SWEET!!!!! Alright i'm sold we gotta have Fedorov back next season.

If I'm Fedorov, I'm sold on coming back for another year with the Sashas.

if he doesnt come back it would be because hes retiring. thats the only thing that would make sense. he doesnt strike me as greedy. he signed a fa contract with the blue jackets many years ago just for the money, but he is at a very different point in his career. If federov isnt on the team next year, were already worse than we were for the last two months of this season, and the point of summer is to improve the team. its especially crucuial for this team at this stage of development to keep improving and not plateau. I cant stress how important this is. huet as well. M.I.H.

Seeing the smile on Fedorov's face throughout this tournament made me think he's nowhere close to retiring. He's having too much fun. I really hope he comes back to the Caps.

Fed may have signed for money before, but I get the sense that he did not like playing in Columbus. He seems to have really enjoyed playing in DC - I bet he follows his heart instead of his wallet this time, especially considering the fact that he is in the twilight of his career. Yup, at this point, it is all icing on the cake for him.

Does the all Russain line stick together? I thought Semin and Ovie always ended up tripping over eachother. Guess not in this tourney.

And there go the Flyers

@ crumbsnatcha
I doubt it. Ovie and Backstrom have good chemistry and we want that combo to work for the long run, and Fedorov is great with Semin. That'll give us two strong lines, but i wouldn't be surprised at all if we see the Russian line for the PP.

What DC Fury said about the PP. I think that Fed really enjoyed hanging out with Ovie and Semin. It also seems that Nick is thrown in there a lot too. I swear the four of them bonding has to scare most teams in the NHL. Throw in Nyls and Laich and you have the makings of three lines of Oh My God next season!

Now we just need a goalie and our special little defender. Speaking of Mikey, how did he play in the game?

Kim:
Yes, Mike played. He looked really bummed out at the end. They showed the handshake line and I think I saw Feds stop and chat with Mikey. Couldn't really see if Ovie and Semin said anything to him. Greenie and Ovie both were named to the tournament all-star team.

@tess,

Thanks! That is cool that Feds talked with Mike. Man is that guy amazing! I really hope he has rediscovered his youth and is just so thrilled that he wants to come back and play here.

What other hockey game?

Congratulations comrades.

dan
hes talking about the flyers pens game id guess

but ya i agree i think feds really enjoyed himself and there where plenty of times during that game and the whole tournament when he was skating like he was a decade younger, id wager that he'll re sign with us

fingers crossed

After watching these playoff games, it is clear that we MUST improve our defense to get to the next level.

Sasha Semin scores two goals and an assist in the championship game, and everyone basically ignores him. If Ov had done that, dear god, there'd be 200 comments ( Kissing his behind ) on the board by now. What's with you people? Alex Semin is a BONAFIDE A # 1 WORLD CLASS TYPE PLAYER. And, HE'S A WASHINGTON CAPITAL!! What's the matter with you people. What's the guy have to do? Oh, I know. He has to morph into being Alex Ovechkin # 2. Geezzzz...

congrats...you commie beeestards. seriously i love watching hockey and cant wait for hockey season...at least i have baseball. ovie semin and greenie are three of the most exciting players in all of hockey...i love that they are caps.

Funny thing that Puckguru beat me to it, but I was going to say was anyone else NOT surprised at how Semin dominated the tournament? This has got to be the best 3 months of Semin's playing career ever, and it rivals the best playoffs of Gretzky, Lemieux, and whomever else you'd like to include. He was already my favorite player, but I'm impressed by his explosion lately. I cannot wait for next season.

This was the Alex Semin that we saw flashes of during the season and even more so during the playoffs. I hope he carries that quality of play into next season. With him, Ovie, Nick, Greenie, Brooks, and hopefully Fedorov clicking on all cylinders I think we'll have an awesome nucleus next year. Add a goalie and another quality d-man and we're ready. I can't wait!

Semin really seems to step up his game when it counts!! Congrats guys! Well played.

Three Caps are world champions! I love our team. I will immediately buy a red #91 jersey when Fedorov signs.

Yes, WHEN Fedorov signs.

Rock the Red! OV, Semin, and Feds really are the big red machine for the Caps.

Hopefully, Feds will sign for a year or two, the Caps lock up Mo & Green for 4-5 years, Huet signs for 3-4 years, Alzner comes of age, Clark and Nyls come back. The Caps also need a serious defender to replace Pothier, Jurinca, or Erksine.

It sucks having to wait until October for hockey and the next ski season.

@puckguru
I stopped posted on this forum a long time ago because of my frustration of having to read the crap against Semin. I am 100% in agreement with you, this guy is a fantastic player. He played in a most difficult situation last year - left wing, right wing, constant changes in his line mates, maligned by the fans and media, etc, etc. - and yet not a single word or action of complaint from him. Some of the fans in Washington like most of its reporters are lacking knowledge of the game.

