Friday, game #13, a night before Halloween

3:4, Islanders win in OT.

Well, it could be worse, Ovi went off the ice in pain... he was hit by the puck in the 3rd. Semin was in visible pain twice in the 3rd as well...

Islanders are definitely a team on the rise... at least for now...

The third period was completely taken by the Caps, wave after wave of Capitals attacks were leaving the only last man behind Isles defense standing, Dwayne Roloson was awesome...


Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin battles for the puck against New York Islanders center Frans Nielsen during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, in Washington.



And it started with all good signs for the Caps, Ovechkin scored the goal on PP and the night was promising, I was thinking "a hat-trick" for Ovi. But as it happened before, Ovi and the Caps got too cute. Yes, Ovi coud score 3 ,4 ,5 goals, but instead of shooting the puck he was trying to pass to his partners and even his partners could not believe him. C'mon, the 100% game moment for Ovi to shoot and he was giving the pass instead? That was it and Isles were happy to take it.

Ovi's stats:
1 goal, -1, total ice time 25:51, 20 shifts, avarage shift 01:17, PP 08:58, 7 shots on goal, 4 attempts blocked, 4 shots missed, 1 hit, 1 giveaway, 2 takeaways.

Good News?

Nicky was better in faceoffs: 10 won, 7 lost, 59%.

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A praise from unlikely source

And that's why it is worth of admission. :-)

By Mike Milbury, Oct. 30, 2009:

Please don't wax poetic about Hull and Howe and Shore. Today's players are bigger, stronger, faster, better conditioned, better coached and with better equipment. The players of the 50s couldn't keep up. And there’s so many of them that you don't need to consult the standings to name a bunch of them. Kopitar in LA. Bobby Ryan in Anaheim. Duchene and O'Reilly in Colorado. Toews and Kane in Chicago. Stamkos in Tampa. Kovalchuk in Atlanta. Gaborik in New York. Parise in New Jersey. Crosby and Malkin and Fleury in Pittsburgh. And on and on.

But it is in Washington where the new generation’s poster boy resides. Hey, Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom and Mike Green are all stars in their own right, but the lightning rod is Alex Ovechkin.

The attraction? He is the next Mr. Hockey, the newly-defined Mr. Hockey. The computerized, twittered, facebooked, instantly gratified and accessible Mr. Hockey.

Why? It might be because he embodies effort on every shift. It could be his courage to be vulnerable to make a play or to confront the behemoths of the NHL. Maybe it's his ability to create a dangerous play when there seems nothing available. Or it could be his ability to release the puck with frightening speed and velocity. Really, is there a flaw? He celebrates too much? Yikes, what a cad.

The gift of Orr

I had the privilege of watching Bobby Orr first-hand. He had the same qualities as Ovechkin. The courage, speed, creativity, skill and ability to defy convention that makes us enraptured. Gifts given to a few, not just in the NHL, but in the history of pro sports.

And Ovechkin takes it a step further. He shares his joy. It's been a long time since I scored and NHL goal ... go ahead and snicker, but how many did you get? But when Ovechkin plays and scores, I relive that elation and share in his. Even the casual fan cannot help but be sucked into the World According to Ovechkin when Alex is on display.

It matters not to me that some would say Ovechkin needs to pass the test of time and earn rings to claim his place in the pantheon of hockey gods. Bull. He is there already and I can't get enough of him.

Mad Mike is a second person I know of who compares Ovechkin to Bobby Orr. The first one was from Kevin Dupond, March 23, 2009:

Beyond question, the 23-year-old Ovechkin is the game's most exciting player, and with nearly a half-century of watching the game as a reference point, I'm going to say he's the most exciting player the game has ever seen. The only other two that come close, as far as I'm concerned, are Bobby Orr, the iconic Bruins defenseman, and Pavel Bure...

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Penguins' European scout Mark Kelley, "He is special, just special."

It was 6 years ago and how it all turned out... Ovechkin is even better than everyone had expected... (H/t to beergirl-1 "Pens wanted Ovechkin, badly")


By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer, June 29, 2003:

Big a deal as it was for the Penguins to land Marc- Andre Fleury in the NHL Entry Draft eight days ago, it might be even bigger if they end up with the top pick again in 2004.

