If coaches were that important some team would be offering Babcock 10 mil...especially without a cap
A coach isn't going to win it for you, but he can kill it. Just like how you don't make playoffs in oct, but you can lose it.
The supply-demand isn't there because a top end coach isn't going to matter much. Just goes to show u how I feel about BB. And in turn how apaulled I am at gmgm and Ted.
It would take a new coach at least a year to get these guys habits changed. So to me I can't expect anything next season or the following right now.
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.
I don't think Backstrom had THAT many chances on the PP. Shoot, the team didn't have that many chances on the PP. I know what I saw this regular season and the playoffs. Guys were consistently going in 1 on 3 with absolutely nobody to pass the puck to. The forays into the offensive zone were about as unimaginative as can be. Furthermore, teams are collapsing on the puck carrier much more tightly as we bring fewer guys in. Watch this video of game 2 against Montreal and notice the space Backstrom has relative to what we saw this season. Also on his assist notice who the pass goes to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu3E6...F181E3F1A9F4B7
I've been saying from the beginning of the season that teams are playing us differently.
Teams absolutely defended us differently. They had to, we were killing any and all defenses. Montreal uploaded the blueprint for all to see. Play smart defense, do NOT run and gun with us. I have said it before, our passing during our all out offensive assault... was lacking. When we led the league in goals, I could recall only a handful of what I call Edmonton 1985 Grade A quality passing. Maybe one great passing sequence every 10 games or so... attempted. Despite our high grade players, my expectation bar to see some great assists plummeted. I never see great passing leading to an empty net like tap in. Never seen Backstrom with high quality primary's to Ovi.
Since Montreal figured out to attempt to play our shooters tight, our passing had to pick up the slack. Even the old sherlock method to score, screen the goalie, fails when the shooters are being played tight.
We couldn't pass our way out of a... gas convention.
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.
wait. just wait. who is blaming it ALL on backstrom? maybe i totally misunderstand the anti semin argument of more than a year. that he's a playoff ghost. 14 games in a row without a goal. that he more than anyone was responsible for the loss to pittsburgh and montreal. that when the playoffs show up, he vanishes.
here we are this playoffs and backstrom, who some have argued previous to the playoffs is the caps most important player, is basically skunked in 9 playoff games and in the clutch had nothing to offer. the response to dropping that egg in his lap is flat rejection and name calling.
it looks a lot like a double standard. in fact ive seen those that are given to being quick to criticize ovechkin suggest that ovechkin was why backstrom did zip in the playoffs. ive seen that its boudreau's fault that backstron did zip.
ive said this before. i'll reprint it. i dont know why he was struggling. maybe it was an injury. maybe it was his confidence. what i do know is that he went the final 17 games of the of 2011 including all 9 playoff games without a goal when one goal would have carried so much weight.
backstrom had 2 assists in 9 games while his regular playing mates, Ovechkin and Knuble, scored 7 goals.
am i blaming it all on backstrom? hell no. i do recognize that backstrom is no less than the 3rd most important member of the caps offense and that in a playoffs where the caps lost 4 one goal games his offense could have been the difference. i also recognize that johansson significantly outplayed backstrom and that shouldnt have happened either.
lets look at this a different way. if semin is traded and green is traded and boudreau is fired and the 2011 stanley cup playoffs version of nick backstrom shows up in 2012 there is big trouble.
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.
Your problem seems to be that you don't get the point of that picture. Keep trying............
Teams absolutely defended us differently. They had to, we were killing any and all defenses. Montreal uploaded the blueprint for all to see. Play smart defense, do NOT run and gun with us. I have said it before, our passing during our all out offensive assault... was lacking. When we led the league in goals, I could recall only a handful of what I call Edmonton 1985 Grade A quality passing. Maybe one great passing sequence every 10 games or so... attempted. Despite our high grade players, my expectation bar to see some great assists plummeted. I never see great passing leading to an empty net like tap in. Never seen Backstrom with high quality primary's to Ovi.
Since Montreal figured out to attempt to play our shooters tight, our passing had to pick up the slack. Even the old sherlock method to score, screen the goalie, fails when the shooters are being played tight.
We couldn't pass our way out of a... gas convention.
I agree, but what I cannot determine is whether these guys are incapable of passing or they are not getting enough reps. Look, at this level of hockey passing cannot be only see and react like you would do in a pond hockey game. You watch Tampa, and the guy receiving the pass knew where he would pass it before he even got the puck. You could tell that they have worked on those scenarios and plays over and over and over. The puck moves faster than any skater can. We, on the other hand, have incredibly slow puck movement. Get the puck, think about it, give defense time to shift, and pass to the "open" guy who already has a defender closing in on him. Not to mention that repeatedly we saw passes to nobody because guys were on different pages.
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.
Your problem seems to be that you don't get the point of that picture. Keep trying............
Your problem is clear--you're making an issue out of that picture. The fact is, there is no issue...like, at all. I guarantee you, if you followed around any professional athlete in the days following their elimination, you'd find plenty of examples of them having fun/acting happy/etc.
They don't sit around and mope, I can assure you of that. They wouldn't survive as pro athletes if they did.
Ahh man don't be one those guys that emails Ted. Fans doing that seems just pretty pathetic, IMO.
Don't be a doosh about it....and rant on the guy, but instead craft a well thought out email....and you'll get a response.
Why is that a bad thing?
