MVP #2

So which is the more demonic looking Ovechkin picture: this? Or this?

Hmm, the lighting on this year's photo makes Ovie look downright sinister but the red tux from last year gave more of a Mephostopholes aura. Regardless, congrats to the Great 8 on MVP #2. Now, let's get the big hardware next year, eh?

Tonight Needs To Be Ovie Time

I'm not a big basketball fan, as this blog has gone into great detail about, but one of memory I have is from the 1993 NBA Finals. It was Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls shooting for a 3rd straight title against Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls had taken both games in Phoenix to open the series but the Suns got themselves back into it with a three-overtime win in Chicago in Game 3. Going into Game 4, the Bulls needed Jordan take over and carry them to a win over the revitalized Suns. As he typically did, Jordan did just that, dropping 55 points and giving the Bulls a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

I thought of that game last night when thinking about tonight's Game 4 of the Caps-Rangers series. I wrote in my playoff preview how Alex Ovechkin needed to be "The One" in this series. After getting back in the series in Game 3, tonight is the night where that has to happen. Ovie, who has been held goalless with four assists in the series, needs to take over and win a game by himself. He needs to strap the team on his back and carry the Caps to victory tonight.

Yes, his teammates will be vital in helping him do that, but if there's one guy who can dominate a series just by sheer force of will, it's Ovie. He's already tried to contribute in other ways, using his 'mates, getting under the skin of the Rangers through the media and his appearance at Rangers practice before Game 3. But Ted Leonsis doesn't pay him to be Claude Lemieux, he pays him to score goals. He pays him to dominate. And tonight's the night where he needs to do it. In a must-win game, on the road, in front of a fire up Madison Square Garden.

Ovie, you got the press clippings, you got the ESPN pieces, you got the notoriety. Now, you have to put together a signature playoff game. As John Cena would say, "Your time is up, my time is now/You can't see me, my time is now."

"I will break them Hangar"

Here's the aforementioned ESPN piece from Tuesday night's edition of "E:60." I will also post a link to this great Puck Daddy piece on the clip.

Caps 4 Rangers 0 (Rangers lead series 2-1)

Ok, now that was more like it. The Caps played their best game in a month at a time when they needed it the most. Going down 3-0 would have signaled curtains but the Caps never let the Rangers sniff a commanding lead in the series by scoring early, playing excellent defense and getting good goaltending from Simeon Varlamov to get themselves back in this series.

This is the kind of effort the Caps need all the time. Clearly, it appears as if the key to beating the Rangers is to get a couple of quick ones past Henrik Lundqvist and making the Rangers play catch-up. That's easier said than done against King Henrik but this Ranger team does not appear equipped to come back from too many big defecits. The best part about tonight was that the Caps did not rest on getting a 2-0 1st period lead. They kept attacking New York, hemming them in their own zone for long stretches. They played with desperation, yet didn't press, something they struggled with in Washington, particularly in Game 2. Now, the matter is: Can they do this 3 more times? If they do, the Caps win this series. If the Caps bring anything less than what they did tonight, the Rangers could steal this thing yet.

Notes From The Hangar:

- Simeon Varlamov was very, very solid tonight. He made the saves when he had to, something Jose Theodore couldn't do. The team did a solid job of building a coccoon in front of him and limiting the quality looks the Rangers had. I wouldn't go so far as to say a star is born, but Varly was unphased by playing in a hostile Madison Square Garden, by Sean Avery's antics and by the 33 shots the Rangers put on. Dude is as cool as ice, at 20 years old no less, his rebound control is superb and his athleticism is off the charts.

- I thought John Erskine was the Caps best defenceman tonight. He played with his usual snarl but under control and he baited Avery into some stupid penalties. Erskine initiated but didn't retaliate.

- At the same time, I thought Mike Green was a weak link. Greener looked like he had Flubber on his stick the thing was bouncing off it so much. The guy was an adventure out there, especially in the 1st and 2nd periods.

- Alex Ovechkin was going like a madman tonight. Even more than usual. But unlike the two games in Washington, he didn't try to force plays. If he was the Tasmanian Devil in games 1&2, Ovie was controlled chaos tonight. His pass on Alex Semin's 2nd goal was a thing of beauty.

- I've said it before and I'll say it again, Brooks Laich is the perfect playoff player. That goal he got tonight was exactly what he needs to do in this series: get traffic in front of Lundqvist and bang in rebounds.

- The Caps had three lovely bing-bangers (one-timers into open nets) tonight. Both of Semin's goals and Tom Poti's goal were perfect passing plays.

- How awesome was Backstrom's pass on Poti's goal? Does that kid have eyes in the back of his head or what?

- Donald Brashear was a welcome addition back in the Caps lineup tonight. The Rangers didn't engage in much chicanery tonight knowing they'd have to answer to somebody.

- And now that I've mentioned the word chicanery, allow me to discuss Sean Avery's night. Games 1 & 2 showed what Mr. Sloppy Seconds can bring to the Rangers: physicality, agitating and creating mayhem in front of a goalie. Tonight showed how the diminutive, starlet-dating winger can kill your club. Avery spent almost 10 minutes in the box and none of those penalties were of the smart variety. Let's see, he punched Erskine in the face in full view of the ref, he ran Varlamov to earn an interference call, took another interference call trying to start something with Nicklas Backstrom, took a whack at Varly and Erskine in full view of the ref to get another roughing call and, finally, an early exit from the game. The Caps power play didn't punish Avery for all his sins but you could tell he was testing the limits of John Tortorella's patience. I'm surprised he didn't staple Avery's ass to the bench after that punch on Erskine. The funniest part, at least from a Caps fan's perspective, was watching Avery slink away the minute Brashear growled at him. Little man didn't feel like playing so rough then, did he?

And for the first time this series, I actually feel like posting the highlights from NHL.com.


So, one win in the books. Let's make it another on Wednesday night eh? Until then, let's call this one more...for the good guys.

Rangers 1 Capitals 0 (Rangers lead series 2-0)

The Harvester of Sorrow was in the building today. Henrik Lundqvist just stole another game and maybe this series from the Capitals who look like a very frustrated hockey team. King Henrik made 35 saves, including 16 in the 3rd period. Can't say the Caps didn't have chances in this one. But they missed open nets, they shot it high, they hit Lundqvist in the chest, they put it in the shin pads of Rangers defenders, in short, the Caps shot the puck everywhere but in the Rangers net. The New Yorkers had 29 blocked shots. 29! And not all of them on purpose, some of them the Caps shooters just put it right into their pads. The Rangers managed to get a 1-0 lead and then sat back and crowded the middle of the ice for the next 2 1/2 periods. When the Caps would get some sustained pressure, which was often in the second half of the 1st period and all of the 3rd, the Rangers would just dump it down ice and make the Caps skate 200 feet.

