Author Topic: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F  (Read 27667 times)

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Offline BlackIce

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #100 on: Wednesday April 03, 2019, 11:05:03 AM Eastern »
Caps really need to play the Canes in round 1, it would be the least taxing opponent




Eh, it seems as though you can really cover the top 5 teams in the Metro with a napkin.  Each team has their own strengths/weaknesses, but they've come out in basically the same place.  I think any division series in round 1 is on paper a 50/50 proposition, and even home ice advantage doesn't mean much.  All 5 teams had close to the same record home and away this year.  Probably the biggest issue more than anything else is who is prepared to play closer to the top of their game starting a week from now.


Take a look at MTL/CBS/CAR:  Almost a dead heat with 2 games to go.  Musical chairs; 3 teams, 2 playoff spots.  It suggests that MTL should be loaded for bear tomorrow in DC.  And of course, the Isles game on Saturday could be for the Division if the Caps lose tomorrow.  The Caps really lost their chance to breathe when they lost to FLA.

Offline DC_1908

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #101 on: Wednesday April 03, 2019, 11:41:54 AM Eastern »



Eh, it seems as though you can really cover the top 5 teams in the Metro with a napkin.  Each team has their own strengths/weaknesses, but they've come out in basically the same place.  I think any division series in round 1 is on paper a 50/50 proposition, and even home ice advantage doesn't mean much.  All 5 teams had close to the same record home and away this year.  Probably the biggest issue more than anything else is who is prepared to play closer to the top of their game starting a week from now.


Take a look at MTL/CBS/CAR:  Almost a dead heat with 2 games to go.  Musical chairs; 3 teams, 2 playoff spots.  It suggests that MTL should be loaded for bear tomorrow in DC.  And of course, the Isles game on Saturday could be for the Division if the Caps lose tomorrow.  The Caps really lost their chance to breathe when they lost to FLA.
I agree with Alta, we match up far better against Carolina. A deeper look shows is also WAY more to consider than simply who shows up.


The Habs and CBJ both have very good, very deep, and very big Ds.  They also have two excellent coaches, both of which have thrown us out repeatedly in the past, and one which will be pissed and is not above running players. 


Lastly, on any given night two of the top goalies in will be playing each other.

A (after Wilson) small/nonphysical 100ft team, overallh reliant on speed/skill, down a D, pathetic PK, slumping power play. and with a rookie coach is gonna have to do a lot more than show up and pray against two teams that are more than capable of exploitating and them.

Carolina though,is another small “Today’s NHL”/Woman’s Rules Ping-Pong team, without an elite goalie.  Sure we’ll best any woman’s-rules ping-pong team in the league, but if they don’t play that faggy-pussy shit, we’ve got are work cut out for us
« Last Edit: Wednesday April 03, 2019, 06:03:47 PM Eastern by DC_1908 »

Offline zerofox

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #102 on: Wednesday April 03, 2019, 11:32:09 PM Eastern »
I don't know much about CAR/CBJ/MTL, but my gut tells me I'd rather face CAR. I think CBJ will be salty as fuck for last year's playoff exit plus Kuzy's bird plus our sudden "shut up you have no Cups" attitude towards them. Could be a scrappy series. MTL? Not sure I wanna fuck with Price or Weber. CAR I think offers the most favorable match up, although I'd be afraid of us taking them for granted.

Offline 4 Caps

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #103 on: Thursday April 04, 2019, 09:23:45 AM Eastern »
I agree, if I could choose I would pick Carolina and then Montreal.  Also I wouldn’t mind playing the Islanders but that is not going to happen at least in the 1st round.

Offline BlackIce

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #104 on: Thursday April 04, 2019, 05:21:44 PM Eastern »
I agree, if I could choose I would pick Carolina and then Montreal.  Also I wouldn’t mind playing the Islanders but that is not going to happen at least in the 1st round.




In reality though, who cares?  If you are a team with some self-esteem, your attitude should be "I'll play who's in front of me, and I'm not going to worry about who it is."


I don't know how many people appreciate the enormity of what the Capitals achieved last year.  They won the Stanley Cup after trailing at some point of every series, and they clinched every series on the road.  No one had ever accomplished that in the history of the NHL.  And along the way they conquered a few demons.  I don't know how much self-esteem the Caps have after having done that, but they should have some.

