Interview with Caps top prospect Simeon Varlamov

In the light of goalie uncertainty for the next season, it is interesting to learn what Caps top prospect think about his future...

By P. Lysenkov, SovSport, Apr. 29, 2008:

Q.: (On Russian junior team loss to Canada) Could it be because our junior hockey is not as good as Canadian?

A.: Probably. In Canada they have a very strong junior league from where the hockey players can go directly to the NHL.

Q.: What about you, will you get in the NHL?

A.: I know that the Washington Capitals are waiting for me, they talk a lot with my agent. I'm planning to leave for North America. I know it will be hard to break into the Capitals roster. But I will try. I am even prepared to spend a year or two in the AHL.

Q.: Two years? Ilya Bryzgalov said that they paid $50K a year.

A.: I know how much they pay in the AHL. But at this stage I'm not interested in money. I could safely remain with the Lokomotive, where I was offered an excellent contract. But I have already announced to the management of the club and to the fans that I am leaving. I don't want to hide it.

Q.: Can a 20 year old guy break into NHL?

A.: There is an example, a 21 year old Carey Price of Montreal, he is my idol. Or Pittsburgh Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury. Both are unique goalies even by NHL standards.

Q.: I remember Bryzgalov's interview to SovSport that appeared under the heading "Want to become a good goalie? Leave Russia". Do you agree?

A.: In many Russian teams goalkeepers don't have personal trainers who work with them, they have to train on their own. As for me, I got lucky with the mentors. But looking at the general trend, it is difficult to disagree with Bryzgalov. It is much easier to learn the art of goaltending across the pond.

Ovechkin: "I am going to Quebec as a tourist"

IIHF World Championships on WCSN.com

Watch LIVE as WCSN.com broadcasts the 2008 IIHF ice Hockey World Championships!

By Pavel Lysenkov, SovSport, Apr. 28, 2008:

Q.: Alexander, can I congratulate you? You've got the insurance money, right?

A.: Why do you think so? (Ovechkin is surprised)

Q.: Well, the president of FHR Vladislav Tretiak said in an interview with "Soviet Sport" that he found the money for your insurance coverage, and that you will be at the World Championship. "There are several options from $120,000 to $700,000. But we'll pay any money for Alexander. The National Team needs Ovechkin and we won't hesitate to pay any price for that. The FHR and sponsors will pay for it", these are Tretiak's words.

A.: Well, it's nice to hear, but I haven't heard about it. The Washington Capitals haven't received the papers confirming my insurance yet. That means I can't play at the World Championship.

Q.: Wait a minute, but it was reported that you'll be in Quebec on Sunday?

A.: This is true. Semin and I plan to get to Montreal at 1:00pm on Sunday where we'll switch the flight and will be in Quebec in half an hour. I am carrying my hockey bag with me. But it doesn't necessarily mean that I will play for the national team.

Q.: So are you basically flying to Quebec as a tourist?

A.: Yes. I don't even have the right to train with the team on the ice.

Q.: How do you plan to stay in shape?

A.: I will work with the weights and on exercise equipment in the gym. There's nothing else I can do in this situation.

Q.: You definitely won't be playing a friendly against Switzerland, the game starts at 2:00pm on Sunday. What about the exhibition game against Canada (Monday, 7:00pm local time), will we see you?

A.: I would like to play. But I'm not sure that I will get the insurance because it is a weekend now.

Q.: Does someone help you to solve this problem?

A.: I've asked Mark Gandler (the agent who represents Semin). He agreed to help, thanks a lot to him.

Q.: About the insurance, what is the amount we're talking about? $750,000?

A.: A little less, $700,000.

Q.: There is no reason to doubt Tretiak's word. I think the issue with insurance will be solved sooner or later. But it's a shame that you won't practice with the team.

A.: I am not concerned or nervous. And I can't do anything anyway. I will get to Quebec and as soon as insurance issue will be solved, I will get straight into the battle!

By TERRY JONES, Sun Media, Apr. 28, 2008 "Ovechkin on roster, but not in sight"

QUEBEC CITY -- So far there's been no sighting of Alexander Ovechkin.

The Russians, who will play their entire IIHF World Hockey Championship in the city which is celebrating its 400th anniversary, arrived here Saturday with no Ovechkin in sight.

And he wasn't on the ice in Trois-Rivieres, halfway between here and Montreal, where the Russians easily handled Switzerland 6-2 in a pre-tournament game yesterday.

The Russians have submitted a provisional roster for the tournament which includes eight NHLers, including the best player in the NHL this season.

But you never know with Russia.

And most teams, including Canada, have yet to be joined by several players who were involved in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In addition to Ovechkin, the list includes Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin, Maxim Afinogenov, Ilya Kovalchuk, Denis Grebeshkov, Dmitri Kalinin and Alexander Radulov.

Kovalchuk, Afinogenov, Kalinin and Grebeshkov were on the ice against the Swiss last night.

The Russians who weren't dressed, according to a Hockey Canada observer at the game, were "enjoying hot dogs and poutine in the stands."

The Canadians have no idea who they'll see in the lineup when Canada and the Russians play here tonight.

Globe&Mail, Apr. 28, 2008:

There's no bigger star at this tournament than Ovechkin. He led the entire NHL with 65 goals and 112 points this season and is a finalist for the Hart Trophy.

With Canada playing its opening seven tournament games in Halifax, the Russians will be the highest-profile team in Quebec early in the event. Organizers have been selling Ovechkin even before he committed to coming — a giant 15-metre poster of him hangs on the side of one local mall.

The flashy forward has good memories from a past international event in Canada.

"I played in world junior when we won in Halifax (in 2003)," said Ovechkin. "It was an unbelievable atmosphere and I hope it will be the same."

Tretiak found insurance money, Ovechkin will play for team Russia

Photo: Eurohockey/Jukka Rautio
By D. Ponomarenko, SovSport.ru, Apr. 26, 2008 "Tretiak found the insurance money for Ovechkin":

The President of FHR (Russian Hockey Federation) Vladislav Tretiak announced the main news of the day, so far FHR got $700,000 to cover medical insurance for Alexander Ovechkin. The best NHL scorer will play in the World Championship for Russia.

"Don't worry, we will cover Ovechkin's insurance in full," said Tretiak, "We found the sponsors."

Ponomarenko (SovSport): What is the amount we are talking about? After all insurance must cover the unprecedented $124M Ovechkin's contract?

Tretiak: So far I can't tell you the exact amount. There are several options from $120,000 to $700,000. But we'll pay any money for Alexander. The National Team needs Ovechkin and we won't hesitate to pay any price for that.

Ponomarenko: Who specifically will pay for Ovechkin's insurance?

Tretiak: FHR and our sponsors. IIHF will give only a small and exact amount, 10 thousand in Swiss francs (less than ten thousand dollars).

From IIHF.COM, Apr. 25, 2008 "Russia’s roster as of April 25" (h/t Corey Masisak):

Goalkeepers (3):
Mikhail Biryukov (MVD Moscow Region)
Semen Varlamov (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl)
Alexander Yeremenko (Salavat Yulayev Ufa)

Defencemen (9):
Dmitri Vorobiev (Lada Togliatti)
Denis Grebeshkov (Edmonton Oilers)
Dmitri Kalinin (Buffalo Sabres)
Konstantin Korneyev (CSKA Moscow)
Andrei Kuteykin (Salavat Yulayev Ufa)
Vitaly Proshkin (Salavat Yulayev Ufa)
Daniil Markov (Dynamo Moscow)
Evgeni Medvedev (Ak Bars Kazan)
Ilya Nikulin (Ak Bars Kazan)

Forwards (17):
Evgeni Artyukhin (CSKA Moscow)
Petr Schastlivyy (CSKA Moscow)
Maxim Afinogenov (Buffalo Sabres)
Konstantin Gorovikov (SKA St. Petersburg)
Maxim Sushinsky (SKA St. Petersburg)
Danis Zaripov (Ak Bars Kazan)
Sergei Zinovyev (Ak Bars Kazan)
Alexei Morozov (Ak Bars Kazan)
Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers)
Nikolai Kulemin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk)
Sergei Mozyakin (Atlant Mytishchi)
Alexei Tereshchenko (Salavat Yulayev Ufa)
Fedor Fedorov (Dynamo Moscow)
Sergei Fedorov (Washington Capitals)
Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Alexander Semin (Washington Capitals)
Alexander Radulov (Nashville Predators)

Sergei Fedorov's dream came true, he wanted to play with his lil' big brother Fedor Fedorov in the Worlds. He said it on several occasions. Kozlov has turned down the invitation to play for team Russia.

From L'EQUIPE, Apr. 25, 2008:

Excellent and predictable news: Cristobal Huet was cleared by his club, the Washington Capitals, to compete with the team for the World Cup France 2008, which will take place from 2 to May 18 in Canada. The goalkeeper, who is the only French player in the NHL, joined the Washington Capitals club in February. Capitals were eliminated from playoffs this week by Philadelphia Flyers, winners of the seventh and final game of the series.

Last time Huet played for France 4 years ago in the World Championship in Prague.

