Saturday, January 24, 2009

Seven Days of Hockey Summary

So much can happen in the world of professional hockey over the course of seven days. Given that this is the first opportunity I've had to blog in a while, I shall focus on all three of the games that I have had the pleasure of attending over the last week.


Capitals vs Bruins:
Last Saturday we headed to DC for the much anticipated clash of the Eastern Conference Titans. The Boston Bruins were in town, and looking to continue a streak of road victories that commenced after their last visit to Washington. The Verizon Center was rocking on Saturday night. Both teams knew the importance of this game, and the whole 60 minutes was filled with a level of intensity more appropriate for a playoff game. Given how both teams have performed during the first half of the season, it remains probable that these two giants may clash in the postseason - so the crowd was ready for a preview of things to come.


With some early penalty troubles, the Caps would give up the opening goal when Marc Savard beat Jose Theodore early in the second period. Washington would respond just over one minute later with a power play score of their own from Mike Green. The game remained 1-1 after two periods of hockey. The sold-out crowd was very loud during the last 20 minutes of play, and the decibel meter must have exploded when Alexander Semin broke away with some fancy puck handling, raced down the ice and beat Tim Thomas to give the home team the go ahead score. I had the (dis)pleasure of being seated amongst Bruins fans, so it was nice to jump out of my seat and cheer like a man possessed (much to their dismay). The Caps would hold on to the lead, and kill a penalty in the dying seconds of the game to seal the win. Both teams had played a strong game, and I am sure that the two remaining games between these two teams up in Boston will be as equally intense.


Hershey Bears vs Worcester Sharks:
Sunday evening was spent at the Giant Center where a regular season hockey game was completely overshadowed by the potential for Alexandre Giroux to break a 20-year record for goals scored in consecutive games. AHL and NHL legend Brett Hull had established a record of 14 consecutive goal-scoring games, and Giroux had equalled that impressive tally during a shoot-out loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms on the previous night. Trailing 0-2 after some quick scoring opportunities from the Sharks, Hershey seemed lackluster until defenseman Sami Lepisto fired a rocket from the point into the back of the net. The Lepisto goal sparked a stagnant Hershey team, who dominated offensively down the stretch only to be denied by a strong performance from Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss.


With a tripping penalty assessed against Worcester midway through the third period, the crowd at the Giant Center would erupt when Giroux beat Greiss and tied the game at 2-2. With 13:33 left in the game on 18th January, Alexandre Giroux removed Brett Hull from the AHL record books and set a new benchmark of 15 consecutive games with a goal. Congratulations to you Alex - what an accomplishment!!!


The scoresheet would remain the same through the remainder of regulation and the overtime period. Michal Neuvirth, the rookie Bears goaltender, would stand tall during the shootout and deny all five of the Sharks attempts. Griess was almost as impressive, preventing 4 of the 5 shots he faced - Kyle Wilson would connect and give the Bears not only the victory, but the icing on the cake for a night Alexandre Giroux will never forget.


Hershey Bears vs Wilkes-Barre Penguins:
With a convincing road victory over Norfolk on Wednesday, the Bears returned home on Friday night to face the baby Pens. The thought of having to watch the Penguins is always enough to make me frown, but I would be the recipient of "bad vibes" once I learned that our good friend Terry Koharski would be officiating the game. Now granted, Koharski is a much better option than Nygel Pelletier or the grinch David Banfield, but even so, to put it bluntly, Koharski sucks too!


This game was everything we knew it would be. These two divisional rivals have no liking for each other - the usual physical altercations, cheap shots, trash talking and the like were to be expected. But for Koharski to penalize Chris Bourque five minutes for a simple tripping penalty was simply ludicrous. Again, five minutes for a trip - what next, a game misconduct for too many men on the ice????? The Pens would rebound from a two-goal deficit with power play goals that resulted from the often dubious calls from Koharski.


