Carlson's Chance In Sochi

Carlson celebrates his game winning OT goal vs. Canada in 2010

In the February issue of USA Hockey Magazine, they featured their picks for 2014's Team USA to represent in Sochi at the Winter Olympics. The games officially open February 6, 2014, a year from now. On that list to represent the United States is a Washington Capitals' defender, John Carlson.

Our Take: Team USA’s youngest defenseman will also provide the red, white and blue with a presence along the blue line. The 6-foot-3 Carlson is one of the league’s up and coming defensemen.

There is still a long way to go to see if any NHL players will even be allowed to go to Sochi, but Carlson would be on the short list of defensemen to make America's team. He has international experience from the World Junior Championship in 2010. His gold medal winning overtime goal against team Canada (in Canada) has endeared himself to USA hockey fans and deserves consideration by Team USA's brass to take him to Russia.

His quickness and good puck handling skills are a plus for any team. Carlson is a shining beacon to the USA developmental program that is beginning to pour out championship teams. The USA junior program has cranked out two gold medals in the last four years, four medals (2g, 2b) since 2007. The Olympic men's hockey program has also benefited by winning silver in Vancouver just three years ago.

But ask John Carlson about being on the short list to make the trip to Russia and it is as far from his mind as Sochi is to Washington, D.C.

"Obviously everyone wants to play there, it would be great," Carlson said after practice Friday. "But, I am just trying to keep my head here right now and work as hard as I can everyday try to help make this team (Capitals) better. I think that is everyone's goal in here, we don't need any distractions."

Carlson's talents have been overshadowed this year by a tough losing streak with the Capitals. He has been on the ice for at least a goal against in every game of the season thus far, although not all of the blame could fall on him. For him, Sochi is this far off thing and he seems content to keep it right there.

"We need to stay focused to what is ahead of us right now."

If the budding defenseman needed any advice, he does have another once budding defenseman just four stalls down from him in Tom Poti to give him guidance.

"It is a great experience," Poti said of his time he played at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. "You get to meet all the different athletes from different countries and see how they train and how they get prepared for their events."

Poti at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics

Poti was a young defenseman playing for the Edmonton Oilers at the time. Like Carlson, Poti also came up the ranks through the World Junior Championships playing in 1995 and again in 1996. On an Olympic team that featured some of the all time USA greats like Phil Housley, Mike Modano, Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk (just to name a few), the stacked team won silver.

They lost to an equally stacked Canadian team featuring Joe Sakic, Mario Lemieux, Martin Brodeur, Jarome Iginla and Brendan Shanahan (just to name a few).

"They were a pretty good squad," Poti recalled. "We had a great team as well. We went 7-0 in the preliminary round and the only game we lost was the gold medal game. It was frustrating to lose to those guys but we gave it our best shot.

"If [Carlson] gets the chance to go just embrace it, have a blast with it. He will remember every second of it."

Both Team USA and the Washington Capitals could sure use some of that explosive quickness and hard shot from the point. What Carlson can take out from his international experience does help him here in the NHL.

"Every new league you play in, it's different, a different style of hockey," Carlson said. "You take a lot out of it and also you play against a lot of really good players."

While the prospect of getting that opportunity to represent his country in Russia excites the young defenseman, Carlson remains committed to his team here in DC. The 2014 Olympics are a year away after all.

"I mean, I don't think anyone wouldn't [be excited to make the team]," Carlson smirked. "It would be awesome."

Olympic Winners And Losers

What a finish in men's hockey in Vancouver. From the intense preliminary games, to a gold medal finish between two rival countries, you could not ask for a better Olympic tournament. The following is my list of winners and losers over the last two weeks. It will be my last look at the XXI Winter Games of the Olympiad as the NHL returns and heads down the homestretch.

The winners:

Team Canada - The pressure of winning gold in front of the home crowd nearly did them in. They started sluggishly having to beat the Swiss in a shoot out and a shocking loss to USA in the preliminaries. But they turned it around. Minus a few close calls, they demolished their biggest rival in Russia in the quarter finals sending them home with no medals. And they played the two most watched and most revered games against a new up an coming rival in Team USA. It would be an assistant captain scored a goal that sent a country into a frenzy. Congratulations to Canada for winning the gold medal.

Team USA - Not expected to do much (in fact many experts had not put USA in the top 4 at this tournament) USA did much better than that winning silver and gave the home country's team fits in both games they played against them. The team played a scrappy, aggressive style that propelled them to the gold medal game. They were never out of any game they played, and even when they were down 2-0 to Canada, they found a way to tie it and send it to overtime. Well done boys!

Ryan Miller (USA)- What a tournament. He may only leave with a silver medal, but Miller was by far the best goaltender in the tournament. Just in the medal playoff round, Miller only allowed four goals past him. That includes the three goals that beat him in the gold medal game. He was also named the tournament's MVP and took a stroll with the other Olympic athletes at the closing ceremonies.

GM's Brian Burke (USA) and Steve Yzerman (Canada) - When putting a team together for international play, you are going to break some hearts of your fellow countrymen. But both Yzerman and Burke were able to build teams that dominated the tournament. USA towered over their competition outscoring the competition 24 to 9 in six games and Canada dominated by outscoring their opponents 33 to 16 in seven games. Both teams had little trouble getting to the gold medal game.

Jonathan Toews (Canada) - He had 8 points for Team Canada, the most of any player. One goal and seven assists for the first time Olympian, Toews opened the scoring in the gold medal game. He had a spectacular tournament.

Ryan Kesler (USA) - He played the best two way game than any other player in the tournament. Kesler would only finish with a pair of goals, but one of those goals epitomizes the USA hard work ethic that got them to the gold medal game. He hustled to the open puck behind Canada's Corey Perry and knocks into an empty net sealing the win for USA. He was a spectacular back checker as well as a good forechecker for Team USA.

Olli Jokinen (Finland) - The Finnish forward had a pretty quiet tournament. That was until he scored a pair of goals against Slovakia helping Finland to win Bronze. Just when you thought Jokinen did have a big game in him, he comes up with two great goals.

The City of Vancouver - I mean what a great host city. Not only is it a beautiful city, but they understood the game of hockey and gave a standing ovation to both Ryan Miller and Ryan Kesler. Class act.

