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Washington Capitals in Do-or-Die Game

May 3

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

The series between the Washington Capitals continues tonight for game 3 in Tampa Bay. The Lightning however, with much amazement, are currently leading the series two games to none. Tonight’s game will be either a make or break for the Washington Capitals, possibly leaving them to be exiting the playoffs much earlier than anticipated by most.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are seeing their big names player put points on the board. Currently, Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier have a game winning goal each. Together, they combine for 3 goals, 2 assists and 12 shots. The Lightning supporting casts of Martin St. Louis and Teddy Purcell have contributed for 1 goal, 4 assists and 11 shots. Where do the Caps stand?

The big three, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin only have a combined 2 goals and 1 assist. Skating the majority of minutes of the Capitals offense, the stats are well below what is to be expected of them. Focusing on defense, offensive defenseman Mike Green is a -2 rating.

With the saying, “Defense wins championships”, Head Coach Bruce Boudreau tweaked the offensive juggernaut in the regular season to focus more on defense and less on the run and gun style they use to play. Sure, the Capitals played close 1 goal difference games in the regular season, but the change was for the playoffs, for the now. In the first round the Capitals were capable of maintaining their defensive minded better back-checking play style to take out the New York Rangers in 5. In this series though, the team have resorted back to their offensive, defensive lacking,  play.

The game tonight is expected to be a high flying, high intensity game, with the Capitals having their backs against the wall. If they wish to take out the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team needs to get back to their play that won them the first seed in the East. The person that needs to lead that charge is Alexander Ovechkin. If however Ovie is unable to tame his urge to take every shot, the team will follow and expect the series to go to 3-0 Lightning, with a possible sweep in sight.

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Boudreau Tackles Head Shot

Apr 18

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

Washington Capitals foul mouthed Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has cleaned up his words to address head shots.

Sunday night, the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers faced off in an intense battle in game three. In the first period, the puck deflected off of Mike Green’s stick to Jason Arnott who put a tape-to-tape pass on Alexander Ovechkins stick to tie the game at one a piece. The Rangers scored late and outlasted the Capitals, winning 3-2.

Today, Head Coach Boudreau rewinds back the time. He brings to light a hit from New York Ranger’s defenseman Marc Staal on Mike Green, which occurred during the Capitals goal referenced above. Boudreau has asked that the NHL look into the hit.

Here is a video of the hit for you to cast judgment on. It is unknown if the NHL disciplinarians will look into the event, but if you were in their shoes, what would your call be; head shot or no head shot?

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NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft Recap

Jan 29

Posted by Chris in News | 1 Comment

Phil Kessel sat only a few seats away from Paul Stastny as the two remaining All-Stars not yet picked to either Team Lidstrom or Team Staal in the NHL’s inaugural All-Star Game Fantasy Draft. It was a moment that the All-Stars both savored and feared coming into the event as they knew that any one of them could be the last one sitting on the floor waiting to become Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick in the draft. But it pays to be the last pick, as Phil Kessel found out.

Team Staal selected Stastny with their 18th Round pick which left Kessel sitting alone on the floor as the inconsequential pick of Team Lidstrom. However, Kessel reaped the benefits as the NHL will donate $20,000 to a charity of Kessel’s choice and also awarded Kessel with a brand new Honda car. Mr. Irrelevant will be riding to the game in style on Sunday.

The Fantasy Draft seemed to go over surprisingly well and created many fun moments as fans got to see the less serious side of many of the players. Perhaps one of the best moments was a shot of Alexander Ovechkin whipping out his camera phone to snap a photo of Kessel sitting all by himself after Stastny’s name was announced. The friendly, joking nature of many of the players came out which was a nice change of pace over the usual serious, game-face demeanor fans are usually treated to during the regular season. The draft also produced some big surprises as many fans pondered the several story lines coming into the event tonight through their own mock drafts and scenarios, much like the one we posted yesterday.

One of the most surprising things from the draft was the layers of loyalties to teammates, ex-teammates and fellow countryman displayed throughout the draft process. It was no surprise that Steve Stamkos was selected by Team Lidstrom with their first pick not only because he leads the league in goals, but also because he plays on a line with Martin St. Louis, one of the assistant captains for Team Lidstrom. But what did come as a surprise was how quick Team Lidstrom was to select players like Brad Richards, who played in Tampa Bay with St. Louis for several seasons, and Martin Havlat, who used to play in Chicago with Team Lidstrom’s other alternate captain Patrick Kane. Team Staal, whose alternate captains are Mike Green and Ryan Kessler, made similar decisions when they selected goaltender Cam Ward with the first overall pick and then followed with Alexander Ovechkin and Daniel Sedin – all teammates of one of the captains.

