When the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning dropped the puck on Saturday night, it was a few hours over 252 days since the Caps faced off against the New York Rangers in their final period of action back in May of 2012. Since that time the Caps were eliminated from the playoffs, an 8th seed won the Cup, a season was almost cancelled, and earlier in the day, the NHL made its "triumphant" return.
And that is what makes this scene so beautiful. Caps fans were expecting to take that game 7 against the Rangers at the end of last season and when it didn't happen their mouths began to water as we awaited the next season to begin. Both the players and the fans were hoping the season started the next day. Instead the lockout happened and it didn't even happen as regularly scheduled.
In the 2nd period of Saturday night's game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Alexander Ovechkin was knocked to the ice by a TB player. There was a penalty on the Tampa sid, but the refs thought that Ovi was embellishing the call and sent him to the box as well.
"An embellishment penalty? Is that #8 or #28. The old #28 who now resides in Carolina" - Joe Beninati
Good Ovi, Bad Ovi???
Earlier that day, on the prerecorded 106.7 preseason preview show, Joe B was tiptoing around saying that Semin was "addition by subtraction". He clearly has been waiting to drop a zing like this, and he didn't have to wait long.
Semin was signed by the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason as a free agent.
On Thursday afternoon it was announced that Alexander Semin had signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. Reactions to the news was different depending on who you asked: some people were happy you weren't going to be taking those ever so famous stick penalties with us, some were shocked that a team would pay you 7 million dollars a year, and some were crushed that you would be "rocking the red" with another team.
My reaction was a little different. I became a frequent watcher of the Caps in 2006. I was 10 years old and my father finally convinced me to start watching hockey. At that point, you could say the team wasnt very good. The Caps finished 14th in the Eastern Conference with only 70 points that season.
The phrase of the time was "Wait until this young Caps team grows up," but quite frankly, Washington DC was tired of waiting. And thankfully, the waiting was soon over. Just one year later the Caps won the 2007-08 Southeast Division title.
The Caps team was carried by 4 fledgling snipers...four "young guns"... Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Mr. Alexander Semin, for whom I write the following letter:
Dear Alexander Valerevich Semin,
Around 2 PM yesterday, it was announced that you would be moving on from the Caps. Your new home would be Raleigh, North Carolina, to play for the Hurricanes.
The joy that your Capitals teams of the past 4 years brought me was indescribable. A lot of that joy came from watching you play. The goals, the assists, the stick penalties, the division titles and the President's Trophy, all lit up my life.
This past season, however, was different for you. You scored a career low in goals and the thought that you "don't try" was brought to a new level thanks to your ex-teammate Matt Bradley, and the fact that you were a little careless with your stick in the offensive zone. Many people lost faith in you.
I however, did not.
Sure I got angry a few times like everyone else, but I knew for a fact that you cared much more then people thought. It was a shame how it all ended for you in DC after all the great memories you provided for myself and the fans.
You could call me "Bad Melissa" because I don't care. I don't care about the stick penalties. I don't care about the perception of your attitude. I care about the times when hope was lost and you were there to help bring it back to DC. For that I am forever grateful.
I'm going to miss you on the ice in a Caps sweater, but I hope you have fun down in Carolina. Just don't score on the Caps when you guys play each other...please :) And most importantly, THANK YOU for everything you have done for the team I love.
Sincerely,
Melissa
Hopefully you understand how I feel about the former Caps forward. And hopefully some of the new players can fill the void that he left behind. Let's Go Caps!
Written by Melissa B, Caps Basketball's BROLO correspondent. You can find her on Twitter @Unibrouw
A New Hockey Fan's Perspective On The Russian World Championship
On Sunday evening, several Washington Capitals who had only recently tasted the bitterness of a devastating loss had to sit and watch two of their teammates on TV enjoying the sweet taste of victory. Alex Ovechkin & Alexander Semin had won the gold medal in the World Hockey Championships, and they celebrated the victory for all to see.
Semin picked up two goals in the championship game and Ovechkin threw in an assist as the Russian team defeated Slovakia in Stockholm on Sunday 6-2. The Russians had a championship, and yet, the Capitals still haven't won anything.
It was only a handful of days ago when the New York Rangers eliminated the Washington Capitals from the NHL Playoffs. The Caps players played their hearts out but after 14 nights of rough hockey they just couldn't get that last push to make it to the next round. Where were those 2 Semin goals in game 7?
As a fan, I was crushed and devastated. I can't even convince myself to watch the rest of the NHL Playoffs. In fact, I feel like I never want to see a hockey puck for about 4 months. If that is a fan's perspective, I can't imagine how the players must feel.
