Hockey Towns need Hockey Songs

Every fan of the NHL has their favorite goal songs. Everybody knows Chicago’s signature song, but, “Chelsea Dagger” gets pretty irritating to non-Blackhawks fans. (I guess that’s why it works and they keep it.) Boston’s use of Zombie Nation’s “Kerncraft 400” is a win in my book.  Detroit’s “Hockey Town” is very original. Gotta say, “Rock and Roll Part 2”, which is used by 3 or 4 teams a year, can die a slow and horrible death. Its overuse has made it trite. Not sure if they still use it, but Phoenix Coyotes use of the Black Keys “Howlin for You” was certainly different. The LA Kings have used Randy Newman’s “I Love LA”, but does it really get fans moving in their seats? And the Washington Capitals have a really great song…. oh yeah, we never decide on a goal song. Many have been tried, but none seem to stick. They even tried a song written especially for them once, but when I was at the game where it “premiered”, I couldn’t even hear it.

We do have some songs that have been used in intros that will always remind me of the Caps. Remember that video of the Young Guns “playing” “Hell Yeah” by Rev Theory? I always think of that video when I hear that song. And for a while they used Foo Fighters “The Pretender” and just recently “Arlandria”. Anybody who knows me knows I am a huge FF fan, so using these songs garner two thumbs up from me. So, yes, we’ve used some cool songs for video intros, but what about a goal song??

Now that the NHL season is about to begin, and the Washington Capitals will probably be rolling out the “We are a Hockey Town” mantra again, I think it’s about time we settled on a goal song and make it stick. That’s what Hockey Towns have. Something that will become our signature (besides the very long and very loud goal horn w/sirens).

I’ve had a few ideas in the past: the “Hey-a-heyaaaa, Hey-a-heyaaaa” chorus of “Shout” from “Animal House (which ties in nicely to the video montages).  And then there is my personal signature goal tweet of "Click, Click, Boom"…ok, that might be too violent for the kiddies, but it is a thought. How about “There’s Gonna Be Some Rocking” by ACDC? Hey, we are rocking the red, right? “We Will Rock You”? I know it's been used in the past, but it's a golden oldie...ok, I'm a golden oldie for suggesting it. I’m figuring it needs to be something more “classic” for it to not get stale, but you could always use something more trendy (but still not very new), like Pink’s “Raise your Glass” refrain. Ok, maybe not. But my point here is IF we are trying to be a “Hockey Town” we need a signature goal song, something that gets people rocking in their seats. Not like we are Chicago or Boston or nuthin.

Voice your suggestions in the comments; they can’t be any worse than the ones I mentioned here. And who knows, maybe we can find a really cool goal song that everybody can rock to and convince the Caps to adopt it…I wish (they'd have to be open to suggestions and read the blog, so don't get your hopes up).

P.S. ANYBODY WHO SUGGESTS GANGNAM STYLE GETS SMACKED REPEATEDLY.

P.P.S. Yes, I do know that copyrights might be a problem, I'll leave that up to Ted Leonsis to take care of.

Opportunity Knocked

I am extremely fortunate to have a job that allows me to "sneak" away to Kettler every once in a while. So, today, the opportunity arose for me to do just that. I figured with the CBA deadline looming just a few days away, I may not get my hockey fix for a while. Kind of glad I did, but it really didn't satisfy my "photographing hockey players" itch all that much when I knew in the back of my mind that it could be a long time before I get this opportunity again.

Lucky for me, I got a chance to see a few new guys today, and it was also the first day back for Mike Green and Brooks Laich. So here are a few shots from today's informal practice. More can be found here.

Hendy being the coach

Jack Hillen

Joey Crabb

Marcus Johansson

Dmitry Orlov

Mike Ribeiro

Michal Neuvirth

Nicklas Backstrom

Stanislav Galiev

Backstrom, Ribeiro, and Crabb

Mike Green

Hopefully, these can hold us for a while...(Oh, who am I kidding?)

Alex Semin: Misty Watercolored Memories

All stats and facts aside, Sasha is best remembered as eye candy, goofy antics and awkward faces. Thank goodness I have a huge stockpile of pics to remember him by.
Misty watercolored memories:

Sneaky Sasha

This face...oh, this face

Who's Your Daddy?

Epotime of Eye Candy

Annual Valentines Card just wouldn't be the same without Sasha

Sasha was always good for "Awkard Practice Pics"

Will I Ever Get the Soul Searching Look from Sasha Again???

HBH - It Bears Repeating

On April 30th, I saw an announcement via an article from Tim Leone of The Patriot-News that the affiliation contract between the Hershey Bears and the Washington Capitals had not yet been renewed.

Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said a deal to extend the highly successful Washington affiliation, which began in 2005-06, beyond 2011-12 is “still in negotiation.”

This brought several questions to mind and I just had to have these questions answered.

1. Biggest question: what happens if the affiliation contract isn’t renewed? Brief answer I got was that the Caps would go in search of another affiliation, even share an affiliation with another NHL team if necessary. Yeah, thanks; that just begs for more questions.

