It happens four times a year for our household. When the Caps and the Habs cross paths, a hockey war ensues during each individual game and a truce is not called until the final horn sounds after 60 minutes of hockey. With my passion for Caps hockey, and wifey's patriotism to the Habs, we both sat at the Verizon Center on Friday evening in opposing jerseys and with different views on who was the stronger team and who would prevail.
With the Caps sending out their half and half mix of Caps and Bears, I was excited at the thought of getting to see Bourque et al from Hershey having a chance to mix it up with a Canadiens team stacked with talent. But for this night, while the talent made it to DC, another vital necessity called chemistry must have been officially declared to US customs and not admitted into the country. The Habs are a strong team, but while they continue to ride a fine line between team play and individual effort, they are not going to turn things around against a potent scoring machine like the Caps.
It was a bittersweet evening for Jose Theodore, who was clearly motivated to take it to a team whose jersey he donned for many seasons. Posting his first career shutout in a Caps jersey, Jose earned both the first star and the hard hat, and showed a sell-out crowd at the Verizon Center a flash of brilliance that the fans have been longing to see all season. If this version of Theodore can come out to play more often, the Capitals could be almost unstoppable. And once again, with the infusion of Hershey talent on the roster, it was a pleasure to see two Bears alumni light the lamp behind Halak. Fleischmann and Steckel both played well, and deserved their goals. Ovie rounded out the scoring with the second goal of the contest, and added to his points streak through November. The Caps may be in dire straits on the injury front right now, but can remain confident that with the depth of the talent pool in their farm system, they do not have to be overly worried for the short term while the big guns are nursing their injuries.
Showing posts with label Jose Theodore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jose Theodore. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Hey Habs - There's No "I" in Team...
For the third time this week, I proudly donned my bleu/blanc/rouge to support the Habs, this time at the Phone Booth in Washington. Also for the third time this week, the Habs fell in a disappointing effort. The Caps season holder in me was totally pleased that they finally delivered 60 minutes of solid, near-perfect hockey and that José Theodore looked like a $4 million goalie for the first time this season; the Habs fan in me was utterly crushed.
The Habs' defense is holding steady and did an adequate job, by and large, last night; they blocked a number of shots and probably kept the game from being a total blowout. This is no slam on Jaroslav Halak, by the way; he made some excellent saves but, while defense may win championships, it can't win without some kind of offense, and that, my friends, is where the Habs are sorely lacking. To go 9 minutes into the game before registering the first shot on goal is scary, to say the least.
Since I saw them lose two games with Tanguay in the lineup, I'm not willing to attribute the complete lack of scoring last night to his absence. As I've written previously this week, Kovalev is there in body only (5 goals so far this year); neither of the Kostitsyns have done much yet this year (7 pts total for Andrei; 9 pts total for Sergei); and Chris Higgins doesn't seem to be fully back from his injury, just to cite a few problems. To me, though, the biggest worry by far is the power play, or absence thereof. I know others have said it before me, but I think that letting Mark Streit go was a big mistake on the part of the Canadiens; no one else has stepped up to take the kind of leadership role on the power play that he provided last year in particular.
Finally, in the great old Habs tradition many people have been throwing Guy Carbonneau under the bus for the current slump. Perhaps he has some responsibility; perhaps not. Not being in the locker room, I'm not willing to venture a guess one way or the other. I will say, however, that the Canadiens I saw this week against the Bruins, Islanders, and Capitals were not playing as a team. I recognize that slumps happen, but unless these guys come together as a team and start playing consistently (say, like they did on Wednesday against the Red Wings), the Habs might be in for a disappointment at the end of this 100th season.
BTW, from the Caps part of me, snaps to the Hershey guys once again, particularly Sami Lepisto for his second assist in two games, Karl Alzner for some great defense, and Chris Bourque for some fiery play. This is the great thing about being a season ticket holder for both the Caps and the Hershey Bears - we don't miss out on these great guys regardless of where they play. :-)
And a final note to the Habs - go out tonight, play like you did Wednesday, and show the Sabres how it's done, please.
The Habs' defense is holding steady and did an adequate job, by and large, last night; they blocked a number of shots and probably kept the game from being a total blowout. This is no slam on Jaroslav Halak, by the way; he made some excellent saves but, while defense may win championships, it can't win without some kind of offense, and that, my friends, is where the Habs are sorely lacking. To go 9 minutes into the game before registering the first shot on goal is scary, to say the least.
