Setting the Tone

Speculation has been flying around over the past week about what the Caps will do to Rene Bourque when he faces Washington for the first time since sending Nick Backstrom to IR. After the initial incident, the media was all over the team for not standing up for their teammate, not to mention their best player so far this year. You can't let other teams in this league think that you're soft or they'll take advantage of you everytime they play you.

The first names that come to mind when thinking of who will try and fight Bourque are Hendricks, Brouwer, or Chimera. Erskine is out of his weight class, not to mention out of the lineup for the time being. But why should it always be up to these players to stand up for their teammates? Is it part of their job? I guess so. But shouldn't you expect the same thing from dare I say..their Captain???

Alex Ovechkin isn't known around the league for having hammer fists, but when you don the "C" on your jersey you better be ready to do whatever it takes to lead your team. Some may say that Ovi needs to just worry about scoring... I say f*ck that.

Ovechkin needs to be the one to set the tone tonight. Whether it's zeroing in on Rene for huge hit after hit, getting after him after the whistle for the full 60 minutes, or dropping the gloves.

This is what we need, and should come to expect of our Captain no matter who the opponent is.
I'm looking for Ovi to come out targeting more than just the net tonight. And if he shy's away for the most part tonight..then maybe we should start thinking of who should really be "leading" this hockey team.

Fight On Caps!

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Hunter Does Have a Soft Side

One of the grittiest players in NHL history, and someone who wouldn't back down to anyone...Dale wasn't always known for being the friendliest of sorts. But after receiving the offer to be Head Coach of the Washington Capitals, Hunter quickly realized that he needed to change the media/fans perception of who he is. So he dug into his fighting highlight reel, watched as many as he could, and picked out one of his best pummel jobs that he had in the NHL. He then proceeded to call that former player up, offer him a coaching position next to him...and badabing badaboom...Jim Johnson is now an assistant coach with the Caps. Way to go Dale, you do have a heart! Could Pierre Turgeon be next??

What a great guy!

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Welcome Home Dale Hunter!

If anybody has to come in to fill the void at coach...I'm happy it's a hometown hero! He was hard-nosed, tough, and borderline dirty, but he knew what it took to win, and that's why his jersey is hanging at the phone booth! Hopefully he can inject that same style of play into these Caps. Here are my Top 5 favorite clips of Hunter back when he was playing with the Caps.

#5

#4

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Happy Thanksblogging

You can thank ricky for this picture..

Today is Thanksgiving, my absolute favorite holiday. 


For that reason, I will do a quick blog brushing upon the Skins and the Caps before I begin the festivities. I am thankful to all our readers, because without you guys, I wouldn't have the $4.52 earned by this blog. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, lets get to the Caps first.


Also, my fellow blogger Ricky said I need to take it easy with the girl pictures. What do you think?




CAPS



The Caps won their second straight last night against the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in overtime. Jason Chimera is having a breakout year for himself and not many people are talking about it. He is silently leading the team in goals with 8 on the year. Chimera is in his third year in DC after being traded from Columbus. He is easily the fastest skater on the team, and probably up there with the best in the league. Chimera has been part of arguably the most productive lines this year alongside Brooks Laich and Marcus Johannson. What did Jason have to say when finally asked about the solid year he's having? 


"Well, I've just always had it," Chimera joked. "Was just going to wait until my later, mid-30s to get it going. I don't want to peak too early. I want to keep playing until I'm 45 so hopefully I'll keep on getting better."


Easily one of the best lines I've heard from a Caps player. Chimera is a workhorse who never seems to get tired, and will continue to play his game regardless of the score. I would love to see him keep this up.
As for the the entire Caps team, I like where they're going. Their shot total is climbing, averaging 36 shots a game in their last 5, and they have put up 4 goals in each of their past 2 wins. The key for them will be to stay motivated and take every game personally. I think Ovechkin is trying his best to be a leader, which is interfering with his style of play. He doesn't want to be suspended, or be a shot hog. You can see that he looks for the pass just as much, if not more, than he looks for the shot. This is good and bad, but I think we would all like to see him get a little more selfish. I also like the amount we are hitting the past two games. The first time we played Winnipeg, we mustered a laughable 5 hits. Last night was a completely different story, as they wrecked the Jets for 35 hits. The hit total shows effort and hard skating. The more we hit, the easier it is to dictate the style and pace of the game. I hope this trend continues, because skating hard and shooting the puck has been our game the past couple years, and it looks good.




SKINS




The Skins are stuck this season because of the lack of stability in the quarterback position. Everyone knows that the quarterback of the future simply is not on this roster, and that's a tough pill to swallow, especially for veteran guys like London Fletcher. This is a time of year for the Skins where they will be playing for their jobs. Young guys like Evan Royster will be given an opportunity to showcase his skills, and players like LaRon Landry who can't stay healthy will be looking to prove their worth. I like the framework we have on the defensive side of the ball and it would do well to keep it intact, and add to it. So hopefully we can work something out with Landry, who is a restricted free agent after this year. And for those of you who think he's the same guy on and off the field, check out Mike Wise's article on Landry's Leadership for Life program. 
The Redskins finish out the year with games against Seattle, the New York Jets, New England, the New York Giants, Minnesota and Philadelphia. Definitely not an easy schedule by any means, which means the heart and soul of this team will be tested each and every week. A lot will be revealed about their character, but it will be a struggle to finish out the season with more than 5 wins.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hit up the comments section with your thoughts on where each of these teams are and where you want them to go. I'll be eating food and watching football all day, and hopefully you all will do the same. 


FIGHT ON DMV

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Caps Drop 5 Spots in Power Rankings

Scott Burnside has the Caps down to 6 in the NHL Power Rankings after winning only 1 of their last 5 games. It's hard to argue this drop as the Caps don't seem to have the winning attitude they used to have when closing out games. The Caps most recent loss came in a shootout after leading 2-0 to New Jersey. In order to be considered an elite team, you have to put away teams. If teams still feel like they can win even when they're down two goals, it's going to be a longer season than we thought. In other news, Mike Green just can't get a break. He will be out for Tuesday's game in Nashville. Hamrlik should be back on the ice, so the Caps should be able to avoid bringing up Dimitry Orlov. . .for now.

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