Online alta

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #105 on: Thursday April 04, 2019, 06:19:59 PM Eastern »
The reality is, they all care. Because they all would like to see what they percieve as the easiest opponent first. For the Caps, that would be the Canes, physically anyway.
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Offline ArJunaZ

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #106 on: Thursday April 04, 2019, 08:59:13 PM Eastern »



In reality though, who cares?  If you are a team with some self-esteem, your attitude should be "I'll play who's in front of me, and I'm not going to worry about who it is."


I don't know how many people appreciate the enormity of what the Capitals achieved last year.  They won the Stanley Cup after trailing at some point of every series, and they clinched every series on the road.  No one had ever accomplished that in the history of the NHL.  And along the way they conquered a few demons.  I don't know how much self-esteem the Caps have after having done that, but they should have some.

I don't think the enormity of Caps Cup run last year was lost on anyone, at least not in here. Just look at the parade.  I even had to go as bad a shape as I was in then. I was up very close to the stage and I stood up on a chair and looked back; I could not see an end to the sea of red behind me.  It was truly one of the best sports stories I can remember from my life. Even beats the Redskins 1982 Championship run by a light year.  I was at that Conference final in RFK against Dallas BTW.
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Offline PUCKNRUSH

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #107 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 12:18:34 AM Eastern »



In reality though, who cares?  If you are a team with some self-esteem, your attitude should be "I'll play who's in front of me, and I'm not going to worry about who it is."


I don't know how many people appreciate the enormity of what the Capitals achieved last year.  They won the Stanley Cup after trailing at some point of every series, and they clinched every series on the road.  No one had ever accomplished that in the history of the NHL.  And along the way they conquered a few demons.  I don't know how much self-esteem the Caps have after having done that, but they should have some.


I’m with you Black! Didn’t realize the historical tidbit either! Thanks!


Obviously, there is somewhat of a pecking order for the playoffs, and preferences on who the Caps should play first, is always in the conversation.
I just don’t give the “who we will play first”, much emphasis.


Not knocking anybody’s interest in that kind of thing, just sayin, for me, it just doesn’t matter.
For me, the GOAL is the CUP, period! The other 15 teams ALL, didn’t get it done.
To advance to the future 3rd round, because we had easier teams in the first two rounds, if anything, slightly cheapens getting that far in the first place, to me.


And on the other hand, if we face tougher teams in the first two rounds, then that reperesents a stronger, ballsier, arrival into the Conf. finals, AND, a high likelihood of increased confidence in the locker room, as the players KNOW who they beat to get there!!


Our Stanley, IMHO, felt even better, (if it’s even possible to feel happier about it), because we beat the HENS, and TAMPA, to get there. We constantly heard that “it wasn’t just winning the CUP, but THE WAY we won the cup”, coming from all directions in this town!!


So, again, to me, it makes NO difference who we face first!! We will either find the “juice”, we need to be champs again, or we WONT, and be duly removed from contention!!


Like last year, so will 15 other NHL playoff teams!!
LETS GO CAPS!!


Rush





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              BUT CHANGE IS!!!

RUSH - from “Tom Sawyer”

Offline DC_1908

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #108 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 08:47:13 AM Eastern »



In reality though, who cares?  If you are a team with some self-esteem, your attitude should be "I'll play who's in front of me, and I'm not going to worry about who it is."


I don't know how many people appreciate the enormity of what the Capitals achieved last year.  They won the Stanley Cup after trailing at some point of every series, and they clinched every series on the road.  No one had ever accomplished that in the history of the NHL.  And along the way they conquered a few demons.  I don't know how much self-esteem the Caps have after having done that, but they should have some. But
There’s a big difference between self-esteem and over-confidence or arrogance.  Just as there’s a difference between cynicism pragmatism and objectively.

Yes, the Caps won their first Cup last year doing something that was never done.  This was also the first time they made it past the secqond round since 1998. They also lost 8 games in that run, not getting done in at least 5 until the last round. 