Semin! Semin! Semin!

We should trade the farm for Kovy. Just a dreamy thought.

Semin on the left wing with the same line mates for a good chunk of games....? Dangerous, down right dangerous. With two scary good scoring lines, the other teams D will get ground down. It's going to be fun.

Here's what I see for Feds.

He signs a 2-year deal w/ the Caps and then retires from the NHL after the Caps win the Cup in his 2nd year.

then he plays one last time for Russia and wins the Gold in the 2010 winter Olympics!

How awesome would THAT be?!

I think all year we've been talking about how Semin was a frustrating player to watch. We all KNOW how great he could be. Frankly, I see no reason why he isn't as effective a player as AO - possibly more so. We saw that break-out in the past few weeks of the season and into the Playoffs. I think we were all saying/thinking "about time!", because - DAYUM! He's phenominal to watch when he wants to play hard!

Greg S,

When you say frustrating to watch, was that the stick penalties during power plays late in games where the Caps were down by a goal?

I'm hoping that we see next year the Semin from the playoffs and the worlds. That Semin is a beast. That Semin can carry the team if OV is being shut down.

Tarik,
I just want to formally complain that the print version of the Post absolutey STUNK on it's coverage (I mean, TOTAL LACK OF COVERAGE SAVE FOR A FEW LINES here and there) of this tournie. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it the SPORTS section? Aren't they supposed to cover SPORTS? And HELLO, we have SEVERAL CAPS in the tournie. Shouldn't they have at least mentioned at SOME POINT what a great tournie OUR CAPS PLAYERS were having? If you didn't read this blog, you would not even know that the Russian-Caps-line was absolutey tearing up the joint.
Geeze, the POST SPORTS ABSOLUTELY STINKS.
But not you, of course, not you. We greatly appreciate your at least posting updates for us here.

Speaking of Nylander from above. I saw him yesterday at Laurel coaching his son's team. It looked to me that he was skating very hard while shooting and passing. Good news for the Caps! It will be good to have him back to give us potentially 3 scoring lines.

Ovechkin - Fedorov - Kozlov
Semin - Backstrom - Laich
Cooke - Nylander - Fehr
Brashear - Steckel - Bradley

Comments on this potential lineup? This excludes Gordon because although he's dynamite on faceoffs and the PK, I don't think he contributes enough up front. Just a thought to be tossed around.

I think I would stick Backstrom with OV and Nylander with Semin.. If I had to have either Nylander or Fedorov on a third (defensive) line, I think I gotta go with Fedorov.

SoMD,

What about Clark?

Jordan,

If Feds resigns, you going with team Russia 91 or Caps home 91?

Steve R.

Yup. And his attempts of stick handling around and through defensive players. He's great at it, but there's a time and place for fancy stuff. Other times, it's "git 'er done" time - drive the net, make a rukus, and get dirty.

Put Clarke in Cooke's spot. Cooke's just a pest. Great during the playoffs, a liability the rest of the time. Rent one next year too.

What happened to doing all the guys? I think we're on 8. We can agree to skip him and simply ponder the question: Is he merely great or is he mythically great like Thor or Apollo or...? Actually, the only question about OV is whether his style of play will eventually get him hurt and turn him into a drooling idiot like Lindros.

Unless there's anything else about him, we can move to #10.

I don't know Old Time. What sticks in my mind about Cooke was the short handed chances generated when he was on the PK. I think he'd be worth keeping.

Steve R,

Great question. I have the signed Caps home Olie jersey that I won.. but I'll probably go with Caps red for the Fedorov jersey too since they are more readily available than Team Russia jerseys. My gold Backstrom jersey was way too expensive and took way too long to get here.

Jordan,

If he resigns, I'm thinking of asking as an early Christmas gift from my wife and kids a team Russia 91. I probably said "Holy sh**, Fedorov is a Cap!" at least 20 times on trade deadline day.

Tarik -

Are you by any chance going to be doing an article on our guys at the World Cup, or does management have you tasked for other things? That AO/SF/AS line was the story of the year for the Russian team, and Green made a lot of noise as well.

Steve R,

I was exactly the same way. I was useless at work watching the TSN ticker. I left early and called everyone to tell them about Fedorov and Huet.

A lot of people I called wondered what the hell I was talking about.

I wonder if Feds will switch to #29, like he wore in the tourney, if he signs with the Caps.

I've changed gears and will be off to the Indy 500 shortly. That's going to consume (almost) all of my time for the next week.

Congrats to Russia! I hope this is the new Alex Semin. If he plays the way he has been playing in the Stanley Cup and World Championship all of next season, he could be a 100 point guy.

