So I Feel Kinda Bad....

Hello hello!

Sorry we haven't updated in about ten million years. I really want to start blogging but I R E A L L Y don't want to blog about the labor meetings... it's a tough world. Half of the hockey fans are saying that there won't be a season, the other half are saying there will be... who knows. Let me know when they finally come to an agreement, I say as I can't stop refreshing twitter when the NHL and NHLPA meet.

Both sides make me mad and they need to come to an agreement. That is how I see it.

Now can we talk about how both Backie and Ovi are going to be playing on the same team during the lockout? And how Ovi pressured Backie to sign with Dynamo Moscow? I would like to thank ESPN for showing KHL games, especially the Ovechkin Dynamos, because we might get to see our two stars play together.

We didn't even update when Sasha signed with the Canes. I feel awful about our lack of postage sigh.

We didn't even blog when we drafted another flawless Swede that will probably become another star in this league.

How will you all forgive us?

How about we start blogging more?

Sounds good? Good.

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SHIRTS!

Our friend Ian over at Russian Machine Never Breaks has come up with an Alzner's Amigos shirt design! (seen here.)

We have no idea what possessed him to decide to make this shirt design, but speaking for myself I'm ridiculously excited for it. I'm sure Kate will be too once she finally wakes up and sees it. I'm also running on the assumption that our incessant talk about Alzner's Amigos drove him to making it a thing.

And my god are we happy that its a thing.

Don't Stop Believing

Wow. So we did it. We really actually did it. Our seventh seeded Washington Capitals knocked off the defending Stanley Cup Champions in the first round.

Of course it was done in game 7 in overtime, because lets be honest, who expected anything less? With the way the series went, I was not at all surprised when Seguin tied the game up.

But the fact that we actually did it... we actually won in overtime, thanks to Joel Ward living up to his playoff hero status, still stuns me. I've always believed in my boys, but I was more afraid of the loss than anything. So, a few points to cover.

• How about our role players tonight? Man, did they shine. Hendy's goal was an unbelievable deflection. Papa Knuble blocked the shot that led to the 2 on 1, and set up Wardo's OT winner. Wardo scored the OT winner. Who needs stars to win a game, eh? 
• How about that Karl Alzner? This blog is for him, so of course we're going to talk about how well he played. Not just tonight, but all series. Bergeron had an open net in OT, and even if it was mostly his fault it didn't go in, I'm sure Alzner would have blocked it if he had gotten a good shot off. The point is, he was there.
• Braden Holtby. are there even any other words besides that? He is the sassiest of all the sassy players, and the amount of fucks he gives about the Bruins? Zero. Subzero. I told them, I TOLD the Bruins fans at the beginning of this series that you don't fuck with Braden Holtby. Did they listen? HAHAHA OF COURSE NOT. But who has the last laugh? Oh yeah, the girl who knew Braden all along. 

Look at that motherfucking sass.

via the-radio-dept.tumblr.com

• Braden is the hottest topic that everyone in the NHL is talking about nowadays. Now that our fabulous rookie has beaten out the Vezina, MVP, Stanley Cup winning veteran goalie, why wouldn't he be? His story is an absolute sensation and I'm so happy I can finally rant and rave about him and people understand why.
• His numbers were equivalent to the aforementioned Tim Thomas, which is far above what anyone had expected. Although many of us knew him much better than the rest of the NHL, I still think a lot of were surprised with his elevated play. I've known Braden could rise to the occasion, but even I was blown away by his ability to stop 44 of 45 shots on more than one occasion. Through seven games in this series, he had a .94 save percentage, and a 2.14 goals against average. I literally have no words for it.

 Everyone counted us out. The day it was set that we were playing the former Stanley Cup Champions, everyone assumed we were done. Hell, even going into game 7 there was chatter everywhere about our inability to complete the playoff series. Kate and I were at game 6, and everything I heard from the other fans around me after that loss was awful... I know its disappointing, but having no faith in your team? Absolutely no excuse for that.


And man, did they show all of you what they're capable of.


We don't know who we're facing next. Either the Rangers, Flyers or Devils. I don't have a preference on who we play, because after beating the Stanley Cup Champions, I honestly believe we can take anyone on and have an equal chance of winning.


This team is great. This team has what it takes to win. This team is going to do great things. And right now, we're all along for the roller coaster ride with them. But the most important thing from all this is that we know that our boys are having the time of their lives, and they deserve it.


Its our motto here, but always remember Caps fans, don't stop believin'.

Caps/Bruins Game 6 (Pictures)

Roxy and I went to game six. I took some pictures so enjoy!

Thoughts on NHL Disciplinary Action

This is a guest post written by a very good friend of mine, Allison. If you like her writing, you can follow her here.

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The most hated man in the NHL can change on a daily basis. It could be a player, referee, or coach on any given night. When he failed to make the right call with Shea Weber’s WWE move on Henrik Zetterberg, Brendan Shanahan officially because the most despised man in the league. Tonight’s decisions and Raffi Torres’s monstrously horrendous hit on Marian Hossa cemented this status.

Our memories of the regular season are basically wiped clean once the playoffs start. Records, seedings, and games won/lost go out the window because, as we all know, anything can happen in the post season. What I’m coming to discover is that Brendan Shanahan’s work during the regular season flew out the window, too. Shanny was thoroughly consistent with doling out punishment during the regular season. There were enough suspensions and fines for punishable offenses that it seemed the new Department of Player Safety had gained control of the discipline issues in the league. We all expected it to carry over into the playoffs. Why change what isn’t broken? We were wrong.

