Let the Games Begin!

It is go-time.  It is officially the day that Game 1 will be played.  Bring on the Rangers!  

Yes, that lowly, 8th-seeded Rangers team - aka - the team that took 3 of 4 games from DC during the regular season.  

And let's not get into the score of two of those games.

I will say however, that I am glad the Rangers beat the Caps 6 to 0.  That game was right before the trade deadline.

It was a reminder to George McPhee that he couldn't stand pat.

I don't know what he was thinking or when, but he certainly could not have gotten away with doing nothing after that game.

Funny how things go in life.  As an "old school" Caps fan, I am supposed to favor match ups with former Patrick Division teams.

But the Rangers were so 2 years ago.  And I kind of wanted to see what it would be like to face the Hurricanes in the playoffs.

Alas, the Hurricanes had their chance and couldn't get it done.  The Rangers did.  

And so we play the Rangers.

Looking back to two years ago it seems that many people remember that the Caps won the series against the Rangers before losing to the Penguins in round 2.

(As an aside, that is the opposite of what happened in 1994, but I digress)

Many people remember Sergei Fedorov's goal 3/4 of the way through the 3rd period of Game 7.  They remember that the Caps won the game 2 to 1.

What is sometimes swept under the rug is that the Caps went down in the series 3 games to 1.  Included in that was dropping Games 1 and 2 at home.

The Caps were the 2-seed.  The Rangers were the 7-seed.  Yes, the Caps won, and got the franchise's first (and only) playoff win since 1998.

But, that series was disproportionately too close for comfort.  And while the Caps showed up in Games 5 and 6 to force a Game 7 -- they came out flat as a pancake in Game 7.

Let's remember that it was the Rangers that scored first in Game 7.  And quite frankly, Alexander Semin's equalizer was a fluke.

It was damn near 2-full periods later when Sergei Fedorov won it for DC.  There was a lot of jubilation in DC, to be sure.

But in my mind, it was mainly relief.  

Had the Caps not won that game and followed 2009 with the same 2010 loss to Montreal, Bruce Boudreau would have been fired last summer.  

No question about it.

But as in life, the hockey playoffs are a game of inches.  The Caps did win.  The 3-1 deficit quickly became a distant memory.  

And further, the Caps put on a hell of a show against the Penguins.  

I know.  The Caps blew a 2-0 series lead.  Again.

The Caps laid a big egg in Game 7.  And lost to Pittsburgh - AGAIN.

But, in totality, I take that series against the Penguins over the series against the Rangers any day of the week.

Of course, the Caps took their learnings from 2009 and learned in 2010 that they weren't suited for the 2nd- round.  But, let's pretend that never happened.

****************************************

Fast forward to now.  What does this all mean?

As much as I think that John Tortorella's "the pressure is on them" approach is worn-out, he obviously gets results from his teams.

The Rangers are confident.  And they will get a leadership boost from the return of Chris Drury.  They have shown an ability to defensively handle the Capitals too.

But rather than clamping down in a defensive shell, if the Caps are to win this series, they have to overcome the Rangers defense and light the lamp.

For some reason, I'm not worried about Henrik Lundqvist.  I get it, 11 shutouts.  

But, I think the Caps have an ability to break him.

Not just in the form of crashing the net.  But on first chance shots as well.  Let's not forget that Ovi has a rocket.  And so does Semin - who performed well against the Rangers in 2009.

Yes, the Caps need to create screens and crash the net for rebounds.  But they need to wear out King Hank's glove hand from minute 1 -- and open up the top shelf.

The offense is at full-force right now.  Everybody is healthy.  And if they aren't so predictable and lazy as they are when they are playing bad hockey, they should be fine.

Move the puck around.  Keep the Rangers on their toes.  Keep Hank moving laterally - get the open shot.

And they should get the puck in the net.

Skate down the middle.  Shoot from the blue line with nobody else in the zone. And you've basically just created a turnover.

Stick Green and Arnott on the points for the power-play.  Hopefully that will work enough magic to keep the Rangers from feeling they can take penalties whenever they want.

Neuvy will be fine.  I'm not worried about him. He's a cocky little SOB.  And he knows Varly and Holtby are waiting in the wings.

Something tells me he's a gamer.  Maybe the 14 playoff series he's won in North America.  I don't know.  But I think Neuvy will wind up matching Lundqvist's performance - if not bettering him.

I'm not worried about the Rangers offense.  As long as the Caps stay healthy on defense, they should be able to handle the Rangers attack.  Especially with Ryan Callahan out.

Wideman will be out.  Let's see how Green performs defensively?  He stepped up his defensive game in the regular season, but let's see if he can get it done in the playoffs. 

