Rumor: Gretzky in talks with Caps & three others

[Atlas]

what exactly are you proposing? sounds like your happy with the team but unhappy with the president, GM,coaches, and so on.

I am unhappy with the franchise from top to bottom. I wouldn't keep many of these players and I would clean house totally in the coaching and managing offices.

 

[txpd]

which would you keep?

 

[txpd]

Exactly. We've gone from President's trophy to 5th in ROW in 4 years. Our prospect pool is middling at best. Our coaching pipeline is barren. The bar is set on the floor.

I might be reading him wrong, but what I see him saying is that the capitals are not now a rock bottom organEYEzation, but have been since the start. That would mean they were bottom of the barrel when the earned that president's trophy. that they also sucked when they went to the finals and to the ecf with poile in charge.

the decline in the standings has little impact. I suspect that had the caps beaten the pens in game 7 and went on to win the cup that atlas would still say they they were a bush leage franchise and that one win doesn't change anything.

 

[RandyHolt]

I think being in the southleast has helped mask the huge fall this team took after Montreal.

Playing pansy opponents all year, rarely to never the west, and then barely squeaking into the playoffs as a top seed eeking out Carolina and Tampa.... and this with Ovi basically a generational talent in his prime.

In a real division, we missed the loffs. We have not been good. Most blame Oates, but who is to say we wouldn't still suck with someone else. George's vision of how to construct to a defense is a big hurdle for the new GM. He made us small fast and passive. It wasn't just Oates. Outside of Erskine, our D is soft as butter and has played that way for a decade.

Come playoff time, Dale hunkering down minimized that weakness. Oates lord only knows what he did.

 

[BobRouse]

I think being in the southleast has helped mask the huge fall this team took after Montreal.

Playing pansy opponents all year, rarely to never the west, and then barely squeaking into the playoffs as a top seed eeking out Carolina and Tampa.... and this with Ovi basically a generational talent in his prime.

In a real division, we missed the loffs. We have not been good. Most blame Oates, but who is to say we wouldn't still suck with someone else. George's vision of how to construct to a defense is a big hurdle for the new GM. He made us small fast and passive. It wasn't just Oates. Outside of Erskine, our D is soft as butter and has played that way for a decade.

Come playoff time, Dale hunkering down minimized that weakness. Oates lord only knows what he did.

RH

Do you think we would have missed the playoffs in 08-09, 09-10, 10-11 were we in a different division??

Fact is we were a dominant team under proper coaching. A proper coach who NEVER got the respect he deserved outside of his first year here.

Then we usher in the era of the trap (and under a proper coach we STILL finished 1st in the east and 4th in total team D)

Then comes in a round of joker coaches like Dale and Oates. Dale at least had a working system even if it didn't maximize the strengths of the team. Oates was an idiot.

The entire team has sucked under these two clowns. Our possession stats have sharply declined the day Dale got the job and have been trending down since. Under these two guys our ES play has been atrocious.

Dale won a playoff series. Good for him. Its not hard to do when you have a goalie playing lights out to the tune of a .934 sv pctg over 14 games.

The best goalie performance BB ever got was from Varlamov in 08-09 who put in a respectable .918 over 13 games.

 

[RandyHolt]

I was speaking about post Montreal. I don't want to bother with hypotheticals re division changes 8 years ago.

We were a very good team playing an offensive system, but we were not dominant. Dominant means finals and smashing opponents on the way.

We were dominant in the 6 weeks after Ovi was named Captain. That's about it, as I define it.

Our entire team did not suck under Dale. The grinders flourished. Ovi in spot duty potted 38 goals. Even if we did suck, shouldn't you rethink that we were dominant under Bruce yet could go no further than Dale did?

 

[BobRouse]

I was speaking about post Montreal. I don't want to bother with hypotheticals re division changes 8 years ago.

We were a very good team playing an offensive system, but we were not dominant. Dominant means finals and smashing opponents on the way.

We were dominant in the 6 weeks after Ovi was named Captain. That's about it, as I define it.

