Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic season. To be one period away from the WCF...well, I don't think anyone would have predicted that. Oilers (finally) have a great, young team with a bright future ahead.

It's going to be weird going into next season with actual expectations. :lol

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

There are only two teams that have been missing from the conference finals longer than the Caps. Unreal.

Since Ovechkin came on board, 21 teams have played in round 3 of the playoffs. Un-fucking-real.

Why did I have to be a Caps fan.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It's ok. We're one of them too.

Barry Melrose calling for the Caps to trade OVie.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Well to be fair it was everyone's fault because no one showed up. I said it the other day if they were down 1-0 they'd start to think about year's past and it sure liked that was the case. The 2nd goal by Holtby was awful too but it was Ovie who turned it over.
In the old days (pre-cap) I think they trade him. I mean you can't get to the ECF's with him so can't be too much worse without him. But trading a 9.5mil salary would be tough even if the Caps held some salary back. So I really don't know what the Caps do. They went from looking confident as hell in game 6 to their same old selves last night.

I was thinking last night even before the Oilers game, the Oilers have been to more conference finals in the last 12 years than the Caps and they missed the playoffs for 10 of those years. Sorry Barbs....

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

On Ovi, and the Caps from someone who has followed G8 since he was 17.

https://twitter.com/SlavaMalamud/sta...89936041316352

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah sadly you guys are one of those two teams I mentioned (Florida is the other).

I don't know how I feel about all the trade Ovie and blow it up stuff just yet. My immediate gut reaction is don't, stay the course and try again. But at the same time, how many times can you keep rolling the same dice before you decide they're not gonna give you the result you want?

That said, logistically trading Ovechkin is much easier said than done. However, I'm sure if Mac really wanted to, he could find a suitor willing to make room for him.

I just don't know what to think right now. It's kind of shell shocking. It's weird because this one actually doesn't sting quite as bad as it has in the past (i.e. I actually have the stomach to be on Ants talking about it less than 12 hours after the fact, that hasn't always been the case). But they once again out did themselves. I say every year that the Caps seem to always find a way to come up with the biggest let down yet. The exception was last year, I feel there was no choke there. But once again, we're right here again.

Brief history of how the Caps keep embarrassing themselves more than they did the previous year:

2009: First playoff series win by an Ovie group, then they force game 7 vs. Pens, lose it 6-2 on home ice

2010: Lose game 7 1-0 on home ice in the first round to the 8th seeded Canadiens after winning the President's trophy and having a lead in the series

2011: FINALLY win a series with ease and take out the Rangers in 5 only to be swept by the upstart Lightning one round later

2012: Game 6 OT winner on the road in MSG, ok this has to be it, they're finally gonna break through, game 7 loss at home 2-1

2013: Let's take a big step backwards and lose in round one, but let's do it in extra Caps style by going up 3-2 in the series only to drop games 6 and 7 featuring a 5-0 blowout on home ice in game 7

2014: Didn't think it could get worse? Here you go: DID NOT QUALIFY

2015: The second round again, versus our old friends the Rangers. How is this one gonna top the previous ones you ask? Well, let's go ahead and blow a 3-1 series lead to lose game 7 in OT. Great job!

2016: Yeah, ok, no choke here. The Pens just straight up beat us.

2017: Let's go down hard to the Pens then claw all the way back, let's even play the best game we've possibly ever played in the playoffs in game 6, let's force a 7th on home ice, let's outshoot them in EVERY GAME OF THE SERIES. Surely this can't happen again. Oh look at that, shutout on home ice.

It's like clockwork. I just don't know how many more of these we can have before maybe it is time to blow it up a little bit.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I was literally getting ready to post that link in my lengthy post I just made but I forgot to include it. Worth the read. This guy just spewed fire. And I think he nailed it a little bit.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

My biggest question of Ovie's commitment to winning a Cup came when he said he'd go to the Olympics even if the NHL wasn't going. I get you want to play for your country but your contract isn't with them and your team/league isn't taking part in it so walking away from your team for roughly 2.5 weeks in the 4th quarter of the season is what you would do? He seems like a guy who wants it all and wants it to be given to him. Just looking at my team but Stevie Y went from scoring 50+ goals and 120+ points and gave that all up to win a Cup. Scoring 69 points the year they won their 2nd Cup in a row. When they won the first, he was basically their 3rd line center. Yeah Scotty rolled 4 lines pretty well but he was on their 3rd line.

Ovie's fun to watch and I'd like to see that team win it but he's got some major flaws. But again, last night's lost goes way beyond just him.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It does and it's important to remember that.

But he's the guy this team has been built around for 10 years now. He was supposed to be the answer, and so far that hasn't happened.

I've said previously that while I think Ovechkin wants to win a Cup and isn't thrilled his team keeps failing, I also think that if he retires without one he won't be all that disappointed. As in, I don't feel like his childhood dream will die if he retires without winning a Cup. As in, I don't think in his heart of hearts he really cares all THAT much.

