I'll start this bitch before Anak continues the losing streak around here. Staal and Puempel are skating again, but did not make the trip, and Quickie is out through the all-star break. I presume Lindberg gets the audition the next 4 games.
No word on goalie tonight - Hank spoke like he was preparing to start tonight, but AV also threw him under the bus a bit yesterday at his press conference saying Hank is in "unchartered territory" and "no doubt has a confidence issue" while also stating we need our goaltending to be a lot better. Spent less than 3 seconds yesterday talking about defensive liability/structure, in fact said all other non-goaltending aspects of the team were trending in the right direction. OK then.
Not the team you want to be facing when you're goalie/defense are in shambles, but one thing we've seen this year, just when you think the chips are down, they fight and come through.
Lets start a win streak tonight, fellas.
I'd much rather Gorton overhaul this defense this February/march and position ourselves better for coming years than worry about firing AV right now.
attached linky
AV presser post yesterday's practice - ( New Window )
McD-Skjei
Holden-new guy
Staal-Clendo
How much better would our record be? I think Girardi for a marginal dman buys us a game or two. Skjei isnt ready for top 2 minutes, and even a Holden-Skjei pairing would probably be significantly over their heads as a #2 pair.
Also, I think they're in a terrible rut right now and it's not all that productive to evaluate a coach who has been successful here and elsewhere based on a bad 10-15 game stretch. He's on notice because we never pulled out of last year's rut, but major changes were made in the offseason to the F corps. I give AV at least thru this season, but if the same fate awaits us as last year, either AV or several of the Ds have to go.
Probably not going to be a live URL because BBI's link format and NYT links (too many characters) but a nice piece on Troy Terry at the USA World Junior Championships [url]https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/sports/hockey/a-hot-hand-in-shootouts-creates-an-american-hockey-hero.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhockey&action=click&contentCollection=hockey®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0[/url]
A day later, in another shootout for the gold medal against Canada, the tournament host and favorite, Terry scored the only goal out of 10 attempts by either team again beating the goaltender between the legs.
The guys on the bench were telling me not to do it, Terry said of his bold shot selection. The goalie would definitely take that spot away, they told him.
But I came in and I saw the opening, and I just had to go for it, he said.
Not a bad stretch for a player who was not even sure he would make the roster for the tournament....
Troy Terry scoring on goaltender Carter Hart of Canada in a shootout during the Jan. 5 gold medal game. Credit Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Terrys run of good fortune did hit a bump last weekend, as he sustained an unspecified upper body injury playing here against Western Michigan. He is expected to be out at least a couple of weeks.
Still, the gold medal victory was a major boost for him, as well as for American hockey especially after the United States dismal showing in the World Cup of Hockey in September. The victory over Canada gave the United States three gold medals at the junior championship in the last seven years, while Canada has won once in that period....
Terrys performance somewhat overshadowed the United States goaltender, Tyler Parsons, of Chesterfield, Mich. A Calgary Flames draft choice currently playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, Parsons made 46 saves and stopped all five shootout attempts in the gold medal game.
Bad 10-15 game stretch, deej? They won 5 of 6 going into that stupid bye week. They pummeled the Orange Crud at Philly and won an exciting comeback game AT Columbus.
I don't think he ever actually made it to the Rangers, but played for the Binghamton Rangers and then the Wolfpack for a long time.
3rd round pick in 1991. Todd Hall. One of the most talented players I've been on the ice with.
The best baseball player I ever shared a field with was a 13th round draft pick and topped out at AA, and by "topped out" I mean he got absolutely bombed at that level. Dude was like Randy Johnson in Little League and HS ball, though. Always is a nice reminder of how incredibly good you have to be even to play at any professional level.
Link - ( New Window )
Who would you replace him with? I think he's a top ten coach, easily.
I thought he was brutal last year. I just don't think he has the options this year.
LGR.
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*clap clap clapclapclap*
Who would you replace him with? I think he's a top ten coach, easily.
I thought he was brutal last year. I just don't think he has the options this year.
You know I can't stand the trio of Vigneault, Therrien, or Julien. I'd fire all three.
my latest coach du jour I'd hire if somehow Mike Sullivan or Peter Laviolette doesn't become available is Todd Reirden, he's an assistant now with the Caps, came over from the Pens, and coached in SWB for a while.
If you want a retread I'd gladly take Dineen, Hartley, even Oates or Gallant over any of the trio above.
You know I'm with you on Girardi. I just think there's a ton more flawed coaches. We saw similar favoritism from Torts.
It's up to Gorton to fix the blind spots.
Pj, the guy I think is severely underrated is Boudreau. I think he's a great coach.
He did a pretty lousy job in Washington, and we've seen what a good coach (Barry Trotz) has been able to do with that team since he left.
I'd easily put Trotz by the way in your Laviolette/Sullivan camp.
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Or, at the very least, kept him on the third pair and limited his ice time as much as possible.
