Caps vs. Flyers DVR Snapshots

What a wild game.  The Caps played well.  They played like crap.  They found a way to win.  Pretty impressed that DC got 3 shootout goals and they were all very dirty (Hendo, Backie, and Seminator).

Before I get to the DVR pics - here is my rant.  A while back, some stupid POS soccer or hockey announcer started blabbing about how a 2 goal lead was never safe.

That was really frickin' annoying.

Now, all the douchey Versus people won't shut the horse up about 3 goal leads never being safe.  It was old by the end of the Wings/Penguins game on Monday night.

So, what do my Caps do?  Do they help out the Caps Degenerate?  No!   They proceed to blow their own 3 goal lead to bring up the subject again.  Thanks, guys.

Really.  Why don't you just spear me in the nuts?

At least the Caps found a way to win.

But enough with this "3 goal leads aren't safe" shit.  I don't care if they aren't.  Stop saying it, Versus!

This Bobrovsky screw-up brought to you by Geico 

Backstrom makes it 1-0 DC

That's over the line, bitches!  Knuble makes it 2-0

Thought Kimmo Timonen tripped Semin here

Wideman scored shortly after (3-0), but no extra PP

Give credit where it is due, sick pass from Andreas Nodl

This is the wide-open net Claude Giroux had

Caps 3, Flyers 2

Schultz's garbage clear tipped by Claude Giroux

Nodl from Giroux and Schultz, 3-3

Andrej Meszaraos with a square hit on Jason Chimera

Claude Giroux goes flying after his collision with Alexander Semin

I didn't know people could bend that way!

Danny Briere behind everyone, redirects it home

Flyers 4, Caps 3

Did our boy John Carlson get away with a cross-check

at the end of regulation?

Alexander Semin avoids Brian Boucher's poke check attempt in the SO.

Semin dents the twine.  Game. Set. Match. 

Ugly-ass win.  But a win nonetheless...

Fun with Playoff Injuries

You know, us Caps fans have no idea what is plaguing Ovi right now.  And it took some digging for Ms. Carrera of the Post to write that Jason Arnott is supposedly out with a groin injury (link).

Up in NYC, the ever pugnacious John Tortorella merely said that Marc Staal is out with a "body injury" (link).

Awesome.

If hockey teams are going to be vague about injuries, why not have some fun with this?  I believe this is a tremendous marketing opportunity that can show the NHL has a sense of humor.

Upper body?  Lower body?  Body?  Screw it.  Why not make up random stories?

"He's hiking to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  He'll be back in a week or two"

"He just felt like he needed to take his wife out to dinner tonight"

"He was suddenly inspired to paint"

"He took a look at traffic and didn't feel like driving to the arena"

"His fraternity brothers are in town and there are $2 Bud Lights at a local bar"

"He's out to sea for a few months...trying to sail around the world"

I think these would be much more fun to read in the paper than "upper body injury".

You can give the team that is voted "best storyteller" the 1st round pick of the team voted worst storyteller as an incentive.

Come on, what does the NHL have to lose?

Degenerate Self-Promotion: Matt Cooke

In a "hell hath frozen over" moment, the Caps Degenerate agrees with what Colin Campbell did re: Matt Cooke. And in a "world is coming to an end" moment, I called it!

Was I the only person on the face of the planet to suggest that the suspension had to go into the playoffs?  No. But most people I saw were predicting 8 to 10 games. And I honestly don't think that would have been enough.

Other than the creative punishment of making Matt Cooke face the Atlanta Thrashers and Evander Kane (a guy who kicked his ass in a fight), this is the only way to go.  Otherwise, you merely would have been resting "Cookie" in advance of the 2nd season.  And that doesn't do anybody any good.

The Caps Degenerate wonders if there is something troubling Matt Cooke.  I mean, the guy was already on the NHL's radar.  And cheap head-shots are issue #1 right now.  What makes a guy fighting for his reputation go ahead and do the one thing that will confirm he is a dirty player?  Depression?  Insecurity?

Just a thought (I don't claim to be a trained psychologist - fyi).

Here's hoping for everybody's sake, that he cuts this garbage out finally.  Mental issues are nothing to laugh at.  And if it's a rebellion act - then it's officially played out.  Hopefully it's not because he's "that stupid".

While it is fun to associate his lack of integrity with the city of Pittsburgh - it is in everybody's interest for him to cease being a d-bag immediately.  Here's to a more mature, clean Matt Cooke!


****And please check back with me.  I am in the process of lining up my first round of Degenerate Interviews.  As long as they don't fall through, they will be worth the read.  Stay tuned! *****

Flyers and Caps Brawl in the Early 90's

The video quality (and the Flyers behavior?) makes it look like it is from the 70's or something, but it is actually from 1991.  Gosh I feel old.  I was 11 when this happened.  

Just goes to show you that the Caps and Flyers have some "history".  There was even another brawl back in 1980, among other flare-ups, but one brawl at a time!

