GDT: Capitals @ Blues - Halak returns to STL and won't play

[g00n]

I'm sure he had to have said something about Erat. Maybe Orlov?

He's losing his grip rapidly by pulling these ploys. But he's always gone out in a very public blaze of glory as a player so not surprising he's doing that as a coach.

I don't remember anything public about Erat but that doesn't mean he didn't say anything. With Erat it was more about pushing him out of the picture.

But he did cite Orlov on some of those "Mistakes", iirc. I just can't remember the specific plays. Maybe some bad clears.

Other times he's just called out the veterans for Mistakes. There are at least a few instances of this from November and January that I could find. In one instance he called out Ovechkin for getting into it with Gionta. Another was after being shutout by the Pens 4-0 and I didn't watch the video because meh.

In another from December he's on Ovechkin for not killing penalties:

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/408037-ovechkin-called-out-by-oates



Remember also he threw a wet blanket on Kuznetsov's coming out party while lobbing some criticism at the newly acquired Penner.

http://p.washingtontimes.com/comcas...cautious-over-kuznetsovs-wow-factor/?page=all

 

[BobRouse]

Yeah ...Oates sucks more every day now it seems...

Check out what Alan May said about this!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/04/08/alan-may-on-adam-oates-and-jaroslav-halak/

And then May was asked why Oates would have made public his conversation with Halak.

“I have no idea,†May answered. “There’s just a lot of things that have been baffling lately. And this falls in line with the things that have been going on. I’m not sure. Maybe the coach has run out of answers. It’s just right now, I think the number one thing is guys should be ready to play. Guys go in the lineup, guys get sat out, goalies start, goalies don’t start, goalies back up, and you put your team on the ice.â€

 

[Gary320]

Been hearing conflicting reports. What exactly is going on with Halak. Who stated that Halak said he didn't want to play against the Blues? Oates, Halak or a reporter?

 

[OVs Gold Chain*]

Been hearing conflicting reports. What exactly is going on with Halak. Who stated that Halak said he didn't want to play against the Blues? Oates, Halak or a reporter?

It's a little conflicting, Katie Carrera was (I believe) the first to report the quote from Oates.

Based on speculation only, I think Halak probably told Oates in some terms that he would rather not face his old club. Maybe it was direct "I don't want to face the Blues" or indirect "Hey uhh coach uhhhh, maybe I don't start vs my old club ya know?"

It feels like Oates is at the end of his rope (with this team and probably his coaching contract) and was never the kind of player who would voluntarily sit out a game, and made a bigger deal out of it by saying something to the press. Halak wasn't the first goalie who didn't want to face his old team, out of friendship or them knowing his weaknesses, etc. Some goalies relish the opportunity.

Your average level-headed coach probably would have just said "Holtby is the starter, we like how he played last game against the Islanders"

 

[BobRouse]

It's a little conflicting, Katie Carrera was (I believe) the first to report the quote from Oates.

Based on speculation only, I think Halak probably told Oates in some terms that he would rather not face his old club. Maybe it was direct "I don't want to face the Blues" or indirect "Hey uhh coach uhhhh, maybe I don't start vs my old club ya know?"

Steve Czaban then asked May to assumed that Halak really had begged out of the game, wondering how then to assess the player’s actions.

“You know what, I don’t think you guys are getting what I’m saying,†May said. “I don’t think we’re privy to the entire conversation. I don’t think it’s that black and white. Was he baited by the coaches? Was he not? If you asked me, if I was playing against one of my former teams — are you nervous about tonight? — I’d say yeah, a little bit. I want to make sure I play good against my old team. There’s a lot of different ways that different people anser those questions.â€

 

[Gary320]

It's a little conflicting, Katie Carrera was (I believe) the first to report the quote from Oates.

Based on speculation only, I think Halak probably told Oates in some terms that he would rather not face his old club. Maybe it was direct "I don't want to face the Blues" or indirect "Hey uhh coach uhhhh, maybe I don't start vs my old club ya know?"

It feels like Oates is at the end of his rope (with this team and probably his coaching contract) and was never the kind of player who would voluntarily sit out a game, and made a bigger deal out of it by saying something to the press. Halak wasn't the first goalie who didn't want to face his old team, out of friendship or them knowing his weaknesses, etc. Some goalies relish the opportunity.

Your average level-headed coach probably would have just said "Holtby is the starter, we like how he played last game against the Islanders"

Definitely. Regardless of how the convo went down, things like this (if true) need to stay in the locker room. You have to protect your goalies by all means.

 

[RandyHolt]

It's clearly amateur hour seeing Kolzig and Oates trying to handle a vet G.