Fair or unfair, the last Caps/Rangers playoff memory of Jeff Schultz is from 2009 when Brandon Dubinsky broke his ankles and won Game 1.  But Schultz has stabilized since.  He should be ok.

Erskine did a marvelous job of handling Sean Avery in 2009.  I think he is underrated as all get-out.

Hannan is a rugged defenseman.  And hopefully the Carlzner wonder-boys will be a solid pairing.

But if one person gets injured, there really is no depth.  Tom Poti isn't ready to return.  Then it's on to Tyler Sloan, Brian Fahey, or Sean Collins.

Overall, the D should get it done, if healthy.  

As long as the offense steps up - we should be ok.  We are deep in goal.  Our penalty kill should be fine.

Hopefully, the power play will come to life as a result of the offense coming to life.

Long story short, the Caps control their own destiny.  They either want it and come out with intensity - or they suffer a fate more embarrassing than that of last season.

It's game time.  People have every right to question the Capitals' playoff toughness.  

The Caps have 1 playoff series win since 1998 - and it relied a little too much on luck for my taste.

They either want to do something about that or they don't.  They are either pissed off and ready to re-write history or they are confined to self-fulfilling prophecies.

It's up to them.  Now's the time.  

Show us what you're made of, Caps......

My Last Caps vs. Rangers Playoff Game

So it is. The New York Rangers. The classiest organization in the league. The team that plays in the greatest city in the world.

And in the greatest arena in the world. And has the best fans ever. So they say.

The last time I was at a Caps/Rangers playoff game I was in high school. To be precise, the date was May 7, 1994.  It was Game 4 of the second round.

Interestingly enough, in the first round the Caps beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 games.

It was the first/last/only time the Caps have beaten the Penguins in the playoffs. Vomit.

And heading into this fateful Saturday night in Landover, the Caps trailed the Rangers 3 games to 0. Lots of annoying Rangers fans at the Capital Centre.

Pretty sure I saw a few brooms there, too.

I had a feeling the series was already over. I just didn't want it to end on my watch. I shouldn't be into consolation prizes.

But I was young. And I can't stand New York sports fans.

All I wanted was to not witness the Caps' elimination. To not have to deal with New Yorkers being New Yorkers.

To provide them with a little unhappiness and me with a peaceful ride home.

Showing a somewhat surprising refusal to die, the Caps actually came to play that night.

For some reason I remember the Caps only allowing a goal en route to a near shutout.

Todd Krygier had 2 goals for DC.  Joe Juneau one goal.  Jason Woolley the other.

In reality, the final was 4 to 2 in favor of the Caps.  Regardless, the Caps won and it wasn't really close.

I had earned a temporary reprieve and that peaceful ride home I so desired.

A lot of Caps fans chanted the then-popular "19-40!" in response to winning the game.

Probably a bit over the top for a fan base that was still 1 game away from elimination and had no control over the series.

But that was indeed the last time the Rangers had won the Stanley Cup at the time and I guess you have to celebrate the victories in life, right?

Well, in a "brought to you by 'touche'" moment - some Rangers fans responded with "19-Never" on the way out of the arena.

Clever, I'll give them that.

What pains me is that one of those chants quickly became outdated and the other one is still current.

See, it was two nights later in New York when reality would set in. There would be no precursor to the 2010 Flyers comeback over Boston.

The Rangers took Game 5 at home and finished off the Caps.

And as any Rangers fan will tell you - and tell you again - two rounds later they were Stanley Cup champions for the first time in 54 years.

"Matteau!  Matteau!"  quickly turned into "And this one will last a lifetime!" as they took a dramatic 7-game series against the Devils and then another 7-game series against the Canucks.

Not to beat a dead horse, but those two Game 7 home wins are the same number the Caps have in franchise history........

***************************************************************

Fast forward about 7 years.  It was January 2001.  I had just gotten back from a semester abroad in the Netherlands.  I was on my winter break for a few weeks before needing to return to college.

My friend from New York invited me up to see a Rangers game.  The train from DC to NY as many of you know is extremely efficient, so I figured why not?

We saw a Saturday afternoon matinée between the Rangers and Devils.  That is fitting.  If you are going to catch a game at Madison Square Garden, it would make no sense if it was against the San Jose Sharks.

Might as well be a nearby rival.  And thanks to the fact that MSG is right on top of a train station, it made getting to the game very easy for me.

I just hopped on at Union Station-DC that morning.  And an hour before game time I was at MSG.  Perfect.

