The Sedins Are No Stastnys

Thanks to the performances of Mary Kate and Ashley Sedin last night (and a query by Mirtle), Caps fans are reminded today of a record-setting performance from back in 1981. Unfortunately, the boys from D.C. were on the wrong end of the 11-7 score of a game in which brothers Peter and Anton Stastny combined for an unbelievable seven goals and nine assists, setting the record for the most points scored by a pair of brothers in a single game (incidentally, I think Anson Carter and Mike Grier hold the record for the most points scored by a pair of bruthas in a single game).

Tuesday Roundup/Caps 6, Thrashers 4Gamenight: Caps @ Lightning

[Boxscore - Recap - Postgame Coverage - AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview - Official Game Day Thread]

The above screen cap from NHL.com just about says it all... but that won't stop me from babbling on for a while. In an absolute must-win for the Thrashers - against a team they pounded by a combined score of 15-4 on back-to-back nights back in October who, on paper, had nothing to play for - Atlanta couldn't hold a third period lead and, as a result, will have to wait at least one more year to make the first playoff appearance in team history. The Thrashers got horrendous goaltending (and changed goalies not once but twice, hoping in vain that either Mike Dunham or Michael Garnett could make a big save), got no production whatsoever from its highly-ranked power-play (which was 0-for-8) or any of its trio of 90-point forwards and were doubled-up in hits (29-15). If that's how gutless Bob Hartley and his crew perform in a critical regular season game, the Thrashers should thank the Caps for saving them from the embarassment they would have surely suffered in the postseason.

The host Capitals, on the other hand, played like it was their collective life on the line (beginning at the twelve-second mark of the first period and ignoring the entire horrid second period). The Caps were everything the Thrashers were not last night, spurred on by an announced attendance of 16,891 that was reminiscent of some of the crowds of late-Aprils past. In their last home game of 2005-06, the Caps hit hard and played hard (again, ignoring the second period), got great penalty-killing, big saves from Olie Kolzig and clutch goals in the third period to rally from a 4-3 deficit to win 6-4. And, in perhaps the ultimate contrast to the way the Thrashers have played all season long, with a two-goal lead, Atlanta's goalie pulled and more than two minutes left in the game, Caps' coach Glen Hanlon kept his superstar on the bench, not needing to run up the score and embarass his opponent (though it is admittedly more likely that Hanlon was just protecting his most valuable asset, knowing how the Thrashers often don't deal with disappointment very well).

In all, it was a treat for the home crowd to witness a game that in many ways symbolic of the 2005-06 Caps' team: hard-working, exciting, well-coached and full of glimpses of a potentially spectacular future. Oh, and the Asian gentleman dancing during "The Hockey Song" absolutely ruled.

Now it's off to Tampa to put a wrap on the season. By knocking off Atlanta last night (thus clinching a playoff spot for the Lightning), the Caps have made tonight's game a little less meaningful for their hosts. In fact, the Lightning would likely be better off losing tonight and guaranteeing an eighth-place Conference finish and a date with Carolina (assuming a Carolina win at home tonight or an Ottawa loss on the road or an overtime loss for both teams) in the first round of the playoffs, a team they were 5-2-1 against in the regular season. So roll on over, Tampa. Rest your #1 goalie (nevermind - you let him go via free agency last summer). Let Alex Ovechkin pass Mike Bossy for second all-time on the rookie goal-scoring list and catch Peter Stastny for second all-time on the rookie point-scoring list. We scratched your back last night - scratch ours tonight.

Speaking of Ovechkin, in the interest of full ridicule, check out these pics, some of which appear to be from some AO modeling gigs. Yikes (and cap tip to CP for the link). In more hockey-related Ovechkin news, newsflash: he's really good.

Finally today, kudos to Mike Green for being named AHL Player of the Week. See you soon, Mikey.

Thread of the Day: The Beauty Of Crosby's Late Push...

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• Shelly Anderson thinks Sidney Crosby is more deserving of the Calder Trophy than Alex Ovechkin. Eric McErlain thinks Shelly Anderson is more deserving of a padded room.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Alexander Ovechkin (Third-period goal and assist, 6 shots on goal, 7 hits, 2 takeaways, 0 giveaways in 6-4 win eliminating Atlanta from playoff contention)
  
• Ross: Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Mattias Norstrom (Goal, assist, +1, 3 hits)
  
• Vezina: Jason LaBarbera (31-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Matt Pettinger, Ryan Malone (2 goals each)
  
• Calder: Sidney Crosby (3 assists, +3)
  
• Aiken: Mike Dunham (Loss, 2 goals allowed on 5 shots against in 4:15 before being pulled, only to be forced back into action to surrender another 3 goals on 18 shots in 36:47)
  

Top 11 Rookie Seasons Of All-Time

In case you hadn't heard, 2005-06 is the Year of the Rookie. Two drafts-worth of talent, a salary cap, new rules and a couple of the most talented number one picks in a generation have all conspired to make this year's crop of rookies among the best the League has ever seen, top to bottom.