In some ways, today's loss was more disheartening than Game 1's. There was no Jeff Schultz or Jose Theodore to blame. The Caps played how they needed to play to win this game. But every time they would get close, Lundqvist would make a big save or the Rangers would get back and lift the sticks of Caps getting ready to shoot or they would block a shot. By the 2nd period you could see frustration start to set in on the Washington side. It was apparent especially in the body language of the Caps two best players, Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin. I've never seen Greener throw so many lazy passes around the ice and I've never seen more negative body language from Ovie. Alex Semin showed his frustration by cross-checking Ryan Callahan in the face. It just looks like a defeated hockey team right now. I don't doubt they want it, but when you see the arms get thrown in the air and the shaking of heads, its a very bad sign.

The Rangers have turned this into exactly the kind of series they want. In a nutshell, they've turned back the clock to Dead Puck Era. They're whole game plan came out today. Take advantage of a Caps defensive letdown (in this case Viktor Kozlov was the guilty party), get up 1-0 and then sag back and let Lundqvist do his thing.

The big news before the game was Simeon Varlamov getting the start in net over Jose Theodore and the kid acquitted himself well. As has been custom in Varlamov's starts, the Caps D was very cognizant of protecting their young goalie. The one goal he let in was a no-chancer by Callahan on a 2-on-1. Then again, there were so many long stretches where the Caps had the Rangers pinned back in their own end that we really didn't get to see the kid make too many big saves. I think he's warranted the start in Game 3 but we'll see what Bruce Boudreau decides to do. He threw everybody off by picking Varlamov today and the kid didn't do anything to lose the job, so he's likely the man until further notice.

Now, there's two ways to look at Game 3 on Monday in Madison Square Garden.
1) We're fucked.
2) The Caps are able to regain focus by going on the road, like they did after losing several home games in March and come back to take both games in New York.

I'm hoping its option 2 but right now, things don't look good. Lundqvist is in a groove and the Ranger defense is in the Caps' heads. I do believe its about time to press the panic button.

So, it's a must win game on Monday night in the World's Most Famous Arena. it's a nice day today so I think I will take a trip to the beach to forget about this one. Until then, let's say good night to da bad guys...

Rangers 4 Caps 3 (Rangers lead series 1-0)

I often tell myself to not blog angry. But fuck it, I'm blogging angry.

Maybe the omens were there that this was going to be an unusual night. It has been raining, cold and windy here on the East Coast for about 24 hours. It's some of the most miserable weather I've ever encountered in my 30 years on this planet. About 7 minutes into tonight's Game 1 my cable went out and I was forced to go to the Grotto Grand Slam sports bar, surrounded by Flyers and Penguins fans. I don't know exactly what hell is, but all they needed to do is wave some Terrible Towels and play "My Heart Will Go On" and it couldn't be much worse.

And then there was the game. Like a wrestling heel winning a match with his foot on the ropes, the Rangers stole a game they had no business winning. The Caps pretty much outplayed them in every facet 5-on-5. But the Rangers got 3 perfect snipes and one goal that was complete B.S. in every way. Scott Gomez came down the ice 2-on-2 with Sean Avery. The two Rangers criss-crossed and that jerk Avery stuck his leg out and tripped Mike Green, giving Gomez a free run at Jose Theodore. Of all the calls the refs made tonight, HOW IN THE FUCKING WORLD DID THEY MISS THAT!!!! Avery couldn't have been less discreet about it if he tried. He might as well have waved a sign that said "Hi, here's some interference!!" And yet no call. Theo compounded things by letting in a weak shot but still, that interference was an obvious call that has to be made. This being the Washington Capitals, whose playoff misfortune I documented earlier in the day, of course it ended up being the difference. OF FUCKING COURSE!

Random Notes:

- Being a hockey player myself, I know the pros are much better than I could ever hope to be. These guys have skill and speed that mere mortals could only dream of. That said, Jeff Schultz sucks. S-U-C-K-S sucks sucks sucks. The guy is soft, he can't score and he can't move the puck well. Other than that he's great. Brandon Dubinsky made him look like an in-house player with that "How's she going?" move on the game-winning goal. Please, Bruce Boudreau, I'm begging you. Get this chump out of the lineup and replace him. With anybody. Doesn't matter if its Brian Pothier, Karl Alzner, Sami Lepisto, hell, you can drag Rod Langway out of the stands. Anybody but Schultz.

- To give the devil his due, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was as good as his team needed him to be. He didn't flinch in the face of a hurricane of Caps shots in the 1st and 3rd periods.

- The Rangers found the spot on Theo and it was top shelf. Other than the Gomez goal, all three New York tallies were upstairs over the glove hand. Not good.

- The loss was a waste of an inspired effort from Alex Ovechkin. He was all over the place tonight.

- The Caps had some lovely hits in this game. Mike Green's shoulder check on Fredrik Sjostrom was a beauty. That was "Get In The Weight Room!" quality.

- Too many fucking penalties. What else is new?

- Avery's trying, with his trip on Green and whack at Theodore late in the 3rd, but he has a long way to go before I hate him as much as Scottie Upshall, Hines Ward or Ulf Samuelsson. Give him time though.

So that's it for this piece of shit game. Good riddance. Gotta shore up the D, stay out of the box, keep the Rangers going to the box and keep up the energy 5-on-5 in Game 2 on Saturday. Until then, say good night to da fuckin' bad guys.

Caps Playoff Education (Through Metallica)

Tonight, the Washington Capitals will open Game 1 of their 1st round playoff series against the New York Rangers. I figured I would do a preview, but one struggles with how to do one different than everybody else. After all, how can I do it better than Puck Daddy, Peerless or Japer's. I thought about discussing the Caps playoff chances through movie quotes, but Bill Simmons already cornered the market on that gimmick. Then it hit me, I love hockey and I love Metallica? Why not combined the two? And since one of my favorite Metallica albums is 1988's "...And Justice For All" why not use that to preview the Caps chances.

Just as a little background, "...And Justice For All" is probably the angriest, most progressive and most political album Metallica ever did. With multiple time changes, intricate guitar solos and lengthy song structures (the shortest track is 5 minutes long) "...And Justice For All" was Metallica pushing the limits of thrash metal to the most extreme. The arrangements here were so complicated, the band would soon completely change its approach because the tracks were so difficult to pull off live. The lyrics might be the angriest that James Hetfield has ever written, partly inspired by the death of bassist Cliff Burton in 1986. The album's concept is a broken justice system, but it also contains themes of insanity, paranoia, war and corruption. And on top of all that, it flat out kicks ass.

