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:ovechkincup2:
(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals @ Panthers.gif)
Game 80: 102-47-24-8 (PTS-W-L-OT) Streak - W4
Mon Apr 1, 2019 Washington Capitals @ Florida Panthers
Place: BB&T Center
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSWA, TVAS, FS-F
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7 (http://tunein.com/radio/Caps-Radio-247-s231201/)
NHL.COM (https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/2018021221) for Live Box Score
Last Game: Sat March 30 Capitals Won 6-3 against Lightning
Next Game: Thu Apr 4, 7:00 pm ET Canadiens @ Capitals
| :spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: 19-Bäckström | :spacer50pix: 43-Wilson |
| :spacer50pix: 62-Hagelin | :spacer50pix: 92-Kuznetsov | :spacer50pix: 77-Oshie |
| :spacer50pix: 13-Vrana | :spacer50pix: 20-Eller | :spacer50pix: 10-Connolly |
| :spacer50pix: 65-Burakovsky | :spacer50pix: 26-Dowd | :spacer50pix: 18-Stephenson |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 29-Djoos | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 2-Niskanen |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 44-Orpik | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 3-Jensen |
|
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 1-Copley (starter) |
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 70-Holtby |
-- SCRATCH --
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 23-Jaskin |
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 72-Boyd (Illness) |
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 34-Siegenthaler |
-- INJURED RESERVE --
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 6-Kempny |
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
| :spacer50pix: 92-Kuznetsov | :spacer50pix: 19-Bäckström | :spacer50pix: 77-Oshie |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
| :spacer50pix: 13-Vrana | :spacer50pix: 20-Eller | :spacer50pix: 43-Wilson |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 2-Niskanen | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov |
:spacer50pix: Referees: Chris Schlenker (#3), Francois St. Laurent (#38)
:spacer50pix: Linesmen: Ryan Galloway (#82), Pierre Racicot (#65)
PANTHERS LINEUP
11-Jonathan Huberdeau -- 16-Aleksander Barkov -- 63-Evgenii Dadonov
68-Mike Hoffman -- 21-Vincent Trocheck -- 8-Jayce Hawryluk
92-Frank Vatrano -- 15-Riley Sheahan -- 22-Troy Brouwer
73-Dryden Hunt -- 95-Henrik Borgstrom -- 7-Colton Sceviour
19-Mike Matheson -- 5-Aaron Ekblad
3-Keith Yandle -- 52-MacKenzie Weegar
13-Mark Pysyk -- 2-Josh Brown
1-Roberto Luongo (starter)
33-Sam Montembeault
Scratched: 88-Jamie McGinn, 62-Denis Malgin, 12-Ian McCoshen, 25-Brady Keeper, 34-James Reimer
Injured: 17-Derek MacKenzie (shoulder)
(https://washingtoncapitalsfanforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgalactichub.com%2Fcaps%2Fscoring_summary.gif&hash=a5539380153e9a0902e0b6fc1ce40d49d66becf2)
1st Period
13:48 CATS GOAL Vatrano, assists Sceviour & Borgstrom 1-0 FLA
2nd Period
03:34 CATS GOAL Huberdeau, unassisted 2-0 FLA
12:01 CATS SH GOAL Trocheck, assist Barkov 3-0 FLA
17:57 CATS GOAL Brouwer, assists Barkov & Hunt 4-0 FLA
3rd Period
10:55 GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assist 74-Carlson 4-1 FLA
16:25 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assists 77-Oshie & 8-Ovechkin 4-2 FLA
17:39 GOAL 13-Vrana , assists 77-Oshie & 2-Niskanen 4-3 FLA
19:33 CATS GOAL Trocheck, unassisted 5-3 FLA
FINAL: 5-3 FLA
(https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/rmnb-retina.png)
By Cara Bahniuk on April 1, 2019 12:23 pm
The Capitals can win the Metropolitan Division tonight with a win and an Islanders loss
(https://i0.wp.com/russianmachineneverbreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/alex-ovechkin-50-goals-capitals-celebrate.jpg?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1)
Headline photo: @Capitals
After securing a playoff berth four days ago, the Washington Capitals can clinch the Metropolitan Division tonight.
It would be their fourth consecutive Metropolitan Division title and their ninth division title win in 12 seasons.
The Caps can win the Metro if these conditions are met:
The Capitals beat the Florida Panthers.
The New York Islanders lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation.
The Capitals could become the third team to win their division, with only the Central division remaining.
If the playoffs started today, the Capitals would play the first wildcard team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, in the first round. According to @IneffectiveMath, Columbus has a 53 percent chance of matching up against Washington again in the opening round.
Depending on how the last few games shake out, the Capitals could also end up playing the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, or Montreal Canadiens.
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Pleasant surprise! Didn't think they played till tomorrow.. :omg:
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Let’s GO CAPS!
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Let's GO CAPS!
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Pleasant surprise! Didn't think they played till tomorrow.. :omg:
Check top of GDT. It always shows the next DAY and DATE of the next game. Also, the Yahoo Sports app lets you set notifications. I get a 3 hour heads up for game times and another notification precisely at puck drop.
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:slapshot:
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I am having a hard time getting excited for this game. Hope the Caps aren’t having the same problem. LETS GO CAPS!
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Totally disinterested so far.
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Evening chaps. :wackysmile:
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I don't understand why Comcast can't have consistent sound. Even at home their sound goes from true Dolby Digital 5.1 to 2.0 stereo. This game is a DD 5.1 signal with only 2.0 channels containing any sound. BORING! and Cheap! :raised-eyebrow:
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Evening chaps. :wackysmile:
Hi Lil
Did you catch the last game? We dominated the bolts.
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Geez, I didnt know there was a game tonight.
Looking at the score...neither did the Caps or Panz :snicker:
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Geez, I didnt know there was a game tonight.
Looking at the score...neither did the Caps or Panz :snicker:
Read my first post after the OP.
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They are totally disinterested.
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:O=
WAKE THE HELL UP CAPS!!!
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:O=
WAKE THE HELL UP CAPS!!!
Hard for me to get excited if they can’t.
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Figures.. Feels like they're just lookin to float around for 60 minutes and get back to DC..
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That’s 8mil worth of Dman for ya. He can watch the other team score as better than any D in the league 😡
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Hi Lil
Did you catch the last game? We dominated the bolts.
Sadly, no. Other committments. Gutted I missed it.
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Evening chaps. :wackysmile:
Who's this rookie? You new around here? :raspberry: :snicker:
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God were good at faceoffs.. :poop: Love to see the stat sheet and find out if we got credited for a scoring chance that period.. :-\
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That was about as poorly as they can play.
