First of all, I just wanted to see if I could get three straight titles with a question mark.
Done.
Second, I am starting to see some similarities between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals. The Caps roster from 2001 - 2003 that is. A team loaded with what looked on paper like the team to beat loaded with plenty of veteran savvy and "proven" talent.
The Caps had spent the money to get Jaromir Jagr in a DC sweater, Robert Lang to compliment him, they had spent money on players like Trever Linden, Bates Battaglia, Joe Sacco, Adam Oates, and so on. The best players at the time (on paper) that were battled harden and veteran savvy themselves.
Tampa this year spent money to bring in veteran talent in Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, goaltender Olaf Kolzig and a coach that hasn't seen the back of a bench in over a decade in Barry Melrose. The owners seem just as agressive as Ted Leonsis was so long ago getting the best players available.
There are the obvious differences. The Lightning had the number one overall pick last year and signed their pick Steve Stamkos to a three year contract. Their top talent was bred through their farm system as well, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis pretty much bleed black and blue.
But being aggreisive this off season and signing talent that could be past their prime or being "overpaid" really going to pay off? For the Capitals, their model failed.
When the Caps spent the money to get the best possible players it could at the time, it led to either an early out or missing the playoffs all together. This from a team that had seen the Stanley Cup finals for the first time just a couple of years prior.
The excitement was palpable in DC with the signing of former rival Jagr, and players the Caps felt they could compliment him with some veteran talent. But it never worked out. The Caps changed coaches putting in a younger successful coach from the minors in Bruce Cassidy in '02 and it just got worse.
Uncle Ted and the Caps management had to change course drasticly following the debacle of the 'o3 - '04 season which led to the sell off of every heavy contract the Caps had just before the dreaded lockout.
To me, the Lighnting look a bit similar loading up their roster with, on paper, proven talent like the Caps did some 6 years ago. Time will tell if this was the right move. If the team can gel and Stamkos pays off, they have the potential of being a very good team. We certianly thought the Caps had that potential back then.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Is The Excitment Still There?
It's already a long summer. Is it long enough for some short term memory loss? Maybe for some fans. But catching up with one of my season ticket holders, this has been an excruciating wait.
It's that time of year when it seems all you see is Redskins, Redskins and more Redskins. So much so that many Washingtonians might have the summer amnesia when it comes to what the Capitals were able to do in the spring. But for hard core season ticket holder friend, who has re-upped for next season already, the playoffs are still fresh in their minds.
"For those of us that were there, that building was amazing," He said with a look of excitement in his eyes. "I don't think I have ever seen a building that alive before and every one of them were in red. I just hope we see more of that next year."
Uncle Ted as already seen the benefits of a an electric spring in the dead of summer. "Business is very healthy for us right now and we are very grateful," Owner Ted Leonsis wrote through his blog. "I watched game 7 of our playoff series against the Flyers last night on the NHL channel. It was so amazing to see that sea of red in the stands. I am hopeful we can keep the spirit alive and recapture that magic throughout next season and it all starts with our season ticket holders."
For some it might be hard to contemplate hockey in this sweltering humidity and heat. But for that core of fans that season ending run and the playoffs that followed has kept ice on the brain no matter what time of year it happens to be.
Take, for instance, my blog. My readership this summer has almost tripled from last year with fans who want to know more about the Capitals. While I appreciate the love, this is becoming much bigger than I hoped for a place that I just came to vent game after game. But the level of the Washington area's saturation of Capitals hockey seems to never reach full. Fans want to know more and they want to keep the momentum going.
"This is a town of flakes," My season ticket holder friend once wrote me. "For them to come in full force to Verizon Center, that means something special happened. I witnessed a team that couldn't draw charity tickets in the door, to a croweded ticket line to get in 2 hours before game time all in one season. That is once in a lifetime experience there."
It's that time of year when it seems all you see is Redskins, Redskins and more Redskins. So much so that many Washingtonians might have the summer amnesia when it comes to what the Capitals were able to do in the spring. But for hard core season ticket holder friend, who has re-upped for next season already, the playoffs are still fresh in their minds.