2. Why wouldn’t the Capitals renew their contract with Hershey? As found in past history, many times an NHL changes its affiliation if an AHL team folds or is losing money. Got to think neither of these is an issue with Hershey reporting this on 5/1/12:

The HERSHEY BEARS announced today that the club has once again topped the American Hockey League in attendance, setting new club records in the process. The announcement was made by BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst.

And the banner on the Bears home page does boast #1 AHL Regular season attendance 06-07,07-08, 08-09, 09- 10, 10-11, 11-12. That’s a lot of seasons of being #1 folks. Yeah, don’t think that is the issue.

So, could it be a falling out between the two franchises? Could another NHL team be trying to woo the Bears away from the Capitals, or vice versa? While proximity to the parent club is a factor for any affiliation, it isn’t the “be all – end all”, but the convenience of having call-ups close by is important. Without that proximity, a NHL team might have to carry a couple extra players on their roster to make up for it, which really messes with the salary cap. But in that case, it is what it is. It’s happened before.

3. What happens to players under NHL contract playing in the AHL if the affiliation contract isn't re-signed?

Also from Tim Leone was this:

Washington Capitals under contract: Cody Eakin, Dmitry Orlov, Braden Holtby, Cameron Schilling, Mattias Sjogren, Tomas Kundratek, Philipp Grubauer, Garrett Mitchell, Brett Flemming, Brandon Anderson, Ryan Potulny, Patrick McNeill.

Washington Capitals unrestricted free agents: Keith Aucoin, Dany Sabourin, D.J. King, Joel Rechlicz, Sean Collins, Christian Hanson, Chris Bourque, Zach Miskovic, Jacob Micflikier, Kyle Greentree.

Washington Capitals restricted free agents: Mike Carman, Kevin Marshall.

That’s quite a few guys who have no clue where they are going to be if the affiliation contract isn’t re-signed.Yes, players still under contract with Washington would be moved to whatever AHL team becomes the new affiliate. Does that bump players from those rosters? Without going into tremendous detail, let’s just say it would have ripple affects all around the league. What a clusterfuck that would be! But again, it's happened before. Usually team affiliations between the NHL and AHL are shortish contracts, usually one or two years at a time. Look at the history of any AHL affiliation and you'll see most of them have "changed hands" several times throughtout their history. Even the Bears have been affiliated with 9 different teams since 1938.

4. What would happen to the Hershey Bears if the affiliation contract with the Washington Capitals is not renewed? I found one answer from 2009 in a letter from Jason Chaimovitch, Vice President of Communications, American Hockey League the on the HFBoards that is probably still applicable:

As part of the initial AHL membership application a potential owner must have an NHL affiliation in place, but the league’s governing documents do not necessarily prevent an existing franchise from continuing to operate should it lose its affiliation.

And this:

The league's constitution, by-laws, regulations or policies do not necessarily prevent an existing franchise from operating independently should it lose its NHL affiliate, but considering (a) there are 30 National Hockey League teams who need an environment in which to develop their top prospects; (b) there is not a surplus of AHL franchises relative to the number of NHL franchises; (c) the additional costs that would be incurred if an AHL owner had to pay all of its players' salaries and other expenses; and (d) it would likely be difficult to ice a competitive product using a talent pool that doesn't include NHL-contracted players while still being guided by the AHL's development rule; I don't think it's likely we would see it happen.

Does Hershey go looking for another NHL affiliation? With 30 existing affiliations between the NHL and the AHL, this becomes an even scarier proposition for HBH. But it brings me back to the question of the possibility of them being wooed by another NHL franchise. Keep an eye out for candygrams and flower deliveries at Giant Center folks ;)

As you can see, I actually did a bit of research here (surprise, surprise). The more I ponder this, the more I hope that the delay in re-signing the contract between the Hershey Bears and the Washington Capitals is nothing more than waiting for the Caps post-season to finish before delving into negotiations. But many of my questions are still unanswered. Several times in the past, the contract renewal between our teams wasn’t signed until the summer, so until we get some definitive answers from the organizations, we’ll all just have to wait it out. Yeah, fun times.

Author's Note: 5/23/2012 The Capitals and the Hershey Bears announce they have extended their affiliation through the 2013-2014 season. Read the HBH press release here.

Sneaky Sasha: Semin vs Backstrom - A Different Kind of Battle

Although "tragedy" struck at Caps practice today, there were also lots of smiles, shoulder punches, goofy guys and practice battles on the ice. Here's one that caught my attention:

The rest of the pictures from practice are here. And no, I didn't catch a picture of Ovi and Knuble's ka-boom, got there a few minutes late and didn't have my camera in my hands yet.

Was It Worth It?

With the trade deadline looming, lots of fans and pundits are quick to speculate on the Capital’s needs for players to support them as they try to get into and through the playoffs for yet another year. This got me to thinking about two trades in previous years that still kinda bug me and make me ask, were they worth it?