Semin = led all Russian scorers

ps: Green = top scoring defenseman in tournament.

Tarik -

No worries man. Have a blast.

What other hockey game?

Congratulations comrades.

Posted by: Dan, Jr. | May 18, 2008 9:23 PM

dan
hes talking about the flyers pens game id guess

Posted by: hensmith | May 18, 2008 10:29 PM

I thought it would be obvious that my question was completely rhetorical. Oh well.

Delay of game penalty and Russia wins on a 4-3 power play in OT, what a disgusting attempt at calling this hockey.

Token win, that's all it was for Russia.
Should have let the players decide the result, not by a fluke over the boards penalty.

rules are rules...play within the rules and it's usually a better game. Nash decided the result when he got the penalty.

Chief,

Poor reffing in the worlds had to have been GMGM's fault, eh?

Global warming? High price of gas? Reality TV? That earthquake in China?

Yup, all GMGM's fault.

Don't forget AZAMAT

The way the Russians were celebrating...sure didn't look like a "Token win".

@Steve R.,

Yes Cooke is a monster on the PK, but I don't think that alone makes him a keeper given all the baggage that comes with his style of play. I don't think the PK skill alone justifies his salary relative to our cap issues.

Anyone defending this rule is obviously clueless, stupid & ignorant.

Yes, MIDGET may have voted for this rule therefore making him partially responsible, not so much AZAMAT.

Guys, Semin was hurt for the most part last year. He got healthier towards the end of the season and he looked good at 100%! He is siiiiick!!

I knew GMGM had to be involved somehow.

i was watchin the Canada/Russia game yesterday and during the 2nd period intermission they had on the kiss cam, the last 2particapants were Cristobal Huet and his wife and everybody was giving them a huge ovation as he planted a big wet one on his wife! So Cristobal and Feds and Mikey Green plant a big SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE this off season to Capitals contract coming soon! GO CAPS GO!

Anyone constantly complaining about the same, old, tired, uncontrollable circumstances of this team and the NHL is obviously a miserable moron. Let it go, enjoy it for what it is.

On our #8 player. I think we should trade him for a bag of pucks and a few sticks... :)

On Cooke - in the 17 games he played with the Caps, he scored half his 82 game point totals. His points are the same as Bradley's.

2007-2008 GP G A Pts +/-

Bradley 77 7 11 18 1
Cooke 78 10 13 23 1
Gordon 67 7 9 16 5
Flash 75 10 20 30 -7

I'd sign him. Somewhere near where he is now.

Flash needs to have a bigtime breakout season.. OR ELSE!

My Huet jersey got here a week ago after fighting with UPS' ancient tracking system, that don't sync up between the shipping centers and headquarters. Four phone calls it took, to find out if I could pick it up before 7pm, and I call again at 4 to see if I could get it... They said they had it, so I drive 30 minutes and guess what.. NO package.

Stupid lady behind the counter must have just woken up from a nap. It took them 40 minutes to find it in the back but I had already taken off at the 30 minute mark. Never using UPS for anything.

MNMNT,

Do you go to the UPS on Eisenhower Street too?!

It's not Russia's fault, but look for that rule to be eliminated.
I watched the play, very bad ending to a good game.

No, I went down to Chantilly. I've had nothing but problems with UPS. They keep trying to get me to use them, but I don't get a discount unless I ship out a minimum of $80 a week... and I already get a good discount with FedEx through an association. They are a**-backwards, and total idiots at UPS.

They didn't try very hard to look for it, hence the 40 minutes it took for them to find it. Too much toking up at the Chantilly shipping center. No one would take blame for anything, the lady was like, "I DIDN'T CALL YOU."

I was like you guys are UPS. You all work for the same company and the system said it was here.

It in fact was there, they were just too lazy to look for it. So yeah...fun times. Now all we need to do is re-sign Huet.

Hey Chief,
Break out your old sega genesis and start playing some NHL94. You can complain about the dekes and crappy reffing and bs offsides calls...

But you'll probably complain about NHL94 because it's got no blood and no fighting.

MNMNT,

Did you know that GMGM was the main programmer for NHL94?

@Steve R,

Yeah, its clearly and either/or situation with Bradley and Cooke. Cooke's a better skill player, and a good agitator, with decent offensive upside. But, he's basicly a pure chicken. He'll rile people up and skate off. Weak.

Bradley is a stand up guy who will also fight for his mates as necessary. Not a great offensive upside, but a good defensive presence. Also probably cheaper than Cooke. Also known as a good locker room guy.

If we can sign Cooke cheap, I'm all ears. I just think he's going to want 1.5-2.0, which is a bit much, IMHO.

Steve R.

It's MIDGET! Not GMGM. And you forgot that AZAMAT directed it.

