The Peerless Prognosticator

What is it about that number?

2008-08-17T09:21:00.002-04:00

It is a number that means "wealth" or "prosperity" in Chinese culture.

It is the number of gold medals won by Michael Phelps (which would be as many as Australia, South Korea, and Japan)

and...

There's something about August....

2008-08-16T07:14:00.008-04:00

...that makes you think it's January, and a couple of heavyweights are duking it out at center ice. Today's tilt (or more accurately, this week's) pairs off Ross McKeon, nominally the NHL editor for Yahoo (with an exclamation point)-dot-com, but really more of a Left Coast Larry Brooks with his provincialism, taking on the Caps' Supreme Leader, Ted Leonsis.

Earlier in the week, McKeon offered up five ways he'd change the NHL, one of which would involve folding up two teams that have won Stanley Cups in the last five seasons and another that drew in excess of 17,000 to its arena for its last 19 home games last year (including playoffs), selling out 11 of them.

The Caps would be that last team...the one with the attendance bump and, not insignificantly, with the player who won four individual trophies this year.

This prompted a response from The Boss...

"...we play in the Nation’s Capital, the sixth biggest media market in the US. We are the fastest growing team in the league. We have the reigning NHL MVP on our team. We are a team that is built to last. We have a great and growing fan base. We will be a perennial playoff team for a long, long time. We intend to win a Stanley Cup. We are part of the fabric of our community. We love our fans and they love us back. We have built a franchise that is worth a quarter of a billion dollars with blood, sweat, tears and a major cash investment...."

It was reminiscent of another exchange...one short year ago...between the insufferably smug, yet adorably ignorant Steve Czaban of what is now ESPN980 sports radio and...yup, The Boss.

980's "The Sports Reporters" (an odd choice of show title, since they don't covey much about sports, and seem less like "reporters" than they do kids in a tree house talking about girls) apparently had disparaging things to say on their show regarding the rationality of DC United fans flocking to see mega-star David Beckham. Ted blogged about their not "getting it" with respect to sports coverage. Then he twisted the knife a bit...and a bit more...Steve Czaban took umbrage and decided to take it upon himself to take Ted to the woodshed, to which Ted pretty much responded, "it that all you got?"

Whatever you think about the antagonists in these spats, you gotta agree...

...there's something about August.

Calendar Mind Tricks

2008-08-15T12:14:00.005-04:00

One of the tricks I employ when I look at a calendar and wish a future date might arrive faster is to look back the same number of days, weeks, or months and think about what I was doing then.

Well, as of today, we have 30 days until rookie camp. 30 days...ok, so what were you doing on July 16th? Here are some of the highlights from around and around...

-- Atlanta re-signed Kari Lehtonen

-- Terry Murray was named the new coach of the Los Angeles Kings

-- The NHL announced that the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks would face off at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day, 2009

-- The Dauphin County (PA) Commissioners declared July 16, 2008, as Bruce Boudreau Day in Dauphin County

-- The Ottawa Sun reported a "hot" rumor that would have had goaltender Martin Gerber and defenseman Andrej Meszaros sent to Los Angeles, forward Anze Kopitar dealt to Chicago, and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and either defenseman Brent Seabrook or defenseman Cam Barker moved to Ottawa...still waiting on that one.

-- and Eklund was reporting a rumor that Eric Lindros was going to be returning to the NHL as a Dallas Star...we're still waiting on that one, too.

Just as we are waiting on the start of rookie camp and the first whiff of the new season.

On this day in Caps history...August 10th

2008-08-10T21:48:00.005-04:00

It was 2005. The Caps were coming out of the lockout. They already had their cornerstone in place to lead the offense. They needed those pillars of the blue line to anchor the defense. And on this date, they made their play for a pair of free agents to fill the bill...

Ivan Majesky...Mathieu Biron

The rest, as they say, is history.

Ten Games That Mattered

2008-08-09T13:18:00.008-04:00

We’ve got one last (probably) look back at the 2007-2008 season, and the theme is “Ten Games That Mattered.” They aren’t from among those last dozen games down the stretch when the Caps went 11-1-0 to clinch a playoff spot (ok, one is). It would be too easy on one hand, too hard on the other to pick from among those games. Not all of the games we’re looking at are wins, either. Perhaps not all are obvious for their importance, but this is The Peerless’ take…

1. Game 3 – October 8, 2007: Washington 2 - at New York Islanders 1

Why did it matter?...12 shots, none for Alex Ovechkin. This would be the third win in a 3-0-0 start, but one had the feeling (certainly in hindsight) that something was amiss. The Islanders, after all, were not a strong team, and yet they outshot the Caps, 31-12. Ovechkin was held without a shot, the only time in the 2007-2008 season it would happen, and only the second time in his career. After three games, the Caps had a total of seven goals on 85 shots. And while the Caps also yielded only two goals on a total of 83 shots, they suddenly – in this Islanders games – were exposed as a team that seemed more fit for the pre-lockout style of hockey…play it close to the vest, don’t give up any chances, look for an opportunity. As one looks back, it was a win, but it also was an indicator that perhaps there was a lack of fit between the philosophy on the ice and the talents of the players being asked to fulfill it.

2. Game 7 – October 20, 2007: Pittsburgh 2 – at Washington 1

Why did it matter?...”I played a hunch.” That was what coach Glen Hanlon said after the game regarding the surprise start of backup goalie Brent Johnson. Johnson played well (20 saves on 22 shots faced), but for the seventh straight game, the Caps could not score more than three goals. They had a total of 14 through those seven games. The power play was 4-for-34. The new guys – Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov, and Tom Poti – who were to have injected some offense – had combined for a total 4-6-10, -3. The Caps had now given up their three-win start and were 3-4-0. Even we said at the time it was a game that mattered. And what mattered was that the Caps’ season was disintegrating rapidly before our eyes.