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God were good at faceoffs.. Love to see the stat sheet and find out if we got credited for a scoring chance that period.. :-\
Hey, Kuzy has been over 40% so far! (😡)
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I was afraid we'd come off Sat and play down to the competition. Need to wake up. No offense that period at all.
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That was about as poorly as they can play.
However FLA came to play tonight. They sure don’t look like a team that’s outta the playoffs right now. Looks like we coulda been dismissing them.
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God were good at faceoffs.. :poop: Love to see the stat sheet and find out if we got credited for a scoring chance that period.. :-\
Varly had the only quality scoring chance that period. Pathetic but can’t say I am surprised. As I said in an earlier post this is a hard game to get up for.
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Who's this rookie? You new around here? :raspberry: :snicker:
You locals are mean.... :uh-huh:
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A lOT of empty eats over there.
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No chance to win tonight. Don’t care enough.
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:O=
FUCKING HOPELESS JACKASSES!
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Caps don't want this one...
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That was ugly
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I was listing to pregame on the radio. I could've sworn they said this is Luongos last season in FLA, but I can't find any other info on it
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this is pathetic, Saturday the radio broadcast was about 25 seconds ahead of the video, tonight it's about 35 seconds behind, again
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Kuzy has to do something with that puck when he's in prime position like that.
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Kuzy has to do something with that puck when he's in prime position like that.
Other than turn it over?
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THis is embarrassing. :O=
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:O= :O= :O=
:pathetic:
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Just fucking pathetic! I’m done. Goodnight team. Not the way to head into the playoffs.
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Our inability to win face offs WILL cost us a chance to repeat.
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92 and 74? And Shorty at that?
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They look totally hopeless.
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(https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/give_a_fuck.gif)
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We're making the Panthers look like Tampa Bay
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We're making the Panthers look like Tampa Bay
Worse. We look like Ottowa!
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Good for TB, but what fuck was Carlson doin, Again
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Islanders down 1-0 with 2 min left in 2nd.
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A quality coach doesn't let this type of effort happen,
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A quality coach doesn't let this type of effort happen,
No they don’t
They also adjust to stop and correct it
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I guess the intermission interview will again be with our best player . . . Slapshot! From Capital One Arena!
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A quality coach doesn't let this type of effort happen,
Now where do we find one of those quality coaches you speak of?
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well this is fun.
I'm out....usually catch the rest on delay, but why bother.
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Good for TB, but what fuck was Carlson doin, Again
Could be Johnny Qualude's worst game of the year.
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No they don’t
They also adjust to stop and correct it
This is why the Caps don't stand much of a chance on the playoffs. Todd is going to get outcoached by everyone. Everyone's playing Chess and he's still playing Checkers.
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I thought there was a hockey game tonight??
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Could be Johnny Qualude's worst game of the year.
lucky for him he can now afford a few more
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Ovi and Backstrom are each a minus 4, the top line has been on the ice for three goals against. However, I am not shocked by this game, the Caps were simply not mentally into this game from the start. I still think they win the division, if they beat the Islanders in the last game they will win the division and I think they will.
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Anyone know where TR lives so I can buy him this little gift?
(https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780470836859_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg)
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Welp, guess that's that then.. I'd prolly watch the 3rd but listening to the FL announcers talk like the Panthers are ready for a cup is more than I bargained for tonight.. :snicker: Catch ya'll Thursday!
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This is why the Caps don't stand much of a chance on the playoffs. Todd is going to get outcoached by everyone. Everyone's playing Chess and he's still playing Checkers.
There have been WAY to many games like this. Toddy just seems to shrug it off and say “we’re still in 1st and score a lot so, getting shelled and embarrassed is no big deal”
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Anyone know where TR lives so I can buy him this little gift?
(https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780470836859_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg)
We can start a collection so you can send several to the entire coaching staff, and to the owners group
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the league really needs to do something about that pansy ass hooking too
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Ovi and Backstrom are each a minus 4, the top line has been on the ice for three goals against. However, I am not shocked by this game, the Caps were simply not mentally into this game from the start. I still think they win the division, if they beat the Islanders in the last game they will win the division and I think they will.
Doesn’t matter. If they’re playing and coach like this in their 80th game, winning the Division will be the least thing we should be caring about
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Os are up 6-0!
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Leafs up 2-0 on Isles with 15min left.
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(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals_mascot-Panthers.png) :B:
:92:
:yawn:
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Dylan with the tip in???
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Funny, this is probably one of our best face-off games in awhile/for the whole season. But besides that, we haven't done a bloomin' thing.
The team has been on its toes, took it to Tampa on Saturday, so I guess decided to take the night off tonight. The Ovie/Backstrom/Wilson line has been a catastrophe tonight.
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Funny, this is probably one of our best face-off games in awhile/for the whole season. But besides that, we haven't done a bloomin' thing.
The team has been on its toes, took it to Tampa on Saturday, so I guess decided to take the night off tonight. The Ovie/Backstrom/Wilson line has been a catastrophe tonight.
We should just not even take em right?🤣
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Isles PP Goal with 5 min left. Still behind 2-1.
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Is it too late to fire TR?
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(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals_mascot-Panthers.png) :B:
:19:
:yawn: :yawn:
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would've been nice to see this about 2 hours ago
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Is it too late to fire TR?
unfortunately, yes
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holy FLIRKING SCHNIT
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(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals_mascot-Panthers.png) :B:
:13:
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Holy crap! 8-0
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still, would've been nice to see this 2 frikin hours ago
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Islanders LOST to the Leafs in Regulation 2-1
:clap:
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shoulda known, show just enough life to get us interested then not even offer a reach around
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Good last 3 minutes... :-| :lmao:
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(https://washingtoncapitalsfanforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgalactichub.com%2Fcaps%2Fscoring_summary.gif&hash=a5539380153e9a0902e0b6fc1ce40d49d66becf2)
1st Period
13:48 CATS GOAL Vatrano, assists Sceviour & Borgstrom 1-0 FLA
2nd Period
03:34 CATS GOAL Huberdeau, unassisted 2-0 FLA
12:01 CATS SH GOAL Trocheck, assist Barkov 3-0 FLA
17:57 CATS GOAL Brouwer, assists Barkov & Hunt 4-0 FLA
3rd Period
10:55 GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assist 74-Carlson 4-1 FLA
16:25 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assists 77-Oshie & 8-Ovechkin 4-2 FLA
17:39 GOAL 13-Vrana , assists 77-Oshie & 2-Niskanen 4-3 FLA
19:33 CATS GOAL Trocheck, unassisted 5-3 FLA
FINAL: 5-3 FLA
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I hope they don't mind if I skip the post game tonight, I'm not in the mood
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Caps win the division if they win one of their remaining 2 games. I am confident that they will accomplish that.