"For those of us that were there, that building was amazing," He said with a look of excitement in his eyes. "I don't think I have ever seen a building that alive before and every one of them were in red. I just hope we see more of that next year."
Uncle Ted as already seen the benefits of a an electric spring in the dead of summer. "Business is very healthy for us right now and we are very grateful," Owner Ted Leonsis wrote through his blog. "I watched game 7 of our playoff series against the Flyers last night on the NHL channel. It was so amazing to see that sea of red in the stands. I am hopeful we can keep the spirit alive and recapture that magic throughout next season and it all starts with our season ticket holders."
For some it might be hard to contemplate hockey in this sweltering humidity and heat. But for that core of fans that season ending run and the playoffs that followed has kept ice on the brain no matter what time of year it happens to be.
Take, for instance, my blog. My readership this summer has almost tripled from last year with fans who want to know more about the Capitals. While I appreciate the love, this is becoming much bigger than I hoped for a place that I just came to vent game after game. But the level of the Washington area's saturation of Capitals hockey seems to never reach full. Fans want to know more and they want to keep the momentum going.
"This is a town of flakes," My season ticket holder friend once wrote me. "For them to come in full force to Verizon Center, that means something special happened. I witnessed a team that couldn't draw charity tickets in the door, to a croweded ticket line to get in 2 hours before game time all in one season. That is once in a lifetime experience there."
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Are We There Yet?
When you have a good thing going, everyone wants to be a apart of it. Just ask Graham Mink in his brand new blog:
The Capitals now seem to have the most exclusive club in the league. Now that they have hit the salary cap ceiling and a bit beyond. One very good way of telling the value of a particular organization is what those are saying from the inside out. And Mink's been around long enough to realize a good thing is happening here in DC.
What makes this club intriguing to the rest of the world is they seemed to come from nowhere. But as most of us bloggers and Caps fans, we have been enjoying watching this crop cultivate into the buzz of the league. To see that growth and explosion into maturity happen in a single season has us rabid for more.
With a roster that is now pretty tight, it's looks like some of the younger players will have to wait their turn in Hershey. Not that the Bears are complaining much. And in case of injuries, players like Karl Alzner, Francois Bouchard and Oskar Osala will continue to develop in Chocolate Town. Until the trade deadline anyway, were cap limits will no longer matter.
With a team that is nearly already assembled so early, trades may be likely but doubtful. I think that McPhee and Uncle Ted are pretty satisfied with they line up they have now.
In other NHL News:
Jaromir Jagr arrived in Omsk in good spirits. He seems pretty excited to play in a city that has a small town flavor to it. Apparently New York was a bit much for him. He also is not expecting a come back to the NHL anytime soon. Rough translation: "Chance to return to NHL, void, I would say that it is zero."
He also talked about the difficult choice to leave the NHL. "The main thing was to take the most correct decision. I played 17 years overseas... So the choice was difficult."
And maybe his head got a big head too: "I had the opportunity to become the ocean almost idols, perhaps second after Wayne Gretzky." Second after Gretzky? Ah I don't think so. The link to the article is here. Rough translation to English here.
Anyone that has been following the Washington organization the past year knows that they are one of the up and coming teams in the league with a lot of positive energy surrounding them. Their rebuilding efforts over the last couple of years are finally paying off now that they have the right pieces in place. Having played for Coach Boudreau for the 05/06 season I know that this years Caps will be a very competitive team that will love to play every night and that will be fun to watch. I am also looking forward to seeing several old friends and teammates who are still with the organization. Seeing all of the great players that have signed on with Wash/Hershey for next season I know that regardless of which team I play for they will be a contender for a Championship.
The Capitals now seem to have the most exclusive club in the league. Now that they have hit the salary cap ceiling and a bit beyond. One very good way of telling the value of a particular organization is what those are saying from the inside out. And Mink's been around long enough to realize a good thing is happening here in DC.
What makes this club intriguing to the rest of the world is they seemed to come from nowhere. But as most of us bloggers and Caps fans, we have been enjoying watching this crop cultivate into the buzz of the league. To see that growth and explosion into maturity happen in a single season has us rabid for more.
