Paul Kariya is out indefinitely with a sprained wrist, so the Caps traded their Captain Steve Konowalchuk to the Avalanche for Bates Battaglia and rights to prospect Jonas Johansson.

The Caps are crazy! This means that a) Brenda Twitt will be the new captain and that a fan favorite, and player who has played here his whole career, is gone. For a useless piece of hockey like Bates.

I'm SOOO glad I didn't buy tickets!
:mad: :mad:

Oh wise one, when I read about this trade, my questions were "What do the Caps get out of this?" "How long can Kariya be out with just a sprained wrist?" and "Don't the Avs really need a strong goalie instead of another forward?" This trade makes no sense to me.

~Adam

I was shocked this morning when I heard this...
A left wing for another left wing. Is this Ted Leonsis' statement that even the captain can be traded? Somehow I think this goes way back to the Tampa Bay series, and Leonsis overreaction to the whole thing. Steve Konowalchuk is going to be great with the Avs. Bates Battaglia is not just going to fit in immediately with the Caps.

i was at the Ottawa/washington game last night.. (free tickets) and let me just say that the rumours are true: the caps really ARE that bad.

Jagr is invisible, the D is gawdawful, and Olie is left there on his own.

Cassidy should NOT get fired, as there is nothing more he can do with a bunch of AHLers.

Whether it is fair or not, just about every sports media outlet (inside and outside of DC) that I hear or read is pretty much betting, though, that Bruce Cassidy will be the first coach of the year to be sacked. ...and who really wants to pick up that $12.8 million salary (which is the highest in the NHL)? The Caps are in trouble. Trevor saw this coming and didn't renew his tickets. This is turning out to be a very good decision.

You aren't kidding, Cattledog! A had a friend who does have her season tickets call me yesterday and pretty much say the same thing.

Mind you, I've been watching the games on TV. Boy do they look terrible.

Peake, I'm going to have to disagree with you, partially. I do feel the D is primarily a bunch of AHLers, no doubt, or rookies. Let's face it though, Rookie D are going to make mistakes. However, there are enough forwards there that should make up a difference for scoring at least. Jagr should NOT be invisible at his salary.

I wish the Caps would have an event to meet the management. *sigh* the only problem is, so many of the fans around here are so silly, they'd never ask the tough questions like Adam does.

Trevor

Hey Trevor -- just curious -- did you ever return Ted Leonis's call and give him a piece of your mind?

no, Bucky, I should have though. It's just very hard for me to do that kind of thing at work, since my job requires me to be on the phone all day. Internet is a different story, thankfully. wink

from trevor:

...they'd never ask the tough questions like Adam does....

You'll make me blush! At last night's Kings/Sabres game, a woman stopped me and thanked me for "putting it to them" at that get-together! Just asking a question about a player's health & the teams' response to the situation doesn't seem to me to be a big deal, but I'll take any & all compliments.

~Adam

Adam, I think it's time we started contracting you out to other sports teams as the official Fan Ombudsman. We'll start you out with Andy Reid and the Eagles. If you get anything out of them other than their usual blathering, business will skyrocket! wink

Oh come on! Why should the Capitals be any better than the Redskins? Or Wizards, for that matter?

I honestly think Washington has the worst collection of professional sports teams in the country.

The Freedom, of course, won the WUSA title and the league immediately folded. What does that tell you?

Although it has been five years since I have lived in DC. At least I remember that members of the DC sports teams weren't constantly in the news for breaking laws, unlike here in Portland.

Why do you think we call them the "JailBlazers"?

Rumors are flying that the Caps are shopping Sergei Gonchar around the league in order to cut payroll, and that Toronto has shown interest. Ted Leonis has denied all of this, so it must be true! wink Yes, the Caps may have truly lost their minds afterall.

While Al Morganti is not my favorite ESPN analyst, I thought this wsa pretty good:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...i_al&id=1649858

Trevor

After last night's loss to Anaheim, I was curious to see if the Caps were going to call a 2.00 p.m. press conference today. I haven't heard anything. How much longer do you predict Bruce Cassidy, or George McPhee, for that matter, will have their jobs?