Alex Ovechkin's hit on Jaromir Jagr - The hit heard around the world and pretty marked the beginning of the end for the Czech Republic in these winter games. It was the talk of the tournament, even if Russia faltered down the stretch.

Which brings us to this tournament's losers:

Team Russia - A major disappointment as Russia didn't make it to the medal round. It might not have mattered as the faced power house Canada in the quarterfinals, but they didn't even show up for the game. Letting in 4 first period goals and losing 7-3, the Russians left with more questions about their goaltending, coaching and players. You can only help but wonder what changes will come from this disappointing finish.

Jaromir Jagr - The Czech came back to play for his country and looked good. That is until he got bonked by Ovechkin. Then he just couldn't help his team out when they needed him most. Jagr finished with 2 goals and one assist in five games played. He was hoping that maybe he could make a return to the NHL, but after seeing him in this tournament, maybe not.

Team Sweden - A favorite for a medal, they couldn't get out of the quarterfinals against a less talented Slovakian team. Their goaltending looked human, they struggled for goals and the defense was just not a factor. Their bright spots were Capitals Nick Backstrom who lead the team with 6 points, a goal and five assists.

Team Latvia - There had to be a team that couldn't buy themselves a win. That team was Latvia. Although they played the Czech Republic tough only losing by a goal in the medal playoff round. Latvia has pulled out upsets in the Olympic games before, but they couldn't do that in Vancouver.

Gary Betteman - Make a decision on Sochi already. If Betteman hasn't realized what having NHL players in the Olympics does for the sport, then he needs to cease being a commissioner. Let 'em play Gary, let 'em play.

In all, it was a great Olympics for hockey. The ratings, I am sure, will reflect that. While it got off to a slow start, its midpoint and ending couldn't have been scripted any better. It marks a great tournament for the Americans, who exceeded expectations.

Now that the games are behind us, it's off to more important things. Like the Stanley Cup. The Capitals will get all of their athletes (if they have not returned already) for a couple of practices. They will return to the NHL schedule on Wednesday night when they face Olympian and American hero Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres. The Caps are only a point ahead of San Jose for lead in the league. But they have a 13 point lead in the Eastern Conference. New Jersey will be trying to chase them down in the conference.

A Full Flight Home

Every Washington Capital involved in the Olympics saw their dreams of winning a medal dashed yesterday on what is being dubbed Wild Wednesday. They will return to DC to rejoin the Caps as they push to finish the season strong and pursue the next best thing, the Stanley Cup.

Nick Backstrom and Team Sweden could not overcome a third period Slovakia power play and lost 4-3. Backstrom played well, getting on the scoresheet with an assist and nearly scoring himself to tie the game. In the end it would be Slovakia, who also went on to beat Russia in the preliminaries, that will continue on. Former Capital, now Blue Jacket, Milan Jurcina will continue to represent his home country of Slovakia.

Tomas Fleischmann did not advance past Wednesday as the Czech Republic fell to Finland. It was a goaltending duel between Tomas Vokoun and Mikka Kiprusoff that Vokoun just came up on the short end of the game. Flash would score no points in the shutout, but had some great chances in front of the net. His teammate, Jaromir Jagr, looked like he was going to break out, but in the end he just didn't have it in his gas tank. Jagr could have played his last game in North America despite rumors of a return to the NHL.

Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Semyon Varlamov would be the most disappointed athletes of the winter games to be making a return home early. Team Russia, a gold medal favorite, were overwhelmed early in their marquee matchup against Canada. The Canadians scored 4 goals in the first period and the Russians just could not overcome the onslaught of physical and aggressive play.

"I think we was not ready for first five minutes of game and when we wake up it was too late," Ovechkin told reporters following the game. "It was 3-0 and it's pretty hard to come back, especially that game."

All of the Capitals players return either today or tomorrow to resume practices with their teammates in Washington DC. And practice they will need. The Caps are looking at snapping a three game losing skid that they carried over into the Olympic break. Now that the Olympians are returning healthy (for the most part, Ovechkin stopped a puck with his hand. He claimed it pinched a nerve) and hopefully ready to return to their day jobs.

Russia Bombs

The most anticipated game of the Olympic games turned out to be nothing more than a dud. Thanks to some poor plays in the first period by the Russians. Canada took it to their arch rivals. They scored 4 goals against the Russians in the first period, added three in the second and Canada continues on to play for a medal. Meanwhile the Russians' end up scratching their heads and leaving empty handed.

It would be the combination of KHL and NHL players for Russia that seemed to keep them off kilter all tournament long. Slovakia beat them in the preliminaries and they just didn't play dominate over the Czech Republic. Questions about the coaching, the players and the goaltenders swirled around Russians' heads as they packed up and headed home.

The Canadians did play a very good game, not to take away from their win that keeps them in the hunt for gold on home soil. But this wasn't the kind of game we expected by Russia. The anticlimactic conclusion leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of hockey fans who were drooling to see both teams on the same ice. Instead of an epic game, they got an epic stinker.

They weren't just beat in the score, or in shots, the Russians were outplayed in every aspect of the first 30 minutes of the game. Alex Ovechkin would finish with no points against Canada and was a -2. Alex Semin would be blanked as well. It would not just be a player here or a player there, it was a total team breakdown.

What the problem could have been was Russia's coaching. It seemed suspect that it took Slava Bykov, Russia's bench boss, six goals to pull Evgeni Nabokov. The lines did not gel, the passion wasn't there and the players didn't seem prepared at all at the onslaught Canada brought in the first period. That comes down to who would prepare them, who would get the chemistry going, it came down to coaching. They didn't seem to get that support from their Russian coaches.

Canada played a rough, knock-them-off-the-puck style of play. The Russians could not handle the aggressive and physical nature of their opponents. Then mistake beget mistake. Before all was said and done, Canada built a significant lead. Insurmountable as it would turn out.

With the very short schedule the Olympics crunches its games in, it is hard for any team to get chemistry with their lines quickly. For Russia, it just didn't pan out for them. They didn't make it a game. There is something more sad about that, than just another blow out game.