Since I saw them lose two games with Tanguay in the lineup, I'm not willing to attribute the complete lack of scoring last night to his absence. As I've written previously this week, Kovalev is there in body only (5 goals so far this year); neither of the Kostitsyns have done much yet this year (7 pts total for Andrei; 9 pts total for Sergei); and Chris Higgins doesn't seem to be fully back from his injury, just to cite a few problems. To me, though, the biggest worry by far is the power play, or absence thereof. I know others have said it before me, but I think that letting Mark Streit go was a big mistake on the part of the Canadiens; no one else has stepped up to take the kind of leadership role on the power play that he provided last year in particular.
Finally, in the great old Habs tradition many people have been throwing Guy Carbonneau under the bus for the current slump. Perhaps he has some responsibility; perhaps not. Not being in the locker room, I'm not willing to venture a guess one way or the other. I will say, however, that the Canadiens I saw this week against the Bruins, Islanders, and Capitals were not playing as a team. I recognize that slumps happen, but unless these guys come together as a team and start playing consistently (say, like they did on Wednesday against the Red Wings), the Habs might be in for a disappointment at the end of this 100th season.
BTW, from the Caps part of me, snaps to the Hershey guys once again, particularly Sami Lepisto for his second assist in two games, Karl Alzner for some great defense, and Chris Bourque for some fiery play. This is the great thing about being a season ticket holder for both the Caps and the Hershey Bears - we don't miss out on these great guys regardless of where they play. :-)
And a final note to the Habs - go out tonight, play like you did Wednesday, and show the Sabres how it's done, please.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Halloween came early at the Verizon Center
October 31st may be a few days away, but the contest between the Capitals and the Predators certainly scared me at times, and left me with a few tricks and treats to post about here today - more on that in a moment.
I stopped by at the Kettler complex for the morning skate, and was surprised to see Eric Fehr being singled out and put through his paces. Fehr has not seen much ice time this season, and I'm curious to know what the underlying issues are here. Obviously he cannot be sent down to the AHL without clearing waivers, and the Caps would certainly not want to lose him for nothing in return. Fehr took a beating yesterday morning, and although he participated in pre-game warm-ups, he was scratched from the line-up against the Predators.
I would like to say thank you to Tyler Sloan for sharing a little of his time with me yesterday. As a Hershey Bears fan, I am always happy to see one of the boys get his opportunity with the Caps, and I'm sure that Tyler is happy to blend in easily with the crowd.
But what about those tricks and treats from last nights game? Here are some observations made from the stands:
Tricks:
A 2 point night, but a game that should have been won in regulation. The first Predators goal was soft, and Theodore should have made the save. Many commentators state that Theodore will calm down and improve as the game goes on, but those early goals against are killing us.
I am not entirely sold on the ability of Jeff Schultz. His playmaking in the defensive zone is often hit and miss, with some soft puck clearances that never leave the zone, and some questionable positioning at times. With his huge frame, and increased muscular bulk, he has the tools to be an effective hard-hitting defender; yet fails to capitalize on that opportunity. Play harder Jeff - please!!!!! Prove my observations wrong, I beg you!!!
I won't visit the school of bad officiating today, as the crowd at the Verizon Center pretty much voiced my concerns last night. Ref, indeed you sucked with some of those plays that deserved a whistle and a two minute minor.
Treats:
The most notable treat was that Ovechkin's absence did not affect the outcome. I would imagine that the late Nashville goal to tie the game in the third period led to several journalists already preparing their "Cannot win without the Great 8" headlines. It was good to see others take the lead.
David Steckel played a stellar game last night. The obvious highlight was his short-handed goal, but every minute of his ice time was productive and well played. While the 3 stars are often awarded on a points and goal-count basis, Steckel deserved to be the number one star last night in my opinion.
We have great talent in the shoot-out pool - especially as the likes of Federov, Gordon and Steckel did not have to come out and take a shot at Ellis. While Theodore was a little shaky in regulation, he got the job done in the shoot-out, and I thank him for that. Let's just hope that he can provide some consistency and not have the crowds at the Verizon Center trembling in fear when the puck is bouncing around the net.
Overall, a win is a win, and I'll take it - but the Caps have a lot of work to do. Chemistry, timing, and improvements to the PP need lots of work at times. Fortunately, some of the breaks went our way, and we came out victorious. But I'll be happier still when this team can find that rhythm and truly unleash the fury.