3. Game 21 – November 21, 2007: Atlanta 5 – at Washington 1

Why did it matter?...because it was rock bottom. This was the low point of the Capitals’ season. The Caps defeated the Thrashers on opening night in Atlanta and lost in overtime on November 6^th. But this…this was beating a whipped dog. Since the opening run of three wins, the Caps were 3-13-1 coming into this game. Atlanta had won six of seven coming in, and after a scoreless first period, hit the Caps with a two-by-four, scoring five goals in under 23 minutes of clock time. Two of the goals came from Ilya Kovalchuk. Tobias Enstrom had three assists. But there were the faintest glimmers of some themes that would emerge later…asked after the game if he thought the players could turn things around despite being last in the league in points, coach Glen Hanlon replied, “you never stop believing.” That sounded like the title of a song that would become an anthem for the Caps in the months to come, but alas, Hanlon would not be there to see it. This would be his last game behind the Caps bench.

4. Game 22 – November 23, 2007: Washington 4 – at Philadelphia 3 (OT)

Why did it matter?...a coach who had been a minor league lifer stepped behind the bench. At this point, it hardly seemed to matter that Bruce Boudreau, late of the Hershey Bears, has being asked to clean up a toxic dump of a season with a few sheets of paper towels. The Caps were 6-14-1, last in the NHL. Only three times had they managed more than three goals in a game. They’d given up four or more goals in four of the last five. Alex Ovechkin had five goals in the previous six games, but the rest of the club had a total of eight.

In fact, this game started as a microcosm of the season. The Caps got out to a 3-0 lead deep into the second period. But, the Flyers scored two goals late in that second period, then got a late tally from Mike Richards in the third to tie the game, and the “feel-good” story of a Boudreau win in his NHL coaching debut seemed destined to have an unhappy ending instead. But less than two minutes into overtime, Alex Ovechkin drove to the Flyer net, dragging two defenders with him. When Martin Biron made the initial save on Ovechkin’s shot, Nicklas Backstrom swooped into the void, curled the puck onto his forehand, and in one motion roofed it over the sprawled Biron to give Boudreau the win in his debut. It was Boudreau who had (as would often become the case) the money quote after the game…"I just think the mind-set sometimes has got to change, and the culture's got to change. They've got to believe that they're really good players." No one would believe it of a 7-14-1 team that they had “really good players.” They’d be proven wrong.

5. Game 34 – December 17, 2007: at Detroit 4 – Washington 3 (OT/SO)

Why did it matter?...The Caps went to Detroit 7-4-1 in the 12 games since Bruce Boudreau stepped behind the bench. But it couldn’t be said that the wins came against a lot of “quality” opponents. Only two of the seven wins were earned outside of what was thought to be a weak Southeast Division (against New Jersey and in overtime against the Rangers, both at home). On this night, they’d be facing the gold standard for yardstick purposes – the Red Wings, who came into the game 23-6-3 overall, and 14-2-1 at home (they had not lost at home to any team in regulation except Chicago). Perhaps it was the Red Wings taking the Caps lightly, but the Caps took advantage of the situation, withstanding a quick punch in the nose in the form of a Tomas Holmstrom goal at 3:57 of the first and scoring two of their own in the opening period, courtesy of Alex Ovechkin and Jeff Schultz (the latter in the last 30 seconds of the period). Detroit regained the lead with goals by Henrik Zetterbeg and Holmstrom, but the Caps would not relent. After Pavel Datsyuk took a seat in the penalty box after shooting the puck over the glass, Alexander Semin capitalized on the ensuing power play to tie the game. There was no scoring in the overtime session, leaving things to The Gimmick, which Detroit “won,” 2-1, to earn the extra standings point. But against a quality opponent, on their home ice, the Caps played them as evenly as one could expect…65 minutes, and both teams had three goals on 30 shots. It wasn’t a shout, perhaps, but maybe just a suggestion that this team wasn’t nearly as bad as its first 21 games.

6. Game 39 – December 29, 2007: Washington 8 – at Ottawa 6

Why did it matter?...The night before, the Caps lost in overtime at Pittsburgh, 4-3, on a goal by former Cap Sergei Gonchar. What’s more, Alex Ovechkin sustained a cut in his leg that required stitches. The Caps, 8-5-4 under Boudreau and within five games of .500, could have been a snack for the Senators, who usually seem to find a way to score often against the Caps. It was the Caps that got off fast, though, with an Alexander Semin goal 61 seconds into the game. After that, it was the Rocky and Apollo show. Rocky, in this case, was the stitched-up Ovechkin. He scored the next two Caps goals, sandwiched around a Daniel Alfredsson goal for the Senators. And when the Caps and Senators traded goals like haymakers into the third period, Ovechkin scored the hat trick at 13:46. After Mike Fisher scored to close the gap to 7-6, Ovechkin sealed the deal with a 180-foot empty netter for the win. Four goals (on five shots – he hit a post with the other) and an assist represented Ovechkin’s first five-point game of his career (it would not be his last of the season). But more to the point, the Caps did defeat what was (at least at the time) a quality opponent, on their ice, and in a fashion where they had to withstand several comebacks by the Senators. The Caps were still only 15-19-5, but they were now a team to be reckoned with.

