Question for Caps fans

[FloridaCap]

Except it's nothing like that. Die-hard Caps fans? Does that even exist? You guys give up on this team when they're down a goal in the first period in October. "Gawd seesons over **** mcfee ovechkinz a jokez lolz".

Some of you suck as fans on this board. Face it, we're that bandwagon team that people hop on when we win, and no one gives two ***** when we're losing.

As far as how they make me feel? I still have hope in this team. Our roster isn't what it was a few season aho, and I ****ing HATE Mojo. But we're still a playoff team, and we still fight tooth and nail for points. I think with Kuznetzov playing a whole season next year, and a few moves in the off season, we can jump back up to where we were.

I'm split on McPhee. You're not going to find someone that makes ballsier moves that actually work out. Sure he's made mistakes, but he's done some great things too. Everyone likes to just blame anyone who hasn't been blamed yet. Blame the players. Blame the ones who don't show up. I don't see why he should be out of a job, but there's definitely a few things he needs to fix. And those of you talking about a rebuild? Seriously? Look at the core we have, we on earth would we ever just sell all of that? The defense is finally coming into it's own, our goaltending is above average, we just need depth. Like every other ****ing team in sports.

For the most part, we have depth. We have Dustin Penner playing on the 4th line. We have a goalie in the AHL who played wonderfully for us this year. Our 3rd line is amazing.

We need high end talent. While the kings of the league have 1, 2, 3...5 "all star" players, we have like 2 or 3. Blackhawks? Kane, Toews, Sharp, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook. The Penguins have 2 MVPs. The list goes on. What do we have? A powerplay specialist and a center who can't score.

We need a goal scorer and a shutdown-capable defenseman, perhaps like Alzner. Those guys aren't easy to find, nor are they "depth guys". They are major pieces. We are missing them, and that's precisely why we are on the outside looking in.

Maybe Kuznetsov can be "that guy" offensively, but I see him and Mojo as being repetitive. I like Mojo, but we need to move him and just put Kuznetsov at center. I don't know how that affects Grabovski, but Kuznetsov is clearly a center. Develop him as such. We are sorely missing that 1-2 center punch that Pittsburgh always crushes us with. If Backstrom and Kuznetsov can carry lines down the middle, and put Ovechkin with whoever he meshes better with (probably Kuznetsov), this team will be far more dangerous offensively.

 

[txpd]

Edit: Also, I haven't seen anyone on here be negative without giving their opinion on how to fix it. .

are you sure? there are some here that can't avoid that total snarkyness even when they are playing well. they cant really post positives. its at best a backhanded thing.

its the lack of balance. we've seen it before. the caps lose a couple games and the boards are roaring. the caps win 3 or 4 in a row and they are very quiet. the only thing that drives activity here is losing. hell after they win, you can read the threads that are full of what they still did wrong.

this season is a great example. when they were piling up wins and points it was all about ROW. they won but they still suck. meanwhile ted's take today is about those lost points from failed SO games and OTL's.

frankly I bet you can find as many posts decrying that they should be losing as excited that they won.

 

[ryan519*]

For the most part, we have depth. We have Dustin Penner playing on the 4th line. We have a goalie in the AHL who played wonderfully for us this year. Our 3rd line is amazing.

We need high end talent. While the kings of the league have 1, 2, 3...5 "all star" players, we have like 2 or 3. Blackhawks? Kane, Toews, Sharp, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook. The Penguins have 2 MVPs. The list goes on. What do we have? A powerplay specialist and a center who can't score.

We need a goal scorer and a shutdown-capable defenseman, perhaps like Alzner. Those guys aren't easy to find, nor are they "depth guys". They are major pieces. We are missing them, and that's precisely why we are on the outside looking in.