First up, Tomas Fleischmann, who was traded to Colorado for veteran defenseman Scott Hannan on November 30th of 2010. At the time, Flash wasn’t having a great start to the season; he had only scored 4 goals and 6 assists in 23 games and his ice time was down to 14:17 during that same period. But, the previous season, Flash scored a career-high 23 goals, so the skilled forward was certainly trade bait for GMGM. Hannan was to bring grit and experience to the team, especially to help the progress of John Carlson and Karl Alzner. So how did they each finish out their seasons? Flash played 22 games for Colorado, with 8 goals and 13 assists. Hannan played 55 games for Washington, with 1 goal and 4 assists. But, here is where it gets interesting, Fleischmann, now on the Florida Panthers currently has 20 goals and 25 assists, and may be having his best season ever if he continues with this success. Was it worth it?

The next trade that still sticks in my craw; David Steckel. While I wasn’t Flash’s biggest fan, I really was a fan of Stecks, (aka Ohio State). On February 28th of 2011, the Capitals traded Stecks to New Jersey for veteran center Jason Arnott, just moments before the deadline ended (oh, and a 2nd round draft pick was involved in there as well). Steckel is a skilled center with a great faceoff percentage and is willing and able to crush opponents against the boards whenever necessary. (Not to mention, accidently hitting the Caps fans most hated player; Sidney Crosby.) And, Arnott (aka The Sasha Whisperer); while a good acquisition; really didn’t have as much impact in the stats. With only 11 games for the Caps, Arnott tallied 4 goals and 3 assists, but his leadership in the locker room was well documented. Maybe that in itself was worth it? Anyway, neither Steckel nor Arnott had the best finish to their season in 2011; maybe those trades shook them up a bit. And while Arnott seems to be thriving a bit better on the St Louis Blues with 13 goals & 14 assists so far, Steckel doesn’t seem to be doing as well. Poor Dave has only 7 goals and 1 assist so far with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that assist stat is really one of his worst in his career. Maybe he misses good old DC? (hmm, I wonder if he would come back?) Overall, yes, we did trade a center for a center, but, since we seem to be in need of a center now, was it really worth it?

The most interesting thing that both Hannan and Arnott said after their trades to Washington? They both were willing to come to a team with the chance to win a Stanley Cup. That worked out well, didn’t it? Another interesting thing? All of these players only lasted on their respective new teams one season. All four of these players were really just rentals. Kinda think that wasn’t what any of them wanted either.

So, IF GMGM does do any trades before the deadline ends tomorrow, I really hope they are worth it, because no matter who gets traded, I’m sure there are going to be more than a few Caps fans who will be disappointed, one way or another. And, if it does happen, I really really really hope none of the new guys say they look forward to playing for a team that stands a chance to win the Stanley Cup. I’m kinda tired at laughing at that joke-turned-jinx.

Penalties by the Replay and the Rule Book

If you watched the Caps game against San Jose on Monday, you may have noticed two occurrences that were a little out of the norm for a regulation NHL game. One that seemed to take forever and one that happened in the blink of an eye.

The first was the goalie interference penalty against Joel Ward that was delayed for almost one minute of play. Here’s how it began: Two minutes into the first period, Joel Ward crashed into the Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss. (Speculation from Caps fans was that Ward was actually pushed into Greiss by Sharks center Logan Couture; at least it looked like that to the Caps faithful watching the replay.) So, at the 18:00 minute mark on the clock, the ref raises his arm to signal a penalty will be called. So, why didn’t he just blow the whistle then instead of waiting until the 17:03 mark? Here’s why.

Per the NHL rulebook:  Should an infraction of the rules which would call for a minor, major, misconduct, game misconduct or match penalty be committed by a player of the team not in possession of the puck, the Referee shall raise his arm to signal the delayed calling of a penalty. When the team to be penalized gains control of the puck, the Referee will blow his whistle to stop play and impose the penalty on the offending player or goalkeeper.

What this breaks down to is this; when the penalty against the Caps occurred, San Jose was in possession of the puck, and upon review of the game footage, kept possession of the puck for another 57 seconds. It wasn’t until San Jose made an attempt on goal that was deflected by Braden Holtby and Roman Hamrlik, that the puck was finally no longer in San Jose’s possession. Yes, it seemed like the delay lasted forever. I actually rewound the DVR several times just to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. So, while we all may disagree with the penalty itself, the delay of the penalty for 57 seconds was by the book. The NHL rulebook, that is.

The second out of the norm occurrence was the 10 minute misconduct penalty called on Joel Rechlicz. How can a guy who only played on the actual ice for 1:30 do something worthy of a 10-minute penalty? To explain that, you need the replay and a little history. Joel “The Wrecker” Rechlicz is a right wing on the Hershey Bears and is known for the enforcer role he plays. (He even dropped the gloves with Donald Brashear back in 2010 when Wrecker was playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers). Apparently, Coach Hunter brought Rechlicz up from Hershey for this Sharks game to keep Brad Winchester from being a factor in the game, as he had previously when he was penalized for charging on Alex Semin in January. Per Dale Hunter after practice on 2/14, “The Wrecker eliminated any effect from Winchester”; so, job well done.