So, here now for your amusement is my useless opinion about the Caps-Rangers series, broken down under each track from "...And Justice For All." I'll put down the song title, followed by a player, place or things related to this series. Enjoy.

1) "Blackened" - Expectations

The first track on "...And Justice For All" starts off as Metallica albums did back in the day, with a dose of classical guitar before exploding into a full-on metal assualt. The song seems to be about the apocalypse and that ties in with what will happen shall the Caps fail to get out of the first round this year. A Southeast Division title and a playoff berth are no longer satisfactory. Fans have their eyes on a larger prize and expectations for this team are very high. Can the Caps handle having external pressure to win for really the first time?

For the Rangers, there's a different kind of pressure, that of playing in New York. But if there is one thing working in their favor, it's that most experts do not expect them to win this series. Knowing the world doesn't expect much of you can help ease the pressure. Since nobody outside New York thinks they can win, the Rangers can relax and just play hockey. It's up to the Caps, who have the better team talent-wise, to go out and crush any thoughts the Rangers may have about winning this series. If they let the Rangers steal a game or two early, it could be trouble.

Relevant lyric:
"Blackened is the end/Winter it will send/Throwing all you see/Into obscurity"

2) "...And Justice For All" - Caps power play

One of the longest and most complex songs on the record, the title track is a scathing indictment of the justice system. On the other hand, the Caps power play will be a scathing indictment of the Rangers discipline, should the New Yorkers decide to have a parade to the penalty box. The Caps had the league's 2nd-ranked power play and when it's clicking, it can be scary good. The Caps can put four-world class talents on the ice at the same time: Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom. Throw in the power game of Brooks Laich in front of the net and the Caps have a combination of passing, grit and skill that can score at will.

If there's one thing the Rangers can exploit however, it's the all-offense, all-the-time approach of Green and Ovechkin, who play the point on the power play. The Caps gave up a lot of shorthanded goals this year because Ovie and Green were up ice all the time, leading to easy breakaways and odd-man rushes. Last year, Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau had to change things up against Philadelphia, putting Ovechkin down low and the more defensively-responsible Sergei Fedorov at the point because Flyer penalty killers were exploiting the Caps aggressiveness.

Relevant lyric: "The ultimate in vanity/Exploiting their supremacy/I can't believe the things you say/I can't believe/I can't believe the price you pay/Nothing can save you"

3)"Eye Of The Beholder" - Caps secondary scoring

Another scathing lyrical track, this one about censorship. The lyrics take the view of the oppressor, telling his subject that he can have his freedom of choice, but only if he does it the way he's told. Censorship is also a relevant topic when it comes to the Caps secondary scoring. Pretty much anybody not named Ovechkin, Backstrom, Green, Semin and Laich, seemed to censor their goal-scoring for long stretches, especially in February and March.

Tomas Fleischmann looked like he was on his way to a 25-30 goal season over the course of the first 3 months, but he hit the wall big time in 2009, scoring only 4 goals since January. Eric Fehr looked like he was poised for a breakout at one point in 2009 but his scoring touch disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Fedorov will be there, he's always been a solid playoff performer. But what about Viktor Kozlov? He's yet to score a playoff goal in his 14-year career, only registering 6 assists in 21 career playoff games. That has to change, especially since he is likely going to be skating on Ovie and Backstrom's line. Anything the Caps get from Michael Nylander, Professor Matt Bradley, David Steckel and the returning Donald Brashear should be considered gravy. No matter who it is, the Caps need more than 5 guys to do the scoring in order to go where they want to go.

Relevant lyric: "Do you take what I take?/Endurance is the word/Moving back instead of forward seems to me absurd"

4) "One" - Alex Ovechkin

The most famous song off "...And Justice For All" is a grim ballad about a soldier who has lost his arms, legs, sight, speech and hearing. It was based off the 1938 Dalton Trumbo novel "Johnny Got His Gun" and has maybe the most well-known kick-drum solo in the history of music. That would seem to have little to do with hockey but the title can refer to what Ovie needs to be in this series. Like Neo, Ovechkin has to be "The One."

He's got the individual honors, he's got the adulation, now it's time for the league's best player to step up and carry his team on a long playoff run. Ovie needs a signature playoff moment and what better stage to start on than The Big Apple? Yes, hockey is the most team-oriented of games but the Caps happen to have the one player on Earth who can win a game by himself. The time is now.

Relevant lyric: "Now the world is gone I'm just one/Oh God, help me/Hold my breath as I wish for death/Oh, please God, wake me"

5) "The Shortest Straw" - Sean Avery

One of the more lyrically complex songs on "...And Justice For All," "The Shortest Straw" seems to deal with injustice on its surface. It could also be about a failed revolution. The lyrics do deal with the subject of infamy and there may not be a more infamous player in the NHL than Meester Sean AAAAAAvery ($10 if you can guess the movie that reference comes from. Just say the name like that but slowly.)


All the national pundits are wondering what Avery might do in this series. After all, the last time he was in the playoffs, he inspired his own rule. To his credit, Boudreau says the Caps plan is to ignore Avery. But let's see how long that lasts the minute Avery cheapshots someone, dives or runs away from a fight. Avery is capable of doing all three of those things on a shift. If the Caps are able to ignore Avery's antics, it will go a long way towards rendering him ineffective, even a liability to the Rangers if he is taking long sabbaticals in the penalty box.

Relevant Lyric: "Shortest straw/Challenge liberty/Downed by law/Live in infamy/Rub you raw"

6) "Harvester Of Sorrow" - Henrik Lundqvist

The simplest song on "...And Justice For All" is also one of its most intense and the title is what King Henrik could be for the Caps if he's on his game.

The Rangers netminder is the kind of goalie who can steal a series and the Caps will need to get to him early and often if they want to win. At the same time, if the Rangers are going to win this series, they need Lundqvist to be otherworldly in goal. On paper, the Rangers have the better 'tender but the Caps have the better team overall. Not to sound like Dan Fouts or Tim McCarver but whoever wins out in that battle will take the series.