Our entire team did not suck under Dale. The grinders flourished. Ovi in spot duty potted 38 goals. Even if we did suck, shouldn't you rethink that we were dominant under Bruce yet could go no further than Dale did?

The biggest crux of the issue is the 09-10 team. I did consider that team dominant. The presidents trophy was no fluke. We were clearly the best team in the league that year IMO.

Sometimes stuff just happens.

In 85-86 it was widely believed that the Oilers were clearly the most dominant team in the league. They should have won that year but didn't.

They got a tough matchup and an own goal against in game 7. We got a tough matchup and got halaked and the refs gave us no favors in game 7 with the waived off goal that was bunk.

The over reaction to that series is what has led us on a downward spiral since. What we were doing was working. The year before we lost in game 7 of the 2nd round to the eventual cup champs. It was a miracle we took it to game 7 since the PPs were 34-19 in favor of the other team.

Since Bruce left all we were left with has been a punchers chance.

Now BB is with Anaheim and has completely turned that team around and its not like they have Pronger and Neidermeyer either. Carlysle and his defensive system ran that team into the ground. In hindsight any nitwit could have won with Pronger and Neidermeyer playing like they did in 07.

The moral of the story: If you have top offensive players then let them play their game. If you don't then hunker down Hunterhockey style, hope your goalie has a sv pctg >.930 and see what happens (ie 98 Caps)

 

[RandyHolt]

....

The moral of the story: If you have top offensive players then let them play their game. If you don't then hunker down Hunterhockey style, hope your goalie has a sv pctg >.930 and see what happens (ie 98 Caps)

Sure when life gives you lemons, make beer.

But there is just so much parity in the league, beer doesn't always work. Bruce tried beer. He really did. He may have given up too soon, but mega offense certainly got a fair shake. A monumental build up led to a monumental collapse, without Bruce changing a thing. Ovi Nick Green Semin, they changed.

Every playoff game seems to be 3-2. O/U 5.0 or 5.5. Ostensibly, coin flip hockey, regardless of the coaches style. Bruce tried to alter his style to win those types of games, and about won as many playoff series as he did in run and gun.

Beat the Rangers run and gun, beat the Rangers hunkered, beat the Bruins huntered... Since 2007

Wheeling and Dealing 1-3
Defense and dump ins 2-2

Despite being a mega offensive team on paper we have had better playoff successes being boring. Small sample size, sure, only seven years.

I see Ted as desperate to get Ovi back to entertaining Ovi. No, just not PP one timer Ovi.

Will we all hate Gretzky if that is what he preaches?

 

[BobRouse]

Sure when life gives you lemons, make beer.

But there is just so much parity in the league, beer doesn't always work. Bruce tried beer. He really did. He may have given up too soon, but mega offense certainly got a fair shake. A monumental build up led to a monumental collapse, without Bruce changing a thing. Ovi Nick Green Semin, they changed.

Every playoff game seems to be 3-2. O/U 5.0 or 5.5. Ostensibly, coin flip hockey, regardless of the coaches style. Bruce tried to alter his style to win those types of games, and about won as many playoff series as he did in run and gun.

Beat the Rangers run and gun, beat the Rangers hunkered, beat the Bruins huntered... Since 2007

Wheeling and Dealing 1-3
Defense and dump ins 2-2

Despite being a mega offensive team on paper we have had better playoff successes being boring. Small sample size, sure, only seven years.

I see Ted as desperate to get Ovi back to entertaining Ovi. No, just not PP one timer Ovi.

Will we all hate Gretzky if that is what he preaches?

Have you lost your mind????? NEVER GIVE UP ON BEER!!!

Sure defensive style wins. Ask LA and Boston.

But you can ask Chicago and Pitt if offense style can win too.

We have not had much playoff success either way in the entire history of the team and for the large vast majority of that time we have been a defense first team outside of the BB glory years.

We tried mega offense for 3 years. We have tried mega defense for 30 years. I wouldn't call that a fair shake.

