GDT: Caps vs Hawks 9 pm Dec 13

[Langway]

One thing with these milestones is the chemistry being built. And an argument in favor of the Leonsis semi-competitive promise is that it won't be a one-note sideshow throughout, even if they're maybe not a total force. It should continue to have a team-building function, particularly as 8 handles it all pretty maturely in maintaining perspective. They're still at least somewhat dangerous and as long as MacLellan doesn't fall asleep at the wheel they ought to be able to sustain it for a few more seasons.

As they climb the standings it's probably also true that they won't want to disturb that precious chemistry much at the deadline with new faces unless they're significant upgrades, there prove to be significant weak links or injuries. This has a rally around the troops feel as guys get back and has potential to take their game to another level. Is it good enough to win a series against Jersey or Carolina? I don't know but this was a crucial road stretch and they did about as well as could be expected.

 

[895]

Perhaps the real Stanley cup is the friends we made along the way?

 

[VaCaps Fan]

The king!

 

[Langway]

Perhaps the real Stanley cup is the friends we made along the way?

I mean, they do at least have the one. It would be a different ballgame without it. Not to say this band should be kept together merely for the regular season vibes. They do need to consider the pitfalls of holding on too long to Kuznetsov, Carlson and Oshie in particular. And to continue to assess the bigger picture when it comes to whether they have enough impact potential.

But they are sort of back, getting healthier and probably won't be making significant changes (in-season at least). In the off-season maybe they tweak the bigger picture. It depends on how it goes down. But it's not exactly easy making seismic trades that would put them in a significantly better position to be a contender. They have some pieces to put together packages and consider scenarios but in the near-term it's more likely about Wilson & Backstrom coming back and how much they can get out of them. Maybe in the off-season there's more resolution and they end up entertaining ways to shake up the mix. As-is, yeah, I think they do Like Their Team pretty much. It's another reason why in the end I doubt there ends up being massive changes forthcoming. As much as MacLellan may be tempted to move on in some situations it's still likely to end up too tempting to part with a lot of what helps drive them. Orlov & Jensen in particular I doubt they can do any better in UFA. You can probably sub out Eller/Hathaway/Johansson/Sheary and not notice all that much of a difference.

If it's really about doing what it takes to keep them on track for the following three seasons then they should probably not care whatsoever about handing out eight-year terms to Orlov & Jensen to keep the D largely intact.

 

[ovikovy817]

LEGEND.
With his 800th everybody forgot that he broke another record tonight.
Most opening goals in the history.

 

[Neil Racki]

i fell asleep before the 3rd ....

Ovi!!!

 

[chilimac]

When we discovered yesterday that the game would be on ESPN, I texted my rather elderly mother to let her know she could watch the Caps at 9 on ESPN, a channel she actually gets, as opposed to NBCDC, which she does not. Anyway, I figured it was about a 1 in 3 chance she would actually watch the game but the late start time is right in her wheelhouse so ... when I texted her this morning and asked her how she liked it, this is the reply I got:

"saw the whole second half.. was great stuff! That Z guy got all the points!"

Yeah,, I'm not sure WTH she watched... lol, but she is hard of hearing so... maybe 'Ovie' became 'Z'... ?

 

[Midnight Judges]

The ESPN trainwreck. But i can’t turn it off. Going to now have to watch NBCSW.

It was a trainwreck, but at least the production team had graphics ready to go for the 800th goal, and at least they attempted to have a video about Ovie before the game started - even though the video was hilariously stupid.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Alright lesson learned, don’t let these donkeys call his record breaking game. Just have Joe B on standby to sign a game by game contract with ESPN/TNT or whatever when ovi gets close to the record

And man, Levy could have made a decent call on the goal if Chelios didn’t step all over it.

At least we have John Walton!

Indeed. ESPN was going to probably gobble up the games until he did. I thought NBC was bad, but man ESPN is putrid.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

One thing with these milestones is the chemistry being built. And an argument in favor of the Leonsis semi-competitive promise is that it won't be a one-note sideshow throughout, even if they're maybe not a total force. It should continue to have a team-building function, particularly as 8 handles it all pretty maturely in maintaining perspective. They're still at least somewhat dangerous and as long as MacLellan doesn't fall asleep at the wheel they ought to be able to sustain it for a few more seasons.

As they climb the standings it's probably also true that they won't want to disturb that precious chemistry much at the deadline with new faces unless they're significant upgrades, there prove to be significant weak links or injuries. This has a rally around the troops feel as guys get back and has potential to take their game to another level. Is it good enough to win a series against Jersey or Carolina? I don't know but this was a crucial road stretch and they did about as well as could be expected.

If they continue this improvement, get healthy, and stay motivated, the Caps can beat any team in this league. They have the goaltending now to do it again.