Steve R,
That made me laugh out loud.

I had an NHL94 Tourney two weeks ago and it was fun as well. However the NHL05 version with the NHL94 version on it wasn't the same without the correct players in it. I ended up buying the Genesis, and I'm waiting for the Genesis games to come in. Just need to make sure the buttons are screwed up.

Did GMGM make the controllers crappy too? The b and c buttons would die.

By the way, with that tourney for NHL94... One of our friends picked the Caps as the 2nd overall pick for the tourney... and all of us were like, what are you doing? But none of us said anything because we wanted to pick the better teams. First pick went to the Penguins, and they lost out first round.

Gotta use the Blackhawks in NHL94. JR in his prime.

old time hockey.

He's at 1.5 now. Bradley's at 700K. Both are UFA.

All I'm saying is if he put up Bradley's numbers in basically 17 games, imagine what he'll do in 82... I can take his agitation and leaving without throwing a punch. Good way to frustrate the opposition and get them into a PK situation for taking a bad penalty because of it.

It's been a while...

As for the delay of game penalty - I really don't see anything wrong with it. It forces players to focus on clearing the puck and not half-hazardly clear the puck or shot the puck where ever.... I think they just want players under control... if you are under control, then you won't clear the puck over the glass.

But then again, who cares about rules - the should just be able to do what they want... like hit someone in the back of the head with the stick... or poke the goalie in the balls... you know, the usual.

Jordan,
i'd agree but it was different in the NHL05 version. they couldn't use the names/numbers since they didn't have permission from NHLPA I'm guessing.

Back then I switched between Caps or Canadiens against the Red Wing goons.

"Anyone defending this rule is obviously clueless, stupid & ignorant"

sign me up for all three... funny HE is saying that...

828,

I'm thinking that Chief needs a heiku, if you are so inclined anyway.

Sign me up, too.

I think it's a good rule. It was way too easy to just flip the puck over the glass to take the pressure off. This keeps the puck in play, generates offensive possibilities and odd man situations for an infraction.

You could score a hundred goals a game just doing wraparounds in NHL94. Or just shoot fivehole, goes in every time.

Jordan,

we used to call it the "Colt 45"...works every time! (it was a TV commercial for those too young to remember)

Jordan,

5 hole? Olie in net?

Steve R,

I'm not gonna touch that one with a ten foot pole. Or Chara's stick.

Couldn't help myself. Seemed too good to pass up.

Yeah. in 93 all you had to do was skate into a post and it would go in. ahh. the good ole' days.

I can barely play NHL08 on my buddy's xbox. I can't figure out why the hell they would put deke and shoot on the same analog stick. I fake the goalie out of his skates and then can't do anything with the puck. Impossible!

yeah. it's fun but nowhere as fun as 93-96. that game has ruined many friendships i'm sure at some points in people's lives. haha.

i would get so bitter when my guys would get knocked out by other players. and of course no one on my team was a goon so I couldn't take out any of the other players.

"but I was going to say was anyone else NOT surprised at how Semin dominated the tournament? This has got to be the best 3 months of Semin's playing career ever, and it rivals the best playoffs of Gretzky, Lemieux, and whomever else you'd like to include. He was already my favorite player, but I'm impressed by his explosion lately. I cannot wait for next season.

Posted by: DrinkingPartner | May 19, 2008 7:43 AM "

Mentioning this pigeon in the same breath as Gretz or Mario is CRAZY. Try taking up ping pong, you are obviously deranged.

Jordan,

Switch to "classic" controller setting then you can shoot using the buttons.

Moose33,

Yeah, I know.. but then you can do a lot of the wild and crazy moves. It's a tough tradeoff--look cool and never score or fill the net in boring fashion..

by the way, Ranger in NHL '94 was a good team. Turcotte was like the fastest guy on the ice for some reason.

Moose, I was going to suggest that he just bench Flash.

Jordan,

You can still deke using the stick in classic setting. You can also still do the between the legs etc. I think the only thing you can't do in classic is a saucer pass but I might be wrong on that one.

Steve R,

that would certainly help...

Moose,

Huh.. I might have to give that a try next time. Maybe I just can't score because I've been using Columbus.

I dunno I always thought Mogilny was the fastest. Boston by far had the best first line along with Detroit. But that's just my opinion. But then again you had Andy Moog in goal.

MNMNT,

You're right, I forgot about the Sabres. I loved playing with 'Gilny.

Mike Ridley, Dimitri Kristich, Peter Bondra
Al Iafrate, Calle Johannson...