Maybe Kuznetsov can be "that guy" offensively, but I see him and Mojo as being repetitive. I like Mojo, but we need to move him and just put Kuznetsov at center. I don't know how that affects Grabovski, but Kuznetsov is clearly a center. Develop him as such. We are sorely missing that 1-2 center punch that Pittsburgh always crushes us with. If Backstrom and Kuznetsov can carry lines down the middle, and put Ovechkin with whoever he meshes better with (probably Kuznetsov), this team will be far more dangerous offensively.

we need a goal scorer? we have the best pure goal scorer in the league hands down. i think if Ovie was able to be switched back to LW we'd see more variety and ES scoring than just the power play specialist that hes resorted to being. when he drove down the left side against the kings last game he made some nice dekes and nearly scored in OT on a beautiful deke and drive to the net

 

[FloridaCap]

we need a goal scorer? we have the best pure goal scorer in the league hands down. i think if Ovie was able to be switched back to LW we'd see more variety and ES scoring than just the power play specialist that hes resorted to being. when he drove down the left side against the kings last game he made some nice dekes and nearly scored in OT on a beautiful deke and drive to the net

I agree Ovechkin needs to play LW, but that's not going to happen with the dumbass behind the bench.

But yes, we need a goal scorer. Having Ward and Brouwer as your 2-3 in goals scored is laughable. Shut down Ovechkin and you win.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

are you sure? there are some here that can't avoid that total snarkyness even when they are playing well. they cant really post positives. its at best a backhanded thing.

its the lack of balance. we've seen it before. the caps lose a couple games and the boards are roaring. the caps win 3 or 4 in a row and they are very quiet. the only thing that drives activity here is losing. hell after they win, you can read the threads that are full of what they still did wrong.

this season is a great example. when they were piling up wins and points it was all about ROW. they won but they still suck. meanwhile ted's take today is about those lost points from failed SO games and OTL's.

frankly I bet you can find as many posts decrying that they should be losing as excited that they won.

I agree to an extent with your point regarding the negativity following wins, but a few points:

-the regular season success of the past 5 years hasn't translated into postseason success. The enthusiasm is definitely tempered as a result. Additionally, the Caps were a buzzsaw a few years ago with swagger -- their young guns look like a shell of their former selves too frequently.
-we're now in a play-off hunt where we lose the main tie-breaker, ROW, which means we've made it harder on ourselves to get in.
-how you win (or lose) is important, and even Oates admits to that. Look no further than the Leafs who won using smoke and mirrors and unsustainably high #'s in shooting and save % all year and are now in complete collapse. The Caps' defensive shortcomings, poor possession #'s, lack of production from our top 6 at ES, inconsistent PK, etc matter, and winning 3 or 4 in a row doesn't change that.
-fans on this board want a Stanley Cup. They don't want a President's Trophy, Art Ross, etc -- just the Cup. They feel this group of players and coaching staff aren't going to get it done as presently constructed so frustration and negativity set it.

Being overly optimistic is just as useless as the constant doom and gloom, imo. As mystlyfe said, there needs to be a balance.

 

[ryan519*]

I agree Ovechkin needs to play LW, but that's not going to happen with the dumbass behind the bench.

But yes, we need a goal scorer. Having Ward and Brouwer as your 2-3 in goals scored is laughable. Shut down Ovechkin and you win.

i feel like kuznetsov could be that guy

we need to draw up some gameplans that take advantage of the opportunities when other teams double and triple up on ovechkin because it can and should be creating lots of chances for the other guys on the ice. hell, use ovechkin as a decoy at certain times because you know everyone's gonna gravitate toward him when hes out there

 

[txpd]

yes. fans want a championship. not the best regular season record. a presidents trophy or division title just brings ridicule. barely make the playoffs. that brings ridicule. come is as a nothing special mid pack team and there would be ridicule created for that.

so....whatever they do in the RS they still suck. they will suck til they lift the cup. THAT makes it pretty hard to enjoy the hockey. no matter what they do its not good until they get that championship. if that's the way it has to be, then I would divorce myself of paying attention and leave a wake up call for after they win the ecf.

that sure returns a lot of free time I could spend on something else fun.

there's always something to be discouraged about. they could be a juggernaut team and win the first two games of a playoff series and you know they have it in them to choke. so.....what do you want?