Look no further than how they tried to change our kid Gs despite respectable play, to see how off base they are in coaching basics when it comes to tending.

That stunt right there cost us the playoffs. Luckily they abandoned that horribly thought out plan before it ruined all 3 of our young tenders.

 

[trick9]

Because we fear Holtby falters? Because Grubauer needs more time in the AHL? Because Grubauer isn't ready to back him up? Why waste the money unless you feel one of these options is a possibility.

It's baltantly obvious that to have a vet for vet sake does nothing for this team. It's been proven time and time again over the years with this core. Only Fedorov made a difference.

That's like me saying "I think a expensive vet top 2 dman to play alongside Carlson is the way to go."

I don't think you understand that it's actually difficult when you only get to play at most 1 game per week.

Not to mention it's terrible for his development, and veteran backup would certainly benefit Holtby more aswell.

 

[PucktotheHead]

Steve Czaban

Sorry OT but: Czaban's hockey knowledge couldn't fill a thimble. It always irritated me when he would try to discuss hockey. At least Andy Poulin admitted he knew nothing. lol

 

[leova]

HASHAHAHAHAA!!! I love it. Is there a bigger sideshow in the NHL right now? Unleash the wrecking ball on this front office

even Buffalo is looking at us like, "oh wow those guys are messed up!"

 

[Ajax1995]

Sorry OT but: Czaban's hockey knowledge couldn't fill a thimble. It always irritated me when he would try to discuss hockey. At least Andy Poulin admitted he knew nothing. lol

Yeah when the local media 'personalities' decide they need to talk hockey it is always beyond ridiculous how little they know about the Caps, league, or sport in general. Yet they spout their opinions like they are authorities on the subjects.

Of course the vast, vast, vast majority of the listeners know squat about the subjects either so the ruse works just fine.

This is why it is so funny when someone from an actual hockey market wanders over to this board and wonders why the local media isn't calling for McPhee's and Oates' heads.

 

[Halpysback*]

Fair point.

But this is the NHL. He's a goalie. There's no higher pressure position in sports. What job did he think he had?

Doesn't inspire confidence.

If you don't recognize anxiety as a real thing then no, it doesn't.

If you recognize anxiety as something that has to be acknowledged, addressed and managed for optimal results on a case by case basis then yes.

The end result is that the caps played Holtby and won the game. What Halak did was good for the team (winning). He should be commended for it. We have a concrete result - 4:1 against a Western powerhouse despite the team flailing around in Oates's system to the point where they look like a flock of birds from the beginning of The Core half the time. That's what you look at if you want to win - results.

That doesn't mean he's gonna fold like a wet blanket before all other teams and all other situations (if you think so then take a trip down memory lane to 2010).

Personally, I want someone on my team who does whatever is necessary for success at a given moment, even if it means acknowledging their personal conditions that they have no control over and sitting out sometimes. You up your chances of success at a given moment and life goes on.

 

[g00n]

Gormley breaking down the timeline. Whole lotta he said, she said going on. It seems pretty clear that Halak did make several comments about not feeling right about playing, despite what his agent is now saying.

http://www.csnwashington.com/hockey...-his-final-game-capitals?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo

 

[Vladiator16*]

Regardless of what Halak said or didn't say... Oates is the "grown up" here, he shouldn't have said anything... but again.... im not surprised at anything with this Micky Mouse organization.

What a shame we gonna sit these playoffs out, when these guys get going its a lot of fun to watch... but hey...

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Well glad this is final. Too bad they picked this year and not last year. Here's to hoping Ted fires everyone.

 

[Hivemind]

Well Oates is really really awesome at the bus toss.

I'm just waiting to see who's next in line to be chucked!

This is curious. The consensus around here has been demanding more accountability through the entire organization, but we don't like it when the coach blames a player? I get the disillusionment over the goalies, since it shows Oates being out of touch, but the rest doesn't seem too terrible. It seems the Ovechkin comment made this into another thing to pile on Oates, or I guess people are warping their perspectives of other issues into Oates negatives.

 

[Liberati0n*]

This is curious. The consensus around here has been demanding more accountability through the entire organization, but we don't like it when the coach blames a player? I get the disillusionment over the goalies, since it shows Oates being out of touch, but the rest doesn't seem too terrible. It seems the Ovechkin comment made this into another thing to pile on Oates, or I guess people are warping their perspectives of other issues into Oates negatives.

For one thing, it's debatable whether making snarky comments to the media is "accountability."