I have never seen the entire National Hockey League fanbase unite like this before. We are all appalled at the complete and total inconsistency of Mr. Shanahan’s rulings. It doesn’t matter which team you cheer for or which team you want to eat dirt during these playoffs. The fact that player discipline is being smeared when it should be tighter is incredibly baffling. 

Let’s go through exactly what has happened during these playoffs. It all started with Shea Weber. Shanahan failed to suspend Weber for what was a hilariously illegal and dangerous move. When the commissioner of the WWE is complimenting slamming another player’s face into the glass TWO TIMES you know you’ve gone too far. Weber merely received a $2500 fine. This set off alarm bells in everyone’s head, wondering what was going through Shanny’s head. Next, Byron Bitz receives 2 games for boarding Kyle Clifford and Carl Hagelin receives 3 games for elbowing Daniel Alfredsson. Both appropriate suspensions. Seems fair for the offense. 

After that it gets dicey enough for me to want to apply for Shanahan’s job. Matt Carkner gets 1 game for punching a defenseless Brian Boyle about 3 times in the back of the head. ONE. GAME. That would be about 4-5 games during the regular season. Andrew Shaw gets 3 games for charging Mike Smith in the trapezoid. 

Then the Flyers-Penguins game. Holy. Mother. The wounds are still fresh from these suspensions and as a Flyers fan I’m a little biased. But for now I’ll just state the suspensions. Craig Adams gets 1 game for a game misconduct in the final 5 minutes of the game. James Neal gets 1 game for charging Claude Giroux. I’m really trying to hold back right now… Arron Asham gets 4 games for crosschecking Brayden Schenn. Finally, Nicklas Backstrom gets 1 game for his game misconduct in the final 5 minutes of the Capitals-Bruins game on Monday.

Where do I begin? Honestly, I’m so worked up right now that I probably shouldn’t be blogging or writing anything on the topic period. But it’s not stopping me. I am just beyond livid that Craig Adams and Nicklas Backstrom are receiving the same amount of games for an automatic suspension as James Neal. Not only did James Neal have 2 (TWO) conferences with Shanahan today for his hit on Couturier and his charging Giroux, but he only came out with ONE GAME. James Neal had intent to injure on his plays and it’s evident by him leaving his feet to give a blindside hit on Couturier and then seconds later going head hunting for Giroux. However, that’s not what he told Shanny. He told him and the media that he had no intent to injure, just cutting through the neutral zone. Shanahan didn’t believe him thank the hockey gods. But he left his feet on the play and with INTENT TO INJURE. Yet he still only gets 1 game?! There was no injury on the play. BULL-FREAKING-SHIT. Inconsistency, I can’t say it enough. 

Shanahan is also punishing based on who is the offender and who is the victim. Carl Hagelin, who has never even had a major penalty in his NHL career, received 3 games for his elbow on Daniel Alfredsson. Byron Bitz is suspended for a play that is just as dangerous and receives a game less than Hagelin. The victim of that play? Kyle Clifford, a much less recognizable name. James Neal only receives 1 game and Shea Weber didn’t even miss a minute. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or what, but Shanahan is punishing based on one’s clout in the league. It’s not right. Whether you’re Sidney Crosby or Raffi Torres, you should be receiving the same punishment. There are very mixed messages being sent and Shanahan is being forced to do a lot of back-pedaling. 

Suspending to the injury isn’t an effective system at all. It’s hard to judge intent and a player is certainly not going to own up to wishing harm on another players. But when it is so blatantly obvious like in James Neal’s case, Shanahan cannot just sit by and say that 1 game is sufficient to get the message through. 

I am as frustrated as I’ve ever been with the NHL, yes, but I’m more appalled at the seeming lack of respect between the players. Bobby Clarke and Bill Clement of the Broad Street Bullies have both come out and said that what is happening right now would never happen when they were playing. Clement said there would never be hits like Torres’ or Neal’s during their heyday. There just isn’t enough mutual respect between players on the ice anymore. There needs to be an overhaul in the culture starting with the players. When they learn to treat each other better there will be less of a need for these suspensions. 

Matt Cooke changed because he was told if he didn’t he would never play in the NHL again. Why isn’t seeing Marian Hossa lying motionless on ice enough? Why isn’t seeing Nathan Horton with his arm reaching to the ceiling, struggling for breath enough? The day is going to come when a player is going to be lying lifeless on the ice. Will that be the end all, be all? It shouldn’t have to come to that. Suspensions can only go so far. It’s the players that need to take responsibility.

Caps Thoughts 4/18

First and foremost I want to apologize for not writing more. Roxy has taken the reigns of the blog for now, and probably for the rest of the series because well... I have a conflict of interests. I'm secretly a Bruins fan too. I know I know. Boo and hiss now. I have gotten enough of it already. I'll post about that later. 

Right now I want to talk about other things. 

The Washington Capitals, a seventh seed, are hanging with the Boston Bruins, the second seed. Each game is being won by inches and by which team makes the most mistakes. Game one, Wideman pinches down and can't recover and tips Chris Kelly's shot in overtime. Game two, the two Bruins defenders run into each other, Marcus Johansson grabs the puck, slings it to Backstrom and he puts it past Tim Thomas. Game three, the refs missed an offsides call and Harmlik tips Chara's shot past Holtby with two minutes left in the game. 

What I'm trying to say is that the Caps are very much alive in this series. The game Thursday is pretty much a must win and will be even harder because Backstrom has been suspended. But it's doable. The Caps did it three times in the regular season.

