Post-Game Talk: Boston @ Washington, 8PM - The Stanislav Galiev Invitational

[Jacoby4HOF66]

The Tony Kornheiser manufactured bandwagon was one of the greatest moments in sportswriting, ever.

Manufactered? Not sure about that.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/history/timeline/wagon/wagnfrnt.htm

Caps wouldnt mind a manufactured fan movement heading into the playoffs.

 

[stanleycaps18]

Yes manufactured, in that Tony created it and kept it going all season. It was brilliant all the way to the end!

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Maruk, cool post. Stay weird down there.

 

[g00n]

I hear ya, it is fabulous just on the defensive side of things alone. No more 1 D pairing and a bunch of scraps on defense, but I guess its a DC sports thing for me when it comes playoff time. I am trying hard not to get sucked in so my hopes/dreams get hulk smashed again.

I'm riding high at the moment. Like giddy. But there's always that twinge in the back of my mind that says "don't go all-in, you've seen this before". Going into the MTL series and after the 5 game series win vs the Rangers come to mind. Those were times this team of mostly the same players appeared to be firing on all cylinders and ready for the next step. Then...

The last few games gave me the impression that the "switch" had been flipped and the lights were flickering...a period off here, a period on there, until the light comes on completely. I hope that moment was last night, and I hope Trotz makes sure this team doesn't let it go out.

 

[Blades of Steel]

what a game, too bad I fell asleep and missed the 3rd period. Did I miss anything good during the last period?

 

[BobRouse]

Again..this is a different kind of team this year. I know people have ragged on "tuffnez" and "hitting" (you don't have the puck when you are hitting!)

but those things are the huge difference in the Caps turnaround. In the pregame show they were commented on it. On EPIX everyone commented on it. The whole season people have been saying it. "Heavy" "Hard to play against" "Mean" "Physical" "LA Kings East"

Jones and Milbury were saying how we are by far the biggest most physical team in the east this year. They went on to say we are what the Bruins used to be.

First period...0-0

Marcus Johansson (!!!) absolutely pancaked Adam McQuaid (6'5 210lbs 76 PIMS) leading to a turnover that starts the sequence of the 1st goal.

That pretty much encapsulates our mentality. We got everyone finishing their checks and sticking up for each other.

Toughest most physical team since 1990. Teams pay a price

 

[Midnight Judges]

because letang and erhoff will most likely be back plus malkin and crosby. need I say more? lol.

plus we never beat pitt in the playoffs, lets just stay away

**** that, dude. You gotta go for the glory.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

what a game, too bad I fell asleep and missed the 3rd period. Did I miss anything good during the last period?

Kuzy had a filthy assist for 90's 20th.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Kuzy had a filthy assist for 90's 20th.

That was in the second period.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

And I gotta say, that might have been Marcus Johansson's best game as an NHLer.

 

[pman25]

MJ has been one of our better players to end the year. We need that to carry over into the post season

 

[marcel snapshot]

Time to give Trotz and the coaching staff some credit for their development of Kuzzy. He's so much stronger on the puck, so much more effective along the boards, and so much better positionally on D than he was at the start of the year - there's still a ways to go for him. But all the Trotz-like details of his game have become so much better.

As skillful, sleek and promising as Bura and Galiev looked last night, they didn't compare to Kuzzy in terms of these kind of details. Bura and Galiev still got pushed off the puck pretty easily - though their quickness sometimes made it hard for the Bs to reach them in time. Remember at the beginning of the year when Bura and Kuzzy both looked about even in terms of rawness in the professional details of the game - Kuzzy has gone way ahead and that's not intended as a knock on Bura in any way.

The coaches were really smart about giving each of them some runway to show where they are in terms of development and how capable they were of absorbing instruction on the details of the game - Kuzzy is older and more experienced, so it's no surprise he tested out better. I think his development this year will actually help speed Bura's.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Time to give Trotz and the coaching staff some credit for their development of Kuzzy. He's so much stronger on the puck, so much more effective along the boards, and so much better positionally on D than he was at the start of the year - there's still a ways to go for him. But all the Trotz-like details of his game have become so much better.

As skillful, sleek and promising as Bura and Galiev looked last night, they didn't compare to Kuzzy in terms of these kind of details. Bura and Galiev still got pushed off the puck pretty easily - though their quickness sometimes made it hard for the Bs to reach them in time. Remember at the beginning of the year when Bura and Kuzzy both looked about even in terms of rawness in the professional details of the game - Kuzzy has gone way ahead and that's not intended as a knock on Bura in any way.