Relevant Lyric: "Anger/Misery/You'll suffer unto me/Harvester of sorrow/Language of the mad"

7) "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" - Jose Theodore

This song is about paranoia and no player on the Caps roster inspires as much paranoia as Theo. All year, the mainstream media has picked on the Caps goalie as the weak link. Now he has the chance to prove that the Caps can win with him in goal. The one thing Theo has going for him is that he's never lost a first round series as a starting goaltender. The bad news is that he's in a no-win situation in this series. If he and the Caps win, they were supposed to win. If the Caps lose, much of the blame is going to fall on the goaltender and all the media talking heads are going to say things like "The Caps would be Cup contenders if they had a better goalie." The fans calling for Simeon Varlamov to assume the starting role will get a lot louder if Theo fails to get the Caps out of Round 1.

Relevant Lyric: "Loss of interest, question, wonder/Waves of fear they pull me under"

8) "To Live Is To Die" - Mike Green and the Caps D

The final song written by Cliff Burton, this nearly 10-minute instrumental (with a brief speaking passage) was also the last instrumental Metallica would do until "Suicide And Redemption" from last year's "Death Magnetic." The final lines of the song are written on a memorial stone for Burton in Sweden, where he died while the band was on tour. In the context of the Caps, the title can also refer to Mike Green and his gambling style of play, as well as the defense corps as a whole.

With Greener, you're going to get his offense. He's the best D-man in the league as far as scoring goals and jumping into the play. But his go-for-broke style can also lead to odd-man rushes for the other team, as witnessed in the season finale against Florida. You don't want to see Green alter the style of play that has made him a Norris Trophy candidate, but in the playoffs, you would like to see him be more cognizant of his own end. Then again, Greener is the least of the question marks surrounding this defense.

Is Brian Pothier ready for the rigors of the postseason?

Which Shaone Morrisonn will show up? The consistent force from last season or the inconsistent defender from this season?

Is Tom Poti healthy?

Are Milan Jurcina and John Erskine too slow?

Is Jeff Schultz too soft?

The answers to these questions will go a long way towards whether the Caps live or die in these playoffs.

Relevant Lyric: "Cannot the kingdom of salvation/Take me home"

9) "Dyers Eve" - The Caps playoff history

The most personal song on the album, about James Hetfield's ultra-religious upbringing in Downey, Ca., "Dyers Eve" can also sum up the angst that builds up in Caps fans around this time. After all, this club's playoff history is as gory as an Eli Roth film. The list of collapses, chokes and heartbreak is longer than "War And Peace" Let's see, there was the Easter Epic in 1986. Ron Hextall's second goal in 1989. Blowing a 3-1 lead to Pittsburgh in 1992. Dale Hunter's hit on Pierre Turgeon in 1993. Petr Nedved in four overtimes in 1996. Jason Doig's too-many-men on the ice penalty in 2003 that cost them a three overtime game against Tampa Bay. Joffrey Lupul last year. It's ugly.

Of course, much of the team's history changed on this day:

This Caps team seems different. It's a club poised for a breakthrough. The door is open. Now they have to walk through it.

Relevant Lyric: "Dear mother/Dear father/You've clipped my wings before I've learned to fly/Unspoiled/Unspoken/I've outgrown that fucking lullaby"

The Hangar's Call: Caps in 6

Caps 6 Thrashers 4

Someone needs to make a tape of the 3rd period of today's game and play it before every Caps game from here on in. Whoever shows that tape needs to tell the team, "THAT is what you guys can do if you consistently bring it."

The Thrashers had no answer for the Caps in the 3rd period, as the boys in red seemed to come in waves, one right after another. They made Atlanta's defense look foolish, forcing a myriad of bad turnovers. Of course, the next question is, "Why can't they do that for 60 minutes?"

Third period aside, it was yet another listless effort through two. If my old coach Marc Felizzi was coaching this team he would be freaking out behind the bench telling the players "NO BLIND PASSES UP THE MIDDLE!!!!" Sergei Fedorov did it against Buffalo on Friday and it cost the Caps an extra point. Alex Ovechkin did it today and it cost them a goal. Just inexcusable stuff. These guys have been taught since Mites not to throw blind passes up the middle and they've done it two games in a row. As much heat as Jose Theodore takes in the clueless mainstream media, without Theo in the first period, the Caps might have been on their way to another stinkbomb against Atlanta.

But, oh that 3rd period. It truly is a pleasure to watch this team when they play like that. When they work and forecheck the crap out of the opposition, they are impossible to stop. The team that skated the 3rd period could win the Stanley Cup. The team that skated the first 40 minutes could get swept in the first round. That's the freakin' tightrope this Caps team walks and until they figure out a way to bring that 3rd period for 60 minutes, it's going to be a turbulent ride through the playoffs.

The Hangar's observations:

- Keith Aucoin was the best player on the ice today. He had a goal and an assist and you could see coach Bruce Boudreau get more confidence in him as this game rolled along. If Aucoin isn't taking a regular shift in the playoffs, well, somebody's got to lay off the peyote. Along with Brooks Laich and Dave Steckel, Aucoin is just the sort of guy who the Caps are going to need.

- Finally, Tomas Fleischmann scored a goal, temporarily ending his own personal nightmare of a 2009.

- The goal Colby Armstrong scored, Atlanta's first, is all on Tom Poti. He's got to step up and meet Armstrong a lot higher than the top of the slot. By that point, you're at the mercy of the shooter at the NHL level.

- I don't like that Milan Jurcina-Jeff Schultz defense pairing. They would get murdered in a 7-game series, especially against a speedy team like Montreal or Carolina. I know Brian Pothier was scratched to make room for Juice, but I'd rather see Pothier, Mike Green and Poti as at least half the defense in the playoffs. then have some combination of Schultz, John Erskine, Jurcina and Shaone Morrisonn.

- How did the Caps not score on that first period power play when TWO Thrashers broke their sticks?

- Speaking of the PP, it wasn't the best of days for the NHL's 2nd ranked unit. They gave up a shorthanded goal in the 2nd after Ovie's turnover (Repeat: NO BLIND PASSES OVER THE MIDDLE!) Too much Danglefest 2009 for the first few chances. But things did turn around when Aucoin was put out there. He slammed home a great feed from Ovie for his PP marker and in the 3rd, the Caps put on a puck possession clinic, even though they didn't score.

- Since the Caps are playing the Thrash again on Tuesday night, here's a tip: Do NOT let Ilya Kovalchuk have room. If he gets any space, he's deadly.

- I liked the combination of Eric Fehr, Michael Nylander and Brooks Laich. Nylander played a strong game, and got that 3rd period barrage rolling with his knucklepuck that eluded ATL goaltender Johan Hedberg. Fehr put the Caps ahead for good by going relentless towards the net. Fehr needs to take a page from my old teammate Derek Russ and don't venture more than 5 feet from the goal. Good things happen for him there.

