Babcock could probably find room for a guy whose playoff PPG is within .05 of Johan "playoff beast extraordinaire" Franzen and who got there with Laich and deadline plug of the year.
Sure he could find room for him....until the real Semin showed up. Remind me again what playoff PPG stats mean in terms of real world championships...
Please amuse us and go make that comparison of Semin to The Mule in the NHL boards. I would love to see the backlash and insults fly.
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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.
Good point. Since Semin has not won a championship, his playoff contributions mean absolutely nothing. Ditto for Ovechkin. Clearly it takes only 1 guy to win a championship and not 23, clearly that 1 guy is Semin, and clearly since he's not dragging this team kicking and screaming to a Stanley cup (just through 2/3 of the playoff rounds they've won so far), he is the problem. I wish we could trade both of them for Kirk Maltby's toenail.
And of course there's a huge difference between Semin and Franzen. When Franzen isn't dominating (like, say, this year and last year against Phoenix), it's because he has too much heart. When Semin isn't, it's because doesn't care. I mean, it's soooo obvious to anyone who knows hockey as well as you do!
Don't forget that Franzen plays with either Datsyuk, Zetterberg, or both. Put him on a line with Johansson and Laich and we'll see how many points he puts up.
I'd take filpulla and bertuzzi/cleary in their present forms over those two as well. The Mule is better that Semin at some aspects of the game, like crashing the net or playing physical. He's also better than Datsyuk at those things as well. But people's ridiculous myopia towards Semin despite him being the most effective player of the 3 series we have won, and having a very respectable playoff PPG for a choker who plays with plugs is kinda pathetic.
this is where i think your passion for the physical goes too far. neither boyd gordon nor dave steckel were floaters. i'd say that neither was soft. gordon played physical and signed up for all those tough battles along the boards. he worked as hard as a player can. because he wasnt throwing big body checks he's a floater or soft.
this caps bunch must just about turn your stomach. the defensive dmen in particular. alzner, schultz, hamrlik and erskine this season. that must hurt to even think about.
I'll have to disagree with you. I'm with RH. Gordon and Steckel were the epitome of soft..especially gordo. I love his play where he goes in and acts like he's gonna hit a dman and softly redirects himself to the glass. Then when he gets the puck he gets creamed and falls down upon 1st contact. What is the definition of soft? My definition is that if you don't hit, fight, scrum, stand up for teamates, etc then those are indicators that you're soft. In the NHL you are EXPECTED to take a hit to make a play so just b/c you do that doesn't mean you're not soft. Guys like Zherdev who are terrified of physical contact usually get a rep and will find themselves without a job here.
I think you mistakenly put Erskine in your list b/c you should know I love his game. Carlson, Green, Wideman and Erskine all play physical to some degree so I'm more happy with the D than I have been in some time. Hamrlik is an upgrade over Schultz in the top 4 too tho he's not ideal in my book.
i listed the caps defense first defensemen. all of them. that would include erskine, would it not? lets be honest. if alzner and schultz were the caps d first dmen in the top 4, your stomach turns. yes? hamrlik is an offensive first dman that has become a reliable d first player as he aged.
the idea that hamrlik, alzner and schultz would play and erskine watch, would also turn your stomach. where am i wrong? is jeff halpern soft?
The Capitals have had a tremendous offseason in some ways, in my opinion. Every player they let go, they replaced with upgrades, to me. I love the Ward pickup, believe Troy Brouwer will be a nice fit on the third or second line, have high hopes for the Hamrlik pickup in terms of veteran calm and settling into a #4 or #5 slot. Halpern effectively replaces one of the fourth-line departures, while kids can compete for the rest. Vokoun and the first-round pick is a huge upgrade in goal. Vokoun was probably the biggest pickup of the summer by anyone, Brad Richards to NYR included.
The core let the team down in the playoffs. Green still has trouble bringing his A game in the post-season, and gets pushed around. After a disappointing year, he was equally off his game once the playoffs started. Semin blew hot and cold, per his usual, a driving force in one series and MIA in the next. Same old story. Backstrom's nightmare of a season was little changed in the playoffs; Johansson outplayed him, in my opinion. Only Ovechkin was a gamer.
That's going to need to change, either with a roster move or with strong rebound seasons from those four guys. I'd been hoping for a shakeup. Now it looks like we're going to let it ride at the core level, with changes on the margins. Will that be enough? Semin takes a lot of abuse as the focal point, some of it perhaps unfair in the sense that there is blame enough to go around, but he's part of that problem. His intensity is nil, and in the Spring that's everything. Intensity would seem to be the key factor that lets the team down sooner or later in the playoffs with these guys.