 

[RandyHolt]

We tried mega offense for 3 years. We have tried mega defense for 30 years. I wouldn't call that a fair shake.

Modern era, the game has changed a ton.

In that hunkered down shell, we did make the finals

I would love to go back to the game 30 years ago. Players gave a full effort, played with emotion. Colorful characters were all across the league. Now they play like a bunch of robots.

 

[BobRouse]

Modern era, the game has changed a ton.

In that hunkered down shell, we did make the finals

I would love to go back to the game 30 years ago. Players gave a full effort, played with emotion. Colorful characters were all across the league. Now they play like a bunch of robots.

Modern era probably rewards the hunker down less than it did in the "dead puck" era.

The most exciting hockey was played in the mid 80s thru the early/mid 90s and I don't think I'm being nostalgic about that.

Goals, offense, fights, big hits, line brawls, hatred, Murray Bannerman-type goalies etc

 

[binary0x01]

Hockey is a politically correct sport now.

 

[rumschlag182]

Not sure if any of you use Instagram on here. But Ty Gretzky posted a photo saying huge anouncment coming tomorrow with a picture of Wayne in the backround... Do you think Caps name him head of hockey operations?

 

[caps4cup]

Not sure if any of you use Instagram on here. But Ty Gretzky posted a photo saying huge anouncment coming tomorrow with a picture of Wayne in the backround... Do you think Caps name him head of hockey operations?

Possibly. If so CSN Washington reported that Gretzky would likely hire Doug MacLean as GM. Don't know much about him tbh...

 

[Atlas]

Possibly. If so CSN Washington reported that Gretzky would likely hire Doug MacLean as GM. Don't know much about him tbh...

I'm pretty sure Doug Maclean was a truly horrible GM.

Here are his trades:

http://www.nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_GM/Doug_MacLean/137/1

 

[NeilYoung]

If we hire ****ing Maclean everyone on here will be begging for a GMGM return that's how bad that sack of **** is. Would be a five year long step back for the Caps

 

[rumschlag182]

Okay now I see Sauce Hockey post on twitter with basically the same photo. So I'm assuming it has something to do with them having a clothing line for him or something. Everyone can go back to not freaking out.

 

[Zoidberg Jesus]

I'm pretty sure Doug Maclean was a truly horrible GM.

Here are his trades:

http://www.nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_GM/Doug_MacLean/137/1

So, no major trades as his team went nearly a decade without a winning season, unless you count trading for a 38 year old Fedorov. Just a lot of moving around in the draft that implies that he's way more confident in his drafting ability than he should be (his top 8 picks include Rusty Klesla, Pascal Leclaire, Nik Zherdev, Alex Picard, and Gilbert Brule). And if that doesn't make him sound like the perfect candidate, he was apparently an assistant coach with the Caps early in his career! He knows the market! MacLean's as good as hired.

 

[CapsJunkie]

HAHAHA Maclean...that's not funny...

 

[RandyHolt]

Yep that's right Zoidberg, former assistant Coach for your own Washington Capitals.

MacLean's resume fits the bill. I bet he and Patrick hit it off 25 years ago; he has been out of management for about 7 years. 7 < 25 so no worries there.

If we hire him, it confirms who the real problem is. Hint: its the one that looks constipated.

 

[strungout]

HAHAHA Maclean...that's not funny...

 

[stanleycaps18]

So that would be both of them?

 

[HunterSThompson]

Sounds mostly like re-reporting and speculation, but Puck Daddy weighs in.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/wayne-gretzky-and-doug-maclean-to-the-washington-capitals-153531666.html

As a positive he does link to an HFboards thread.

 

[SashaSemin28]

Doug MacLean, god help us.

 

[Capsman]

Sounds mostly like re-reporting and speculation, but Puck Daddy weighs in.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/wayne-gretzky-and-doug-maclean-to-the-washington-capitals-153531666.html

As a positive he does link to an HFboards thread.

If Gretzky has the slightest desire to hire Doug Maclean as our GM, then no way in hell do I want him as team president.