With a roster that is now pretty tight, it's looks like some of the younger players will have to wait their turn in Hershey. Not that the Bears are complaining much. And in case of injuries, players like Karl Alzner, Francois Bouchard and Oskar Osala will continue to develop in Chocolate Town. Until the trade deadline anyway, were cap limits will no longer matter.
With a team that is nearly already assembled so early, trades may be likely but doubtful. I think that McPhee and Uncle Ted are pretty satisfied with they line up they have now.
In other NHL News:
Jaromir Jagr arrived in Omsk in good spirits. He seems pretty excited to play in a city that has a small town flavor to it. Apparently New York was a bit much for him. He also is not expecting a come back to the NHL anytime soon. Rough translation: "Chance to return to NHL, void, I would say that it is zero."
He also talked about the difficult choice to leave the NHL. "The main thing was to take the most correct decision. I played 17 years overseas... So the choice was difficult."
And maybe his head got a big head too: "I had the opportunity to become the ocean almost idols, perhaps second after Wayne Gretzky." Second after Gretzky? Ah I don't think so. The link to the article is here. Rough translation to English here.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Power To The Rankings
Remember the days when the Capitals could barely break the top 25 in national power rankings? Let alone the top twenty. Well the expectation level has jumped to the top ten. Top 5 if you just count the Eastern Conference.
espn.com came out with their mid summer power rankings and the Caps are nestled between the New York Rangers (4) and New Jersey Devils (6). espn is not about to rank the full league however, so their 5 place ranking is just in the Eastern Conference. Guess whose number one.
The Caps, according to the rankings, look to be Southeast Division champs agian. But goaltending will always be suspect, and Burnside sort has that angle down. If Jose Theodore can be the goaltender that he was for Colorado, what's to say the Capitals can't make it work.
Another problem is the recent bump in the road for the Capitals is the salary cap. With Shaone Morrison's arbitration winnings yesterday, the Caps are now about $900,000 over. That means some of the prospects will have to sit in Hershey a bit longer, until at least the trade deadline, when the cap doesn't matter. Or a trade could be likely, but McPhee obviously wants everyone back.
With this new ranking, comes an expectation level on these players to do even more this year. A better start, a better road record. A better overall effort by everyone. Because in a year's time, this team will look somewhat, if not completely different.
espn.com came out with their mid summer power rankings and the Caps are nestled between the New York Rangers (4) and New Jersey Devils (6). espn is not about to rank the full league however, so their 5 place ranking is just in the Eastern Conference. Guess whose number one.
The Caps, according to the rankings, look to be Southeast Division champs agian. But goaltending will always be suspect, and Burnside sort has that angle down. If Jose Theodore can be the goaltender that he was for Colorado, what's to say the Capitals can't make it work.
Another problem is the recent bump in the road for the Capitals is the salary cap. With Shaone Morrison's arbitration winnings yesterday, the Caps are now about $900,000 over. That means some of the prospects will have to sit in Hershey a bit longer, until at least the trade deadline, when the cap doesn't matter. Or a trade could be likely, but McPhee obviously wants everyone back.
With this new ranking, comes an expectation level on these players to do even more this year. A better start, a better road record. A better overall effort by everyone. Because in a year's time, this team will look somewhat, if not completely different.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
B & E Hardcore Rap
It's not hockey related but it's very funny. Since Morrisonn is back on board and news will all but cease from Capitals' headquarters, have fun.
Morrisonn Signed (Updated)
Shaone Morrisonn was resigned with the Capitals. Details to follow.
Update: Shaone signed, as RTM found out before me, to a one year $1.975 million. Which puts the Caps over cap for now (thanks to JP's math). There will be some juggling of rosters positions to keep the Capitals with in legal ranges, possibly a trade before the season starts?
Mo must have turned down the straight $1 million that would have kept the Capitals just under the cap.
Update: Shaone signed, as RTM found out before me, to a one year $1.975 million. Which puts the Caps over cap for now (thanks to JP's math). There will be some juggling of rosters positions to keep the Capitals with in legal ranges, possibly a trade before the season starts?
Mo must have turned down the straight $1 million that would have kept the Capitals just under the cap.
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