The coaches were really smart about giving each of them some runway to show where they are in terms of development and how capable they were of absorbing instruction on the details of the game - Kuzzy is older and more experienced, so it's no surprise he tested out better. I think his development this year will actually help speed Bura's.

The difference between Kuzma and the other rookies is that he has played pro for 4 years now. Burakovsky is very young, he just turned 20. He'll be as good as Kuzma is now in 2 years or less.

 

[bur and 666 others]

I want to say one more thing. Sorry I have so much to say tonight--I feel kind of like what I imagine it feels like to be a bipolar person in a manic phase after watching what just happened.

I think one reason is this. I've been a fan for a really long time--I was too young to even remember going to my first game. I'm sure it happened in either the first or second year of the team's existence in the mid-70s. Caps were my first love and will always be my greatest love insofar as sports are concerned.

And for so long, every time Caps played Boston, if you were watching on TV or listening on the radio, several times a game, you'd basically hear the mantra, "Caps have never beaten Boston." I believe it took the Capitals until 1980, at the end of their sixth season, to do that for the first time, and I believe it was their 27th try. 0 for 26 before that I think. A handful of ties, but, whatever. And you know how when you're a kid things are kind of magnified, and monsters seem more monstrous, and stuff seems like it's never going to change much. Boston Bruins were basically like a monster to me.

The point is if you'd told the child version of me that one day the Capitals would be the first team to ever shut out another team in a season series at least three games long, in all of NHL history, and that the team they would do that to would be Boston, yeah, right. Just, no.

I know everyone wants to be all about the Cup all the time but I think this is really worth a small celebration. There is stuff along the way worth appreciating and celebrating. One day I'm sure it's gonna happen. But this evening is something I believe I will always remember, at least until dementia sets in.

If Galiev turns out to be a player, the fact that this was his first game will make tonight that much more memorable.

Sorry, there are no hockey fans that I know of down here in Austin. I have to come here and gush. I'm gonna stop now and get back to work. Good night now.

Great story, please do not stop posting!

 

[BobRouse]

I want to say one more thing. Sorry I have so much to say tonight--I feel kind of like what I imagine it feels like to be a bipolar person in a manic phase after watching what just happened.

I think one reason is this. I've been a fan for a really long time--I was too young to even remember going to my first game. I'm sure it happened in either the first or second year of the team's existence in the mid-70s. Caps were my first love and will always be my greatest love insofar as sports are concerned.

And for so long, every time Caps played Boston, if you were watching on TV or listening on the radio, several times a game, you'd basically hear the mantra, "Caps have never beaten Boston." I believe it took the Capitals until 1980, at the end of their sixth season, to do that for the first time, and I believe it was their 27th try. 0 for 26 before that I think. A handful of ties, but, whatever. And you know how when you're a kid things are kind of magnified, and monsters seem more monstrous, and stuff seems like it's never going to change much. Boston Bruins were basically like a monster to me.

The point is if you'd told the child version of me that one day the Capitals would be the first team to ever shut out another team in a season series at least three games long, in all of NHL history, and that the team they would do that to would be Boston, yeah, right. Just, no.

I know everyone wants to be all about the Cup all the time but I think this is really worth a small celebration. There is stuff along the way worth appreciating and celebrating. One day I'm sure it's gonna happen. But this evening is something I believe I will always remember, at least until dementia sets in.

If Galiev turns out to be a player, the fact that this was his first game will make tonight that much more memorable.

Sorry, there are no hockey fans that I know of down here in Austin. I have to come here and gush. I'm gonna stop now and get back to work. Good night now.

Thanks for that. I love random input from the past like that. Also that made me feel younger ha

My first fleshed out memories of Boston was later. The first season where I watched every televised game was where we lost in the season opener to Boston as Cam Neely scored a late goal.

Then after that we started a run of success against them for the most part up until 89-90.

After that season I sure felt we pretty much had the upper hand for years up until the Jagr era started.

 

[g00n]

Forsberg threadjacking moved to appropriate thread (Former Caps Thread). Continue that topic there.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1769515

Comments about last night's game or pre-gdt for Saturday only in this thread.