I just don't want fans to feel like this season is a complete bust if the Caps are knocked out of the first round (knock on wood). I am so completely proud of this team just for the way they are fighting with the Bruins. I had no idea what to expect in Game one. The game I saw excited me. They didn't win, but they were fighting. They were not going to let the Bruins run all over them like some people expected. There is literally no where but up with this team. They are finally responding to Hunter's system and realizing that it works in the playoffs. Our scorers are scoring. Ovechkin is smashing everything within reach. The Caps could win this series.

But what if they don't? Well then I think we have the start of something awesome. Their window isn't closing. All of their star players are young still. Hopefully we resign Semin. Semin under Hunter's system is money. 

I still say the Caps should win this series though. Thinking into the future is too much work.

Let's go Caps.

Playoffs Matchups Aren't Disappointing

I know this is a Caps blog, but bare with me here. Its the playoffs, a time where everyone is jumping to different teams and has an opinion on every matchup. It is without a doubt the most wonderful time of year, where former enemies become friends to unite against a common enemy. See for example: Flyers and Caps fans unite against the Pens fans. That's just one common theme we've seen so far these playoffs.

Just the eastern conference in itself has been a freakin' soap opera. Whether its ridiculously obvious contrast between the Flyers/Pens series and the Caps/Bruins series, the stupidly pestilent Florida Panthers winning their first playoff series in ten goddamn years, or the Rangers and Senators attempting to kill each other, its been a roller coaster ride. And that's just the Eastern Conference.

The Caps and Bruins play their third game tonight, and it'll be interesting to see if there is going to be any difference compared to the first two games. I'm still a little reluctant to assume Braden is going to be an absolute brick wall like he has been, but I certainly hope so. Of course, I'm still expecting to be in a fetal position, on the verge of puking up whatever I ate this afternoon while rocking back and forth and crying slightly. Wait... am I the only person that does that into double OT?

But that doesn't matter right now. The talk of the entire NHL at this point is the Pens/Flyers game yesterday afternoon. A total of 133 penalty minutes, all in 60 minutes played. That's more than twice the penalty minutes of actual game time played. Which is freaking insane.

• Matt Cooke emerged from the bloodbath with zero penalty minutes. You heard me, ZERO. The Mayans were clearly right about 2012 being the end of the world.
• Arron Asham is the scum of the earth. I challenge anyone to attempt to prove me wrong on this point. I think anyone who watched what he did to Brayden Schenn would agree so. 
• What the hell happened to Marc Andre Fleury? I know he can be streaky but this is taking it to a whole different level. And of anyone to feel sorry for in that organization, its him. I have a serious soft spot for goalies, and I'm sure he's disgusted with himself and his performance throughout this series.
• That being said, Bryz hasn't exactly been spectacular at his end. Goaltending as a whole doesn't exist, and they might as well both pull goalies and play 6 men instead, with the number of goals they're scoring collectively.
• Malkin has been held goal-less. Can someone explain to me, how in the HIGH HEAVENS has the NHL's lead point scorer been held scoreless in a series where all that happens is scoring and fights? DOES NOT COMPUTE.
• Speaking of fights, holy Crosby vs. Giroux. THAT was something I never thought I'd see. Crosby called Giroux a pussy, and was obviously projecting.
• Most of it all happened within the first period. Then in the third, the Pens came out to slaughter, proving that basically, they're the dirtiest team in the league and have stolen that so called "title" from the Flyers, according to most people.
• James Neal. Wow. I don't really have any words for what he decided to do. I'm really disappointed in him for going out there and head hunting like he did. Its just unbelievably unsportsmanlike and just shows complete immaturity.
• Speaking of unsportsmanlike and immaturity, Sidney Crosby. I cannot get over his childish behavior during the game. Personally, I don't like to complain about him being a whiner and such, but my lord did he want to prove me wrong yesterday. Absolutely despicable way to handle the game, coming from someone who is supposed to lead the team. Leading by example pretty well there, aren't we captain?

There is no other way to classify a game like that other than a complete and total shitshow. I think everyone can agree that the Pens lost quite a bit of integrity as an organization with that one. I also tend to place the blame on them for that game compared to the Flyers, who in my eyes were just doing things to protect their guys.

Obviously, these two franchises don't like each other, so they're more than likely to go at it. But that circus display yesterday, while entertaining, was something that shouldn't happen in the future. Even if teams hate each other, they should have mutual respect. The Pens should have taken the loss with more dignity, and they just showed the entire league that they will throw temper tantrums if they don't get their way. Its absolutely disgusting to do what they did, and any respect I had for them has virtually evaporated into thin air.

On a lighter note, its good to know my team can handle a loss with ten times more dignity than that, and that my captain isn't going to go out there and do what Crosby did. I don't like comparing Crosby and Ovechkin, but in this case when it comes to leadership, well I think its shown who has more composure in a certain situation. I don't recall Ovechkin running around like this in the second round last year just before we got swept by Tampa.

Even more drama to ensue tonight, and god knows what wednesday is going to hold. All I know is that I'm grabbing a bowl of popcorn and enjoying the show.

Caps/Bruins Game 1 recap

With the initial sting from last night finally subsiding, I think I can provide a pretty good analysis of things. Obviously, it kind of felt like we deserved to take that one, after battling through 60+ minutes and weathering all of the storms the Bruins threw at us.