But, as to the misconduct penalty, we really have to go back to the replay, because if you blinked – you missed it. At the 16:23 mark in the second period, Ovechkin is skating along the boards when he comes in contact with Ryan Clowe. “Contact” meaning the usual forceful body hit from Ovi that sends Clowe flying. A few seconds later, Clowe tries to return the favor by slamming Ovi into the wall along the Caps bench. Now, you have to watch really closely to what see happens next. While these two hits occur, you can see Rechlicz standing up from his seat on the bench. Just after the hit from Clowe, Rechlicz appears to take offense to Clowe’s hit and seems to be having words with him. Before you know it, the commentators announce Rechlicz and been removed from the bench for a 10-minute misconduct penalty, and nobody seems to know why.

So, what constitutes a misconduct penalty?

Per the NHL rulebook:

75.4 Misconduct Penalty - Misconduct penalties shall be assessed under this rule for the following infractions:

(i) Any player who persists in using obscene, profane or abusive language directed towards any person after being assessed a minor or bench minor penalty under this Rule.

(ii) Any player who deliberately throws any equipment out of the playing area. At the discretion of the Referee, a game misconduct may be imposed.

(iii) Any player who, after warning by the Referee, persists in any course of conduct (including threatening or abusive language or gestures or similar actions) designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty.

(iv) When a penalized player challenges or disputes the ruling of an official after he has already entered the penalty bench and play has resumed. 



(v)  In general, participants displaying this type of behavior are assessed a minor penalty, then a misconduct penalty and then a game misconduct penalty if they persist.

While fans may never learn the full story of what exactly transpired, we could probably assume (iii) was the reason why.  But what may be more important here is the affect The Wrecker had on the game. Looking back, ten minutes in the locker room isn’t too big a price to pay to ensure the opposition knows who and what they are dealing with.

Great Expectations – My Reality Check

Upon further review of recent events by the Washington Capitals, I find it necessary to give my great expectations a little reality check.

Caps vs. the New York Islanders: Yes, that was a total stinker game, a shit show if I may be so bold. Caps looked like they either couldn’t care less or couldn’t get their shit together. While it was a train wreck to watch, I especially felt bad for fans at Verizon Center who didn’t even get to see one goal from our boys. Shutouts are even harder to watch then losses; shutouts feel like the team didn’t even show up to play, while a loss, hopefully, usually includes some viable effort. So, while it would have been nice to see at least one goal in that game, maybe the team wasn’t into it because they didn’t feel the need to be into it. My reality check: Maybe the team was thinking “Which is more important; we beat the Islanders or we beat the Habs?” I heard all the interviews after the game. Everybody saying how badly they played, etc., etc., etc. But what if  they were just focusing too much on the next game in Montreal? Not fair to the fans but certainly feasable. Dunno for sure, but a little reflection made me change my mind. A stinker is still a stinker though.

Caps vs. Montreal Canadiens: Much better effort here. So much so that the Habs fans were the ones feeling the disappointment of a shutout. But, at least they got to see their team fight and claw to the bitter end. But my reality check here concerns the desire to mete payback for the hit to Nick Backstrom by Rene Bourque on January 3rd. Hubs and I were betting on Erskine to dole out the punishment, but Matt Hendricks answered the call instead. We all knew Bourque would be expecting it and at the end you may say he prevailed, but payback was completed. My reality check: It’s a hockey game, not a 10 round title fight. Additional payback; while desired; is not reasonable. Yes, I have a high regard for Nicky and want to see retribution for those who hurt him, but if another member of the team had tried to punish Bourque again after the “bout” with Hendricks, we would have looked like a bunch of goons. But it does kind of validate my reality check from the previous paragraph.

Nick Backstrom’s injury: I seem to recall Nicky saying that he felt ok after that elbow to the head from Rene Bourque. I did hear that, right? So why is he still out? While concussions are no laughing matter, if he feels great, let him play is the common theme from some fans. Yes, concussions should take precedence, but what if there were more to the story? Could Nick also have an undisclosed injury that needs time for recovery? Many a time we have heard after-the-fact of players playing with an injury during the post-season. Naturally, these injuries would not be disclosed until later since opposing teams would obviously try to take advantage of them when a player does return to the ice. My reality check: IF the aforementioned WERE true, what better time to give Nick a chance to recover from an undisclosed injury while leading everyone to believe that his scratches are concussion related. Furthermore, we all know of Nick’s migraine problems, so let’s add this to the list of possible problems as to why he isn’t back in the game. As much as I miss Nick in the game (and I think the team misses him as well), if he needs to sit, he needs to sit, no matter the reason given. Get well Nicky and come back when you are 100%. (While I was writing this post, an interview from Sweden with Nicky was translated by Malin for Japers Rink. Frustration and headaches were mentioned, go read it if you haven’t already.) Have to admit, though, I am grasping at straws just a bit.