7. Game 47 – January 19, 2008: at Washington 5 – Florida 3

Why did it matter?...because, as Bruce Boudreau put it, “we’ve officially reached mediocrity.” The Caps climbed back to .500 (21-21-5), doing so by going 15-7-4 under Boudreau since he took over. Getting there, though, was not pretty. The Caps rocketed out to a 3-0 lead on a pair of goals by Viktor Kozlov around a marker by John Erskine (yes…John Erskine). The three goals came on three consecutive shots. Perhaps feeling a bit fat and happy, the Caps let the Panthers get them all back. However, these being the Caps of January, and not those of October, the Caps regained the momentum and finished off the Panthers on goals by Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin. But there was something else, something captured by (of all people) Panther color analyst Denis Potvin on the Florida TV feed as Ovechkin was skating through the Panther zone as if the puck was velcroed to his stick…”The people here – I tell ya – the best crowd here I’ve ever seen here at the Verizon Center; they’re all on their feet. They’re just having a ball watching the great Alexander Ovechkin play, and they can watch him for another 13 years…they talk about highlight reel plays; that was a highlight reel shift by Alexander Ovechkin.” That kind of crowd would figure mightily in things down the road.

8. Game 52 – January 31, 2008: at Washington 5 – Montreal 4 (OT)

Why did it matter?...Good seasons can become great, for a team or a player, in a single game. In this one, the Caps were coming home to finish off a home-and-home against the Canadiens, who defeated the Caps 4-0 two nights earlier in Montreal. This is when stars have to step up, and the Caps’ star did so in a big way. Alex Ovechkin put his stamp on his own personal hat trick – four goals, a broken nose, and a slobberknocker hit on Steve Begin that sent him twirling in the air. Ovechkin also took stitches in his lip for good measure after getting hit with a puck. It was more than his second career five-point game (he added an assist on a goal by Viktor Kozlov), it was the sort of “knock-me-down, and-I’ll-come-back-for-more” performance that catapulted Ovechkin’s season from the very very good to the legendary status. He shot, he scored, he was hit in the boards, hit back, scored some more, and then scored the game-winner in overtime. You could find worse (and less believable) scripts in Hollywood. His second four-goal game of the season made him the first player to accomplish that feat since the 1995-1996 season, when it was done by Peter Bondra and Mario Lemieux. From here on out, Ovechkin would be the prohibitive favorite to win the Hart Trophy as league’s most valuable player. But more than that, it preserved the Caps’ tenuous foothold on .500 (24-23-5).

9. Game 65 – February 29, 2008: Washington 4 – at New Jersey 0

Why did it matter?...new guys, one in particular. This was the second game for the Caps after the trading deadline at which they acquired goaltender Cristobal Huet, and forwards Sergei Fedorov and and Matt Cooke. Huet and Fedorov dressed for the first time in this game. It would be against an opponent and a goaltender – Martin Brodeur – that historically gave the Caps fits. But Brodeur wasn’t the best goaltender on this night. That would be the new guy wearing ‘38’ at the other end of the ice. Despite the final score, Huet had to be sharp when it mattered, turning away Zach Parise on a breakaway and Jamie Langenbrunner on a point-blank rebound barely a minute apart when the game was scoreless in the second period. Mike Green scored a few minutes later, and the Caps added three in the third to slay Brodeur. For the Caps, it was a win, but one with significance considering the opponent. Not only was Jersey a persistent thorn in the side of the Caps in recent seasons, but it was the first time the Devils were shut out since December 18th. And, the loss in regulation was Jersey’s first in 10 games (7-1-2). It would be hard to quarrel with the opinion that the Caps were by now a pretty good team.

10. Game 71 – March 12, 2008: at Washington 3 – Calgary 2

Why did it matter?...This game from among the last dozen is included, not because it represents a beginning (the first win of the 11 the Caps would earn in the last stretch), but because it represents an ending. Three nights earlier, the Caps lost a second consecutive game in regulation – the first time it had happened under Bruce Boudreau. And, they lost it in especially ugly fashion. Losing to Pittsburgh is never pleasant, but in this instance a 2-2 tie was broken by…Nicklas Backstrom. That’s right, this was the “own goal” game in which Backstrom, trying to fire the puck off the end boards and out of danger from in front of his own net, backhanded the puck past Cristobal Huet and into his own net. Adding insult to the injury, Sidney Crosby was credited with the goal. Fast forward to March 12^th, and Calgary came to town with their own star of stars, Jarome Iginla. It could have been the beginning of the end of a sweet story, and it looked like precisely that when Calgary took a 2-1 lead mid-way through the second period. But then, again, the Caps’ star took over. It was Alex Ovechkin scoring the tying goal on a power play late in the second period to tie the game, and scoring again on another power play with just under two minutes in regulation to provide the margin of victory. It also bears noting that this would be the 300^th win for goaltender Olaf Kolzig, one that has to be regarded among the most important at a critical time. It was the 11^th time in 12 games Kolzig had held a team to three goals or fewer. He would do so one more time in a 4-1 win against Atlanta, his last win in a Capitals uniform.

Even after this win against Calgary, the Caps would find themselves staring up out of a deep hole – seven points behind then-division leading Carolina and four points out of eighth-place and an at-large playoff spot. But the rest, as we know, is history. The Caps went on to win 10 of their last 11 games after the Calgary win, overtaking the Hurricanes to win the Southeast Division and gaining a third-seed for the playoffs. But along the way, there were games that mattered. If you have one that’s not included here, let us know what you think.

08/08/08

2008-08-08T06:12:00.011-04:00

In this morning's New York Times, in a nod to today's date, illustrator Ben Schott takes a look at some "notable miscellaneous octads." Among them (click for a larger image)...

In these parts, Caps fans (and Caps' moms) have an appreciation for a more specific notable octad...

Happy Birthday...from a few friends

2008-08-06T17:50:00.014-04:00

Tomorrow will be a day celebrated across the hockey firmament, a day when bells will peal, choirs of heavenly angels will raise their voices, when all who worship at the altar that is hockey will give thanks.