 

[FloridaCap]

i feel like kuznetsov could be that guy

we need to draw up some gameplans that take advantage of the opportunities when other teams double and triple up on ovechkin because it can and should be creating lots of chances for the other guys on the ice. hell, use ovechkin as a decoy at certain times because you know everyone's gonna gravitate toward him when hes out there

Ovechkin has been playing the decoy for the last two weeks. Put him out with Beagle, laugh when other teams still send out their best Dpair, and hopefully torch them with your second line. Unfortunately, Brouwer's line will always be an EV black hole, so we can't even take advantage of it.

 

[txpd]

I agree Ovechkin needs to play LW, but that's not going to happen with the dumbass behind the bench.

But yes, we need a goal scorer. Having Ward and Brouwer as your 2-3 in goals scored is laughable. Shut down Ovechkin and you win.

except we've seen ward bring enough offense for his team to win series. for both Nashville and Washington. it would have been nice had Semin stayed but most here wanted him gone years before he left.

Kuznetsov was very likely expected to be the guy to replace Semin's production but he didn't come over til just now.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Optimism as a Caps fan is difficult to maintain. This is the result of repetitive mistakes and playoff failures. I'm guilty of complaining about the Caps, however this doesn't mean I hate them. I believe in fixing what is broken, not semi-repairs. Of all the sports teams I like, the Caps are the only team I love. BR sums it up with his analogy of his dogs. Many say the Montreal series did it for them. For me, 1992 is still the toughest. We had a legitimate chance with no glaring weaknesses, except maybe goaltending. 86 was tough loss. As for the playoffs, I will always support making it. Sometimes miracles in hockey do happen.

 

[ryan519*]

one thing about the LW/RW dilemma. a lot of people said Oates revilatlized ovie's career when he made the switch of Ovie from Lw to RW because it gave ovie new options, and defenders were too used to him on the left side. do u guys find any truth in those claims? to be fair, he did underperform in the 2011 and 2010 seasons.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Having grown up a Caps fan, it feels normal to me for my team to consistently choke in the payoffs. They've been doing it for so long that it doesn't surprise me anymore. I root for them to win, but in my heart I know what's coming. Even in the Montreal series when they were up 3-1 I was far from comfortable. Hell, even the Orioles choked in the playoffs in the best season they had since I was really aware of them.

I remember when the Caps first made the playoffs in the Ovechkin era people were super excited, and thought they would blow the Flyers out. I did not share that optimism.

OTOH, I'm not nearly as negative as many posters on here, probably because I've been through it so many time I expect (and to a certain point accept) it.

 

[RandyHolt]

one thing about the LW/RW dilemma. a lot of people said Oates revilatlized ovie's career when he made the switch of Ovie from Lw to RW because it gave ovie new options, and defenders were too used to him on the left side. do u guys find any truth in those claims? to be fair, he did underperform in the 2011 and 2010 seasons.

LW became stale for him. Its still a great mystery as to why. For a long long time, he couldn't even come into the zone and make his little move to the slot without fumbling the puck. Then the easy to explain part, FINALLY teams sent both Dmen after the move towards the slot, and the back forward chipped in, and it was often a 1 on 3.

Dale to his credit got 38 out of Ovi during the lean years at LW, in far far less TOI when Bruce had netted him 50+

I think if Ovi didn't have 2 anchors to his left all year, he would be showing more at RW. Seriously, Nick and MJ have brought very little in terms of a complimentary game for Ovi. They have mostly sucked all year.

Oates does not waver.

Its awesome seeing Ovi get his rushes back down LW. I'd swear he has some extra pep in his step. I led the fan base saying change needed to be tried, but was always quick to say I didn't want the move to RW to be permanent as Oates has made it. I wanted him taking his bull rush at all 6D every damn game, to be dynamic, and hard to game plan for.

His game was very predictable at LW and he got solved there.

 

[g00n]

LW became stale for him. Its still a great mystery as to why. For a long long time, he couldn't even come into the zone and make his little move to the slot without fumbling the puck. Then the easy to explain part, FINALLY teams sent both Dmen after the move towards the slot, and the back forward chipped in, and it was often a 1 on 3.

Dale to his credit got 38 out of Ovi during the lean years at LW, in far far less TOI when Bruce had netted him 50+

I think if Ovi didn't have 2 anchors to his left all year, he would be showing more at RW. Seriously, Nick and MJ have brought very little in terms of a complimentary game for Ovi. They have mostly sucked all eyar.