Mike Green will play for team Canada, Backstrom and Nylander for Sweden.

Ovechkin's stats before round 2 of playoffs

By Mike Vogel, 'dump 'n chase' blog, Apr. 25, 2008:

If you look at the first round stats, you’ll see Alex Ovechkin’s name prominently featured among the league leaders in several playoff categories.

He is tied for second in scoring with nine points, tied for second with four goals, and tied for the league lead with six power play points. Ovie had five assists, tied for fifth among first-round participants. His 32 hits are tied for fourth-most in the league. Ovechkin skated at average of 24:03 per contest, tops among all forwards in the league.

Except for his team’s result, it was a pretty good first foray into Stanley Cup play for the Caps’ star left wing. As I wrote in the Postgame Notebook on caps.com after Game 7, the history of similar stars points to great things in the future for both Ovechkin and the Caps.

more...

Flyers get the taste of their own medicine

hehehe... Let's go, Habs!

phily.com, Apr. 25, 2008 "Marcus Hayes: Flyers' loss to Canadiens leaves Capitals' fans smiling"

MONTREAL - Perhaps balance is to come.
Perhaps balance has arrived.

The Flyers blew a two-goal lead and lost, 4-3, in overtime of Game 1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal. They came to that end, at least in part, because of two calls missed, or, kindly, two calls that were debatable.

They love this in D.C.

Today they dine on revenge, served lukewarm, since the cause of their ire hasn't had time to grow cold.

The Capitals and their fans insist flawed officiating cost them Game 7 of the first round Tuesday.

They declare that the Flyers' second goal never should have counted, that Patrick Thoresen ran the Caps' Shaone Morrisonn into goalie Cristobal Huet, so overtime never should have happened.

They contend that, if the first, blatant tripping penalty the Caps committed hadn't been called in overtime, then the second never should have been whistled, either; the Flyers scored on the resultant power play.

[Fast forward to Game 1, round 2, Habs - Flyers] Cursing, grumbling, the Flyers disputed the penalty afterward. ...This is a team ...that was two favorable calls away from elimination Tuesday in Washington.

After the Flyers defeated the Capitals in Game 7 Tuesday on a power-play goal by Joffrey Lupul, fans in Washington threw trash and bottles at the Flyers as they left the ice.

One [empty plastic] bottle hit center Jeff Carter as he was doing a live interview on Comcast SportsNet.

"If that had happened to us, I'd be upset, too," Holmgren said of the Caps.

By Tarik El-Bashir, Washington Post, Apr. 24, 2008

A spokesman for Verizon Center said yesterday the arena will consider changes after some fans threw plastic bottles filled with beer and other debris onto the ice following the Washington Capitals' 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

One of the bottles clipped the shoulder of Flyers center Jeff Carter as he was being interviewed near the benches.

A handful of fans were escorted out of the building by security, according to Matt Williams, executive vice president of Washington Sports and Entertainment. Williams said there were no injuries or arrests and that the building might consider selling beverages in cups rather than bottles for future elimination games.

"It was a reaction to the penalty and that all of the sudden the season was over," Williams said. "It's surprising because our fans have not done that before. We reacted as best we could."

By Greg Wyshynski, NHL Experts blog, Apr. 25, 2008

The Flyers should be more concerned about the newest postseason fad: Hitting Philadelphia players with beer. First Jeff Carter, and now Matt from The 700 Level reports that Richards got a suds bath after his third-period penalty.

Matt from The 700 Level reports, Apr. 24, 2008:

Another Flyer was the target of a fan tossed beer. After Jeff Carter was hit with an empty bottle following the series finale in DC, Mike Richards was welcomed to the penalty box after his phantom kneeing call with a beer shower. The cameras didn't show it, but the aftermath was all over the glass in front of him, and Richards confirmed it after the game.

Updates from real Alex Ovechkin blog at LiveJournal

Wow, there were bunch of updates on real Ovechkin blog at LiveJournal, the last one is dated April 10, 2008 where Ovechkin talks about Malkin:

A lot of people ask what's going on between me and Malkin. I'd say nothing special is going on. The fact that we had hit each other on ice is absolutely normal, we play hockey, not chess. We don't have any conflicts or antagonisms, I am even surprised that so many people have asked about it. Evgeny and I are not real friends, as he said in his interview, but this is absolutely normal. In short, we have the usual fight, one player going against the other and nothing more. So, I hope we have closed this topic))

Here is a picture of Alex from his blog post dated March 8, 2008 where he congratulated ladies with the International Women's Day:


P.S. And here is my hat-trick – 50, 51 and 52 goals of this season))

Fedorov's interview to Sport-Express about the Caps, all Russian line and the future

By Slava Malamud, Sport-Express, Apr. 24, 2008:

Q.: Can you share your impressions of the series?.

A.: The result, of course, is disappointing, but the series turned out to be excellent. Incredibly tense. Unfortunately, as a player, you can not control anything that might happen in the game. We had chances on PP, and we could not score. They got the chance and they scored. One can argue who played better but the board sends them into a second round.

Q.: What do you think about refs in these series?

A.: Probably it won't sound correct on my part, but I think that throughout the whole series the opponent, in this regard, had an advantage. I don't know why. Maybe because we had too much of a positive press. About the Russians, pro Ovi, etc... Maybe it creates some bias. This is only my opinion. I just thought that it was going a bit to their side. But by and large the teams were equal.

Q.: Do you see a great future for this team?

A.: Undoubtedly. It was a great pleasure to be a part of this team. I think I was very lucky to be traded to a hot team, to a hot market like Washington. I went through a very exciting and interesting time of my life with this team.

Q.: Do you want to come back?

A.: I will think about it in off-season. We'll see... I really want to play in this team again, but I need to gather my thoughts and think about it during the summer.

Q.: But for the first time since Larionov and Vyacheslav Kozlov you played in all Russian 'troika' line. Isn't it a huge argument in the decision making?

A.: Of course it was huge and I liked it. Just unbelievable how cool Ovi worked with the puck and without it, and how Viktor Kozlov was dispatching the puck so well. It was a pleasure to play with these guys. I just wanted to play a little more with these guys to have a better feel of how they operate on ice. I am saying it because the result was not completely positive. I am talking about extreme situations. Under normal situations everything was fine.

Q.: Well, so why not to play a little more with them?

A.: Sure. And not just that. I can name a ton of other reasons. All these six weeks that I spent in this team were unbelievably awesome for me. In addition, it was a pleasure to learn that Russia can still produce these incredible hockey talents.

Ovechkin's interview to Sport-Express: "Nothing worse than watching the rival team celebrating"

By Slava Malamud, Sport-Express, Apr. 24, 2008:

Nothing is more quiet than the locker room of the team that just lost in playoffs. A funeral home, that is, you can't make a better comparison. Alexander Ovechkin was no exception, he looked as if something died in him.

Q.: Alexander, what are you plans after this?

A.: I don't know for now. I have to talk to general manager George McPhee if I can go to the World Championships.

Q.: Can he disallow you to go?

A.: No, it's not the case. Everything depends on the insurance. With my special contract I can't do anything without insurance. All these issues have to be resolved.

Q.: And what's next, after the conversation with McPhee?

A.: Right now I just want to relax, to move away from all this. 'Relax' is the word. These series were very exhausting. And then we'll see.

Q.: How's your health?

A.: I played on painkillers for the last two games.

Q.: I won't ask about the injury, but how serious was it?

A.: If it was not serious, I wouldn't do the painkiller shots.

Q.: Will you still be able to come to Quebec? If the isurance matter will be resolved, of course?

A.: Well, yes. One hundred percent.

Q.: Your first feeling when you saw the red light behind Huet?

A.: Shock. And... not even so much frustration, but rather bewilderment. We had so many chances, especially in the third period, and we couldn't utilize them. I watched how they celebrated and ... I do not know what to say. There is nothing worse than watching the rival team celebrating the victory on your ice.

Q.: Will you remember this for motivation?

A.: No, I will not. Why, how this will help? I don't need to motivate myself. Now I have to rest and prepare for next season. We have an excellent young team and I hope that we will be able to retain most of the players.

Q.: Could you explain what happened in the episode when you were supposed to shoot, instead you passed to Fedorov. It seemed to me that Fedorov did not expect this.

A.: Yes, I probably should've shoot. Well, this is an experience. Maybe next time I won't make this mistake.

Q.: I saw you appealed to the ref when he send Poti in the penalty box in OT. What's there, what do you think happened?

A.: It was controversial. Poti held the stick in one hand ... It seemed to me that he first touched the puck and then his opponent ran into his stick. But this is nothing, the worst moment was in the second period when Kapanen scored. Morrisonn was clearly pushed on our goalie.

Q.: What would you say about the future of this team?

A.: We have an excellent team, and we proved it to all who did not believe in us this season. We fought to the end. Losing such series is very difficult. Now we can say whatever we want, but it won't help, so far I feel devastated.

Q.: And still... how would you rate this season?

A.: It was a good season because we made a step forward. We were one of the worst teams, and we got into playoffs. We were losing the series 1-3 and have yielded only in the seventh game in overtime. A good experience for us.

