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Is the Caps
Just like the awesome vintage 1990s computer game, television show and book series “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” the location of the Washington Capitals has become a game fans are tired of playing. They will play balls-to-the-wall one game, disappear for long stretches, then reappear in period-long spurts before bombing out again. Going from a team that would battle back from a two-goal deficit, to a team that can’t beat the worst teams in the league on a good night, this is a far cry from what I was thinking they’d be going into this season. That said, there is still plenty of hockey left to change my mind, but how much is too little?
With trade deadline not two weeks away, time is of the essence and the outcome continues to look rather bleak for this highly talented Caps team. The recent 4-1 loss to a struggling Los Angeles Kings team being another bullet to the brigade. A good game here and there is not enough to convince me this team is “getting better.” Maybe a couple new player acquisitions can shake things up. I’m hoping to see the very first coaching trade on the busiest day of the year for National Hockey League GMs.
There have been a few rumblings on if the Caps will be buyers or sellers come February 28, and right now I’m kind of wondering about this myself. Why? Call it a fan wanting some answers or maybe a fan who is beginning to get fed up with people in the Caps front office sitting on their hands and wishing for a solution instead of actively trying to find one.
People have been talking about it since the team failed to snap a dismal multi-game losing streak back in November. I’ve been talking about it; NHL press conferences have been abuzz about it. What has gone wrong with the Washington Capitals?
The answer is about as simple as it is complex.
A lot has gone wrong and these problems were there long before the puck dropped on the regular season back in October. So what are the most obvious and over-used reasons (excuses?) that the team is failing? Let me see if I can sum it up in one sentence.
Alexander Ovechkin is a horrible captain who competes with Backstrom for fattest player on the team, which means Alexander Semin is a useless sack of bones who flat out sucks as much as Jeff Schultz does trying to play hockey or defense, while Bruce Boudreau, Ted Leonsis and George McPhee are the irreplaceable blowhards who reinforce optional practices that pilots this team of partiers who repeatedly fail on power plays and can’t hold onto leads to save their lives.
That about cover it?
Personally, I’ve finally jumped on the Fire Boudreau bandwagon. I tried to defend him, I tried to stay positive, but now it’s clearly not working with him behind the bench. After last year we screamed for him to change the system to focus more on defense. He did that. I’m satisfied. Unfortunately that system squeezed the offensive prowess out of the team to where they have forgotten how to take control of hockey games. They can’t balance offensive spark with defensive grit and they wind up floating around the ice for at least 40 minutes a game like headless chickens. That is where the coach needs to step in, and Bruce can’t do that anymore. You can tell by the look on the players faces that he’s lost them.
People like to argue with me when I say he’s lost the team. “But, but … the players say they like him and don’t want him to leave. They don’t think he’s the problem.” Well do you really expect them to openly criticize the guy? Most of them have been with him since his Hershey glory days; others since he picked up a losing team and turned them into playoff contenders. How could you openly criticize a guy who has made you into a winning team — even though he has taken you as far as he can? Simply put, I think the players realize Boudreau has taken them as far as he can, but respect him too much from all that he is done to say so. Put yourself in the players shoes, doesn’t it seem a little audacious to say that about him? Some may see it, some may deny it, some may not even care, but they know it — whether they’ll say it to reporters or not.
What is interesting to me is that the Philadelphia Flyers fired their coach and made it to the Stanley Cups Finals. Tampa got rid of John Tortorella and now they are a commanding force again in the East. Sure none of them have won cups since their coaching changes, but the team I’d most compare the Caps with fired their coach and went on to win the Stanley Cup the same year. In professional sports, if you don’t win, you fire your coach and bring in someone else.
The University of Michigan lost to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl this year by a record score of 52-14. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired even after a “good” season because they didn’t produce when it mattered. What will it take for Leonsis to see things from this perspective? Sure it’s college football vs. professional hockey. Apples to oranges, I know. Bottom line is, Bruce has yet to get this team to win in the post-season and now he can’t get them to win in the regular season. What more needs to happen before this season is completely wasted too? At the current rate, if they manage to squeak into the play-offs they’ll crash out in no time from being out-coached. Hate to be negative, but sometimes the truth ain’t pretty folks.
To sum it up comically (paraphrasing the words of an Adam Sandler movie): This team has all them teeth and no toothbrush and something is going to have to stop these cavities from getting worse. Whether it be firing the dentist or getting a root canal, a few teeth might need to be pulled before we can think about flashing these pearly whites again.
I just hope it’s not too late.