I stopped by at the Kettler complex for the morning skate, and was surprised to see Eric Fehr being singled out and put through his paces. Fehr has not seen much ice time this season, and I'm curious to know what the underlying issues are here. Obviously he cannot be sent down to the AHL without clearing waivers, and the Caps would certainly not want to lose him for nothing in return. Fehr took a beating yesterday morning, and although he participated in pre-game warm-ups, he was scratched from the line-up against the Predators.
I would like to say thank you to Tyler Sloan for sharing a little of his time with me yesterday. As a Hershey Bears fan, I am always happy to see one of the boys get his opportunity with the Caps, and I'm sure that Tyler is happy to blend in easily with the crowd.
But what about those tricks and treats from last nights game? Here are some observations made from the stands:
Tricks:
A 2 point night, but a game that should have been won in regulation. The first Predators goal was soft, and Theodore should have made the save. Many commentators state that Theodore will calm down and improve as the game goes on, but those early goals against are killing us.
I am not entirely sold on the ability of Jeff Schultz. His playmaking in the defensive zone is often hit and miss, with some soft puck clearances that never leave the zone, and some questionable positioning at times. With his huge frame, and increased muscular bulk, he has the tools to be an effective hard-hitting defender; yet fails to capitalize on that opportunity. Play harder Jeff - please!!!!! Prove my observations wrong, I beg you!!!
I won't visit the school of bad officiating today, as the crowd at the Verizon Center pretty much voiced my concerns last night. Ref, indeed you sucked with some of those plays that deserved a whistle and a two minute minor.
Treats:
The most notable treat was that Ovechkin's absence did not affect the outcome. I would imagine that the late Nashville goal to tie the game in the third period led to several journalists already preparing their "Cannot win without the Great 8" headlines. It was good to see others take the lead.
David Steckel played a stellar game last night. The obvious highlight was his short-handed goal, but every minute of his ice time was productive and well played. While the 3 stars are often awarded on a points and goal-count basis, Steckel deserved to be the number one star last night in my opinion.
We have great talent in the shoot-out pool - especially as the likes of Federov, Gordon and Steckel did not have to come out and take a shot at Ellis. While Theodore was a little shaky in regulation, he got the job done in the shoot-out, and I thank him for that. Let's just hope that he can provide some consistency and not have the crowds at the Verizon Center trembling in fear when the puck is bouncing around the net.
Overall, a win is a win, and I'll take it - but the Caps have a lot of work to do. Chemistry, timing, and improvements to the PP need lots of work at times. Fortunately, some of the breaks went our way, and we came out victorious. But I'll be happier still when this team can find that rhythm and truly unleash the fury.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Rockin' the Red at the Home Opener
First of all, a big thankyou to my boss Jon for letting me skip the last two hours of work on Saturday afternoon so that I could head down to DC for the opening home game for the Caps at Verizon Center. And what a night it turned out to be. The metro ride down from Shady Grove was a red-filled vessel of thirsty hockey fans ready to root for their team. And upon exiting the metro, F Street was alive and well. The doors were open early and the excitement level was high. Washington was a city ready to continue to rock the red once more!!!!
So after a 7-4 thrashing (no pun intended) on the previous evening in Atlanta, how would the Caps respond against a team touted highly as the 'dark horse' for this coming year? What adjustments would Bruce be making? How would the crowd respond to Theodore after his poor performance in Game 1? Many questions were there to be answered, and after the initial warm-ups, we were about to find out.
Props to the Caps organization for the great opening ceremony and raising of the banner. It was done in very good taste, and hopefully we'll get to see that happening on an annual basis!!! The chants of "Bruuuuuuce" from the crowd paid homage to our general who brought out troops out to battle once again - this humble Toronto native has the utmost respect from the fans throughout the building.
As for the game, things didn't start too well for the Caps, giving up a Chicago strike within the opening minute. Fans drew breath, fearing the worst every time the puck was within 10 feet of Theodore throughout the game. Admittedly, he made some phenomenal saves during the contest, and did redeem himself to some extent after Fridays performance, but it will be a while before the fans can honestly put their trust in this individual between the pipes. You can have the best offensive weapons in the world, but you still need somebody at home to mind the fort. A casual observer in my section summed it up best, literally finding religion every time a shot was taken at the net......Father Ted could have taken notes from this guy for his Sunday sermon.