Olympic notes:

• USA continues its march to the finals. They defeated the Swiss 2-0. It has been the second time the Americans have played Switzerland and beat them by two goals.
• Team USA will face Finland after their 2-0 win against the Czech Republic in a goaltending duel.
• Canada will face either Sweden or Slovakia following their late game outcome.
  
• In one night, Capital Olympians are saying good-bye to Vancouver. Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Semyon Varlamov and Tomas Fleischmann were all eliminated on the same day.
  
• Dan Boyle took exception to a hit by Alex Semin. Boyle got up and slew footed Semin to the ice. Both were given minor penalties. It is unlikely Boyle's slew footing will be reviewed or any more punishment will come from it as the IIHF does not review minor penalties.
  

USA Upsets, Russia Wins On Super Sunday

If you are taking in all the action at the Olympics, you will know that heavy favorites for gold are Canada and Russia. Canada on their home ice, Russia still basking in the winning glow at the World Championships. Both seem hard to beat. But no one expected that USA would come in and tilt the ice their way. But the Americans did just that with an upset win against heavy favorite Canada.

I always use the saying that a coach once told me when I was playing hockey. "Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard." That saying does apply to the boys from US. They simply outworked their neighbors to the north, on their soil. Here are some thoughts from that game and the other two games today.

Russia 4, Czech Republic 2

• Russia badly needed this win after dropping to Slovakia a couple of nights before. They made up for it by defeating the Czech Republic and doing it in dominating fashion.
• Alex Ovechkin didn't score a goal, but his presence was felt all game long. Whether it was a big hit, or a couple of helpers, he played a monster game. He laid out Jaromir Jagr as the forward cut up the ice with his head down. That set up the clinching goal on the transition. Ovi has had 2g, 2a through 3 games in the preliminary round.
• Jagr was a non factor in this game. Not only did he get his bell rung by Ovechkin, he just couldn't get any kind of flow going. The rest of the team followed suit.
• Russia wins their group and gets a first round bye.

USA 5, Canada 3

• Riding a hot goaltender, and I mean smoking hot, Team USA got the upset of the tournament so far. Ryan Miller turned away 42 shots to help the cause.
• Miller played out of his mind. He let in a softie or two, but besides that, he bent but never broke against the Canadian onslaught. He made some spectacular saves, including one that was Varlamov-esque on Rick Nash. Nash had an open net after a fantastic pass from Sidney Crosby. Miller was badly out of position but reached back with his stick and somehow kept the puck from going into a wide open net.
• Ryan Kesler made good on his promise. He played a spectacular two way game, blocking shots and was dynamite on the backcheck. He also beat out Corey Perry in the waning moments in the game to get the puck into the empty net. If they gave out stars of the game, I am certain Kesler would have gotten second star, if not the first.
• Brian Rafalski had another giant game for the US. Scoring two goals in this tilt, he helped USA dictate the goal pace for the game. Just when you though his career took a turn toward retirement, he comes up clutch in a big game.
• There were other players that were considered just role players that made a difference playing in this tournament. Chris Drury was one of them. He scored a momentum changing goal for USA. Before the tournament started, the coaches told him not to expect a lot of ice time. Drury's play has earned him the right to be a regular on the checking line.
  
• Canada just can't seem to get their bench revved up, unless they score. Miller's performance in net deflated Canada's high powered offense. Ryan Getzlaf seems so close to being a threat in each game he has played, but he hasn't really made a difference when it counts most.
  
• USA won their group, earn a first round bye.

Sweden, Finland

• Will update this after I take in the game tonight.
  

USA Cruises, Too Close For Canada, Russia Stunned

It was only day three in the tournament, but the Olympic Men's Hockey is looking more and more wide open as two of the power houses that played last night were caught off guard. Close games by Canada and Russia against teams that are not favorites to even medal made for some pretty heavy drama. It is setting up some important and what could be very close games over the weekend. Here are my thoughts on the games yesterday.

USA 6, Norway 1

• It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. A good first and third periods gets the easiest win of the day for team USA. Besides a shaky second period, the Americans bookended it with 3 goals each to do away with Norway.
• Patrick Kane finally got a goal, but it was his line mate that had a spectacular game. Zach Parise was all over the ice, making room and creating chances for the top line. Parise didn't score, but did have a pair of assists.
• US goaltender Ryan Miller looked a bit out of sorts. Not sure if was because he faced so few shots, just 11 shots and only 2 shots in the first and third periods. He did let in a shortie, but the Norway player just had a spectacular shot that snuck in on the far post.
• The defense were very aggressive through out the game, which created a lot of odd man rushes. I doubt they will pinch as much as they did with Norway when they face Canada, but it needs to be shored up by then.
  
• Good win for USA considering another power house in their group struggled against a team that US didn't have too much trouble with in Switzerland. It sets up for a big game between Canada and USA on Sunday.

Canada 3, Switzerland 2 SO

• Canada showed they didn't like being hit, some stupid penalties seemed to catch the Canucks off guard. Chris Pronger took exception to a hit late in the second and was going to be called for retaliation. But the Swiss scored not long after. Canada may be looking forward to US, but the Swiss game should have been much easier for them than the final result.
• Sidney Crosby had the game winning shoot out goal. It would be his second chance at beating Jonas Hiller in the shoot out. Martin Brodeur was able to make the stop to give Canada the win and two points in their round robin group standings.
• Speaking of Hiller, wow! He had a spectacular third period, bending but never breaking. The Swiss owe a lot of their success in the game to their goaltender. He made some outstanding saves in the third forcing overtime and then the shoot out. Player of the night for sure.
• The pressure to win for Canada is hurting them more than it is helping. Every little play is being scrutinized by their countrymen. I think this team would have much better success if it wasn't played in Canada.

