - WashingtonCaps.com Recap]

When the Caps get good goaltending, a Hart-worthy performance from their Hart candidate and a Calder-worthy performance from their Calder candidate, they're difficult to beat. Add to that the luck of catching a fairly passion-less, unfocused, banged-up and tired (but apparently squeaky clean) Sabres bunch, and it was a recipe for two points (and, thankfully, no points for the opposition). Some thoughts on the game:

• Bad news up front: David Steckel broke his finger and is out for 2-3 weeks (Vogs on Stecks: Steckel entered Wednesday’s game with a face-off win pct. of 56.3, seventh best in the league among those centers with 600 or more draws taken on the season. The Caps will miss Steckel’s prowess in the circle, and also his knack for penalty killing. Steckel averages 3:46 per contest in shorthanded ice time, fourth among all NHL forwards.) Now would be a good time for Chris Clark to get healthy. Fast.
  
• The Caps have outscored their opponents 24-9 in their last six games.
  
• I know Sabres fans aren't going to complain about the no call on Alex Ovechkin that sent Steve Bernier to the ice after what they got away with the night before in Philadelphia, so let me just say this - it's an unfortunate reality of NHL officiating that when one team has had all three of the game's power plays to that point, the other team is given some leeway. It ain't right, but we all know that it is what it is.
• Speaking of Ovechkin, we know the milestones he hit last night, but let's not lose focus on the big (individual) picture - Ovie now has 54 goals, 38 assists and a plus-17 rating. Yowza.
  
• Is it me or did Alex Semin suddenly go shot-shy? He seemed to be force feeding Sergei Fedorov a bit much, and ended the game without a single shot on goal for the first time since January 24. The entire second line, for that matter, was fairly invisible.
  
• Maxim Afinogenov repeatedly undressed Caps' blueliners, most notably (and repeatedly) Jeff Schultz and Milan Jurcina. Oh, and Schultz's breakaway? Not so good.
  
• Olie Kolzig was stout, bailing out the defense time and time again for his 299th career win (don't you get the feeling that everything possible is coming together for Sunday's game?). Glad I suggested he start this game. On a sidenote, I don't get worked up over the "3 Stars," but denying Olie a spot amongst the three was silly.
  
• The Caps absolutely dominated the dot, winning 65% of the game's faceoffs. Boyd Gordon led the way with 10 wins out of 12 draws.
• Sticking with faceoffs, Fedorov has won 70.6% of his draws since being acquired.
  
• Tom Poti is +13 with 11 points since January 13 (the day after he returned from a three-game absence).
  
• Viktor Kozlov now has 14 goals, 32 helpers and a team-leading plus-21 rating. Anyone still think he's a bust?
  

That's all I've got. Frankly, I didn't think the Caps played terribly well, which says a lot about the state of the team - that they can have an off night in one of the tougher buildings in the League and still leave with two points.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Alex might catch Dennis Maruk, but someone else already has (caught up with him, that is).... One year ago today we previewed that night's Caps/Leafs game and two years ago today we previewed that night's Caps/Isles game and indulged in some uber-meta self-promotion.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Alexander Ovechkin (2G, +3, 4 SOG, 5 hits)
  
• Ross: Eric Staal, Frantisek Kaberle (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Frantisek Kaberle (3A, +3)
  
• Vezina: Corey Crawford (19-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Alexander Ovechkin, Eric Staal, Pavel Dastyuk, Jason Spezza, Patrick Marleau (2G each)
  
• Calder: Corey Crawford (19-save shutout win)
• Aiken: Kari Lehtonen (L, 4 goals allowed on 22 shots against in 33:39 of work)
  

Tuesday Roundup/Caps 3, Devils 2

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

Monday night at Verizon Center the Caps started strong and held on to win against a tired Devils team that seemed to catch its second wind in the third period. Some thoughts on the game:

• The Caps did have a confidence carry-over from Saturday night's win, and it showed itself most notably in the hit totals, where they held a 31-22 edge. Milan Jurcina led the way with six hits, and every skater in the lineup other than Alex Semin, Tomas Fleischmann and Joe Motzko registered at least one hit.
• The Donald Brashear - Viktor Kozlov - Semin line doesn't do much for me. Kozlov had a particularly rough night (though he led the team with four shots on goal) and Semin a particularly bad penalty early, but the trio has no chemistry and even less defensive conscience - they got caught out against the Devils top line in the first and it quickly resulted in a 1-0 deficit.
• Speaking of that goal, entering the game, the Devils were 11-2-1 when scoring first and the Caps were 1-12-2 when giving up the game's first goal, so you'll forgive me for turning off the game at that point and watching The Hills. Just kidding.
• If Nicklas Backstrom is so patient and poised with the puck now, imagine what he'll be like down the road (insert "wearing a Wings jersey" joke here).
  