Dear Chief,

I hope I am not speaking out of line but on behalf of most the people in this blog (I hope), get a f-ing life. You are by far the most negative person I have ever heard and quite frankly, I am tired of hearing your conspiracy theory bullsh-t on here. You add nothing to debates or conversation and your left field view of the team sucks. I have a great idea, try a different NHL team but better yet, a different sport. I heard Nashville or dodgeball are looking for no nothing clowns that allow the frustration of their pathetic lives to spew through their words. You my friend are a joke and give bloggers bad names. I am ashamed to be cheering on a team that you support and hopefully you bump into Brash in a dark alleyway on a bad day.

Sincerely,

Roger #94

Delay of game penalty and Russia wins on a 4-3 power play in OT, what a disgusting attempt at calling this hockey.

Token win, that's all it was for Russia.
Should have let the players decide the result, not by a fluke over the boards penalty.

Posted by: Chief | May 19, 2008 12:47 PM

um, chief a player did decide the result. a player shot the puck over the glass. a penalty, clearly. not a judgement call and not subject to interpretation (of course, like 99% of the people, i didnt see it so i am assuming there was no question about whether the puck cleared the glass or not). what are they supposed to do, say that shooting it over the glass isn't a penalty in OT? more evidence that you can only see the negative side of things in life. so sad.

Hey roger, I really liked the "Dear" part.

Stay in your little safe world, building & drafting and negotiating better deals, while the Flyers, Pens and a number of other teams compete to WIN no matter what.

Don't be so defensive and join the team that knows what's going on.
FIRE MIDGEDT for the sake of hockey in DC.

AZAMAT CRYING while wearing the "Rock the REd" jersey after game 7 was classic.

It's obvious Chief was neglected as a child and he needs to post excessively negative and outrageous comments to get attention from bloggers.

People will still read your posts even if you don't go completely overboard with your statements, I promise.

Granted I haven't been on this blog for years but as far as I've seen almost everyone is in disagreement with you on most of your comments. When you say "join the team that knows what's going on", exactly how many players are on this team? 1?

For chief http://www.lindamackenzie.net/hiddennegativitytest.htm

You guys are cracking me up.

What does AZAMAT stand for??? I missed that somewhere along the line.

I have to admit though that Chief's comments are the only thing that's keeping this blog alive. He might be smarter than I thought...probably not though.

He should take up tennis, golf or any other individual sport. Then he can complain that other players are competing to win and fire himself after a double bogey.

Darn... I hate when someone interrupts me when I'm watching a hockey game :)

VORONEZH, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Two convicts at a prison camp in central Russia's Ivanovo Region timed their escape for the final of the Ice Hockey World Championship between Russian and Canada on Sunday.

A spokesman for the local prosecutor's office said the two inmates, convicted of murder and aggravated robbery, had been preparing to escape from the high security prison for a long time and had decided that their best chance would be when prison guards were watching the world championship final on TV.

However, he said, an alarm went off and the guards detained the two prisoners, putting an end to their break for freedom.

In the match, the Russian national ice hockey team beat Canada 5-4, becoming world champions for the first time in 15 years.

All I will say about the delay of game penalty is that according to the Canadian Press, the Canadian squad had 2 of them earlier in the game and they did not capitalize on either one of them. If they had done so, this could have been a moot point.

I said it before, Chief makes me laugh. So in the entertainment sense, I hope he stays.

@Jordan

I fake the goalie out of his skates and then can't do anything with the puck.

I believe that is called "Semin mode".

Chief is insinuating that Azamat, from the Borat movie, and Ted Leonsis are one in the same. That's hillarious.

Converting on a 4-3 as compared to 5-4 is a world of difference.

@Chief
Umm...No thank you, the suicide, demented, conspiracy team seems to have one too many members as it is.

Also, Pittsburg built through the draft. Crosby: Pitt '05 #1 Pick
Fleury: Pitt '03 #1 Pick
Malkin: Pitt '04 #2 Pick
Staal: Pitt '06 #2 Pick
Whitney: Pitt '00 #5 Pick
Orpik: Pitt '00 #18 Pick
Letang: Pitt '05 3rd Round Pick
Malone: Pitt '99 4th Round Pick
Kenndey: Pitt '04 4th Round Pick
Scuderi: Pitt '98 5th Round Pick
Talbot: Pitt '02 8th Round Pick

Aside from Hossa and Gonchar, who else produced for them in the playoffs? Ask any NHL head who is next in line and I guarantee you that they will say we are next.

Hmmm...Pitt did not build through the draft exactly like Washington is doing. Not only do you show a lack of depth but a complete lack of hockey knowledge. I EVEN LINED IT UP FOR YOU....:)You can thank me later.

And the other teams in the conference finals Detroit built through the draft. Philly and Dallas are splash in the pans... So before you throw some half witted response out, remember, this is a site for hockey nuts, hockey players, stat crunchers, CAPS FANATICS, playoff beard growers, Red rockers, Mohawk wearers, Jagr Haters, season ticket holders, etc. You are not talking to a bunch of drunks at the local bar you go to by yourself.