One of the best moments of the draft had to be watching Phil Kessel squirm in his seat when it came down to him and Paul Stastny as the final selections. Kessel had a big grin on his face but you could tell he was sweating bullets and keeping his fingers crossed that he wouldn’t be the last man picked. Stastny, on the other hand, kept a fairly cool demeanor and if he was worried about being last picked, he sure didn’t show it.

Probably the most no-brainer moment came when the Sedin Twins were selected back-to-back by different teams. For the first time in their lives they will play against each other on different teams. Why was this choice a no-brainer? Well, if either team had allowed the other to select both Sedin Twins they would have immediately put themselves at a huge disadvantage. Have you seen those two play together? Sometimes it appears as if they just communicate telepathically and that’s how they find each other open so often.

In my opinion, one of the worst moments of the event came at the end when Kessel was awarded a new Honda for being the last pick. The donation to a charity of his choice was an incredibly awesome move by the NHL, but did they really need to follow it up by giving the guy a car? I think any one of those players makes enough money per year to buy themselves a decent mode of transportation.

Overall, however, the event was a lot of fun and really added something special and unique to the All-Star festivities. The NHL really hit a home-run with this switch in format and hopefully they can build on the success of the draft into tomorrow night’s skills competition and the actual All-Star Game on Sunday. Let’s just hope that David Backes follows through on his promise to hit lay on a few hits to the captains of the team that didn’t select him. Look out Team Lidstrom.

Take a look below for the final results from the 2011 NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft and be sure to check out the Skill Competition tomorrow night with the All-Star Game following on Sunday afternoon.

Round Team Staal Position Team Lidstrom Position
- Eric Staal F Nicklas Lidstrom D
- Ryan Kesler F Martin St. Louis F
- Mike Green D Patrick Kane F
1 Cam Ward G Steven Stamkos F
2 Alexander Ovechkin F Duncan Keith D
3 Daniel Sedin F Henrik Sedin F
4 Zdeno Chara D Shea Weber D
5 Rick Nash F Tim Thomas G
6 Henrik Lundqvist G Daniel Briere F
7 Marc Staal F Dustin Byfuglien D
8 Patrick Sharp F Jonathan Toews F
9 Dan Boyle D Marc-Andre Fleury G
10 Carey Price G Jonas Hiller G
11 Jeff Skinner F Brad Richards C
12 Kris Letang D Keith Yandle D
13 Claude Giroux F Brent Burns D
14 Erik Karlsson D Martin Havlat F
15 Corey Perry F Anze Kopitar F
16 Patrik Elias F Matt Duchene F
17 David Backes F Loui Eriksson F
18 Paul Stasny F Phil Kessel F
Team Lidstrom Rookies Team Staal Rookies
Name Team Position Name Team Position
Evgeny Dadonov FLA F Logan Couture SJ F
Oliver Ekman-Larsson PHO D Tyler Ennis BUF F
Cam Fowler ANA D Michael Grabner NYI F
Kevin Shattenkirk COL D Jamie McBain CAR D
Taylor Hall EDM F Tyler Seguin BOS F
Derek Stepan NYR F P.K. Subban BOS D

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Alexander Ovechkin The Spy SportsCenter Commercial

Jan 4

Posted by Matt in Media | No Comments

Have you guys seen Ovechkin’s new commercial for ESPN SportsCenter? If not, check it out below. Let us know what you think in the comments!

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Alexander Ovechkin Custom Winter Classic Skates (CCM U+ CL)

Dec 29

Posted by Matt in Gear | 1 Comment

CCM has gone extra lengths for the upcoming Winter Classic as they have made Alexander Ovechkin a customized pair of CCM U+ CL skates to wear for the game. The main thing you’ll notice is there is a lot more red on the boot, which should go well with the Capitals Winter Classic jerseys. Additionally, you’ll notice that the tendon guard and heel both feature the Ovechkin logo. And of course, they wouldn’t be Ovechkin skates if they didn’t have yellow laces.

You can now purchase the Winter Classic CCM U+ Cl at IceWarehouse for $599.99.

What do you guys think of Ovechkin’s Winter Classic CCM U+ CL?