Russia 1, Slovakia 2 SO

• Slovakia played a well coached, very comfortable game against the gold medal favorite. They stunned Russia with a 2-1 shootout win in a spirited and intense game.
• Alex Ovechkin scored in the shoot out, but it was failure in the two chances after his first attempt. He was a monster in this game, going after Zdeno Chara hitting him a couple of times, laying him out more than once. He was very physical, but it was hard for him to put puck on the net. The Slovaks did a fantastic job of jumping or getting sticks into the shooting lanes.
• Simply, the Russians did not get many quality shots on net on Jarolav Halak. But Halak made the saves he needed to. After Russia scored their goal to give them a 1-0 lead, the team seemed to let up a bit. A bit too much as Slovakia tied up the game.
• The Russian choices in the shootout confused some. With dynamic players who have a high percentage in the shootout, they instead went with the players that are ranked very low in that category. Ovechkin did score on his first attempt, but in the NHL he is only 16.7% in the shootout this season. Pavel Datsyuk, who had a chance and didn't score, Alex Semin, and Evgeni Malkin (who also missed on his chance) have much better percentages were seldom used.
• The road for Russia gets tougher. They need a win against the Czech Republic to ensure a spot in the medal round. That makes for a more intense game on Sunday for the Russian squad.
• Although very fashionable, Ovechkin's flaming 8 and sheep skates didn't last too long. After problems with the blade holder (the part of the skate that holds the blade under the boot) he had to use a different skate. He had one flame skate and the other was normal for half of the game.
  

Some amazing games yesterday will lead into some good games (I hope) today and on Sunday. While a lot of people only see two teams in the gold medal final, Russian and Canada, other games like Canada/USA and Russia/Czech Republic will make for some must see hockey in the tournament thus far. Hockey fans can only find fault in the coverage, because the hockey to this point has been outstanding.

It Just Gets Better/Tougher From Here

Alex Ovechkin will not admit it. Most of the Russian players will down play it. But Russia may be the team to beat in this year's tournament. Their first test against Latvia was not a perfect game for them. They have some growing to do, some chemistry to find with their teammates. But if a 8-2 drubbing is not perfect, I hate to see what the end game will look like for Russia.

The biggest concern for every team in this tournament is quickly learning to mesh with your line mates. Team USA's top line of Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Paul Stastny got off to a dominating start against Switzerland, but they didn't produce any goals. Gaining that chemistry is important for all the teams, but especially those teams stacked with NHL players.

"To be honest, right when I found out [who I would be playing with] I started to think," Parise said. "You start to think about the way Stastny plays and where he likes to go on the ice. What does Kane like to do. You start to think what you can do to help these guys and make the line better."

For three of the big power houses, USA, Canada and Russia, they faced rather easy foes to open the Olympic games. Soundly beating the Swiss, Team Norway and the Latvians respectfully has proven that these three are the heavy weights, but it's tough to know just how good these teams until they face one another.

That will be tested by Russia first on Thursday when they play a much better national team in Slovakia. "Our game is not perfect yet," Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk told reporters following their 8-2 victory over Latvia. "We need to play simpler in defense. Our next opponents will make us do that."

When the international powerhouses start to face one another, the games will be more intense, more scrutinized and a whole lot more fun to watch.

Team USA's Upcoming Schedule:

Feb 18, 12:00 n - vs. Norway
Feb 21, 4:40 p - vs. Canada

Team Canada's Upcoming Schedule:

Feb 18, 4:30 p - vs. Switzerland
Feb 21, 4:40 p - vs. USA

Team Russia's Upcoming Schedule: (Ovechkin, Semin, Varlamov)

Feb 18, 9:00 p - vs. Slovakia
Feb 21, 12:00 n - vs. Czech Republic

Team Sweden's Upcoming Schedule: (Backstrom)

Feb 17, 4:30 p - vs. Germany
Feb 19, 12:00 n - vs. Belarus
Feb 21, 9:00 p - vs. Finland

Team Czech Republic's Upcoming Schedule: (Fleischmann)

Feb 17, 9:00 p - vs. Slovakia
Feb 19, 4:30 p - vs. Latvia
Feb 21, 12:00 n - vs. Russia

All times are Pacific (local Vancouver time)

USA, Canada Off To Good Starts In Olympics

The Olympics have arrived, and more importantly Men's hockey started their tournament with Team USA, Canada and Russia dropping the puck. Since you haven't come here for the results here are a few thoughts on the nights action of the games I saw.

USA 3, Swiss 1

• Ryan Miller looked good in net, but not great. Could be just some first game jitters. But he made the saves he needed to, even if he only saw 15 shots. The only goal he let in was of his own doing. He stuck his stick to stop a cross ice pass, but the puck jumped over his pads and in the net behind him.
• Chris Drury played well for being one of the senior members of this USA team filled with youngsters. He also did well on the PK, and seemed to have a scoring chance every time he hit the ice.
• Bobby Ryan scored the first goal of the tournament as USA's forecheck broke the Swiss down in their zone. He beat his Anaheim Duck teammate Jonas Hiller top side.
• All the goals USA scored came from players 6'2" and taller. The big guys Brian Burke chose paid off early for the Americans.
  
• Some one should keep an eye on Roman Wick, the Swiss player with their only goal. This kid is fast and talented. He didn't directly score the goal, but he did give the Swiss an offensive threat. He was deserving of a one of the game's 3 stars, if they only did that for international play.
• Good start for Team USA. We can only hope they can build off that win as they face some of the tougher teams in their group (yes, we are talking about Canada).
  

Canada 8, Norway 0

• Canada looked pretty shaky in the first period going 0-2 on the power play and blanking in the first frame. That would change in the second period with a power play goal by Jarome Iginla. The flood gates would open with 3 goals in the second and 5 more in the third.
  
• Norway's goaltender Paal Grotnes played very well. He was square to the shots and his team played pretty good team defense around him. He was calm and collected even after the goals that may have made it easier for the Norway players. He was pulled after letting in four goals.
  
• Roberto Luongo played okay, considering he spent more time watching than actually doing. He wasn't controlling his rebounds as well as he should have. That could be a bigger problem against a better team.
• 17 different players made it to the score sheet for Canada with at least a point. 4 of those players had 2 points and Sidney Crosby had three assists.
  
• Unlike the USA/Swiss game, this one had commercial breaks between whistles. It often came back with play already in process. CNBC also game in late in the first period with just a couple of minutes left in the first frame. Not great coverage, but better than nothing.
• Mike Richards had a good game with a goal and did a good job both ways.
• It is hard to really judge this team considering this is just Norway. Not one of the power houses going for gold. They will not play USA in their group until Feb. 21st.
• Crosby led all Canadians with three assists and three points. He also took a strange penalty at the start of the third period as he took out Norway's smallest player 5'7" Mats Zuccarello Aasen. It was a two minute roughing minor.
  

