I have no crow to eat. I've said that another disappointing playoffs would likely cause Boudreau his job, and rightfully so. I also said that he probably should go ater this past series. Doesn't change my opinion that he's an excellent coach and can get it done in DC. Sometimes the collection of players and coaches just doesn't mesh well enough to succeed in the postseason.
And if you don't think invisible Backstrom was the single biggest problem in the playoffs, I don't know what to tell you. The guy had 2 points in 9 games, while playing 23 minutes per game. That's a huge offensive black hole. Johansson, a rookie, had three times as many points as Backstrom.
Because we all know that Backstrom is the quintessential dump and chase player. He was essentially given two options in the series against Tampa: dump and chase with a poor cycling Ovechkin or beat 3 guys one on one, enter the zone and have almost no one giving reasonable support. That's a real recipe for success.
And speaking of Backstrom's woes? Where the hell where all of you when we were discussing demoting him to the third line or benching him during the Rangers series? Let me guess. You were harping on the importance of keeping the status quo intact.
Go ahead and take a look at the Rags series discussion thread, partner.
Yeah, a lot of crow pie has been handed out, but no one seems to be man enough to eat it around here on the Caps board.
Because we all know that Backstrom is the quintessential dump and chase player. He was essentially given two options in the series against Tampa: dump and chase with a poor cycling Ovechkin or beat 3 guys one on one, enter the zone and have almost no one giving reasonable support. That's a real recipe for success.
And speaking of Backstrom's woes? Where the hell where all of you when we were discussing demoting him to the third line or benching him during the Rangers series? Let me guess. You were harping on the importance of keeping the status quo intact.
Go ahead and take a look at the Rags series discussion thread, partner.
Yeah, a lot of crow pie has been handed out, but no one seems to be man enough to eat it around here on the Caps board.
Way to completely over-simplify the issue. Of course Backstrom had more options than those you listed, especially on the powerplay. How many solid chances did he shank or flat-out miss? Do you really believe that Backstrom's issues were all Boudreau's fault?
And way to make an assumption on my thoughts/posts without actually reading any. Go ahead, find a post of mine "harping on the importance of keeping the status quo intact." Do it and I'll address that issue.
Now, these guys have a right to a life. But I know a lot of Caps fans who weren't particularly in a partying mood on Thursday after another kick in the gut. But apparently the fans care a lot more than Mike Green, because he was out having a great old time. See the link (scroll down on the page when you are there). Think Chris Pronger will be out partying tonight after the Flyers sweep? Don't think so. A perfect example of what is wrong with this team...........................
Why are we just harping on Green? Erskine was apparently there with him. Why aren't you busting Erskine's chops about partying?
You know what I've done each of the past two nights? Partied, got drunk, and watched live music. It helped me forget about the Capitals disappointment and not spend the weekend moping around. It's the off-season, let him have a little fun and not spend the entire time mourning his playoff loss.
And, while we're at it, the Flyers are known for partying. There's been just as much attention paid to that team's partying habits as the Capitals'. There's a lot of pictures floating around of Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and company out hitting the bars, crashing frat parties, copping feels, and hanging with porn stars. Just be glad Mr. Green is only singing along to bad music and riding his scooter around town.
i love backstrom, but......he's not a dump and chase player and thats why he was invisible? both the rangers and the lightning force their opposition to dump it in if they can. ovechkin is a puck possession player and he's not a fan of dump and chase. marcus johansson is about as far from a dump and chase player as the caps have. he made plays.
the 1-3-1 defense doesnt effect transition offense on the rush. turnovers in the caps zone that become breakouts going the other way were there in all 9 games and backstrom couldnt make anything happen. his lack of making anything happen went way back into the regular season.
what happened to him? if semin has two assists in 9 games, this forum would be going nuts. if johansson had 2 assists in 9 games, mcphee would be taking a beating over him being on the roster rather than a veteran. even injured old man arnott had a goal and 3assists in far less ice time.
Backstrom suckage vs NYR... we win.
Backstrom suckage vs TB... we lose.
Can't really find the correlation.
I could care less about Green partying or Erskine partying. More about perceptions. He's just lucky he works in a performance based job where all the peripheral stuff we deal with in the real work doesn't matter.
I need to find an employer like Ted where you don't have to worry about perception or performance.
i love backstrom, but......he's not a dump and chase player and thats why he was invisible? both the rangers and the lightning force their opposition to dump it in if they can. ovechkin is a puck possession player and he's not a fan of dump and chase. marcus johansson is about as far from a dump and chase player as the caps have. he made plays.
the 1-3-1 defense doesnt effect transition offense on the rush. turnovers in the caps zone that become breakouts going the other way were there in all 9 games and backstrom couldnt make anything happen. his lack of making anything happen went way back into the regular season.
what happened to him? if semin has two assists in 9 games, this forum would be going nuts. if johansson had 2 assists in 9 games, mcphee would be taking a beating over him being on the roster rather than a veteran. even injured old man arnott had a goal and 3assists in far less ice time.
he wears an "A". where was he?
He was completely invisible. And everyone agrees.
So, would you get rid of him or Boudreau to make this team better?
Who is more responsible for this utter embarrassment of a series?