Just ask Fleury.

"Oh, man, he's really good," Fleury said, shaking his head. "He does everything. He shoots, passes, hits, backchecks ... just everything."

The player of whom he speaks is Russian right winger Alexander Ovechkin, and Fleury is far from the only one to use offer such a superlative description.

"Everything that you've heard about him ... he's all that and probably more," said Mark Kelley, the Penguins' European scout. "He is special, just special."

How special?

Kelley wants no part of any comparisons between Ovechkin and any prospect drafted in the two decades before the time Ovechkin will be taken. Not even Eric Lindros of 1991.

"No way," Kelley said. "Lindros was as good a prospect as you could want in terms of size and talent, but he never had the passion for the game that Ovechkin has. Not even close."

So, who was the last player to impress Kelley this much?

"You have to go back to 1984."

Mario Lemieux.

...

"One of the funny things about Ovechkin is that it's often hard to gauge how good he is because he has played way above his age group for the past three years," Kelley said. "Well, at the Under-18 tournament, he was with his own, and he just dominated."

The consensus at the draft in Nashville last weekend was that Ovechkin would have been chosen first had he been eligible. And that almost was the case. He was born Sept. 17, 1985, two days after the cutoff date to be part of the 2003 draft class.

An indication of the eagerness with which Ovechkin alreayd is coveted was the Panthers' strange ploy last weekend to try to take advantage of this close-call birthday.

Florida General Manager Rick Dudley attempted in four different rounds to draft Ovechkin, arguing that, if leap-year dates were taken out of the equation, Ovechkin actually would turn 18 four days before his recognized birthday and thus have been eligible for 2003. The NHL rejected the Panthers all four times, but the league did comply with Florida's request to make the final one in writing. This way, if it is ruled that the Panthers were in the right, they could justify a claim on Ovechkin.

Dudley said team management hatched the idea a month ago, and he acknowledged its limited chance at success.

"It's a long shot," he said. "But, if it's a viable long shot, we would be a very happy crew because he's a special player."

The Penguins would figure to have as good a crack as any team at Ovechkin next year, given that they will employ perhaps the youngest and cheapest lineup in the NHL. But not even the worst record in the league will guarantee them the first pick. Each of the past four years, the worst team has failed to get the pick because another team won the draft lottery and moved up.

This much is certain: The team with the No. 1 pick next year will not be trading it away.

more...

Post-Gazette scan by Google

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Ovechkin's post game interview

Ovechkin: When we have a big lead, we stop playing

As of October 29, 2009:
Points 

1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH   22
2. Anze Kopitar, LA     21
3. Dustin Penner, EDM   19
4. Marian Gaborik, NYR  18
5. Patrick Marleau, SJ  17


Goals

1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH   13
2. Anze Kopitar, LA     10
3. Marian Gaborik, NYR  10
4. Patrick Marleau, SJ  10
5. Dustin Penner, EDM    9

Backstrom on faceoffs? Boy, he sucks. 4 FW, 10 FL, 29%. Worse than vs Flyers (38%)

Steckel is a monster: 13 FW, 5 FL, 72%.

Backstrom and Evason need to double their work on faceoffs, the sooner the better. It's all about hard work, Backie!

Hockey Night's 3 Stars from CBC | Hockey News

CBCSports.ca senior reporter Tim Wharnsby names Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Bryzgalov and Steven Stamkos as his top performers in the NHL from Thursday night.

FIRST STAR: Alex Ovechkin, Washington

The Great Eight collected two more goals in the Capitals 4-3 victory against Atlanta. He already has 13 goals in 12 games to lead the league and is on pace for an 88-goal season, a total that would surpass the career-high 65 goals he scored in 2007-08.

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Hockey fever in politics and pigskin town (video update)

By Lee-Anne Goodman (CP), Oct, 29, 2009, "In town known for politics and pigskin, Ovechkin and the Caps cause hockey fever"

Dressed in workout pants and flip-flops, there's no sign of the jubilant personality that's prompted Don Cherry to sneeringly call him a "goof." Instead, Ovechkin is soft-spoken and modest when asked about his role in reigniting hockey fever in a town better known for games involving politics and pigskin.