This is exemplified in his feelings about the Olympics. And it's also why I don't see him as the type of player to get traded to a contender late in his career to try to win a Cup. I think when his contract with the Caps is over, his time in the NHL is as well, Cup or no Cup.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Ummmm....

Fixed your quote for you. ;)

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

if sports has taught me one thing, 1 guy is never the answer

Lebron, MJ, Kobe, Golden Boy, Steve Young, Gretzky, etc. all needed a support cast.

The Kings were the most recent example of that.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

No I mean I get that. But let's not pretend like every guy you mentioned hasn't had one or more moments where they've taken over/come up HUGE in a really important playoff game (I'm talking REALLY important, not round 1 important).

That's the difference.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Care to guess how many playoff OT winners Ovie has for the career?

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

for sure. he's 100% capable.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

The Caps really could've used a huge moment from Ovechkin last night. He didn't give us that. And I know Fleury made the great save.

Gretzky or Jordan wouldn't have settled for that.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

OK but how many did Mario have in his career?

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Barbs, you and the other caps fans ITT even brohan seem like good dudes (ok, maybe not brohan...........totally kidding). I feel for you. The Steelers went through some really tough losses when I was growing up before they finally one the Super Bowl in 2005.

Please don't take any of my sarcastic posts as anything more than playful joking.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

2 Stanley Cups

(two more than Ovechkin, as many as Crosby)

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Dude feel free to enjoy the fuck out of your win. Congrats to you and all the Pens fans.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Then talk about Cups not OT goals. Dale Hunter had 4 ot goals in his career. I'm all for criticizing him but pick something more than OT goals. .

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I was just using it as an example

If Ovie wins a Cup I'll forgive him forever for not scoring an OT playoff goal

And sure, right now:

Dale Hunter playoff clutch level >>>> Ovechkin's

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I had to look it up but apparently Mario didn't have ANY post season OT goals. Or I could be totally reading this list wrong.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/play...time-goals.cgi

But according to this he had 11 post season GW goals; 5 in 92 alone.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/play...lemiema01.html

Ain't my win. I didn't do anything beside not wear the same Pens sweatshirt I had on during games 5 and 6 :lol

I'll take it, tho!

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It's just there is so much more than something as arbitrary as that. Like him not getting there in time to cover Rust or the lazy clearing attempt that lead to that amazingly bad goal by Holtby.

I mean Adam Foote never scored an OT goal and he's the greatest player ever.....

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah he had none. Claude the turtle Lemieux has more than Mario. Mario is a better player don't get me wrong but it was just OT goals is an arbitrary thing to point to because maybe you play 6 OT games in one playoff year while some guys play 6 in 20 years.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

:lol true

And seriously, I know there's more to a game than just what happens with one player or one play. I truly do get that. I just wish, so badly, that Ovechkin could've earned his huge moment last night in a game that mattered so much, like so many great players have done before him. I really do know that sports are the outcome of a magnitude of varying factors, but there are countless examples of huge players coming up huge. And I mean really huge. Like take the game over down 1-0 in the 3rd period of game 7 of the most important game of your decade-plus long professional career kind of huge. I just really wish that had've happened for him.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It was everyone's fault, I just thought that comment was really off the wall because neither of the guys he mentioned have ever done it either.. so just because Ovie had a bad series to that point, you dont lean on or expect things from the organization's best player?

This seems accurate, but man was it harsh.

I really do feel for you Barbs, I know the feeling when I was younger with the steelers like jrkarger mentioned. Glad youre a good sport about all of it.

I dont think trading Ovie is the right move, the team is gonna look different going forward, but I think more than anything the Caps need another big time player, someone who is a level above a guy like Oshie. I dont know who that is or where you get it, but they need something.




Im still shocked that second goal went in. I dont know how that happened at all.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I said it last night, when they went down 1-0 and then MAF made that huge save late in the 2nd, it was done. How much of this for this franchise is mental?

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

:thumbsup

100% This.

Both games last night went to opposite way of what I was rooting for. I feel bad for both fan bases, but especially bad for the Caps fans since their window is shutting just like ours. The Oilers window is just beginning to open, so I feel less bad for them.

Barbs, really sorry for you man. Nothing else I can say that will help.


I am rooting hard for the Preds the rest of the way. That city loves that team and I would like to see someone new win the Cup this year. I have had a feeling all playoffs long that the Pens would repeat though.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

For the record, I will not wear said sweatshirt for the remainder of the playoffs. :p

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah and you'd expected and hope for a better game from him win or lose but as a Wings fan I remember the 2009 Finals and Crosby had 1 G and 2 A in 7 games. Tablot and Staal were the heroes imo. If Wings win that series either in 6 or 7 (which they were a couple goals away from doing) and Sid ends up with 3 points in 7 games it would have been put on him but his teammates stepped up and same goes for last night. If Oshie and Williams or whoever have great games and Caps win, there wouldn't be much talk about Ovie today.

I don't think they trade him but it'll be interesting. Their window is as close to being shut without being shut, so I'm curious here.