__________________
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.
wait. just wait. who is blaming it ALL on backstrom? maybe i totally misunderstand the anti semin argument of more than a year. that he's a playoff ghost. 14 games in a row without a goal. that he more than anyone was responsible for the loss to pittsburgh and montreal. that when the playoffs show up, he vanishes.
here we are this playoffs and backstrom, who some have argued previous to the playoffs is the caps most important player, is basically skunked in 9 playoff games and in the clutch had nothing to offer. the response to dropping that egg in his lap is flat rejection and name calling.
it looks a lot like a double standard. in fact ive seen those that are given to being quick to criticize ovechkin suggest that ovechkin was why backstrom did zip in the playoffs. ive seen that its boudreau's fault that backstron did zip.
ive said this before. i'll reprint it. i dont know why he was struggling. maybe it was an injury. maybe it was his confidence. what i do know is that he went the final 17 games of the of 2011 including all 9 playoff games without a goal when one goal would have carried so much weight.
backstrom had 2 assists in 9 games while his regular playing mates, Ovechkin and Knuble, scored 7 goals.
am i blaming it all on backstrom? hell no. i do recognize that backstrom is no less than the 3rd most important member of the caps offense and that in a playoffs where the caps lost 4 one goal games his offense could have been the difference. i also recognize that johansson significantly outplayed backstrom and that shouldnt have happened either.
lets look at this a different way. if semin is traded and green is traded and boudreau is fired and the 2011 stanley cup playoffs version of nick backstrom shows up in 2012 there is big trouble.
It's called "having some credibility".....
Backstrom had a superstar year last year.......Semin....has been a headcase ever since he got to DC. A few good seasons doesn't earn him the same street cred.
It's really not that hard to see why Backstrom gets a pass from a lot of people today. I myself think he deserves harsh criticism and a stern sitdown with Ted and George where they should put him on notice as a pro. I mean we just signed him to a career deal and this is how he rewards the fans and team?
And looking at this statement "if semin is traded and green is traded and boudreau is fired and the 2011 stanley cup playoffs version of nick backstrom shows up in 2012 there is big trouble.".....yes if you look at anything in a vacuum like you're doing, it would be trouble. Unfortunately you're completely ignoring the positives that replacing a bad teammate or a coaching change often brings....
PS - read my posts....I've often defended Semin as a playoff performer, even this year where I said he was very good in the Rags series. Again you have this poor habit of taking all the generalized statements people post here, wadding them up into a ball and posting them as if they were the collective wishes of the group....just stop already.
Your problem is clear--you're making an issue out of that picture. The fact is, there is no issue...like, at all. I guarantee you, if you followed around any professional athlete in the days following their elimination, you'd find plenty of examples of them having fun/acting happy/etc.
They don't sit around and mope, I can assure you of that. They wouldn't survive as pro athletes if they did.
Nice misdirection. Not partying the day after a humiliating season ending loss is hardly the equivalent of sitting around and moping. Shows that guys like Green just don't give a damn as long as they get their pay check. Which is not the kind of guy you win championships with. And the stupidity of actually publicizing it says something else entirely about how some of these guys think. And the Caps management seems to think it is an issue. Because that video came down real quick after DC Sports Bog linked it.
Nice misdirection. Not partying the day after a humiliating season ending loss is hardly the equivalent of sitting around and moping. Shows that guys like Green just don't give a damn as long as they get their pay check. Which is not the kind of guy you win championships with. And the stupidity of actually publicizing it says something else entirely about how some of these guys think. And the Caps management seems to think it is an issue. Because that video came down real quick after DC Sports Bog linked it.
Nope, it doesn't show that at all. You're just creating drama out of a non-issue--which is no surprise, since it's the exact same thing you did after the blizzard game. I guess the Caps should ship Erskine off as well, since he was the one that filmed it and is thus not the kind of guy you win championships with.
Yeah I'm more concerned with what these guys to for preparation, not decompression. And those follies are pretty well documented.
I probably wouldn't be out partying. But also these guys are all about o go their separate ways. Maybe some of them valued time together to decompress.
Nope, it doesn't show that at all. You're just creating drama out of a non-issue--which is no surprise, since it's the exact same thing you did after the blizzard game. I guess the Caps should ship Erskine off as well, since he was the one that filmed it and is thus not the kind of guy you win championships with.
Get real. It's a non-issue.
Well, given that the video came down almost instantaneously after the Post's blog post, the Caps management hardly thought it was a "non-issue". And you again are missing the point. It isn't a Mike Green issue alone. Both the partying the night after the humiliating defeat, and the fact that they felt comfortable posting a video showing the partying, are all part of the Club Kettler atmosphere that Roenick was railing about. But keep babying and excuse-making for these guys.
Well, given that the video came down almost instantaneously after the Post's blog post, the Caps management hardly thought it was a "non-issue". And you again are missing the point. It isn't a Mike Green issue alone. Both the partying the night after the humiliating defeat, and the fact that they felt comfortable posting a video showing the partying, are all part of the Club Kettler atmosphere that Roenick was railing about. But keep babying and excuse-making for these guys.
You know who this team needs? Not partying idiots like Mike Green and John Erskine. They need someone like Mike Richards. That guy's a playoff warrior. He'd never take part in that Club Kettler atmosphere.
You know who this team needs? Not partying idiots like Mike Green and John Erskine. They need someone like Mike Richards. That guy's a playoff warrior. He'd never take part in that Club Kettler atmosphere.