"It's not me, it's the whole organization," Ovechkin said. "I have some kind of trust to be who I am right now. The coaches in our organization and the players trust me, so I just try to do what I can do. And I love it, what I'm doing."

But there's no denying Ovechkin's status as the league's top goal-scorer, not to mention his entertaining on-ice antics, have helped sell out every home game this season. Ovechkin jerseys are a common sight in the D.C. area, not just in the city proper but in the sprawling Maryland and Virginia suburbs that encircle the town.

Ovechkin's teammates credit him with resurrecting the city's love affair with NHL hockey.

"When you have an Alex Ovechkin in your organization, they all want to come see him play," Brooks Laich, a 26-year-old forward from Wawota, Sask., said after practice. "And the response around town has been great. Everywhere you walk, you see jerseys, you see shirts, you see people wearing red ... Washington is a hockey town."

Nate Ewall, director of media relations for the Caps, agrees.
"The most amazing thing to me has been not just the sellouts, but how much more you see Caps hats and T-shirts around town, or hear people talking about the Caps," he said. "I'll wear a Caps shirt on the weekend and have people talk to me about the game the night before - that never used to happen."

more...

As of October 29, 2009:
Points 

1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH   22
2. Anze Kopitar, LA     21
3. Dustin Penner, EDM   19
4. Marian Gaborik, NYR  18
5. Patrick Marleau, SJ  17


Goals

1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH   13
2. Anze Kopitar, LA     10
3. Marian Gaborik, NYR  10
4. Patrick Marleau, SJ  10
5. Dustin Penner, EDM    9

Go, Ovechkin!



Go, go Ovechkin!

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Long and dreary night for Thrashers

1st period:
The arena is almost empty and dead quiet, the Thrashers fans know they have few chances vs Caps when their leader Kovalchuk is out with the injury. What's that saying? "I went to see the funeral in Atlanta and a hockey game broke out". That said, there's still no guarantee for Caps, they must play all 60 minutes.


ATLANTA - OCTOBER 29: Alex Ovechkin celebrates his second goal with teammate Nicklas Backstrom against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on October 29, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)




The stats for Ovechkin:
2 goals, +1, total ice 05:45, 7 shifts, average shift 00:49, 2 shots,

Ovi had just two shots and he scored on both.

2nd period:
Silent night, quiet night continues... Ovi sets Morrison with perfect cross ice pass, Caps 3, Thrashers 0.

The stats for Ovi after 2 periods:
2 goals, 1 assist, +1, total ice 13:35, 14 shifts, average 00:58, 4 shots on goal, 1 hit

Beninati asked Shaone Morrisonn in the second intermission, "Do you think Caps got a bit sloppy in the second?"

And the answer was "Yes".

Still it's hard to imagine that Caps will screw up this time.


3rd period:
Well, another sloppy 20 minutes, zombie Thrashers came to life outshooting Caps 41 to 32, but Caps will take the win over Atlanta, 4:3.

Ovechkin's stats total:
2 goals, 1 assist, total ice 19:23, 21 shifts, average shift 00:55, 6 shots on goal, 1 attempt blocked, 1 missed shot.


(Yahoo! Sports) Washington Capitals center Brendan Morrison Nicklas Backstrom, left, and left wing Alex Ovechkin leap as they celebrate their 4-3 win against the Atlanta Thrashers at an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, at Philips Arena in Atlanta.





John Manasso, NHL.com:

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau wasn't happy with the way his team let the Thrashers back into the game.

"Way too casual, and that's what happens when you let up," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said of his team's play in the final period. "The great ones -- every chance they get to score, they put it through the net . You see Ovie -- he never lets up when he's got a chance. We had opportunities and it's just like 'lah-dee-da' and instead of going up 4-0 or 5-0 and letting them go home with their tails between their legs, we got a battle on our hands."

They may not be impressing their coach with style points, but they are certainly on a roll. As is their two-time Hart Trophy winner.