I understand that NHL players fill out the world rosters when their teams are out of the playoffs. Guys like Semyon Varlamov & Zdeno Chara played in the game as well. But as a Capitals fan, watching the so called star players smiling about a hockey win is just a dagger in my heart.
Why are THEY celebrating. Why can't we ALL be celebrating. Why can't Chimera be celebrating. Why can't Hendricks be celebrating. Why can't the fans be celebrating. Why can't the city be celebrating.
On a day when Shane Doan was in North America enjoying a NHL Playoff victory, Alexander Ovechkin & Alexander Semin were in Europe celebrating an international victory...and I just don't get it.
The state of the Washington Capitals right now is chaos. The team under-performed in the regular season. The superstar's stats have dropped from the unbelievable to the ordinary. The head coach walked away from the team. The top draft pick/prospect would rather play hockey in Russia. And 2 of the teams under-performing players seem to have put the NHL loss out of their mind and are happy to be gold medalists.
I'm not sure what to make of this team, and I'm not sure what is going to happen between now and the opening faceoff of the 2012-13 season. All I know is things have got to change, on the ice, and in the minds of the players.
I decided to take a look at some of the statistics from 2011-2012 to see what exactly had I missed in the years prior when I wasn't watching the team. I had already known about Ovechkin's decline, but I was surprised to see how productive Alex Semin used to be.
(All stats are Per Games Played) Purple = Shots, Blue = Points, Red = Goals, Green = Assists
As you can see by the numbers, each of the two Russian players has been on a downward slope with Goals, Assists, and Points, but the most alarming stat shown by the image is the decline in the number of shots on goal.
Over the past 4 seasons, Ovechkin's shots have gone from almost 7 per game all the way down below 4 per game. In the playoffs he was down closer to 3.5. Over the past 3 seasons Semin has also been crashing down in the shot department. He has dropped from almost 4 shots per game to below 2.5 per game.
Check out the shooting percentage. Ovi is up and down, every other year. Not good for next year. Semin was just really down from his typical consistent shooting.
Some of these seasons were Boudreau, and others were Hunter. So I don't exactly know the reason. But these drop offs are not good for the future of the Caps...although Semin may be gone soon.
Also if you have any other way to interpret these stats then please let me know...I still can't really combine stats with actual play.
Game 2. A game where the Rangers can gain a a two game advantage, one step closer to knocking us out of the Playoffs, or the Caps can get back into the groove of things and win, splitting it just like the series against Boston. pretty important, isn't it? Actually, all of the games in the Playoffs are important. Every second count. There are no safe leads (as exhibited in the Flyers-Pens series), no safe players (Torres-Hossa check, anyone?), and no safe team (The Wings were the first out in the West).
That is why giving it all you've got every game is monumentally important. The Caps didn't do that yesterday. They were deflated, they had no offensive zone pressure, the defense was lacking throughout the game, players were taking stupid penalties (come on, Semin!), and, most of all, the players just weren't bringing it. They had less heart than the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.
I know, it's a new team, you have to get adjusted. But the playoffs are the Playoffs! You play with the same pressure throughout, don't just give up when you get past the second round. No one's going to win the game for you! And, to all he guys who took stupid penalties, whacking someone on the legs is going to give the other team a better opportunity to score and, thus, win. It's not retaliation, it's stupidity. Just give him a dirty look next time, mm'kay?
To win tomorrow's game the Caps have got to bring it like they did in Boston. To quote Joel Ward from @KCarrera, "...I don't think our desperation level was as strong as it used to be." Simply put, they weren't out their busting their hinneys. If they do that, they can win easily with some of the Rangers bigger offensive players out. Also, just based on the fact they both have the same basic teams as last season and the Caps won the series in 5.
Don't give up yet, Caps fans. Yeah, the Caps are infamous for crapping their pants in the early rounds, but how they played against Boston should give even the most hardened Caps fan a glimmer of hope. It ain't over yet, so don't count out these Weagled underdogs. LET'S GO CAPS!!
a song that seems fit for the game tomorrow;
Written by Camilla Alsobrook (@Camcoco10), Caps BBall's Teen Correspondent. Camilla also writes for Puck Buddy's and Captial Connection.
So far this season Alex Semin has been a disappointment. I have heard the word "soft" used several times when talking about Sasha and people have been wondering if Sasha Cares after Matt Bradley talked S about him on his way out of town.