Player scratches and call ups: We’ve all seen it since Dale Hunter has become the coach. Certain players are being scratched game after game after game. Yes, I am talking about Jeff Schultz in particular. I jump to the conclusion that because he was obviously one of Boudreau’s boys from Hershey, he isn’t appreciated the same way now that Hunter has the reins. Ever since Hunter has arrived, we’ve seen the team try to become more physical, which I certainly appreciate. I’ve been asking for bodies against the boards for ages, so it’s great to see this addition to the Caps style of play. But if you’ve watched Jeff Schultz play, he isn’t a huge checker. And without Green to be paired with, he looks like he’s a little lost out there when he does get a chance to play. When Orlov and Kundratek got called up, many fans asked why, since we already had Erskine and Schultz. My reality check: I have absolutely no clue the exact reason why players are getting healthy scratches. Maybe that's ok. It is possible they just aren’t Dale’s or Jim’s cup of tea; it is possible they are having difficulties adjusting to Dale’s system, and it is possible that it’s none of the above. When it comes to Schultz, jump to the conclusion of a possible trade if you must, you could just be right. Since Jeff is technically tied up by contract for a couple more years, I’d bet on a trade by the end of February. (Since I’m terrible at gambling, don’t lay any actual bets on that statement, I’ve been known to be wrong.) This reality check is more of a shoulder shrug/meh/whatever for me.

Caps must win every game/all the time: Come on, really? Time for you to get a reality check if you really think that.

Since math really hurts my brain there are no stats to back any of this conjecture up, just a few reminders to myself that a good dose of reality makes watching the Caps a little easier at times. So, that being said; what color is the sky in your world?

Stripping Ovi

I’m still amazed people want to strip Ovi of the “C”. I’ll grant you that the decision to make Ovechkin the Captain was made by GM George McPhee and Coach Bruce Boudreau, but it was reported that when this was in the works, the team was in on the decision. Let’s take a trip down Reality Road, ok?

First up; per NHL.com from 1/5/2010:

Boudreau said he had polled the team in recent days and Ovechkin was the unanimous choice.

"They were really happy when I told them (Tuesday) morning and this doesn't happen too often, but the group got up and cheered," Boudreau said. "I had talked to a lot of them in the last couple of days and they said Alex was the only choice, 'He's our leader and he's our guy.”

So, if the team wanted him, and the General Manager wanted him, and the Coach wanted him, how does that result in the idea he isn’t the right guy?

I’m also amazed that people say he doesn’t show leadership qualities and the job should be given to a more outspoken veteran guy.

Show of hands; how many people have actually been present in the locker room between periods that are NOT members of the Capitals team or staff? …Anyone? I thought so. Assumptions are being made that claim Ovi does not have what it takes to be the team captain.

Ok, let’s tackle the argument that he’s too young. How about a little look around the league?

Out of 30 teams, 13 of the current captains were born between 5/1/1984 and 4/29/1988, with the two youngest being Stanley Cup winners. (And, yes, #3 Andrew Ladd also won 2 Stanley Cups but he was not a captain on either team at the time they won.)

Jonathan Toews 4/29/1988

Sidney Crosby 8/7/1987

Andrew Ladd 12/12/1985

Alex Ovechkin 9/17/1985

Shea Weber 8/14/1985

Ryan Getzlaf 5/10/1985

Dion Phaneuf 4/10/1985

Ryan Callahan 3/21/1985

Dustin Brown 11/4/1984

Eric Staal 10/29/1984

Zach Parise 7/28/1984

Rick Nash 6/16/1984

David Backes 5/1/1984

How about the argument that Ovi is Russian and English is his second language? I call bullshit there as well. You and I know that Alex’s English is fine and he works hard to speak it and be understood.

Next up; Alex is a selfish player who is out for himself. Come on, really? The guy has tons of heart; one of his greatest wishes is to win a Stanley Cup. Naturally, you have to be selfish to do that and not support your team, because it’s an individual achievement. Yeah, right.

Have I covered all the main arguments? I hope so. The biggest issue is what it says about the team if they strip Ovi of the “C”. Like we need a vote of no confidence right now? Let’s get real. We have enough to complain about and it’s only November. Who is or should be Captain is not really an issue, it’s a diversion. As a fan base, we are concerned about our team. I get it, but let’s not get detoured down Reality Road.

Author's Note: Anyone who clicked the link expecting this post to be about something else...sorry, but thanks for reading!

Hockey 'n Heels in Pictures

Last night, I attended my first Hockey 'n Heels. If you've never attended before, this event is sponsered by the Scarlet Caps to further educate it's members on many aspects of hockey. Attendees were given the opportunity to learn to pass pucks (with Karl Alzner), shooting skills (with Alan May, Troy Brouwer, and Matty Perrault), and how to handle face-offs (with Assistant Coach Bob Woods). The informational panels were Chalk Talk with John Walton and Alan May, Bruce Boudreau's ever popular discussion on game preparation with film footage, and  Fitness and Conditioning with the Caps Strength and Conditioning Coach Mark Nemish. Attendees also posed for a picture with Nick Backstrom.