You know I'm with you on Girardi. I just think there's a ton more flawed coaches. We saw similar favoritism from Torts.
It's up to Gorton to fix the blind spots.
Pj, the guy I think is severely underrated is Boudreau. I think he's a great coach.
Boudreau is great put him in the group with Sullivan and Laviolette (even ahead of Laviolette). 10 full seasons as a head coach 9 1st place finishes. When the Caps replaced him with Dale Hunter I was literally laughing. But you lose so many game 7's you get a reputation, nonetheless have to win to be a winner but he is a great coach IMO.
if he's available it's a no-brainer. It's unlikely he is available though.
Toronto seems to be headed in the right direction from what I can tell.
Flame out in the playoffs like every other Caps coach ever?
only to take over in 2014-2015 and after a slow start play at Presidents Cup pace in 2nd half but lose to Presidents Cup team in game 7 in their building in OT (after dominating the first 8 minutes of that overtime).... then win the Presidents Cup last year and give the Penguins their toughest test of last year's postseason (Tampa did win an extra game I guess, but every one of Pitt's wins in the TB series felt/looked easy) .... and has them the likely Presidents Trophy team again this year.
And oh by the way he did a great job in Nashville too.
Yeah, I'd say he's easily a top 3 coach in this league.
I mentioned Sullivan and Laviolette sort of as jokes since both have SC wins and neither will be available and they're the anti-AV, Therrien, Julien style coaches.
Sully and Lavy are like Boudreau, Babcock, Trotz, Quennville and maybe a handful of others who also won't be available.
When I was first getting into the Rangers in my pre-teen years, for some reason we kept getting tickets to Caps games. And Peter Bondra would invariably kill us. The guy clearly hated me, and the feeling was mutual.
The Caps therefore hold a special place of hate in my heart.
Losing to Sidney Crosby in 6 hard fought games, in which the Caps controlled play in 3 or 4 of those games, doesn't make anyone a failure.
I'm guessing your hatred/contempt for the Caps (and Skins for that matter) stems from living so close to DC.
Plus, they've made me endure Craig Laughlin's voice for two decades.
Plus, they've made me endure Craig Laughlin's voice for two decades.
I'd go to a lot of Caps games when I live in NoVA, usually Bruins since my wife is a Bruins fan, and there was always more opposing team fans than Caps fans.
These were the Bondra, Pivonka, Juneau (?), Hunter, Olie the goalie days. the stadium in Landover was stupid, and Laughlin has one of the worst announcing styles in hockey, so I hated them too.
And of course they need to win before you crown them, but I see nothing wrong with acknowledging Trotz as a great coach and the Caps as cup contenders, just makes it more special when they lose.
It seemed like everyone on the '90s Caps teams played for them for 15+ years apiece - Pivonka, Bondra, Hunter, Calle Johansson, Kelly Miller, Steve Konowalchuk, etc.
I don't pretend to know, just asking. Certainly, to me, it seems that his (AV) hands are tied on the back line because there are just not a lot of better options. The entire corps has been weak, although this doesn't explain the prolonged healthy scratches of Clendo, who has shone a bit off and on, but somewhat inconsistent in his own end (some glaring, bad judgments in some of his clearance attempts).
There are the occasional mixing of pairings, so that would seem to indicate some awareness that all is not right notwithstanding the lack of frank critique directed at the d-men.
It seemed like everyone on the '90s Caps teams played for them for 15+ years apiece - Pivonka, Bondra, Hunter, Calle Johansson, Kelly Miller, Steve Konowalchuk, etc.
I hated how Laughlin would call them Pivo, Kono, Jonesy, Oatesy, only guy I liked on those teams was Chris Simon because he was an animal.
I figured I'd get push back on that - I think his teams consistently outperform during the year but can't do so come playoff time because of the competition. This Minnesota team is this good, for example.
Maybe Staal would waive to reunite with his brother. We can take back another bad contract in Pominville, but 2 years shorter and slightly cheaper on the cap. Pipe dream, as both players have NMCs, and Minn is probably loathe to put more resources into the D.
Friedman: "There is a belief out there, rightly or wrongly, that he wants to be a Ranger." #stlblues #NYR
ZHO-ay....fuck you
It seemed like everyone on the '90s Caps teams played for them for 15+ years apiece - Pivonka, Bondra, Hunter, Calle Johansson, Kelly Miller, Steve Konowalchuk, etc.
I hated how Laughlin would call them Pivo, Kono, Jonesy, Oatesy, only guy I liked on those teams was Chris Simon because he was an animal.
Friedman: "There is a belief out there, rightly or wrongly, that he wants to be a Ranger." #stlblues #NYR
Is that quote from a year ago? And Yandle wanted to be a Bruin. And Stamkos wanted to be a Leaf.
If the Rangers offer him $7 mil a year at 5 years ... I'm sure he'll come here... money talks, every time... and I'm not sure we can commit that capital to yet another guy approaching 30.