"Of course, we know we win six in a row," Ovechkin said. "I think for us it's good mentally. We have to keep going. I think the team look pretty good. When we get so much lead we stop playing our way. It can't be like that again."

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Ovechkin: My style is Run N' Gun

Some excerpts from Slava Malamud's article, Oct. 29, 2009, Sport-Express:

What can you say about the injuries to Russian players?
The season just started and the three best players [of team Russia] are injured. Let's hope that Markov will manage to recover before the Olympics. I wish all of them a speedy recovery. I mean Gonchar and Kovy, of course. [tj - Now it's Malkin, out for 2-3 weeks] In hockey no one is insured against anything. Even in the Olympic season you can't play in half-capacity and feel pity about yourself. If you feel pity about yourself, it's better simply to say that you have a sore foot and take the week off.

While your friend Semin was sick did you stay away from him?
We didn't see him at all. He was at home all the time. [tj - another proof Semin had H1N1]

There's a state of emergency in connection with the swine flu in this country. The journalists who enter the locker room must use hand sanitizers. Is it frightening?
We try not to pay attention to it.

Can you comment on your reunion with Semin and Backstrom?
Semin and I perfectly understand each other. He is of more technical player who knows how to give a pass, and my style is more of run 'n gun. These two styles are mixing really well.

Source: hockey.sport-express.ru/reviews/2197/

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Jeff Schultz interviews Jeff Schultz

Jeff Schultz interviews Jeff Schultz (Kudos to Corey Masisak)

Related:
Jeff Schultz Gets Three Points and Writes an Interesting Article

Update:

By Jeff Schultz "I just met me:"

Five years ago, Thrashers general manager Don Waddell was asked about his plans for the upcoming NHL draft. “I’m not sure who we’re taking,” he said, as he looked in my direction. “But I can guarantee you we will not draft Jeff Schultz.”I resisted the temptation to tell Waddell he should’ve drafted me. But I figured it was time for me to meet the Other Jeff Schultz. With Washington back in town, that came Thursday morning.

As far as I can tell, the OJS and I only have one thing in common. “I like to watch TV,” he said.



He’s 6-6. I’m 5-10. He’s 221 pounds and too thin. I’m not 221, but certainly not too thin.

He is 23. Hey, I used to be 23!

He was a first-round draft pick and has the contract to prove it.

I was a street free agent. Contract?

We both played street hockey as kids. But after middle school, I guess he had a better agent.

I’ve got one thing on him. I Googled “Jeff Schultz” and my blog site came up before his bio page. Hah!

Did the OJS ever want to be a writer?
Writing and reading weren’t my strong points in school. I was strictly sports. Writing is one thing I would never want to do.

What’s the last thing he wrote?
Probably in high school. No, I take that back. I actually gave a speech at the middle school that I graduated from three years ago. That was a struggle. I had to get help from my girlfriend and my mom.



I love movies. The OJS says he watches them sometimes. “I just watched Transformers 2,” he said. “That was pretty good.”

What about the classics?
What do you mean?

The Godfather?
I actually never saw that.

Maybe Shawshank Redemption?
Yeah! I saw that a long time ago. That was a good one But I kinda forget what happens. (They escape.)

Books?
People ask me that all the time. I’m like, why? Why read a book when I can watch TV?

That’s it?
Pretty much. I play hockey, go home and watch TV. Not an interesting life I have.



Nice guy. Kinda ends there.

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Ovechkin and Redskins

From DC Sports Bog:

Ovi as the Redskins player?





Let Ovechkin call the plays?

From Rock The Red:

Ovi as the Redskins new coach?

Update from TwoInTheBoxBlog:



Liz's LET OVECHKIN CALL THE PLAYS poster gets mentioned by Kornheiser on PTI! Too bad he couldn't remember the name of the team Ovi plays for. "the star of the Washington...er...team, here." (Fail, Mr. Tony)

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Ovechkin trucked Mike Richards with a hit of the night

Ovechkin with a big hit on Mike Richards

Tarik El-Bashir: "Ovechkin took back the lead in goals by scoring his 10th and 11th. He also had the hit of the night. He trucked Mike Richards early in the second period along the boards. The collision was so hard, Ovechkin's stick was sent flying."











