Leonsis "Calls Ovechkin Out"

[I Am Score*]

Pretty sure Ted isn't a guy devoid of ideas or desire. One doesn't become that wealthy without a hell of a lot of intelligence and drive to succeed. I think he's just taking the Anti-Snyder approach way too far. He's trying to stay out of the hockey operations side of it and let the guys who get paid run hockey side of the team, do so. After all, if you aren't in the game (or weren't in the past), you don't know hockey.


And Abe Pollin's legacy is alive and kicking. Sure it only has one championship from Le Bullet, but the guy did more for DC area Pro sports than anyone. I'd say that's a decent enough legacy, winning aside.

He's going the route of the "I own sports teams, but I don't follow them" route. He's kind of like that millionare who just bought an extremely expensive car and never drives it and allows it to collect dust.

If he actually gave two craps George McPhee would be gone by now. If you are unsuccessful with your rebuild and its coming to a point where others are saying you have to whipe the slate clean again, you should be fired.

If a 17 year old number one draft pick spent 15 or so years focusing on hockey, i'm sure a wealthy business man like Leonsis would've figured out by now.

The problem? He doesn't want to. He has no desire to.

 

[Ovechkin]

His tenure at AOL was the definition of a schmuck devoid of ideas being at the right place at the right time. That company made a good chunk of change defrauding many of its customers with double billing and other ******* techniques like refusing to cancel many people's service when they requested it. Ted doesn't want to have to think for himself nor make a tough choice with management, that is why we see the same leftovers screw up time and time again. It's easier to just sit back and act like its the fault of everyone else.

Regarding Abe, the guy did very little for the DC sports scene considering how many decades he was here. He was the sport equivalent of an absentee father, basically a sperm donor who neglected his teams and the lack of championships so such. One championship between two teams over almost half a century is beyond pathetic. An owner half-assing it for that long could probably at least win two or three.

Pretty sure Ted isn't a guy devoid of ideas or desire. One doesn't become that wealthy without a hell of a lot of intelligence and drive to succeed. I think he's just taking the Anti-Snyder approach way too far. He's trying to stay out of the hockey operations side of it and let the guys who get paid run hockey side of the team, do so. After all, if you aren't in the game (or weren't in the past), you don't know hockey.


And Abe Pollin's legacy is alive and kicking. Sure it only has one championship from Le Bullet, but the guy did more for DC area Pro sports than anyone. I'd say that's a decent enough legacy, winning aside.

 

[I Am Score*]

By the way:

"After surviving an airplane crash landing in 1983, he drafted a list of 101 things to do in life and has completed many of the tasks, including owning a sports franchise"

Kind of supports the theory he just wants to own a team to say he can, not that he actually is willing to put forth effort in it.





When he becomes thoroughly embarassed that he owns the Capitals and Wizards, that is the only time he'll change.

 

[um]

maybe you guys should take over the team, anyone here a billionaire? you guys should be grateful that you have an owner that spends to the cap most of the time, sure you don't agree with every move but at least we're not the panthers or the leafs

 

[Liberati0n*]

His tenure at AOL was the definition of a schmuck devoid of ideas being at the right place at the right time. That company made a good chunk of change defrauding many of its customers with double billing and other ******* techniques like refusing to cancel many people's service when they requested it. Ted doesn't want to have to think for himself nor make a tough choice with management, that is why we see the same leftovers screw up time and time again. It's easier to just sit back and act like its the fault of everyone else.

Regarding Abe, the guy did very little for the DC sports scene considering how many decades he was here. He was the sport equivalent of an absentee father, basically a sperm donor who neglected his teams and the lack of championships so such. One championship between two teams over almost half a century is beyond pathetic. An owner half-assing it for that long could probably at least win two or three.

CCF's Florida State business degree taught him to see the world in different terms.