Alexander Ovechkin Custom Winter Classic Skates CCM U+ CL

Alexander Ovechkin Custom Winter Classic Skates - CCM U+ CL

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Alexander Ovechkin vs. Brandon Dubinsky Fight

Dec 12

Posted by Matt in Media, News | No Comments

Things are getting bad, and quick, for Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Losers of their past five games, the Caps looked to rebound against the New York Rangers tonight. Unfortunately, it was only the Rangers who came to play as they routed Washington in stunning fashion, 7-0.

The highlight of the game came midway through the second period. After throwing a nice hip check at Dan Girardi of the Rangers, Ovechkin skated towards center ice and dropped the gloves to go after Brandon Dubinsky.

Not a bad bout for Ovechkin, but not a great one. The main objective, to send a message to his team, apparently wasn’t noticed tonight. But for Caps fans, let’s hope the message gets across before they take on the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.

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NHL All-Star Game ballot released

Nov 13

Posted by Chris in News | 2 Comments

With voting set to begin this coming Monday, Nov. 15, for the upcoming 2011 NHL All-Star Game, the NHL released the ballot of the 100 candidates available for fans to vote into the game.

Per the new format for this year’s event, fans will vote in the top six players with complete disregard to position or conference. The remaining 36 All-Stars will be selected by the NHL Hockey Operations Department. Teams will then be chosen be designated captains in a Fantasy Hockey-type draft scenario.

The list includes many of the regulars, such as Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Joe Thornton, Nicklas Lidstrom and Roberto Luongo, but is already receiving criticism for including players that have no right to be voted into the All-Star Game at this point and by snubbing others who should be leading the pack.

One of the most notable omissions is Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals. In 16 games for the Caps this season, Semin has 12 goals and nine assists, which is good for 4th in the league in points.  Also absent from the list is goaltender Jimmy Howard who has only one loss in regulation in 10 starts this season while displaying a 2.26 goals against average – which is better than several of the other potential All-Stars goaltenders listed on the ballot. Teeamu Selanne, who is 7th in the NHL in points with 19 in 18 games, and Claude Giroux, who currently leads the Flyers in points, are also notably absent from the ballot.

ept_sports_nhl_experts-246169899-1280170603The ballot also includes New York Islanders defenseman Mark Streit, one of two Islanders included on the ballot along with John Tavares. In case you didn’t know, Streit hasn’t even played a game in the NHL this season while he sits on the IR and is listed as “out indefinitely”  with a torn left labrun and rotator cuff. While Streit is certainly the most questionable addition to the All-Star ballot, other names have popped up as highly suspect.

Zach Parise only managed to tally six points in 12 games this season before sustaining a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for three months. While Parise is definitely a fan favorite, his output is a far cry from last year’s effort where he notched 14 points in his first 12 games on the season. Despite his injury and lackluster production, Parise was still included on the ballot. As was Brian Gionta, who brings a meager six points in 16 games to the table as one of the three Montreal Canadiens selected for the ballot.

Fans will still have the option to write in candidates if their favorite player isn’t listed on the ballot, but with only six slots available for fans to vote in their favorite players, chances are better that some of the neglected players, like Semin, will be included in the 36 players selected by the NHL Hockey Operations Department.

Still, this ballot seems to epitomize one of the glaring issues that fans have with the NHL right now. While the league manages to do something right, like change the format for the ASG to make it more like a Fantasy Draft and allow the NHL Hockey Operations Department to choose some of the players in order to cut down on “favorite” players being selected instead of players having actual All-Star seasons, the league then turns around and issues a list like this that has fans scratching their heads wondering, “what were they thinking?”

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game will take place at the home of the Carolina Hurricane at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011. To kick off the All-Star weekend, the NHL will host a televised draft on Friday, Jan. 28, in which the two captains will make the selections to build their Fantasy All-Star teams.

The entire 2011 All-Star ballot can be viewed here. Who do you think should have been included on this year’s ballot? Who are you upset that the NHL included at another player’s expense?