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Equally funny -- once we started reverting to form on face-offs later in the game, we've come roaring back. Something is bass-ackwards here.
We don't get hurt immediately, because NYI just lost to Toronto. Pittsburgh though has three games remaining against bottom-dwellers, so it is quite possible they end up with 103 standings points. We probably need a win in the last two games to clinch the Division. But that may be a good news/bad news scenario since we could be very well pitted against a suddenly hot CBJ team in the first round.
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:O= :O= :O= :O=
:raised-eyebrow: :raised-eyebrow: :raised-eyebrow: :raised-eyebrow:
:huh: :huh: :huh:
:poop: :poop: :poop: :poop:
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G'night all. :yawn:
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Good night. See you all Thursday.
:suicide:
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Now where do we find one of those quality coaches you speak of?
I'm sure Joel Quenneville isn't hiding. Of course, he'd cost more than Trotz so there's that.
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I'm sure Joel Quenneville isn't hiding. Of course, he'd cost more than Trotz so there's that.
Or Spencer Carberry. He at least has recent experience as a head coach
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wtf Caps?!(Rierdon)
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Equally funny -- once we started reverting to form on face-offs later in the game, we've come roaring back. Something is bass-ackwards here.
We don't get hurt immediately, because NYI just lost to Toronto. Pittsburgh though has three games remaining against bottom-dwellers, so it is quite possible they end up with 103 standings points. We probably need a win in the last two games to clinch the Division. But that may be a good news/bad news scenario since we could be very well pitted against a suddenly hot CBJ team in the first round.
When I made this previous post I hadn't noticed that Detroit, who Pittsburgh plays in a home-and-home series, has quietly gone 7-3 in their last 10 and have won 5 straight. I guess the Pens had better not sleep on them.
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When I made this previous post I hadn't noticed that Detroit, who Pittsburgh plays in a home-and-home series, has quietly gone 7-3 in their last 10 and have won 5 straight. I guess the Pens had better not sleep on them.
Yep, despite there record, The Wings are better than most people think,(IOW, their loses are typically close and well played. They also just extended their coach after not making the playoffs again. Given how they’ve been playing, it’s very possible the Hens won’t win both maybe get swept.
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......
Given how they’ve been playing, it’s very possible the Hens won’t win both maybe get swept.
one can only hope
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one can only hope
That only deals with Pittsburgh. If the Caps beat Montreal on Thursday they win the Metro, and that's that.
FWIW, the official announcement was made today: Michael Kempny is out for the rest of the season, no matter how long it lasts. He's had surgery for a torn hamstring and will be out 4-6 months. You can bet he's not going to be ready to play NHL-level hockey at the beginning of next season, either.
I presume Siegenthaler comes up when the playoffs start, but will he do anything but sit there and look pretty? OH WAIT .... he's already up, and just sitting there and looking pretty.
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4-1!!!!
6 straight, 6 of 9
Bertuzzi 2 goals, 5 goals in 5 games, 3+ 4 in straight games!! 1st time since 2005
Mantha and Larkin on six game point streaks.
Better late than never! Let’s do it again boys!!
Fuck you Cindy!
and Fuck You Hens!!!!
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Habs thumped the chosen-ones as well!
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Caps really need to play the Canes in round 1, it would be the least taxing opponent
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Caps really need to play the Canes in round 1, it would be the least taxing opponent
When do we find out who our first opponent will be?
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When do we find out who our first opponent will be?
At this point, aftter the last game on the last day of the season
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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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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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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”.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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Yep, but we sure as hell cant count on that . . . ever.
"No Shit Sherlock!" :wackysmile:
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"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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hmmmmm.
Loving the whodjamflip. Notso surea bout the rest. Are you more penguin or flyer than our boys maybe? Not convinced. :-|
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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.
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A challenge febie.or a no more no less bbles.
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Bugger. :raised-eyebrow:
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I hope in some way
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:-|
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Build a raft people. build raft
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:rofl:
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Head coaches and star players always get more credit for wins and more blame for losses than they deserve. Hockey is probably the most TEAM win sport there is, so this is especially true.
That being said, the Caps have been the best team in the Metro the last four years. Congrats and kudos to everyone involved.
Trotz is a great coach in the right atmosphere, but he sucked ass for us in the playoffs the previous 2 years (prior to the cup) and the previous 17 years of his career. IMO he cost us NOT A CUP, but a viable shot at it the previous two seasons.
IMO it's a real stretch (okay total fantasy) to say he was held back by management the prior two years (as well as the prior 17 or so?) until his job was gone and then just said, "fuck it...I'm doing it my way" and went on to Finally win a Cup. If that's the case, then he was a spineless Head Coach for 20 years....Meh, not buying.
DC, we know what type of hockey you prefer (as do I), but most of that is gone. I still love the game and the Caps. I don't think Reirdon has what it takes to win a Cup, but I don't think Trotz really did either. I agree with KAZ that Trotz stifled our players rather than allowing them to blossom. Some of both is needed and surely what a great coach does. I'm not touting Reirdon as a great coach. I'd say Trotz is better and I applauded his hiring. He did benefit the Caps, but also eventually hindered them.
I don't have the resources to go back and fact check, but I recall YOU DC saying Trotz was simply out-coached and outclassed in the previous playoff series losses against the HENS. Now you think Trotz is great and it was all GMBM's and Monumental's fault? We know don't like GMBM, but NOBODY is totally at fault for anything. And it is the coaches job to use the resources he has been giving to win.
I think GMBM has done a marvelous job overall. He has managed to provide enough tools to be ultimately successful. Hindsight is always 20/20. Yes he has made mistakes. Yes he has overpaid on some (many) contracts. But some of that is necessary to get the players you need to win. Some of it is a risk, and you have to take those risks to win. Some risks blow up in your face. Shattenkirk was a bust, but a risk worth taking at the time. Kempney was a low level risk signing, but a good acquisition. Jensen deal is a steal. The Orpik salary dumb/trade, buyback for $1mil was brilliant. Maybe just luck there, but trading Orpik's contract HAD to be done. We got lucky and got him back on the cheap. (or maybe someone knew it all along). Yes, he let Beagle walk, but No way is Beagle worth 3 million to THIS TEAM. We simply could not afford that for what is basically a career 4th liner. I love Beags and would love to have him and his skill set, but if you don't pay 2019 Cadillac prices for a 2010 F150 do you? We traded/let walk away Brooks Laich, and Karl Alzner. I loved both of those guys, but neither would have helped the Caps past their tenure here.