 

[BTCG]

where did i say it was juice? i am just not in the "its not ov's fault" camp anymore.

he's not getting the job done. i dont think it helps having him play with beagle and crabb and would love to know the real reason for that.

if the caps dont want to use ovechkin like a lead franchise player, then trade him and get another one. using him at even strenth like he's ulf dahlen is a fools game

Not you... but the site seems to have gone PED crazy, lately.

So I don't have to reinvent the wheel: Alex (Halpysback) nails it as to AO's ability... 'A' is 'A'. This is his ability. And at some point, he'll put a few in the goal, and end up with 20-30 goals.

Things is, do we blame him for this, or the architect?

 

[I Am Score*]

maybe you guys should take over the team, anyone here a billionaire? you guys should be grateful that you have an owner that spends to the cap most of the time, sure you don't agree with every move but at least we're not the panthers or the leafs

I'm sorry but what are you even talking about?

 

[BTCG]

hmmm....a blind 5 year old eh? now that adds to the discourse. LOL. whats the point in responding.

Gotta stop laughing to post... but on the old ESPN board, we determined that:

"A monkey throwing darts at a labeled dartboard"

Could often do as well as McPhee at many decisions.

Gawd... I miss those guys!

 

[GruntLife]

New guy on the block..

Don't get to watch as much Caps games as I used to be able to do. I always wondered why AO wasn't producing as much anymore. Basically chalked it up to him getting his big pay day and then tuning it down effort wise to save his body.

Would be nice to see the old AO terrorizing the opposition on the ice again, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. I do agree that the GM needs to get a few more legitimate scorers on the team to help lift the burden from AO's shoulders.

What happened with Semin? I know he signed with Carolina, but I was deployed, so I missed the reasoning behind letting him go. I know he was lazy and half ***** it a lot of the time, but he was still a deadly sniper.

 

[BTCG]

You're right, even a blind 5 year old probably knows that you need more than one player who knows what a wrist shot is when you're trying to go for a cup.

I'd bet just about anything they haven't offered much beyond "WORK HARDER!". Our management is ridiculously tone deaf. Just about every player leaving the team has had a bad taste in his mouth for one reason or another. The roster for this glorious year 7 of the rebuild is all I need to know.

I don't think you understand the difference between a slump and a regression. What he has right now is a slump. What he's become as a player is regression. Ovechkin in a regression is a guy who is 5th in the league in goals in a bad year and really a 40-45g 40-45a player on a good team. That's what he would have been last year had we had Backstrom not been injured and had Johansson not been unable to finish anything, give or take. That's the player he was in Moscow. That's probably the player he is now on say the Sharks or the Flyers or some well run team.

Hunter didn't let Ovechkin, or anyone else score empty net goals. Does that say more about Ovechkin or Hunter? He had a system. He needed everyone to be on completely the same page. Easiest way to get everyone on the same page is to have them play super defensively. It's much easier to stop offensive plays than to execute them. One requires skill and coordination, one requires crude interference and swiping at someone's stick while they're trying to stickhandle. And if you remember, Hunter put Ovechkin on a throwaway kamikaze line and it was pretty much Ovechkin vs the Bruins in terms of physical play, and Ovechkin held his own. He did more to wear down Chara and Seidenberg than everyone else combined. Then in the next series he actually got a fair amount of offense going against Lundqvist all things considered. Yeah, he's no Brooks Laich or Jay Beagle when it comes to being an all situations player. And I'd take Ovechkin over 10 Laich's or Beagle's anyday. Apparently for Mafki it's the other way around.

Having him cheat on D, screen the goalie, throwing him on RW, etc are all gimmicks, not "changes to his game". There's things he's clearly good at, and things he clearly isn't. But the things he's good at he's so good at that you can build a whole line around them. Much like the Flyers do in the playoffs with Briere.

Great post!

As to Dale, here's my take:

I'd wager he came in, ran a few drills, and saw that his D couldn't even pass the puck, which is odd, for guy's many call 'puck-movers' (puck-mover to me, is code for can't control the puck in tight defenceive situations).