- The Thrashers defense was brutal on Fehr's goal but they were worse on the next goal, a brilliant piece of tic-tac-toe passing between Aucoin, Fleischmann and Alex Semin. That goal was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made real (bet you won't find a "Clockwork Orange" reference like that on any other blog.) The passing and puck handling was great but the Thrash just looked clueless out there defensively. To the Caps credit, they FORCED Atlanta into that with hard work, quick puck movement and heavy forechecking. If they do that all the time they're going places (are you sensing a theme with this wrapup?)

- The Caps scored 6 goals today, none of them by guys named Ovechkin, Green or Backstrom. They're going to need that secondary scoring in the playoffs. Let's hope this game was just the beginning of more balance in the Caps lineup.

- Ovie did get two points today, drawing him closer to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin for the league scoring title but this wasn't one of his better games. He had that bad giveaway on Jim Slater's shorthanded goal and seemed to give up a lot of good looks instead of trying to score goals. That's more like Nylander than Ovechkin.

- I praised Jose Theodore earlier this post, now I come to bury him. Jose- What the fuck were you thinking? He looked like he was trying to score a goal in Atlanta's empty net but whiffed and gave it right to Slava Kozlov. It was the best pass Kozlov's probably had all year.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, here's the highlights from NHL.com.


With this win, the Caps go back up two points on idle New Jersey for the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. As mentioned before, the team will make one more stop in Atlanta before closing out in Florida against Tampa Bay and the Panthers. So until then, let's call this one more...for the good guys.

Caps Under Construction - Part 4

OK, we're ready for our 4th and final installment of "Caps Under Construction." If you missed anything, scroll down or click here, here and here. You know the drill.

Now for Part 4:


:15 - The Caps are on the clock and GMGM is ready with the pick. Caps owner Ted Leonsis and GMGM inform Alex Ovechkin that he'll be announcing the pick. Ovie, rocking a Gallagher Brothers haircut, tries to get out of it, to no avail.

GMGM: "Gary Bettman wants you to talk."
Ovie: (not said) "Somebody got Bettman off Crosby's knob long enough for him to say that?"

1:36 - The Caps team gets ready to go up to make the pick but not before GMGM goes over Ovie's line "The Washington Capitals are happy to pick Nicklas Backstrom" more times than Stanley Kubrick made Shelley Duvall scream during the making of "The Shining." Say it with me, "The Washington Capitals are happy to pick Nicklas Backstrom." "The Washington Capitals are happy to pick Nicklas Backstrom."

2:09 - A smirking GMGM tells Chicago's table "We're gonna take The Swede." I would officially like to add that line to the "List Of Things I Wish I Could Say More Often," along with "Hands off the merchandise" and "Do you want me to use the Spanish accent?" "We're gonna take The Swede" could be used for so many things, like picking which girl your buddies are going to talk to at a bar or taking a dump.

2:36 - GMGM and Ovie step up to the mic to make the pick. Despite his English not being very good (at least not at that point), and clearly being nervous, Ovie delivers (as he always does).
Ovie: "Washeengton Capeetals are happy to peek, Neecklas Baaackstrom."

3:23 - TSN (the Canadian sports channel covering the draft) analyst Bob McKenzie says, "Alex Ovechkin is going to love playing with this guy." Little did we know.

4:12 - Dirty Al and GMGM do a little post-draft interview:
GMGM: "We think he's an elite playmaking centre." Did they have Backstrom scouted well or what?

5:13 - Dirty Al wraps things up from Stanley Park in Vancouver. Al looks like he's auditioning for "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous." And then perfectly, we see the statue of Lord Stanley, inferring the Backstrom pick is one more step to the Caps winning Stanley's trophy.

So what did we learn? Well, if the 2004 draft with Ovie and Mike Green laid the foundation, 2006 was the house on top as the Caps landed the Goose to Ovechkin's Maverick. We learned that NHL GMs are loose-lipped and socially awkward at the same time. And we have seen that even professionals Pull A Mason from time to time. Finally, we learned that when all else fails, just tell people, "We're gonna take The Swede."

Caps Under Construction - Part 1

On my travels through the YouTubes I came across this little item that aired on Comcast SportsNet in the DC/Baltmo region: A 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at the Washington Capitals 2006 draft. The Caps granted CSN unprecedented access to the team's draft process. I'm glad someone out there managed to post it to the YouTubes, so glad, I decided to keep a little belated running commentary. The show is broken down into 4 parts, so I will post in four parts. Here now, is Part 1:


:20 - Comcast SportsNet host Al Koken welcomes us to beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Two notes: 1) I REALLLLLY want to go to Vancouver one of these days and 2) You have to love the Einstein inspired hairdo that Koken is rocking. Koken has been working for CSN (and its forerunner Home Team Sports) for so long that a number of years ago they tried giving him the nickname "Smokin'" Al Koken. It was highly ironic, considering no one besides Mrs. Koken would consider him "smokin'." It's sort of like Harry Shearer's character in "Wayne's World 2" being named "Handsome Dan." I am informed by my buddy Pat, a huge Redskins fan, that on "The Doc Walker Show" Koken is known as "Dirty" Al Koken. I like that name. Dirty Al Koken sounds like some leecherous old man who stays up until 3 a.m. eating Cheetos and watching YouPorn.

:59 - CSN sets the stage of where the Caps are at this point, starting with the 2004 drafting of Alex Ovechkin and taking us through Ovie's rookie season, which included "The Goal" and ended with him capturing Rookie Of The Year honors.

2:16 - Dirty Al interviews Caps General Manager George McPhee (heretofore known as GMGM) before the NHL Awards ceremony. GMGM wields the charisma of Ted Bundy and speaks in the same matter-of-fact tone. He looks like the last thing he'd rather be doing is talking to Dirty Al.

2:59 - Ovie says "I'm so nervous" at least four times in 2 seconds regarding his speech after winning ROY honors. I think he was nervous. And reason #572 why you gotta love Ovie: "I want to play hockey right now. Give me puck, Zubby (then teammate Dainius Zubrus) give me puck."

4:12 - Dirty Al then sets up the draft order. The Caps will be picking fourth behind St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Chicago. The top prospects include defenceman Erik Johnson and forwards Jordan Staal (of the ubiquitous Staal clan), Jonathan Toews (pronounced Tay-ves), Nicklas Backstrom and Phil Kessel.

4:43 - End of the segment where Dirty Al breathlessly tells us "Where anything can happen. And usually does." He's either talking about the NHL Draft or a video he just saw on scatlovers.com.