Mike Richards flying like a rag doll...

Mike Richards post-game: "Sometimes You're The Windshield, Sometimes You're The Bug" (ok, he didn't say that, just kidding)

While Ovi was trying to pick up a stick, Scott Hartnell intentionally fell on top of Ovi. This made Ovi mad, and when he is mad, he'll bury you.


Ovi's post game interview in a locker room, Oct. 27, 2009

Ovechkin on a hit: "It was just a game moment, I didn't see who was over there, Richards or Hartnell... I think Hartnell tried to grab my stick and puck, he was trying to jump on my back, it's ok (smiling)"



Sportsnet.ca has a much better angle (Ovechkin's big hit on Mike Richards seemed to spark Capitals), if someone will post it on YouTube, we'll update it.

Dan Rosen, Oct. 27, 2009, NHL.COM:

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin called his second-period goal "lucky." The Capitals' superstar also said his mini-skirmish by the penalty boxes with Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell earlier in the period was "just a game moment."

He clearly didn't want to take too much credit away from the sterling performance put in by goalie Jose Theodore (41 saves) on Tuesday night or the solid effort from linemates Alexander Semin (thre points) and Nicklas Backstrom (four points), but when the Capitals needed a lift, wouldn't you know, No. 8 was there to give it to them.

It was Ovechkin's physical play on Richards and eventually Hartnell that seemed to jump-start the Caps. Even though they failed to score on a 5-on-3 shortly after and then gave up a power-play goal to Braydon Coburn, they seemed energized after the hitting.

"I kind of saw that it got everybody going," Theodore said, "and it just seemed that we had that extra effort after that and we wanted to win so bad."

Added Ovechkin: "We had an opportunity to beat them because after 2-0 we didn't give up and we pushed harder to win the game."

As usual, No. 8 got it started, but he won't tell you that.

"Everybody wake up when they score the second goal," Ovechkin said. "We dig deep."

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Caps came back from 2 goals deficit, beat Flyers 4:2

Shweet! Or is it Swede?

Nicklas sets up Ovi and then scores himself. 1 goal, 3 assists, +3 for Nicky.
Yeah, but... Nicky sucked again on faceoffs, 6 faceoffs wins, 10 faceoffs lost, 38%, horrible... Morrison had 57%, Steckel had 59%, Aucoin had 63%.

Just check Ovi's stats, Backie, 100% on faceoffs! :-)


Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom is congratulated by teammates Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Ovechkin's stats:
2 goals, +3, total ice time 21:00, 24 shifts, average shift 00:52 (awesome!), PP 04:21, even 16:39, 5 shots on goal, 5 attempts blocked, 3 missed, 5 hits, 3 giveaways, faceoffs won 1, faceoffs lost 0, faceoffs percentage 100%.

Ovechkin now tops NHL with 11 goals and trails Kopitar (21) with 19 points (8 assists).


Ovechkin's big hit on Mike Richards at 1:34

Ovechkin with a big hit on Mike Richards, better angle, from sportsnet.ca

A memo to Scott Hartnell who jumped on top of Ovi after Ovechkin hit Richards: don't make Ovi mad, he'll bury you.

As we predicted, Jose is playing outstanding this season, just like Bulin after Huet arrival to Chicago. Varly will have hard time to get another chance. Jose made a difference for sure, Flyers were better for the most of the game, 43 shots on goal vs. 36 by Caps.

Four guys who had the best +3 tonight: Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Backstrom.

Two top d-men in the last 5 games, Schultzie and Green both had 1 assist tonight.


TarikElBashir: There are 11 NHL scouts on the seating chart for tonight's game, including three from the St. Louis Blues.


And St. Louis is in Western conference, hmmmm...

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Mike Richards, you are running out lives

Mike Richards hit on Orpik.

I am not saying it was intentional, but... Is this slew foot or what? Why no fine for Canada's golden boy? No comments by Don Cherry like "Mike Richards, you are running out lives"?