For it is Sidney Crosby's 21st birthday.

We have it on good word that a few of his friends and admirers from the sport have offered their gifts in appreciation and celebration...

"Happy Birthday, Sidney...If I could, I'd give you the sun, the moon, and the stars."

Love,
Gary

"Here's a pair of boxing gloves...learn to fight, ya putz."

-- Andy F.

"These'll be the best wings you have this year."

Many Happy Returns,
Marian

"Here...they're to your own place...please, get out!"

Signed,
Ace

Dear Sidney,

I didn't want you to go blind from the glare of my four trophies and my world championship medal. Happy Birthday.

Your friend, Alex

P.S. I ordered you a pizza...and some chicken fingers...and some french fries...

Heroism...Valor...Thy Name is "Bettman"

2008-08-05T03:55:00.003-04:00

You could go to the National Gallery of Art and take in a variety of works of French, Italian, and Dutch painters. Or, you could head to the Corcoran and view its collection of 19th century American art.

pfft...

Why waste your time, when you could merely click your way here and immerse yourself in the complete collection of the "Bettman as Hero" exhibit of fine art? 231 of the finest examples of portraiture, capturing The Commish in a variety of heroic moments. Our contributions were duly recorded. Take a moment...or better yet, take several...it would be hard to appreciate the full scope and grandeur of the effort in one viewing.

Imagined on a street in Atlanta...

2008-08-03T08:44:00.003-04:00

...worn by a certain hockey player when training camp opens:

Someone want to explain this to me?

2008-08-02T22:36:00.012-04:00

Merchandise has become the life blood of sport franchises, the NHL included. Fans donning caps, jerseys, t-shirts, and other assorted paraphernalia make for another stream of income for the league and its clubs. But, sometimes things take a turn, as in some of the offerings of caps you'll find online...

Like this oddly Sharkish, Kingsish take on the Caps "weagle"

ok..."Senguins?"...or "Penators?"

We suspect Toe Blake is spinning in his grave at the sight of this...

...uh, chocolate mochap mint?...and in the old style, to boot

and of course, fans will want to express their loyalties to the St. Louis...Greens?

...yeesh.

I'm sorry...I got nothin' for this one...

And finally, there is this Alex Ovechkin jersey we found on eBay
(apparently crossed with the Penguin outdoor game version)

No...we did not bid on it.

On this day in Caps history...August 1st

2008-08-01T16:45:00.005-04:00

2001...

The big signing of the summer was, of course, Jaromir Jagr on July 11th. Things were quiet on the personnel front after that until this date, when the Caps signed Peter Ferraro as a free agent. By the time he inked a deal with Washington, Ferraro had been the property of four other franchises -- the Rangers (who drafted him 24th overall in 1992), Pittsburgh, the Rangers again, Boston, Atlanta, and Boston again.

Ferraro played only four games with the Capitals early in that 2001-2002 season, an otherwise frustrating one in which the Caps went 36-33-11-2, finishing two points out of a playoff spot. In those four games (over which the Caps went 2-1-1), Ferraro chipped in a lone assist. He remained in the system until he signed with Phoenix as a free agent on July 17, 2003.

In his 92 NHL games among four clubs, Ferraro was 9-15-24, -1. He played in two playoff games with the Rangers in 1996-1997, going without a point. He is a part of NHL history, though, joining his twin brother, Chris, to become the first set of identical twins to take the ice for the same team in the NHL. They would repeat that with the Caps, both brothers taking the ice against the Kings in Los Angeles on October 16, 2001. Peter was held off the score sheet, while Chris (playing in what would be his only game with the Caps) notched an assist on an Ulf Dahlen goal in a 3-2 overtime win. However, it would be with the Caps' farm club at the time, the Portland Pirates, that the brothers would would endure a pain that makes playing a game seem small by comparison.

Peter's last appearances in the NHL came with the Caps. He shuttled between the AHL and Europe over the next few seasons. Last year, he played for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL, where he led the Wranglers in scoring. Chris was there, too, to help Peter and the Wranglers to a 47-13-12 record, the Pacific Division title, and a berth in the ECHL Kelly Cup finals, where they lost in six games to Cincinnati.

On this day in Caps history

2008-07-31T17:15:00.003-04:00

1991: The Caps traded Robin Bawa to Vancouver for cash.

Bawa saw North America on the NHL plan, starting his journey by signing with the Caps in May 1987. He saw his only action for Washington in the 1989-1990 season, logging five games (1-0-1, -3, six PIMs) before being shipped to the Baltimore Skipjacks farm club.

On this date, he was sent to Vancouver for cash, but played only two games for the Canucks in the 1990-1991 season (0-0-0, even, no PIMs) before being sent to San Jose for Rick Lessard on December 15, 1992. Before that, however, he did appear in one playoff game (0-0-0, even, no PIMs)

In San Jose, Bawa played 42 games in the 1992-1993 season (5-0-5, -25, 47 PIMs) in his only season with the parent club.

Anaheim claimed him in the 1993 expansion draft. He played 12 games for Anaheim the following season (0-1-1, -3, 7 PIMs), but was signed away by Dallas as a free agent the following season. He never played for the Stars, but did continue playing with a variety of clubs in the IHL until a serious concussion suffered on April 14, 1999 (playing with the Fort Wayne Komets) led to his retirement.

In all, between Bawa's start in pro hockey and its conclusion (both with the Fort Wayne Komets), he played in 61 NHL regular season games for four franchises, 159 games in the AHL (for Baltimore and Hamilton), and 540 games in the IHL (for Fort Wayne, Milwaukee, Kansas City, San Diego, and Kalamazoo).