Demons?  I say they worked to our advantage.  Three teams and coaches that have owned our team in the playoffs for over 10yrs.  Hell even Ian Cole called out the PP nor changing in 10yrs.  As proved by the lack of the opposing coaches adjustments, and notable lack of “higher gear” intensity, it’s a safe bet to say we benefited from there overconfidence and arrogance.   (IOW, I strongly doubt The Hens or Bolts thought they would or could loose their series against us.


What really won that Cup for us was not on the ice, but on the bench.  Not only did Trotz motivate the players, he not only threw monkey wrenches in, but beat the other four coaches schemes with it.  Each adjustment he made was effective.  He ran traps to neutralize speed, kept the puck to the outside, kept it out of the way of the “stick play”, and shuffled lines to cause confusion, amoung other adjustments, and the other coach’s couldnt or wouldn’t match him.  Maybe more impressive, he got the players to execute these adjustments with high efficiency and maximum intensity, another things the opponents wherent expecting from us.

This year, sure we have most of the same team, and their experience last year assuredly changed the spoken conversation from one of all but assuming the year will be done in the second or even first round,  However this is not the same team.

Bottom line is we have the worst PK for playoff teams in our division, a slumping PP, and down a starting D.  The special teams alone can cost us several games or a series,  Thus leaves us being heavily reliant on the officials not screwing us, particularly from about mid 3rd to OT, and we have all watched enough to know that isn’t a good thing to count on.

Most importantly, it’s what we lost behind the bench.  Sure it’s his first year, and first time as a head coach, but that isn’t his excuse.  He’s going to need to out scheme and out adjust potentially two hall of fame coaches, and madman who will get HOF consideration, and a coach who won 2 Cups in his first two years.

Let’s also not mention one of those HOF coaches not only groomed him, but knows the players, system and Reidon better than Reidon.  This same coach, was also was the main factor in us winning the Cup last year, which gives him a complete advantage in the system design and and in game and in series adjustments.  Not a match up that favors us.

This playoff is simply going to be FAR more difficult than last year, and probably the hardest in the Ovie Era.  I’m not saying they are doomed, but it’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than most are expecting.  Particularly A LOT of any type of “luck”.

Offline Kaz

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #109 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 07:24:54 PM Eastern »
Good to give Trotz some credit for last year, but don't go overboard.  He had to be forced -- almost fired twice -- to do things he hadn't done in most of his tenure here.  He's less responsible for our win last year than he was for the losses of the two years prior, where he got staggeringly outcoached.


His unwillingness to play young players, to develop prospects, to properly develop roster players (Wilson, Burakovsky, Schmidt, Vrana, Connolly)...  Make no mistake, he excelled last year by finally correcting glaringly huge things he failed to do in years prior.  He had us playing chickenshit hockey in the playoffs with our two best teams ever.  No net-front presence, not contesting the center of the ice, no chance for deflections/rebounds, everything to the outside, emphasizing low-chance shots, shortening our benches unnecessarily, not taking chances or making necessary adjustments.  Trotz was a huge part of our failures prior to last year, and last year he was browbeaten into making changes, throwing everything at the wall in what he knew was his last year.


Kudos to him for taking his head out of his ass, but little more.


I agree with you on Reirden though.  He hasn't been great this year, falling prey to a lot of the typical stuff coaches promoted from within typically do.

Offline ArJunaZ

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #110 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 08:00:28 PM Eastern »
Thus leaves us being heavily reliant on the officials not screwing us, particularly from about mid 3rd to OT, and we have all watched enough to know that isn’t a good thing to count on.

To me this was one of the greatest surprises of the playoff run last year. We actually had fair officiating, which I never expected given their history in past playoffs of crapping on the Caps. It felt to me as if the NHL "allowed" the Caps to win the cup provided we had the skills and coaching to do so. They very easily could have sunk us on their own, which is my greatest grievance with the NHL.
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Offline DC_1908

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #111 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 11:18:10 PM Eastern »
Good to give Trotz some credit for last year, but don't go overboard.  He had to be forced -- almost fired twice -- to do things he hadn't done in most of his tenure here.  He's less responsible for our win last year than he was for the losses of the two years prior, where he got staggeringly outcoached.