I wish I were more optimistic. It should be another strong and entertaining regular-season team. I just worry about the compete level at playoff time. Fingers crossed. Hopefully the grit that the new guys bring will be enough. At the end of the day, I'm a fan and will be cheering for them, but I'm more hopeful than confident that they are over the hump. McPhee's moves suggest he believes the difference will be changes to support players rather than the core.
i listed the caps defense first defensemen. all of them. that would include erskine, would it not? lets be honest. if alzner and schultz were the caps d first dmen in the top 4, your stomach turns. yes? hamrlik is an offensive first dman that has become a reliable d first player as he aged.
the idea that hamrlik, alzner and schultz would play and erskine watch, would also turn your stomach. where am i wrong? is jeff halpern soft?
When Schultz does play ahead of Erskine (we all know he will b/c of that contract) then yes it will turn my stomach. I have never been a fan of double nickel and his playoff performances have done nothing to convince me otherwise.
Halpern is far from soft....where did you come up with that one? You could have picked a player more on the borderline if you wanted to prove your point my man:
The one that really stands out was in that 1st Jagr season early on when the Caps got smoked by the Bs. Early in that game Kyle McLaren creamed Calle Jo (and that was pretty much the end of Calle's good days after that) who went out for the year. Halpern immediately engaged a much much bigger opponent to stand up for his player.
Has Boyd Gordon ever done this? Maybe Steckel did once but thats it..if that.
Halpern is a gritty competitor. He should not be mentioned in the same breathe as the Boy or Steckel.
Fight drive and intensity are contagious. The way the caps have been the past few years, the weight of contagion (made up word) lay squarely on the shoulders of just one player. Ovi has carried this team on his back in every way imaginable and we all know this.
George obviously refuses to even considering changing his core. He has only recently even shown a willingness to part with one of his draft picks. So its Ovi and the additions that I look upon to do it. You could see it with Dale. Dale would basically say, I am going to war. Are you with me, or without me. He forced the issue. The team had his back and he got us farther in the loffs than ever before.
So the burden largely remains on Ovi to carry our team, but I am optimistic that Brouwer and Ward will help ramp up the intensity. We all know not to expect a Sarge type (perfect to make a point) to go crazy on the ice. But we should expect him to have Ovi's back.
You can't just tell players to be intense. One has to lead, and the others have to follow. If they refuse to follow, George should consider moving them for team players.
Fight drive and intensity are contagious. The way the caps have been the past few years, the weight of contagion (made up word) lied squarely on the shoulders of just one player. Ovi has carried this team on his back in every way imaginable and we all know this.
George obviously refuses to even considering changing his core. He has only recently even shown a willingness to part with one of his draft picks. So its Ovi and the additions that I look upon to do it. You could see it with Dale. Dale would basically say, I am going to war. Are you with me, or without me. He forced the issue. The team had his back and he got us farther in the loffs than ever before.
So the burden largely remains on Ovi to carry our team, but I am optimistic that Brouwer and Ward will help ramp up the intensity. We all know not to expect a Sarge type (perfect to make a point) to go crazy on the ice. But we should expect him to have Ovi's back. You cant just tell players to be intense. One has the to lead, and the others have to follow.
I expect Halpern to be a major contributor to this as well. And I expect that there will be at least one of the young guys who surprises in this respect (which one? no idea).
I expect Halpern to be a major contributor to this as well. And I expect that there will be at least one of the young guys who surprises in this respect (which one? no idea).
Yeah i knew i forgot to add Halpy to the list of contagion club members. I was waiting for this post. I am hoping being back in DC will energize and reinvigorate him and he will become a leader by example on the ice, and vocal in the room since Ovi seems kind of quiet.
Ovi needs help setting the intensity bar. I dont expect it from any of George's draft picks.
I find it humorous that Steckel decided to chime in on this. Maybe Semin should have blind-sided the game's best and most important player giving him a head injury and potentially ruining his career; maybe that would have earned these two clowns respect...I have a lot more respect for a guy like Semin even if he doesn't put one ounce of effort forward than I do for a guy who did what Steckel did.
I find it humorous that Steckel decided to chime in on this. Maybe Semin should have blind-sided the game's best and most important player giving him a head injury and potentially ruining his career; maybe that would have earned these two clowns respect...I have a lot more respect for a guy like Semin even if he doesn't put one ounce of effort forward than I do for a guy who did what Steckel did.
This has to be satire...?
Right? Do they really have legally retarded people working for the website? Are you the janitor?
Are you suggesting that you like and respect what Steckel did?
Skating out of his zone and not diving out of the way to avoid a smaller player who was too oblivious to realize he was going to skate right into Steckel? Sure. It's not his job to keep Crosby's head up.