So... he went to basics. And it worked pretty darn well.

And so well, you wonder: why change? Tweak it with a few better players.

I totally agree about the gimmicks.

I half expect Adam to announce that he's taking the team bowling.

 

[BTCG]

New guy on the block..

Don't get to watch as much Caps games as I used to be able to do. I always wondered why AO wasn't producing as much anymore. Basically chalked it up to him getting his big pay day and then tuning it down effort wise to save his body.

Would be nice to see the old AO terrorizing the opposition on the ice again, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. I do agree that the GM needs to get a few more legitimate scorers on the team to help lift the burden from AO's shoulders.

What happened with Semin? I know he signed with Carolina, but I was deployed, so I missed the reasoning behind letting him go. I know he was lazy and half ***** it a lot of the time, but he was still a deadly sniper.

Welcome!

 

[bonzaibondra12]

He is tied with Erskine in pts.

See if Boudreau wants him back.

 

[Halpysback*]

He is tied with Erskine in pts.

See if Boudreau wants him back.

You realize that over a 6 game span that's literally one slump for one vs one good game for the other?

I don't think Boudreau would have room for Backstrom either, Winnik is just too good.

 

[BTCG]

maybe you guys should take over the team, anyone here a billionaire? you guys should be grateful that you have an owner that spends to the cap most of the time, sure you don't agree with every move but at least we're not the panthers or the leafs

Not fair... we are fans, and many are STH's. We have a right to expect more.

 

[bonzaibondra12]

You realize that over a 6 game span that's literally one slump for one vs one good game for the other?

I don't think Boudreau would have room for Backstrom either, Winnik is just too good.

Yep just one slump. He has been ready to break out for 3 yrs now.

 

[txpd]

this is proof that the nhl is run and owned by a bunch of mental flatliners.
the league in general and many other owners in particular are highly influenced by this smuck who is devoid of ideas.

he nhl is the most internet savy league in sports and needs to be. the caps lead the way in this area and the intigrated web service the league provides is a result.

the caps game presentation has been envied and awarded by the nhl for years now.

both of these things are fresh and new ideas that the capitals have used to great success.

its pretty clear that from when leonsis took over the team that its in a far better place in almost every way that it was then. ovechkin doesnt get all that credit himself. just think....the caps could have ended up with kessel rather than backstrom and hickey instead of alzner.

Funny how he doesn't call out his general manager with the decade and a half of playoff failure.

This is typical AOL Ted, devoid of any ideas or desire to do something that would actually solve the problem. Just make it look like you are trying and people will just buy into it. Funny how we don't see his smug chest puffing posts like we used to with both of his teams being in the toilet. Buy hey, at least he's keeping Abe's failed legacy alive by continually employing two garbage employees in George and Ernie.

 

[Halpysback*]

Yep just one slump. He has been ready to break out for 3 yrs now.

He's been a 27 point player for the past 3 years?

There's no question he regressed but he's still PPGish quality. The current freakout is over this 6 game span. People were pumped about him before the season started.

 

[Halpysback*]

this is proof that the nhl is run and owned by a bunch of mental flatliners.
the league in general and many other owners in particular are highly influenced by this smuck who is devoid of ideas.

he nhl is the most internet savy league in sports and needs to be. the caps lead the way in this area and the intigrated web service the league provides is a result.

the caps game presentation has been envied and awarded by the nhl for years now.

both of these things are fresh and new ideas that the capitals have used to great success.

its pretty clear that from when leonsis took over the team that its in a far better place in almost every way that it was then. ovechkin doesnt get all that credit himself. just think....the caps could have ended up with kessel rather than backstrom and hickey instead of alzner.

Yes, he knows how to polish up a turd real well. That's every internet savvy marketer I've ever come across in a nutshell, which is quite a few. That's why they get the big bucks and we get the big ****s.

I bet Ted has pinterest account for his neopets and a klout score of 99.

EDIT: Actually it is 65. Holy crap do I hate that thing