His unwillingness to play young players, to develop prospects, to properly develop roster players (Wilson, Burakovsky, Schmidt, Vrana, Connolly)...  Make no mistake, he excelled last year by finally correcting glaringly huge things he failed to do in years prior.  He had us playing chickenshit hockey in the playoffs with our two best teams ever.  No net-front presence, not contesting the center of the ice, no chance for deflections/rebounds, everything to the outside, emphasizing low-chance shots, shortening our benches unnecessarily, not taking chances or making necessary adjustments.  Trotz was a huge part of our failures prior to last year, and last year he was browbeaten into making changes, throwing everything at the wall in what he knew was his last year.


Kudos to him for taking his head out of his ass, but little more.


I agree with you on Reirden though.  He hasn't been great this year, falling prey to a lot of the typical stuff coaches promoted from within typically do.
No fuckin way, that’s just a bunch of fan boy bullshit. Trotz never coached like he did the first two years of GMBetaMales tenure.  THATS when chicken shit hockey started, or returned from the BB days.  Trotzs game was always a an aggressive trap based system pushing keeping everything along the boards and wearing out opponents with physical play. Real hockey, not this faggy Eurotrash woman’s rules chicken shit called “Three New NHL” that’s like the WNBA on ice.

Wilson played, and played great were he was best suited at the time:on one of the best shutdown line we’ve had. Then we over paid two UFAs on D, and made about the most moronic trade in Caps history for Shattenkrai. so Monumental isn’t gonna let him give Schmidt more of a shot, and Bura or Connelly aren’t strong, smart or good enough to play his style. So he did what he could with that line up Monumental gave him for two years so they could sell tickets to naive fans of woman’s rules hockey.


It’s pretty damn convenient that he changed all this after he was rumored for the NYI? There’s a good chance he wasn’t coming back, so he said hell with Monumental, and went to a team ran by Lou Lamoriello, who built a dynasty on playin the right way. 


What we saw tonight, that shut us out, was the style he coached for years in Nashville and what he dis here his first season. He finally tweaked it to get most of this lineup to win 16 games last spring because he didn’t give a fuck what Monumental Entertainment said.

Offline DC_1908

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #112 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 11:19:54 PM Eastern »
To me this was one of the greatest surprises of the playoff run last year. We actually had fair officiating, which I never expected given their history in past playoffs of crapping on the Caps. It felt to me as if the NHL "allowed" the Caps to win the cup provided we had the skills and coaching to do so. They very easily could have sunk us on their own, which is my greatest grievance with the NHL.
Yep, but we sure as hell cant count on that . . . ever.

Offline ArJunaZ

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #113 on: Saturday April 06, 2019, 11:56:30 PM Eastern »
Yep, but we sure as hell cant count on that . . . ever.

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Offline DC_1908

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #114 on: Sunday April 07, 2019, 12:05:55 AM Eastern »
"No Shit Sherlock!"   :wackysmile:
Excactly! Only The Hens can do that  :wackysmile:    That first round officiating is gonna be brutal on The Isles.  We all know the NHL wants the Ovie v Cindy rematch and Cindy to win

Offline Kaz

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #115 on: Sunday April 07, 2019, 12:10:43 AM Eastern »
No fuckin way. Trotz never coached like he did the first two years of GMBetaMales tenure.  THATS when chicken shit hockey started, or returned.  Trotzs game was always a an aggressive trap based system pushing keeping everything along the boards and wearing out opponents with physical play. Real hockey, not this faggy Eurotrash woman’s rules chicken shit called “The New NHL” that’s like the WNBA on ice.

Wilson played, and played great were he was best suited at the time:on one of the best shutdown line we’ve had. Then we over paid two UFAs on D, and made about the most moronic trade in Caps history for Shattenkrai. so Monumental isn’t gonna let him give Schmidt more of a shot, and Bura or Connelly aren’t strong, smart or good enough to play his style. So he did what he could with that line up Monumental gave him for two years so they could sell tickets to naive fans of woman’s rules hockey.


It’s pretty damn convenient that he changed all this after he was rumored for the NYI? There’s a good chance he wasn’t coming back, so he said hell with Monumental, and went to a team ran by Lou Lamoriello, who built a dynasty on playin the right way. 


What we saw tonight, that shut us out, was the style he coached for years in Nashville and what he dis here his first season. He finally tweaked it to get most of this lineup to win 16 games last spring because he didn’t give a fuck what Monumental Entertainment said.


