*If* the Caps win, they will be the toughest team to win since....

[JianYang]

By tough, I mean physically imposing. I'd say they are tougher then the Kings team that won their cups. Probably going back to Boston in 2011.

Also, could this reverse the trend of exclusive speed/skill teams?

Since the 2014 Kings. Not sure how one can conclude that the caps are "tougher". LA was a miserable team to play against, and they had to rely on the grind more than the caps, because the caps have more talent IMO.

 

[ujju2]

McDavid's initial acceleration is unreal, which is odd because he doesn't have the muscle that is typically associated with burst speed. I have a hard time believing Ovi's is quicker. Maybe 10 years ago though.

If you read what I said, I agree. McDavid is both the fastest accelerating and fastest overall skating player in the league by a decent margin. But Ovi is by no means slow.

 

[Revelation]

The toughness is mostly Ovechkin and Wilson being monsters and Orpik bringing the pain.
The rest are primarily skilled and the bottom liners are just really hard on the puck and hustle and finish checks.

Ovechkin and Wilson are up there with 2011 Chara and Lucic though

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Washington is nowhere near as tough or physically imposing as the cup winning Kings, who weren't as tough as the Bruins the year before. Those Kings teams, especially 2012, played very hard, heavy, and physical. They had some big bodies and even the smaller guys like Richards and Brown played like they were >6'0.

But they're faster and that's fine. You play to your roster strengths. Caps are a blend of speed, skill and grit, but they're not the best in each category obviously.

 

[gtrower]

The toughness is mostly Ovechkin and Wilson being monsters and Orpik bringing the pain.
The rest are primarily skilled and the bottom liners are just really hard on the puck and hustle and finish checks.

Ovechkin and Wilson are up there with 2011 Chara and Lucic though

I’d put DSP up there with the group you mentioned.

 

[The Professional]

Anyway, I don't know how you rank toughness. The Caps don't have a lot of fighters or anything, but they do have a lot of big bodies (Ovechkin, Orpik, Wilson, DSP). They have out-physicalled every team so far but part of that is due to the scheme too. Tampa Bay beat up the Bruins with some heavy hits. Their fans thought that would continue against the Caps. Didn't work out that way. In game 6 of the Lighting/Caps series - that was one of the most physically dominating beat downs I have ever seen. Before that series I had never seen Victor Hedman get utterly destroyed and tossed on his arse, but that's what Ovie did.

 

[Satire]

“According to research conducted by PowerScout Hockey back in 2015, Ovechkin is far and away the quickest accelerating player in all of hockey. Ovechkin has great top-end speed but his ability to take off in his first few strides is unparalleled in hockey”

Just for all the people arguing about this - this was conducted before McDavid and Wood were in the league. Even Barzal. I don't doubt Ovi is this fast though; especially during this time period. The guy is a master of finding open ice quickly and ripping off an all-world shot.

Honestly this is the Capitals team we have been seeing the last 5 years. Nothing has changed - they have always been high skill with physical play. They are just finally making a run of it and having strong performances from multiple players and the goalie at the right time. That's a recipe for success regardless at any level.

 

[Kyndig]

Caps aren't a slow team. They're big and fast. Winnipeg is another big team. Tampa is a small team, as is Boston, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. There are many ways to win the cup. Teams aren't going to scrap everything they were doing for the flavor of the month, would be a good way to get fired as GM though.

Sizing up the NHL: 2017-18 NHL teams by age, height and...

 

[bring back the jets]

If you read what I said, I agree. McDavid is both the fastest accelerating and fastest overall skating player in the league by a decent margin. But Ovi is by no means slow.

Yeah definitely, I was just agreeing with you while going off on a tangent of your post. I saw McDavid play live this year and was awed by how he can move so I felt the need to add my 2 cents.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Change the " If" to " When"

 

[ujju2]

Yeah definitely, I was just agreeing with you while going off on a tangent of your post. I saw McDavid play live this year and was awed by how he can move so I felt the need to add my 2 cents.

Yeah, absolutely. I'm an Oilers fan first and foremost (Caps a close second) so I was lucky enough to see him live a few times this season as well.

 

[Demandedace]

He has best acceleration on the team

The fastest players on the team are Burakovsky and Vrana

Ovie is next with Orlov and Kuznetsov.