Bruce's panel was very entertaining. Great to see how the coaches use game footage to determine how to prepare for an opponent. Chalk Talk was a lot of fun. John Walton and Alan May were very informative while being extremely personable. As you may have guessed, the only panel I didn't attend was the Fitness and Conditioning one. Attendees were expected to do actual exercises, so that was not gonna happen, sorry Coach Nemish!

One bit of advise for anyone who has never attended the event but plans to: ice is slippery (duh!). While I didn't fall on my ass, it took a lot of careful manuvering out on the rink in flat boots. To those who wore actual heels to the event (and there were some), kudos to you!

Anyway, here's some pics. I have more posted on my Flickr account as well.

My thanks to the Washington Capitals Scarlet Caps for allowing me to tag along and to Sarah Kogod of NBC Washington for using some of the above on the Capital Games blog



You Gotta Have Heart

Recently, I have seen tweets that accuse Alex Semin of being lazy and selfish. I have also seen tweets that call Mike Green a wuss for not playing with his injury. Geesh, I even saw one that said Alex Ovechkin is statistically on pace for only 41 goals and 82 points this season, "what a bum". (Yes, I recognize sarcasm.) And then there are the tweets that Vokoun lost the game for "us". Seen them all. There are a lot of stats floating around that could back some of these things up, but one thing stats do not convey is the heart and soul of a player and a team when times are tough.

I know every fan of a team is disappointed when they lose. I feel your pain. But let's get real here, folks. Pro athletes are human. Shit happens. I will admit, like so many others, I joke when Semin causes a penalty. Do I think he does it on purpose? Not usually. Do I think he is selfish or lazy. Nope. Do I think Mike Green is a wuss for not playing injured. No way. Yes, I get frustrated when I see Ovechkin standing on the ice waiting for a pass and I'll yell "Move Ovi, get in there". Do I know why he's doing this at this particular time? Not a clue. And nobody else except Ovi does either. (Well, maybe the other players on the ice do too - I hope).

Lest we forget, hockey players have a lot demanded of them, not only in the aspect of the game itself, but outside forces brought on by fan expectations and physical limitations. Football players get at least 5 days between games, sometimes 12-14 days if they have a by week. Even baseball pitchers are on a 5 game rotation. Their league recognizes the need for them to rest between outings to stay healthy. Hockey often requires back to back games, with travel in between; very constant physical activity while playing and many situations of possibly extreme exertion.

So, all statistics aside, let's examine the human factor. The heart. How can anyone know for sure if a player's heart is in the game? You can look at so many examples and draw conclusions, but would you be right? Does anyone really know what goes on in a player's head at any given moment?

Remember back when Ovi got a two game suspension in December of 2009? He was quoted to say afterwards that he would not let the suspension effect the way he plays. But when he returned, I thought the opposite. Watching him play, he seemed to be more cautious when it came to hitting players. All sports psychology aside, he seemed to take the suspension and criticism to heart and; to me; he adjusted his playing style accordingly. The key word in that thought was "heart". This man is one of the "Faces of the Franchise". Don't think that affects him? You gotta believe he would be the last person who would want to be known as a dirty player and human instinct is going to kick in.

So, what do you think Alex Semin is thinking when he sits in the penalty box for a stupid mistake? Well, what would you think if it were you? Of course, you'd be muttering "shit, shit, shit" (or whatever the Russian equivalent is), who wouldn't? Thinking that all of Semin's penalties are because he is lazy or selfish only shows that you have left out the human factor of "heart". What you "see" can be diametrically opposed to what you actually "know". Just watch his face break out into a beaming grin after he scores or assists on a goal, and you know his heart is in it. Maybe his lack of interaction with the media in the past has given people the impression that he is aloof and uncaring. If so, I'm glad he's finally breaking that boundary and beginning to speak up. It might help fans see his human side. It could go a long way to correcting some bad impressions people have of him.

And what about Mike Green being a wuss for not playing while injured? When your personal stats rely on games played, shots blocked, protecting your goalie and the net, goals scored and minutes on the ice; sitting out due to injury only makes your numbers look worse. But what does that do to a player's heart? Do you seriously believe Green enjoys sitting out games? Of course he wants to be out there. But do you; or your team for that matter; jeopardize a player's health or a team's win by letting an injured player actually play? Maybe in the playoffs, but not now. Hopefully, once he gets back into a game, his heart will be more into it than before because, not only is it his job, it's who he is, it defines him.


How about people calling Vokoun out for letting in goals and losing the game for "us"? Think back to his reaction to his first loss as a Capital. The guy was truly regretful about letting the game get to that point, he spoke from the heart. Would you want to be thought of as the reason your team lost the game? Seriously? Vokoun's heart as a player was fully evidenced after that game. Why would it suddenly change? It's going to take time for him to get used to playing with a team he is still learning about. Yes, we all hope he's got it figured out by now, but if you got a new job, how long do you think it would take for you to figure out all the nuances of your co-workers? Shit is gonna spring up to throw you for a loop long after your first day on the job. Still doesn't mean your heart isn't into it, just that shit happens. You learn from your mistakes and move on.