Oates does not waver.

Its awesome seeing Ovi get his rushes back down LW. I'd swear he has some extra pep in his step. I led the fan base saying change needed to be tried, but was always quick to say I did want the move to RW to be permanent as Oates has made it. I wanted him taking his bull rush at all 6D every damn game, to be dynamic, and hard to game plan for.

His game was very predictable at LW and he got solved there.

Ovechkin would do better on the LW if he would read and adapt to the defense more instead of just running "the Move" routines no matter what. That's the problem.

 

[txpd]

dale got 30. 8 were under boudreau. dale also was there as ov finished out the final 24 games of the season without a ppg except in one game. it was also the first time ov was not at least a ppg player in the playoffs.

 

[FloridaCap]

one thing about the LW/RW dilemma. a lot of people said Oates revilatlized ovie's career when he made the switch of Ovie from Lw to RW because it gave ovie new options, and defenders were too used to him on the left side. do u guys find any truth in those claims? to be fair, he did underperform in the 2011 and 2010 seasons.

He's far worse on RW. The second he enters the zone, he gets pinned to the corner. It's laughable that Oates still thinks he's a right winger.

He's 10x more dangerous on the left.

What revived Ovi was the idea of him carrying the puck less. That can still be the case on LW....and if you're carrying the puck less, why wouldn't you want the best one-timer guy in the league on the correct side?

 

[FloridaCap]

except we've seen ward bring enough offense for his team to win series. for both Nashville and Washington. it would have been nice had Semin stayed but most here wanted him gone years before he left.

Kuznetsov was very likely expected to be the guy to replace Semin's production but he didn't come over til just now.

Ward had one anomaly in Nashville where he scored 7 goals. He averages 1 goal per SERIES all other years of his career.

If we're relying on him to carry the load when the opposition once again shuts down the Ovechkin line, we're in for disappointment. And Troy Brouwer has a sparkling 7G in 64GP in the playoffs.

 

[RandyHolt]

Ovechkin would do better on the LW if he would read and adapt to the defense more instead of just running "the Move" routines no matter what. That's the problem.

Adapted, and maybe had a better backhand.

Sure he would go tight around RD for a few quality chances a year. Otherwise, we don't see much of it. He would never go into the corner, or behind the net. Stop and circle back to pass. EVER.

Alas, the same can be said the same now at RW. No toe drags, no slapper, little line passing, just the occasional wrister flying down RW.

It didn't help his own cause that he was usually cherry picking, and had no one to pass to. So the linemates are closer to him on the rush now, but look more lost than he does at ES.

There is no slow down play in him. Patience. It's not his game. He is in your face over and over.

I would love to see him play with some in your face linemates instead of the swedes, who aren't scaring anyone in any facet of their games currently. PP assists, oh la la.

Ovi Fehr Wilson | Ovi Brown Wilson

 

[FloridaCap]

Adapted, and maybe had a better backhand.

Sure he would go tight around RD for a few quality chances a year. Otherwise, we don't see much of it. He would never go into the corner, or behind the net. Stop and circle back to pass. EVER.

Alas, the same can be said the same now at RW. No toe drags, no slapper, little line passing, just the occasional wrister flying down RW.

It didn't help his own cause that he was usually cherry picking, and had no one to pass to. So the linemates are closer to him on the rush now, but look more lost than he does at ES.

There is no slow down play in him. Patience. It's not his game. He is in your face over and over.

I would love to see him play with some in your face linemates instead of the swedes, who aren't scaring anyone in any facet of their games currently. PP assists, oh la la.

Ovi Fehr Wilson | Ovi Brown Wilson

Ovi and Wilson would be pretty fun to watch together. Maybe it would reignite Ovi's physical game. Put Kuznetsov between them and droooool...

 

[txpd]

Ward had one anomaly in Nashville where he scored 7 goals. He averages 1 goal per SERIES all other years of his career.