• The first period was just plain out scary. I was hoping that once the game started, I myself could calm down, but with a period like that? Oh my god as if. Boston was all up in our zone, we couldn't get a shot to save our life, and the only reason shit didn't completely hit the fan was because of Braden Holtby.
• Boston came out hitting, too. We knew that was going to happen. But my god, was I screaming at my TV for us to hit back. We NEEDED to hit back. They pretty much walked all over us in the first period.
• But in the second, all hell broke loose. We got into penalty trouble, and Boston was outshooting us heavily. It was nasty, but it was exciting as anything. Braden stood on his head, stopping every shot that got through our boys and to him. And he took a roughing penalty. Now THAT is the Braden we all knew would show up for this game, isn't it?
• John Carlson. It would be nice to say that he knows to peak at the right time, but its only been one game, so we can't say that exactly yet. But he did well last night, and watching him jump in to protect Holts? Best thing I've ever seen in my life.
• Joel Ward. Anyone else notice that his game picked up significantly last night? Not just him, but our whole fourth line pretty much carried the offense. Can I just mention the fact that our fourth line is unbelievably talented? Aucoin-Perreault-Ward. Tell me those guys aren't some of the most talented fourth liners in the league.
• Seems like Dale Hunter did another one of those inspirational/yelling speeches during the second intermission. We came out dominating the third period, and all the chances had me screaming on the floor and eventually in a fetal position because we were SO CLOSE. 
• Holtby's game. Nothing else really needs to be said, and you'd understand what I mean right? I knew the kid had this kind of game in him. The question now, is whether or not he can keep it going. As Peter pointed out with stats, a .967 save percentage wins cups. Rounding up, that's 97%, which is fucking ridiculous.
• Holtby faced twice as many shots as Thomas did. He stopped 29 of 30 shots, while Thomas stopped all 16. So anyone who thinks Thomas saved this game would be incorrect. The reason the Caps didn't win this game was because of shots. If we had tested Timmy more than we did, I've convinced we would have won. He was giving up more rebounds, their defense was floundering more in front of the net than we were. The main thing I took out of this game was that the Caps lost it for themselves with lack of offense.
• That being said, we played a fantastic game and we're finally doing what you need to do to win a playoff series; stifling defense and shot blocking. Poor Marcus Johansson sacrificed his face on more than one occasion tonight, the little Swedish warrior. Ovechkin was throwing his weight around, and was up to the challenge of the physicality without whining about it. That's the kind of effort we need and if we keep this up, and add offensive pressure, we will be unstoppable.

There was a lot of praises singing Holtby's name last night. My last point to go over involves him. I've seen this kind of thing happen after his game against the Wild; suddenly everyone is a fan of him and everyone wants him in net all the time.

Guys, I want you all to remember that he's still a young, developing goaltender. I've always known that he can stand on his head and steal games, but I've also always been there for him when he's had a bad game. This kind of thing, all the noise of everyone shouting about how he's jesus and our savior or whatever, is only going to last as long as he's playing like this. And if you expect him to have a nearly 97% save percentage every game, you should probably adjust your expectations.

I'm not saying he's not capable of it, but he does have some pretty dramatic highs and lows. And as soon as we have a low stretch, I hear people saying things like "I'm convinced he's going to lose the game for us." and "We need Neuvy in net! God I miss Vokoun!" That kind of thing. 

So just remember, he can be unbelievable, but cut the guy slack if he lets in one bad goal or two. I know him, and I know he's pissed at himself for letting that game winner in. I know he can step up, and I just hope he continues to do so because if he does, he can steal this series from right under the Bruins feet with a little help from the offense.

Don't stop believin', Caps fans. The next game comes faster than you'd expect, just pick it up and move on. And if it helps, go watch Florida get thrashed by New Jersey in the first round.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: A Preview

Well, we suck with the recaps. Here's what happened: we were all at the Panthers game last thursday, and then for the Rangers game on saturday we were partying it up at the Front Page with our friends over at Russian Machine Never Breaks.

So for a good weekend we hadn't exactly realized that we'd be facing the Bruins in the first round, and were still blissfully ignorant of it until the week started. At least that was me.

Hope y'all like my writing, cause you'll likely be seeing me through this series.

As many of you know, my dear co-writer Kate is also a Bruins fan. So she pretty much is on the verge of suicide during this whole series.

And its ugly for all of us. In general, Caps and Bruins fans get along. We both hate the Habs, and the Pens. Boston gets us. But as much as we can generally live amongst one another, as soon as we are pitted against each other shit is going to hit the fan. We all know it, and we have two more days to prepare for it.

I've already seen Bruins fans talk crap, well before the series has started. Let's face it; we don't like Bruins fans when we're playing them. Hell, I'm already at the end of my rope. Let's just say if my boys get personally attacked, I'm snapping back. Its going to be nasty, but you know why its going to be nasty? BECAUSE ITS THE CUP. You all saw that coming.

Okay, so lets move on to the actual game rather than the fans. Nearly every expert is picking the Bruins winning in 6. Once again, underestimating us and basing things on the past. Which by the way, is a logical fallacy; assuming the past is going to resemble the future but there is actually NO proof that that's guaranteed to happen.

Yes, technically we are a 7th seed in this, but our boys have been heating up in the last month, like they always do. I don't know about you, but our last two games looked a lot like the boys we had in October, no?

We went 3-1 against the Bruins this year, Mathieu Perreault scoring his first career NHL hat trick against this team. We took both games at the TD, the last one in dramatic fashion as Matt Hendricks frustrated the hell out of Tim Thomas, which was quite a show. And we did all of this without Nicklas Backstrom, our number one center.

How important is Nicklas Backstrom? Well you tell me. He's one of the most underrated players in the league, and in my opinion one of the best first line centers in the league, on par with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. I know that's putting him higher than a lot of people think, but these people seem to forget that he was drafted 4th overall and many of them do not see inside our organization.

We were shown how important Nicky was during his injury. I can't count how many times I personally was shouting "NICKY COME BACK!" during some games. He is the backbone of our team and it was easy to see with him out. So having him back? Yes, I believe that makes us much more dangerous than we were before, especially since he's only been here four games and is getting his groove back.