But what about that top? With Capitals phenom Alexander Ovechkin "pulling away" in the rookie scoring race (though something tells me it will be anything but an easy race to win) and other rookie forwards (Sidney Crosby and Marek Svatos), defensemen (Dion Phaneuf) and goaltenders (Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller) all putting up sensational numbers, one wonders where these seasons will stand relative to the great rookie seasons of all-time.

To put this year's rookies' numbers in context, The Rink has thrown together a list of the top eleven rookie performances in NHL history. Why eleven? Because leaving off a kid who started so quickly and shone so brightly among the best in the game would have just been wrong.

As always, this list is intended to spark debate and is by no means inclusive of all the great rookie seasons in NHL history. One thing is for certain, though: whoever wins the Calder Trophy (for rookie of the year) this year will have to be mighty impressive to make it onto this list.

So, without further ado, The Rink's Top 11 Rookie Seasons Of All-Time:

11) Mario Lemieux (1984-85; pictured) - The first overall pick in the 1984 Entry Draft, "Super Mario" scored a goal on the first shot of his first shift in the NHL and there was no looking back. He would go on to rack up 43 goals and 100 points, be named All-Star Game MVP, selected to the All-Rookie Team and win the Calder Trophy.

10) Brian Leetch (1988-89) - The former Boston College Eagle still holds the record for most goals by a rookie defenseman (23) and tallied the second most points by a first-year rearguard (71) in his All-Rookie, Calder-winning season.

9) Joe Nieuwendyk (1987-88) - "Cornell Joe" scored 51 goals (including 31 on the power-play and eight game-winners) and added 41 assists for the Flames. He was named to the All-Rookie Team and won the Calder Trophy to round out a fine freshman season.

8) Larry Murphy (1980-81) - Murphy set the current assist (60) and points (76) records for rookie defensmen, but finished second to Peter Stastny for the Calder Trophy.

7) Peter Stastny (1980-81; pictured) - Stastny's rookie campaign saw him set the current rookie record for the most assists in a season (70, later tied by Joe Juneau) and the former rookie record for the most points in a campaign (109), which stood for more than a decade. Highlights from the middle Stastny brother's Calder-winning season include hat tricks in back-to-back games and an eight point game in the second of those two on February 22, 1981 against some team from the D.C. area.

6) Dale Hawerchuk (1981-82) - "Ducky," taken first overall in the 1981 Entry Draft, made an immediate impact, both individually (with 45 goals, 103 points and the Calder Trophy) and for his team, the Winnipeg Jets, whose 48-point improvement over the previous season is still the largest single-season turn around by an NHL team.

5) Mike Bossy (1977-78) - The New York Islander rookie set a then-rookie record for goals with 53 and notched 91 points while finishing +31 for the season - all good enough to win the Calder Trophy and be named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team.

4) Terry Sawchuk (1950-51) - "The Uke" played every game for Detroit in his rookie year and led the NHL in wins (44) and shutouts (11), winning the Calder and being named to the named to the NHL's First All-Star Team along the way. The man this list nearly forgot (see comments) was the first man to be named rookie of the year in three different Leagues (the USHL, AHL and NHL).

3) Patrick Roy (1985-86) - "Saint Patrick" was somewhat mortal during the regular season, as he went 23-18-3 with a 3.35 goals againt average and a .875 save percentage and made the All-Rookie team, but didn't win the Calder - Gary Suter did. But Roy would have the last laugh (or at least the best laugh) as he got white-hot, going 15-5 with a 1.92 goals against average and leading the Habs past Suter's Flames in the Stanley Cup Finals. For his efforts, Roy was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.

2) Teemu Selanne (1992-93) - "The Finnish Flash" set current rookie records for most goals (76) and points (132) and led all rookies in power-play goals and game-winning goals en route to the Calder Trophy. Selanne was also an All-Star, an All-Rookie team member and a member of the NHL's First All-Star Team in his jaw-dropping rookie campaign.

1) Tony Esposito (1969-70; pictured) - Claimed by Chicago from Montreal in the Intra-League Draft earlier in 1969, Tony "O"'s first full year in the NHL was full of wins (a 38-17-8 record), shutouts (15, the most by a rookie and second most all-time), saves (a 2.17 goals against average) and hardware (Esposito won both the Calder and the Vezina Trophies, becoming the first rookie to win the latter since Frank Brimsek in 1939).

Honorable Mention (in no particular order): Gary Suter, Grant Fuhr, Luc Robitaille, Joe Juneau, Raymond Bourque, Martin Brodeur.

What do you think?