He has commited tons of stupid penalties and hasn't been producing to counteract those mistakes. Earlier in the season he was benched mid-game by Bruce Boudreau. Later, he was benched pre-game. After the healty scratch game, Semin came right back on the ice and commited another O-Zone penalty.
On Saturday night against the Senators, Semin sat out with what the Capitals called a shoulder injury. He is out again Monday against the Panthers which I learned from the following tweet.
If you are Alex Semin, and you have been benched twice already, wouldn't you really want to prove that you are a great player. Wouldn't you want to get out on the ice and make all the critics eat their words? So I think there are a few things that could be the case.
1. Sasha Is Injured: Maybe Semin is injured to the point where he just can't move his shoulder. I'd like to think that is the case but for some reason I don't believe it. He got hit in a game and wasn't down on the ice hurt. Maybe he is dinged up a bit but this is hockey and players (typically) won't want to miss any games due to injury. Look at all the NFL players pretending they don't have concussions so they don't have to sit out.
2. Sasha Doesn't Care: If Semin doesn't have a typical athlete personality he may have had enough. He doesn't commit penalties on purpose and he tries not to but it just happens. Then the coach yells at him and he gets down on himself and it turns in to a psycological issue. Maybe we are at the point where he doesn't like being at work because it sucks so he his finding a way to sit out.
3. Coach Doesn't Care: Maybe Semin was slightly hurt and the coaching staff is using it as an excuse to keep a player benched that they don't think they need on the ice to win. I kind of like this theory, if the next one isn't true...
4. Sasha Has Already Unofficially Been Traded: This is my conspiracy theory. I think that the team has already decided that Semin is gone. I think that the deal is just about done and they are working out the details this week. I am thinking he is gone and not on the trade block because he is sitting and they aren't "showcasing him" (although maybe his value is higher when he is off the ice cuz he can't play poorly) It is his contract year and they get 0 value if he leaves at the end of the season, and if everyone hates him all the time why would he want to stay.
The way Tarik wrote that tweet made it seem like Alex isn't really injured...I think there is a good chance #3 is true, but I won't be suprised in the next couple days if Alex is gone baby gone.
Alex Semin is not having a good year. He is getting almost a penalty per game and around 1/2 a point per game. So let's see what happens for the rest of the season. Who will win? Good Sasha & scoring 50 points, or Bad Sasha and getting 100 penalty minutes. It's a close race so far, with PIM closest to exploding...
"I don't mind saying Alexander Semin's name, because he's one guy who has so much talent, he could easily be the best player in the league, and just for whatever reason, just doesn't care..." --Matt Bradley on Alexander Semin aka Sasha
The first few days of the blog I was told about the whole "Sasha doesn't care" thing. I saw the comments from Matt Bradley but I didn't really think much of it. However, after a bunch of games I think I have figured out the proper way for a Caps fan to react to certain situations. I believe I am supposed to be furious whenever Sasha picks up an offensive zone penalty.
People keep telling me that a Semin Hat Trick involves a goal, an assist, and an offensive zone stick penalty. That tells me that he is a good player that makes stupid decisions.
I'm assuming that an offensive zone stick penalty is a stupid tripping penalty that happens on a scoring opportunity that should never happen? (Penalties should only happen to prevent goals on the defensive end?)
Honestly, I had no idea Semin had 2 trips last game. I just saw a penalty, yelled "you suck ref" and continued watching without even thinking. I understand people who know the Caps did not have the same reaction. I'll figure it out too...eventually.
For any Wizards fans still reading I could maybe compare Semin's stick penalties to Andray Blatche's play. It is almost a 100% chance that in the course of a basketball game Andray Blatche will try to dribble behind his back and have the ball hit his foot and roll out of bounds at a key moment in the game. From what I hear, Semin's stick penalties also happen at a high frequency (like Jim Caviezel).
When he scores a goal, Sasha cares. When he is getting stupid penalties, Sasha doesn't care. This is all too confusing to me. Instead of trying to care myself, I'm just going to bash Semin when he commits a tripping penalty and love him when he scores a goal. Am I correct. Is that a true Caps fan?
The Most Beautiful Loss In The World
In the 2nd period of Saturday night's game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Alexander Ovechkin was knocked to the ice by a TB player. There was a penalty on the Tampa sid, but the refs thought that Ovi was embellishing the call and sent him to the box as well.
If you are Alex Semin, and you have been benched twice already, wouldn't you really want to prove that you are a great player. Wouldn't you want to get out on the ice and make all the critics eat their words? So I think there are a few things that could be the case.