We would all like to see better trades and better deals and better players (yes, we need a dominant D man....or 2....or..), but EVERY team out there is after the same thing, and it all has to be managed under the Cap. I think GMBM has done that extremely well in his tenure, especially from where he started. We were salary cap-strung long before GMBM was at the helm.
DC, I'm pretty much on the same side of most of your arguments, but not this yo-yo on Trotz (If my recall from years past is actually correct, and I'm open to the possibility it is not). I disagree on your hatred for GMBM as well. It is not GMBM's fault the league is changing to "women's rules" hockey. It IS his fault if he does not adjust to it.
Also, not sure why you have to berate KAZ. I though most of what he had to say was insightful and well put together. Maybe you think he is a troll cause he's a noob? Still no reason to attack him. That's not very welcoming to new fans/members.
I don't think the Caps have what it takes to win a Cup this year. New coach (maybe he will be great someday, maybe not, but it IS his first year), Aging D and weak on D, injured D. Declining PP, horrible PK. Horrible faceoff. All these things add up to small critical losses at important times. THIS team cannot afford the sum of all these little things. I don't see the Caps getting by Tampa IF we make it that far. (I didn't think we'd get by Tampa last year either :uh-huh: )
I am still going to watch though. I am going to enjoy the battle (I hope). I am going to root for my team. I am going to throw stuff at the TV at times, and hopefully in the end, I will rejoice like I have never (okay, once) before.
GO CAPS
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Build a raft people. build raft
someone explain please?
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Thanks, Rich. I don't mean to harp on Trotz but that's what it looks like when you're responding to someone raving about him... you kinda hafta focus on the negatives.
Trotz was exactly what we needed when he got here. We needed his experience, discipline, and systems-driven hockey. He has a philosophy that you can install into any team and make it operate properly almost immediately. His approach is very keen on accountability; that there's a Right Way To Play. And he's right. His style is a blueprint for getting any hockey team to play effectively and responsibly, so it's a perfect fit for a blue collar, no-frills organization like the Isles are now and the Preds were during his tenure.
But the thing those teams have in common is Zero Superstars. The Preds had brief flirtations with late-model versions of Forsberg, Kariya, and Feds, but for the most part it was 15 years of zero elite talent, just like today's Isles without Tavares. If you have that kind of team, Trotz is 100% your guy. He's perfect for that.
The problem here is that we needed the philosophy and discipline desperately, but that's all. Once we bought in, Trotz was in over his head. We have several skill players that just don't fit the Play The Right Way mold. They need some freedom to be creative and take chances. We had a number of extraordinary talents crammed into ordinary containers. So Wilson's development stagnated, Burakovsky never found his confidence because he spent 4 straight years in Trotz's doghouse, Vrana spent an extra year on the farm unnecessarily because Trotz would rather have the blue collar vet, Schmidt got marginalized and tossed aside because Trotz wouldn't trust youth (or Reirden), Connolly was relegated to garbage minutes, Kuzy disappeared for 6 months including an entire playoff year while Trotz tried to stifle every creative impulse he had, and on and on and on.
Then last year -- and we know this because of the end-of-year expose the Post did -- management cracked down, nearly fired Trotz twice, and ultimately forced him to cede more control to his assistants. And this is the year that the regular season was a roller coaster while we gave time to kids that never would have gotten the chances they did otherwise.
Some things didn't work out. Holtby's game struggled while we tried D pairs that didn't pan out. Bowey was a bust but got 50+ games to try, Djoos was a patchwork replacement, Burakovsky's development seemed to have stalled irreparably. But that's the point of the regular season in today's NHL. You have 82 games to evaluate everything you have so you can make informed adjustments.
So in past years with Trotz completely in control, kids got no chance or development, we spent no time tinkering with chemistry or trying to evolve our systems, and thus our GM had to take blind shots at making improvements. So you end up with midseason acquisitions like Clencross and Gleason; guys that just add depth but do nothing to address weaknesses. This is why during those years MacLellan's best moves were in the offseason where he could exercise more control. And he had to take big swings because he knew those were his best chances to make real change.
So during the season you get low-rent trades, but in the offseason you get Orpik, Oshie, Niskanen, Williams, Connolly, and Eller. And GMBM wasn't shy about letting blue collar guys go and dealing away value picks to make those changes. It was him subtracting big pieces of Trotz's on-ice philosophy and replacing them with guys that bring more risk and rambunctiousness. He replaced reliable pieces with difference-makers. So out with Laich, Ward, Brouwer, Alzner, and in with riskier impact guys.
We got Orpik and Niskanen because those were Reirden's guys and they were very solid players. Yes, we paid a lot, but a good GM knows he can deal with that when the time comes. When Orpik's contract became a real issue, he dealt with it. He inherited a dog contract with Laich and he dealt with it. The Oshie trade was a masterstroke, and the Oshie contract, if you really look at how it's structured, gets more tradable as it goes. The cap hit is what it is, but the actual money was front-loaded. So right around the time that we'll start to worry about his age and durability, he'll be a key deadline trade target for a team with some cap space looking to add the hundred things he does well.
Most of MaLellan's moves look like that. The Orlov deal might be a little rough, but it was the same type of dice roll you make when you're trying to save money by going long. So maybe Orlov ended up a little overpaid, but we absolutely saved a gigantic fortune on Kuzy. We got him at max term for $7.8 and a year later he was easily worth 10+. And GMBM just did the same thing with Wilson. It looked like a bit of an overpayment at first, but now Wilson has blown up and it looks like we'll save maybe as much as 10 million over the lifetime of that deal. He's likely about to do the same with Vrana.
But last year GMBM had the added benefit of a coaching staff using the regular season to properly evaluate talent. So where before it was "We need a depth defenseman" and we get a ho-hum Gleason or "We need more from our bottom 6" and we get a ho-hum Clencross, now our needs were specific. "Bowey isn't working out. Djoos can cover, but we need a lefty to eat top-4 minutes with Carlson." And we got exactly that -- Kempny (and Jerabek) -- specifically addressing a key weakness and solidifying our top 4 for years to come.
Same thing this year. Lots of tinkering with chemistry all year, lots up ups and downs and streaky play. But that's the point. We arrived at the deadline knowing exactly what we needed. "Bowey still isn't developing. He's not a fit here. We need a right-shot defenseman for the long haul because we have no righties on the farm." And GMBM goes out not only gets the best RD available, but then locks him up for 4 years because he knows Niskanen's nearing the end of his deal. Excellent move.
Our PK was atrocious, Burakovsky still wasn't clicking, we rotated the tires on our 4th line all year long and found it lacking. So GMBM goes out and gets the exact right guy, immediately improves the PK, solves the revolving door on the 4th, and ends up improving our 3rd line to boot.