Ovie vs. LeBron

Excellent get from Dan Steinberg over at D.C. Sports Bog: It's the historic (OK, maybe not historic) summit meeting between LeBron James and Alex Ovechkin after last night's Wizznuts-Cavaliers game. Pretty amazing scoop, the best hockey player on Earth and the best basketball player on Earth having an awkward conversation in the bowels of Verizon Center.

Best parts of this story- 1) LeBron rocking a Kanye West-inspired ensemble 2) Nicklas Backstrom playing the role of "third guy in the porn scene." and 3) LeBron's line: "Yeah. He's a bad boy. God....I don't know how you guys do that [stuff], sliding on ice and still hit the [dang] puck? Whooo." Somehow I envision LeBron doing this with a look that says "Where's the bus again?" and Ovie doing this with a "What the fuck is up with those glasses? He no understand fashion." look on his face.

As if that were not enough, there's video!

Caps 5 Islanders 3

Before I roll through this recap, allow me to make a few notes that I did not get in because of the hockey tournament layoff. First, the Caps did clinch a playoff berth before Friday's game with Tampa Bay, so the boys in red are in the dance. Second, the Caps beat the Lightning 5-3 to punctuate that playoff berth. Alex Ovechkin scored two (reaching the 100-point mark) and Masterson Award nominee Brian Pothier got his first goal back after missing nearly two years with post-concussion syndrome. Ok, with that out of the way on to tonight's game with the New York Islanders.

Again, before I get started, here are the highlights from NHL.com, you know, in case you don't like words.


It was a very listless first 21 minutes by the Caps. They were down 2-0 and were being outworked and outhustled by the Islanders, only the worst team in the NHL. But then we had an argument for why fighting should be kept in the sport. John Erskine, having to play the tough guy role with Donald Brashear out of the lineup, picked a scrap with Isles toughie Joel Rechlicz, not winning necessarily but landing some solid punches. Then Mike Green elbowed Andy Hilbert in the head (a senseless play. For the Caps sake, hopefully Greener isn't suspended). The Islanders Tim Jackman, understandably, went looking for retribution and found an unlikely dance partner in Jeff Schultz. The Sarge has taken a lot of criticism in Capsland for being soft but he deserves a lot of credit for answering the bell in defense of a teammate.

The fights woke the team up and they quickly got goals from Ovie (#54) and Keith Aucoin (#1) to tie the game. From there, the Caps turned it into their kind of game and peppered Isles goalie Joey MacDonald. The team then came out of the gate slowly and a bad turnover by Michael Nylander (which looked like it got him benched) led to a goal by Richard Park and a 3-2 Isles lead.

But then it turned into the Mike Green Show. Mr. Bed Head popped #29 on the season (a power play goal) on a beautiful passing play by Alex Semin. Number 30 wasn't a blistering howitzer of a shot, merely a flick of the wrist, but MacDonald couldn't see it through a Tomas Fleischmann screen. Cue bedlam at the Phone Booth as the Lamborghini Man joined an exclusive club: the 8th defenceman to score 30 goals in a season. It's a group that includes legendary names like Orr, Coffey, Potvin and...Kevin Hatcher? (Wha!?!) Nicklas Backstrom added an empty netter to seal the deal.

Notes:

- The trio of Josh Bailey, Park and Kyle Okposo was a thorn in the Caps side all night, especially Park who learned how to torture the Caps at the most popular school for such things: Pittsburgh.

- Speaking of Shitsburgh, they helped the Caps out tonight by crushing struggling New Jersey 6-1, giving the Capital City Red Boys a 3-point cusion for 2nd place with 5 games to play.

- A little too much going on with those new Islanders jerseys. I like the old solid navy blue ones they used to have. Here, judge for yourself but I think you will agree that less is more.
...Old...

...New...

- With the win, the Caps also crossed the 100-point plateau and with a Carolina loss to New York tomorrow, can clinch their 2nd straight Southeast Division title. If the Caps win this division enough, can they PLEASE take down those embarrasing "Washington Mystics Attendance Champions" banners?

- Besides getting #30 tonight, Green threw a baa-yu-ty hit on Jackman behind the net.

- I like that Russian line with Viktor Kozlov, Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov. The Isles defence couldn't get the puck off them.

-Speaking of the former Mr. Anna Kournikova - that would be Fedorov - he made a dandy of a pass on Ovie's goal.

- I like what Aucoin brings to this club and I thought he worked very well with Eric Fehr and Fleischmann when they were together.

- Michael Nylander had played well of late but he reverted back to sucking tonight. I don't think he took a shift after that bad turnover on Park's goal. I have a hunch Bruce Boudreau will have his ass stapled to the bench for Friday night's game against Buffalo.

So there you have it, a second straight 5-3 win over a bottom-feeding club. These games have had the feel of glorified exhibition games but that should change Friday night against a desperate Sabres team fighting for their playoff lives. As usual, there will be plenty of Buffalo fans in the stands so the atmosphere for that one should be more like a playoff game. Until then, it's one more...for the good guys.

Understanding Male Behavior Through The Magic Of Ice Hockey

Stumbled across this little item on Puck Daddy yesterday. It's a must-see video featuring Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin in a cooking segment with Alyonka Larionov, daughter of hockey Hall-of-Famer Igor Larionov (featuring a special appearance by Pens defenceman Chris Letang as "The Gimp".)


Alyonka became well-known in hockey blogging circles for accompanying a certain Washington Capital who also happens to be Russian to last year's NHL awards ceremony.

Now who knows if Alex Ovechkin and Larionov are still an item but after watching that video and seeing Malkin, dressed like an Abercrombie model, relentlessly flirting with a girl every hockey person knows was seen with Ovie, can we say that Malkin is pursuing Ovie's "sloppy seconds?"

Here is where I will digress and go on a tanget specifically for the amusement (or maybe not) of the female readers out there. Allow me to maybe shed a little light on male behavior through ice hockey players.

Women, of course, are like cats, specifically lions.

Like lioness', women form close knit groups, similar to a lion pride, that are generally self-sufficient. The pride does everything together. They rely on each other to survive. During the hunt, each member of the pride has a defined role. The pride will usually carry one or two males around for intimidation and other purposes. They watch each other's backs and are resistant to outsiders, especially other females but also other males. It works that way for lions and seems to work that way with humans. Right or wrong ladies?