Bawa, a native of Duncan, British Columbia, was the first person of Indian descent to play in the NHL.

On this day in Caps history...

Three Years Ago Yesterday...A Great Day in Caps History

2008-07-31T12:19:00.005-04:00

Well...maybe. It depends on your perspective. On July 30, 2005, a fellow with nothing but a keyboard, a passion, and a song in his heart (or maybe gas) decided to start a blog on the Caps.

Here is its first ever entry into the blogosphere.

It isn't much.

We started this as the next step from the game day sketches we used to post on The Official. An example... (you'll note it's fiction -- Mike Grier scores on a breakaway).

It's been a lot of fun (and no, we're not done yet), and we have a lot of people to thank, most notably our readers and fellow blogging wizards. They keep us honest with the facts and challenge us with their opinions (including The Boss, who apparently checks in from time to time). We have to thank the Caps, for giving us a lot to work with over the past three years -- the trials, the tribulations, the triumphs.

We don't pretend to be deep, and we don't pretend to be a journalist (we don't even pretend to be "we"...it's just The Peerless here). We just write as a fan -- frustrated from time to time, happy occasionally, looking for something to do at 3 a.m. when last night's pepperoni and double cheese is exacting revenge.

We hope you'll keep reading us, as well as our fellow wizards, who you will find over there on the right. Given the lack of coverage the Caps get (although bless Tarik and Katie at the Post, and Corey and Tim at the Times, and others on the local beat for doing a great job in a tough place to cover hockey), those blogs over there are some of the best info you'll find on all things Caps.

Thanks, everyone.

What have I done?!

2008-07-30T07:40:00.004-04:00

You might have heard of a certain contest underway...the "Puck Daddy Art Contest," to be exact. The theme is, "Gary Bettman -- Portraits in Heroism." The object of the exercise is to "depict Gary Bettman in a moment of true valor and heroism."

A tall order, indeed.

Well, we couldn't help ourselves. We sent in a few (one of which has been posted). And here they are, for what it's worth (your self respect, Peerless?)...

Mirtle, Mo, and Milan...An Arbitration Intersection

2008-07-29T10:54:00.004-04:00

James Mirtle authored a report in today's Globe and Mail that delved into the mysterious and, it turns out, contentious world of salary arbitration. In the body of the report, there was this narrative of interest to Caps fans...
In the Morrisonn case, the Capitals were seeking a salary of $1.1-million in arbitration and used six other young defencemen as comparables: Milan Jurcina, Josh Gorges, Lukas Krajicek, Mark Stuart, Garnet Exelby and Mike Komisarek.

On behalf of the player, the National Hockey League Players' Association asked for $2.8-million and used Trevor Daley, Tim Gleason, Fedor Tyutin, Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov and Komisarek as comparisons.

Note that the club used the comparable of Milan Jurcina. The careful reader might note that this season is Jurcina's last under his current contract ($881,250 cap hit; $912,500 salary). Does this mean that the negotiations start at a foor of $1.975 million (Morrisonn's new deal)? The club views them as "comparable," although the arbitrator argued that the appropriate compensation for Morrisonn should be higher. Could make for an interesting situation next summer...if Jurcina is still here.

Ah, he'd probably have done it anyway

2008-07-26T20:24:00.004-04:00

Ken Campbell over at The Hockey News has an article up about Bruce Boudreau and his taking a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Not to sight-see, mind you, but rather...

"...to put 48 hockey players through their paces in something called the Hockey Resume Free Agent Camp in Niagara Falls, Ont. Now, the Hockey Resume Free Agent Camp and, let’s say, the first round of the NHL draft should not be confused. Hockey Resume is a company that tries to find jobs in the minor leagues, often the low minors, for players who don’t have contracts."

Campbell notes that Boudreau is saving a few bucks -- Boudreau himself said that "I’m basically doing it so my son doesn’t have to pay...I said I’d help out with a practice and give their camp some validity if my son could attend for free."

But we wonder, given his history, if it just wasn't an excuse to get some hockey teaching in.

And they're done...well, not

2008-07-26T18:46:00.003-04:00

Shaone Morrisonn signed a one-year contract today for $1,975,000. That is the last of the major signings for the club for the summer, it would appear, and solidifies what would be the roster for the 2008-2009 season.

Well, not exactly. The deal leaves the club over the salary cap insofar as the likely parent roster is concerned:

What it means is that the club is either going to be having Brian Pothier and/or Chris Clark on the shelf, or the Caps are going to be trading off someone.

The "Outstanding Six" -- Can the Caps Join the Party?

2008-07-25T14:40:00.002-04:00

As we understand the workings of “The Plan” as it applies to the Washington Capitals, it includes three pieces – the same three pieces any other team might use, albeit in ways not employed by all teams (cough…”Lightning”) – draft, trades, and free agents.

The draft is the core of the exercise. You draft well, you draft deep, you draft the players around whom you want to build your team. They are “The Core.” For the Capitals, that would include Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin, for starters (you may quibble on the margins for additional players).

Trades and free agents are similar in that you’re acquiring components from other “brands.” Trades are generally cheaper than comparably skilled free agents (salary-wise), who can be obtained to fill any number of roles (scorer, checking forward, defensive defenseman) and can be high-end skill players or tightly defined role players. They are the “mortar” to be used around the “bricks” of the core that was drafted.

In focusing on the draft as the core of the enterprise, the object is not just to be competitive, but to sustain a competitive level of play. Some teams (cough…”Lightning”) appear to want to write checks to buy competitiveness in the short term, but in looking at the longer term prospects for such a team, they are iffy. They will have salary issues, and the league has a history of teams failing to achieve the expected level of success through the “acquisition” route (particularly with respect to free agents).