Q.: What lessons you have made for themselves from your first Stanley Cup playoff series?

A.: I was learning the lessons on the way we were playing it. With each game I felt more and more confident. In the first games a lot didn't work out as I wanted, but I managed to adjust and tune up by the ear in my own way.

Q.: Last year, at the end of the regular season, you had expressed the hope that Leonsis and McPhee would strengthen the team with the new players. Do you have the same feeling now? And who would you like to see in the team?

A.: I like what we have now. This is the great team we have.

Q.: Will you persuade Fedorov to stay?

A.: He is an adult, an experienced veteran and he doesn't need any persuasions. But I've always told him that we have an awesome team and we need him.

Q.: Can you see all Russian 'troika' line in the future of this team?

A.: If Seryoga (Sergei) stays, you'll have it.

Ovechkin played with injury

From Capitals Insider, Apr. 23, 2008:

Boudreau also said Ovechkin was suffering from a nagging injury, which is why he didn't practice for the last month of the regular season. Everyone suspected that he was hurting a bit, but since he didn't miss any time or lose any effectiveness, it never became much of an issue. I asked Ovechkin if it was his groin, he said "no".

He also refused to say what exactly was bothering him.

*Ovechkin's injury, though, can't be too serious if he's considering playing in the World Championships.

Other injuries according to Boudreau:

Shaone Morrisonn played the past two weeks with broken jaw, which made it tough for him to eat.

Mike Green was hampered with hip pointer (suffered in Game 6) and a foot injury last game.

Boyd Gordon had a torn hamstring in the playoffs.

Torm harmstring? That's a serious injury, Knuble was out when he torn his harmstring.

Morrison with broken jaw? Wow, he had no face protection at all, he could've put a cage to protect the jaw. What a tough guy!

Green was hunted pretty bad, no surprise here....

Caps are out of playoffs

As soon as Caps went into OT, I knew they were done. And I was right. Why? Flyers were so lucky to survive the first period after the first goal, but going into OT they knew anything could happen. It was a huge boost for them because they were prepared to lose game 7 after the series momentum was switched to Caps.

Hockey Gods were not nice tonight for Caps. Scoring the first goal, what else can you dream of? And then that stupid hooking penalty by Semin. All the hell broke after that... Fedorov gets 4 minutes for high sticking... So unfortunate...

What else? Losing to lowly Flyers hurts, but it is a part of a learning curve for a young Caps team.

"It was tough," Timonen, 33, said of marking Ovechkin, 22. "He's the MVP, in my mind. A great player. An unbelievable scorer."

Like a shark smelling blood in the water

By Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Apr. 21, 2008:

And what more is there to say about No. 8? He was like a shark smelling blood in the water. After that first goal everyone on press row could sense that he could sense there was another one in that stick of his. If someone told me that one-timer for the second goal was clocked at 127 mph, I would believe them. I thought he was going to put it through the net.

Corey, here's what John Davidson, the president of St. Louis Blues organization said about Ovechkin last year:

"He's like the shark in Jaws, circling in the water waiting for blood. They should play that music from the movie – da-duh, da-duh, da-duh - when he's out on a shift. He doesn't just go after loose pucks, he hunts them down."

From Jason La Canfora article, Washington Post, Apr. 22, 2008:
"Ovechkin's as Canadian as Gordie Howe," one general manager said before the series.

By ED BARKOWITZ, Philadelphia Daily News, Apr. 22, 2008 "Capitals' Ovechkin lives up to billing in Game 6"

IT'S UNCANNY the way the moment finds the star and the star seizes the moment. Watching it happen is one of the great things in sports.

Whether it's a football player leading his team on a last-second drive in the Super Bowl or a guy shrugging off a blood-stained sock to pitch his team to a World Series, legacies are written in the moment.

Alex Ovechkin wrote the latest chapter of his career last night.

All series long, the Flyers lived dangerously as Ovechkin was denied, shot after shot. It's what made Saturday's Game 5 loss disappointing and last night's agonizing. Because at some point, you just knew Ovechkin would seize his moment. Now, he gets his first crack at a Game 7. Another moment awaits.

"I've said before that the guys who are the stars, it seems to happen around them," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Whether it's John Elway on 'The Drive' or those baseball players that are great, coming up to bat in the last inning - Alex is no exception. He just works so hard. I was so happy for him, because you could see he was starting to get a little bit frustrated, and they were doing such a good job on him, but he persevered . . . He did what he had to." *

By Ray Parrillo, Inquirer Staff Writer, Apr. 22, 2008 "Ovechkin busts out of tight coverage":

When the Caps needed him most, he escaped the Flyers' defense to net the game-winner.
The way he was flying up ice early in the third period, Alexander Ovechkin must have felt like someone who had been on death row and had just gotten a last-minute pardon from the governor.

Except for his winning goal in Game 1, Ovechkin had not been able to drop a bead of sweat without it landing on a Flyer. Until last night.

Whether it was Kimmo Timonen or Braydon Coburn or Mike Richards or Jeff Carter, they all had held the keys to the jail cell in which they locked Ovechkin, the NHL's most dynamic scorer.

But when the Caps needed him most, Ovechkin snatched those keys away and escaped to score the game-winning goal with 17 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the third period. Less than eight minutes later, he gave the Caps some elbow room by blasting a one-timer past goalie Marty Biron for the final goal in a win that set up a seventh and deciding game tonight in Washington.

"The big-game players always find a way to do it and Alex did it [last night]," said Brooks Laich, who assisted Ovechkin's second goal, which came during a power play. "With him it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. For him personally, it's huge. He's taken a lot of heat from [the media], but he's done other things that have helped us win games. Now he comes up with two huge goals and now I think he's on a bit of a roll."

"We had no doubts in this room [about Ovechkin]," Caps goalie Cristobal Huet said. "I think that's good for him and his confidence to score two huge goals at crucial moments."

Ovechkin said he has not put pressure on himself during his first-ever playoff series. The expectations on him have been enormous. Television commentator Mike Milbury called him a dog - and that was after the second playoff game of Ovechkin's career.

The thing about dogs is if you taunt them long enough, they bite back.

Apr. 22, 2008

Against all odds

How lame is this title "Against all odds"? But this is what has happened tonight. I guess something odd is going. :-) No freaking stats that the announcers are introducing are working against the Caps. Washington already came back from being at the bottom of the league to winning the division. Try again.

• If you don't score first, you lose ?%, whatever, Caps didn't score first and they won :)


• Only 20 team made it from 1:3 deficit in NHL playoff history. 21st is coming... :)

Go! Ovechkin! Go! Go! Ovechkin!

2 goals tonight by Ovechkin!

Zero hits by Ovechkin according to NHL.com. Can anyone believe it? Those bean counters need to get a raise. :)

bhahaha

AP, Apr. 21, 2008:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Ovechkin truly was "Alexander the Great" with the Washington Capitals' season on the line.

Held without a goal for four straight games, Ovechkin scored twice in the third period to lift the Capitals to a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night and send the series back to Washington for a decisive Game 7.

And I have to say it was not Ovechkin's best game yet!

It is coming!!!

Pictures from Game 5

By VCULax27, Washington Capitals forum, Apr. 20, 2008:

Pictures are from my camera, and the game photos are from Hoydie17's awesome 100 level seats.

...enjoy and LETS GO CAPS!

Chris Wallace, Fox News, about Ovechkin

From WashingtonCaps.com, Apr. 20, 2008:

In politically charged Washington, D.C., the Sunday morning network news programs are must-see events. The last two weeks those shows have featured what has quickly become another must-see in the District: the Washington Capitals.

Last Sunday, April 13, Chris Wallace profiled Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin in Fox News Sunday’s weekly “Power Player” segment.

“This week, Washington is abuzz about this man,” Wallace said by way of introduction. “No, it’s not a politician or a visiting head of state. It’s our Power Player of the Week.”

See the full feature here

The Ovechkin factor

I'd say Ovechkin still didn't have his 'A' game. It's coming!!!

CBCSports.CA, Apr. 20, 2008

Alexander Ovechkin had a strong Game 5 and was a menace on the ice to the Flyers’ Kimmo Timomen, terrorizing him every time he touched the puck with vicious hits.

“We've talked to him about coming back to the puck and supporting the puck using his teammates,” said Brooks Laich. “Sometimes, it looks like he's on a island, surrounded by three or four of their guys. That's how they are defending him. But he's learned because he hasn't had success that way. He's making short passes, supporting the puck.

He didn't get a goal [in Game 5], but he still did things to help us win the hockey game. He drew some penalties and was a distraction, which opens up the ice for other guys. When he goes to the net, their team goes, 'Oh my God, Alex is here I have to cover him.' Maybe that takes their mind off someone else, who might be to get a backdoor goal.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY
Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said his team goes into Philadelphia where “they have 20,000 goofs cheering for them.” Danny Briere read that quote and remarked, “I’ll just be one of those goofs.”

Daniella is too humble. He is not a goof, he is a lil' punk who will get some sooner or later.