Hershey would go on to lose in a shootout, with goaltender Michal Neuvirth giving up two goals as opposed to John Curry who would be beaten only once. The Bears played the better game, but the Penguins got the breaks from Koharski that kept them in it, and they won the old-fashioned way after the overtime period expired.


Kudos to Keith Aucoin for dropping the gloves with Janne Pesonen during the second period. Given his size, I was always concerned that Aucoin was an easy target for opposing teams, but he has proven time and time again that he is not only a great hockey player, but that he has the mental and physical attributes to stand his ground. Well done Keith!


The Bears can put this game behind them, and concentrate on the task at hand this evening as the Manchester Monarchs make an appearance at the Giant Center. We can't wait for that one.


Notes:
* Congratulations to Bears goaltender Michal Neuvirth for being awarded the third star in the ECHL All-Star game. Neuvirth represented the South Carolina Stingrays.

* Good luck to former Bears defenseman Josef Boumedienne, who has returned to Europe. We still miss you Boomer.

* Nice to see Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau in attendance at the Giant Center last night.

* Good luck to Alexander Ovechkin during the All-Star weekend in Montreal - and props to Nicklas Backstrom for snubbing his invitation to the young stars game. Good luck also to the Bears players and coaches that will be part of the AHL All-Star game in Worcester.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Edmonton Upset the Capitals 5-2 at the Verizon Center

The title says it all. I left work in Central PA on Tuesday and drove for 2.5 hours to witness the Capitals host the Oilers. Having never seen Edmonton in the flesh, I was excited about how this game could be a "turnaround" game for the Capitals, who had dropped their previous two games to Columbus and Montreal. In hindsight, maybe I should have simply gone straight home from work instead - for while I was willing to make the effort to get to the game, it appears that the majority of those dressed in red jerseys on the ice did not share the same level of enthusiam.

Without taking anything away from Edmonton, they had a lot of help to win this game. No, not from bad officiating (okay, some suspect calls, but not enough to alter the course of a game)! No, not some spectacular play from the visitors! No, the Capitals simply played a less-than-stellar 60 minutes of hockey. When the Mighty Mites at the intermission play with more passion and gusto, you know something is not right. The Capitals lacked chemistry and any desire to perform. Sloppy passes, lack of strength in the defensive zone, and no support to the puck handler in the offensive zone. Nobody seemed to want to go to the net - the puck seemed to be relegated to the perimeter for most of the game. The line combinations did not work! The defensive pairings lacked any communication! The whole performance from the Caps was simply unacceptable to a sold out crowd who spent their hard-earned to see their boys put on a show.

The only spark from the Caps came from Tomas Fleischmann. Returning from a bout of pneumonia, he looked sharp as he scored the only worthwhile goal for the Capitals that "should" have sparked some energy and desire to get back into the game. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and Edmonton took an easy 2 points from the Verizon Center.

Okay, so the Capitals had an off-game. In return for my cost of admission, I have every right to heckle my team when they play like this. I heckle when I see room for improvement, and I cheer when I see the boys doing what they do best. What I cannot fathom, however, is why many of the fans would resort to booing their team that night! To heckle and jeer is totally acceptable, but to boo because they are playing poorly is disrespectful. The team are not purposely trying to lose, and they are embarrassed enough to suffer a lop-sided loss on home ice. Don't boo them because they've lost a few games! Stick with the program, people - Rome was not built in a day, and Stanley Cups do not come in one season. Real fans are patient - fair weather fans (and I'm sure that there are plenty who have jumped on the bandwagon - especially in a city that has had sporting woes for many years) need to realize that Ovechkin and co would love to satisfy your instant gratification, but like the rest of us, you have to take the rough with the smooth over seven long months of hockey.

Caps/Penguins: Many may believe that the Caps simply overlooked the Oilers in anticipation of their next game against Pittsburgh. With the whole "Ovechkin/Malkin" and "Semin/Crosby" fueds that have been exagerrated by the media, both teams desperately needed the win without the media sideshow. The first two periods were not spectacular, but the Capitals dominated the third and took the 6-3 victory at the Mellon Arena. There was no controversy between "Ovie" and "Geno". Semin and Crosby would not get into a war of words. Both teams played hard, but in the end, the Capitals found their groove and took it to a Pittsburgh team that is reeling.