This is why you struggle. It's why you give rookies lots of chances during the year and real time to work through issues to see if they can sort it out. There is ZERO benefit to rocking the regular season anymore. Presidents Trophies mean nothing, home ice only really lasts one series, and Holtby getting regular rest means way more than his share of a wins record. All that shit means nothing. Fully evaluate your team -- even if it costs you a few points in the standings -- make necessary changes, make the playoffs. THAT is when your A-game matters. GMBM understands this. Trotz didn't.
Maybe he learned it last year. I hope so, because I wish him well. I think he's a great guy, a wonderful family man, and there's plenty of reasons that he's one of the winningest coaches ever. That he won as many games as he did in Nashville given how little they spent on salary is bananas, truly amazing. But he did NOT get us the Cup. He contributed and added a lot to the foundation, but a lot of what finally made the difference happened in spite of him, not because of him.
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Head coaches and star players always get more credit for wins and more blame for losses than they deserve. Hockey is probably the most TEAM win sport there is, so this is especially true.
That being said, the Caps have been the best team in the Metro the last four years. Congrats and kudos to everyone involved.
Trotz is a great coach in the right atmosphere, but he sucked ass for us in the playoffs the previous 2 years (prior to the cup) and the previous 17 years of his career. IMO he cost us NOT A CUP, but a viable shot at it the previous two seasons.
IMO it's a real stretch (okay total fantasy) to say he was held back by management the prior two years (as well as the prior 17 or so?) until his job was gone and then just said, "fuck it...I'm doing it my way" and went on to Finally win a Cup. If that's the case, then he was a spineless Head Coach for 20 years....Meh, not buying.
DC, we know what type of hockey you prefer (as do I), but most of that is gone. I still love the game and the Caps. I don't think Reirdon has what it takes to win a Cup, but I don't think Trotz really did either. I agree with KAZ that Trotz stifled our players rather than allowing them to blossom. Some of both is needed and surely what a great coach does. I'm not touting Reirdon as a great coach. I'd say Trotz is better and I applauded his hiring. He did benefit the Caps, but also eventually hindered them.
I don't have the resources to go back and fact check, but I recall YOU DC saying Trotz was simply out-coached and outclassed in the previous playoff series losses against the HENS. Now you think Trotz is great and it was all GMBM's and Monumental's fault? We know don't like GMBM, but NOBODY is totally at fault for anything. And it is the coaches job to use the resources he has been giving to win.
I think GMBM has done a marvelous job overall. He has managed to provide enough tools to be ultimately successful. Hindsight is always 20/20. Yes he has made mistakes. Yes he has overpaid on some (many) contracts. But some of that is necessary to get the players you need to win. Some of it is a risk, and you have to take those risks to win. Some risks blow up in your face. Shattenkirk was a bust, but a risk worth taking at the time. Kempney was a low level risk signing, but a good acquisition. Jensen deal is a steal. The Orpik salary dumb/trade, buyback for $1mil was brilliant. Maybe just luck there, but trading Orpik's contract HAD to be done. We got lucky and got him back on the cheap. (or maybe someone knew it all along). Yes, he let Beagle walk, but No way is Beagle worth 3 million to THIS TEAM. We simply could not afford that for what is basically a career 4th liner. I love Beags and would love to have him and his skill set, but if you don't pay 2019 Cadillac prices for a 2010 F150 do you? We traded/let walk away Brooks Laich, and Karl Alzner. I loved both of those guys, but neither would have helped the Caps past their tenure here.
We would all like to see better trades and better deals and better players (yes, we need a dominant D man....or 2....or..), but EVERY team out there is after the same thing, and it all has to be managed under the Cap. I think GMBM has done that extremely well in his tenure, especially from where he started. We were salary cap-strung long before GMBM was at the helm.
DC, I'm pretty much on the same side of most of your arguments, but not this yo-yo on Trotz (If my recall from years past is actually correct, and I'm open to the possibility it is not). I disagree on your hatred for GMBM as well. It is not GMBM's fault the league is changing to "women's rules" hockey. It IS his fault if he does not adjust to it.
Also, not sure why you have to berate KAZ. I though most of what he had to say was insightful and well put together. Maybe you think he is a troll cause he's a noob? Still no reason to attack him. That's not very welcoming to new fans/members.
I don't think the Caps have what it takes to win a Cup this year. New coach (maybe he will be great someday, maybe not, but it IS his first year), Aging D and weak on D, injured D. Declining PP, horrible PK. Horrible faceoff. All these things add up to small critical losses at important times. THIS team cannot afford the sum of all these little things. I don't see the Caps getting by Tampa IF we make it that far. (I didn't think we'd get by Tampa last year either :uh-huh: )
I am still going to watch though. I am going to enjoy the battle (I hope). I am going to root for my team. I am going to throw stuff at the TV at times, and hopefully in the end, I will rejoice like I have never (okay, once) before.
GO CAPS
Yes, I did criticize and question Trotzs lack of adjustments and stubbornness the previous two years of the playoffs, then it became more and more clear.
This should be a whole other post, but yes: there is enough dara to show that Trotz wasn’t able to coach his game until he knew wasn’t coming back, and not the be was arrogant, or some incompetent dinosaur who couldn’t coach the greatest team ever assembled like others implied.
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Thanks, Rich. I don't mean to harp on Trotz but that's what it looks like when you're responding to someone raving about him... you kinda hafta focus on the negatives.
Trotz was exactly what we needed when he got here. We needed his experience, discipline, and systems-driven hockey. He has a philosophy that you can install into any team and make it operate properly almost immediately. His approach is very keen on accountability; that there's a Right Way To Play. And he's right. His style is a blueprint for getting any hockey team to play effectively and responsibly, so it's a perfect fit for a blue collar, no-frills organization like the Isles are now and the Preds were during his tenure.
But the thing those teams have in common is Zero Superstars. The Preds had brief flirtations with late-model versions of Forsberg, Kariya, and Feds, but for the most part it was 15 years of zero elite talent, just like today's Isles without Tavares. If you have that kind of team, Trotz is 100% your guy. He's perfect for that.
The problem here is that we needed the philosophy and discipline desperately, but that's all. Once we bought in, Trotz was in over his head. We have several skill players that just don't fit the Play The Right Way mold. They need some freedom to be creative and take chances. We had a number of extraordinary talents crammed into ordinary containers. So Wilson's development stagnated, Burakovsky never found his confidence because he spent 4 straight years in Trotz's doghouse, Vrana spent an extra year on the farm unnecessarily because Trotz would rather have the blue collar vet, Schmidt got marginalized and tossed aside because Trotz wouldn't trust youth (or Reirden), Connolly was relegated to garbage minutes, Kuzy disappeared for 6 months including an entire playoff year while Trotz tried to stifle every creative impulse he had, and on and on and on.