 

[PlushMinus]

When we discovered yesterday that the game would be on ESPN, I texted my rather elderly mother to let her know she could watch the Caps at 9 on ESPN, a channel she actually gets, as opposed to NBCDC, which she does not. Anyway, I figured it was about a 1 in 3 chance she would actually watch the game but the late start time is right in her wheelhouse so ... when I texted her this morning and asked her how she liked it, this is the reply I got:

"saw the whole second half.. was great stuff! That Z guy got all the points!"

Yeah,, I'm not sure WTH she watched... lol, but she is hard of hearing so... maybe 'Ovie' became 'Z'... ?

Maybe she watched the Oilers trounce Nashville:

Zzzzzach Hyman with a hat trick
DraiZzzzzatl with 5 points

Um and also: I didn't know hockey was a game of "halves"

 

[marcel snapshot]

You compare Messier and Chelios' willingness and ability to explain what's happening on the ice in real-time (which is to say no willingness and ability at all) to somebody like Tony Romo in the NFL, or even just Mike Bossy and Dennis Potvin when they were color guys after they played - and there's just no comparison. Messier and Chelly are like - "yeah, he was moving there" or "Wayne used to do that" - there's no actual, you know, analysis or insight. They just seem unwilling to do the job of actually communicating things they know to the viewer.

I wish TXPD were here, he would be able to break it down far more succinctly and readily than I can.

 

[HTFN]

You compare Messier and Chelios' willingness and ability to explain what's happening on the ice in real-time (which is to say no willingness and ability at all) to somebody like Tony Romo in the NFL, or even just Mike Bossy and Dennis Potvin when they were color guys after they played - and there's just no comparison. Messier and Chelly are like - "yeah, he was moving there" or "Wayne used to do that" - there's no actual, you know, analysis or insight. They just seem unwilling to do the job of actually communicating things they know to the viewer.

I wish TXPD were here, he would be able to break it down far more succinctly and readily than I can.

Seems simple, Chelios and Messier sound like fans with credibility and not teachers of the game. Ideally color commentary is providing detail and insight into how the things detailed by the play by play come to pass, but those two are just like "wheeeeeeee that reminds me of me and my glory days" and the whole thing is so boring to listen to unless you care about those two instead of the players playing the game you're watching.

shit, even Craig Laughlin is better at that, maybe thanks to his coaching endeavors through the network hockey thing. That shouldn't be a high bar.

 

[usiel]

You compare Messier and Chelios' willingness and ability to explain what's happening on the ice in real-time (which is to say no willingness and ability at all) to somebody like Tony Romo in the NFL, or even just Mike Bossy and Dennis Potvin when they were color guys after they played - and there's just no comparison. Messier and Chelly are like - "yeah, he was moving there" or "Wayne used to do that" - there's no actual, you know, analysis or insight. They just seem unwilling to do the job of actually communicating things they know to the viewer.

I wish TXPD were here, he would be able to break it down far more succinctly and readily than I can.

Messier and Chelios bring about the same thing to the table. Would be better to have a former coach as one of the slots and just keep one of those two.

 

[Calicaps]

Messier and Chelios bring about the same thing to the table. Would be better to have a former coach as one of the slots and just keep one of those two.

That game was a disgrace, broadcastwise. Never thought I'd miss NBC Sports, but here we are. An abject lesson in "be careful what you wish for."

 

[Rayquaza64]

That game was a disgrace, broadcastwise. Never thought I'd miss NBC Sports, but here we are. An abject lesson in "be careful what you wish for."

doc should’ve waited a few more years to retire smh

 

[Hivemind]

First and foremost - having three people in the broadcast booth simultaneously is a crowd. Plain and simple. Aside of special segments and cutaways to "inside the glass reporters" for specific questions, it should really just be a Play-by-play announcer and color commentator. Three guys end up stepping on each others toes, and that happened all the time with Chelios and Messier. It alternated between the two of them trying to talk about the same thing (both while saying utterly nothing of value) and these awkward pauses when nobody was sure who's turn it was to speak. Half of the color commentary was Messier saying something really basic, and following it up with a "right, Cheli?" and Chelios saying "yup" before a 5 second pause and then Levy resuming play-by-play.

Messier could be a passable color commentator, although not a particularly insightful one. He at least seems to understand what the role is and how and when he should interact. But Chelios is absolutely useless, and does nothing but laugh or talk over other people in the booth. And the two of them together just drag one another down even further.

It's like when Cal Ripken was doing color commentary for TBS baseball games. The timing and delivery is just so awkward that it makes it hard to listen to. Although at least Cal would provide snippets of insight into defensive alignments. But just because you're a former great doesn't mean you're cut out for the broadcast booth.

ESPN should drag Bill Clement out of retirement and Gary Thorne out of semi-retirement to re-unite them as the best broadcast crew in hockey. I know Clement in 70 and Thorne is 74, so it's not a long-term arrangement, but make it happen.

Nostalgia, but also greatness:


It is worth noting that the Levy/Messier/Chelios crew is not ESPN's #1 broadcast crew. Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro is. Why we got their B/C crew for Ovie's potential 800 game is questionable tho.