That being said, Caps fans know all too well that the regular season doesn't mean anything. Take for example, the Montreal series in 2010. (ouch, that hurts). In the playoffs, its like a clean slate again. the seeds are nothing but a tribute to the regular season, and the 7 next to our name simply represents our struggles all year. Personally, I'm not afraid of it. What has a high seed done for us in the past? Absolutely nothing. I believe we're better off in a lower seed, where there is less expectation. Need I remind everyone of the 2010 Flyers being a 7th seed? You wouldn't have known by the end of May.

And that leads us into our goalie situation. Oh dear sweet lord, our goalie situation. The Bruins have Tim Thomas, and we've got... Braden Holtby...

...

Our goalie tandem as of right now is the Hershey Bears goalie tandem. Okay, that is scary. We'd be perfectly healthy if our goalies didn't keep breaking their lower bodies (coughVOKOUN YOUR GROINcough). We've all seen what Neuvy can do in the post season, and I'd be happy with having him there. But Braden Holtby is a whole different animal.

Let's talk about him for a minute. He's still very young and is still being developed, so he hasn't been static with his play. Its been all over the place really, with amazing play that makes everyone scream and praise his name, followed by a game that's less than spectacular. He's made a few mistakes, like the Giroux poke check, but I still feel the need to remind everyone that he's still in development. He can't exactly be goalie jesus if he's still learning. So basically, have realistic expectations with this guy.

That being said, I believe he can rise to the occasion. He plays a very in-your-face game, and likes to play physical. Meaning if Lucic tries to recreate a Miller situation, Holts is NOT going to take any of that. I think he could thrive with the physical game the Bruins play, and that it could up his game as well.

I also find it rather ironic that we acquired Vokoun for the post season, and it still looks like we're ending up with the Neuvy-Holtby tandem anyway. Bizarre twist of reality, no?

But besides that, we need other guys to stop up. Joel Ward, who has been less than spectacular all season, needs to step it up now. We acquired him for his post season experience with Nashville last year, and we could really use more secondary scoring from him and the other guys.

Everyone needs to step it up. The entire city of Boston is underestimating our team, and so is everyone else in the hockey community. We're already hearing the jokes about choking, and the Bruins fans trying to downplay us as a team. We have to show the world that we're better than that, and we deserve their respect.

Its time for us to shut everyone else up, go out there and kick some ass. Say hello to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Caps/Bolts recap

No recap for the Montreal game because I was in attendance, and Kate had just gotten back from Long Island and the Bruins/Isles game.

This is going to be short because I'm on suicide watch. Here's what happened.

• Sasha pisses us off, then proceeds to throw a heat seeking missile at Roloson that probably would have decapitated him if he stopped it. We all rejoice.

• Fucking Teddy Purcell. FUCKING TAMPA POWER PLAY. WHY CAN'T WE HOLD A LEAD.

• 25 SECONDS APART. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. CAN'T HANDLE IT.

• Chimmer scores, we all scream and cry and the world suddenly seems brighter.

• Fucking Steven Stamkos. ONE MINUTE LEFT, HE SCORES WITH ONE MINUTE LEFT. AFTER WE HELD HIM OFF ALL GAME.

• If that's not enough, he scores an empty netter and gets two. like I said, FUCKING. STEVEN. STAMKOS. We all look like this:

• Immediate post game reaction:

• Reaction after stabbing our eyes out, directed at everyone and everything.

• once the anger fades, its followed by depression.

• you at 2 am when you can't sleep because Washington Capitals:

It hurts. It hurts A LOT. But, we can't be out of the running until saturday. Take the night to panic, collect yourselves, do something to relieve the stress, and get ready for thursday. Its a routine we're all familiar with at this point.

All in favor of severing Florida off of our country and sending them floating out to sea raise your hand. But before that, who's up for a road trip to hunt down Steven Stamkos and wipe out Sunshine while we're at it?

EDIT: So my fellow Caps fans reminded me of a point I forgot here. We've got a shot at the playoffs, Tampa doesn't. In other words, enjoy golfing Stamkos, your 58 goals will be meaningless in about a week!

Caps/Bruins Recap

Oh hey guys, you get me again today because the Bruins are Kate's other team, so I'm taking this one off her hands.

• Being a Caps fan is such a burden sometimes. Starting out with total elation, followed by total despair, ending with total elation. Although it could have ended in total despair then you'd all be off attempting to commit suicide. Trust me, I totally get it.
• But no, we pulled out the 2 points in this one thank god. 
• Wideman scores a beauty, courtesy of a great pass by Marcus. God bless that goal I can't even fathom how loud I screamed. That goal meant EVERYTHING after the scoreless first two periods.
• Two on one, Ovie and Marcus. YES, A TWO GOAL LEAD, THIS IS GOOD.
• Oh look, the hockey gods hate us, and ridiculous deflection and the Bruins are on the board. Of course this is the Bruins we're talking about, so everyone feels a sense of impending doom.
• For good reason. Another rediciulous deflection and its all tied up. Overtime.
• Scary overtime. Ovie should have scored, and didn't. Neuvy makes the save of the game, and we're off to the shootout.
• The Bruins were scary in the shootout. 8-2. TALK ABOUT NERVE-WRACKING. Krejci misses, god bless, Hendy goes next, everyone shits their pants and loses their mind over how fucking amazing he is. You know, the usual.
• More stuff, Ovie and Semin miss, Seguin is a bastard, you know.
• Here comes Brooks Laich, flawless player who swoops in and saves the day! Caps win 3-2!
• Literally in the middle of the third period, my brother, dad and I were talking about how Brooks Laich is the root of our team, and I brought up that time he was almost injured. Scary time for us. Seems fitting he'd be the one to save all of us from the absolute despair and oblivion.