I switched back and forth between the Anaheim/Washington game and the St. Louis/Detroit shootout last night. I don't think I have ever seen the Caps this bad!

Cattledog: with a 1 and 7 record, it won't be long now!!! I was just glancing at the standings so far, and there are some fairly big surprises going on. Like the Blues with a 3 point lead over the Wings for first in their divison now. The pens are 1 and 4. Not a good start at all for them. The Flames are playing .500 hockey right now, and the Wild are not off to a good start at all either. The Ducks are 2 points out of first in the Pacific with a record of 4-5, thanks to Gerber. And its early, I know but the Flyers and Bruins are rolling.

A friend and I have a new theory: Ted is gutting the team to have a super low payroll so he can sell it. Ted initially had a 5-year plan to win the cup, and it's painfully apparant they won't this year. I have a feeling Ted is done with playing in the "Sports Owner" field.

Trevor

Although I hope you're wrong Trevor (despite Teddy being the driving force behind the Caps signing Jagr two years ago, which I immediately criticized at the time) it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Leonsis got out of the sports ownership field once and for all....while he is unquestionably one of the most accessible and fan-friendly owners in all of sports, I think the enjoyment he once derived from owning the team has worn thin....after seeing Ted's comments on an HBO Real Sports show not long ago, it became clear that he thought turning the Caps into a consistent Stanley Cup contender would be a LOT easier than it has turned out to be.

As for the heads that are about to roll, I say give McPhee the ax (something Ted should have done long ago, if he wasn't such a big-hearted guy) but retain Cassidy and give him a chance to coach a team WITHOUT Jagr and see if he can lead a young, rebuilding franchise back to respectability -- as long as he has a competent GM that displays even a miniscule knowledge of which players to trade for and retain and which ones to let go....I'm STILL shaking my head over the team letting Konowalchuk go last week -- that's the worst move this franchise has made since trading Mike Gartner for Dino Cicarelli back in 1989.

It's sad to see this franchise sink to such low depths, though....the only thing that is a certainty is that the team won't equal their all-time worst record of 8-67-5 that was "achieved" during their inaugural 1974-75 season (which is STILL a league record for futility, btw) -- at least I THINK this year's team won't equal that mark, anyway. frown

[ October 30, 2003, 08:51 PM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

Don't know if you guys read Tony Kornheiser's column this a.m.: Leonsis Sentence: Capital Punishment

There's some good stuff in there: Hee!
Ouch.

Well, thankfully the Caps won last night against Atlanta. Small Miracle, but I'll take it. The thing is, they actaully didnt' look half bad last night. But it's too early to think there's hope.

Trevor

Oh man. I am watching the Caps/Lightning game and the hunky Sergei Gonchar was supposed to either clear the puck or take the puck up from his own zone. He oddly passes the puck towards his own goalie, Olie Kolzig, and it hits off Kolzig's right skate.
Tampa Bay scores! eek!

...and while I am typing this Frederik Modin scores a second goal for Tampa. It sure got quiet in less than 9 minutes at the MCI Center.

Actually, no, it didn't. There were a bunch of boos going on, I assure you. I had the misfortune of being there.

Trevor

I am supposed to be spending the whole weekend packing for an upcoming move, but a friend had center ice tickets for last night's Panthers/Caps game. I think Florida spent almost the entire first period in the penalty box. Robert Luongo (#1 Star of the Game) was brilliant in goal as the Panthers only went into the locker room down by a Jaromir Jagr goal. Considering that it was two very poor teams playing, it turned out to be a great game that Florida eventually won in OT. The crowd sure was light considering that this was a Saturday night game (even if it was against the Panthers). You could just sense the crowd's frustration (especially towards Jagr who did have 2 points last night). It is a pretty sad situation here. But, at least it is easy to get great seats!