Russia 8, Latvia 2

• Alex Ovechkin had a strong game netting two goals. He was paired up with Washington teammate Alex Semin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk. I am not going to lie, he would have had the hat trick if Nick Backstrom was on his line.
• While Ovi tops the list of players from the NHL, it was the KHL players that seemed to get Russia off to a good start. Former Cap Sergei Fedorov had a pair of assists and his countryman, Danis Zaripov, had a couple of goals as well.
  
• Russia looked good, probably the best start of the tournament so far as the Russians came out to a early 3-0 lead in the first. The game fell into a lull in the second period but when Latvia scored early in the third, the Russians answered back (following Ovechkin's lead) with three goals. In fact in a span of 2 minutes and 2 seconds 5 goals were scored, two for Latvia, 3 for Russia. 5 goals on 5 shots straight.
• Latvia showed signs of some pretty good pressure, but they were just outmatched by Russia's talent.
  
• Evgeni Nabokov played well through out. But he did let in a couple of softies. Again, it is hard to gauge how good or how bad these teams are against foes that are not at the same talent level.

Caps Drag 3 Game Losing Streak Into Break

Capitals 3, Blues 4 OT/SO (0-1)
Game Summary

Often during a winning streak, little mistakes can be missed if you end up winning the game. Those mistakes can become bad habits and bad habits are hard to break. For the Capitals, the past three games have exposed some of their bad habits and the result is losing three straight games after a record run of 14 consecutive wins. Their latest loss was a shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues 4-3.

The Caps once again allowed their opponents the first goal, forcing them to come back. They gave up the first goal mid way through the first period after Blues forward Cam Janssen blindsided Matt Bradley along the boards a good 3 seconds after Bradley had given up the puck. Janssen was given a (get this) 5 minute major for interference. But the Caps never got to use the major as Quintin Laing came in defense of his teammate and the officials threw the book at him giving him two minors and basically washing out the Janssen major and making it 4 on 4 for four minutes.

The Blues would score while 4 on 4 but would take a penalty not long after that. As Laing's penalties expired, it would give the Caps a 5 on 3 power play which Mike Knuble scored on in front of the net. The Blues would again take the lead in the second, only to be answered once again by Alex Semin who fired it off the cross bar and in the net. Again, the Blues would come back to score on the power play.

Knuble would tie the game up again and the Caps tried to make an effort to shut down the Blues. But the third period the game would become a stalemate between both teams. The Caps would only manage 4 shots in the final frame. They had more chances than the Blues in the overtime period, but they couldn't put the game away drawing it to a shootout.

The Caps sudden loss of scoring seemed to hinder them in the one on one shootout. Not one Capital was able to beat Blues' goaltender Chris Mason. David Perron would win it for St. Louis and the Caps can only manage two points in their last three games.

It is a terrible way to end the stretch going into a long break. But maybe the two week Olympic Break can help the Caps correct those bad habits. Among some of the bad habits are not tying up men in front of the net, bad breakouts and turnovers in the neutral zone. They also have had troubles with an aggressive forecheck as the Capital defenders seem to miss play or turnover the puck on the break out and not able to cover as their opponent transitions.

The Caps have also run into special teams problems. While their power play tops the league, it is their penalty kill that is suffering. They rank first in the league with the extra man, they are a mortal 25th in the league (79.1%) dealing with the other teams' power play. On the road, it's ranked 29th (72.3%). Second only to Toronto for the worst penalty kill on the road. Washington's penalty kill was 17th in the league a season ago.

Caps Notes:

• Olympians Alex Ovechkin, Semyon Varlamov, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Tomas Fleischmann will spend the night in St. Louis before heading to Vancouver to join their respective teams for the Olympics. Russia will play Latvia on Tuesday (9 pm), Sweden will play Canada on Wednesday (2:30 pm) and Czech Republic will play Slovakia in the late game on Wednesday (9 pm). Team USA will play Switzerland 12 noon on Tuesday. Check here for your local TV listings.
  
• Mike Knuble had a pair of goals tonight and was the game's third star. He has capped a wonderful run scoring 15 points in the last 11 games. Ovechkin's 9 game point streak was snapped against the Blues.
• Matt Bradley was hit early in the first period, blindsided by Cam Janssen after he made the pass. Janssen caught the Caps' forward looking the other way after Bradley made a pass. Bradley would not return to the game.

Happy Olympic Break!

Players Union Has Good Intentions

Asking a player not to take part in on-ice activities for their country's team is kind of like asking them to to kiss their sisters. It just not going to happen. Earlier this week, the NHLPA asked players not to take part in on-ice practices due to the possibility of injury.

The Players Union is worried about injuries and the insurance to cover said injuries. Since there is no deal between the NHL and IIHF, the country's hockey program is responsible for the players' insurance for any activity for international play. The NHL is not responsible for insuring the players.

The Union obviously is looking out for their own (as they often do) and sent out a memo asking players to not take part of on-ice practices because of "unwarranted and unnecessary risk."

While it's a strongly worded memo, the players have a different take on the subject. Via TSN.ca:

"I've skated for years and have never been hurt, so I'll be skating," said
(Joe) Thornton, who played for Canada at the 2006 Olympics.

While the PA is looking out for their own, I think they failed to realize that players are going to do what they want, memo or not. International teams need to see the boys on the ice so they can make the matchups, get the lines right and see what their own can do. Also from TSN.ca:

"We shouldn't have to worry about the business of things, but it's a fact, and the PA is there to protect everyone's interests," said New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, a three-time Olympian who admits he's confused as to why the NHLPA is more worried for this Olympics than they were in 2006. "It's just normal that they have concerns."

It means the Players Union, the NHL and the IIHF need to sit down and hammer out a deal in the coming years. If the Union and the league decide against using NHL players in international events like the Olympics, that will greatly impact players that want to play for their countries and they may go elsewhere rather than the NHL to play for their homeland. Asking Alex Ovechkin not to play in his home country in another four years might be a tough pill to swallow for the player, the league and the Washington Capitals.