Montreal on saturday. There's a chance I'll be at the game, so we'll see. For now, gotta keep looking forward. Four more games to decide our fate.

Rage Manifested into a Rant.

This is literally all I have to say about the game. In a video. nearly 12 minutes long. Yep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-i7FsMX5ZU

O Captain, My Captain

What a game. We started off strong, faltered a little, Holtby saved our butts, and then we started scoring. And started putting the pressure on. But unlike the last couple of games, we didn't let up.

• Our powerplay was looking pretty... but there were no shots in the first period.
• Commentators kept ripping on Semin. Too bad they obviously were not aware that Semin has been our most consistent player this year. And then Semin has a great game and a fantastic assist on Chimera's goal and basically told NBCSN to suck it.
• I don't think I can put into words how great of a game Alex Ovechkin had today. He was on fire all game. His defensive play that saved a shortie? BRILLIANT. Not to mention Perreault scored on that powerplay. And then he scored in the third. Ovi chants rained down. All was well again. 
• Holtby had another lights out game. He deserved that shutout. I love watching him play because he acts like that net is HIS. He's big, he gets in the way, and doesn't take anyone's hoopla. 
• WE DIDN'T LET UP THE PRESSURE. It was so nice to see. Ovi was talking shifts with five minutes left to play. And as a result, there was a lot of time in the offensive zone. And resulting from that, we didn't let go of our three goal lead. What a beauty.
• Alzner had a great game. IT'S NICE TO SEE HIM GET APPRECIATED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
• Dmitry Orlov played for the first time in a few games today. John Carlson didn't see much ice time. It worked out okay I think. It got a little hairy when Dima AND JCar were paired together. 
• Why don't I remember anything else about this game?? IT WAS FANTASTIC.

I loved this game. I want to marry it. Maybe not the first period, but the rest. We are back in a playoffs spot and control our own destiny. The game Tuesday is huge. We need the win.

So let's go out and get it.

Despite the OT Loss, Caps Still Have Successful Roadtrip

5 points out of 10. Not a great look, but its still technically a winning record and therefore the roadtrip is technically successful. And I would honestly rather take the point than lose in regulation. But then again SO WOULD EVERYONE ELSE.

• Ovie scores 26 seconds in. Who in the hell saw that coming? I wasn't even completely settled into game mode when this happened, so I kind of lost it and freaked my roommate out. Oops.

Bless you captain

• Giroux's steal (more on that later) ties it up, and Caps sit back in the third to force at least overtime. Controversial approach to say the least, and I'm not quite sure what my stance on this would be. But, its notable that they were not in an attack mode during the third which could have possibly been our downfall. Note, possibly.

Cute face Coburn.

• Can we take a minute to talk about Hendy's shootout goal? It was filthier than... I can't even come up with an analogy to describe how filthy it was. What CAN'T this guy do? His moves were the highlight of our shootout.

• Here comes the Holtby spiel. Y'all should have seen it coming. In general, I was very, very happy with how he performed in net. He was calm, cool and collected, and our Secretary of Defense even went on to say how his calmness gave the team a collective calm. Gotta admire that. If not for his one fluke, which I attribute to overconfidence, he played a great game. Although, I do request that he keep his five hole closed in the future. But still, this guy protected his net and gave our guys a chance to win. Keep your head up Holts, you're doing great.

Jets tomorrow. A paramount game, one that we NEED to win. Then we can hopefully finally shut them up. Collect yourselves and get ready for the challenge ahead.

He Has Spoken

Dear Followers, our lovely defensemen and inspiration for this blog has created something wonderful.

Secretary of Defense it is, Mr. Alzner. As my dear friend Allison pointed out, "If he continues to bail Carlson out, he might have a nickname on his hands."

HE DOES INDEED. LET IT BECOME MAINSTREAM. 

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Secretary of Defense, Mr. Alzner.

Why Can't Every Game Be Against the Red Wings?

I don't really understand this team. And you know what? That's okay. I honestly would not have it any other way.

• Joel Ward and Dmitry Orlov were the scratches. Weep about Dima getting scratched, rejoice about Ward getting scratched. It's a tough cycle.
• BUT Dima kinda did deserve to be scratched after his last couple of games. It's been rough. Settle down hon.
• ALEXANDER OVECHKIN. I don't think I can put into words how much he does for this team. He's really stepping up and being the leader we know he can be. Scoring those goals. I didn't even see how the second one went in. Ovi will put this team on his back. Sometimes I would rather that he didn't have to. But it's nice to see that he can and will play his heart out for this team. Especially when people are breathing down his neck and telling him he can't.
  
• Papa Knuble's goal though. I love seeing him succeed. I won't question any of Hunter's coaching decisions because honestly I would never want his job, but it's so nice to see Knuble take every chance he can get to prove why he shouldn't be scratched. Wish he wouldn't take penalties with two minutes left and gives us all heart attacks though.
• Look at Aucion too. He's taking every single chance he can get and trying to show why he should stay in the NHL. He may be small but he is feisty!
• Congrats to that airhead Semin on his 400th point tonight!!
• Holtby looked pretty good tonight too. A little shaky, especially in the third, but as many reporters have been saying, he was cramping up towards the end of the game. So I'm sure that had to do something with it. I'm glad he got the win and hopefully he can help us while Vokoun is recovering from his injury-thing.
• The third was boring. Plain and simple. I wish the Caps would've attacked more but instead they sat on their heels. They can't feel very confident about that, but they won. Which is the most important thing.