TSN.CA Bob McKenzie "Ovechkin stands out, regardless of scoresheet"

I would venture that Saturday against the Flyers was the best game that Ovechkin has played in his young NHL playoff career.

He was still a physical force on the ice but I think the biggest difference for Ovechkin is that he played a shade over 22 minutes. I just think that less is more and if Ovechkin can average a minute a shift instead of a minute and a half, then he can play with that high energy and he can play at that higher level at short bursts.

Build for the future and the future is now

Bruce Boudreau: "We want to win. That is a bunch of crap and stuff that people make up, that it's a young team and are looking for an excuse. We want to win, nothing had changed.

By Bob Cohn, Washington Times, Apr. 19, 2008:

Nearly half of the 27 Caps players are 25 years old or younger. Alex Ovechkin, the leading Hart Trophy candidate as MVP, is 22. So is Mike Green, who led all NHL defensemen in goals. Nicklas Backstrom, No. 1 among all rookies in assists and second in points, is 20.

The list goes on. Alexander Semin, who finished second on the team in goals, is 24, as is Brooks Laich, who played in every game this season and scored 21 goals. Defensemen Jeff Schultz, Steve Eminger and Shaone Morrisonn are 22, 24 and 25, respectively.

"We're exciting," Laich said. "Our youth is sometimes an advantage. We have so much enthusiasm and energy. You look at our celebrations after we score or after we win. We just have so much fun playing with each other."

And, more young players, like Karl Alzner, Andrew Gordon and Sami Lepisto, are on the way.

"I love where this organization is heading," Laich said. "I love the players we have here, the staff, everything about this town, the city, and hockey we have here. My dad was in town and I said, 'You know what? I think we're exciting now, but give us a couple of years together and we're gonna get better and better.' "

"I did a lot of research," Leonsis said. "And for the most part, the teams that had generational success built from within. They had a group of players that came and went, but the core stayed together. That was the drive behind Alex's 13-year deal. We want him to be here, he's gonna be a constant, and we've got a lot of other young players."

It still took an infusion of experience at the trade deadline to get the Caps into the playoffs. Fedorov is 38, Huet is 32 and Cooke is 29. But as much as those players have helped, the Caps' youth has rubbed off.

"I think we keep them young," Laich said. "Sometimes if they're not feeling overjoyed or up, or they don't have that much energy, they see the young guys skating around and see how much fun we have playing the game. I think it brings them back. Like with Fed. We call him the 28-year-old Fedorov right now."

By Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Apr. 19, 2008:

...Two players on the roster have played for teams who rallied from a 3-1 deficit.

Sergei Fedorov's Detroit Red Wings did it in 1992 against the Minnesota North Stars. He counts his overtime winner in Game 6 as one of his favorites as an NHL player.

"We have to move on. We have to forget that experience whether it is winning or losing," Fedorov said. "That's what I learned before the most. Talking about '92, I was young and it was just exciting to be in the playoffs. If you feel positive and think positive for a day or two, you can be fine. You come back with a new attitude and you can be rejuvenated."

Twenty? Why not 21?

The best thing for Caps is that Ovechkin hasn't played his best game yet. It is due, it is coming...

The Canadian Press, Apr. 21, 2008:

"Twenty?" defenceman Steve Eminger asked. "Why not 21?"

The Capitals went through an optional skate early Friday afternoon, trying to shake off the anger and soreness from Thursday night's double overtime 4-3 loss at Philadelphia. Coach Bruce Boudreau addressed the team, delivering the familiar "don't-give-up" message due from any leader who knows the next loss means the end of the season.

"I've got a favourite saying: 'The things that are the most rewarding are the things that people say you can't do,"' said Boudreau, who has a three-game losing streak for the first time as an NHL head coach.

His words might seem trite to some, but probably not for this group. The Capitals, after all, were the worst team in the NHL when Boudreau was hired in November and played Game 7 hockey for the final two weeks of the regular season, winning seven straight merely to get into the post-season.

And now, a chance to become the 21st team to come back from 3-1? Bring it on.

The Capitals, however, will be hard-pressed to draw even if they don't make progress on two fronts: They need to stop Danny Briere, and they need to get Alex Ovechkin some decent scoring chances.

Briere has five goals in the series, including the tying goal in the third period of Game 4. Ovechkin has only one, the winner in Game 1.

Ovechkin accumulated a league-high 65 goals during the regular season by taking 446 shots on goal (5.44 per game), the second highest tally in NHL history. He had only one shot on goal Thursday and has just 13 in the series (3.25 per game). He's had 14 shots blocked in the four games, while 14 others have missed the net.

"Any game he doesn't score, he's due," Boudreau said. "His bar is set so high, people are expecting miracles from him. The longer the series goes, the more chances he's going to have. You know he's going to break out."

It's not over

When Caps got into playoffs someone on the Caps forum wrote "I woke up this morning, what a beautiful day to be alive". Guess what? I woke up this morning and said "what a horrible day to be alive, life sucks" :) I predicted the victory and Caps were very very close to it. But when they went to overtime, I saw a bad sign, Caps were outplaying Flyers, getting a ton of great scoring chances, but couldn't capitalize. In sports it means the opposite side will.

Oh well, we are moving forward to game 6 now and "It's not over", like Ovechkin said. I sure hope I will wake up Sunday morning and I'd say "What a beautiful day to be alive!"

By Sam Donnellon Philadelphia Daily News, Apr. 18, 2008: "That was an unbelievable hockey game," Knuble said. "Both teams played really hard and battled to the end. They got great chances to score. So did we. We were just lucky enough to have ours go in." Ovechkin set up Washington's first two goals, but he will be remembered in this game for leaving Knuble alone on the game-winner. Briere gave the Caps life, but took it away with the tying goal in the third. By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer, Apr. 18, 2008: The Flyers trailed, 3-2, about halfway through the third period when Huet made a spectacular diving save across the crease to deflect Scottie Upshall's shot with his glove hand. The puck was headed for an empty net. "He made that great save on me. He really stepped up," Upshall said. "The Capitals really played a great game. I give them credit. I expect them to come out like that on Saturday." But the most impressive difference was Washington coach Bruce Boudreau's moving Ovechkin off the point on the power play, into the low slot. The result? The Russian winger had two power-play assists in the first period. By Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Sports Columnist, Apr. 18, 2008: For Flyers fans, there were two ways to look at the home team's inability to handle these high-energy Caps. An optimist would say a bit of a letdown was inevitable, given how intense the Flyers had been for three games. A pessimist might worry that the Caps had seized momentum and control of the series. The Flyers had played their worst and won. It took nearly 4 1/2 periods, but they won. By ED MORAN, Philadelphia Daily News, Apr. 18, 2008: In the next shift, the Caps' Alexander Semin went after Briere and ended up in a fight with Scott Hartnell. The refs didn't see Semin throw the first punch, apparently, because Briere was called for a double minor, one for holding the stick and one for roughing. "It's a 1 o'clock game [tomorrow]," Knuble said. "Everybody will be chomping at the bit to get down there, close out this thing and move on."

By Tarik El-Bashir, Washington Post Staff Writer, Apr. 18, 2008:

After looking ordinary in the first three games, Huet was stellar Thursday, stopping 42 shots. But he wasn't able to stop Knuble's second goal of the series.

"We needed that game," Huet said. "But I think we played our first playoff hockey-style game. It's urgent that we win the next game. That's all we can think about now."

Eminger got his first of the playoffs -- he didn't have didn't have a single goal during the regular season -- to put Washington ahead 3-2. The goal was Eminger's first goal since Jan. 16, 2007, in Ottawa, and was a small measure of redemption for a player who was overlooked for most of the season.

But with Jeff Schultz suffering from back spasms, Boudreau turned to Eminger on Thursday -- and the former first-round draft pick took full advantage of the opportunity.

The Capitals' improved overall performance meant little in the silent visitors' locker room, where the realization that the season will depend on Saturday's outcome hit hard.

"Well, you never give up," said Ovechkin, who missed an open net early in the third period when the puck bounced over his stick. "So it's not over. That's all I can say: It's not over."

By Mike Wise, Washington Post sports columnist, Apr. 18, 2008:

Backstrom, who never met a barbell he liked, almost went toe-to-toe with Brière during that scrum in the opening minutes. A snowflake in the series up to Game 4, the sedentary Swede was suddenly charged. He scored his first playoff goal moments later.

Same with Semin, who started the little brouhaha and then guided home a power-play rocket just left of the net. He met aggression with aggression each time the Flyers tried to rattle him.

Ovechkin became an ornery chap, too. He camped in front of the crease as if he were the injured Chris Clark, whose work outside the net the Caps have missed the past week. After his first assist Ovechkin glared at the fans, almost mocking their anger. His checks were meaningful, menacing.

All ethnocentric bashing, whispered in the press box and beyond all week, ceased.

The tired cliches about Europeans being soft skaters, unprepared to handle the physical and mental grind of April the way good, old Canadian farm boys do, went out the window in the first 20 minutes. For the first time in four games, the postseason neophytes were finally making the Flyers' hit men pay for their crimes.

By Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Apr. 18, 2008:

Ovechkin, who was held to one shot on 10 attempts in 28 minutes of ice time, missed a bouncing puck with an empty net beckoning late in the third period.

By Thom Loverro, Washington Times, Apr. 18, 2008:

"The longer a series goes on, the more dislike players build up," said Boudreau, and by this point his players hated the Flyers and their fans like Philadelphia fans hate Santa Claus.

By David Elfin, Washington Times, Apr. 18, 2008:

Knuble said he was concerned when the Flyers trailed going into the third period for the first time in the series and when they were outplayed by the Caps in the first overtime.

By Mike Vogel, dump'n'chase, Apr. 18, 2008:

The Caps weathered an uncalled, blood-drawing high-stick from Braydon Coburn on Matt Bradley (ah, but we were told that one of the brilliant and impartial Philly TV guys termed it a “flop” on Bradley’s part), an event that was followed almost immediately by Caps defenseman Milan Jurcina being sent to the box for cross-checking on a play that most impartial observers we polled saw as a clean hit (save for the one(s) that counted, natch).

The Caps weathered a pair of uncalled high-sticks to the face of Alexander Semin, one from the blade of Joffrey Lupul and the other from Jim Dowd. Dowd’s certainly looked intentional and looked like intent to injure, as well.

The Caps overcame one call for too many men on the ice, but were unable to weather a second one; Danny Briere’s power play goal tied the game at 3-3 in the third.

The Caps overcame a late third period goaltender interference penalty on Viktor Kozlov, who was taken down (A: hooked, B: tripped, C: checked, D: both A&B) en route to the net on a semi-breakaway; the contact caused him to have resultant contact with Flyers goaltender Martin Biron.

The Caps were unable to overcome Mike Knuble’s overtime game-winner. Watch the replay and you’ll see Knuble take a stick swing at Caps goaltender Cristobal Huet just seconds before he potted the game-winner.

Kozlov: goaltender interference. Knuble: not so much.

Ultimately, the Caps failed to cash in on some scoring chances.

DC Pro Sports Report, Apr. 18, 2008:

They played with heart. They were physical. Who would have thought Semin and Backstrom would have been the rough ones? Semin played one of his best games of the post-season last night. Backstrom showed a mean streak. Huet was simply splendid in goal was some of the most amazing snags. The defense performed a bit better. The Caps were hitting. Overall, it was a big step up from the previous two losses.

–> Caps played better with Steve Eminger in the game. Not just from his scoring his first goal, but Eminger played pretty solid defense last night. Eminger made two sweet saves for Heut, led the team in hits and scored. Need anymore?

–> Alex Ovechkin had only 1 shot on goal. He also had a wide open net with a bouncing puck and failed to score.

And how about Huet. Many in the Capitals blogger nation and on message boards called for Olaf Kolzig to start. We didn’t. The last two games Huet was flooded with pressure, a Flyer’s onslaught both in shots and physical nature of play with an unresponsive Caps defense. But, last night Huet played one of his finest games. Huet kept the Capitals in with some fo the best saves I have seen this year.

Ovechkin will move closer to Timonen and the net

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer, Apr. 17, 2008:

"They are playing well and not giving me any space to shoot the puck," Ovechkin said yesterday, adding that the Flyers weren't necessarily physical with him.

"They just skate with me," he said.

Timonen said earlier in the week that his first objective was to stay with Ovechkin.

"He looks like he is not going anywhere, and then all of a sudden he scores a goal," Timonen said. "That is what you have to be aware of. Even if he is not with the puck, he is dangerous. He might be hiding. He's pretty quick, too. That makes him dangerous."

Washington changed its lines yesterday, as Ovechkin got a new center in Sergei Fedorov, who bounced Nick Backstrom down a line. Viktor Kozlov remained on the right wing.

What the Flyers have done so well in this series is not give up the odd-man rushes that often put them in harm's way. They've pressured the puck consistently in the last two games, and when they've sensed vulnerability in the Capitals, they've tried to pile on with more goals.

One thing the Flyers must contend with tonight is a different look by the Capitals on the power play. Coach Bruce Boudreau moved Ovechkin from the half boards to the slot. Fedorov joins Mike Green at the point. Alexander Semin has been moved to the second unit.

So Ovechkin will move closer to Timonen and the net.

"Whoever is out there has to stop him," Timonen said.

By Ray Parrillo, Inquirer Staff Writer, Apr. 17, 2008:

It's taken some good ones - some great ones, in fact - more than their first playoff series to find a way.

In his first NHL playoff series, in 1980, Wayne Gretzky had no points as the Flyers swept Edmonton in three straight in a best-of-five series. Bobby Clarke went scoreless in his first playoff series, when the Flyers were swept by Chicago in 1971. More recently, the Pittsburgh tandem of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin was not a factor in its initial series.

Asked if Ovechkin was still trying to adjust to playoff hockey, Boudreau shrugged.

"I don't know if he's trying to make the adjustment," the coach said. "It's hard to say what playoff hockey is. It's more intense and, I mean, he's an intense guy. So it shouldn't be that much of an adjustment.

"It's more the attention he's getting. He's just not getting the opportunities he normally does, and credit Philadelphia for that."

They just skate with me

Have to give Flyers coaching staff a nod, they figured it out. They are not playing physical against Ovechkin, instead they put another European player Kimmo Timonen to contain him. Going physical against Ovechkin is like waking up a giant, Montreal tried it and got nailed. The Lightning Coach Tortorella said "You can skate with him. That's the key, he is constantly moving... But again, Ovechkin is a different animal than a lot of players in this league. You can't stop him, you just try to limit him, but you can't stop him..."

Can Ovechkin shake them off? We'll see it tomorrow...

CBCSports.ca, Apr. 16, 2008 "WAS vc PHI":

OVIE GETS A NEW CENTRE

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau might have a new wrinkle for Game 4.

Nick Backstrom won't be centring Alexander Ovechkin. This game, it could be Sergei Fedorov.

"They are playing well and not giving me any space to shoot the puck," Ovechkin said.

Ovie has been doing too much hovering in this series and is not moving his feet. The Flyers aren't hitting him, but every player around him who can get the Russian the puck.

"They just skate with me," Ovechkin said.

BOUDREAU ON FRUSTRATION

Is Ovechkin getting frustrated in this series?

"He said he's not," Boudreau said. "He said he not getting frustrated. He's just got to be better. My history with him is that you can't keep a good man down. They're doing a good job on him. Every time he touches the puck, they're hitting him. He's got to find a way, and he's a very hockey player. He's not just talented. He's also very, very intelligent. He's got to find away from it. The good ones do. And I'm certain he will."

The best thing for us is that we haven't played our best game yet

Eric Fehr is the only Caps player who finished with +2 in +/-.

"It's 2-1 in a seven-game series and conceivably it could have been 3-0, but it's not. It's 2-1," Boudreau said. "We haven't played our best hockey. Maybe we're learning as a young team what it's going to take to beat these guys. Hopefully, we're learning very quickly." *

Thom Loverro, Apr. 16, 2008, Washington Times

"I think the best thing for us is that we haven't played our best game yet," said Eric Fehr, who scored one of the Capitals three goals last night.

They must be saving it for when they need it.

Now, the question will be: What can the Capitals do tomorrow night to even the series before it goes back to the District on Saturday for Game 5. Cristobal Huet had been the hot goalie during Washington's run for the playoffs, but he has taken a beating in this series, though he is getting little help on defense. Last night the Capitals were outshot 33-19.

Don't expect to see franchise icon Olie Kolzig in goal tomorrow night, though. Boudreau said after last night's loss that he'll stay with Huet.

Something, though, needs to happen to get the message to the young Capitals.

It's not a complicated message. "Just drive to the net, shoot the puck and get some rebounds," Boudreau said after this latest loss. "It's been like that since the beginning of time."

Early in the first period, shooters like Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin floated around the outside, passing off to each other, 15 feet from the goal, with no one parking themselves anywhere close to goalie Martin Biron. On the other side of the ice, you would have thought there were two goaltenders — Huet and Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell or whatever other Flyers player was in front of the net.

Yet despite the failed lessons learned, the Capitals nearly got out of it unscathed — a scoreless period until 16:10, when Danny Briere, the star of this series so far, got one past Huet for a 1-0 Flyers lead.

Even then, just a little more than a minute later, Washington managed to tie it, thanks to the two players who executed the style of play the team so desperately needed throughout its star-studded young lineup. Donald Brashear was working behind the Flyers net against the boards to get the puck, and he got it to Eric Fehr, who was battling for space in front of the Flyers net and slapped it in for the score.

The Caps should be thankful for Brashear, who also scored the team's first goal in their 5-4 win over Philadelphia in Game 1. And Fehr was in there on a call by Boudreau, replacing Tomas Fleischmann.

"Bigger and stronger, pretty well that's it," Boudreau said of the decision to insert Fehr for Fleischmann. "They are a pretty physical team. [Fehr] is pretty strong and pretty good along the boards."

There wasn't enough big and strong, though, to stop the Flyers from taking the game over, scoring two goals in the last two minutes of the period in a 17-second span. All the Capitals could hope for then was to get back to the locker room down 3-1 before any more damage was done and find out why they were playing as poorly as they did in Game 2.