Hockey is a 60 minute game, and the final 40 minutes were almost dominated by the Caps. After going down 2-0 in the first, the final horn saw the Caps leave with a 4-2 victory. How did they turn things around? What was said in the locker room after the first period? Unbeknown to me at the time, Al Koken from Comcast Sports Net mentioned that Bruce Boudreau reverted back to his traditional defensive pairings, and upon reflection, I can now see why the chemistry in the Caps zone was vastly improved. It may sound like a minor tweak, and of little importance, but to these guys, it made all the difference. And as much as I love Mike Green - Mike, please play a little more defense....yes, you can shoot, but you don't need to be 'the' lone playmaker when bringing the puck into the zone. However, this is just small criticism. The first period aside, this was a solid performance and a Caps game played just the way we like it. Can't wait for the next outing.......
One more thing: Way to go Hershey!!! A 3-0 start on the road. A win for Varlamov in his North American debut. Bob Woods has already started to silence the doubters........go Bears. Can't wait to see you on Saturday for the home opener against the Crunch!
So after a 7-4 thrashing (no pun intended) on the previous evening in Atlanta, how would the Caps respond against a team touted highly as the 'dark horse' for this coming year? What adjustments would Bruce be making? How would the crowd respond to Theodore after his poor performance in Game 1? Many questions were there to be answered, and after the initial warm-ups, we were about to find out.
Props to the Caps organization for the great opening ceremony and raising of the banner. It was done in very good taste, and hopefully we'll get to see that happening on an annual basis!!! The chants of "Bruuuuuuce" from the crowd paid homage to our general who brought out troops out to battle once again - this humble Toronto native has the utmost respect from the fans throughout the building.
As for the game, things didn't start too well for the Caps, giving up a Chicago strike within the opening minute. Fans drew breath, fearing the worst every time the puck was within 10 feet of Theodore throughout the game. Admittedly, he made some phenomenal saves during the contest, and did redeem himself to some extent after Fridays performance, but it will be a while before the fans can honestly put their trust in this individual between the pipes. You can have the best offensive weapons in the world, but you still need somebody at home to mind the fort. A casual observer in my section summed it up best, literally finding religion every time a shot was taken at the net......Father Ted could have taken notes from this guy for his Sunday sermon.
Hockey is a 60 minute game, and the final 40 minutes were almost dominated by the Caps. After going down 2-0 in the first, the final horn saw the Caps leave with a 4-2 victory. How did they turn things around? What was said in the locker room after the first period? Unbeknown to me at the time, Al Koken from Comcast Sports Net mentioned that Bruce Boudreau reverted back to his traditional defensive pairings, and upon reflection, I can now see why the chemistry in the Caps zone was vastly improved. It may sound like a minor tweak, and of little importance, but to these guys, it made all the difference. And as much as I love Mike Green - Mike, please play a little more defense....yes, you can shoot, but you don't need to be 'the' lone playmaker when bringing the puck into the zone. However, this is just small criticism. The first period aside, this was a solid performance and a Caps game played just the way we like it. Can't wait for the next outing.......
One more thing: Way to go Hershey!!! A 3-0 start on the road. A win for Varlamov in his North American debut. Bob Woods has already started to silence the doubters........go Bears. Can't wait to see you on Saturday for the home opener against the Crunch!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Preseason Thoughts
Kudos to Chris Bourque for getting the first star in the Caps' preseason game against the Panthers last night... as much as I'd like to see him back in Hershey this year, I have a suspicion that we might be seeing him more at the Verizon Center.
On the Josef Boumedienne watch (note to Caps: you shouldn't have let him go!), he earned an assist in the Leafs' loss to Pittsburgh. We have this game on the DVR and only saw bits and pieces; we'll definitely check the rest of the game out.
I'm still not completely sold on Jose Theodore. Martin, who attended a day of training camp on Tuesday, says the two younger goalies look tremendously sharp. About Theodore, I'm just concerned that he'll be the Theodore of old and not so much the Theodore who carried the Avs last year.
On the Josef Boumedienne watch (note to Caps: you shouldn't have let him go!), he earned an assist in the Leafs' loss to Pittsburgh. We have this game on the DVR and only saw bits and pieces; we'll definitely check the rest of the game out.
I'm still not completely sold on Jose Theodore. Martin, who attended a day of training camp on Tuesday, says the two younger goalies look tremendously sharp. About Theodore, I'm just concerned that he'll be the Theodore of old and not so much the Theodore who carried the Avs last year.
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