The answer is December 10, 2003! Cassidy has been fired.

http://www.washingtoncaps.com/news/index.c...?cont_id=218463

Bah, you beat me to it. You must not have any work to do!

Thank GOD they finally did this.

Hanlon can't do a worse job.

Trevor

Last season, there seemed to be something of a domino effect--once the first coach was fired, other firings followed. Who else do we think is on the hot seat?

~Adam

I predict that Paul Maurice will be next with the Carolina Hurricanes.

RUMOR!!RUMOR!!RUMOR!! I have heard that Roman Cechmanek contacted Tim Leiwicke--Kings President--to complain about Coach Andy Murray & has asked for a meeting with Kings ownership and Murray when the team comes back from its current roadtrip. Leiwicke is an extremely good mediator (and has rock star status among middle aged women who happen to be season ticket holders) and should be able to smooth the waters, but if he can't, it is thought Murray will be the one leaving LA. For what it's worth, it is known that Ziggy Palffy and Murray have also had their differences.

~Adam

ah, my boy Zubrus had a great game last night, scoring on a penalty shot no less!

While the Caps D and goaltending weren't great last night (for the most part), they pulled out a win for Hanlon, against Boston no less.

Tomorrow night is Detroit. That will be ugly.

Trevor

The Caps' problems is not the coaches.. their problem is that they have an AHL defense and Olie is not doing pretty good this year.

Mcphee should get fired... he has constantly failed to address the Caps' weaknesses (defense defense defense defense)

[ December 12, 2003, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: Peake ]

Well, it was quite a game last night by the Caps. 5-0, with 4 points for Lang, and a shut-out, and first NHL win, for Oulette. What a great game! I wish more of them could look like this.

Trevor

I haven't seen a worse performance by the Thrashers this season. We were simply awful.

SportsoutdoorsGA:

question for ya..

have you seen alot of the Trashers games this year? if so, then can you help me out.. i have only seen 1 of their games.

I have Marc Savard and Frantisek Kaberle in one of my pool. Savard i surprised everyone last year by protecting on my protection list before the draft.. and it paid off so far.. i really like him, and when he's not biting or getting injured, he scores a heck of a whole lot.

But Kaberle is the one i'm questioning. Earlier this year he was scratched 3 games for no apparent reason. What does Hartley think of him, and is he good defensively? Offensively, he,s putting up the points, and that's all i care about, but i would not want to lose points by him later in the year because he's benched or scratched

thanks

I went to a great Leafs/Caps game last night. I think the coaching change has done the Caps some obvious good. Don't get me wrong... They are still horrible and cannot pass or shoot well. But they are at least getting more competitive, and look like they want to play hockey now. By the crowd's reaction, a 2-2 tie against a very hot Toronto team seemed like a victory for Washington and a loss for Toronto.

Just saw this post today, sorry.

You'd be hard-pressed to get me to say anything positive about any Thrasher on the defensive side of things right now. lol Seriously, I can't help you there.

As far as Hartley's opinion of him, I don't know that, either. I've seen nothing in the papers, and I haven't heard anyone comment on the post-game shows.

Somehow, the Caps have put two wins together in a row! It's kind of like a winning streak. Too bad the games were against Carolina and Edmonton.

Despite the changes in coaching, the caps are still the 3rd worst team in the NHL. It's going to be a tough road to get higher than that.

Trevor

This isn't about the current-day Caps but I thought it might be the appropriate place.

Former Flyer Keith Jones appears semi-regularly on the local sports radio morning show. Today, in discussing the Eagles' loss, he was asked if players feel losses as painfully as fans. In his reply he told a story about when he was with the Caps and the team was losing a playoff series and he was upset at his own performance and his teammate Dimitri Kristich (not sure of spelling) told him not to worry about it, and said something like "It's okay either way. If we win, we move on. If we lose, I get to go home to Russia." Nice attitude, Dimitri! eek!