With some some help from hockey-reference.com and hockeydb.com here are some nuggets.  I got the records from Wikipedia which I'll trust in this context :



1) The game was played on Sunday, February 10, 1991




2) There were 302 penalty minutes in this game 

(Record for PIM in one game, both teams is 419 (Sens vs. Flyers 3/5/2004))




3) Dale Kushner of Philadelphia led the game with 50 penalty minutes

(Record for PIM in one game, one person is Randy Holt with 67 on 3/11/1979))

--- As an aside, the Flyers were involved in Randy Holt's record, but they were his opponent, as Holt was a member of the LA Kings when he set this record.  The Flyers must be very jealous of him ---




4) The Flyers also had the second-most penalized player of the game 

(Craig Berube, 27 minutes)

(Berube would be a member of the Caps team that made the SCF in 1998)





5) Three Capitals (Al Iafrate, John Kordic, and CSN's Alan May) led the team with 22 penalty minutes each.





6) Not to be forgotten, current radio commentator Ken Sabourin and Rogers Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos each had a "respectable" 17 penalty minutes for the Caps.





7) This is one of 7 games that John Kordic played for the Caps (may he RIP)





8) In the irony of all ironies, Flyers tough-goalie Ron Hextall did not participate in the goalie "fight".  He started the game, but had already been yanked and was sitting on the bench when this fracas occurred.





9) That is Flyers backup Pete Peeters (former Cap - even as of that game) taking on Caps goalie Don Beaupre in the goalie "fight".  They received 12 and 14 penalty minutes respectively.





10) This was the first year in the booth for Craig Laughlin.  It was also the first year post-Mike Fornes.  That is Jeff Rimer doing play-by-play.  He is now the pbp-man for the Columbus Blue Jackets.




11) Terry Murray, the Caps coach at the time, is now the head coach of the LA Kings




12) Paul Holmgren, the Flyers coach at the time, is now their GM




13) That is referee Don Koharski (as in "have another donut") taking notes during the fight




14) In case you were wondering, the Caps won this game 5 to 2
Scoresheet: Flyers @ Caps February, 10 1991




15) The next time these two teams played was on March 16th. The Caps won 6 to 0
(There were ONLY 170 penalty minutes in the 3/16 game)
Scoresheet for this game!





16) On March 28th, the Caps won 3-0 to close out the season series
(This game only had 24 penalty minutes.  Not even worth watching)
Scoresheet for this game as well!





17) The Caps were eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs by eventual cup-winner Pittsburgh
(God I hated typing that)





18) The Flyers did not make the playoffs this season




Anything to add?  I think I was playing at a friend's house that day and heard parts of it on the radio.  I know, I know.  Not a true fan.  But remember, no HTS at the house back then.

Were you there?

ESPN Fail Flashback: John Buccigross in 2005

The Caps are currently on a 6-game road trip. Yet, they are resting comfortably in DC today. Go figure!

It makes sense, though. They are merely following the golden rule:  Spend as little time in Philadelphia as possible!

Anyway, when the Caps start their next home stand they will presumably accomplish something fantastic:

100 consecutive sellouts at Verizon Center!

This has to be the franchise's greatest off-ice accomplishment.  It is all too easy to forget the empty seats in Landover and in DC. Or the "visiting team aided" sellouts for which the team had to settle.

That said, there are people who had faith that this streak could happen (Ted-dog, you, me, anybody with an IQ over 5) and there are people who didn't have faith this could happen (anybody at ESPN).

Today the Caps Degenerate remembers the suggestion that John Buccigross made in November 2005 in his "Mother of All Mailbags"

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

John,

If you had three choices of U.S. cities you could place an NHL franchise (that don't currently have one), which cities would they be and why?

Thanks,

Brett

Toronto, Ontario

Hartford -- Because Connecticut should have an NHL team.

Las Vegas -- Because it's Vegas. Booming population, conventions and Celine Dion. Who cares if people bet on the games? Wall Street brokers bet on games at their computer in midtown Manhattan. Should the Rangers move? The NHL is missing the boat. Hockey is a nasty game and Vegas is a nasty place. Perfect.

Baltimore -- It feels like a hockey city to me. I'd build a cool, intimate 15,000-seat arena on the harbor and move the Capitals there

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

First, I would like to thank Brett for not using his last name.  So, I don't feel guilty about using this letter.  Unless there only happens to be 1 Brett in Toronto. 

I also want to know what a "cool, intimate" arena is - I'm getting creeped out just thinking about it.  And where on the Baltimore Harbor would this thing go?  In the water?  But, whatever.


I'm not anti-Baltimore.  I love Baltimore.  But, basically John Buiccgross suggested that hockey couldn't work in DC.  And that pissed me off.  I'm glad to see he was dead wrong on this one.


Let's use a crude average ticket price of $40.  And eliminate standing-room only from the equation -- just to spare Mr. Buccigross a little bit.  The hockey capacity at Verizon Center becomes 18,277.


That is 3,277 seats more than this "cool, intimate" arena in Baltimore.


Over the course of the 100 game streak, Ted Leonsis would have lost over $13 million in ticket revenue by moving the team to Baltimore!  That doesn't even include the cost of moving or standing room only money.


$40 x 100 games x 3,277 seats  = $13,108,000


John Buccigross wanted to break into Ted Leonsis' home and steal $13 million! Who the heck does this guy think he is!?!?!?!


Next time you rock the red in DC and need earplugs to do it, remember what John Buccigross suggested in 2005.


And, please never EVER use the words "cool" and "intimate" together when discussing hockey arenas unless you found a place for a quickie.......

Link to John Buccigross' Mailbag