Separately, it's what those comments are in the context of Oates' claimed approach as a coach. Directly, he's overly positive and doesn't demand accountability, etc. Then he makes comments when the players are out of the room. It's passive aggressive, like so many things he does. I certainly wouldn't call it accountability. Accountability would be holding Ovechkin to a standard defensively in the actual games and doing actual things to encourage him to stick to it. Accountability is also done for a purpose; in a lot of these cases with Oates it's arguably just about his ego.

 

[ChibiPooky]

Yeah ...Oates sucks more every day now it seems...

Check out what Alan May said about this!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/04/08/alan-may-on-adam-oates-and-jaroslav-halak/

And then May was asked why Oates would have made public his conversation with Halak.

“I have no idea,†May answered. “There’s just a lot of things that have been baffling lately. And this falls in line with the things that have been going on. I’m not sure. Maybe the coach has run out of answers. It’s just right now, I think the number one thing is guys should be ready to play. Guys go in the lineup, guys get sat out, goalies start, goalies don’t start, goalies back up, and you put your team on the ice.â€

If Oates has already run out of answers, he clearly didn't have many to start with.

 

[Langway]

If Oates has already run out of answers, he clearly didn't have many to start with.

I thought it was pretty clear in some of his comments last fall that he lacked any sort of variety in his approach to attack problems in a creative fashion. He seemed to doubt himself and his staff pretty easily (a sure sign of inexperience I suppose).

Combine that with his recent 'somehow we need to get better' and apparently not discussing the whole 'quit play' with the franchise player and Oates certainly looks like a huge issue. That's not even delving into tactics, where he seems to be almost entirely outclassed 5-on-5. He's got another year left on his contract but I can't see how any fresh GM would want to keep him. Whether they would be forced to is another matter and, increasingly, a distasteful one. If that were the case hopefully the GM at least gets to kneecap him by taking out his staff (Calle Jo in particular).

 

[BobRouse]

This is curious. The consensus around here has been demanding more accountability through the entire organization, but we don't like it when the coach blames a player? I get the disillusionment over the goalies, since it shows Oates being out of touch, but the rest doesn't seem too terrible. It seems the Ovechkin comment made this into another thing to pile on Oates, or I guess people are warping their perspectives of other issues into Oates negatives.

I get a kick out of this concept of accountability b/c it really is hard for fans to see it work behind closed doors.

Hunter banished you to the doghouse for the simplest of errors or in some case for no known reason that we knew of. Certainly he definitely held the team accountable but the results were no different really.

Fact is Oates did his best Ron Wilson. You keep throwing players under the bus and never take blame then they will turn on you eventually. I've rarely heard Oates take blame for anything as a player nor as a coach.

Joe Gibbs was a great coach and a better human being. I've NEVER heard him do anything but say "It starts with me" or "Its my fault". He never blamed a player...publicly. Some coaches can do it and get away with it I guess. Oates is not one since he doesn't have the street cred. The timing of all this bus throwing is curious too.

It started with the Hunter hire and now Oates. Lots of disgrunteled players. Lots. Under BB there may have been a couple. Thats it.

 

[Liberati0n*]

Joe Gibbs was a "better human being"? Isn't that the dude who credited all his wins to his god or something?

 

[amin723]

It started with the Hunter hire and now Oates. Lots of disgrunteled players. Lots. Under BB there may have been a couple. Thats it.

and in my opinion this started when GMGM forced BB to get away from what the Caps were doing early on in his tenure, because he's in the game so he knows it.

 

[BobRouse]

Joe Gibbs was a "better human being"? Isn't that the dude who credited all his wins to his god or something?

Players would run through walls for Joe Gibbs. His spirituality has nothing to do with it.

and in my opinion this started when GMGM forced BB to get away from what the Caps were doing early on in his tenure, because he's in the game so he knows it.

I too think GMGM had a hand in it but who knows? Perhaps it was both of them feeling the heat from the media in Canada? Perhaps it was RJ Umberger's ghost?

BB won't make that mistake again I'm sure. For people who say that BB was stubborn and never changed/adjusted that is proof positive he tried. I guess sometimes its good to be hardheaded and stubborn (unless you are Oates with this whole handedness thing....)

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

and in my opinion this started when GMGM forced BB to get away from what the Caps were doing early on in his tenure, because he's in the game so he knows it.

This is a great mystery that I hope gets revealed some day. I suspect Boudreau had a big hand in the change. I'm not convinced McPhee was totally driving that alone.

 

[BobRouse]

This is a great mystery that I hope gets revealed some day. I suspect Boudreau had a big hand in the change. I'm not convinced McPhee was totally driving that alone.

If the Ducks win the cup then I'll eagerly wait BBs next book. I read his other one and it was darn good!

I'm certain he will reveal alot just like he did in the first one (Hubie McDonough is an idiot and so is Avery ..but we knew the latter)