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Ovechkin after morning skate (video)

Ovi after morning skate, Oct. 26, 2009 followed by Bruce Boudreau

Ovechkin: Semin is a big part of PP

Backstrom troubles on faceoffs:

                    FOW FOL Tot  FO%
 30 David Steckel     94  61 155 60.6
103 Brooks Laich      34  33  67 50.7
 43 Brendan Morrison  70  69 139 50.4

 27 Mike Richards     75  88 163 46.0
 40 Nicklas Backstrom 58  84 142 40.8
 96 Evgeni Malkin     30  50  80 37.5

FOW - faceoffs won
FOL - faceoffs lost
Tot - total number of faceoffs taken
FO% - faceoffs percentage won

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Caps 3, Isles 2 in OT

Caps Defensemen continue to dominate, last time it was big Papa Schultz, this time it is LamboGreenie. :-)


By Tarik El-Bashir, Capitals Insider, Oct. 24, 2009:

• Mike Green earned the third star of the night after rebounding from a rough start. Like many of his teammates, the defenseman struggled in the first 20 minutes. But after Nate Thompson woke him up with a dangerous looking knee-to-knee hit, Green was one of the best players on the ice.
  
  "He got mad and said, 'The heck with this," Boudreau said. "He played the way he can, which is joining rushes, shooting the puck, making plays."
  
  Greens said: "I felt like I was by him, but I'm sure he wasn't trying to hurt me."


• For the second straight game, Eric Fehr played with Ovechkin's stick. He credited the stick for helping him score his first goal of the season in Atlanta.

Oct. 24, 2009 Mike Green's postgame video:



Green: Alex Ovechkin was in there, and there's not too many times he is in the middle of a scrum. When you have guys like that stepping up for each other and really caring for each other, that's when things turn around.

Corey Masisak's tweet: On a night where Don Cherry ripped Ovechkin for not being willing to fight, Green praised him for stepping in after the Thompson hit.




UNIONDALE, NY - OCTOBER 24: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates his teams second goal against the New York Islanders on October 24, 2009 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The Capitals won the game 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)


You can see how genuinely happy Ovechkin is when his teammates score. Previous game in Atlanta Ovi was not his self, probably had a flu. This game was better, not a very good game by Ovechkin's standards, but I think he is recovering from a flu.

Ovi's stats:
1 assist, -1, 1 penalty, total ice time 26:48, 25 shifts, average shift 01:04, PP 05:53, 2 shots on goal, 5 attempts blocked, 3 missed, 2 hits, 2 takeaways

An interesting observation from Pierre LeBrun, ESPN, on Michael Nylander:

I was a big fan of this guy; he was a very talented center for many years, and perhaps still is. But I'm told when an apparent deal with the Chicago Blackhawks fell through last season, he was never the same. He had his heart set on joining the Hawks and was shattered when the deal didn't happen.

Tarik also said on several occasions that Nylander had distanced himself from a team.

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Worthless Don Cherry

Nate Ewell - Director of Media Relations for the Washington Capitals:

I didn't watch Don Cherry tonight. Not sure why anyone would. He's a joke, worthless except to laugh at.

Here's original 'Hockey Night in Canada' Don Cherry comment:

"You're running out of lives," he said on his Coach's Corner segment during Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. "Too many times have you hit guys from behind, so guys right now have you on a list.

"I love you as a guy, and as a player. You play my type of game," Cherry added. "… [But] you're going to be very, very sorry one day because someone is going to cut you in half."

What can you say? One more time it shows his xenophobia. Hey, Cherry, try one on Pronger, will you?

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Ovechkin talks about fine, Tavares, playing Islanders

Oct. 24, 2009:



Tarik asks Ovechkin about slew footing accident:

Ovechkin: I don't mean to [use] my leg. I was surprised [about the fine]. But it's the rules, and if I make some mistake, I have to pay for it. It's good I didn't miss some games. I think it's a bad situation for me right now. I look bad right now.

Tarik asks if Ovi could change his game to less agressive:

Ovechkin: No. It's a hockey game. I just play my way and I will continue to play how I can.