This just points out the distance that the league and IIHF have to close in making a deal.

NHL Notes:

• The Phoenix Coyotes are making a go at staying in the desert. This time there is a bid that involves both U.S. and Canadian interests that would like to keep the Coyotes where they are. Not only does it make sense (since the Coyotes signed a long term contract with the venue), but hockey in that part of the world is starting to gain some interest. If the 'Yotes can put some wins together, the stadium will fill.
• Speaking of owners and money, Len Barrie (the part genius behind the Lightning last season) finally showed proof that he can sustain the team as a majority holder. Barrie basically took over the team with Oren Koules and tried to rebuild the team through free agency. After firing the coach, John Tortorella, and the GM, Jay Feaster, the Lightning floundered near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. There are still some rumbles that it's not new GM Brian Lawton calling the shots, but the two owners. That forced Bettman's hand to make sure Barrie had at least $10 million to maintain the team.
• Believe it or not, but there are still a fair amount of good players that are free agents and haven't signed with a team. For the Caps, Brent Johnson, minor leaguers Alex Giroux, Graham Mink, and Bryan Helmer are still on the list as free agents. Milan Jurcina's arbitration hearing is set for July 28th.
  

Can't Keep It Bottled Up Anymore

Okay a lot of NHL drama going on, I can't keep my opinions to myself much longer. Some if it is older news, I know. But I've been busy.

First, Danny Heatly asking for a trade and refusing to be traded to Edmonton. The drama seems to be in limbo at the moment. I think the very action of asking for a trade waives any kind of trade clause on any contract. Also, if you ask your general manager for a trade after you publicly committed to money and time to be with a particular team you give up any say over what team you may be traded too. At first I thought Heatly was an okay guy, not any more.

Second, Chicago and their paperwork. I guess when you live in the windy city, one should get a paper weight (sorry old joke). Now the NHLPA has filed a grievance with the league over the paperwork. At worst, some big players for the Blackhawks get a taste of the free market as unrestricted free agents. But they were already restricted free agents and Chicago had a right to match the contract offered them. It may not be a huge deal. Plus the other 29 general managers may just give the "too bad" signal to the players association and not sign any of the players with bad paperwork, allowing Chicago to resign them. At least the PA is looking out for their own.

Third, Alex Ovechkin becomes an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. There is a possibility the NHL will pull out of letting players play in the Olympics, but that is maybe why they made Ovi a full fledged ambassador. It's also a great pick up line for the ladies I'm sure. You have to admire Ovi's countryman's spirit.

Lastly, Brian Burke successfully gets his goaltender. TSN reports Burke has gotten Jonas (the Monster) Gustavsson to be the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Possibly leaving long time Capital Olaf Kolzig with out a team if the Leafs do not resign him. He is a Free Agent this summer. Gustavsson comes highly touted from the Swedish Elite League. He has size (he looks big in net, hence the nickname 'Monster') speed and good basics. However, he hasn't seen scorers like Evgeni Malkin, Jerome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk or Ovechkin. So he is basically a wild card for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some of his highlights are on YouTube.

Caps Notes:

• Barrack Obama mentioned Alex Ovechkin's name in a speech and some fans were quick to jump on the "why doesn't he come to Caps' games?" critic. Honestly, I think he has much more important things to do rather than take in hockey games or basketball games. Like finding jobs for hundreds and thousands that will be on the street after the States budgets get slashed. Just my gut reaction.
  
• Okay, back to hockey. Development camp is less than a week away and as usual the Caps are going to lean heavily on the kids for the future of the team. The names to watch will be Anton Gustafsson (who missed last year's camp due to injury), Joe Finley (the big meany from North Dakota), Jake Hauswirth (who made quite the splash in last year's camp) and first round pick in the '09 Entry Draft Marcus Johansson is not confirmed to be there, but is likely to show. Camp is from July 13 - 18.
• All this week, be sure to turn on NHL Network as they will be replaying the Rangers/Capitals series starting with game one today. Relive the Caps first series win in nearly 11 years.
  

Olympics Impress In High Def; Ch. 4 Doesn't

When I bought my HD television almost a year ago, I did it mostly because a lot of people told me that watching the Caps game would be almost like being there. I have to say I have been very impressed and happy with my splurging to get an HDTV. Which makes watching the Olympics in HD even that more enjoyable to watch. In these Olympic games every event this year broadcasting in 1080i (TV lingo which I have picked up). The picture is amazing and makes the sporting events so much fun to watch.

That is until the local broadcasts starts. NBC Channel 4 (WRC) goes back to it's standard screen and while the digital picture is good, it just isn't the same. Normally I wouldn't be bothered by it much, until we had those storms come through the area on Saturday and the local broadcast had to send out the severe weather statement that scrolled at the top of the screen during the action. The broadcast jumped in time when they squeezed the full 16x9 HD picture down to the standart 4x3, ran the storm warning, then jumped back in to the HD delay missing about a second or two in the action back to the 16X9 format.

Now if you were on a normal screen (4x3), you wouldn't have noticed this. But on my HD television, I was a little peeved about it. Why hasn't Ch. 4 gone to high def yet? Channel 9, the CBS affiliate has made the jump to HD and their broadcasts are pretty cool to watch. But this jumping back and forth from standard to HD gets a little tiring (especially when they forget to put it back in HD and we are stuck with a standard format picture).

It's a little thing I know, but with HD being king I am a bit surprised how slowly network affiliates are slow to convert. While I do enjoy the NBC's broadcasts of the Olympic games in HD, I tend to tune out the shows like the Olympic Zone which is done locally by WRC because it's not in HD. It would look so much better otherwise. I would think that with the Olympics upon us, it would have been a great opportunity for Channel 4 to step out of its standard and join the rest of us in 1080i.

Are You Excited For The Olympics?

It only happens every 4 years, how could you not? I was in the process of dumping every program out of my Tivo to catch all the Olympic goodness that will be spewing across my screen over the next couple of weeks as the XXIX games of the Olympiad will be held in Beijing China.

I know that many of my fellow countrymen (and women) will be more interested in the medal count. Which is fine for the United States, Russia, China and other big countries (albeit a bit shallow). But the real excitement for me will be the story lines behind the action and the drama of a good competition.