The game was wild.  Jan Hlavac had a hat-trick for the Rags.  Some guy named Theo Fleury scored for them too.  Former Capital Scott Stevens played for the Devils - as did current Capital Jason Arnott.

My friend explained to me that every Rangers fan thought some guy named Valeri Kamensky was a waste of space.  And well, they let him know it often.  That was his last season as a Ranger to say the least.

The Rangers were up 5 to 4, but gave up a goal in the final 90 seconds or so of regulation.  Gasp!  The game ended in a 5 to 5 tie!  Remember those?

I just remember MSG being loud.  A fun place to watch a hockey game.  For some reason all of the thick New York accents are a lot easier to stomach when the Rangers aren't playing your team.

That evening I wanted to do something touristy.  As I said earlier, I had just returned from Europe and was in sightseeing mode.

Throughout my youth I made annual trips to New York City to visit family.  But I never did anything touristy.

And of all places, my friend and I chose to go to the top of the World Trade Center.

I will never forget how frickin' scary it was to be on the roof of one of the Twin Towers.

That feeling is attached at the hip to my memory of the only time I've seen a hockey game at MSG.

All is Quiet for Now

This week has been one for reflection and enjoying sanity.  The weather is finally getting nice here in the Midwest. One can now go outside without wearing a jacket. Tonight was beautiful as a matter of fact.

I enjoyed one of my staple low-budget cigars. I had the pleasure of listening to a decent baseball announcer on the radio - as that season is now underway.

As much as I wish I was listening to Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler from my Nats, it is Cincinnati Reds announcer Marty Brennaman painting the picture. To his credit, he is damn good. A legend, in fact.

It gives me time to reminisce about the greatness that is Ron Weber. And wish that Ted Leonsis recognized how mediocre Steve Kolbe is - and what fans miss out on by being stuck with radio mediocrity.

I graciously indulge all of my friends who care about the Masters. Rather than get belligerent, question their manhood, or talk about how worthless watching golf on TV is, I just let it go.

All of this serenity, for a die-hard Capitals fan, is perfectly acceptable during the final week of the regular season: To listen to a secondary sport. To listen to a baseball team that I don't even follow. To look back. To be nice.

To do things that are relaxing. Peaceful. Therapeutic. Calming. And to get a preview of what the summer will be like after hockey season is finished.

Thankfully, gone are the days in which the Capitals don't make the playoffs or have to fight until the end to make them. They've known for a while that they'll be participating in the second season.

We can wind-down the season by looking down on teams like Toronto and Florida.

We can wish them the best with their rebuilds and tell them to take notes for us on which golf courses they enjoy.

The #1 seed in the East belongs to DC again. It is just a matter of whether the Caps play the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Rangers in the first round.

It is just a matter of making sure no Caps player dies of a cocaine overdose in South Beach this weekend.

But really, there is no business to attend to this week. This week, we can take off. This week we can take one, final deep breath. This week, we can be clean-shaven.

Next week, however, is a different story.

Next week is what we live for. Next week, the Caps have something to prove. Next week, the blood gets pumping and we can't even sit still.

Every time the puck is in the offensive zone, I eagerly sit on the edge of my seat ready to scream incessantly if/when the Caps score.

Every time the puck is in the defensive zone, I prepare for imminent doom. And God help my blood pressure if a Caps playoff game goes to overtime.

Yes, it is that intense. Nothing - and I mean absolutely nothing sports related - comes anywhere close to the intensity that is playoff hockey.

It is truly the best sporting playoff in the world. Throw away the razors. Suck up the pain. Accept that it will take years off your life.

It's time for the best time of the year.

I always have a love/hate relationship with what playoff intensity does to my body. I honestly can barely handle it. It truly is gut-wrenching.

But, I'm sick and damn tired of taking the easy way out.

The only thing worse than dealing with playoff intensity is that anti-climatic feeling one gets when the Caps playoff stint lasts 2 weeks instead of 2 months.

Division titles haven't done much good. The #1 seed wasn't any help. Presidents' trophy? Vancouver can have it! 2-0 series leads? 3-1 series leads?

Home-ice advantage?

Dale Hunter's goal vs. Philly and Sergei Fedorov's goal vs. New York are the GWGs from the only two Game 7's the Caps have won at home in franchise history!

Both in the first round, mind you.

As much as I'd like to think the Caps are a better #1 seed than they were last year, really who knows? Yes, they've dealt with adversity. They've changed their system. They made improvements at the deadline.

But anything can happen in the playoffs. And if it's a bad thing, it normally finds a way to happen to the Capitals.

The Hurricanes are playing good hockey right now. And while the Rangers may be different than when they drubbed the Caps 7-0 and 6-0, they've shown a lot of fight as well.