There was more evidence of trying to work closer to the net in the second period. Mike Green scored his third goal of the playoffs on a power play at 7:28 to cut the deficit to 3-2. And Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov were more of a presence around the Flyers' goal. But it failed to lead to a score, and Philadelphia took a 4-2 lead on a power-play goal by Briere, his fourth of the series, with just 10 seconds left in the period.

Washington scored early in the third period on a shot by Laich, but there was never a sense the game had changed. The Flyers iced it on a penalty shot score by Mike Richards with about three minutes left in the game, and then added the embarrassment of an empty net score by Mike Knuble after the Capitals pulled Huet with less than two minutes left.

The Capitals are down 2-1 in the series, and still have yet to learn this lesson about playoff hockey — that every game is urgent.

By Ben Goessling and Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Apr. 16, 2008

PHILADELPHIA — Sergei Fedorov has been asked to play defense enough times in his career that he's comfortable volunteering to do it, even in a playoff game. So when Jeff Schultz when down after five shifts with what the defenseman said were back spasms, Fedorov spoke up.

The 38-year-old center filled in for much of the game on the blue line last night, giving the Washington Capitals six defensemen to finish the game. He skated 24 shifts, still managing to lead the team with 11 faceoff wins.

"Coach and I came to a decision. I volunteered to play a little bit of defense, and he agreed," Fedorov said. "I went back there for a couple shifts. But then it worked out good, so I stayed a couple more."

Fedorov occasionally played defense for the Detroit Red Wings during his 13 years there and filled in there for the Columbus Blue Jackets last year. He said he had not discussed the possibility with coach Bruce Boudreau before the game, but the coach said the impromptu move worked well.

"I thought he moved the puck well. The pace of the game was such that our 'D' was getting pretty tired, especially when Mike Green broke a skate blade in the second period and missed time and he got seven minutes in the box [in the third]," Boudreau said. "We needed to give these guys a break, and if we ever need to put Sergei back there, what better time to experiment at it, so that's what we did."

Winning in playoffs comes from experience. Experience comes from losing in playoffs

I do believe that Caps are slowly finding their game vs. Flyers. In the first two games, except 3rd period in game one, Caps were completely outplayed. Game 3 was much, much better. Now Caps have the reasons to hate Flyers and that's good, it can change momentum. That little punk Briere, Hartnell running Huet? Upshall? You know how karma works. Caps were too polite to Flyers in game 2.

Caps were outhit in the first, but they finished the game with 19 hits, Flyers finished with 21 hits.

So far giveaways are killing Caps and they can change it. First period 1:3, could be 1:2, but Juice gave the puck to Flyers. Second period 1:1, and it was 1:0, but Briere scored on PP in the last minute (PPG, 19:50 in 2nd). Ouch, that hurts! And in the third the score was 1:2, where Flyers were awarded a penalty shot and it was followed by empty netter.

Bruce Boudreau was outcoached so far. He 'slept well' after game one while Flyers coaching stuff was watching the tapes. In game 2 Flyers knew 'every breath Caps take, every move Caps make', they've been watching a lot of Caps. BB needs to make more changes to surprise Flyers, watch more of Flyers tapes. And he probably did, because Caps were much better prepared this time.

Fedorov. What a smooth skater he is, you could especially see it when he played defense for injured Schultz. Would be nice to put him on a blue line on PP and move Ovechkin up front. Fedorov, I believe, had over 100 mph shot at All-star competition. The PP play that Caps had since trade line is no secret to anyone in NHL, it needs to be changed.

Huet didn't allow a single soft goal, but he didn't deliver a miracle. Hard to blame him for that. I sure hope we won't see Kolzig in the net because it would be the end of playoff run.

Believe it or not, but I believe now (pun intended).

Go, Caps! Viva Ovechkin! (shhh.... He will own Flyers in game 4)

Caps stock is going up, Flyers' going down.

"Winning in playoffs comes from experience. Experience comes from losing in playoffs" -Unknown.

Flyers want it slow

WAYNE FISH,
phillyBurbs.com, Apr. 15, 2008:

So there will be a lot of intrigue when the series resumes Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Can the Flyers continue to impose their will and keep Alexander Ovechkin off the board? Or will the Caps be able to force the Flyers into undisciplined play?

“He’s probably one of the best players in the world,'’ Mike Richards offered after the Flyers’ 2-0 win at the Verizon Center. “He’s getting his opportunities but our defense did a good job of pressing up. . .making his opportunities (come) from the outside instead of last game in front of the net. It takes the whole five guys on the ice.'’

Richards has a great deal of respect for Ovechkin. Someone asked him if he looks forward to another 12 or 13 years of these battles. . .

“It’s going to be tough,'’ Richards smiled. “He’s such a great player that you admire how hard he works on his ice. You try to keep him under wraps but it’s so hard because he works so hard, he tries to find so much ice. He’s so strong, you just try to contain him.'’

R.J. Umberger said the Capitals are trying to speed the game up and the Flyers are trying to slow it down.

“Yeah, they want to go,'’ Umberger said. “That’s their game plan, to get the puck and go. Ovechkin wants to get his feet moving constantly. (Alexander) Semin, same thing. And once they get the puck, they’re dangerous. You have to keep a guy high and know where they are on the ice at all times.'’

You know how to slow it down even more? Put Hatcher on ice. He declared himself ready.


By Chuck Gormley, Sporting News, April 15, 2008

"It's not going to be a one-sided battle," Clarke predicted Monday when asked whom he favors in the deadlocked playoff war between Richards and Ovechkin.

"Mike isn't all of a sudden going to be 6-2, 220 pounds. He'll have some bruises when he's done. You've got to have (guts) to play against guys like this. They're not letting up and there are no easy shifts. Believe me, Ovechkin is going to take some lumps, too."

The Flyers pulled even with the Capitals in their best-of-seven series because they frustrated and tired Ovechkin in Game 2. Guarded heavily by Flyers defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, Ovechkin seemed like a beaten man Sunday afternoon, but he promised to rise again as the series shifted to Philly.

"We played a terrible game," Ovechkin said. "We didn't skate, we didn't hit, we didn't make a great forecheck and we need somebody in front of the goalie.

"I always said if we play our game nobody can stop us. But we didn't play our game (Sunday)."

When asked about facing Richards on Monday, Ovechkin said he didn't even notice him.

"I see Timonen and Coburn," Ovechkin said.

And he'll see plenty more of them in Philadelphia, where Flyers coach John Stevens will have the last change as home coach. Through the first two games of the series, Stevens has sent Timonen and Coburn over the boards virtually every time Ovechkin has stepped on the ice with linemates Nicklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov.

The Richards-Ovechkin battle, however, is the one that ultimately could define this series, and perhaps help shape Richards' career.

"I think Richards will have success against Ovechkin because Richards can check," Clarke said. "Ovechkin doesn't check. He's big and strong and can throw hits, but he's more of an offensive player than Mike. Mike is the whole package. He's as complete a hockey player as you'll find."

Richards, who gave Ovechkin his first NHL fight in a 2006 preseason game, is clearly uncomfortable discussing his role in this series. He has deflected nearly every question about Ovechkin, much the same way he deflects questions about Sidney Crosby, who could be waiting in the wings as an opponent later in the playoffs.

"He's a big leader for their hockey team and a great player," Richards said of Ovechkin. "You just need to know he can explode any time, so you need to keep an eye on him."

Richards, 23, said he has not given much thought to the prospect of facing Ovechkin, 22, and/or Crosby, 20, in the playoffs for the next decade or so.

Yet it's hard to ignore the fact that with a 12-year, $69 million contract, Richards' career as a Flyer will be defined by the way he handles the pressures of playing against the game's two best players. Ovechkin recently agreed to a 13-year, $124 million extension and Crosby is expected to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for the foreseeable future.

"When you face guys like that, more than anything you have to be strong mentally," said Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher. "He needs to take a sense of pride in stopping guys like Ovechkin. I played with Mike Modano in Dallas and he played against other team's best players all the time. Richie is a lot grittier than Mike, but Mike had a great career playing against other teams' top players."

So did Clarke, who became the Flyers' all-time leader in playoff games (136) and playoff points (119) in a Hall of Fame career. So, what does Clarke think about the prospect of Richards facing Ovechkin and Crosby for the rest of his playing career?

"He could be gray by the time he's 27," Clarke said.

Wikipedia update on Mike Milbury

April 13, 2008 As a commentator for NBC,
Milbury called Caps 'Crapitals' on National TV. He later apologized to Ted Leonsis and said he bought two Alex Ovechkin Caps hats for his kids. :-)

From Wikipedia: Mike Milbury

December 23, 1979 Madison Square Garden.
Milbury followed his teammates into the stands during a brawl and took a spectator's shoe off. He then used the shoe to beat the spectator.

Mike Milbury trades as GM that sent Islanders sinking (Look at these names, it's All-Star team!)