Now, men, we're like dogs. Then again, you ladies already knew that. But really, we are. Much like dogs, groups of guys establish a pack and therefore a pack order. How outsiders (like new girlfriends for instance) are accepted depends on the pack. Sometimes the pack will accept a new person and sometimes they won't. If I were a dog psychologist or a better writer I would explain how but for now, just roll with me on this one. Needless to say, the pack has certain defined roles. Let's take the Washington Capitals for instance. Anybody that has followed the team the last two years knows they have a close knit bunch with certain key members playing certain key roles. Here now are those roles followed by the corresponding Cap and a description of what the role does. So ladies, next time you are around a group of guys, you will now be able to identify each member of the group by their role. See, I told you there would be some edumacation here.

Alpha Dog- Alex Ovechkin

The Alpha Dog is the main man in the group. He's the guy everything revolves around. The alpha is very easy to spot, since usually he'll have most of the group members around him. Sometimes there is more than one alpha dog in a pack, but its usually only one. For the Caps, Ovie is obviously the alpha dog. He's the most talented, most charismatic guy on the team and his teammates love him. Got the hardware and the scoring records to back him up.





Wingmen/Beta Dogs- Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Semin

The wingmen are very important to the alpha dog. They watch the alpha's back, assist him and help prop him up when necessary. They can also take over the pack in a pinch. While talented in their own right, the wingmen don't quite have the charisma of the alpha and they can't really carry the pack for long stretches. But without them, the group would not be as dynamic. It's no coincidence that Ovechkin's two best friends are the team are Backstrom and Semin.



The Glue Guy- Viktor Kozlov

An underrated member of the pack. The Glue Guy is not flashy and he's not often pretty. On his own, he's not much. But the glue guy holds the thing together (you could also call him a "Lebowski Guy"). There's no logical explanation for it but without the Glue Guy, the group wouldn't be the same. The Glue Guy can also be confused with the alpha dog because he's often a popular guy, albeit for different reasons. He's quick with a joke, buys drinks at the bar and keeps the pack loose, either by being funny or being a willing target for the other pack members jokes. The Glue Guy has a good sense of humor about him and doesn't take himself seriously. In Kozzy's case, he brings Ovechkin and Backstrom's line together. He does the dirty work in the corners and doesn't mind playing third banana to Ovie and Backy.

The Wise Man- Sergei Fedorov

He's usually the oldest member of the pack. The Wise Man has seen it all and done it all and typically serves an advisory role. He's not the alpha dog in this particular pack but has been one in other packs. The Wise Man has the respect and admiration of the pack, which is why he was accepted in the first place. The Wise Man can seem a little aloof and his role in the pack can seem uncertain to outsiders but those within the pack understand his importance. All those things would describe Feds, who the younger Russian players on the Caps revere. When he came aboard last season, the team really took off. Plus, that toque he used to wear on his head all the time made him look very wise.

The Fun Guy - Mike Green

The Fun Guy is an essential part of any pack. He's the guy that will do all sorts of stuff to keep the pack loose. The guy that will fart in someone's face, crack jokes, dance badly, get a goofy haircut, drive a fast car, get tattoos, you name it. He's not all about that of course, there are usually several sides to the Fun Guy, but within the pack that's his role. In Greener's case he fulfills three of those things: his got two huge tattoos, drives a Lamborghini and made the faux-hawk a fashion statement. He also looks like he just woke up half the time. But on the ice, he's one of the best defencemen in the NHL.


The Cleaner- Evgeni Malkin

The role of the Cleaner is a strange one and can be rather loosely defined. The Cleaner is usually not a member of the pack, in fact, he's often in a rival pack. He's more like an associate of the alpha dog. The only way a Cleaner comes near the pack is through a relationship with the alpha. Lower members of the pack typically are not allowed to bring Cleaners around. What exactly is a Cleaner? He cleans up things on the periphery of the pack. In other words, he's the guy that will date a pack member's sister or a pack member's ex-girlfriend. He's the guy that will usually eat the last slice of pizza and bum cigarettes from everyone. These attributes are why he's not in the pack in the first place. The Cleaner is not even the alpha dog in his own pack, which is why he is able to co-exist with other packs. So what are Malkin's cleaner credentials?

Member of rival pack?

Check.

Friend with another pack's Alpha Dog?

Check.

Messing around with the an ex-flame of another pack's membership?

Check.

So there you have it. I hope my little educational session was helpful. I am sure the Discovery Channel will be calling me about the documentary soon. With that being said, let's have The Bloodhound Gang send us on our way with a song about nature.

Leafs 3 Caps 2 (SO)

For about 57 minutes tonight the Caps and Leafs got us to jump into the DeLorean and head back in time...to the Dead Puck Era. A time when 50 goal scorers were about as common as Halley's Comet and the only thing lower than the offence was the television ratings. Other than Alex Ovechkin's goal in the second period, there were very few moments of brilliance in this one. It was a game played between the blue lines, as the Leafs fired up the flux capacitor and rebooted New Jersey's hideous neutral zone trap. Martin Gerber (seriously, Martin Fucking Gerber! Ottawa ran this guy out of town with pitchforks for crying out loud) and Jose Theodore kept the game at 1-1, with Theo seeing most of the few good chances there were.

Then at about the 3 minute mark, the Caps finally turned it into their kind of game: fast-paced, high-tempo with lots of puck possession in the other team's end. But what really jump started the craziness was a Caps mistake. John Erskine got whistled for very iffy hooking penalty and on the ensuing power play, Toronto's Pavel Kubina (who scored the game-winner the last time these two teams played) fired a slap shot that had eyes, trickling past Theo to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead.

The Caps, as is their wont, came back, scoring on a wild scramble. Of course, it was Brooks Laich scoring the goal. It looked like Laich got the puck into net before shoving Gerber back into the goal. The ref was right there on top of the play in perfect position. That didn't stop Gerber from going all Tuukka Rask out there, bumping the referee and shoving the linesman, earning himself a game misconduct.

From there, our trip back to the Dead Puck Era came full circle as Curtis Joseph, one of the top goalies of that era, dragged his 41-year-old self off the bench minus a warmup. But the rusty CuJo looked more Fred Savage than Judge Reinhold (if you can guess that reference, you win a 6-pack of beer on me) and stoned Ovie cold with a brilliant pad save. He was even better in overtime as the Caps dominated play, outshooting the Leafs 8-0 in the extra session. The Caps got a power play late in OT and CuJo made two outstanding stops on Mike Green and Alex Semin to give his team a chance in the shootout.

