Big Picture, Capitals News Thom_Admin Big Picture, Capitals News Thom_Admin

Get Rid of the Real Problem

By Rodger M. WoodDale Hunter 32

Newly Announced Washington Capitals Coach Dale Hunter    Image by Rodger M. Wood
After a debacle 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night, GM George McPhee announced 200 NHL-game winner Coach Boudreau had been fired and named former Capital forward Dale Hunter to take over the team.McPhee was quoted as saying, “The players weren’t responding to Bruce, and when that happens, you have to make a change.”Translated, his statement, “not responding” means star player Alex Ovechkin, who was -4 in the Sabre game, a -7 for the first 20 games of the season, and other star players have been “shaving effort,” just like basketball players who shave points to let the opposition win games.And Ovechkin sets the tone for his buddy Alexander Semin, who was in Coach Boudreau’s dog house all season for taking foolish penalties and benched one game recently for lackadaisical play, and line mates Niklaus Backstrom, who was also a - 4 culprit against the Sabres and is a -6 for the season, and Troy Brouwer,  a -3 for the game and even on the season .His influence may also extend to defenseman Roman Hamrlik, who was a -3 for the game and a miserable  -10 for the season, Dennis Wideman, -3 and -6, and goalie Tomas Vokoun, who saved only 23 of 28 shots in the Sabres  game.The +/- stats and save %  indicate these players are either underperforming or aren’t the big stars they are said to be.Boudreau made the mistake of trying to make a $9 million “super star” and a few other highly paid prima donnas accountable for their performance.By firing Boudreau, Caps management abdicated the throne and gave Ovechkin the crown.Alex Ovechkin
A Struggling Alexander Ovechkin      Image by Thom Wood
You have to believe in the fairy godmother if you think these players unleashed from Boudreau will ever play the kind of hockey needed to bring home a Stanley Cup now.But maybe new coach Dale Hunter will be the Caps new fairy godmother.He played 1,407 games in 19 seasons with Quebec, Washington, and Colorado and never once, even in bad times, took a shift off.I can remember how he built up game intensity an hour before the game under the stands at the old Capital Center sitting outside the dressing room on a bench by himself.  You wouldn’t dare make a peep or distract him in any way.I will never forget seeing him hit Pierre Turgeon from behind when he scored a decisive goal in game six of the 1993 Patrick Division Semi Finals between the Capitals and Islanders.The game meant a lot to him and he paid the price for the Turgeon hit with a 21-game suspension.With 3, 565 penalties minutes, he ranks second highest in NHL history.He was tough on himself, but was always the first player to come to practice, was gentle to his teammates  and gave all of himself in every game. His coaches called him “the perfect player.”Judging by his own standards, Dale Hunter will not put up with an under-performing player and is tough enough to back up his value system.Ovechkin and his sidekicks had better be aware that what they wished for may not be what they have gotten. Hunter will not put players on the ice if they don’t perform.It’s not too late for Capitals management to resolve the real problem. They can bite the bullet and trade Ovechkin now before he decides to get back at Hunter for trying to coach him.

Read More
Big Picture, Features Thom_Admin Big Picture, Features Thom_Admin

Maybe Boudreau Should Sit Down Ovechkin or Semin!

By Rodger M. WoodAlthough the Caps are 1-4-1 in the past six games, not all is bleak with the Capitals nowadays.They started the season off with 7 straight wins, have won 10 games of 17 for the season, and are tied with the lowly Florida Panthers for the Southeast Division lead with 21 points.Forwards Mike Knuble, Troy Brouwer, Matt Hendricks, Brooks Laich, Jason Chimera, Joel Ward, defenseman John Erskine plus goalie Tomas Vokoun are playing hockey and earning their keep.But at the game last night,  I could hear the lowly 6-9-3 W-L –OL Winnipeg fans sarcastically jeering Ovie and Coach Boudreau after the home team Jets took a 4-1 lead at 10:54 of the second period.Indeed, the Caps looked like a joke. Coach Boudreau wasn’ t getting 100% effort from his stars, they weren’t  forechecking, chasing down the puck, or crashing the net, were taking more foolish penalties, and getting weak goaltending, while Jets  goalie Ondrej Pavalec did acobats, stopped shot after shot at the other end of the ice and Jets second year pro Evander Kane, scoring two goals, almost had a hat trick.Awhile back In the Pittsburgh game, which the Caps won 3-2 in OT, it was embarrassing when Penguins tough guy Arron Asham, former Capitals forward Dale Hunter’s lookalike, mocked the Capitals manliness after he decked Caps forward Jay Beagle, effectively putting him out of the lineup with a concussion the last nine games, and in return, was not pummeled by a single Caps teammate’s blows.Except for fluky wins against the Red Wings away and the Ducks at home, the Caps have also been embarrassed in successive losses to the Oilers, Canucks, Predators, Stars,  and the other physically tough Western Conference foes they have faced this season.If the stars are not scoring goals, and shying away from the toughness of the game, what would be the loss in keeping one of them off the ice watching the game from the stands?After the Jets loss, the Caps were tied with the rejuvenated Florida Panthers for the Southeast Division lead and 6th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, only a point ahead of defending Stanley Cup  champion Boston Bruins and division rival Tampa Bay Lightning. If they don’t start winning again soon, the Caps will fall out of the 8-team conference Stanley Cup playoff contention.Resting Ovechkin and Semin during game critical situations, Boudreau is desperately trying to awaken his fading star power. So far unsuccessful, maybe instead, he needs to sit one of his super stars down in the stands for a game or two, while other Capitals restore Capitals’ self - respect.