As you can tell, this post is a total opinion piece. Am I going to stop yelling at Ovi on my TV? Nope. Am I going to stop cussing at Schultz for "letting a goal get by"? Nope. Do I expect them to give 100%? You betcha. I'm just speaking from the heart, hopefully getting to the heart of the matter, and now I'm going to go play "Heart and Soul" on the piano.

A Tale of Two Goalies

Author's note: Yes, I actually did real research for this. Aren't you proud? Just like a real serious blogger ;)

Far be it for the Caps to start a season without a little uproar. This season’s began with the announcement of young net minder, Michal Neuvirth, getting the nod to play between the pipes for the season opener on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. With everyone assuming Vokoun would get the start; many fans, journalists, and bloggers were up in arms over this announcement. It seemed you couldn’t click anywhere on a hockey news or blog site without seeing some kind of comment or article about it. With Saturday’s win in the books, tonight we finally got to see Tomas Vokoun in the crease for his first regular season game as a Washington Capital against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

You may have heard that Vokoun was disappointed not to start on Saturday. Many feel your #1 goalie starts the regular season home opener, and being new to the team, it would be a chance for the home crowd to give him a big welcome. Giving Vokoun the start on Saturday against the Canes could have resulted in Neuvirth getting his season start tonight against Tampa. But, what if it were looked at from another direction?

First, let’s consider the opponents, starting with Carolina. Neuvy had a fine performance against Carolina last season, with a shutout against them on 10/27/10. Not so much Vokoun. On 11/5/10, Vokoun was pulled only 10:49 into the first period after giving up two goals. On 12/15/10 Vokoun lost 4-3 to the Canes, and then on 1/7/11, Vokoun lost to the Canes 5-3.

Now, let’s consider Mondays opponent; the Tampa Bay Lightning. Neuvirth only had one regular season win against Tampa which was on 11/7/10 (final score 6-3). The only other regular season game Neuvy played against Tampa was 3/7/11, where he left game after getting a shot to the cage and was replaced by Holtby. And, of course, we all remember the post season games where all four resulted in losses for Neuvirth. On the other hand, Vokoun’s record against Tampa last season was a little different. Vokoun recorded a 6-0 shutout against them on 10/6/10, a shoot out win on 11/27/10 and a shoot out loss on 1/21/11.

So, how about a brief review of the games. Saturday, Neuvirth gets the win. It’s a tough game that goes to overtime, but a win is a win. Some excellent saves (28 in all), some goals that really couldn’t have been stopped, terrific performance in overtime. A respectable .903 save percentage. Monday, Vokoun looked like he got off to a shaky start, but also gets a win with some really great veteran saves in overtime and totally denying Tampa in the shoot out. Two games, two wins.

Personally, I’m gonna say that Vokoun’s shaky start is due to lack of experience with this team and the fact that the coverage from the defense could have caused some adjustments that weren’t made in time. As a matter of fact, even though Vokoun admitted it was his worst start, gotta say the defense didn't help him out as much as they do with Neuvy. But, then again, they are used to Neuvy. Hopefully, more time and practice with guys in actual play will help Vokoun get comfortable and we will see the value of GMGM’s gamble.

Are we going to have to endure another year of who’s #1 and who’s #2? During the Capitals Convention this year; at the goalie panel; Dave Prior said he considered the 2 goalies as partners rather than competitors for the #1 spot. Boudreau had said in an interview, he considers them #1 and #1A. Both sound like good plans to me. In hindsight (which is always perfect 20/20 vision), I have to say I like how Bruce played these two goalies. Based on past experiences with the two opponents involved, it was the right call in my opinion. What do you think?

No Haagen-Daz for You

Lots of pre-game surprises before the season opener tonight. Tomas Vokoun was told he would not start until Monday. Welcome to Gabby's Caps, Tomas. No Haagen-Daz for you.

Another surprise was the apparent healthy scratch of Marcus Johansson, but according to Katie Carrera"s report in the Washington Post earlier, Boudreau said of Johansson, “He practiced hard this week, he’s taking warmup tonight--you never know he might still be in.” Yeah, we pretty much know what that means - No Haagen-Daz for you.

Still, we should be used to this by now. Boudreau has a way of taking what is expected and switching it up. I liken it to him pulling cards out of his sleeve, throwing them down on the table with a flourish, and exclaiming "Aha, take that!". I see a lot of fans want to play armchair coach, but do we really know what's going on day to day behind the closed doors of Kettler? How many times last season did Boudreau switch out a player or a line and we all screamed in frustration "WTF?". Personally, I had hoped Gabby would have played Varly one game against Tampa in the semi-finals last year. I thought it might have helped to shake things up, but even then, Bruce denied even me. No Haagen-Daz for you.