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NHL All Star Game Changes

Nov 11

Posted by EB in News | 1 Comment

Yes, you read the title correct, the somewhat useless but still kind of fun NHL All Star Game will see some changes this year. Here they are:

  • Fans will continue to play the lead role in the selection of All-Stars when 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting presented by XM launches on Monday, Nov. 15. The All-Star Balloting process, which is entirely digital for the fourth consecutive game, runs through Jan. 3.
  • From a group of 100 players on the ballot, fans will vote for their top six All-Stars by position without regard to the Conference in which the player plays. Fans will also have the ability to write-in a player of their choice.
  • The three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie receiving the most votes will be named the first NHL All-Stars.
  • The remaining 36 All-Stars will be named by the NHL Hockey Operations Department for a total of 42 All-Star players (3 goalies, 6 defensemen and 12 forwards per team).
  • Following the selection of the All-Stars, NHL Hockey Operations will designate 12 NHL rookies to participate in the Honda NHL SuperSkills on Saturday, January 29 for a total of 54 NHL players taking part in All-Star weekend.
  • After the 42 NHL All-Stars have been selected, two captains will be chosen per team by the players.
  • On Friday, January 28, 2011, a draft event will be held in Raleigh with all 54 NHL players (42 All-Stars and 12 rookies) during which the captains will draft the remaining members of their respective teams.
  • First selection in the draft will be determined by coin flip and selections will continue on an alternating basis.
  • Each team will be required to select three goalies, six defensemen and 12 forwards in any order they choose.
  • After the selection of the All-Star game rosters, the captains will select among the 12 rookies to fill out the rosters for the Honda NHL SuperSkill
  • Each team will feature six rookies participating in various skills competitions.
  • Teams will participate in six different skills, including NHL Fastest Skater, NHL Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Skills Challenge Relay, NHL Hardest Shot and the NHL Elimination Shoot Out.

In summary, fans will vote from 100 players for the top 6 starters for each team with disregard to conference. From there, NHL Hockey Operations Department will name the remaining 36 players. NHL Hockey Operations Department will also decide on 12 NHL rookies. Here’s the real kicker, 2 captains will be decided by the players for the two teams. From there, the captains will have a playground coin flip to decide who picks first, then the teams are picked in whatever positional order they so choose.  The captains will then proceed to pick amongst the rookies, 6 to a side to compete in the skills competition.

As a fan, do you like this idea of having captains picking teams with no regard to conferences? Or would you prefer the old way? Does the idea of Pavel Datsyuk being line-mates with Alexander Ovechkin or any other combination of Eastern and Western conference players playing together intrigue you? And lastly, how much trash talk does the last player being picked get?

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Fantasy Hockey Draft Preparation 2010 – Left Wings

Aug 28

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | No Comments

With NHL training camps set to begin about four weeks from now, it’s time for fantasy hockey managers to start reengaging their brains and begin planning for their upcoming Fantasy Hockey Draft. Most drafts will take place in the latter-half of September, but it’s never too early to start looking for that gem of a late-round pick, the underrated talent who is set for a breakout season or the veteran presence who is due for a rebound year.

Today’s Position: Left Wing

Left Wing has some very talented players, but be diligent in your drafting because these players go very quickly and very high in the draft – and you definitely do not want to lose out on some of these names.

If You Have a Top 3 Pick – Take Ovechkin. Don’t ask why, just do it.

If You Can’t Take Ovechkin – Then definitely consider Ilya Kovalchuk. Again, this is a no-brainer as Kovalchuk netted 40 or more goals in each of his past five NHL seasons and will probably continue that pace this year.

Phoenix+Coyotes+v+New+Jersey+Devils+rLtNBLrL2yZlThe Secret Is Out On – Zach Parise (pictured). Despite a breakout season in 2008-09 where Parise posted 94 points, he was still somewhat of a wild card. Well, his 84-point season last year showed that he isn’t a fluke and you can expect him to tally 30+ goals and 80 or more points this season as well.

Still Under the Radar Is – Simon Gagne. With potential to top the 70 point plateau, Gagne suffers from inconsistency and is somewhat injury-prone, which keeps him off the radar for many fantasy owners. With 40 points in 58 games last season, if Gagne can stay healthy he might shoot back up near 70 points if he plays on one of Tampa Bay’s top two lines centered by either Lecavalier or Stamkos.

Look for a Rebound Season From – Alex Tanguay. After a disappointing outing with Tampa Bay last season, Tanguay will return to Calgary where he did quite a bit of damage offensively in 2006-07 with 81 points. The Flames are hoping that Tanguay can recover that scoring touch and help boost the team’s struggling offense and will probably be given every opportunity to succeed.

Look for a Breakout Season From – Ville Leino. After being traded to the Flyers at the trade deadline, Leino came alive when the pressure was on in the playoffs and tallied seven goals and 14 assists in 19 playoff games. Look for Leino to benefit from playing on a team that is deep and very talented offensively. Fifty points could be within reach if Leino works hard for it.