Toronto's Jeff Hamilton, an amazing 53 percent in shootouts, scored on the first attempt against Theo, who hadn't faced any shots for roughly 6 minutes. It was yet another reason to hate the shootout: Caps were dominating action, with only CuJo's unbelievable performance keeping Toronto in it and end up losing because of a silly breakaway competition. Nonetheless, the Caps did have three shooters and CuJo stoned them all. Well, except Alex Semin whose propensity to miss the net is maddening. Still, give the old man credit, he dialed up the same kind of performance that Ottawa Senators fans got wayyy to used to seeing in the earlier part of this decade.

Here now are the game highlights, courtesy of NHL.com.

So, until next time, let's say good night to the 5-game road trip and say good night to da bad guys.

Good Guys Links- Capitals

We'll go a little long on this links section, since some new ones got posted up yesterday after my Caps links post. Tonight, the Caps wrap up a five-game road trip in Toronto and from there, they only have two games in the next 8 days, both at the Phone Booth (March 27 vs. Tampa and April 1 vs the Islanders). So here's some Caps news from around the internets. Enjoy suckas.

- The flu bug has worked its way onto the Caps roster. Alex Semin and Professor Matt Bradley both have it and Coach Bruce Boudreau says they are "iffy" for tonight's game in Toronto.

"Get your stinkin' mandibles off Professor Bradley you damn dirty bug!"

- To make up for the possible loss of Semin and Professor Matt, the Caps have called up goalie Darren Machesney and the wonderfully named Steve Pinizzotto. To make room, Simeon Varlamov was sent down to Hershey for salary cap reasons. According to Tank, Semin and Bradley are doing better. With a name like Pinizzotto, he's already my 5th favorite Cap. Sounds like something out of "The Godfather" or something.

"Find out more about this...Pinizzotto character."


- Couple of Caps related items from Dan Steinberg over at DC Sports Bog. First post is about the large numbers of Caps fans that swarmed Raleigh, North Carolina to attend Saturday's Caps-'Canes tilt.

- Steinz again, this time arguing why Alex Ovechkin is no Terrell Owens.

- Two more Ovechkin related items, both from Toronto papers. First, despite the misleading headline, Tiger Williams, one of the original hockey showmen, liked Ovie's "my stick is on fire" celebration in Tampa. Next, Leafs (and former Caps) coach Ron Wilson and Don Cherry have something in common: their dislike of Ovie's celebrations.

- Japer's and Peerless with previews of tonight's game.

- From OFB, Alex Giroux got his 50th goal for the Chocolatetown Bears. He's the first Bears player to hit 50 in 22 years.

- Another story from Tank, this time about Tomas Fleischmann trying to regain his scoring touch.

- Yesterday I posted the highlights from the last time the Caps played in Toronto. Here is a less happy memory, the last matchup between these two teams at the Phone Booth, which resulted in a 2-1 Leafs victory.

Good Guys Links- Capitals

Hallo mein scheissehunden! (that's German folks, I think)

Welcome back to your usual sports banter here at the old Hangar. I took a little bit of a break yesterday but after putting up 10 posts in 2 days, I figured it was time for one. But we're back with the nonsense that the few of you that come here have come to know and love. We'll start the day off with some Good Guys Links- Caps Edition. Later today I'll catch us up on some Orioles stuff and then have a metal album retrospective and hopefully another episode of "Bad Movies I Love," time permitting. Hopefully I can come at you with a mix of sports and non-sports stuff to help bring balance to the Force. So, without any further rambling introductions, here's some Caps stuff.

- One thing I did not address in my Caps-'Canes recap from Saturday was the officiating. It was, how shall we say, a bit questionable. Here's Billionaire Ted's take on it from his blog.

- Then there is this dandy quote (per Puck Daddy & Tank) from Bruce Boudreau that will surely cost him some cash...
"I've looked at them five times in there and I can't see where these calls are," Boudreau said. "It's my humble opinion, but holy frig. Those are some, in my estimation, some really iffy calls."
"There's no chance [Fleischmann's penalty] was a dive," he added. "His leg got corkscrewed. Then on Green's, when they went to the double minor, they cross-checked him in the head and then Pitkanen went at [Green]. Pitkanen goes at him and Mike retaliates and there still was only two [minutes] given each."

- The much-anticipated Don Cherry reaction about Ovechkin's 50th goal celebration...

Here's some takes from Puck Daddy, OFB, and Peerless. My take? Now that Cherry has had his say, let's all move on with our lives. Please?

- Japer's on the Caps penalty kill.

-OFB has the brackets for this year's NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament, which will culminate at the Phone Booth this year.

- Finally, here's some highlights from the last time the Capitals visited Tuesday's opponent, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Good Guys Links- Capitals

Since the Caps are in the heart of NASCAR country to play the former Hartford Whalers tonight, I figured I'd throw a Ricky Bobby reference out there. Here's all the links that are fit to quit to get ready for tonight's Caps-Carolina Hurricanes match.

- Tank says Mike Green should be in the lineup tonight. Greener, as you may recall (or may not), suffered what looked like a nasty shoulder injury Thursday night in Tampa. Milan Jurcina looks to be scratched.

- Chris Bourque (son of Ray) will take the spot in the lineup vacated by Boyd Gordon and Quintin Laing. Let's hope Bourque lasts longer than poor Laing did.


- One more from Tank - former Chicago Blackhawks and current San Jose Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick has no problem with Alex Ovechkin's celebrations. High praise from the greatest video game hockey player ever and the man who made Wayne Gretzky's head bleed in "Swingers."


- Since we're talking Ovie and celebrations (again), here's Tom Boswell's take.

- Japer's has this translated interview with Ovechkin by Slava Malamud of Sport Express

- Peerless is calling for a 5-3 Caps win.

- A brief preview of tonight's game from da bad guys perspective.

Good Guys Links - Capitals

'Cause I wanted to make it three for three in the links posts/English bulldog pics department. One more hockey post for now and then I promise the next few will involve something else. Here are some links to The Good Guys - Caps Edition.

- Apparently Mike Green isn't as alright as he said he was after last night's win in Tampa. The Caps can not afford to lose Greener for any length of time.

- Poor Quintin Laing. Guy gets called up from Hershey to fill in for Boyd Gordon (out 3-4 weeks) and promptly gets hurt in his first game with a torn spleen (ouch!). Laing is out for the rest of the season.

- Puck Daddy with more on the Ovechkin celebration.

- From OFB - a phone interview with Ovie and a post on how Carl Racki style "old time hockey" will not catch up to the Great 8.

"You wanna go pretty boy?"

- Bruce Boudreau says the Ovie celebration will not happen again.

- Billionaire Ted, Japer's and Peerless on last night's game.

- ESPN's Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside tackle the Ovechkin vs Malkin MVP debate.

-