Rookie Hazing

I'll be the first to admit that after seeing Dale Hunter & GMGM bring up a young 22-year old defenseman from Hershey who has no NHL experience to play against the hated Pittsburgh Penguins...I was pissed. Mainly because the new guy, Tomas Kundratek, will be starting..over a healthy John Erskine.

For a team that's already lacking the toughness of a playoff team, and who has no real rugged defensmen outside of Erskine..it baffles me that "now" is the time to throw this kid into the fire. He's also starting over Jeff "Pillows" Schultz, but let's be real, does anybody care? Good news out of the locker room today is that Pillows is growing tired of sitting every game, and he may be looking to bolt. Problem is, Georgie Boy signed him to a contract that's paying him $2.75/mil over the next couple seasons. Any takers?? I didn't think so.

Erskine may not be an elite defenseman in the league, but he brings the toughness that every goalie loves having in front of them. He'll clear the crease in a heartbeat, and stick up for his teammates no matter who the opponent is. He called out Aaron Asham for his shot against Beags earlier in the season, and threw some insane haymakers against him in their last meeting.

Even with a couple of the Penguins best players out, they are still capable of putting a whooping on a Caps team that doesn't seem to have the "kill" factor at this junction of the season. How about sitting John Carlson down for a game or two?? He hasn't looked the same all year, and frankly he's playing like he's been hitting the bong before games. Wake up man! Too much talent is being wasted there.

I'm hoping for a gutsy win tonight for the Caps, but my hopes for this game are cautious at best.

Tweet

Dale Hunter on the Hot Seat? Or is it too early. . .

The Caps' 5-1 loss to Philadelphia last night wasn't just a bad loss. It was an embarrassment. Every single Caps fan who went to that game should get their money back. After a 3 day break between games, the Caps came out with zero heart, zero emotion and zero preparation. They looked tired, sluggish  and completely disoriented. Three years ago, a two or three goal deficit meant nothing. The team would keep their heads up and battle. They had that confidence and winning attitude that keeps elite teams in any game. Last night, Vokoun gave up a lazy goal in the first period, and it seemed like they gave up after that. We lost every 50-50 battle, couldn't get anything going on a power play that went 4-6 last game, and couldn't muster any dangerous shots on goal. Philadelphia came into our town and showed the Caps who's the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. The Caps on the other hand, need to figure it out before it's too late.

Jeff Schultz was a healthy scratch again, proving that Dale Hunter sees in him what every fan has seen for 4 years now, absolutely nothing. Roman Hamrlik is also a huge bust. It seems like he aged 10 years this offseason and is constantly taking penalties or reacting slowly to the puck. I'm sorry to say it, but Ovechkin just hasn't been the same since he was suspended twice two seasons ago. He looks like a beaten man, exactly like what Boudreau looked like after his last game coaching the Caps. He's a man without answers. Guess who was supposed to be the man with the answers; Dale Hunter.

Now, I know it's early. The team has shown some promise since Hunter has taken over, but nothing consistent. At this point, it is far too early to start questioning Dale Hunter's ability to coach this team to the playoffs, but for me, it's time to see something out of this team. I love Dale Hunter as a player and a man, but I hope he isn't in over his head here. Coaching in the NHL is an entirely different animal than coaching 17 year old kids in the Ontario Hockey League. I don't know what this team needs in order to wake up. Does Ovechkin need to be a healthy scratch? Does Semin need to be traded? What about Vokoun? Something has to give, and maybe it's time to bring Holtby up and give him a shot. I bet he's dying to get a chance to prove his worth to Dale Hunter.

What's he going to do next?

Right now we are 11th in the conference, 2 points out of the playoffs and 7 points behind Florida in the Southeast division. This is the lowest we have been in the standings this late in a season since Boudreau's first year. George McPhee must be sweating in his office, because his job is on the line even more so than Dale Hunter's.
But maybe this is what is needed for McPhee. Maybe he needs to be pushed to the brink in order for him to take the steps necessary to right the ship. Just maybe he'll trade Semin and Schultz away for a veteran, or a rising star with speed like Zach Parise.

Again, I have to reiterate that I know it's only mid December, but at some point everyone is looking for a lightning bolt to hit this team and zap it back to dominance. We're all waiting for something, that's for sure.




Tweet

Hey Caps, Your D is Too Soft...(that's what she said)

Some may think that many of my posts are negative, but hey, that's what living in the DMV for 24 years will do to ya. But I really have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when I read articles like I just read about how the Capitals D-men will handle Cindy Crosby tomorrow night.
When asked if they will ease up on Crosby, since he is just coming off of a 10-month layoff from 2 concussions...the Caps D had this to say:

Karl Alzner: "I wouldn't want all of Canada to hate me," Alzner said with a chuckle

Dennis Wideman: "He's a guy that you want to be physical with but it's not that easy," he said. "If you try to take a run at him he's probably going to go around you and get a goal."

Roman Hamrlik: "I have so much respect for the guy," he said. "He's one of the best players in the league. I'm not going to try to run over him. I'm not the kind of guy to go and hit in the head. I would have to be really ticked off. You don't want to see the best player get hurt again, but it's a tough sport and it could happen to anybody." So would you take a shot at him? "I would think twice," he said. "You want to play tough against everybody, but I would think twice before I hit him."

We might as well give Cynthia a red carpet right down to Vokoun/Neuvirth. The only defender who has any fight in him this year has been John Erskine. Mike Green can be tough, but he needs to worry about just staying on the ice at this point. You don't have to fight to be a tough guy, just let them know who's side of the ice they're on!
I didn't even mention #55 Pillows Schultz. I'm 6'0 195lbs of pure musclely fat and can barely skate...but I bet I can still hit a guy harder than Jeff. Come on man! You're 6'6 250lbs..now use some of it! If you look around the league, the best teams have the toughest defenders. Whether it's Chara (BOS), Phaneuf (TOR), Pronger (PHI), Ohlund (TB), or Murray (SJ) just to name a few...the teams that are the most successful come June, are the teams who won't back down to anyone, injured or not.

Here's a question for you all: If Ovechkin or Green were just coming back from a serious injury..do you think Brooks Orpik or Deryk Engelland would think twice before sending a hit their way tomorrow? ...Hell no.





Tweet