We took a look at each of the six divisions since the 1990-1991 season and selected one team from each that enjoyed some lean times before achieving success. There are some patterns to be found in them.

Atlantic Division – New Jersey Devils

"They're putting a Mickey-Mouse operation on the ice. It's ruining hockey."

-- Wayne Gretzky, after the Oilers clubbed the Devils 13-4, November 19, 1983.

And so they were – a “Mickey Mouse operation,” that is. Although they would reach the playoffs in five of the next ten seasons, they would not so much as reach 90 points in doing it. Their high water mark was 87 points reached in both the 1991-1992 and 1992-1993 seasons. In those two seasons, though, there was something brewing. They had a couple of mid-20-something forwards in Claude Lemieux and Stephane Richer, a 20-year old rookie (in the second of those seasons) in Bill Guerin, a mid-20’s defenseman of some skill by the name of “Stevens” (in his first two years in New Jersey), another defenseman in the early stages of his career by the name of “Niedermayer,” and a goalie who played only four games in that 1991-1992 season, but who would play a lot more later – Martin Brodeur.

In 1993-1994, the Devils took a big leap. They went 47-25-12, their 106 points being a 19-point improvement on the previous year – and went all the way to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers. The Devils won it all the following year, with a club that had added a young Bobby Holik (obtained from Hartford), a young Brian Rolston, and veterans Neal Broten (from Minnesota) and Bob Carpenter (from Washington).

Since then, the Devils have averaged 102 points per season and have finished with less than 95 only once. They have been able to sustain their success through the personnel skills of GM Lou Lamoriello, who has plugged holes and changed parts adroitly. If there has been a “core” (as we defined it) for the Devils over the past dozen seasons since they first won a Stanley Cup, it might include Patrik Elias (drafted in 1994), Brodeur (drafted in 1990), Scott Niedermayer (drafted in 1991, left after the 2003-2004 season), and Sergei Brylin (drafted in 1992). Added to that later, there might be included such players as John Madden (undrafted free agent who has been with the club since 1998), Jay Pandolfo (drafted in 1993, still with the club), Brian Rafalski (another undrafted free agent who was with the Devils from 1999-2000 through 2007-2007), and Scott Gomez (drafted in 1998 and left after the 2006-2007 season).

The Devils managed to pick up in trade or via free agency a number of players to fill roles for shorter periods of time – an Alexander Mogilny or a Joe Nieuwendyk, a Viktor Kozlov or a Richard Matvichuk, for example, to play a year or two at a time.

The Devils might not announce a “build from within” philosophy, but they have employed one of sorts, with an eye toward filling the missing pieces via trade or free agency. Of course, it helps to have that Lamoriello guy in the front office, too.

Northeast Division – Ottawa Senators

Once upon a time, this team was bad. No…really, really bad. Ten wins and 24 points bad…in an 84-game season in 1992-1993 (the Caps had an 8-67-5 season…21 points in 80 games in 1973-1974). As late as 1996-1997, they were only a 77-point team, although they did make the playoffs in that year.

The following year – 1997-1998 – one could now see the good team they would become, even if they had only 83 points in that year. They made the playoffs (losing to Washington in the second round), and did it with a youthful core – Daniel Alfredsson (drafted in 1994, still with the club), Wade Redden (drafted by the Islanders in 1995, but never playing a game in that organization), Chris Phillips (drafted in 1996), Magnus Arvedson (drafted in 1997).

After the Senators dipped their toes into the water in the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons, they would reel off nine seasons over which they averaged 103 points a year and never achieved fewer than 94 points in any of them. They did it largely with that core (Arvedson left the Senators after the 2002-2003 season), but managed to add a Marian Hossa (drafted in 1997), a Martin Havlat (drafted in 1999, left after the 2005-2006 season), a Jason Spezza (drafted in 2001), a Chris Neil (drafted in 1998), a Mike Fisher (drafted in 1998), and an Anton Volchenkov (drafted in 2000).

To that, the Senators added their own pieces of the puzzle from other organizations…a Vaclav Varada, a Zdeno Chara, a Todd White, or a Dany Heatley.

Ottawa has been more dependent (or successful, if you prefer) than most clubs, even the Devils, with respect to the draft. But it has allowed them to build and keep a core group of players. They haven’t had to dip into trades or free agency a lot, but they have engaged in the practice with some success. However, it hasn’t allowed them to get that franchise goalie that they always seem to lack (ok, they had Dominik Hasek for a year).

Southeast Division – Tampa Bay Lightning

The history of teams in this division since Y2K won’t make the histories of NHL legendary teams. Tampa Bay is probably the best of the lot over the past half-dozen years, and their tale is instructive.

In their first ten seasons, the Lightning peeked above the 75-point level only once (88 points in 1995-1996, when they made their only playoff appearance in their first decade). But between 2001-2002 and 2002-2003, when they leaped from 69 to 93 points, the light went on. That 2001-2002 team had its own core of precocious home-grown under-25 kids – Brad Richards (drafted in 1998), Pavel Kubina (drafted in 1996), and Vincent Lecavalier (drafted in 1998). They’d already added players such as Fredrik Modin (from Toronto), Vaclav Prospal (from Florida), Dave Andreychuk (from Buffalo), and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin (from Phoenix after he spent an entire year in the IHL in a contract dispute), and would add defenseman Dan Boyle (from Florida) midway through that 2001-2002 season. Martin St. Louis had already come over from Calgary in 2000-2001.

By the following season, they could make use of veterans added to their young core and make the leap to 93 points. A year after that they dipped into the veteran pool once more, adding Cory Stillman (from St. Louis) and Darryl Sydor (from Columbus). The pieces were sufficiently positioned to earn the Lightning a Stanley Cup.