You are forgetting Stephenson

 

[Ainec]

you can't compare the Kings physicality with teams today

11-12 Canucks lead by the Sedins and Salo, Edler etc on the backend were throwing hits harder than any team today. You literally have top teams building a 4th line just to pad the hit total

 

[Khrox]

People seem to forget that combined with his surprising speed, part of why Ovi hits like a truck is because he weighs in close to 240 pounds. Getting hit by a guy with Ovi's acceleration and decent speed, plus that kind of weight (and most of it is muscle) is gonna rock you. Orpik even talked about it, because the stats have him listed closer to 220 pounds which causes people to think he's smaller than what he is.

 

[22FUTON9]

“According to research conducted by PowerScout Hockey back in 2015, Ovechkin is far and away the quickest accelerating player in all of hockey. Ovechkin has great top-end speed but his ability to take off in his first few strides is unparalleled in hockey”

Big ovi fan and I know he's fast but Id imagine something is really skewed here. I watch a lot of Ovi and there's no way 2015 Ovi is faster than Mackinnon, Mcdavid or Larkin.

 

[Khrox]

Big ovi fan and I know he's fast but Id imagine something is really skewed here. I watch a lot of Ovi and there's no way 2015 Ovi is faster than Mackinnon, Mcdavid or Larkin.

The year this was done was McDavid's and Larkin's first year, so the information was probably from the 2014/15 season where the two of them weren't in the NHL.

 

[442]

He has best acceleration on the team

The fastest players on the team are Burakovsky and Vrana

Ovie is next with Orlov and Kuznetsov.

I'd put Chandler Stephenson near the top of the list for team speed.

 

[HugginThePost]

If you read what I said, I agree. McDavid is both the fastest accelerating and fastest overall skating player in the league by a decent margin. But Ovi is by no means slow.

Wasn't it a margin of like 0.12 seconds around the rink compared to B. Point?

That's not a decent margin. That's really damned close. And that was just the players that were at the All Star Game.

Now if you want to talk about puck handling at that speed, sure, I'm all ears.

But as for straight line speed and acceleration he's in the mix with several players.

 

[Spirit of 67]

Were they "tougher" than the Penguins and the Hawks?

Sure, I mean, I guess. The Caps don't really come across as "tough."

So, I guess if it makes you feel better, since the Kings in '14.

Not really sure what the point of this thread is.

 

[dkhockey]

By tough, I mean physically imposing. I'd say they are tougher then the Kings team that won their cups. Probably going back to Boston in 2011.

Also, could this reverse the trend of exclusive speed/skill teams?

yes, but 2007 Ducks would still crush em all

 

[sparxx87]

The Caps play a heavy game. They don’t have to fight, they play a physical and punishing style that I love to watch. They’ve really endeared themselves to people who don’t necessarily watch them all the time.

The old adage was that you’ll need to win a series with physical grind/toughness, one with speed and skill, another with defense/goaltending, and lastly with a structured system from a good coach.

This is a very good and very versatile team that can play and win in a lot of different ways.

 

[justafan22]

I'd put Chandler Stephenson near the top of the list for team speed.

Who has literally made multiple hustle plays that result in goals a few seconds later in the playoffs.

 

[CapsDC]

….since the 1934 St Louis Eagles. Now that was a scrappy group of guys even though it never showed up in their record

 

[Fantomas]

The Caps have the heart and grit of the Bossy-Trottier-led Islanders of the 1980s. In fact I made that comparison on March 2nd: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/how-do-you-think-ovechkin-feels.2453989/page-4#post-142481887

Sorry to toot my own horn, but I'm sorta proud of this one.

I think the Caps just need to turn on the engines in the playoffs. They've had many first place teams in the past and couldn't live up to the high expectations.

Maybe the opposite will happen this time. We've seen many mediocre and struggling regular season teams catch fire in the post-season - why can't the Caps do it?

The NHL is one of those leagues where a pristine regular season doesn't mean a damn thing. The President's trophy is truly the definition of fool's gold. You need to win when it counts and until then just pace yourselves.

An extreme example, but the Bossy-Trottier Islanders teams were notorious playoff disappointments until 1980. They had a poor regular season performance that year, but then surprised everyone just as fans began to lose hope. This kind of stuff happens from time to time. Don't lose hope.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

That's interesting because the Caps played against the Bruins the year after they won the cup. At the beginning of that series, they were all trying to hit Ovechkin. It was clearly part of their game plan. They were unsuccessful. They couldn't get him down. They were getting counter hit, and then hit again for good measure. By game four their players wanted nothing to do with him.

No...