Wow, that's a lot of revisionist history.  Trotz got flat outcoached the two years prior to the Cup win, and the Cup win came when he started running contrary to a lot of what he was doing before. 


You don't like modern hockey.  We get it.  You were the guy who proclaimed so loudly when the new divisions were announced that the Caps didn't have what it takes to compete in the Metro.  For months you went on about how outclassed we'd be.  And 6 years later we have cumulatively dominated the division, defying every ounce of your prognostication.


And now you can't stop crowing about "GMBetaMale," easily one of the best GMs of the last few years.  His only glaring mistake was mishandling the expansion draft.  Everything else has worked out very well, so says 4 straight division titles and a Stanley Cup.


Look at last year, DC.  Trotz was nearly fired twice, then suddenly the kids are playing and moving up in the lineup, and that proved huge for us.  Our depth and the emergence of young players, leaning on the goalie he benched, letting Kuznetsov freewheel instead of hamstringing him.  These are the reasons we won the Cup and these were the things Trotz was 100% opposed to in the seasons prior.


Trotz was exactly what we needed when he was first hired.  We needed the discipline and accountability; Mitch Korn and defensive focus; getting the team to buy in and play together.  He's excellent at getting the most from flagging, undisciplined, or less-talented teams with smaller budgets.  So he turned us around in no time flat, just like he's doing in NY now and did for so many years in Nashville.


But once a team outgrows those issues -- once the discipline and systems are in place and it becomes about grooming, fostering, and complementing talent -- Trotz sputters.  He refuses to trust or develop young players, pushes playing "The Right Way" over and above everything else, and thus becomes unwilling to tweak the systems, take the chances, and force the play that wins championships.  He did it last year because he was forced to, and he fought it the whole way.


He had us playing perimeter hockey in the playoffs for two straight years with the best teams we ever had, and we lost both years doing the same stupid shit, not even trying to take the play to the Pens.  It was gutless and showed zero willingness or ability to make the adjustments necessary to win.  The only changes he made those years were tantamount to turtling -- refusing the put talent on the ice, dressing 7 D for no reason, not contesting the center of the ice, taking shitloads of low-rent shots making middling goaltenders look like Hall of Famers.


He had us playing like a gaggle of faggots, and it showed.  We went home both years looking like the losers we were.


Then last year management obviously gave him one more shot in two well-documented near-firings.  And this is the year the kids got to play despite the preferences Trotz made so clear for 3 years.  And so Wilson and Connolly got more time, we got to see if Bowey had it then trusted mini-Djoos to play his weak side when it didn't work out.  Stephenson, Vrana, and DSP got the nod.  Suddenly we're getting to the net, deflections and rebounds galore, doing the dirty work.  Suddenly we're not trying to sit on 1-goal leads, we're forcing the play, winning between the blues, taking chances, making adjustments.


And your narrative is that that's what Trotz always wanted to do?  Despite that NOT being his style AT ALL in 20+ years of coaching.  You're right about the trapping and board play, absolutely.  And all that amounts to is playing it safe, never giving an inch but never taking one, either.  It works when your team is outgunned, light on skill, and lacks depth.  It's your best bet, and it makes sense like when Hunter did it when we were outgunned.  But it didn't make sense when we were loaded with talent.  He was holding us back.


Last year he finally took the reins off.  If he'd done that either of the two years prior, there's a decent chance we'd have won more than one Cup in the last 3 years. 


So pat him on the back for the Cup we got.  He definitely contributed.  But he's #1 on the blame chart for the failures of the two years before that.  He was our weakest link, and it wasn't close.
« Last Edit: Sunday April 07, 2019, 08:07:37 AM Eastern by DC_1908 »

Offline DC_1908

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #116 on: Sunday April 07, 2019, 08:36:10 AM Eastern »

Wow, that's a lot of revisionist history.  Trotz got flat outcoached the two years prior to the Cup win, and the Cup win came when he started running contrary to a lot of what he was doing before. 


You don't like modern hockey.  We get it.  You were the guy who proclaimed so loudly when the new divisions were announced that the Caps didn't have what it takes to compete in the Metro.  For months you went on about how outclassed we'd be.  And 6 years later we have cumulatively dominated the division, defying every ounce of your prognostication.