So the Caps could be done in one round again. And that would be catastrophic. Or, they could overcome team history and win the whole damn thing. Or anything in between.

I'm not trying to show off my ability to pussyfoot around the subject of making a playoff prediction. I'm merely highlighting that it is truly anybody's guess as to what happens to the Caps this postseason.

That's what makes it so exciting. And dreadful. And awesome. And painful. And intense.

For now, I relax. I enjoy the peace and quiet that is the final days before the playoffs. I enjoy baseball on the radio.

I enjoy the weather. I enjoy looking in the mirror and seeing the skin on my face. I enjoy normal blood pressure.

Next week, it will be time to Rock the Red.

Ice Interviews on Galiev and Carlson

Asst. Coach Brad Lutsch on first impression of Stanislav Galiev:

“He got over here, we didn’t know a ton about him, had heard some good things, and then when he got here, we had a few weeks to take a look at him, before the USHL Fall Classic [scouting event].

But we could tell certainly as a young player, playing in this league is not easy, but you could tell he had exceptional skill.  

He got better each month and he ended up having a great season for us en route to winning the Clark Cup”. 

Brad Lutsch on Stanislav Galiev's strengths/development:

“His skating with the puck [is a strength].  A lot of guys can skate well without the puck, but when he had the puck on his stick he could get it going pretty quick.  With the puck he put the ‘D’ back on their heels when he attacked the offensive zone.  

His stride developed as well.  It was a little choppy when he first got here.  He worked on his skating.  

And he could one-time a puck.  We had him on the power-play on the point and he could one time the puck – probably the best I’ve seen in this league”.

Brad Lutsch on Stanislav Galiev leaving the Ice:

“We would have liked to have him come back that 2^nd season [2009-2010].  We were a little bit disappointed about that.  Our league’s track record speaks for itself.  It’s better each year. 

The number of draft picks compared to the Quebec league is certainly on par.  Last season we had more in the first round than they did.  So, we would have liked to have seen him come back.

I think he went through a little bit of a sophomore slump, but the difference to adjusting to a whole new team, whole new people, language, all that stuff, so I think this year [2010-2011; has been] a better year for him.  

And we’ll see how he develops next season.

But he’s got a ton of talent, he’s a kid that will make it, he wants to be a player”

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Head Coach Charlie Skjodt's first impression of John Carlson:

“My scouts had told me that he had great finesse for a big guy.  He has a great shot, could skate well, covered the ice well, saw the ice well, and was offensive.  He’s everything you want in a ‘big D’.

 

He came to camp – very first day – I told my other two coaches – ‘this guy is going to make the team’.   I could see from the second day that he was going to be close to an all-star just [because of] his presence. 

He’s got a little cockiness to him, which some of the scouts used to ask me about. 

But, it really isn’t cockiness as much as it is confidence and it’s just his personality.  John was a special kid.   

We were all excited when he went in the 1^st round with the Washington Capitals and I knew they got themselves a good one.”

Charlie Skjodt on John Carlson’s time with Indiana:

“He was a kid who played a lot of penalty kill, a lot of power play, and regular shifts. 

We always talked about playing in his defensive zone -- and how tough it would be for him to go to college and to eventually go pro. 

These guys [in college and pro] are going to be a lot quicker than they are in the USHL – so you have to make sure you use space and time correctly.  And you have to play physical. 

So really the only thing I saw was he would have to concentrate more on his defensive zone work.  He could carry the puck, he could shoot the puck, he could do all of those things, really.

He just plays with such a relaxed style.   He never gets pushed or makes bad decisions.  He covered all of the basics of the game with the exception of [needing] more experience in his own zone.”

Charlie Skjodt on John Carlson’s demeanor off the ice:

“I will tell you this about John, he always had that half-smirk, the head was tilted back.  You know he is more like a kid from California than a kid from the East. 

He was the type of kid who was always on time, was always even-keel, always had that smile on his face. 

Even the first day I met him and he stood by the boards after his team had gotten off the ice [following a] scrimmage, he just had that pleasant smile and was a great all-around nice guy to the other players and fans.”

Charlie Skjodt on John Carlson being a USHL 2^nd team all-star (not 1^st):

“What usually happens in this league is when you have a rookie, he has got to be exceptional to be a 1^st team all-star.

We had [a handful] of really good second-year defensemen and they were not better than John, but politically it’s the way it sort of works. 

You know, [John Carlson] is going to go onto that 2^nd-team because he was a ’90 [1990 birth year]. 

The kids who made the 1^st-team were  ‘87’s [1987 birth year], had been there a couple of years, and really that’s the only reason.