Skating out of his zone and not diving out of the way to avoid a smaller player who was too oblivious to realize he was going to skate right into Steckel? Sure. It's not his job to keep Crosby's head up.
lol I figured you would say that. Yeah, good ole Davey boy was completely innocent on that play and didnt mean to do it...
Even Don Cherry knows it was no accident. He has all the time in the world to avoid a collision but he purposely skates into his head. Keep dreaming that it wasn't done on purpose.
actually, the more I watch it the more you can see how Steckel changes his line of skating and makes sure to stick his shoulder out at the exact point of contact.
Even Don Cherry knows it was no accident. He has all the time in the world to avoid a collision but he purposely skates into his head. Keep dreaming that it wasn't done on purpose.
EVEN Don Cherry.
I was about to post the youtube video so you could see how wrong you are. Blame Steckel's parents for making him so tall. Steckel is clearly going for the puck and tries, in the immobile manner that he does everything in hockey, to duck around Crosby, who is skating forwards with his head turned completely the other way, at the last second. Steckel's eyes are on the same thing as Crosby's, the puck. Steckel is following the play, and either doesn't see Crosby or expects him to pick his head up and turn or stop in time like someone without an extra chromosome.
If you knew anything about Steckel, you would know that he is probably in the bottom 5 on the list of NHL players most likely to deliver an intentional, blindside headshot. You really are just wrong.
If you don't think I believe that, understand that I actually would support what you're accusing Steckel of doing. I wanted him off the team, I was glad he was traded, but I would have changed my mind very quickly if he had deliberately ended Crosby's career. I would have cheered harder than I have for any goal the team has ever scored. I would have been ecstatic, and yet I'm arguing that he didn't do that, because he didn't.
actually, the more I watch it the more you can see how Steckel changes his line of skating and makes sure to stick his shoulder out at the exact point of contact.
With all due respect I do think it was completely an accident. Why? Well you will have to trust the judgment of Caps fans who have watched this guy play for the last 4 years.
Now also understand that many of us are BIG fans of Dale Hunter and WANT more players who play with a nasty edge.
Steckel is the polar opposite of that. He wouldn't hurt a fly and has not in his entire tenure here. He practically never uses his body or even tries to cheapshot someone no matter what they do to him. He is what I refer to as "soft as butter".
You can look into that video however you want but while there are a few who don't think it was an accident I do think the vast majority of people (including Bettman and Campbell and all the NHL guys who make rulings) DO think it was a pure accident.
Steckel's explanation was sincere. Now if that was Dale Hunter who did something like that you better believe it was intentional! lol But its not. Steckel plays more like my grandma than he does Hunter.
I find it humorous that Steckel decided to chime in on this. Maybe Semin should have blind-sided the game's best and most important player giving him a head injury and potentially ruining his career; maybe that would have earned these two clowns respect...I have a lot more respect for a guy like Semin even if he doesn't put one ounce of effort forward than I do for a guy who did what Steckel did.
actually, the more I watch it the more you can see how Steckel changes his line of skating and makes sure to stick his shoulder out at the exact point of contact.
I'm not seeing that. If anyone changes his line of skating, it's Crosby. Steckel continues the path he's on and Crosby really looks like he's turning to go up ice. If you look closely, Steckel takes a line toward the boards initially that should avoid Crosby. However, Crosby turns up ice through Steckel's line but never stops watching the puck. Looking at Steckel's feet, I actually see where his outside foot goes even further outside his original path, meaning that he actually tried to get out of the way.
Ironically, regarding the original post, Semin probably would do something like that. I certainly wouldn't put most cheap shots past him. Of course, that's part of why I like him as a player much more than Steckel.
With all due respect I do think it was completely an accident. Why? Well you will have to trust the judgment of Caps fans who have watched this guy play for the last 4 years.
Now also understand that many of us are BIG fans of Dale Hunter and WANT more players who play with a nasty edge.
Steckel is the polar opposite of that. He wouldn't hurt a fly and has not in his entire tenure here. He practically never uses his body or even tries to cheapshot someone no matter what they do to him. He is what I refer to as "soft as butter".
You can look into that video however you want but while there are a few who don't think it was an accident I do think the vast majority of people (including Bettman and Campbell and all the NHL guys who make rulings) DO think it was a pure accident.
Steckel's explanation was sincere. Now if that was Dale Hunter who did something like that you better believe it was intentional! lol But its not. Steckel plays more like my grandma than he does Hunter.
it is in this same thread that we are all kvetching about Steckel being "soft as butter".
Rag on Steckel on the Devils forum. The whole Crosby concussion circus is thankfully not our problem anymore. That's one of the major benefits of the change in address for Steckel.