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Ovechkin might get a fine

sportsnet.ca, Oct. 23, 2009 "No suspension over slew-foot":

Sources tell sportsnet.ca that Alex Ovechkin will avoid suspension for his last minute slew-foot on Atlanta Thrashers forward Rich Peverley.

It is expected the league will fine the superstar for his actions.

Ovechkin received a two minute tripping penalty on the play, which occurred in the final minute of Washington's 5-4 win, but a review showed it was in fact a slew-foot attempt.

Earlier this week Anaheim's Evgeny Artyukhin received a three-game suspension for a slew-foot on Dallas' Matt Niskanen, who is listed day-to-day with a head injury.

Well, what can you say? It was accidental and that's why there won't be any suspension. You could tell it by Ovechkin's reaction to the penalty.

And the fine is like a penalty for an accidental high-stick, everybody saw it was accidental, but you still get a penalty.

Update:
Tarik El-Bashir, Capitals Insider:

Sources have told me that Alex Ovechkin has been fined by the NHL for his slew foot of Atlanta's Rich Peverley in the closing seconds of Thursday night's 5-4 victory over the Thrashers at Philips Arena.

Ovechkin was docked the collective bargaining agreement maximum of $2,500. The two-time MVP will not face a suspension, the sources said, because the puck was in the area, it was a close game and Ovechkin did not appear to intend to injure Peverley.

Video from TSN.CA: Darren Dreger and Gino Reda discuss why Alex Ovechkin will not be suspended for his slew-foot.

NHL.com

"It is unfair to draw any parallels [about the two slew-foot incidents] other than the players that [Ovechkin and Artyukhin] tripped both fell down," Campbell told NHL.com. "Artyukhin was suspended [for two games] last season for a kneeing incident in which a player was injured. He was also fined during this preseason for slew-footing a player who didn't have the puck. Fast forward three weeks, he, in our opinion, did slew-foot Matt Niskanen, causing Niskanen's skates to fly up well above the boards and half up the glass. It resulted in an injury for Niskanen and he has missed one game so far."

In contrast, Campbell said, Ovechkin is "not a repeat offender" and he was pushing the player's feet out trying to get the puck late in a close game. There was no injury to Peverley.

"We categorize that as a hockey play, but it is dangerous and that is why we fined him," explained Campbell. "And we still don't like either play."

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Schultz leads assault, stops short of completing Gordie Howe's hat-trick

ATLANTA - OCTOBER 22: Jeff Schultz #55 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal with Mike Knuble #22, Tom Poti #3 and Alex Ovechkin #8 against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on October 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)



Ovechkin's stats: 1 goal, 2 assists, +3... Oh, wait, these are Schultzie's.

Ovechkin's stats:
0 points, total ice time 24:38, average shift 01:17, 4 shots on goal, 3 attempts blocked, 2 missed. No hits? This is not right, he had at least one.

Ovechkin was not self, I am pretty confident he is playing with a flu. If your roommate on a road is seriously sick, that's a good indication Ovi got it too.

AP:

ATLANTA -- Jeff Schultz, Matt Bradley and Chris Clark scored in an 88-second span of the second period, Semyon Varlamov stopped 22 shots and the Washington Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-4 on Thursday night for their third straight win.

Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec was benched after allowing the three straight goals that gave Washington a 5-2 lead.

Ilya Kovalchuk had two goals for Atlanta, including one on a power play with 38.5 seconds remaining in the game.

Eric Fehr and Alexandre Giroux had first-period goals for the Capitals.

Alex Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 16 points and nine goals, was held without a point for only the second time in nine games.

Ovechkin was called for a tripping penalty with 30 seconds remaining, but the Thrashers couldn't score on the final power play.

Schultzie's goal

Corey Masisak:

His goal was the only fluky point of his night. Schultz said he was just trying to send the puck up the ice and get to the bench. Both he and Knuble were pretty sure it hit Knuble's stick on the way right around center ice, but Schultz isn't in any hurry to be giving goals away. Knuble said he barely grazed it, but it did take a pair of funny bounces.

Not to be forgotten, Schultz also blocked Ilya Kovalchuk's attempt in the waning seconds.

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