And now you can't stop crowing about "GMBetaMale," easily one of the best GMs of the last few years.  His only glaring mistake was mishandling the expansion draft.  Everything else has worked out very well, so says 4 straight division titles and a Stanley Cup.


Look at last year, DC.  Trotz was nearly fired twice, then suddenly the kids are playing and moving up in the lineup, and that proved huge for us.  Our depth and the emergence of young players, leaning on the goalie he benched, letting Kuznetsov freewheel instead of hamstringing him.  These are the reasons we won the Cup and these were the things Trotz was 100% opposed to in the seasons prior.


Trotz was exactly what we needed when he was first hired.  We needed the discipline and accountability; Mitch Korn and defensive focus; getting the team to buy in and play together.  He's excellent at getting the most from flagging, undisciplined, or less-talented teams with smaller budgets.  So he turned us around in no time flat, just like he's doing in NY now and did for so many years in Nashville.


But once a team outgrows those issues -- once the discipline and systems are in place and it becomes about grooming, fostering, and complementing talent -- Trotz sputters.  He refuses to trust or develop young players, pushes playing "The Right Way" over and above everything else, and thus becomes unwilling to tweak the systems, take the chances, and force the play that wins championships.  He did it last year because he was forced to, and he fought it the whole way.


He had us playing perimeter hockey in the playoffs for two straight years with the best teams we ever had, and we lost both years doing the same stupid shit, not even trying to take the play to the Pens.  It was gutless and showed zero willingness or ability to make the adjustments necessary to win.  The only changes he made those years were tantamount to turtling -- refusing the put talent on the ice, dressing 7 D for no reason, not contesting the center of the ice, taking shitloads of low-rent shots making middling goaltenders look like Hall of Famers.


He had us playing like a gaggle of faggots, and it showed.  We went home both years looking like the losers we were.


Then last year management obviously gave him one more shot in two well-documented near-firings.  And this is the year the kids got to play despite the preferences Trotz made so clear for 3 years.  And so Wilson and Connolly got more time, we got to see if Bowey had it then trusted mini-Djoos to play his weak side when it didn't work out.  Stephenson, Vrana, and DSP got the nod.  Suddenly we're getting to the net, deflections and rebounds galore, doing the dirty work.  Suddenly we're not trying to sit on 1-goal leads, we're forcing the play, winning between the blues, taking chances, making adjustments.


And your narrative is that that's what Trotz always wanted to do?  Despite that NOT being his style AT ALL in 20+ years of coaching.  You're right about the trapping and board play, absolutely.  And all that amounts to is playing it safe, never giving an inch but never taking one, either.  It works when your team is outgunned, light on skill, and lacks depth.  It's your best bet, and it makes sense like when Hunter did it when we were outgunned.  But it didn't make sense when we were loaded with talent.  He was holding us back.


Last year he finally took the reins off.  If he'd done that either of the two years prior, there's a decent chance we'd have won more than one Cup in the last 3 years. 


So pat him on the back for the Cup we got.  He definitely contributed.  But he's #1 on the blame chart for the failures of the two years before that.  He was our weakest link, and it wasn't close.
thats a LOT of dramatic hero worship appoogizing right there.  Yep, GMBetaMale saved the  day our together a team better than  the 84 Oils alrigh!!  Praise Jesus!


Kuzy, Bura, Connolly, and the garbage D, where ready, willing and more than able to play smart, defensive two-way hockey, Trotz just told em to play soft and stupid the whole time right?


Have you really watched this fuckin team the past three and followed this organization before and after  Ted took over?


Get the fuck outta here with that fairy tale narritve.  It’s clear you don’t like smart, physical hockey, you just like Woman’s Rules ,“Scoar Moare” videogame, rec-league entertainment like you’re told to.

Offline Kaz

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #117 on: Sunday April 07, 2019, 09:36:57 AM Eastern »
Yeah, that's your move, trying to belittle people because you can't articulate an actual argument.