The Lightning were not able to sustain their success as had New Jersey or Ottawa, in part because of contract deals that paid Lecavalier, Richards, and St. Louis handsomely, but left the club with little else to fill out a competitive roster. The house came crashing down last year when the Lightning sank to 71 points and 30th place in the league. But for four years, at least, the Lightning averaged 96 points and were a formidable squad, largely a product of the home-grown Lecavalier and Richards, and the pieces they added later (most notably Boyle, Prospal, and Khabibulin).

Central Division – Detroit Red Wings

These days, the defending Stanley Cup champion is looked at as the platinum standard for talent and management in the NHL. Such has not always been the case. In 1990-1991, the Wings were a 76-point team that ended a 17-year period in which they exceeded 80 points just once.

However, that 1990-1991 team had two home-grown players who would be essential to the Red Wings’ ascent to the highest tier of teams through the rest of the 1990’s and beyond – Steve Yzerman (drafted in 1983, but still only 25 years old that season) and Sergei Fedorov (drafted in 1989). They were the leading scorers on that team, with 108 and 79 points, respectively.

The following year, the Wings added two more players essential to their core – Nicklas Lidstrom and Vladimir Konstantinov on the blue line – both of whom were drafted in 1989 (that 1989 draft ranks as one of the great ones in terms of nailing the amateur evaluations for the Wings – five players played at least 630 NHL games, and Konstantinov certainly would have played far in excess of that had his career not been cut short after an auto accident). The Wings also added Vyacheslav Kozlov (drafted in 1990) for a cup of coffee with the club that year, and he would be a large player in future Wings’ success down the road.

For the Wings, the core was in place so that when it came to 1996-1997 (the year they would win their first Stanley Cup in 42 years), they could add a Brendan Shanhan (from Hartford early that season), Tomas Sandstrom (from Pittsburgh later that year), and Larry Murphy (from Toronto late in the year). It made for a formidable group and cemented the Wings as a perennial contender.

They would add pieces to their core in years to follow – a Tomas Holmstron (drafted in 1994), a Pavel Datsyuk (drafted in 1998), a Henrik Zetterberg (drafted in 1999). But they also would add players intelligently from other organizations to supplement that core – a Chris Chelios (from Chicago in 1998-1999), a Brett Hull (from Dallas in 2001-2002), Luc Robitaille (from Los Angeles, also in 2001-2002), a Robert Lang (from Washington in 2003-2004). It has made Detroit the embodiment of the phrase, “we don’t rebuild, we reload.”

Northwest Division – Colorado Avalanche

Maybe it’s the snow. It snows in Quebec; it snows in Denver. But while the Quebec Nordiques suffered some truly miserable seasons – in their last nine seasons in Canada, the Nordiques cleared 80 points just once -- they were rejuvenated in Denver, even though the seeds of success had already been planted.

That last team in Quebec in the 1994-1995 season included Joe Sakic up front (drafted in 1987) and Adam Foote on the blue line (drafted in 1989). There was Peter Forsberg (drafted by Philadelphia, but having never played a game in that organization, he being part of the consolation prize to Quebec when Eric Lindros was traded after declaring he would never play for the club that drafted him – Quebec). There was Adam Deadmarsh (drafted in 1993).

The following year, the now “Colorado Avalanche” were in a position to compete as the young guys had another year of experience. It didn’t hurt that there was a goaltender in Montreal with a festering relationship with his coach, one that would explode when he was left in to watch nine pucks fly by him before being pulled in a 12-1 loss in December 1995. Patrick Roy, who declared while leaving the bench in that game that he had played his last game in Montreal, became an Avalanche three days later.

But Roy, while the pivotal addition to the Avalanche from outside, wasn’t the only one to contribute. Mike Keane, who went with Roy to the Avalanche, was an important role player. Sandis Ozolinsh was added (from San Jose).

More players that would represent a core group were coming through the Colorado pipeline – Milan Hejduk (drafted in 1994), Chris Drury (also drafted in 1994), Alex Tanguay (drafted in 1998). But the Avalanche would add pieces to this puzzle as well that would culminate in a championship in 2001 – Rob Blake and Steve Reinprecht (from Los Angeles), and Ray Bourque (obtained in 1999-2000 from Boston).

Colorado has continued the theme, adding players fro within such as John-Michael Liles (drafted in 2000), Wojtek Wolski (drafted in 2004), and Paul Stastny (drafted in 2005). They’ve also added players from the outside to complement them, such as Ian Laperriere (from Los Angeles), Andrew Brunette (from Minnesota), and Ryan Smyth (from the Islanders).

The Avalanche has built and rebuilt a core, around which they have added veterans (for the most part) to keep themselves competitive.

Pacific Division – Dallas Stars

In their previous incarnation as the Minnesota North Stars, this franchise limped along on a path of mediocrity over their last decade in Minnesota, never better than 88 points, never worse than 51. The term “also ran” fit pretty well. But the last team in Minnesota had a glimmer of hope attached it in a couple of youngsters just cutting their teeth – 20-year old Derian Hatcher (drafted in 1990) and 22-year old Mike Modano (drafted in 1988). Modano would celebrate the move to Dallas the following year with a 50-goal season (still his career high) in leading the Stars (just “Stars”) to a 97-point season.

Trouble is, they hadn’t really “arrived” yet. They struggled for the next two seasons (with 42 points in the abbreviated 1994-1995 season, and 66 points the year after). But they were adding important pieces from within – Jamie Langenbrunner (drafted in 1993) and Jere Lehtinen (drafted in 1992), of greatest importance.