Like in 1992, when Derek Redmond pulled a muscle but he and his dad finished the race. Who didn't shed a tear for that? Or Kerri Strug's improbable stuck landing on a bum ankle, Olympic magic. Those are the kinds of events that move me to tune in every 4 years and geeking out about gymnastics, track and field and even fencing.

It doesn't have to result in a gold medal, but it does show how big a heart an athlete has to compete and overcome whatever challenges face them.

Olympic Fever

Over the past week or so, NBC has been starting to cover the Olympic trials on their sister channels like USA and Universal HD. Something that brings great joy to my wife who was a high jumper in college. The other night we witnessed one of the most exciting races in the Men's 800 meters.

Now let me preface this by saying my wife could care less about sports in general. When I am watching hockey, she rolls her eyes with every goal I celebrate, and gets peeved when I get upset over a blown call or a stupid penalty. Don't try talking hockey with my wife either, she could care less. When ever I have news or think something is exciting and I share it with her, I usually get a "I really don't care" stare from her.

But the roles were reversed the other night when we watched the track and field Olympic trials. She was on the edge of the couch, getting more and more excited as we watched the decathlon events high jumping and pole vaulting. Then we watched the Men's 800 meter race that feature 3 runners from Oregon, the home boys since the trials are being held in Oregon.

When the race starts the three Oregon runners were near the back for most of the race, until the last turn. Out of nowhere all three put it into overdrive and all three beat the field and will be going to Beijing for the Olympics. You can see the video here on nbcolympics.com. My wife was so excited she was jumping around the living room and screaming about how great a race it was.

I caught myself rolling my eyes. It was a great race, but I was never a huge track and field fan. But thinking about it, I get to see the Caps play every year for near 8 months out of the year. She only gets to watch elite athletes realize their Olympic dreams every 4 years. So I let her jump and scream and grunt with the runners and jumpers. It was fun to see the fan side of her emerge as we watched all of the events. She even gave me a few pointers on how to high jump using our bed as the "pit."

I guess our house has already caught Olympic fever.

Do You Know How To Cheer?

On the Today show yesterday morning, a story came across about the up coming Olympics in Beijing China. The communist government seems to think their loyal subjects might not know how to cheer, so they came up with a helpful guide:



Now that you know how to cheer, you can better enjoy your experience while watching the Olympics. While it seems easy to do, you might want to practice them. Don't forget to do the thumbs up sign, that one is the toughest of all.

Childhood Games (I Got Tagged)

What the hell? I was tagged? I was king of home-base for years as a kid (and making up more home-bases as the game went along, “This blade of grass is home-base! Ha!”). So as not to be “it” anymore, here are my five things. Prepare to be impressed.

1. I just celebrated my 8th anniversary of a beautiful marriage to my lovely wife Katie in July. When we met, she was actually dating a guy at another college. Of course I had to end that right then and there. From then we just became infatuated with one another, and it really has never ceased. (Okay, mushy stuff over).

2. I met Lynda Carter at a Holiday party at Vice President Dan Quayle’s house. The highlight of my young life (I was 14 at the time). Since then I have always had an obsession with Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter can rescue me anytime!

3. I saved my Uncle Gary’s life by simply being there. My uncle runs a farm in Nebraska and he brought me along to fix a feed trailer when it collapsed on top of him. When it fell, I knew something was wrong because Gary was not standing next to it, he was under it. I freaked, and ran to the house and called 911. There were other people at the house that helped me out. We lifted the trailer with a tractor’s front loader. Lucky for my uncle, the ground under the trailer was sandy and soft so he mostly sunk into the ground. He is still working on the farm and is fully recovered after a few months in the Hospital.

4. I have worked as a Doorkeeper at the US Capitol building. It was one of the most interesting jobs I have had. I have met so many people who visited the Senate Gallery, which includes Michael Stipe from R.E.M., David Hyde Pierce and brother, Paige Davis (before Trading Spaces) just to name a few. During the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton I snuck a rock radio station DJ in the gallery (for some DC area people that may remember I was Mr. X. You get extra credit if you can name the DJ).

5. In 2002, I had the opportunity to go to the gold medal game in Salt Lake City. One of the coolest things I have ever experienced. We sat three rows from the ice and five seats from Canada’s bench. Close enough to hear Chris Pronger yell at Theo Fluery to get his ass off the ice. Although Team USA did not win (the look on Jeremy Roenick’s face during the gold medal ceremony was priceless, he kept rolling his eyes as they announced the names of the Gold Medal Canadian team), the experience was amazing. To see that kind of talent in a clutch game was awesome. We also met Wayne Gretzky’s wife and father after the game.

So there you go, I hope Japer is happy. I better Tag some others.

And Down The Stretch They Come!

Well that was fun. Or not. Team USA was a disappointment, but not nearly as much of a disaster as Team Canada. So Hockey was a bust as the Swedes stole the gold right from Finland’s hands. While teams that overpowered the international scene four years ago find little comfort after getting to the quarter finals and failing to continue, the Nordic teams steam rolled their way into the goal medal game and Sweden takes home the shiny hardware.

But now it’s over. Now it’s for Lord Stanley’s Cup. And the home stretch is the last chance for deadline trades, pushes for that 8th spot in the Conference Standings, and jockeying for home ice advantage.

For the Capitals it won’t be about making the playoffs, but who they can sell, how they improve our chances next season, and build off their successes. Needless to say that there is a lot of work to do for this team to be considered a Eastern Conference threat.

A possible trade on the horizon that seems almost certain is Brendan Witt. The only question is where? Nashville Predators has expressed some interest to thicken their defensemen. George McPhee will defiantly be a busy man the next couple of weeks.

What the Caps need to shop for is a stronger blue line. The lack of strong defensive group in experience could use a couple of veterans in front of Olie Kolzig. Possible defensemen to trade would be Mathieu Biron, Ivan Majesky and Mike Green (although I think Green is one of the better players on the team). McPhee needs to get out of the state of mind that big defensemen means more physical play. Not in the new NHL.