• The second period was about as good a period as the Caps have played all year.
  
• Jeff Schultz broke the season goals-scored tie between himself and Semin with his third of the year, but something tells me Sasha will catch and pass him real soon - he's finally starting to look very close to 100% healthy.
• As for Schultz, these past two games were the first in which he registered shots on goal in consecutive games. It's also the first time in his career he's had shots in goal in back-to-back affairs.
• Congrats to Quintin Laing, whose first NHL goal gives him more goals than front teeth.
  
• Olie Kolzig looked shaky in the third period. His rebound control was poor, most notably on the Mike Mottau no-goal (which was a huge break for the Caps) and his coverage on the David Clarkson wrap-around goal was obviously not good enough. Olie's been decent enough this year so far, but he's going to need to steal some games if this team is going to make a run at the playoffs.
  
• Alexander Ovechkin is such an absolute joy to watch. Some nights he's on a mission to score goals. Other nights, it looks like he'd rather run over anyone wearing the opposition's colors. Tonight was more the latter (he only had one shot on goal, in fact), and AO ended the night with five hits. But let's not forget his brilliant play at the blueline on the Schultz goal. Or his backchecking.
• Shaone Morrisonn had four giveaways on the night after only 15 in the first 29 games of the season. The Caps as a team had 20 giveaways - way too high a total.
  
• Every Cap who took a faceoff won better than 50% of his draws or was one win under 50%. Not bad.
  
• Memo to Mike Green: play the whistle, don't let up because you think there's an icing call coming your way.
• Here's your Game Pic O' The Night.
  

All in all, it was a great win for the Caps and one to build on for Wednesday night when Jaromir Jagr and the Rangers come to town. After all, the eight spot in the East is only eight points away...

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Check out a nice story about former Cap Trent Whitfield.... On this date in 1981, Dennis Maruk racked up a pair of goals and four helpers in an 11-2 romp over the Leafs for his second six point game of the week. Damn.... Finally, this isn't hockey-related, but there certainly are some friggin' weird people out there.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Sergei Zubov (G, 3A, +2, 6 SOG, 2 blocked shots)
• Ross: Sergei Zubov (4 points)
  
• Norris: Sergei Zubov (G, 3A, +2, 6 SOG, 2 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Alex Auld (W, 43 saves on 44 shots against)
  
• Richard: Chad Kilger, Corey Perry (2G each)
  
• Calder: Milan Lucic (2A, +2, 4 SOG, 3 hits)
  
• Aiken: Johan Holmqvist (L, 4 goals allowed on 22 shots against in 34:41 of work)
  

Thursday Roundup/Gamenight: Isles @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

We all know what the Caps have been up to since they left Long Island last Monday, but in case you haven't been following the Isles too closely, they beat the Rangers, got pasted by the Leafs (with their backup 'tender in net) and lost to the Flyers. In fact, in each of the Islanders' last four games, the losing team scored only one goal, so getting off to a quick start at home will likely key for Glen Hanlon's crew, who will try to avoid showing any of the rust that plagued them in Manhattan last week after a similarly long lay off between games.

The Isles have made some personnel moves as well in the past week-plus, as they got Chris Simon back from suspension, signed power play quarterback/defensive liability Bryan Berard, and officially lost Cap-killer Jon Sim for the year to a knee injury. Their special teams have been very good, but, lo and behold, there they are with the same number of wins as the Caps (three) in one more game (interestingly, the Isles' three wins have come against the only two teams that have beaten the Caps in this young season, the Rangers and Sabres).

But enough about the visitors, let's talk about tonight's home team.

We all know that the injury bug has already paid a visit the Caps, and while it may not have hit too hard (yet), it has struck with surgical precision. For my money, aside from Olie Kolzig, Alex Ovechkin, Boyd Gordon may be the most important player on the team. In his absence, shots on goal against are way up and penalty-killing efficiency is way down (from perfect). Sure, the competition in Boyd's absence was better than it was in the games he has played, but his role on the team shouldn't be under-estimated, let's just leave it at that. Gordo may go tonight, but with Sid and the Pens coming up next, it's critical that he's as close to 100% as possible for Saturday night.

Also gumming up the works is the lingering Alex Semin ankle injury. Losing their number two scoring threat has hobbled the Caps' offense and left them with a pair of playmakers without a finisher which, in turn, allows opposing teams to key on the top line (on which the right wing du jour has been largely freeloading each night). The result has been a revolving door of wingers on each of the top two lines and tonight might very well see Joe Motzko and Tomas Fleischmann as the right wings on those units. Eric Fehr's chronic hip/back injury certainly is a notable part of this discussion as well, but the fact of the matter is that whether it's Motzko, Flash, Matt Bradley, Brooks Laich or whomever else Hanlon might throw out there does not belong on an NHL scoring line until they prove otherwise. Well, fellas, here's that chance (and for some of you, it may be your last).