Read More
Big Picture, Capitals News Thom Big Picture, Capitals News Thom

Finding His Game, Alex Semin Helps Avert A Lightning Strike

Alex Semin

Alex Semin powers down the ice earlier in the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Semin was the best player on the ice sheet last night, and his game-tying goal late in the final frame seemed in its virtuosity and swagger to assure the Caps of leaving town with two points. The Capitals are a vastly different looking hockey club when Sasha skates with swagger." OnFrozenBlog.com

Bookmark and Share

Capitalpowerplay.com images by PhotoByThom.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Creative Commons License

Read More
Big Picture, Capitals News Thom Big Picture, Capitals News Thom

Great Defense but No Goals!

By Rodger M. WoodMatt BradleyThe Caps played good defense against Atlanta last night, but couldn’t buy a goal to save their souls.And this has been the story the past two games. The Capitals have held opponents to a goal each in regulation, but scoring only a goal themselves both games, lost to the Rangers Monday night at home in a shootout 2-1, and the Thrashers Wednesday 1-0 away, making the seventh game the Capitals have been shutout this season.There is no way in the world either of these teams should beat our Capitals, especially on home ice, but can you believe Wednesday’s night win was sadly the Thrashers’ third win in a row over the Caps.Both games looked like figure skating events at the Olympics. Skating around in wide circles, Johansson, Backstrom, Ovechkin, Green, Chimera, and Carlson made doing Figure 8’s looked good for the fans.It was disappointing to see our favorites futilely try to mount any offense, especially on the power play, which they have scored on once in the past five game. The Caps prevented the opposition from scoring goals, but couldn’t reverse the tables to score some goals themselves.Defense wins games, but only when a team score more goals than the other team. If the Caps don’t learn to do both quickly or trade for some players who know, can, and want to score goals at the same they play good defense, fans, you can kiss the playoffs “goodbye” Either the Caps will not make them or if they do, not make it past the first round.It was good to see Matt Bradley back on the ice again. As soon as he gets ice acclimated, he will give the Caps more heart.While Caps baby goalies are playing great, they need to stay healthy and on the ice. Michael Neuvirth is injured now, and Varlamoiv’s just getting back.After losing a shutout late in the third period to the Rangers, Braden Holtby was faked out of his jock on three shots in the shootout. Varlamov allowed only a goal to the Thrashers.While Caps goalies are giving the team a chance to win, they aren’t getting the offensive support they need to win.

Read More
Big Picture, Capitals News Thom Big Picture, Capitals News Thom

Alex the Great Lights Up Hockey Night in Canada!

By Rodger M. WoodAlex_4.jpgScoring three goals in a Caps 4-1 win, unselfishly blocking opponent shots in front of a young goalie, and crushing opposing skaters with body checks all over the ice, Alex O played last night in Toronto like he was on a mission to show fans on Hockey Night in Canada that he was still the great one.Assisted by Nikolas Backstrom and Jeff Schultz, he opened up scoring at the 14:27 mark of the first period, at 1:12 of the third period, assisted by Green and Chimera, he scored the Caps game winner, and at the end of the third period he scored an empty netter to make the final score 4-1.Between Alex O’s goals, Matt Hendricks scored a nice breakaway goal, his 6th of the season.Braden HoltbySharing the limelight with Ovi in his second start in a row and tenth NHL game of his career, rookie goalie Braden Holtby put on a spectacular show stopping 35 shots, many of which were serious Leaf scoring threats.Caps defensemen, Mike Green, Scott Hannan, Jeff Schultz, John Erskine, Karl Alzner, and John Carlson helped young Holtby with a stingy aggressive defense, which blocked double digit shots and forced Maple Leaf snipers to shoot from the perimeter.This past week the Caps gained five of six points in road games against the Flyers, Islanders, and Leafs to stay a point behind first place Southeast Division Tampa Bay and 7 ahead of 3rd place Atlanta.Caps forwards Boyd Gordon and DJ King are back on the ice, but Alexander Semin, Matt Bradley, and Tom Poti are on the sideline.The Caps play at home today against the New York Rangers.