Going to the Leafs/Caps game tomorrow... This will be third time I will have seen them this season (I saw them belt my Rangers up in Toronto and tie the Caps here in DC). Maybe the third time will be a charm (this season), and I will actually see the Leafs lose against anyone besides Joe in Philly's team. My roommate will be next to me with his Ed Belfour sweater, and he did purchase the tickets. But secretly I will be pulling for the Caps.

The official attendance shows that last night's Toronto/Washington game was 14,987. Now, I have been to many Caps games, and it seemed to me that maybe the arena was half full. I wonder if this is simply paid attendance (people/companies with season tickets that didn't show)? The Leafs fans were at many times louder than the Caps fans. I had no problem getting in and out to the Metro (which is usually packed before and after the game). I just don't buy that there were 15,000 people there last night.

Incidentally, I notice more and more of an increase in the number of people wearing the old red and white Caps sweater with the stars on the front. It seems like there is a desire by many to go back to the old logo?

Finally, if any of you (specifically in Washington or Toronto) actually saw the game on t.v., I was right by the freak with the blue wig and the torso that was completely done over in blue and white paint (with gold painted nipples). He was drunk before he ever entered the building. I think I am still sick from that image in my head.

I'm not sure, but I think all teams in all sports announce the number of tickets sold as the attendance, even if people don't show up. I think if they want to be accurate they should have two announcements: tickets sold and tickets USED.

Meanwhile, a sports radio host here reported yesterday that the Flyers and Caps were in serious trade talks involving Olaf Kolzig but the talks fell apart.

Well, here's a rather intersting incident from the last home game. If they trade Bondra, or someone else popular, you'll see that it could be an intersting game:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...ml?nav=hptop_ts

Trevor

I am sure it has dawned on the minds of many fans at the MCI. "Washington Caps Hockey; AOL Stock -- See A Pattern?" Ted needs to be a little more thick-skinned than that. Maybe he should go to MSG and really see what fan disillusionment is like?

[ January 27, 2004, 08:13 AM: Message edited by: Cattledog ]

I'll give the Caps credit for this: the guy kept the sign for the entire game. I'm sure if he tried this at a Flyers (or in the NFL, Eagles) game the sign would've been removed long before.

Meanwhile, on the Post site they now have a poll:

It hasn't gotten many votes yet (only 48) but guess who's already in the lead?

I would go: Peter Angelos, Daniel Snyder, Art Modell, Abe Pollin, and Ted Leonsis. I can't help it! Hockey is a mess in Washington, but I can't help liking the guy. He's got that born and raised Brooklyn attitude going on.

If Teddy doesn't finish LAST in that voting by a WIDE margin then DC sports fans are not nearly as knowledgable as I give them credit for....as for Angelos and Snyder, they should not only be physically assaulted but (to combine the topic of another thread) should be immediately shot or, better yet, be forced to suffer a slow, painful death....after what they have both done to single-handedly ruin two of the classiest and most successful franchises in all of sports, that's the least that they deserve.

It looks like this incident is definitely not over as the NHL has begun an investigation. I think a fine and a suspension should definitely be warranted regardless of whether I like Ted Leonsis or not. Players have almost always faced the consequences when they have had altercations with fans. I think that an owner should be held to even higher discipline if this was an incident that he could have avoided.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...tml?nav=hptoc_s

Well, this WILL turn out to be interseting. A friend of mine is in England and he even sent me mail about this. Too funny. Poor Ted. As I told a friend, if they think this was bad, wait until they trade Bondra.

Trevor

If the actions of the owner justify a fine or suspension, what about the 20 year old punk who instigated this whole mess!?....if he really is a Caps season ticket holder (or, more likely, his family is, I presume) he/they should have their season ticket privileges permanently revoked! :mad: ....I'm all for holding people accountable for their actions but that should apply to EVERYONE, including the "paying customer"....to combine this with another active thread, those who believe the old adage that "the customer is always right" need to be added to the group of people who deserve to be shot!

[ January 28, 2004, 09:11 AM: Message edited by: gamecock ]