SELL YOUR RESPONSES TO SOMEONE ELSE, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT BUYING IT.

@ Steve R

Sorry bout above. I totally forgot about clark this morning for some reason. Definately Clark over Cooke. He'll be there next year i'm hoping. We need his leadership, toughness, and defensive abilities.

Maybe Chief is the Real Craig Berube. Did your Caps career end on a sour note?

I would say Chief needs some professional help but that won't even do any good as it appears. He's back to his old ways. Caps have a failing future and GMGM sucks and Ted is a moron and blah blah blah. Can't wait to hear what he has to say after this team really accels in the near future.

I would say Chief needs some professional help but that won't even do any good as it appears. He's back to his old ways. Caps have a failing future and GMGM sucks and Ted is a moron and blah blah blah. Can't wait to hear what he has to say after this team really accels in the near future.

The penalty call was brought up by Grapes, too. It's a stupid call and a stupid rule.

But didn't Canada have a 2 goal lead going into the 3rd period? Actually blowing a 2 goal lead wouldn't have anything to do with their loss, would it? If they had been able to play the last period, maybe they would have won!

Maybe Chief is really Grapes...

so, who won the fantasy tourney?

Thanks for making my case rog.

So why can't MIDGET yield any better results, since he had the most First Round picks in the league since 2000 ??

Because he's an IDIOT, just like you.

By Rog "this is a site for hockey nuts, hockey players, stat crunchers, CAPS FANATICS, playoff beard growers, Red rockers, Mohawk wearers, Jagr Haters, season ticket holders, etc. "

You must be the "Red Rocker"

fullright,
Not me! I picked the wrong freaking Russians thinking that they weren't playing on NHL sized ice.

jmu,

i was quite suprised to see them on NHL sized ice as well. I always thought the larger ice surface was part of the allure of watching international play.

Oh well, I should have known if they were playing in Halifax and QC that it was going to be smaller ice. Too many years south of the border have eroded my brain cells.

Sorry to start a new subject but I have been looking at some other hockey "trade rumor" website and I see a lack of top four defenseman on the market. I started salivating when I heard Jay Boumister (sp?) is a RFA. I don't think the Caps have enough gusto to throw out a big deal to him or money for that matter and I definitely think that Campbell is out of the question.

So a lot of people on here are excited about next years potential offense but what about defense?

Looking at who we have, how do we stack up?
F.Y.I I do not know everyones status.

Signed:

Tom Poti: Signed for too much I say but did play well... Needs to hit but I think he was a bit injured. Positionally solid.

Brian Pothier: Aside from his contract, which I don't remember and frankly don't care, he is an accident waiting to happen. DO WE REALLY HAVE TO PAY THIS GUY FOR THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS IF HE DOESN'T PLAY?

Jeff Schultz: My dad seems to think this guy is the second coming of Jesus Christ Superstar. I beg to differ but he showed a lot toward the end of the year. NOT MADE FOR PLAYOFF HOCKEY.

John Erkine: I really like this guy because he's mean and he backs up his teammates (Dont know where that was in the playoffs). He clears the crease and does make too many dumb dumb plays. SLOW AS SEVEN YEAR ITCH.

Steve Eminger: Frankly, I have no idea about this guy or if he is signed bc I didn't get to see him much but he looks to me like he is a bulldog. Hits anything that moves and loves contact. Not sure why he watch most of the year from the press box.

Mike Green: Greenie is an offensive stud and I literally see him being the next coming of Paul Coffey. No lie. Needs to get a bit bigger but besides that he is a stud. Caps will sign him long term.

Shaone Morrisonn: Again, I really didn't watch him much bc I was busy watching Greenie do magical things but seems to be positionally good. Not many mistakes and compliments Greenie pretty well.

Milan Jurcina: Really thought this guy was gonna have a bright future but I now see why Boston got rid of him. He hits big when he makes contact, WHEN!!! Most of the time I see him slamming himself in the glass.

Aside from them, Lepisto, Alzner, Godfrey and Finley seem to be our only decent D coming through the system. We all have heard of Alzner, seen Godfrey's cannon, Finley size, and Lepisto seems to be one step behind.

So what about D? What will the lines be next year and do we need to add another D-man?

Did anyone else notice that Cindy asked for the Iglo to be colder for yesterdays game, and the management brought in two hugh Air Conditoners to make the arena cold . People in the stands were wearing jackets. Think something like this might help us out with better ice?