Caps must also find some more offensive weapons to fill out the top lines. At one point the entire checking line were the second leader scorers behind Alex Ovechkin. The top line needs goal support from the other groupings. Alex Semin may help, but the Caps can not afford another legal tussle with the Russian Super League.

Capitals will be looking to get some kind of advantage out of their prospects, but need to find experience to push their team from a novelty to true competitors. Circus shots can only take a team so far, this team must be more rounded to make some noise next season.

Olympic Update

Let’s take a little quiz. Before the Men’s Olympic Hockey Tournament started I would have answered the following questions, and then the reality of those answers to follow. You ready?

1. Will USA be able to handle their first opponents Latvia with little trouble?
My answer 2/14: The US will probably start slow, but will have no trouble playing Latvia and should come out with an easy win. WRONG!
Reality: The US team came out strong, but then allowed Latvia to gain some ground tying the silver medalist of 2002. Latvia who has little chance to make the final rounds splits a preliminary point with the US.

2. How many goals will Canada score versus team Swiss?
2/14: The Swiss only has 2 forwards in the NHL, it will be hard for them to slow down the Canadian attack. Team Swiss will be lucky to escape 5 goals down. WRONG!
Reality: After an emotional win versus the Czech Republic 3-2, Swiss came out with some hard work and another great goaltender performance from Martin Gerber. Canada is shut-out 2-0.

3. Russia and Sweden are in the same pool, what will the competition be like?
2/14: Even though Canada has this pool in their back pocket, the battle will be for the second tier between defensive Sweden and offensive Russia. The game will be close with the Swedes able to come away with 2 points. WRONG!
Reality: Russians proved that speed is everything, making this game a no contest. The Swedes failed to score a point and the Russians steam rolled the Swedish team.

What the hell is going on? I am giving up on the US team after their failure to put the puck in the back of the net. I am now a full fledged Swiss fan. Now I just need to find an official Suisse Jersey. “Hop Suisse! Hop Suisse!”

-- Olympic Notes --

• Dominik Hasek is out of the tournament which actually hurts the Czech Republic’s chances. Hasek pulled a groin muscle in his first game of the tournament. He should be healthy when he returns to Ottawa.


• Jaromir Jagr got on the bad end of a check and was bleeding from the forehead when he left the ice in a game versus Finland. If you’re physical with Jagr early in the game, and sometimes he won’t show up. In this case it just took him out of the game. Jagr should be back in the lineup Monday.


• Slovakia has been the surprise of the Olympic Hockey Tournament behind Team Swiss. So far unbeatable with impressive wins versus the US and Russia. Former Capital Peter Bondra is having a good tournament, scoring the game winner against the US.

Enjoy the Olympics! Hop Suisse!

Women's Game Not Quite Ready

Canada blows Italy away with a 16-0 score while the United States wins their games easily 6-0 and 5-0. It makes me wonder if women’s hockey is ready on the world stage.

Looking at the recent Olympic Games feature women’s ice hockey for only the third time still sees no improvement from other nations to make the tournament competitive. Many blame countries other than the USA and Canada for not starting girls young enough in the sport. Others say that money is the biggest obstacle many nations face.

But with just two teams playing for gold, is it worth to have these nations embarrassed by eleven to nothing scores? It seems as if the round robin is just a formality, and bears no change that is going decide who will be in the final. Then why play them at all?

With no disrespect to either of the elite teams, the Americans and the Canadians, but women’s hockey just might not be ready to be considered for the Winter Olympics. Instead the sport can continue its international tournaments and get the competition to the point where teams can come to the Olympics and have the opportunity to play well.

However, it does become a catch-22 for nations trying to raise awareness of ice hockey for women if they are not in the Olympics. While the play may be poor, how else are these nations able to gain some recruiting for future Olympics?

Looking at the overall picture of this tournament, I just believe that it needs a few more years to develop the sport in some young women. Let it grow, then let the best team win gold.

-- Olympic Notes --

• USA men’s hockey got off to a rough start mostly because of bad weather on the east coast over the weekend. Only three players from the U.S. have arrived in Turin. Many players will arrive with just a day to recover from the travel and time change before the tournament starts on Wednesday.


• Even it has no bearing on any thing to do with the sport of hockey, Wayne Gretzky’s troubles with his wife and assistant coach Rick Tocchet may bear some affect on the Canadian players in Italy. Janet Jones, Gretzky’s wife, did make the trip to Italy. Players will be plagued with questions of the gambling for the entire tournament as Canada tries to defend its Olympic Gold Medal.


• From the Caps, Olaf Kolzig (Germany), Alex Ovechkin (Russia) and Ivan Majesky (Slovakia) have all left for Turin. All will join their respective teams today or tomorrow.

Getting a Break

The Caps go into the Olympic break with some pretty sorry losses. In the last 4 games the Capitals played they were out scored 21 to 7. The worst game came against the Eastern Conference worst Pittsburgh Penguins were the Caps looked to come out with a lot of rage rather than play the game.

The Caps looks now to try and finish strong in the final stretch of the season, but can their legs carry them. With the Caps top scorer playing in the Olympics, it is still to be seen how Alex Ovechkin can keep his legs under him.

Olaf Kolzig signs a two year extension with the Caps that quells the rumors of a possible trade of the all-star goaltender. And there is new talk and rumor about a possible trade with Nashville for Brendan Witt. Many teams looking to the post season would like to beef up their blue lines with an experienced Witt so I am fairly confident that Witt will not be in a Capitals sweater by season’s end.

The Capitals should considering shaving some of there prospects away for better more consistent players. Possible players I would think GM George McPhee should consider a trade for include Brooks Laich, Brian Sutherby, Ivan Majesky, and Mathieu Biron. I would hate to see Sutherby go, but his solid play has proven him to be a solid player that increases his value for a trade.

But no trades will come during the Olympics, in which the first Men’s Ice Hockey game is on Wednesday. The break comes with some relief for the Capitals were they can work on improving their system and allow injured players time to heal their bodies before NHL play continues in two weeks.

So with the Caps off the Ice I will start commenting on the Olympic effort of the US, and my next couple of posts will come soon on Women’s and Men’s Hockey from Torino Italy. And make snow angels in the freshly laid 10 inches of snow that fell this weekend in the D.C. area.