On the blueline, the team has recalled Jeff "wake-up call" Schultz and he'll likely get a sweater in John Erskine's place tonight. Erskine looked awfully slow this past weekend and was on the ice for five of the ten goals the team allowed (and not a single one they scored). Brian Pothier - because I'm sure you were about to ask, "What about Pothier?" - was on the ice for three of the ten. Big John was definitely playing some tough minutes, but the way he was playing against some speedy and talented wingers, every minute was tough. Is Sarge better-suited for this duty? I guess we'll see.

Anyway, I'll be in the press box for the game tonight and down in the room after, so if there's anything you want me to ask about, let me know and I'll try to get some answers.

Why The Islanders Will Win:

We're debuting a new feature here at The Rink today that aims to shed some gameday light on the perspective from "the other side." To that end, we went out and asked some of the Isles bloggers why their squad would win tonight, and here are some of the responses we got:

"The Isles will win Thursday because Hillary Duff is hotter than anything Viktor Kozlov can pull. Isles over Caps 4-2." - The 2 Man Advantage

"Considering how sloppy the Isles have been on both offense and defense the past three games, Rick DiPietro looks primed for a game-stealing performance against Washington. Every time the team looked done for last season, DP always picked them up. Against a promising, revamped Capitals team, there is isn't a better time to do that. I'm sure DP knows that as well." - The Drive for Five

"The Caps are paying Jagr to play for the Rangers; the Isles are paying Yashin to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Clear win for the Isles." - Islanders Outsider

"[I]f the Islanders are to win, it will be simply because they have to win. After a great start, they've fallen asleep and need to prove to themselves, the league, and the fans that they can compete regularly. Also, we're looking for a little payback for last week. Heh.

"Look out for the Guerin-Comrie-Fedotenko line to hit the net hard, as well as Bryan Berard to pitch in more than usual. The Isles need goals before all else. Let's just hope they don't forget keep Alex on a tight leash. " - Islanders Castaway

"None of them want to endure another excruciatingly quiet plane ride home with Ted." - 7th Woman

"Kolzig always eats the Islanders for breakfast, maybe he'll choke on them this time." - SportSquee

"Honestly, I feel that the Isles will come out completely rested and fired up to earn two points in typical gritty Ted Nolan style. With a few shuffled lines and a long break, the Islanders will get back to what made them successful during the first week of the season." - Isles Blogger

"Because the Islanders led by captain Bill Guerin will sink the Capitals ship and Rick DiPietro will protect the buried treasure. " - Battle of New York

There you have it - why the Isles will win tonight. Take some time and check some of those blogs out, and don't be afraid to tell 'em why they're wrong - and why the Caps will get back in the win column to start this four-game homestand.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Last week it was the Calgary Hitmen, this week it's the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds atop the Canadian Hockey League's weekly rankings. Pretty sweet to have the top defenseman for each team in the pipeline, isn't it?... Perhaps GMGM should look to make a trade today. Why? On this date back in 1978 the team acquired Denis Maruk from Minnesota in exchange for the Pens' first round pick in 1979 (used to draft Tom McCarthy) and on this date back in 1983 the club acquired Larry Murphy from Los Angeles for Brian Engblom and Ken Houston. Maruk and Murphy combined to tally 497 goals and 1179 assists after being traded to D.C. (267 goals and 508 assists of which came for the Caps) while McCarthy, Engblom and Houston would total only 196 goals and 296 assists in the rests of their respective careers.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Zach Parise (3A, +1, 6 SOG, 54% faceoffs won)
  
• Ross: Zach Parise, Sergei Gonchar (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Sergei Gonchar (G, 2A, 3 SOG)
  
• Vezina: J.S. Giguere (W, 28 saves on 29 shots against)
  
• Richard: Travic Zajac (2G)
  
• Calder: Andrew Miller (Game-winning goal, +1, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Ryan Malone (0 points, -2, 0 SOG, 0 hits, 2 penalties)
  

Opening Night Roster Set

The Caps' opening night roster (though perhaps not the lineup) is set now that Steve Eminger has been place on the IR.

In other opening night news, I thought I'd provide a public service and see if we can't bring some Caps fans together for the game. If you're in the Richmond area, for example, Rink Reader "maruk" is looking to get a crowd of Caps fans together to watch the game at Buffalo Wild Wings at Virginia Center Commons. And, of course, if you're local, Ventnor Sports Cafe is always a great place for pucks.

Where else are you all drinking, err, watching the game? Let us know in the comments and we'll see if we can't do a little drinking buddy matchmaking.