Do the Caps need D ?? Does AZAMAT need a diet ??
Since Tinordi, the Caps/MIDGET have not addressed defense responsibly.
Green has earned his new contract and has pretty much taken over for what Poti was brought here to do. Another beauty by MIDGET.
Aside from Green, the rest SUCK!!
What about Polock ?? Another First Round beauty by the MIDGET.
Oh, I suppose building the team from the net out is longer en Vogue.
Stay Hot AZAMAT & MIDGET....

Chief, you are an absolute idiot. Not every 1st round pick is a sure thing. I think the Caps have done an impressive job with their first round picks. Not every prospect is NHL ready, but the Caps have done well with some big developmental projects. I agree with you that no GM should ever get a string as long as GMGM had, but now that he has stuck around can you give some credit for actually turning the team around. And it started with drafting well even when they sucked. Okay, Polock has been a bust so far... big deal, you aren't going to hit the lotto on every pick, but the Caps seem to have hit it enough.

Chief is just upset because he wants to build a casino on the land that the white man took long ago. Sorry Chief...just let it go!

Maybe Chief is really GMGM trying to make sure he has fan support? What better way to find out how much folks like you than to bash yourself anonymously in a public venue and watch the fall-out?
Or we could just go back to him being the disgruntled, pessimistic, front-office bashing, skeptical management hater.

There's one defenseman in our pipeline that most seem to be overlooking. He's, Viktor Dovgan ( Russian )6'1, 210lbs. Stay at home, with a nasty edge to his game. Dovgan represents one of Gmgm's best drafting coups. There was some confusion concerning the kid's date of birth. Which clouded his draft elegibility status. But, George drafted him in the 7th. round ( 2005 ) and later signed him. He played at S. Carolina two seasons ago. This past season he chose to return to his native Russia because his wife was expecting their 1st. child, and he thought it best to go home. But, DON'T SLEEP ON THIS KID. HE'S GOT 1st. ROUND TALENT. He's probably closer to cracking the Caps' line up than anyone not named Alzner. Rarely do Mike Vogel's opinions and mine even reside in the same solar system. But, in our assesments of Dovgan, we concur right down the line. I'm more than certain he'll be in camp come Sept. I sure hope so anyway.
The kid wants to play in the NHL REAL BAD. He's already learned to speak English quite well. Which helps. Anyway, he and the Finnish kid, Oscar Osala are the two prospects I'm very high on. We'll see.

wow puckguru just made a coherent statement without demeaning anyone or just being a prick in general. share what youre smoking with chief.

I always knew that Semin was golden. I really think that he is going to be one of the most exciting things to watch next season. All season long you could see how he fit in (and he seems just as comfortable with Nick as he does with the Russians). Their chemistry in the playoffs was no accident.

Now that Worlds is over when do we think that we will hear something about possible contract negoitiations? When does everyone think that the action will start? After the Cup finals? Will it really wait until July 1? This is my attempt to start a little bit of a new thread here. Not an attempt to continue with the negativity. Can we start a pool on who will be signed first? Does not have to be just focused on the Caps. A lot of teams have critical players to sign or decide what to do with. I mean if you are the Pens, do you really want to get rid of Hossa at this point? They have potential for some real off-season drama (she says with an evil smile).

@ maaan,
You've just made it quite obvious who the self - demeaning prick is. Please sir, go get a life.

Thanks for the info, Puckguru. We'll all have to keep an eye out for these kids.

"Delay of game penalty and Russia wins on a 4-3 power play in OT, what a disgusting attempt at calling this hockey". - posted by Chief.

All right, Chief, you finally got under my skin... A very very stupid comment, now I know for sure you have no idea what you are talking about ALWAYS. Remember where the championship took place? Who was the favorite to win the game? And who won it? Yes, Russia won in Overtime. But it was Russia who eliminated 2 goal deficit to get there. You call it a fluke, I call it a better team won.

On a side note... I am convinced that had Semin been playing in World Cup in Moscow last year - we would not have had to wait 15 years for that gold medal.

4-3 Power play is almost certain goal, now I know you are clueless. Dumb rule, lousy victory, but still better than losing.

Semin ?? Maybe he will throw puck (again)into net like spoiled baby.
Honeymoon for Semin & OV is over, OV will produce higher than average but less than this year for sure, Semin will be a big FLOP, as expected, especially now that he has some money.

team RUSSIA after party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS_mPlIlDYA

Man, I loved Chief (the original one, Caps #27). Remember he switched to wearing #32 when he went to the Flyers after he left the Caps - in honor of Dale? That was class.

Hey, Steve R, above - it's "haiku," just fyi...

A Cup for DC?
There is always next season
Ovie dominates

Delay of game penalty and Russia wins on a 4-3 power play in OT, what a disgusting attempt at calling this hockey.

Token win, that's all it was for Russia.
Should have let the players decide the result, not by a fluke over the boards penalty.

Posted by: Chief | May 19, 2008 12:47 PM
==============
did you see the game?
in 1st period Russia had Delay of game penalty twice and Canada score twice.