There’s no way they were any better than John.   It’s just the fact that John was a rookie.”

Charlie Skjodt on John Carlson being scouted by the NHL:

“Well I watch him all the time on TV.  Me and my brother [Paul Skjodt, owner of the Indiana Ice] went to the [2008 NHL Entry] draft. 

The year that John was listed to be a first round pick, I got calls from 29 teams.  The one team I did not get a call from was the Washington Capitals - that I recall.

A lot of teams saw him 5, 6, 8, 10 times.  [They] interviewed him.  I got calls after the interviews.  It ended up Washington drafted him. 

It’s just ironic that the [Washington Capitals] are the one team I don’t recall calling me and asking me about John Carlson.

I had some teams ask me about his personality – he seemed a little nonchalant – and I was like, 

‘that’s just the way he plays.  That’s the way he is on the ice.  He doesn’t force things.  He doesn’t rush things.  He doesn’t freak out about things.  He just gets the job done.’

I got a call last night [March 29, 2011] from Jimmy Devellano [current Sr. VP of the Detroit Red Wings] and he said ‘You know, we really should have listened to you a little more about John Carlson’.” 

Visiting the Indiana Ice

If there is one thing I will reveal about the Caps Degenerate, it is that for the time being I am in the state of Indiana.

Most people in this fine state care a little bit more about Butler's return to the NCAA Men's Basketball Final than Jason Chimera's OT winner vs. Columbus or Alex Ovechkin's OT winner vs. Buffalo.

When one relies on sports bars to watch the Capitals, one is in Indiana, and the Final Four is on, one will not be watching the Capitals on TV.  

Such is life for now.

In fairness to the Hoosier State, once the NCAA Basketball season ends and the NHL playoffs begin it becomes a lot easier to find a hockey game on TV.

Contrary to what one might think, however, there are indeed ties between Indiana and our dear Washington Capitals.  For example, former Caps defenseman Ken Klee was born in Indianapolis.

More relevant to today's team, the state is home to the USHL's Indiana Ice.  Both Caps defenseman John Carlson and prospect forward Stanislav Galiev have spent a season with the Ice.

Carlson played the 2007-2008 season with Indiana and racked up 12 goals and 31 assists and was plus 11.  He even had a goal in Indiana's playoff series against the Chicago Steel.

That season, the Ice went 39-15-6 on its way to winning the regular season Eastern Division crown.  

But, as you can tell by my reference to one playoff series, the team was upset in the first round of the USHL playoffs by Chicago.

John was drafted that summer (2008) in the 1st round, 27th overall by the Caps. Instead of going to UMass-Amherst he played a season with London (OHL) and Dale Hunter.  

And well, you know the rest.  

Something about a Calder Cup or two with Hershey, a WJC winning goal, and being in the running for the NHL's rookie of the year this season..........

Stanislav Galiev played with the Ice the season after Carlson's appearance (2008-2009).  And well, the Indiana Ice won the whole damn thing. That's right, that season the Ice was the USHL's Clark Cup Champion.  

Galiev went 29-35-64 in 60 regular season games and 5-4-9 in 13 playoff games en route to the title.  Like Carlson, he too was a plus 11 in the regular season.

Rather than come back to Indiana, Galiev jumped to the "Q" (QMJHL) and joined the Saint John Sea Dogs for the 2009-2010 campaign.

That season, Galiev suffered a dip in production, only tallying 15 goals (though he did have 45 assists and 60 points).  But the Sea Dogs made the QMJHL finals before losing to Moncton.

Galiev was drafted by the Caps last summer in the 3rd round.  And this season, he went 37-28-65 in 64 regular season games with the Sea Dogs.

Saint John just plowed through Cape Brenton, sweeping the Screaming Eagles 4-0, en route to the 2nd round of the QMJHL playoffs -- which start this upcoming Wednesday.  

**************

Last Wednesday (March 30, 2011) the Ice coaching staff was kind enough to host me at their morning practice to share a few memories of Carlson and Galiev.

Given that the Ice was about to hit the road to finish their regular season and are gearing up for this year's USHL playoffs - I thought it was very nice of them to spare the time with me.

The Ice's current head coach is Charlie Skjodt (pronounced "Scott") and he was also the head coach when John Carlson played with the Ice in 07-08.

But he took a break before resuming his coaching duties (you know, like Joe Gibbs). So, he was not with the team when Stanislav Galiev played with the Ice.

In Skjodt's place, Ice Assistant Coach Brad Lutsch was gracious enough spend a few minutes with me to discuss Galiev.

I have condensed the two interviews into one subsequent post, but they both have some interesting things to say.

Hope you enjoy!