Then last year -- and we know this because of the end-of-year expose the Post did -- management cracked down, nearly fired Trotz twice, and ultimately forced him to cede more control to his assistants. And this is the year that the regular season was a roller coaster while we gave time to kids that never would have gotten the chances they did otherwise.
Some things didn't work out. Holtby's game struggled while we tried D pairs that didn't pan out. Bowey was a bust but got 50+ games to try, Djoos was a patchwork replacement, Burakovsky's development seemed to have stalled irreparably. But that's the point of the regular season in today's NHL. You have 82 games to evaluate everything you have so you can make informed adjustments.
So in past years with Trotz completely in control, kids got no chance or development, we spent no time tinkering with chemistry or trying to evolve our systems, and thus our GM had to take blind shots at making improvements. So you end up with midseason acquisitions like Clencross and Gleason; guys that just add depth but do nothing to address weaknesses. This is why during those years MacLellan's best moves were in the offseason where he could exercise more control. And he had to take big swings because he knew those were his best chances to make real change.
So during the season you get low-rent trades, but in the offseason you get Orpik, Oshie, Niskanen, Williams, Connolly, and Eller. And GMBM wasn't shy about letting blue collar guys go and dealing away value picks to make those changes. It was him subtracting big pieces of Trotz's on-ice philosophy and replacing them with guys that bring more risk and rambunctiousness. He replaced reliable pieces with difference-makers. So out with Laich, Ward, Brouwer, Alzner, and in with riskier impact guys.
We got Orpik and Niskanen because those were Reirden's guys and they were very solid players. Yes, we paid a lot, but a good GM knows he can deal with that when the time comes. When Orpik's contract became a real issue, he dealt with it. He inherited a dog contract with Laich and he dealt with it. The Oshie trade was a masterstroke, and the Oshie contract, if you really look at how it's structured, gets more tradable as it goes. The cap hit is what it is, but the actual money was front-loaded. So right around the time that we'll start to worry about his age and durability, he'll be a key deadline trade target for a team with some cap space looking to add the hundred things he does well.
Most of MaLellan's moves look like that. The Orlov deal might be a little rough, but it was the same type of dice roll you make when you're trying to save money by going long. So maybe Orlov ended up a little overpaid, but we absolutely saved a gigantic fortune on Kuzy. We got him at max term for $7.8 and a year later he was easily worth 10+. And GMBM just did the same thing with Wilson. It looked like a bit of an overpayment at first, but now Wilson has blown up and it looks like we'll save maybe as much as 10 million over the lifetime of that deal. He's likely about to do the same with Vrana.
But last year GMBM had the added benefit of a coaching staff using the regular season to properly evaluate talent. So where before it was "We need a depth defenseman" and we get a ho-hum Gleason or "We need more from our bottom 6" and we get a ho-hum Clencross, now our needs were specific. "Bowey isn't working out. Djoos can cover, but we need a lefty to eat top-4 minutes with Carlson." And we got exactly that -- Kempny (and Jerabek) -- specifically addressing a key weakness and solidifying our top 4 for years to come.
Same thing this year. Lots of tinkering with chemistry all year, lots up ups and downs and streaky play. But that's the point. We arrived at the deadline knowing exactly what we needed. "Bowey still isn't developing. He's not a fit here. We need a right-shot defenseman for the long haul because we have no righties on the farm." And GMBM goes out not only gets the best RD available, but then locks him up for 4 years because he knows Niskanen's nearing the end of his deal. Excellent move.
Our PK was atrocious, Burakovsky still wasn't clicking, we rotated the tires on our 4th line all year long and found it lacking. So GMBM goes out and gets the exact right guy, immediately improves the PK, solves the revolving door on the 4th, and ends up improving our 3rd line to boot.
This is why you struggle. It's why you give rookies lots of chances during the year and real time to work through issues to see if they can sort it out. There is ZERO benefit to rocking the regular season anymore. Presidents Trophies mean nothing, home ice only really lasts one series, and Holtby getting regular rest means way more than his share of a wins record. All that shit means nothing. Fully evaluate your team -- even if it costs you a few points in the standings -- make necessary changes, make the playoffs. THAT is when your A-game matters. GMBM understands this. Trotz didn't.
Maybe he learned it last year. I hope so, because I wish him well. I think he's a great guy, a wonderful family man, and there's plenty of reasons that he's one of the winningest coaches ever. That he won as many games as he did in Nashville given how little they spent on salary is bananas, truly amazing. But he did NOT get us the Cup. He contributed and added a lot to the foundation, but a lot of what finally made the difference happened in spite of him, not because of him.
Fair enough, but I see where we disagree
We agree that Trotz wasn’t a fit. The issue is, Monumental just wanted him to be the first long time NHL coach in the Ovie era, including, as you said, providing discipline to the existing team. During this time, they could build the team, be a top team and groom the coach they wanted.
Based on recent and past history with sports and even business, I fundamentally disagree with this design, strategy, and how Monumental executed it.
I see where youre coming from and we expand on this more later, but I’ll end with for whatever reasons, both Trotz did more adjusting and implemented more changes than previous years, and he got the majority of the players execute them with minimal mistakes, both of which didn’t happen before
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DC_1908: " there is enough data to show that Trotz wasn’t able to coach his game until he knew wasn’t coming back"
There is zero data that shows that, and an entire Washington Post expose that entirely refutes it. Trotz was in the driver's seat UNTIL his last year. The changes you saw were NOT him finally getting to coach his game. "His game" in his first few years was identical to "his game" as a head coach for his entire run in Nashville. And he was dogged by the same issues -- not developing young talent, not adjusting his systems to suit the strengths of his team, doghousing players that don't buy in. His way or the highway.
And like I said in my last post, I respect that about him. That was the right path with Nashville because they were in the low end of spending, built entirely through the draft, and liked it that way. When you're lean on talent, Trotz's systems work wonders.
What actually happened is the exact opposite of what you said. He had his way until last year. He was forced to give more control over to his assistants, Reirden especially, and that's why the philosophy changed so drastically and suddenly last year. Trotz was mostly along for the ride. It seems clear he had the respect of his players, but their comments after his departure that they were fine with him leaving. They'd outgrown him.
Moving to Reirden? Meh. He's suffering from Substitute Teacher Syndrome. Trotz isn't a player's coach; he's a coach that demands respect and accountability. His assistants are the player-friendly ones. So Reirden took the head job as a well-liked, friendly figure, and a good portion of that discipline and accountability seemed to leave town with Trotz.