Posted by: | May 20, 2008 4:53 AM
my fault, in 1st & 2nd period we had Delay of game penalty twice
and we're not whining
МЫ ЧЕМПИОНЫ!

puckguru, youve made it clear with the hundreds of posts youve made up until that last one, which was noteworthy because of its absence of vulgar language. i call em like i see em, my statement was one of fact, not judgement. Dont get all morally righteous now that youve been acting civilized for 24 hours, because youre still prick that everyone would like to just go away. youre also a liar, because you claimed a little while back you were done posting here. If only you were a man of your word...

Dear maaan,
In all sincerity, you obviously need help. I'm going to pray for you. On the REAL side.

Dear maaan,
You poor thing.

thats it, really?
really?
sad, the puckguru of old wouldnt have given up so easily. at least you know when youre beaten. LIAR!!!

@ Poor "Thang" maaaaaaaaaaaaaan
I'd give a whole lot just to be able to see your face while I'm sitting here laughing so hard tears are running down my face. You are truly HILARIOUS. Not to mention, being STUPID AS HELL.
Be assured I'm the same ole Puckguru. There can only be ONE genuine "Guru." Quite frankly, I've always felt just a slight tinge of pity for people as obviously deranged as you. So, I'll keep on posting just so you'll continue to have an excuse to vent the frustration of your no - doubt empty, and unfulfilling life. Plus, I'm exercising my / our 1st. Amendment CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. Can you dig it! Hahahahahaha

Dear brainless amoeba, a.k.a. Chief.

Token win? Tell that to the Russian players who were celebrating like mad, thousands of Russian fans in attendance who out yelled the whole Canadian crowd for most of the game or the millions of Russians who are still celebrating this amazing, come from behind, dramatic win! You're a typical, brain dead Canadian moron who cannot handle losing gracefully. If you actually were as much of a hockey expert as you claim to be you would see that Russia deserved to win the game as they outplayed Canada for most of it. Your team, as usual, was very opportunistic and converted the few chances you've had, but the Russians were buzzing in your zone for pretty much the entire game!

Now to the subject matter. First of all, whether you like it or not a rule is a rule. It's the same for both sides and the officials had no choice, but to call delay of game penalty on Nash. It's also amazing to me that you would even whine about this. I'm not sure if you ever pay attention to what happens to the opposing team, but Russia got called twice for exactly the same thing in this game! Check the box score, idiot! Fedorov got called for it at 13:52 of the 1st period AND it resulted in Canada scoring at 14:51!!! That was a goal by Burns that put you guys up up 3-1! Then, at 26:33 of the 2nd period Gorovikov got called for delay of game again! Shortly after the penalty ended Canada scored again! That was Heatley's goal at 29:56 that once again put Canada up by 2.

After all that you whine about the same exact call on Canada in OT and call this a token win?! You're the one who's clueless, ignorant and stupid! Shut the hell up and enjoy how Canada choked right at the end of an instant classic of a final. I'm gonna get back to celebrating our incredible win, douchebag.

2ranndino
дай лапу, друг))
С ПОБЕДОЙ ТЕБЯ!

It was a TOKEN WIN.

IIHF Worlds are actually an excuse for players to go unwind and drink after the REAL season is over.
Glad for Russians celebrating what matters most, NOT the Stanley Cup.
Go enjoy your TOKEN win Mr. Euro Trash.

Chief of NA whiners

you're jealous(((((
я плачу
Russians'll win the Stanley Cup too (Datsyuk or Malkin, Gonchar)

Yes, but with Canadian Captain Crosby or maybe for FIRST time ever a European Captain (Lidstrom).
Everyone knows Swedish & Finnish people are CLASSY, Cultural people as compared to the CHEAP, CROOKED Russians.
Russian Capt ?? HAHA

The only good thing Russia has is goal scoring players and Strippers. Nothing that can't be replaced.

i agree
can't wait ALL our CLASSLESS CHEAP goal scoring players (nabokov, zubov, markov, khabibilin e.g.) play in russia. nobody won't prevent crosby getting mvp.
amen.
oh, no...what a pity!what will you complaining about?
ps there were russian captains in the league,just in case

Everyone knows that CLASSY, Cultural Swedish & Finnish people had lost to the CHEAP, CROOKED (you forgot heartless & greedy) Russians.
Team Canada with 25 MAGNIFICENT EXCELLENT BRILLIANT NHLers (Scoring Leader, Goal Scoring Leader, Plus Minus Leader, Defensemen Scoring Leader, Assist Leader of the championship ) couldnt win against Russia within Sixty minutes (PIM 6:12). lol
How many Canadian/American/Swedish/Finnish captains there are in the RS,BTW?