 

[Calicaps]

First and foremost - having three people in the broadcast booth simultaneously is a crowd. Plain and simple. Aside of special segments and cutaways to "inside the glass reporters" for specific questions, it should really just be a Play-by-play announcer and color commentator. Three guys end up stepping on each others toes, and that happened all the time with Chelios and Messier. It alternated between the two of them trying to talk about the same thing (both while saying utterly nothing of value) and these awkward pauses when nobody was sure who's turn it was to speak. Half of the color commentary was Messier saying something really basic, and following it up with a "right, Cheli?" and Chelios saying "yup" before a 5 second pause and then Levy resuming play-by-play.

Messier could be a passable color commentator, although not a particularly insightful one. He at least seems to understand what the role is and how and when he should interact. But Chelios is absolutely useless, and does nothing but laugh or talk over other people in the booth. And the two of them together just drag one another down even further.

It's like when Cal Ripken was doing color commentary for TBS baseball games. The timing and delivery is just so awkward that it makes it hard to listen to. Although at least Cal would provide snippets of insight into defensive alignments. But just because you're a former great doesn't mean you're cut out for the broadcast booth.

ESPN should drag Bill Clement out of retirement and Gary Thorne out of semi-retirement to re-unite them as the best broadcast crew in hockey. I know Clement in 70 and Thorne is 74, so it's not a long-term arrangement, but make it happen.

Nostalgia, but also greatness:


It is worth noting that the Levy/Messier/Chelios crew is not ESPN's #1 broadcast crew. Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro is. Why we got their B/C crew for Ovie's potential 800 game is questionable tho.

Thorne and Clement were great. But they're done. Thorne was a shell of his former self last time I heard him call an MLB game which is probably 5 years ago--maybe more. If ESPN had any sense, they'd have snagged Forslund when Carolina cut him loose.

 

[Hivemind]

Thorne and Clement were great. But they're done. Thorne was a shell of his former self last time I heard him call an MLB game which is probably 5 years ago--maybe more. If ESPN had any sense, they'd have snagged Forslund when Carolina cut him loose.

Wanna feel old? It's been 18 years since Gary Thorne called an NHL game.

 

[Calicaps]

Wanna feel old? It's been 18 years since Gary Thorne called an NHL game.

thanks for that

 

[Hivemind]

thanks for that

I work with high schoolers 2-3 times a week. I get constant reminders of things like the fact that they weren't even born when Ovie enterred the NHL.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

First and foremost - having three people in the broadcast booth simultaneously is a crowd. Plain and simple. Aside of special segments and cutaways to "inside the glass reporters" for specific questions, it should really just be a Play-by-play announcer and color commentator. Three guys end up stepping on each others toes, and that happened all the time with Chelios and Messier. It alternated between the two of them trying to talk about the same thing (both while saying utterly nothing of value) and these awkward pauses when nobody was sure who's turn it was to speak. Half of the color commentary was Messier saying something really basic, and following it up with a "right, Cheli?" and Chelios saying "yup" before a 5 second pause and then Levy resuming play-by-play.

Messier could be a passable color commentator, although not a particularly insightful one. He at least seems to understand what the role is and how and when he should interact. But Chelios is absolutely useless, and does nothing but laugh or talk over other people in the booth. And the two of them together just drag one another down even further.

It's like when Cal Ripken was doing color commentary for TBS baseball games. The timing and delivery is just so awkward that it makes it hard to listen to. Although at least Cal would provide snippets of insight into defensive alignments. But just because you're a former great doesn't mean you're cut out for the broadcast booth.

ESPN should drag Bill Clement out of retirement and Gary Thorne out of semi-retirement to re-unite them as the best broadcast crew in hockey. I know Clement in 70 and Thorne is 74, so it's not a long-term arrangement, but make it happen.

Nostalgia, but also greatness:


It is worth noting that the Levy/Messier/Chelios crew is not ESPN's #1 broadcast crew. Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro is. Why we got their B/C crew for Ovie's potential 800 game is questionable tho.

This might be my favorite NHL call of all time, other than when the Caps won the Cup of course.

“Score! Off the floor, on the board — Paul Kariya!”

 

[zappa4ever]

was pretty funny watching the woman front row behind the goal took her at least 4 tries to get her hat over the glass onto the ice to celebrate the 800/hat trick

 

[Calicaps]

This might be my favorite NHL call of all time, other than when the Caps won the Cup of course.

“Score! Off the floor, on the board — Paul Kariya!”

that was an amazing play and call. the Ray Bourque cup call (speaking of Thorne) is pretty unforgettable, too.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

that was an amazing play and call. the Ray Bourque cup call (speaking of Thorne) is pretty unforgettable, too.

Great call “And after twenty-two-years… Raymond Bourque!” Hard to be a fan of hockey and not get goose bumps when you hear that call.