Wednesday Roundup/Gamenight: 'Canes @ Caps

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Game Day Thread]

Strap yourselves in for tonight's game four of the Caps five-game mini-series with the Whalers Candycanes. To recap, the Caps took the first two games in Hartford Raleigh, then dropped the third in OT. Now it's back to the Verizon for some home cookin'. One hopes that the intensity of Monday night carries over to tonight, but one also hopes that the rebounds and poor defensive coverage do not.

Speaking of poor coverage, how about this from the Raleigh News & Observer:

But [Mark Recchi, Ray Whitney and Doug Weight] were brought aboard to do more than score, something Weight showed during the second period. After Washington's Jeff Friesen fought Staal, Weight invited Friesen to fight when he returned from the penalty box, even though the two are friends.

...and even though Friesen was traded to Anaheim nearly a month ago? Don't newspapers have editors anymore, or is this just a Southern thing? [Thanks to Netsy for the RNO link, and if the rest of you aren't checking out his previews at the top of the Official Game Day Threads, you're really missing out on some great humor and information, as well as perhaps the best avatar you'll ever see.]

Back to the game at hand, twenty-five years ago tonight, Dennis Maruk potted a hat trick to become the first Capital to score 50 goals in a season. Could the Caps induct a new member into the 50-goal club tonight? Regardless of if/when Alex Ovechkin reaches that milestone, Martin Brodeur says the young Russian "will easily win the Calder." But I'm on to you, Marty. Your Jedi mind tricks won't work in these parts, and just for that, I am positive that you'll get a shutout tonight against Pittsburgh. You're impenetrable. Unbeatable. Shutout, shutout, shutout.

And while we're talking about the Calder Trophy and Penguins getting shutout (man, I'm on fire with the segues today), how does Sidney Crosby feel about winning the Rookie of the Year? Apparently he can do without it. Which is good. Because he'll have to. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's article all but conceding the rookie scoring race (newsflash!) intimates that Ovechkin is a selfish, shot-happy puck hog while Crosby is a selfless playmaker, and to back up that implication the article notes that Sid's shooting percentage is a whopping 1 percent higher (13.7% to 12.7%) and that Crosby has more assists (51 to 47 in one additional game played). Maybe Sid is the better distributor. Or maybe he's been playing with much better players all year. You can decide for yourself, but on your way to doing so, consider that Ziggy Palffy - who retired in mid-January - would still be third on the Caps in scoring this year.

Today's Roundup has been all over the road, so I'll tidily wrap it up with the local coverage, an article from the WTimes on AO's impending milestones (the WaPo doesn't have any new Caps coverage online, which is fine - just leave that Kornheiser article on the front page of the Caps coverage for another day. That'd be great. Thanks.) and leave you to ponder this quote from the WTimes' article:

When he's not causing headaches for opposing goalies, Alex Ovechkin always seems to be planning some sort of mischief. He often tips his hand with a not-to-subtle glance in the direction of a potential victim. He hides his moods with the finesse of a leprechaun.

What the hell does that mean?

Thread of the Day: 'Canes Living, Skating Proof That New NHL Works (not everyone is sold, however)

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• Here's a great stat to get you in the mood for the playoffs: Martin Brodeur has 9,000 career minutes played in the playoffs while the rest of the starting goalies for the current Eastern Conference playoff teams have a combined total of 165 playoff minutes (145 minutes for John Grahame and 20 minutes for Baby Food from back in 2003, which means that five Eastern Conference goalies will likely be making their playoff debuts). So don't count the Devils out quite yet... (thanks to fjc33 for the stat)
  
• Who was the NHL's most clutch skater in March? I'll give you a hint: his name is Alexander Ovechkin.
  
• Ray Emery is your Rookie of the Month for March, beating out the forementioned AO. Why might this be a good thing for Ovechkin? Here's the theory: the better Emery does down the stretch, the more votes he splinters off from fellow goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who is AO's biggest competition for Rookie of the Year - if voters are thinking of casting their ballot for a netminder, their decision is made all the more difficult the more acclaim Emery gets, although Lundqvist's numbers on the season are much, much better. It may be a stretch, but losing the Rookie of the Month to Emery could actually help AO in the Calder race.
• New to the blog roll is Mr. Irrelevant's Sports Blog. A highly complimentary link to The Rink while listening to The Flaming Lips will get you on the roll just about every time.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Teemu Selanne (2 goals, including game-winner, 2 assists, +1)
  
• Ross: Teemu Selanne (4 points)
  
• Norris: Andrei Markov (2 assists)
  
• Vezina: Kevin Weekes (Shootout win, 21 saves on 23 shots through OT starting in place of the injured Lundqvist)
  
• Richard: Teemu Selanne, Samuel Pahlsson, Patrice Bergeron (2 goals each)
  
• Calder: Christopher Higgins (Game-winning goal, assist)
  
• Aiken: Mathieu Garon (Loss, 5 goals against on 40 shots)