Keep An Eye On – Taylor Hall. As the number one overall selection in the 2010 Entry Draft, Hall will be given every opportunity to succeed in Edmonton. Chances are he will immediately land a spot on one of the top two lines and Hall is expected to score a lot of goals in an Oilers uniform. Keep an eye on him to see if those goals start coming as early as this season.

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More NHL Award Finalists Announced

May 7

Posted by Eddie in News | 2 Comments

Two weeks ago I wrote about the first few finalists that were announced for various NHL Awards. Since then, some more finalists have been announced. The NHL Awards Show will be June 23 in Las Vegas. Here’s a preview of the award finalists as well as my picks for who could take home the hardwood. Part three will feature the Vezina, GM of the Year, and other awards.

Hart Trophy: Most Valuable Player (voted by Professional Hockey Writers Association)

Ted Lindsay Award: Most Outstanding Player (voted by NHL Players Association)

Finalists:

  • Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
  • Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

I get to hit two birds with one stone on this award because both the NHLPA and the PHWA agree on who the finalists for Most Valuable Player should be. All three players have cases for why they should win the award. Ovechkin and Crosby tied for second in points with 109 points. Crosby also led the league in shootout goals with 8, as well as posting a 80 percent success rate in shootouts. Sedin has already won hardware this season as he won the Art Ross Trophy with a league-leading 112 points. Crosby has one Hart Trophy has he won in 2007. Ovechkin has won it each of the last two seasons and is looking for his third in a row. Each of the last three seasons the same player has won both awards. Don’t expect that to happen this season.

My Heart Trophy Pick: Ovechkin

My Ted Lindsay Award Pick: Sedin

Jack Adams Award: Coach of the Year

Finalists:

  • Joe Sacco, Colorado Avlanche
  • Dave Tippett, Phoenix Coyotes
  • Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators

With awards like this, it usually doesn’t go to a coach who wins the Stanley Cup or even the Presidents Trophy. The last Stanley Cup winning coach who won the Jack Adams Award in the same season was JohnTortorella in 2004. It’ll usually go to someone who overachieves or leads his team to the playoffs when they weren’t expected to at the beginning of the season. These coaches are deserving of the award in their own way. Tippett took over the team from Wayne Gretzky a week before the season began and took a team that finished 25th in the league last season to fourth place in the Western Conference this season before losing to Detroit in game seven of the first round. Trotz is the only bench boss Nashville has ever had and has led the Preds to the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. Not bad for a team who has to compete with conference powers Detroit and Chicago more than most other teams. Sacco was a rookie coach who came out on fire in October. His 10-1-2 start was the second-best 13 game start for a coach in NHL history. He also led the Av’s to a second place finish in the Northwest Division.

My Pick: Tippett

Washington goalie Jose Theodore is a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy.

Washington goalie Jose Theodore is a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy.

Bill Masterton Trophy: Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to Hockey

Finalists:

  • Kurtis Foster, Tampa Bay
  • Jed Ortmeyer, San Jose
  • Jose Theodore, Washington

This award is presented to someone who had to overcome some type of hardship, injury, or situation to perform at the level that is needed in the NHL. Each player has a unique story which made them a finalist. Foster overcame a severely broken leg suffered two seasons ago. After his surgery, he realized he was lucky to even walk again. He missed nearly a calendar-year of hockey before returning to practice in Febrary 2009. After rehab stints in the AHL he made his return in March 2009 when he was with Minnesota. Signed as a free-agent with Tampa over the summer, he recorded career-high’s of 34 assists and 42 points this season from the blue line. He also blocked 70 shots.

Ortmeyer’s situation is a little different. At some point each day, Ortmeyer must use a needle to inject a blood thinner directly into his stomach to combat a hereditary blood-clotting disorder that has threatened not only his hockey career, but also his life. The process is tricky and the timing must be precise. The blood thinner, Lovenox, needs to be in his system during the down time when he’s not on the ice and it needs to be out of his system when he plays or practices so that a hard check or a high stick does not cause fatal bleeding. He’s suffered blood-clotting twice in his career and almost walked away from the game. This season, he set career high’s in goals, assists and points. Theodore’s situation is more heart breaking. Losing his starting goal position is nothing compared to when he lost his son over the summer. His son, Chace, passed away two months after birth with respiratory complications related to his premature birth. He bounced back this season to have his best year since winning the Heart and Vezina Trophies in 2002 with a 30-7-7 record and a .911 save percentage.

My Pick: Theodore

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