Something's rotten in Washington! It's been discussed quite a while, but let's go on this topic too. The Washington Capitals have obviously failed big time to respond to the expectations this season. The media has quickly thrown Alex Ovechkin under the bus for not pulling the team to the level it belongs to. That's the easy way for laying the blame and to me it just seems a bit too light for a proper analysis. I'll throw in some thoughts of my own and hope to shed some more light on the matter.
The Capitals have been phenomenal the last few seasons. Taking home the Presidents' Trophy and three consecutive SE Division crowns. Ovechkin has been on top of the league in scoring, backed up by amazing numbers racked up by Mike Green on defence. However, the team has disappeared in the postseason every time and been criticized heavily on that.
Then, this season where everything seems to go wrong. Great start, but then just failures upon failures. Everyone is pointing fingers, but no one really takes the responsibility of changing the course. Horrible decisions have followed.
Bruce Boudreau got fired and replaced by Dale Hunter. That's replacing a coach with NHL-best record over last 3 seasons with a former NHL grinder with practically no experience on NHL level coaching. Just for a bad stretch in play. Well, now everyone can see that Hunter doesn't bring anything on the table for the Capitals and should not carry over for next season, no matter how this ends.
The Capitals' offense is based on three key players, Ovechkin, Semin and Bäckström. All of these guys are extremely skilled, but at the same time very much confidence-driven. On a bad streak, it seems, none of these guys will be the one to step up and carry the team. In general, these guys don't really have the flexibility to "go back to basics and grind it out". They're flashy, entertaining and lethally effective when the whole line plays on that level. If the line resorts to plain old basics, these guys will end up shaking their heads on the offensive blue line and waving their arms in frustration. Bench the millionaires and see who do you have to throw out there to play the 0-0 games.
Take another look and try to find out the guys who can score behind the big three. Laich, Chimera, Johansson, Brouwer? These are not exactly top of the league when compared to some other teams' secondary scoring. That's the biggest reason this team struggles mightily when the big guns are not blazing. It's easy to forget, but if one looks a bit back in history, the Capitals won a lot of 7-4, 6-5 games with the ultimate firepower. That doesn't promise much for the moment your gunpowder gets wet. And wet it has been this season. Especially after Rene Bourque cowardly clipped Niklas Bäckström out of the games.
So, the expectations for this team may be a bit too high and not based on their material, but rather on their regular season success of late. Washington is surprisingly fragile team. They lost one key piece in Mike Green early this season and haven't been able to recover for a balanced, entertaining style they require to be successful.
Washington's defense and goaltending have been mediocre at best through the great seasons but now they really show their vulnerability after losing the dominating puck possession up front. Tomas Vokoun has been on top of NHL for a long time, but seems to have lost the race against time. The young goalies in the lineup are as shaky as they come.
So, no wonder they're struggling to make it to the playoffs. And even if they do, it's easy to predict a first round exit against a top seed of Rangers, Boston or Pittsburgh for example. Simply no chance.
Let's turn our sights for the future and try to figure out what to do to change things around. Here's a short to-do list.
1) Fire Hunter and get a real coach, who understands that you need to adjust the team style according to the players and not vice versa. You can actually have different game plans for different lines, based on the strengths of the players on ice.
2) Trade Alexander Semin. He's a number one player-slash-diva for a team and will not rise to full potential in Ovechkin's shadow. Ovie is signed for life, so easy call here. In return the team will get almost the whole second line or top defensive pair.
3) Keep the faith on the superstars. Don't publicly scold the franchise player(s). Ovechkin is a natural force when mad, but quite the opposite when mad at the coach or ownership. There's a fine line to balance on but you just don't want to restrain this guy in any way. Just get over the envy for the alpha male and let Ovie run free and others will follow. Good things come, rock star style will prevail. And for ownership, don't sign the top players for 100M+ USD contracts if you don't plan to build and brand the team around them.
Start with that and see the light. Go Caps!
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
2012/02/24
2012/02/15
Adventures of the masked men
It's time to write something about the goalies. The odd stinky guys with big clumsy gear. The ones mumbling behind the mask. The ones that in the past were the last boys picked from the pond game lineup and forced to play goalie. The ones that now are often referred as half of the team or the most important player on ice. Talk about a recipe for mental issues.
Recently there's been a lot of goalie related news in Boston. Tim Thomas surprised everyone by somehow convincing himself that hockey players are supposed to issue political or generally meaningful statements. And the sports media somehow got confused and thought that hockey players' views are a great source for highly speculative journalism. Tim Thomas should have visited the White House just as the other boys. They probably served really good food and Obama shared some autographs for the willing. A perfectly good field trip for the kids of all ages. Making a big fuss about it was just stupid. Now the media seems to have more fuel on the fire and speculate the effect of Thomas' absence to the late underachievements of the Bruins. Not to mention trade rumors.