Kuznetsov is the perfect example of this. He absolutely struggled under Trotz because Kuzy is an artist and Trotz wants soldiers. He did everything he could to curtail Kuzy's creativity, and Kuzy needed a dose of that. You saw it in the playoffs last year. He played a 200-foot game, which is very unlike him. Trotz rubbed off. Now Trotz leaves town, Reirden The Nice Guy lets Kuzy's creativity run amok, his game has suffered, and no one seems to be holding his feet to the fire. He's a young guy that still needs guidance and a firm hand. Stephenson's game went right in the shitter when Trotz left, too. He's a guy that benefited greatly from the work ethic approach and seems lost without someone revving his motor. Does DSP come to camp out of shape and dog it all year if Trotz is coach? It's arguable, but there's no question Trotz wouldn't have given him the wide berth and long leash Reirden did in response.
However, the hands-off, give-them-some-freedom approach has paid huge dividends with Wilson, Carlson, Connolly, Vrana... Hell, even Burakovsky, results aside, appears to be playing with a lot more confidence and identity lately. He might find another gear yet now that Trotz's foot is off his throat. The mature guys like Ovi and Oshie seem to have maintained the elements Trotz brought to their game and haven't relapsed into their old bad habits.
Sorry, DC, but you're wrong on this one. I don't think Trotz being relieved of command to a degree last year made Reirden our savior. Now that we've seen the actual effects of Reirden, it seems obvious to me in retrospect that it was more management dictating a freer approach and more control over the lineup. As a result, I think the players took over for the most part. Trotz still steered the ship and the assistants definitely got more say than usual, but the change on the ice in the postseason last year was quality of play and individuals stepping up at key moments. That's the players.
Trotz made almost zero impact changes to our lines and, as usual, no tweaks to the system. His biggest move was un-fucking his decision to bench Holtby. Holtby is a steady, stable, solid guy. He isn't driven enough by anger and emotion to be "inspired" by a benching. That narrative was total bullshit. Holtby should have been in goal from the jump.
The majorly different looks we showed that may have shifted our opponents' ability to match up were things totally beyond Trotz's control -- Backstrom's injury and Wilson's suspension. Our guys appeared to play up for Willy in "Let's win one for The Gipper" fashion. That was big. And Backstrom being out required zero shrewd moves, just next man up, so Trotz gets no credit there. Aside from those two things, he made no meaningful lineup adjustments. It could be argued he did the opposite with Vrana, who stepped into top-line duties in a pinch and had a monster game, then Trotz -- given a couple days to make a considered choice -- didn't reward Vrana, but rather immediately replaced him with someone more to his liking. Didn't end up being a big deal, but showed Trotz's true stripes.
So let me be clear: In my mind, Trotz gets a lot of credit for the hard lessons, discipline, and accountability he instilled in those guys in years past. The players stepped up and won that Cup, and I think they have Trotz to thank for giving them the maturity and grit to pull that off. But his actual contributions during the Cup run were minimal. He was mostly along for the ride, in my opinion.
DC_1908: "The issue is, Monumental just wanted him to be the first long time NHL coach in the Ovie era, including, as you said, providing discipline to the existing team. During this time, they could build the team, be a top team and groom the coach they wanted."
Also not true. Reirden was hired after Trotz, likely with at least Trotz's input or okay. They wanted Trotz to lead the way and gave him all the room in the world until last year. He and MacLellan never seemed to be on the same page, which is made clear by how GMBM shopped for players in those first few years -- zero impact during the season when Trotz controlled the roster and lineup, major impact in the offseason when Trotz could exert less control, then a total change last year when Trotz had to cede control to others.
The struggle between GM and coach is obvious now, in retrospect. Those patterns are really easy to see now.
And I'm no MacLellan apologist. I could go on forever (obviously) about how badly be botched the expansion draft. That still irks me big time. But he was clearly handcuffed when the season was on for those first few years. The difference is night and day and the reasons for that are now apparent.
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Sorry about the text size there. No idea what happened. The text editor here is pretty terrible, and quotes appearing in ridiculously tiny text by default makes it hard to have a back-and-forth conversation.
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Welcome Kaz.
Your posts have been very infomative and intelligent.
One major point though.
TROTZ WAS THE COACH THAT GOT US THE CUP, after 43 years of trying. Criticise him all you want, but he's the man that got it done.
We have such a talent laden group of guys and have had for some years. What we didn't have was A TEAM. Dale Hunter started it a few years back, when he was seconded and agreed to fill in for a short time. That fucking idiot (who shall not be named) (and I still can't watch any film with that bloke in it :O= ) just completely wrecked it!
Trotz taught our boys to be a team again. To play as a team. Instead of the fractured and segmented group that had been previously and for many years. The "Klub Kettler"
If he did nothing else, he did that. He levelled the field. Everybody was equal. Everybody ws as important. Everybody had to put the effort in. Not just talent. Effort.
That Klub Kettler attitude has been so prevalent for so many years in that club, it's no mean feat for him to have overcome it.
Trotz is like a slightly suped-up version of Dale Hunter, no? :snicker:
We have a history of debuting new Head Coaches. They may go on to do great things, but their first and formative years with the Caps have never boded well.
For our superstars to go out and do what they do, there has to be a structure behind them, to allow them to do that.zy....
I didn't see the reports of Trotz job being on the line. I'm one of those "soft Euro's" that DC bitches about. You know, like Nicky and Kuzy, who are so useless..... :raspberry:
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Thanks for the welcome, Surreylily.
I think I've been pretty clear on my feelings about Trotz. I said most of what you said already. He deserves credit for the foundation he fostered here. He changed the culture, and that was crucial. But it was also something we bought into 3 years ago. From that point forward his style suffocated some of the greatest abilities and potential of several of our players, and his refusal to trust and develop young players was made very clear.
I don't want to repeat myself, so I'd just point you to the two series losses to the Penguins, especially the elimination games. We got completely, entirely annihilated in those games. Trotz's gameplan was OBVIOUSLY conservative. He had us trying to eke out wins, playing perimeter hockey, FAR more concerned with trying to stop the Pens than trying to BE THE CAPITALS. He eschewed EVERYTHING we do well in an effort to prevent the things the Pens do well, and he failed.
We were trying not to lose those games. The Penguins were trying to kick the living shit out of us. And that's why we got the living shit kicked out of us. It was a conservative gameplan that made it SO clear that he doesn't trust anyone more than he trusts his system. He handcuffed his players and gambled on the same suffocating style he's employing in NY right now, which is working because THAT team lacks the skill required to straight up go for it.