• Zdeno Chara


• Wade Redden


• Bryan Berard


• Eric Brewer


• Darius Kasparaitis


• Bryan McCabe


• Roberto Luongo


• Tommy Salo


• Olli Jokinen


• Todd Bertuzzi


• Raffi Torres

Milbury has also come under fire for his draft day decisions such as choosing Rick DiPietro first overall in 2000 over Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik; as well as his decision to include the 2001 second overall draft pick (Jason Spezza) as part of the Alexei Yashin trade.

Update: Stu Hackel, Apr. 15, 2008, slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com

Employing the same sterling judgment he used when trading the likes of Zdeno Chara, Roberto Luongo and Ole Jokinen, Milbury’s off-color remarks about the Washington Capitals angered Caps fans and caused owner Ted Leonsis to seek an apology, which Mad Mike delivered.

Milbury did not apologize for calling Alex Ovechkin a dog, however.

Can’t you just see Mad Mike as Caps GM, trading OV to Vancouver for the rights to an out of contract 35 year old Markus Naslund and a fifth round draft choice?

LOL. That's a good one.

From cbcsports.ca:

MAD MIKE

The dog has been unleashed by NBC's Mike Milbury. During Sunday's telecast, he referred to the Capitals as the "Crapitals" and called Alexander Ovechkin "a dog" on the ice. Milbury apologized on the air for the remark about "Crapitals."

As for the dog, he was speaking about the game and Ovechkin's performance. "If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, it is a dog."

In truth, Ovechkin was doing a lot of hovering, but name me a 65-goal scorer who doesn't float in games to "cheat" for offensive chances? Lemieux, Gretzky and Crosby all do their cheating. Ovechkin's stood out because no one – specifically, Mike Green – could get him the puck in neutral ice to generate any those cheating attacks. Urf, urf!

The Penguins should ditch Crosby to keep Malkin

Ken Campbell, THN, Apr. 14, 2008

But when you look at the two of them right now, can you honestly say Crosby will ultimately be a clearly superior player to Malkin?

And what about the injury factor? The relentless way Crosby plays the game makes him a prime candidate for a shorter career with more chance of injuries. In fact, his high ankle sprain this season came after he was pulled down while driving to the net, something that happens with alarming regularity when it comes to Crosby.

Now, please, understand I’m not suggesting the Penguins should ditch Crosby to keep Malkin.

This is exactly what you're saying, Ken. Poor Sidney, can you imagine such blashemy just 4 months ago?

Bobby Clarke: He's the best player in the game right now

The Edmonton Journal, Apr. 13, 2008:

When asked Friday how many points he had in his NHL debut, Clarke didn't have to think long.

"None. I don't think our team scored a goal in our four straight losses to the Blackhawks (1970-71)," said the Hall of Famer, who watched Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals get two points in his coming-out party, which was no surprise to Clarke.

"He's the best player in the game right now," said Clarke, trying to put a finger on who Alex the Great reminds him of.

"How about Mark Messier because of his strength?" somebody asks.

"Yeah, maybe, but I think Ovechkin has more talent than Mark did."

Not exactly a low-profile comment, but Clarke, who was wowed by Messier the first time he saw the baby bull in the 1980 Edmonton Oilers-Flyers playoff, seldom ducks a question.

Jokes aside and skipping Clarke's horrible job as GM, what a great player he was himself. That toothless smile, he was very charismatic on his own way. You know what? He has some similarities with Ovechkin. Ooops, I said that. :)

Are you ready to rumble?

Go, Ovechkin!
Go! Go! Ovechkin!

Ovechkin interviews Green

That's a pretty hilarious stuff. Here's the link to that video interview with Mike Green (it's at the end).
Ovechkin: Green! Let's go!
Green: Where?
Ovechkin: Interview! Let's go!
Mike Green doesn't move. He is still being interviewed with this bunch. Oveckin gets tired, comes to the crowd that surrounded Green, takes the microphone... The rest from AP (Apr. 12, 2008):

Having done just about everything else for the Washington Capitals - including win his first playoff game with a late third-period goal - Alex Ovechkin assumed the job of correspondent Saturday, taking a microphone and quizzing teammate Mike Green.

"How do you feel when I jump on you when you score second goal?'' the league MVP favorite asked.

"I get a little nervous when you chase me,'' Green answered.

"It was pretty sick, right?'' Ovechkin said with a big, toothy grin.

A few seconds later, the one with the mop of hair and scraggly beard (Ovechkin) and the one with the playoff mohawk (Green) were walking out of the locker room together. Goal-wise, they represented the entirety of Washington's comeback from a two-goal, third-period deficit in Friday night's 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1.

"You're only going to see that guy getting better and better through the playoffs,'' Capitals left wing Donald Brashear said.

Ovie-mania was on full display at the Capitals' practice facility. A woman sported a homemade "Mrs. Ovechkin" jersey, and two others wore self-designed "Russian machine never breaks" T-shirts. Several hundred fans packed the rink, making the place livelier than the Verizon Center in a midweek November game against Atlanta. Red balloons were everywhere, and no one could remember such a long line of customers outside the team's official store.

All-in-all, the Capitals couldn't be writing a better story. They put together seven consecutive must-wins to snatch a playoff berth at the end of the regular season, then overcame a two-goal deficit to win a playoff game - something that's never happened before in franchise history - with their emerging superstar capping the victory.

"It's not by design,'' veteran forward Sergei Fedorov said. "That's fantasy land.''

But there's a long way to go, as shown by this sobering stat from the Washington archives: The Capitals have lost a playoff series an astounding 12 out of 18 times after winning Game 1.

"I'm sure both teams are going to make adjustments,'' Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I think they felt they deserved to win, and if I was them I'd feel the same way in a lot of respects.''

Notes: Flyers LW Patrick Thoresen was released from the hospital after tests revealed no serious injury to his groin after blocking a shot in the third period. He said he might play Sunday. "The chance is there because there is nothing wrong right now,'' Thoresen said. "It's just a matter of pain. Right now it doesn't feel like I am ready to go because I am very sore.'' ... Flyers D Derian Hatcher (leg) said he won't play in Game 2 but is optimistic about Game 3 in Philadelphia on Tuesday. "I'll skate with the team Monday and we'll go from there,'' Hatcher said.

Here are the links to nice pix... The Frozen Moment (Game 1) and The Game One's Photo Gallery

Dave Schultz is back for game 2

RON CORTES / Inquirer Staff Photographer
The sign on Philadelphia Inquirer site (Philly.com) sez:

The Flyers' Vinny Prospal , who scored twice in the loss, is restrained by an official as he stares down Capitals goalie Cristobal Huet.

Scary stuff, Broad Street Bullies, you know...

Did I scare you? hehehe

Jeff Schultz is back, not Dave Schultz. The tallest Caps d-man (6'6") is ready for game 2 tomorrow and will patrol the blue line along with Tom Poti.
Back to former member of Broad Street Bullies Flyers. He is busy selling the memoirs "The Hammer: Confessions of a Hockey Enforcer (Hardcover) by Dave Schultz".

This is just in, Vinny Prospal said he wants to be called Hammer.

- Hey, Coach?
- Yeah?

- I think I'm gonna change my name.
- Oh, yeah?

- Yeah. Hammer. Vinny the Hammer.

- Hey, that's got a nice ring to it, kid.
- Yeah.

In other news Tarik El-Bashir reports about Flyers forward Patrick Thoresen. "I'm told that his injury is not as serious as originally thought, and that it's possible he'll play tomorrow." Get well, Thor!

The team originally feared that the injury was serious enough that Thoresen might have had to undergo surgery to have a testical removed.

And someone said that the Flyers don't have balls. Not true.

It went een! I swear Gawd!

By James Duthie, The Ottawa Citizen, Apr. 12, 2008

When your favourite NHL team doesn't make the playoffs or is headed toward quick elimination in the first round (not that you'd know any team like that), hockey fans can do one of two things: Turn off the TV, go outside and rake the ... ah ... snow, or go to Plan B and bandwagon-jump another club.

C'mon, we all do it. It doesn't mean you have to buy their car flag. You just quietly release your inner Angelina Jolie and adopt them for a couple of months.

And right now, the Washington Capitals are harder to resist than a puppy in a shelter.

This is due almost entirely to the infectious enthusiasm and amusing facial hair of one Alexander Ovechkin.

Case in point last night. Held in check for most of Game 1 against Philadelphia, he exploded in the third period with a key assist on the tying goal, a ridiculous double-steal game-winner, and a fistful of big hits in the final minute. "Hello playoffs, I'm Alex. Get used to me."

After two years of playing bass to lead singer Sidney Crosby in the small band of NHL megastars, this is Ovechkin's time. The Great Eight has already won the Art Ross and the Rocket Richard, and the Hart is a formality. He has also caught Crosby in terms of mass popularity.

If they meet in the second round, it will be the hockey equivalent of Tiger and Phil in the final pairing tomorrow at Augusta. No, wait, it's better. Tiger and Phil can't whack each other in the back of the knees with their lob wedges (and that's a shame).