Apparently the sports reporters in Boston area were so wired to the goalie theme that they managed to find out some Finnish magazine article based on an interview of Tuukka Rask. They ran it through Google Translator or similar and ended up connecting the dots to create another scandal article. Tuukka wants to play, doesn't like sitting on the bench. Must be unhappy, poisons the team, must be traded. And so on. Now Rask has explained his chatter behind the original story and needs to convince everyone - well, the media at least - that he's happy in the team and gives hin 100% every time he is needed. And that the team goes first and it doesn't matter who's between the pipes as long as the team succeeds. And all the rest of the cliches that you need to provide when your attitude is questioned. Hello, Scott Gomez?
Behind the tabloid journalism there's some sports related bright spots amongst the goalmouth heros. NY Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist has finally found his consistent groove and seems like the one to beat in the Vezina race. Martin Brodeur isn't the same superhuman force anymore, but keeps on piling wins in his seemingly unbreakable record. Finnish workhorses Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff keep on astonishing with their solid professionalism and St. Louis' dynamic duo of Halak and Elliott seem to fit perfectly in this unbelievably improved Blues' hockey team.
On the sad stories department I need to bring up Philadelphia with their curse that brings down seemingly any goaltender they throw on the ice. Bryzgalov played huge amounts of very solid games in his time in Phoenix, but now struggles big time behind a way better team. Go figure. Honorable mention goes, as always when picking on goalies, to NY Islanders' Rick di Pietro and his monster contract and injury woes. An odd quirk in the statistics in Chicago's Cristobal Huet. He's being paid over five million dollars this year and yet he suites up for a team in Germany. I wonder how the financials have been arranged. In this equation Mr. Huet is the clear winner, losers come in many forms.
As always, it'll be really cool to follow also the keepers along the stretch run to the playoffs. Who has the stamina to pull through the final decisive rounds and continuous mental pressure? Who will need to step down from the number one spot when a younger challenger steps up his game? And ultimately, of course, who will be intimidated or shaken by the media come playoff time? It's time for experience, thick skin and cool nerves. Well suitable for silent maskesd guys from the Nordics.
Recently there's been a lot of goalie related news in Boston. Tim Thomas surprised everyone by somehow convincing himself that hockey players are supposed to issue political or generally meaningful statements. And the sports media somehow got confused and thought that hockey players' views are a great source for highly speculative journalism. Tim Thomas should have visited the White House just as the other boys. They probably served really good food and Obama shared some autographs for the willing. A perfectly good field trip for the kids of all ages. Making a big fuss about it was just stupid. Now the media seems to have more fuel on the fire and speculate the effect of Thomas' absence to the late underachievements of the Bruins. Not to mention trade rumors.
Apparently the sports reporters in Boston area were so wired to the goalie theme that they managed to find out some Finnish magazine article based on an interview of Tuukka Rask. They ran it through Google Translator or similar and ended up connecting the dots to create another scandal article. Tuukka wants to play, doesn't like sitting on the bench. Must be unhappy, poisons the team, must be traded. And so on. Now Rask has explained his chatter behind the original story and needs to convince everyone - well, the media at least - that he's happy in the team and gives hin 100% every time he is needed. And that the team goes first and it doesn't matter who's between the pipes as long as the team succeeds. And all the rest of the cliches that you need to provide when your attitude is questioned. Hello, Scott Gomez?
Behind the tabloid journalism there's some sports related bright spots amongst the goalmouth heros. NY Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist has finally found his consistent groove and seems like the one to beat in the Vezina race. Martin Brodeur isn't the same superhuman force anymore, but keeps on piling wins in his seemingly unbreakable record. Finnish workhorses Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff keep on astonishing with their solid professionalism and St. Louis' dynamic duo of Halak and Elliott seem to fit perfectly in this unbelievably improved Blues' hockey team.
On the sad stories department I need to bring up Philadelphia with their curse that brings down seemingly any goaltender they throw on the ice. Bryzgalov played huge amounts of very solid games in his time in Phoenix, but now struggles big time behind a way better team. Go figure. Honorable mention goes, as always when picking on goalies, to NY Islanders' Rick di Pietro and his monster contract and injury woes. An odd quirk in the statistics in Chicago's Cristobal Huet. He's being paid over five million dollars this year and yet he suites up for a team in Germany. I wonder how the financials have been arranged. In this equation Mr. Huet is the clear winner, losers come in many forms.
As always, it'll be really cool to follow also the keepers along the stretch run to the playoffs. Who has the stamina to pull through the final decisive rounds and continuous mental pressure? Who will need to step down from the number one spot when a younger challenger steps up his game? And ultimately, of course, who will be intimidated or shaken by the media come playoff time? It's time for experience, thick skin and cool nerves. Well suitable for silent maskesd guys from the Nordics.
2012/01/10
Half way there
The season is half baked with most teams reaching the 40 game plateau. For some teams it's actually fully baked by now. But anyway, it's time to see where we are with some words on clubs that seem to fill up the headlines this season.
The good teams of 2011-2012 are mostly as expected. Now that Minnesota has had its honeymoon and heading back to the familiar conference basement, there's just the familiar packs like Rangers, Bruins, Flyers, Canucks, Red Wings and Sharks sitting on top of the conferences. Only the disastrous first half by Washington Capitals has produced a quirk in Florida Panthers hovering on the top three in Eastern conference. The funny fact of the day is that the whole Southeast division is below zero in goal difference. The least bad team will make it to the playoffs.
