Ovechkin skipped morning skate Thursday, what a slacker!

washcaps: POST VIDEO: Backstrom, Ovechkin, Alzner on the win over Tampa


Ovechkin's stats vs. Tampa Bay Lightning:

After the 1st period:
1 assist, +1, total ice 07:17, 10 shifts, average 00:43, PP 01:24, even 05:50, 4 shots, 1 missed, 3 hits

After 2nd:
1 goal, 1 assist, +1, total ice 14:13, 17 shifts, average 00:50, PP 03:25, even 10:45, 7 shots, 3 attempts blocked, 2 missed, 4 hits

After 3rd:
1 goal, 3 assists, +3, total ice 22:22, 26 shifts, average 00:51, PP 05:04, even 17:15, 10 shots, 5 attempts blocked, 2 missed, 4 hits

Via Russian ESPN (Opa! Opa! :-)

How could they give a first goal to Backstrom? Did he blow on a puck or something? I looked in slow mo and Ovi made the puck going to the right corner, from initial Nicky's shot it was going to the left corner. (Update: On ESPN video it seems like Backstrom added another shot at the last moment that sent the puck to the right)

When Ovi gets going, Backie joins the rush, not the other way, at least recently.

OK, let's talk about Ovechkin skipping optional morning skates. Are they optional or not? Or maybe they are just called optional to catch Ovechklin skipping them?

It goes in comments section on virtually every post on Capitals Insider:

• The BIG GUY didn't see it necessary to skate this morning with the rest of the team
• Why make excuses for him. dude is making $123 million.
• Ovie never goes to these practices. Guess he is one step above the rest of the team. It's incredible to me that GMGM and BB continue to let the captain of the team take this cavalier attitude.

On and on and on...

It reminds me one of my favorite movies "Office Space" (after Slapshot, of course :) where Joanna was required to wear at minimum 15 pieces of flair.

Stan:What do you think of a person who only does the bare minimum?
Joanna:Huh. What do I think? Let me tell you what I think, Stan. If you want me to wear thirty-seven pieces of flair like your pretty boy Brian over there, then why don't you just make the minimum thirty-seven pieces of flair?

Exactly, why don't you make a MANDATORY morning skate?

For those who want Ovi to be on every OPTIONAL morning skate, go ahead and start signing a petition about making the morning skate a mandatory one, send it to GM George McPhee, owner Ted Leonsis and Coach Bruce Boudreau.

Otherwise shut it.


Vintage Ovechkin's goal on this PP

AP:

“I don’t know if it was kind of a mockery of our system or a game plan, but they obviously had a couple days to prepare for the game and then that’s what they thought best,” Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos(notes) said. “It killed some time, so I guess it was successful that way. Obviously, a first for us seeing a team try that.”

Backstrom said the Capitals were trying to frustrate Tampa Bay.

“It’s only good when you’re leading,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It was something we tried because nothing seemed to work before. He’ll (Boucher) figure something out to stop that, but it worked for one night.”


Notes: Ovechkin stopped to play floor hockey on a mini-rink with a group of kids just outside the locker room area after arriving for the game.

Washington Capitals center Matt Hendricks fights with Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Steve Downie during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Tampa, Fla., Friday, Feb. 4, 2011. Caps won 5:2. Photo AP via Yahoo Sports.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a round of applause to Matt Hendricks.
I truly believe Matt was the guy who knock Dwayne Roloson off his game tonight.
But... "Where are cigars? Where's the bubbly?" :-)



See you Sunday! That would a truly MUST-WIN game :-)

---

Share |

Link to the latest post