Way to completely over-simplify the issue. Of course Backstrom had more options than those you listed, especially on the powerplay. How many solid chances did he shank or flat-out miss? Do you really believe that Backstrom's issues were all Boudreau's fault?
And way to make an assumption on my thoughts/posts without actually reading any. Go ahead, find a post of mine "harping on the importance of keeping the status quo intact." Do it and I'll address that issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NobodyBeatsTheWiz
I'd keep Ovechkin and Backstrom together until they both get going offensively, so long as the team is winning.
If they click, and the team is getting secondary scoring, watch out.
That's what you had to say during the Backstrom debate in the Rags thread. I guess you qualified it with "so long as the team is winning", but it's not like you were begging for a NB shake up when he was pointless in his first 4 against the Rags.
Quick question, do you think BB was maximizing the potential of our players, and specifically Nick Backstrom, against Tampa Bay?
If so, at what point in the playoffs would you have moved or benched Backstrom since, in your view, he was the biggest reason we were swept in the second round?
If not, who's fault is that? Nick Backstrom's or Bruce Boudreau's?
I'm sure you have a ton more credibility, "guy". A drama queen post like yours about Green really lends itself to a ton of credibility. And yeah, Carlson, Johansson, Alzner, and Neuvirth really disappeared in the playoffs.
What's up with your negative Nancy routine lately?? Most of us are upset our team crapped the bed. You seem outraged that people actually care.
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George McPhee....The Teflon GM. 15 years of failure and counting....
6 - Number of playoff series the Capitals have won since George McPhee took over as General Manager in 1997 (which makes him the third-longest-tenured GM in the League), three of which came in McPhee's first season on the job.
So....The Company Men.....are now blaming this all on Backstrom. Classic guys......way to buy into the Caps culture of passing the buck and blaming everyone else instead of looking in the mirror.
So....The Company Men.....are now blaming this all on Backstrom. Classic guys......way to buy into the Caps culture of passing the buck and blaming everyone else instead of looking in the mirror.
This ridiculous ******** would make sense if Backstrom weren't a part of the company.
If Backstrom plays like Backstrom, they have a better shot at winning than if Bruce coaches like Bowman.
So take that however you want.
To put this another way, if you were the GM of the Caps, would you fire Bruce Boudreau after this teams latest collapse? Or do you still think he gives the Caps the best shot from a coaching standpoint?
I probably would, if I had someone I thought would be better in mind. I don't make a change for the sake of making a change.
I do have crucial roster evaluation questions this offseason, which would be my most important in my tenure here. They include what to make of 19, 52, 28 and others.
That's what you had to say during the Backstrom debate in the Rags thread. I guess you qualified it with "so long as the team is winning", but it's not like you were begging for a NB shake up when he was pointless in his first 4 against the Rags.
Quick question, do you think BB was maximizing the potential of our players, and specifically Nick Backstrom, against Tampa Bay?
If so, at what point in the playoffs would you have moved or benched Backstrom since, in your view, he was the biggest reason we were swept in the second round?
If not, who's fault is that? Nick Backstrom's or Bruce Boudreau's?
And how is what I said, in any way, harping on the importance of keeping the status quo intact? I said I'd keep them together to try to get them both going as long as the team was winning. Feeding a struggling offensive player ice time if the team is winning makes sense. He's not going to get going by benching him.
I would have benched Backstrom from the PP likely after game 2, and probably switched him with Arnott or Johansson at even strength at that point as well.
Did Boudreau and the coaching staff maximize the potential of all the players in the Tampa series? Of course not. I've said, repeatedly, that he probably deserves to lose his job after that series. But you're absolutely delusional if, after watching Backstrom all season, you think coaching was the reason for his struggles.
So....The Company Men.....are now blaming this all on Backstrom. Classic guys......way to buy into the Caps culture of passing the buck and blaming everyone else instead of looking in the mirror.
Please, point out to me where I've said it's all Backstrom's fault. All I said was that was the team's single biggest problem last series, and it's the most important thing to figure out in the offseason.
And WTF does looking in the mirror have to do with anything? Are we the reason the Caps lost now? Is that what it's come to?
Please, point out to me where I've said it's all Backstrom's fault. All I said was that was the team's single biggest problem last series, and it's the most important thing to figure out in the offseason.
And WTF does looking in the mirror have to do with anything? Are we the reason the Caps lost now? Is that what it's come to?
Did you miss that? It's me and TXPD's fault for not saying Bruce should be fired in December. We would have won the Cup, but George was reading HF and when he didn't see unanimous support, he decided to let it ride.
What's up with your negative Nancy routine lately?? Most of us are upset our team crapped the bed. You seem outraged that people actually care.
You wanna attack the team's ****** execution, the losing focus in the last minute of periods, the cluster****s that were 3rd periods in the series? Fine, that's all perfectly valid criticism.
But bashing a player for looking happy at a concert? That's tabloid crap.
As far as I can tell, as long as txpd comes around and says he'd fire him too, the BB Bandwagon is officially empty on the Washington Capitals board.
So, txpd, would you fire Bruce?
It's not personal, I just need the ammunition for when I write Ted. I need to let him know that not a single Caps fan on hfboards would not fire Bruce if given the chance. I think it's the most damning evidence I've got at my disposal, and I implore all of you to do the same.