You went on for months about how the Caps could never compete in the new Metro and they absolutely destroyed it.  Guys who don't play your brand of hockey are stupid and soft.  Meanwhile, Connolly has the highest shooting percentage on the team over the last three years, Kuzy was our best player in the Cup run.  You need rangy, opportunistic, offensive-minded players to compete in today's game.  Hogtying those guys 2 and 3 years ago, forcing them to play perimeter, paint-by-numbers hockey, is what cost us legit shots at Cups.


I love Barry Trotz, but what he lacks has always been creativity.  If he can't immediately quantify everything a player is, he doesn't trust it.  That's why he's so uncomfortable with young players and bad at developing them.  It's also why he has an aversion to skill guys -- he can't embrace the creativity and vision required to to maximize the potential of next-level talent.  He reins them in instead, forces them to play against type.  And they need doses of that, sure, but once those values have been instilled, you have to nurture and develop the skill and trust it enough to unleash it, exposing yourself to things you can't always predict.  Trotz doesn't have that gene.  He's a control freak.


Oates was the polar opposite.  He WAS a next-level superstar talent, so he was all about encouraging everyone to think outside the box.  Switch to the opposite side, move from wing to center, change your stick... And most guys aren't built for that.  That's what made him a bad coach.  He struggled with the things Trotz excels at, and vice versa.


Today's game rewards the happy medium.  Tom Wilson is a great example.  All Oates saw was a meathead kid.  Trotz wanted to rein him in.  Play a shutdown role, learn to shadow and PK, forecheck, grind, and fight.  Meanwhile, Tom had an offensive gear from birth that no one nurtured at the NHL level, not until management shook Trotz and forced him to change his approach.  Now we see his speed and his shot and his vision.  Suddenly he's maybe our best deflection guy and a breakneck transition and possession player.  And if you saw him play before the NHL, you'd know that he was ALWAYS that guy.  And he never would have achieved what he did this year under Trotz because Trotz was all about handcuffing him.


He's a two-dimensional coach, which is fantastic when you have a two-dimensional club.  Trotz never adjusted his systems to accommodate things players excel at; the stuff that comes naturally to them.  His systems are ironclad and unbending, and they work, but they shackle and curtail natural talent and creativity.


And look what happened when they threatened to fire Trotz and gave Reirden more say in the room.  Suddenly systems adjusted to the talent on the team instead of a team being forced to play regimented, predictable, guarded hockey.  We started catering to our strengths instead of harping on weaknesses, embracing youth instead of locking it away, playing to win instead of sitting on leads.  Half our mainstays had new dimensions to their games, young guys that never would have seen the lineup got chances, earned spots, and excelled. 


If you think ANY of that was Trotz you are fucking nuts.  All of that is absolutely antithetical to what he's ever done as an NHL coach.  Your 80's hockey philosophy is woefully outdated and your "GMBetaMale" schtick is total horseshit.


Look at the way we lost in 2016 and 2017 when Trotz was 100% in charge versus how we won last year after he lost the room, lost management, and was forced to cede more control to his assistants, the INSTANT change in success from that point forward was obvious.


Trotz did great things here.  We needed the simplicity and discipline he excels at big time at first, but then quickly outgrew him.  He was our #1 weakness in those back-to-back losses to the Pens in '16 and '17.


And who is this hero you say I'm worshiping?  That Cup win was a team victory in every sense.  Our whole roster showed up and overcame the mistakes and shortcomings of our coaching and management.  Trotz and MacLellan both made mistakes along the way.  The players won that title, plain and simple.

Offline Surreylily

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #118 on: Sunday April 07, 2019, 08:43:34 PM Eastern »
Hmmmmm.
Loving the whodjamflip.  Notso surea bout the rest.  Are you more penguin or flyer than our boys maybe?  Not convinced.  :-|
I am

Offline 4 Caps

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Re: GDT#80 Capitals @ Panthers 7:00pm Mon Apr 1, 2019 NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
« Reply #119 on: Sunday April 07, 2019, 09:40:51 PM Eastern »
Hmmmmm.
Loving the whodjamflip.  Notso surea bout the rest.  Are you more penguin or flyer than our boys maybe?  Not convinced.  :-|
Where do you get the idea that he is more of a Flyer or Penguin fan.  His is one of the most insightfull analysis that I have read on this board.  For the most part I agree with his analysis.  He is absolutely right that it was Rierden who came up with the change in system that led to our success last season.