So, now the first game of the regular season is in the books. Caps win in OT by none other than Game Over Green. Boudreau's choice to play Neuvy worked out, considering how hard he worked tonight between the pipes. A .903 save % is pretty darn good for a 1A goalie, don't ya think?  And saving Vokoun for Tampa (especially after the playoffs last season) could become a very strategic move. As to scratching Mojo, I still need to see the % of face-off wins tonight before I speculate on that. Let's hope whatever message he was trying to send has been heard and noted.

I do know one message that was sent and heard tonight, and that was to the Carolina Hurricanes: No Haagen-Daz for you.

Oh Hai Boyz!

First chance I've had to hit up Kettler and check in on the boys at training camp. More on Flickr:

Wishing and Hoping

It’s mid-August; September is right around the corner. You hockey fans know what that means. Almost time for training camp and preseason hockey, baby!

In pondering the upcoming Caps season, and musing on Matt Bradley’s thoughts on last year, I came to the realization that besides my non-diva wish for the 2011-2012 season, there are a couple of things I’d like to see adjusted for the Caps. Being a simple blonde girl blogger, and not BB/GMGM/Uncle Ted, it’s easy to be an armchair analyst, right?

1. LET THEM GEL. My greatest wish for training camp and beyond is that Bruce will give the lines a chance to gel. We know how frustrating it is to watch the constant line changing during a game; just imagine what it is like for the players who are experiencing it. Feels a little like crisis management, doesn’t it? Hopefully, Bruce will use training camp as a starting point for creating some solid lines and then give them a chance to learn to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Trust your instincts Bruce, and let the guys work together. You have lots of time to determine if it isn’t gelling. That’s when you make adjustments. And once you make those adjustments, give those new lines a chance to gel too. Use training camp and preseason games to get your lines set and then let them play together for a while before you start switching them up, ok?

2. LET’S SEE A LEAN, MEAN, RUSSIAN MACHINE. I know there were a lot of comments on Ovi being fat when his post-season interview with Mike Vogel was released. (I’m going to stick by my theory that he was just bloated from all his traveling around that time. That and he was slumping in his chair.) Now, if you research just a little, you will see the few pictures of Ovechkin taken this summer since that time. Doesn’t look fat to me at all. I hope you’ve worked hard over the summer, Ovi, please come back to training camp the lean, mean Russian machine we long to see. Oh, and I hope that lean, mean Russian machine is present in the locker room as well. I’m kinda tired of hearing about veterans making their presence known; I’d really like to hear that Ovi’s presence is being shown in the locker room. I am not one of those fans that thinks the “C” should be taken away from him, so back me up here, ok Ovi?

3. BACKY COMES BACK. I miss Nick Backstrom. I think we all miss Nick Backstrom. Dear Nicky, I hope whatever was going on last season is in the past. I hope whatever physical or mental obstacles that you encountered are gone. I hope you had a great summer of training and working on all the things that caused you to “stumble” last year and you come into training camp with a renewed sense of purpose. We need our #1 Center back in action, focused and strong. Love, all Caps fans.

4. NO OPTIONAL PRACTICES. Brads kind of alluded to this in his recent interview. My Twitter feed totally alluded to this during the entire season last year. Unless there is an injury, let’s see every player at every practice, ok? In order for wish #1 to work, you all need to be there making sure you are prepared for every inevitability. No excuses. Sorry, but if you expect to be a threat on the ice this year, everybody has to buy in to it. There is no I in team. (Yes, there is an M-E, but forget you heard that). While I don’t expect to have players punished with bag skates, that wouldn’t even be considered if everyone played their hearts out and participated in every practice.

5. DO NOT FEED US FALSE PROMISES. Do not give us promises of winning the Stanley Cup. Please, I’m begging here. All we want to hear is that the entire team is serious about being the best they can be. Yes, we all want the Stanley Cup, but we are a little tired of hearing how this is going to be our year. Let’s make “Giving our all” the motto this year, ok?

Just 5 simple wishes for the Caps 2011-2012 season. Not much to ask for, right? And I didn’t even use any cussing, aren’t you proud of me? So, what would you wish for?

#NeedsMoreBradley (Part2)

Today, while going through my Caps pictures to clean up a Blogger mess, I noticed I had a lot of really funny pictures of Matt Bradley from over the years. After a brief poll, I was convinced it isn't too late for a pictoral tribute to our favorite paper-skinned Capital; Matt Bradley. (Actually, since I really wanted to do one, it didn't take that much arm twisting).

Any time I shot pictures at practices or game warmups, I could almost always be guarnteed of at least one great pic of our MB10.

If you happen to know any Florida Panthers fans; besides teaching them the #needsmorebradley hashtag, I'd really love for them to see what to expect when it comes to the fun loving Brads, so give 'em a link to here to get a small taste.

I would like to dedicate this post to @iloveburritos, who as far as I am concerned, is THE biggest MB10 fan. I know her Capfandom will probably never be the same. :(

Maybe I'll be lucky enough to catch a Caps/Panthers game and snag one or two more, but until then, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you The Many Faces of Matt Bradley:

We'll miss you Brads!



If I discover I've missed any, I'll update the post.