The Caps Play Dirty

A little love for the Caps today as we head into the All-Star break...and a little something less than love from Canada.

First up, AP has news for everyone that Caps fans already know - the playoff race is now on in DC.

Playoff race? Capitals?

Well, take a long, hard look at those standings as the NHL heads into the All-Star break. Washington (23-22-5) is one point behind first-place Carolina in the Southeast Division. Granted, it's a weak division, but even this is more than anyone could have expected considering where the Capitals were two months ago.

So true. Brooks Laich had this to say:

"It's been a lot of hard work. It's come from the change. It's come directly from Bruce. He's a confident guy, and he preaches that to his players, and his players are playing with confidence. He makes the game real easy to play. It's a lot different around here now than it was before."

Then the spotlight comes to rest on little Nicklas Backstrom as he heads off to his first - and probably not last - All-Star Game. He was rookie of the month in December, 12 points in 9 games in January, and poised to do even more down the stretch:

“Everything is different,” said Backstrom. “Now I know where I should go and where I should be on the ice. If you know that, that’s pretty good. I think it’s going better and better. But I think it can get even better.”

And finally if you hadn't heard, the Caps are the second coming of this year's Philadelphia Flyers. Well, according to the Star, that is:

Cliff Fletcher was brought into Toronto as interim general manager to prepare the Maple Leafs for the future and a new head hockey honcho.

Really, all the team needs is a few more games against the hard-hitting, some might say dirty, Washington Capitals. [Subtle...]

The way bodies have been dropping over the last two games, a little bit more of this Capital punishment and the entire Marlies squad would soon be wearing Maple Leaf jerseys. The future would be now.

Hockey should be a no-contact sport. Got it. Don Cherry will be so pleased.

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The Aftermath

It's always fun after a win up in Canada to see what is being said, if only because it tends to get a lot more coverage than it does down here. It's that much more fun when the Caps, a lowly 15th place team, top the Sens, the mighty 1st place team. (Not to pick on Sens fans too much, because I like Ottawa. Just not for the next 24 hours or so.)

Here's a quick rundown of all the press clippings...

Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa Sun

Globe and Mail

CBC.ca

NHL.com

Do you get the sense that everyone is as surprised as we are?

On that same note, here's a little local flavor, just for fun:

Washington Post

Washington Times

And finally, here are a couple of great snippets from the Ottawa Sun's game story:

- "So, the starting goaltender of one team didn't make himself available to the media yesterday while the star forward of the other team took the time to go into the hallway - in his underwear - and read a couple of lines of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas for a feature TSN does each year. Alexander Ovechkin read the lines at least a half-dozen times, laughed while doing it and when he was thanked by Brent Wallace of TSN, replied "No problem." And you wonder what makes a guy a pro."

- Backstrom on his goal: "If it hit [Emery] in the head," said Backstrom afterward, "I'm sorry."

- "[F]ormer NHLer Bob Probert was outside the Caps dressing room after the game. He introduced himself to Ovechkin. The star walked away and asked somebody, "Grobert? Who's Grobert?"

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This One's a Beaut, Eh?

Tomorrow at 12:01 P.M. EST hunting season for free agents officially opens. GMs are loading up the trucks with ammunition (new practice facilities, hot young superstars) and sustenance (a hefty increase in the salary cap to over $50 million), prepared to wait in the tall weeds for that trophy to hang over their mantle.

...okay, I have to stop the hunting metaphor there, because...ick.

It is, next to trade deadline day, one of the biggest personnel movement days of the year in the NHL. The days leading up to it are filled with whirlwind predictions and frantic last minute signings of players on the cusp of becoming UFAs. Undoubtedly the decisions made tomorrow and over the next few days will be picked apart by so-called "experts" and armchair GMs alike - the reality is only time will tell which signings are blockbuster deals and which ones are busts.

But whether you buy into the NHL spin of this year's pool being extremely deep or the more pessimistic (and likely more realistic) point of view of SI's Allan Muir, it's sure to be entertainment. Will Tampa finally get the goaltender who won't become a liability...or a scapegoat? Can the Ducks hold onto the core of their Cup-winning roster? How many Buffalo fans will leap off their roofs as Drury and Briere hightail it out of town?

And most importantly here in DC, will the Caps address the few gaping holes in their lineup that everyone knows are there? If you read the pundits, of course, you know that we're going to sign Daniel Briere and Brian Rafalski. No, wait - make that Scotty Gomez and Scotty Hannan. Or...hmm. How about Jeremy Roenick and Andy Sutton? (At least Mike Green's head would be safe.)

Hey, I hear Peter Bondra may be available. For a change.

The important thing to remember, something that far too many people forget this time of year, is that it's not about making a big splash necessarily. It's about making the right one. You need more than future hall-of-famers to win Stanley Cups, and the Caps aren't going to win it with one offseason of signings. Do they need to make some noise, be it by free agency or trades? Absolutely. Will I weep into my pillow if they don't sign a Chris Drury or a Scott Hannan? No.

Hell, I'll take a Michael Nylander and a Tom Preissing and sleep well - they're not sexy names compared to some of the others but they're hard-working, character guys with, get this...skill. I'm sold.

And don't be scared off by the lack of rumblings in the rumor mill involving the Caps. If you know this team and this organization at all you know that GMGM keeps his dealings close to the vest, revealing nothing until he has to. Maybe he should have been in charge of the uniform unveiling...

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Of course, let us not forget what July 1 also represents - Canada Day! On July 1, 1867 the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec were officially combined to form the Canadian confederation. And although complete (sort of) independence from the British crown wasn't fully achieved until 1982, it marks the beginnings of their very long path to becoming the great hockey-loving nation we know today.

So in honor of the country that took me in for four years and the province that gave me my beloved Habs, let's all join in together with the Canadian national anthem the way it's meant to be sung, en français and in English:

O Canada!

Terre de nos aïeux,

Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!

Car ton bras sait porter l'épée

Il sait porter la croix!

Ton histoire est une épopée

Des plus brillants exploits.

God keep our land
Glorious and free

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

HAPPY (kind of) BIRTHDAY, CANADA!

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