The Stars then also started to add other pieces, too, like Darryl Sydor (from Los Angeles) and Joe Nieuwendyk (from Calgary).

Adding a new coach – Ken Hitchcock – allowed the parts to work well as a whole, as the Stars improved by 38 points from 1995-1996 (66 points) to 1996-1997 (104 points). It started an 11-year (and counting) streak in which the Stars have averaged 104 points a season and have been below 97 points only once.

Dallas has not been quite as dependent on a “core,” perhaps, as the other teams mentioned here, but they have added assets from within over the years – Marty Turco (drafted in 1994), Brenden Morrow (drafted in 1997), Steve Ott (drafted in 2000), Jussi Jokinen (drafted in 2001), and Antti Miettinen (drafted in 2000).

Dallas has been successful in adding players – Philippe Boucher (from Los Angeles in 2002), Jason Arnott (from New Jersey in 2001, through 2006), Bill Guerin (from Boston in 2002, though 2006), and Stu Barnes (from Buffalo in 2002), for example.

All of these teams are perennial contenders. In the 60 seasons of hockey comprising the last ten seasons for each team, they have a combined 52 playoff teams (of the eight non-playoff teams, Tampa Bay has six of them). Five of the teams have won a total of eight Stanley Cups. The other – Ottawa – has appeared in a final.

There is the “Original Six,” and there is the “Outstanding Six” described here. It is the level of sustained competitiveness to which the Capitals aspire and are building a club for the long run. What one sees here is the outline of a pattern. A core of players is drafted, developed, and brought to the parent club. It is only after that when serious additions from outside are made, and generally to complement – not to replace – the roles that the core players occupy.

It is interesting to note as well that the big leap these clubs took in points that started them on the road to sustained competitiveness was often accompanied by a coaching change – Jacques Lemaire in New Jersey (when the Devils improved from 87 to 106 points from the 1992-1993 to the 1993-1994 season), John Tortorella (when Tampa Bay made a 34-point jump after two seasons under him), Bryan Murray (a 28 point leap in his first two years in Detroit), Ken Hitchcock (38 points in his first year in Dallas), Marc Crawford (a 28-point jump over his first two seasons with the Nordiques/Avalanche). There might be a “chicken and the egg” issue here – perhaps the ingredients were in place for the coach, perhaps the coach was needed to get the maximum from the ingredients – but there seems is a pattern in how these clubs got to where they are.

This has implications for the Capitals, who look to be a team wanting to operate in the same fashion. A core was built – Ovechkin, Green, Backstrom, and Semin. It is a group that struggled – not so much with their own play, but under the burdens of a team that did not enjoy much success in recent years. To this group, parts were added – Viktor Kozlov, Tom Poti, Michael Nylander. Other parts of what might constitute a growing core were added as well – Jeff Schultz, Tomas Fleischmann. Others might yet be on the way -- an Eric Fehr or a Karl Alzner. A coaching change was made, perhaps not heralded as salvation at the time, but ultimately a very successful one. As that success built upon itself, more pieces were added – Sergei Fedorov, Matt Cooke, Cristobal Huet – to fill distinct roles.

More success followed, and although the Caps could not manage to improve upon a first-round playoff appearance, they have the look of the Lightning of 2003 (without, one hopes, the contract problems), the Stars of 1997, or – be still our beating hearts – the Red Wings of 1992. All were teams on the rise with Stanley Cups in their futures; in the case of the Lightning and the Stars, the very near future – each won the Cup within two years after their first big leap in standings points.

This could, as they say, be the start of something big.

Set...Hut-One...Hut-Two...Oink!

2008-07-25T08:20:00.004-04:00

This is not a “Bill Veeck” moment in sports marketing. For you young folk out there, Bill Veeck was perhaps the greatest genius in the history of marketing a sports franchise. The man behind the exploding scoreboard, names on the backs of jerseys, fan appreciation nights (he was the first to employ all of these) is a legend in baseball for his imaginative approach to marketing his teams.

Enter the AHL's Iowa Chops (formerly, “Stars”). Having recently changed their team name, colors, and mascot to ‘illustrate Iowa’s agricultural heritage while also playing into the definition of ‘chops’, having nerve, resilience and staying power,” the Chops have turned down another road…

…signing Brett Favre.

That’s right, Chops’ President Steve Nitzel announced that the team “contacted and will be sending a contract to Brett Favre’s agent…in hopes that the quarterback will consider signing with the Iowa Chops.”

We don’t know if Favre can skate or if he knows a hockey puck from a cement truck. Perhaps having once played for a club whose history is rooted in the meat packing industry (hence the name, “Packers”), Favre is a natural fit for a team with a porcine theme.

Perhaps Favre, who is the all-time NFL leader in pass attempts (8,758, for those who are interested) will make people forget Sidney Crosby as the best passer in professional hockey.

He has the NFL record for most consecutive games with touchdown passes (47), more than twice as long as the NHL record for consecutive games with an assist (23, Wayne Gretzky).

Then again, this seems like one of those “what the $#@&” moments…Favre – born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and who played most of his legendary career in Wisconsin, has no obvious tie to Iowa, hockey, or pigs for that matter (excuse me, “vicious boars,” according to the press release announcing the name change).

Since Favre has spent his athletic life hunched over behind a center, the Chops might think about someone to play that position, too…

…we hear Mats Sundin is still unsigned.

Vr-r-r-r-room!

2008-07-24T07:45:00.005-04:00

So...the Edmonton Oilers will be represented in the Rexall Edmonton Indy, with their logo on the number 06 car of the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team entry in the race.

We wonder...now that hockey has been introduced to open-wheel racing, are we going to see some "body checking" in the race?