Bookmark and Share

Creative Commons License

Capitalpowerplay.com images by WoodSportsPhotography.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

--------------------------------------------------

Capitalpowerplay.com images by PhotoByThom.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Read More
Big Picture, Capitals News Thom Big Picture, Capitals News Thom

Caps’ Defense Shutout Canadiens 3-0

Semyon Varlamov 1 (1).jpgBy Rodger M. WoodStill smarting from playoff elimination by them last spring, the Washington Capitals showed their nemesis Montreal Canadiens they had learned how to play playoff hockey again in their 3 – 0 shutout of them last night at the Verizon Center.Working Coach Boudreau’s new mid ice checking patterns, and better keeping the puck In the opponents end of the ice, while supported by Semyon Varlamov’s 25-shot shutout goaltending, the Capitals displayed a defensive style of hockey, which they can practice in the Winter Classic against the Penguins New Year Day and perfect before Stanley Cup playoffs begin again in mid - April.Hershey call up, and Caps 10th center in 2010, Jay Beagle scored the lead goal, assisted by Eric Fehr and Matt Hendricks at 16.20 of the first period.Coach Boudreau was impressed with Beagle’s play since call up, “There’s a guy that’s making a bid to stay here. It’s his 4th year pro and his work ethic is second to none.”Continuing 2-game goal scoring streaks, Mike Green put the Caps up 2-0 with 38 seconds remaining in the first period, and Alex the Great netted an empty netter at the game’s end.Hats off to right winger Eric Fehr whose energy and hard grinding play with line mates Jay Beagle and Matt Hendricks lit up the ice against Montreal.Out 9 games with a fractured thumb, it was good to see defenseman Jeff Schultz back protecting the Caps blue line.

Bookmark and Share

Creative Commons License

Capitalpowerplay.com images by woodsportsphotography.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Read More
Big Picture Thom Big Picture Thom

The Rookie Image: Part III

_MG_1715 (1).jpg

73 Josh Godfrey | 6’1” | 202 | Right | 1/15/88 | Collingwood, Ontario | AHL: Hershey | ECHL: South Carolina

_MG_1835 (1).jpg

50 Cody Eakin | 5’11” |187 | Left | 5/24/91 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | WHL: Swift Current | AHL: Hershey

_MG_1843.jpg

50 Cody Eakin | 5’11” |187 | Left | 5/24/91 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | WHL: Swift Current | AHL: Hershey

Bookmark and Share

Capitalpowerplay.com images by PhotoByThom.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Creative Commons License

Read More
Big Picture Thom Big Picture Thom

The Rookie Image: Part II

_MG_1502.jpg

90 Marcus Johansson | 5’11” | 189 | Left | 10/6/90 | Landskrona, Sweden | Farjestad Sweden

_MG_1627.jpg

50 Cody Eakin | 5’11” |187 | Left | 5/24/91 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | WHL: Swift Current | AHL: Hershey

_MG_1640.jpg

90 Marcus Johansson | 5’11” | 189 | Left | 10/6/90 | Landskrona, Sweden | Farjestad Sweden

_MG_1644.jpg

90 Marcus Johansson | 5’11” | 189 | Left | 10/6/90 | Landskrona, Sweden | Farjestad Sweden

Bookmark and Share

Capitalpowerplay.com images by PhotoByThom.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Creative Commons License

Read More
Big Picture Thom Big Picture Thom

The Rookie Image: Part I

The Caps rookies put it all on the ice in this years rookie matchup against the Flyers. A good win and good fun for the full house of fans. Cody Eakin and Marcus Johansson were the standouts, while Josh Godfrey had his moments with two goals. It was a bit surprising that Anton Gustafsson and Dmitry Kugryshev were somewhat quite. I thought we might see a bit more out of them.Checkout the Captials Insider for the game details and a good writeup about Josh Godfrey by Tim Leone.

Lest we forget, today is Alex Ovechkin's birthday, so Happy Birthday Ovie! See a photo tribute to his 25 years at the Capital Outsider.

_MG_1285.jpg

73 Josh Godfrey | 6’1” | 202 | Right | 1/15/88 | Collingwood, Ontario | AHL: Hershey | ECHL: South Carolina

_MG_1377.jpg

88 Trevor Bruess | 6’0” | 209 Right | 1/6/86 |Minneapolis, Minnesota | AHL: Hershey | ECHL South Carolina

_MG_1462.jpg

29Brett Fleming | 5’11” | 179 | Right | 2/26/91 | Regina, Saskatchewan | OHL: Mississauga St. Michael’s

_MG_1463.jpg

29 Brett Fleming | 5’11” | 179 | Right | 2/26/91 | Regina, Saskatchewan | OHL: Mississauga St. Michael’s

Bookmark and Share

Capitalpowerplay.com images by PhotoByThom.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Creative Commons License

Read More