It's interesting that you bring up Hunter's coaching year here because it's a good example of what I'm talking about. That team was poorly built, had huge injury issues during the stretch run, and didn't match up well with anyone. So Hunter installed a bunker mentality, the same conservative, sacrifice, suffocating style we're talking about with Trotz. And it was brilliant and appropriate BECAUSE our team was so flawed. As a result, a team that really had no business in the playoffs at all ended up forcing 14 games from two of the best teams in the East and the two best goaltenders on the planet at that time. It was great.
And it was similarly appropriate and effective when Trotz first got here because we had similar weaknesses and structural problems with the roster. Trotz got the best from us then.
But playing that way when you have Ovi, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Oshie, Williams, Niskanen, Carlson, and Holtby all at the height of their powers -- complete rosters with no glaring weaknesses and NO reason to EVER play scared against ANYONE -- is chickenshit. This is ice hockey. I don't care how good you think the Pens are, when you have a roster as talented and complete as those two teams were, the ONLY gameplan you should EVER employ is, "Let's go out there, do what we do best, and fucking destroy them."
Instead it was, "OK, boys. We're gonna shut them down and not let Crosby do this and watch out for Malkin and Letang's been getting too many looks and Kessel will kill us if we don't blah blah blah." That's how you play when you don't have the tools to dictate play to the other team. You play safe and try to steal wins. But those two Caps teams were the best teams on the fucking planet that shouldn't have been deferring to anyone. You make it 100% about maximizing what you do best, freeing everyone up to play their best game. Yes, you need to be aware of the opposition and play them smartly, BUT YOU DO NOT LET THEM DICTATE YOUR GAMEPLAN.
You come out guns blazing with everything you have. And if you lose playing that way and leave it all on the ice, no one will have any real reason to criticize you. But we didn't do that. He had us playing a perimeter, reactionary gameplan that made it clear that he was either scared of the Penguins or thought they were better than us. We didn't even try to win, and got our asses handed to us both times. It was humiliating, and our guys deserved better.
Last year -- go read the Post expose -- Trotz wasn't able to call those same shots. His doghouse got cleared out by management, guys he'd been refusing to trust and give chances got in the lineup and exploded. Kuzy was finally set free, Wison started getting the minutes he deserved, Vrana got taken out of mothballs, Ovi got different looks and linemates to get the most from him, the D was finally trusted to take more chances in transition. We were far less predictable, far more explosive, far more dynamic. Every effort was being made to get the absolute best from each player, instead of everyone being forced into a rigid, confining system that doesn't let them breathe.
And as a result we went from being a solid team to a scary team. We dictated the play, forced the opposition to play OUR game. We took chances between the blues, stretched our offense out more, got off the perimeter and took control of the center of the ice, forcing lots of deflections and screens and rebounds -- the type of play that allows you the chances to get the lucky bounces that always seemed to elude us BECAUSE we were playing exclusively on the perimeter. That style allows your skill guys to thrive AND your physical game to blossom -- more open ice hits, more chances to maximize your speed.
That was the difference, Lily. Instead of trying not to lose we were actively trying to destroy our opposition. Trotz still occasionally forced us to play safer, sometimes wisely but just as often unwisely, trying to sit on leads, shortening the bench unnecessarily, not trusting the kids at a few crucial times. But the players weren't having it. The sheer number of individual efforts that ended in goals for or prevented goals against was staggering. We were playing so decisively that we were able to shake off and overcome some glaring mistakes and moments where the refs fucked us.
If you've followed Trotz's career over the years, you know that SO much of that is contrary to his style and philosophy. The organization and players weren't having it last year, Trotz was forced to loosen the reins, and that allowed us to shine in ways we couldn't before. The difference was night and day. We went from playing chickenshit hockey versus the Pens with our full roster at 100% and getting our asses kicked to dominating play and kicking THEIR asses with two of our most important players unable to play.
I'm clearly not saying that Trotz did nothing. But last year he was finally forced to let this team play the best hockey they can possibly play, and he stood back and let them do it. And I'm sure he supported them in any way he could.
In the two years prior, Barry Trotz was the #1 reason we were eliminated from the playoffs. Last year he was a small cog in the wheel that won it all.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣what the hell ever man!
It’s a very romantic notion to think the players just “overcame their demons”, dug in deep and played like the superstars we always knew they where”, and “We just needed to wait for our turn!”The emotional factor makes the feelings run deep to make it a piece of cake sell to those who are vaunerable to such a thing.
Come on dude, just saying I’m “wrong”, in a opinion piece diatribe that attempted to read like a Caps yearbook write up with the only support being the WaPost and opinions. Really man, the Post writes the same articles every year, which is why you read it. On top of that, in all of your ramblings you kept contradicting yourself over and over. For example, how can Trotz not develop young players, nor did he do a significant amount to win the Cup, yet Kuzy and Bura “dug deep and played the way knew they could!”?
We all learned the “write a lot and grad-students will think you know what you’re saying so you won’t need to include any real data but it’ll look like you know what your talking about” in college too. Of course this tactic is incredibly convenient for the writer to repeat thier opion reoeadly as the reader looses attention and only retains what’s being said over and over regardless of fact or data.
I know, it’s “cool” to hate Trotz, to think this is the greatest story ever, and if you cherry pick a few safe things to criticize, and throw in the occasional compliment, it makes you “look” like you know what youre talking about and “look” like youre not just a hero worshiping fan boy who can’t work a text editor.
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Odd to see the borderline illiterate guy that misspells every other word criticizing my intelligence. Pots and kettles, dude. You put a bunch of things in quotes that I never said, you completely mischaracterized, and clearly demonstrate your total lack of reading comprehension. But I'm the dumb one.
And this is your same old move, bullying when you can't actually refute or intelligently discuss something. Well sorry, but that shit doesn't impress me, tough guy. I've often wondered why it is you've never realized how completely fucking stupid you sometimes sound on these forums.
I know this sport forwards and backwards, and having followed both of these forums with interest for the last few years I have no problem telling you that your grasp of this game -- at least when it comes to your ability to communicate it in writing -- is often woefully lacking, pretty routinely antiquated, and sometimes just plain moronic. But that's okay because when people disagree with you you can just shout them down, accuse them of something insane, or attempt to make fun.
So explain it to me, sweetheart. Give me your intelligent, factual take on why last year's coaching was so antithetical to every other season he's coached in the NHL. Explain to me how both Post reporters with access are somehow completely wrong or outright liars, but YOU have all the answers.
You can't. You just vomit your tirades on the forum and browbeat anyone who disagrees. Laughably bad attempts at intimidation when your brain isn't up to the task.
So yeah, everyone else on the planet got it wrong. It's DC_1908 -- the forum troll with the writing skills of a 6-year-old -- that everyone should be listening to. Don't dare disagree or he'll throw another hissy fit...