World's biggest shock!!! Jeff Schultz scored an empty netter to record his first goal of the season. Schultz has taken the brunt of my heckling for most of this season, but I felt so happy for him when he realized the puck was in the net. The smile on his face was priceless, and while I offer no promises of easing up on the heckling, I will go on record and congratulate Jeff for a great effort and consistency during this game. Keep up the good work Jeff - force me to find somebody else on the Caps roster to be the target of my sharp tongue.

With the clash between the Caps and Bruins this weekend, I can't wait to rock the red at the Verizon Center once more. Go Caps!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

High Scoring New Years Day Treat as the Capitals Defeat the Lightning 7-4

What could be a better way to start 2009 than sitting in the Verizon Center to root for the Capitals as they faced Vincent Lecavalier and company? In our opinion - no better way at all, unless you were fortunate enough (and brave enough) to sit outside and watch the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. We listened to a portion of the game as we drove to DC, and it sounded as though it was a total success for the NHL. At some point we'll browse through the DVR and catch up with the game itself, although we would have been much happier if the Blackhawks had been victorious in their home city.


The Verizon Center was loud on Thursday night, with a good crowd in attendance and a rivalry of sorts between the two teams. Olaf Kolzig would not make the trip from Tampa, which meant that the Capitals fans could heckle the Bolts all evening, and goaltender Mike Smith would hear many chants directed to him as the game progressed. Former Cap Steve Eminger would also receive many "whoops" from the fans every time he touched the puck, which was made funnier still by a lone Bolts fan nearby (yes, every city has to have one) who sounded like an emotional wreck. We were in fits of laughter when he cried out, "Stop doing that, you brain-dead monkeys!" I don't recall seeing or hearing from him again once the first period was over - maybe it was the last call for the bus trip back to the asylum!


It was a great evening for defenseman Sean Collins, who took a nice pass from Alexander Ovechkin and beat Mike Smith to record his first NHL goal. Way to go Sean! The Capitals are clearly happy to keep Sean in the lineup while Tom Poti recovers from his groin injury. Defensively the Capitals are looking better, although I still have serious doubts about the ability of Jeff Schultz. He has the potential to be a hard hitting defenseman, but seems cursed with a timid nature - something that has no place in a league like the NHL. Jeff either needs to step up his game, or clear out his locker. Right now Jeff is a detriment to the blue line. Admittedly, he may need more time to develop, but if that is the case, make room for him in Hershey. With Bryan Helmer and Tyler Sloan waiting in the wings, it is almost unfair that they are forced to remain in Hershey when Schultz is healthy. Bruce Boudreau, I trust you implicitly, but what exactly do you see in Schultz that many people do not?


Returning to the game itself, all of the goals scored by the Capitals on Thursday came from different players. This team is no one-man army, and along with Collins, goals came from David Steckel, Mike Green, Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon, Chris Clark, and Alexander Ovechkin. For a while, the game was closer than the final score indicated, but the Capitals broke down the Bolts down the stretch to take the victory. Bradley would earn the number one star (much deserved) and Chris Clark would receive the hard hat from his teammates. It was nice to see Clark remove that goal-scoring monkey from his back! Way to go Captain!


The Capitals now await the New York Rangers, who roll into DC on Saturday night. With two victories over the Rangers already this season, New York will be certain to make this a fight to the end. As for the Capitals, this is an opportunity to extend not only their current winning streak, but their stronghold over the Southeast division.


PS - we are happy to hear that Jamie Heward was able to fly home the day after the game and that his injuries were not as severe as they appeared they might be when he was taken off the ice. It was a frightening time indeed when he lay there completely motionless, so we are very relieved that he will be okay.