While Sidney is polished and corporate slick, Ovechkin is still a raw, wild child. He has barely changed from the rookie who jumped around the tee-box screaming after getting a hole-in-one at the Capitals' golf tournament, yelling to teammates across three fairways: "It went een! I swear a Gawd!"

He celebrates every goal like it's the OT winner in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final (can't wait to see what he does when he actually scores the OT winner in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final).

He is adored by coaches, teammates and ... opponents. At an after-after-after party (put it this way: it was late) at the NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, a group of players greeted Ovechkin's arrival with cheers, man-hugs and high-fives, like he was the president of their fraternity. Alpha Phi Snipe.

When the NHL's Slam-Dunk Contest-style shootout made its debut earlier that night (whose goofy idea was that, anyway? Oh. Right.), he was the only one with the onions to attempt the kind of circus tricks the league was hoping for. Even when he whiffed, the crowd went nuts.

The kids just gets it. On ice and off. Back in February, we were doing a story about a six-year-old cancer survivor, Jordan Primeau, whose dream was to meet the Toronto Maple Leafs (children get confused at that age). Ovechkin happened to be in town, and when he heard about the story, asked if he could meet the boy, too. He came to the rink early to spend a few minutes with Jordan, and gave him an autographed stick. Jordan's allegiances are now torn.

He's not alone. In hockey fashion, the Capitals are the new black. They aren't the traditional Cinderella, thanks to the wonky seeding system that allows the eighth-best team in the conference to have the third spot. In fact, most consider them a slight favourite against Philadelphia. But they still carry that underdog air. Their coach is a lovable career minor-leaguer who looks like Benny Hill, and does nothing but win.

So if you've given up hope on your team, fret not. The Adopt-the-Caps program is free, and available to frustrated fans of all playoff-missing and soon-to-be playoff-eliminated clubs.

By Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Sports Columnist, Apr. 12, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Flyers learned two discouraging things last night.

They learned that Alex Ovechkin is every bit as good as advertised, and they learned that Marty Biron just might not be as good as they need him to be.

The Capitals' 22-year-old Russian superstar spent most of his Friday evening skating around, hovering along the periphery of the action. He threw a couple of checks, made a couple decent passes, fired a puck or two wide of the net. Nothing that made you think you were watching the best hockey player in the universe.

And then, in a ridiculous flash, Ovechkin single-handedly won Game 1 of this first-round playoff series by undressing three professional hockey players in one brazen motion.

The third of those victims was Biron, although Ovechkin got to the goaltender only by skating through a puddle where defenseman Lasse Kukkonen had been a moment before.

It was an astonishing, singular effort by Ovechkin. He took a routine play - Kukkonen was making a pass to partner Jaroslav Modry that you see 100 times a game - and turned it into a game- and maybe series-changing goal.

"Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, Lasse makes the right play there," Flyers center Mike Richards said.

This was that hundredth time.

First, Ovechkin broke up the pass, muscling the puck off Modry's stick. It rolled back toward Kukkonen, who started forward without realizing that Ovechkin was still in monster mode. Ovechkin lifted Kukkonen's stick, took the puck away and then turned to face Biron. He drifted toward his right, finally getting Biron to drop to the ice.

"I tried to throw everything I had at him," Biron said.

Ovechkin flipped the puck into the net, and the Capitals had turned a 4-2 Flyers lead into a rousing 5-4 victory.

"It's not devastating by any stretch," Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn said. "It's a game we would have liked to have."

"People are going to make the point that we were up and blah, blah, blah," Briere said, summarizing this column in advance. "We gave them a couple goals they really didn't have to work for. . . . It's frustrating to lose, but we can't put our heads down. We can't start pointing fingers at anybody."

Except for that Ovechkin fella, that is.

Jim Matheson, The Edmonton Journal, April 12, 2008

"I was so nervous when I had the puck the first two periods," said Ovechkin, who stole the puck from Flyers defenceman Lasse Kukkonen with four minutes left and ripped a shot over a sprawling Martin Biron to rally his team to a win in a hugely entertaining opening game.

Kukkonen tried to clear it to his defence partner Jaroslav Modry, but it bounced back to Kukkonen and Ovechkin picked his pocket.

"My first playoff game, I guess. My hands were shaking," admitted Ovechkin, who was belting Flyers throughout the contest. He had a game-high eight hits, including two on Kimmo Timonen and Mike Richards in the last minute of the third period.

His trademark soft hands, however, had deserted him. Ovechkin didn't register his first shot on net until 53 minutes into the game.

Ovechkin led the NHL with a staggering 446 shots this season.

"I couldn't feel the game, I was in and out. The goal, a lucky break," he said.

It was a signature play by the world's best player and the 20th time this season Ovechkin had scored in the last 10 minutes of a game. He has the same sense of theatre Wayne Gretzky had.

Earlier in the third period, Ovechkin set up defenceman Mike Green's second goal of the night to give him two points in his first post-season game.

Gretzky also had a goal and an assist in his playoff debut on April 8, 1980, a 4-3 Edmonton Oilers overtime loss to the Flyers.

"I always tell people I want to be like Gretzky," Ovechkin said jokingly at the Verizon Center, where the Capitals faithful packed the house with painted faces and mohawk haircuts to celebrate his playoff coming-out party.

He didn't disappoint anybody.

By Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Apr. 12, 2008

Ovechkin potted the game-winner with 4:32 remaining in the third period of a wild 5-4 victory for the Caps.

"I don't think I would be so nervous," Ovechkin said.

"You can see if first two periods I have great chances to score goals. I said, 'Just calm down, calm down. It is coming and we're still in the game.' ... [It] was one of the biggest goals of my career."

"It is amazing in sports how great moments follow great players," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They just seem to be in the right place at the right time. If you are a star baseball player, it seems like you are coming to bat with the runner on second base. Those are things that happen.

"For his first playoff game, he finished it off OK."

ESPN, APr. 12, 2008

Before the game, Boudreau was asked how his young team would handle the postseason. The answer might have sounded surprising: "I think of anybody, the most nervous guy is probably Alex."

And afterward Ovechkin confirmed that he had the jitters.

"It was different," Ovechkin said between gasps of air.

Perhaps he was winded thanks to his goal celebration. First, he sprinted over and slammed his body into the glass. Then, he did a high-step along the boards. And finally, he skated all the way down to the other end to exchange high-fives with Washington goalie Cristobal Huet.

Ovechkin also acknowledged being tired after dealing with the Flyers' warm introduction to the playoffs. Kukkonen greeted Ovechkin with an extra tap here, an extra shove there. Mike Knuble said "Hello" with an extra stick to the ribs. And Ovechkin, whose 446 shots were the second-most in a season in NHL history, did not register one on this night until nearly 13 minutes into the third period.

"We did a good job of containing him," Philadelphia's Scottie Upshall said, "for the first 45 minutes."

Not long enough, clearly.

Known as Alex the Great

(Nick Wass/Associated Press)

Ovechkin's first playoff game goal and it is the game winner. What else can you expect from Ovechkin?

OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER + 1, 1 goal, 1 assist, ice time 21:50

AP, Apr. 11, 2008 "Caps draw the first blood":

WASHINGTON — Boxed in and bumped around all game, Alex Ovechkin eventually figured out a way to make his NHL playoff debut a memorable one.

Held without a shot until late in the third period, the league's leading scorer stole the puck and netted the tiebreaking goal with 4 1/2 minutes remaining, leading the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Friday night.

The Flyers led 4-2 heading into the final period, thanks to two goals apiece by Danny Briere and Vaclav Prospal. But Ovechkin helped set up the first of two goals by defenceman Mike Green that lifted Washington into a tie.

And then Ovechkin, who set a NHL record for goals by a left wing this season with 65, put the finishing touch on the Capitals' first playoff game since 2003.

The 22-year-old Russian known as Alex the Great took the puck away from defenceman Lasse Kukkonen and slid it past goalie Martin Biron. As the red-clad crowd's "M-V-P!" chants rang through the arena, Ovechkin raced over and jumped into the glass to celebrate, then did a high-step along the boards before skating all the way down to the other end to exchange high-fives with his team's goalie, Cristobal Huet.

James Mirtle blog, pr. 11, 2008

I can't recall looking forward to a first-round playoff game this much in a long, long time. What can I say, Washington's captured the imagination of an awful lot of hockey fans.

What a goal, what a game. Washington wins, 5-4, and I don't think Philly knows what hit them.

The Canadian Press "Flyers LW Thoresen taken to hospital after hit in groin by Ovechkin shot"

WASHINGTON — Flyers left wing Patrick Thoresen was taken to the hospital for tests after getting hit in the groin by a shot off Alex Ovechkin's stick during Philadelphia's 5-4 loss to Washington on Friday night.

"He's going to the hospital to get an ultrasound done on his testicles. It's bad enough they may have to remove one," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "Right now, we're not sure how serious it is, but there's a chance he may need surgery."

Thoresen blocked Ovechkin's shot with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the game, then dropped to the ice, writhing in pain. Moments later, Washington scored to tie the game 4-4.

"Obviously, I'd have liked to see a whistle," Flyers coach John Stevens said.

Thoresen was helped off the ice and taken to the locker room.