At the moment my money goes for an encore by Boston Bruins. That team is just so talented, deep and tough that it will take a massive effort to squeeze four wins from their hands in a playoff series. In East, the biggest challenger was Pittsburgh, until they ended up losing most of their top tier talent to injuries. Maybe, if the Penguins regroup early enough to make it to the playoffs, they still have a chance for an upset. Philly could match Boston in a brawl series, but don't have the depth in hockey skills to win in a fair game. Rangers have a strong tradition of failing in the end of the season and while they look good now, I don't see them as a contender.
The finals opponent from West will likely be Vancouver Canucks for another try and miss. If they get surprised in the battle for Western crown, there's Chicago Blackhawks to take on the Bruins. That, too, would be a brilliantly entertaining series for the Cup.
It's great to see some spark on the former powerhouses like Ottawa and New Jersey. Maybe this is a sign of another push for the spot in the premier teams' shortlist.
St. Louis Blues are the black horse on this race. They have surprised everyone under new coach Ken Hitchcock by having a very long stretch of hard working and very productive hockey. If they can carry this momentum all the way through the season, who knows how far they can go. Compared to previous years, a playoff spot would already be counted as a success.
The second half of the season will still show us if the disappointments in Washington and Los Angeles can be turned to a sure playoff spot and even a run for the Cup. Hopefully so, both teams are way too talented to not play at their full potential for the fans of hockey.
In the bottom of the standings you can find the teams everyone expected to end up there. Columbus, Edmonton, Calgary, NY Islanders and Carolina are just that bad currently. And out of these, only Edmonton has some justification in being there with its roster full of kids fresh up from junior leagues. They have a bright future unless they lose the core of the team, but the rest of this pack is just sad.
Deep down in the darkness we can also find two potentially great teams in Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning. Both have tremendous talent in their rosters, should have decent supporting cast for the superstars and even have proven goaltending to back it all up. Anaheim even changed their coach to Bruce Boudreau, who had a stellar record from his last position. Despite of all this, both seem to be doomed for the season unless they can limit the losses to half a dozen for the second half.
Next time to look at the standings will be near the regular season end. The last 10 games or so are always a thrill. And naturally a perfect time to show some foresight.
The good teams of 2011-2012 are mostly as expected. Now that Minnesota has had its honeymoon and heading back to the familiar conference basement, there's just the familiar packs like Rangers, Bruins, Flyers, Canucks, Red Wings and Sharks sitting on top of the conferences. Only the disastrous first half by Washington Capitals has produced a quirk in Florida Panthers hovering on the top three in Eastern conference. The funny fact of the day is that the whole Southeast division is below zero in goal difference. The least bad team will make it to the playoffs.
At the moment my money goes for an encore by Boston Bruins. That team is just so talented, deep and tough that it will take a massive effort to squeeze four wins from their hands in a playoff series. In East, the biggest challenger was Pittsburgh, until they ended up losing most of their top tier talent to injuries. Maybe, if the Penguins regroup early enough to make it to the playoffs, they still have a chance for an upset. Philly could match Boston in a brawl series, but don't have the depth in hockey skills to win in a fair game. Rangers have a strong tradition of failing in the end of the season and while they look good now, I don't see them as a contender.
The finals opponent from West will likely be Vancouver Canucks for another try and miss. If they get surprised in the battle for Western crown, there's Chicago Blackhawks to take on the Bruins. That, too, would be a brilliantly entertaining series for the Cup.
It's great to see some spark on the former powerhouses like Ottawa and New Jersey. Maybe this is a sign of another push for the spot in the premier teams' shortlist.
St. Louis Blues are the black horse on this race. They have surprised everyone under new coach Ken Hitchcock by having a very long stretch of hard working and very productive hockey. If they can carry this momentum all the way through the season, who knows how far they can go. Compared to previous years, a playoff spot would already be counted as a success.
The second half of the season will still show us if the disappointments in Washington and Los Angeles can be turned to a sure playoff spot and even a run for the Cup. Hopefully so, both teams are way too talented to not play at their full potential for the fans of hockey.
In the bottom of the standings you can find the teams everyone expected to end up there. Columbus, Edmonton, Calgary, NY Islanders and Carolina are just that bad currently. And out of these, only Edmonton has some justification in being there with its roster full of kids fresh up from junior leagues. They have a bright future unless they lose the core of the team, but the rest of this pack is just sad.
Deep down in the darkness we can also find two potentially great teams in Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning. Both have tremendous talent in their rosters, should have decent supporting cast for the superstars and even have proven goaltending to back it all up. Anaheim even changed their coach to Bruce Boudreau, who had a stellar record from his last position. Despite of all this, both seem to be doomed for the season unless they can limit the losses to half a dozen for the second half.
Next time to look at the standings will be near the regular season end. The last 10 games or so are always a thrill. And naturally a perfect time to show some foresight.
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