Can we please beat the Flyers Thursday? That would be awesome.

Oh, and I'm going to practice Wednesday! I'll try to take some good pictures to post!

Recap Caps vs. Jets, Caps vs. Hawks

Welp. Not liking having to talk about this.

Frustration is mounting. I get it. We have ten games left in the season and they are definitely ten crucial ones. Fans are getting more and more impatient as we get closer to the playoffs. And we're all handling the stress of it in a different way, but its pretty obvious that we're doing that thing where we're butting heads again.

Whatever. We'll all deal with it our own way, get our frustration out, and be ready for the next game. That's how it always is.

Lets start with a few points from the Winnipeg game.

This picture literally sums up the game for the Caps in every way possible

• This actually was a pretty good game. It could have been A LOT worse than it was.
• What the actual fuck is the reffing in Canada. Seriously. Its pretty obvious its ten times worse up there than it is down here. And that's HARD to do. They were pretty much trying to give the Jets the win.
• Speaking of penalties, can we talk about the 5-on-3 that the Caps killed? Alzner, Beagle and Hendricks were out the for the ENTIRE duration of that kill. All hail our warriors.
• Winnipeg chants "Crosby's better," just further proving the point that they have no one to chant for on their own side.



Ovie hits the ref. No one was sorry about it.

• Caps fans rabidly angry. Laich reassures us all that they'll get the back next week. You bet your ass you will, Brooksie.

And now I feel like I'm going to die so a quick recap on the Hawks game.

• Our start was terrible and pretty much everyone wanted to die.
• Papa Kanoobs scores, everyone cries a little in relief and because of all of our love for him.
• Carlson makes another stupid move and causes a goal.
• Alzner is fantastic and saves Carlson's ass on more than one occasion.
• Patrick Kane, you asshole. Way to find your game NOW.

Wings tomorrow. Collect yourself together, Caps fans. Nothing's over until its over.

So About Evgeny Kuznetsov

No one has any idea what is going on with this kid. Is he staying in Russia? Is he coming to the US? Are the reports true? Honestly, who knows at this point.

But I hate all the backlash that Kuzco (my nickname for him) has gotten from what could very well just be a rumor. Sure he made it seem like he wanted to come to the NHL. Did he string us along? Yes. But he has to make this decision on his own. 

He's only 19. As hard as that is to believe, especially with the way he handles himself and the national attention he has gotten. He has a wife. He is having the time of his life in the KHL. Looking at all of this it kind of makes leaving for the NHL a little harder for him. 

If Kuzco left for the NHL, we could only give him the rookie minimum. Back in Russia, he is looking at making millions a year. The teams over there really want him and want to pay him the big bucks. Maybe in the long run he'd make more if he came over here, but why wait? The teams looking at him want to sign him long term, maybe ten years. That's security I'm sure he wants and has stated he wanted from the Capitals.

I've seen a lot of "this is why most teams don't take chances with the Russian players". If teams aren't willing to draft players from Russia, they are missing out on a lot of talent that could make their team better. Not every single player is going to do this. In fact, I would say that most of the younger Russian players want to come to the United States and play (and you can thank huge starts Alex Ovechkin, Malkin, and Datsyuk for that). General managers know what they are doing when they draft players from there. Are they taking a risk? Maybe. But should that stop them from doing it? No. That is borderline racism.

In the end Kuzco was going to make his own decision. Dmitry Orlov said that he had talked to him and he was asking him questions about the Caps but Dima told him that in the end he was going to have to make his own decision. And if his decision is that he wants to stay in the KHL we have to respect that. The NHL is going to miss out on a lot of talent if he stays in Russia and which is going to be a shame. 

But we still have no idea what is going on because the Caps have not made a statement about it. Kuzco still has a lot of time to change his mind.

What's Wrong with Caps Fans?

Maybe its a little harsh of a title. But from what I've seen, its a pretty accurate.

There's been a trend I've noticed, for quite awhile now, that I decided to investigate a little further. Among our little community on here, there is quite a split. Quite an obvious one at that.

From the people I've heard, there is an overwhelming belief that our fanbase is split into groups. And very distinct groups, at that. And not only that, but these groups seem to be very, very set and exclusive. Going into my research on it, I obviously had my own idea of this as well as my friends' opinions, but I was a little bit surprised to see the overwhelming agreement with my own belief.

Caps fans suck. If you've followed me long enough I'm sure you've heard me say this on multiple occasions. Allow me to present evidence to prove my hypothesis:

• The "I've been a fan since they sucked therefore I'm a better fan than you" argument.

Oh my god don't even get me started on this one. There most definitely are people who consider themselves superior simply because "They've been watching the Caps since before Ovechkin." Okay guys, lets get real here. The Washington Capitals before Alex Ovechkin... we had greats, we had one cup run, but for the majority of the time, we were sinking worse than Columbus is this year.

Point being, Ovechkin was exactly what we needed and he turned our beloved team into one of the most popular in hockey. So just because people starting paying attention AFTER he came doesn't make them any less of a fan. Oh, and just because someone is new to the sport, or is learning, doesn't mean they should be dismissed as stupid and ignorant. THEY ARE LEARNING, AND YOU ARE TRYING TO DRIVE THEM OUT OF A SPORT FOR NO REASON.

But honestly just because someone has watched the Caps longer doesn't mean shit. I haven't been a Caps fan for very long, although you wouldn't know it if you asked me to talk about the team. And I'd say I'm one of the most dedicated fans out there, even though I haven't been around long. Readjust your point of thinking on this, fellow fans. Because you're only giving our fanbase a worse name with this kind of BS.