If we're relying on him to carry the load when the opposition once again shuts down the Ovechkin line, we're in for disappointment. And Troy Brouwer has a sparkling 7G in 64GP in the playoffs.

he had 4pts in 6 games(3rd on the team). then 13pts in 12 games(lead his team). then dale wouldn't let him play(but was still 5th on his team). then he had 4pts in 7 games which tied for the team lead.

 

[ryan519*]

He's far worse on RW. The second he enters the zone, he gets pinned to the corner. It's laughable that Oates still thinks he's a right winger.

He's 10x more dangerous on the left.

What revived Ovi was the idea of him carrying the puck less. That can still be the case on LW....and if you're carrying the puck less, why wouldn't you want the best one-timer guy in the league on the correct side?

how do you explain his resurgence as a deadly player in the second half of last season though? he starts out the season extremely slow, looking like a shell of his former self. the team is crappy right along with him, and then in the latter half of the season he explodes and the team becomes one of if not the hottest team ending out the season. and then, like i said, everyone praises oates for switching up ovechkin's game and bringing back the old, explosive scoring ovie

 

[RandyHolt]

Ovi and Wilson would be pretty fun to watch together. Maybe it would reignite Ovi's physical game. Put Kuznetsov between them and droooool...

I think Ovi would love it.

Back in the day, when a guy struggled to score, at least he would add other parts to the game. Hit, focus on defense.

Both of our top lines have no identity. Throwing Willy up with Ovi, they become a physical line. Have a freaking identity. So if they dump aka Ovi doesnt score off the rush, they are going to pound someone. Soften them up. Instill some fear perhaps, get a freebee turnover / scoring chance.

Our top 6 has been so bad, its almost unthinkable under Oates Mr Dish himself that we would look sloppy. Its not even pond hockey. I don't know what it is.

If we get eliminated, I am pushing all in that Oates sticks to his lines aka Wilson on 4, Ovi and Kuz on their wrong sides, etc.

 

[FloridaCap]

how do you explain his resurgence as a deadly player in the second half of last season though? he starts out the season extremely slow, looking like a shell of his former self. the team is crappy right along with him, and then in the latter half of the season he explodes and the team becomes one of if not the hottest team ending out the season. and then, like i said, everyone praises oates for switching up ovechkin's game and bringing back the old, explosive scoring ovie

He still only scored a handful of goals coming down off the RW off the rush last year. Almost all of his goals were on the PP, off the faceoff, rebound/deflections, or when he switches over to the LW throughout the game. Same thing this year too.

He sucks on the RW off the rush. I have no idea why he's still playing there.

 

[BobRouse]

yes. fans want a championship. not the best regular season record. a presidents trophy or division title just brings ridicule. barely make the playoffs. that brings ridicule. come is as a nothing special mid pack team and there would be ridicule created for that.

so....whatever they do in the RS they still suck. they will suck til they lift the cup. THAT makes it pretty hard to enjoy the hockey. no matter what they do its not good until they get that championship. if that's the way it has to be, then I would divorce myself of paying attention and leave a wake up call for after they win the ecf.
that sure returns a lot of free time I could spend on something else fun.

there's always something to be discouraged about. they could be a juggernaut team and win the first two games of a playoff series and you know they have it in them to choke. so.....what do you want?

Well said TX.

There is very little that will satisfy some fans at this point it seems. They are jaded beyond a threshold that only ultimate victory (SC) will achieve.

They are locked into being miserable following the team.

Again..my stance is that there is a reason for this. Getting high of hatred and anger.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Well said TX.

There is very little that will satisfy some fans at this point it seems. They are jaded beyond a threshold that only ultimate victory (SC) will achieve.

They are locked into being miserable following the team.

Again..my stance is that there is a reason for this. Getting high of hatred and anger.

It's probably because the Cup is the final frontier for Caps fandom. We've seen President's Trophies, Rocket Richards, last place finishes, thrilling pushes to get into the play-offs, a #1 overall pick and generational player, superstars traded in and out of town, etc. There's nothing left other than hoisting the Cup and a lot of fans feel the window to do that with the greatest player to ever play for this franchise is closing unless changes are made. They aren't locked into being miserable because they enjoy being miserable -- they want to see the Cup and anything less is utterly unsatisfying. They don't want participation trophies. How is this difficult for you guys to understand?