 

[Larrybiv]

**** that, dude. You gotta go for the glory.

Rangers fan here, just happened to get here somehow. Lol. Don't fear those Pens, Caps fans. From the outside looking in......Caps got that covered.... You guys are playing a MUCH better all around game. Pens hurting, and actually they suck. Fleury the only one that kept them half way decent. He's bushed now. Lol. I'd LOVE to play them 1st round.

As that Rangers fan, I don't fear any team with the way Sather has constructed us (getting Yandle was just like "getting a Christmas present" in advance for what you are "supposed to accomplish". Anyway, to finish...you guys would be the last one I'd like to play....... no fear dudes! Enjoy.

 

[hockeykicker]

Rangers fan here, just happened to get here somehow. Lol. Don't fear those Pens, Caps fans. From the outside looking in......Caps got that covered.... You guys are playing a MUCH better all around game. Pens hurting, and actually they suck. Fleury the only one that kept them half way decent. He's bushed now. Lol. I'd LOVE to play them 1st round.

As that Rangers fan, I don't fear any team with the way Sather has constructed us (getting Yandle was just like "getting a Christmas present" in advance for what you are "supposed to accomplish". Anyway, to finish...you guys would be the last one I'd like to play....... no fear dudes! Enjoy.

funny, most of us said the same thing in the 09-10/10-11 seasons
Id watch out for the sens if they make it, they look like a team that can give the rangers trouble

 

[Bananas]

I'm at the stage in my Caps career where the regular season stuff, such as the triple shutout of Boston and Ovie's MVP chances, carries a lot less weight.

I'd trade all of it for one magical Cup run with Ovechkin leading the charge...

Don't get me wrong I'm not completely unsentimental about all the other stuff but I think it'll be a lot easier to relish once we get our first. It's kind of like a lot of icing with no cake to me...unfulfilling.

 

[stanleycaps18]

Agree 100%

Now that the sting of the Badger loss is wearing off, I need, no, MUST HAVE a CUP in my lifetime.

 

[BobRouse]

Just make sure you enjoy the ride and that begins at game #1 of the season.

If you wait until the end (should the hockey gods shine brightly on us) you may find that it isn't as satisfying as it should be.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Just make sure you enjoy the ride and that begins at game #1 of the season.

If you wait until the end (should the hockey gods shine brightly on us) you may find that it isn't as satisfying as it should be.

Playoff hockey is it's own reward.

It's the best thing any of us will see on television this year.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Sure we will be due at some point, but when? Hard to answer that. I was a sophomore in HS the last time the Skins won the SB and what that team had going for it, besides it being good, was it had a fan base energized behind it. A wave of emotion that pushed it through to SB26. The Skins Bandwagon was a big deal. The WaPost passed out those bumper stickers out in their papers and they were all over the region leading up to the playoffs and SB, from what I remember. It was a movement.

The Caps appear to have all the pieces team wise to make a run at the Cup. Generational goal scoring talent, secondary players getting hot just in time for the playoffs, #1 goalie and 3 solid defensive pairings. What the team needs most is its fan base to get pumped up and committed like the The Skins Bandwagon Skins fans did back in '91/'92. Verizon needs to be roaring from start to finish of every game of the upcoming playoffs. There should never be a time where someone like me can here that guy yell "Lets go Caps" on my TV at home. Like the 12th man in SEA, Caps fans need to be the extra man at Verizon. All playoffs long.

I was around and a fan fore all 4 of Gibbs' SB runs. The first one was the magic that created the ease of Bandwagoning the 4th one. It was 1982, and a shortened season, so 16 teams made it. Redskins beat up on Detroit and then Minnesota, setting up the Championship game versus hated Dallas. By then, it was all magic.

Skins also always sold out. Caps are close. My guess is if the Caps can win a round, then get going in round 2. It will be similar for them as it was for the Skins in 82. ECF would get it full throttle.

 

[txpd]

Playoff hockey is it's own reward.

It's the best thing any of us will see on television this year.

best, yes. most fun. yet to be determined. right? unless of course you like sad stories with painful endings. if Indiana jones was a cap, he would get killed early in every movie and the Nazis would win.

the red sox now have won world series, so the caps can win a cup. l may even travel for a game.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I wasn't too involved with the game since they clinched. Congrats to Holtby and the boys for playing hard against a team still fighting. I cant't wait until next week! Saving my heart for the playoffs . Nice pass by Kuznetsov.