• The "You like more than one team therefore you're not a real fan" argument.

I'm not going to dive too deep into this, because Kate was going to make a more in depth post on it, but I will say a few things. Just because one person can't comprehend supporting more than one team, doesn't mean other people can't. There is a world that exists outside of your own head, I promise you that. Also, you don't know everything. People have different ways of being a fan.

So demeaning someone for liking, say the Caps and the Bruins (common theme its seems), is actually ridiculous. I do get skeptical when someone says something like they love both the Caps and Pens (I just cannot see how personally but whatever), but if its a team that isn't somehow a rival with the Caps, why should it matter? It shouldn't, and attacking someone for it just makes you look like a worse person because believe me, its possible. It would be nice to cut out this asshole-ish argument out.

• The "positivity vs. negativity" argument

I'm overly optimistic. I realize this. But the idea of a positive or negative or "realistic" fan (realism is something most pessimists say because they don't want to be labelled pessimists),  falls under the whole "the world exists outside of your own head" idea. Every single person is different, and every single person has their own way of dealing with things.

I admit that I'm quite loud about my optimism, but I'm not trying to talk anyone who is pessimistic down. Its how I deal with the stress, personally. My argument, in this case, is the difference between between faith and no faith. Which is a whole different issue in itself.

Getting off track. my point, is that the fans tend to group themselves based on this, which is kind of natural, but again the nastiness seems to seep through in all that. Which I will elaborate on in a later point. But its kind of a cornerstone of all of our issues.

• The "Neuvy vs. Vokoun" argument.

Lord. Its been nothing but drama since GMGM went out and signed Vokoun. I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of his after the Tampa game where he totally shat the bed. BUT, I respected that he took the blame. I thought that was important.

But this argument really drives all of us away from each other because we have people who no matter what happens, argue that Neuvy should always be the starter, people in the middle, and then people who actually like Vokoun who feel the need to be silent BECAUSE the loud Neuvy supporters will attack them. Which I have seen before.

Listen. Neuvy fans. Vokoun is here this year and he's done a pretty damn good job too. Sure, he's had bad games, but Neuvy has as well.

Ugh I'm getting off topic again. These point is all leading up to my final point that is the most significant. But one last thing here.

• The "Boudreau vs. Hunter" argument.

This one is my least favorite. This one has been a pain. When the Caps were struggling in November, nearly EVERYONE was shouting about firing Bruce. I wasn't ready to let him go, but GMGM was, and I accepted that. When it happened, I was ready to accept Hunter as my coach, if after a little mourning for Bruce.

But the Caps still struggled under Dale's system, and the fanbase had a short fuse. It wasn't long before I saw posts cursing him out for his coaching decisions in my tags.

As my dear friend Tiff says frequently, opinions are like assholes, we all have one but everyone thinks another person's stinks. And this leads me into my final, and most crucial, point.

• Caps fans don't respect each other's opinions

Look closer. Its obvious. Most of us, if our opinion is challenged by an opposing one, we generally go into defensive mode. And this defensive mode involves the logical fallacy known as 'ad hominem,' in where personal attacks happen in order to prevent the questioning of beliefs.

Obviously, none of us respect each other if we have this divide. The Neuvy vs. Vokoun argument and the Boudreau vs. Hunter argument just highlight it because GOD KNOWS how many fights have been started because of this thing.

It also ties into the whole "I'm a better fan because I've been a fan longer" argument. No respect for anyone who has a differing opinion and that's why we can't seem to get along.

I've talked to my non Caps fan friends about this, and they've all noticed it too. Its harder within this fanbase to be accepted, and MY GOD is it cliquey. And an interesting observation from someone who considers herself somewhat on the "outskirts" of the group:

"The fanbase as a whole is really judgmental... if you're not part of the oligarchy of Caps fans, you're kind of exiled... It's kind of like a high school clique, but worse..."

This struck a chord. I don't know about the rest of you, but its frightening to me. None of these people, who are somewhat on the "outskirts," deserve to feel that way. Its very alarming to me. The word oligarchy sticks out as well... what I picture, is a leader of three different groups, who control who is in and who is not in their group; judging people and acting like their better. Makes me think of sorority rushing and that just makes me SICK. Maybe that's just my imagination running wild but its an interesting analogy...

Its the sad, sad truth. And I've got another quote that should be eye opening for all of you... I asked this person about their feelings on people on tumblr, group/clique wise, and this is the response.

Think about it guys. This statement is so true it hurts. We all love the Washington Capitals and we all want to see them succeed. Why do we all have to be so nasty to each other? Its so high school it hurts.

It needs to stop. All of this is ridiculous, and the pettiness of all of us is pathetic. Obviously some people are never going to get along; that's just the way the world works. I'm not saying we all have to love each other, but we should at least all respect each other and acknowledge that we all have a common interest, and that is our team.

I know talking with people, my own eyes were opened on the subject and personally, I'm sorry about my own contribution to this.

It should change. We're all fans of the same team, regardless of our different opinions. We should be getting along instead of fighting WITH EACH OTHER. We already have to fight Pittsburgh fans, Tampa fans, Winnipeg fans, etc. What is the point of fighting among our own group?

Try evaluating yourself. Think about your own role in this whole ridiculous situation, and think about how you can change it. Its been something Caps fans have been silent about, until now. Fans have spoken, and its time for all of us to open our eyes to it. And I hope anyone who has been feeling like this is the case feels like they finally have a voice in it, because that's important to me that you do.

Think about what I've said, Caps fans. Try not to pull a logical fallacy just because you don't like what I say.

So with all that, I'll leave you all with this. Let's be friends!