Should the Caps strip Ovechkin of the C if they get bounced by the 8th seed Leafs?

[teravaineSAROS]

He's got 15 shots and 2 goals in 3 games despite only being given 15min of ice time last night. That's worth stripping someone of the C?

Welcome to HfBoards, where an entire teams accomplishments is in the hands of one select player (Toews gets blamed for Blackhawks lack of scoring, Laine got blamed for Jets missing the playoffs etc)

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

They should trade Bäckström

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Welcome to HfBoards, where an entire teams accomplishments is in the hands of one select player (Toews gets blamed for Blackhawks lack of scoring, Laine got blamed for Jets missing the playoffs etc)

Have you watched any of the games? OV has been a non-factor as far as his standards go. I also have high expectations for him, which I think is fair. And let's face it, the guys who are the face of the franchise, getting paid a ridiculous amount of money and wearing the 'C' will get scrutinized when things aren't going well. It's part of their job to get their team in line. And no, I'm not saying OV or Toews are solely to blame, and stripping the captaincy away is silly and not nearly as impact full as people think, but when you are the captain, you'll face the heat when you're team finishes at the top and struggles against a low seed in round one.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Leafs are a good team. It's not Ovi's fault people didn't realize that we've come into the playoffs on a similar level to the Caps (by that I mean they had identical records in the last month of the season). Of course it was going to be a tight series

 

[g00n]

Leafs are a good team. It's not Ovi's fault people didn't realize that we've come into the playoffs on a similar level to the Caps (by that I mean they had identical records in the last month of the season). Of course it was going to be a tight series

Or, you know, this isn't a thread about the Leafs or how people feel about them. It's about a player's career and captaincy.

 

[pheasant]

Or, you know, this isn't a thread about the Leafs or how people feel about them. It's about a player's career and captaincy.

But the thread asks about what might happen if the Caps get bounced. And if that happens, I don't see Ovie getting stripped of the C. There will be changes, sure. Some of which will happen if they win or lose, like some UFA's leaving. But changing the Captain won't fix anything. Ovie is the leader of the team, and I really do think you can build a winner around him. This year's team is a Cup contender, and if they fail that doesn't necessarily mean the plan is flawed or that the core is rotten.

Load up, and try again next year.

 

[Electricity]

This is what happens when you make a captain and leader of your franchise out of someone who's main concern is making sportscenter highlight plays. It's a great move to make money and grow your "brand", but Ovechkin's primary focus/ability? has always been about flashy goals and flashy hits, and that's probably all he'll end up with.

 

[Beautvillier]

yeah that seems like a real good idea

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Or, you know, this isn't a thread about the Leafs or how people feel about them. It's about a player's career and captaincy.

it's about what happens if he loses to the Leafs, and the answer is nothing for the reason that it's nothing to be ashamed of. If the Caps lose it won't be because of Ovechkin wearing the C, so it's dumb to point to this series as a reason to strip it from him

 

[Khomutov]

This is what happens when you make a captain and leader of your franchise out of someone who's main concern is making sportscenter highlight plays. It's a great move to make money and grow your "brand", but Ovechkin's primary focus/ability? has always been about flashy goals and flashy hits, and that's probably all he'll end up with.

Lol, what?

 

[g00n]

it's about what happens if he loses to the Leafs, and the answer is nothing for the reason that it's nothing to be ashamed of. If the Caps lose it won't be because of Ovechkin wearing the C, so it's dumb to point to this series as a reason to strip it from him

No, the issue is his career and the Caps' failures in the playoffs over that career. The Leafs just happen to be the opponent. Again, this isn't about some disrespect for the Leafs nonsense, unless Leafs fans make it that. If you sub in any other team the question is the same. They win the Prez Trophy again and lose to the 8 seed, in the first round, then what? The team faced doesn't matter.


A: It's more likely that they blow up the team quite a bit vs just stripping Ovie of the C.

 

[leafsfan1234]

Why is a guy who is benched every time you are defending a lead even the captain in the first place? It would be like naming William Nylander the captain...

 

[jason2020]

No expectations, and no pressure...the Leafs are in a real good position...win or lose, they seemingly win...

Not really true right before the series started many even experts said there a lock to make the ECF.

 

[g00n]

Why is a guy who is benched every time you are defending a lead even the captain in the first place? It would be like naming William Nylander the captain...

Dale Hunter is no longer the coach

 

[Suds]

If the Caps get bounced by a Babcock "rebuild" the problems are much deeper than Ovi's Captain status.

Fans seem to overact when their team flounders but the buck stops this year. Enough is enough, I could care less about Ovi's one-timers or awards for the goal tender. I can care less about being a regular season dynamo or care to hear what a great coach Trotz is....

The season isn't over and the Caps could very well win the cup this year. But the clock is ticking and no generosity exists for another "promise" of next year. Another year and another carrot promised.

"Fool me once - shame on you , fool me 10 times , shame on ............."

This dog(team) won't hunt.

 

[Stand Witness]

Absolutely not.

None of this so far is on Ovechkin and if they do lose it will almost certainly not be on Ovechkin.

 

[Butchered]

Hockey is a team sport. The entire team can't close the deal. It's not a single players fault, so punishing them for something he cannot single handedly control is absurd. And I really don't like the Caps.

 

[542365]

Changing the captain does absolutely nothing. It doesn't change the team in any tangible way. They're in the same position no matter who has the C on his jersey.

That said, they're going to beat the Leafs rather easily. Tonight's game is going to be similar to Sharks vs. Edmonton last night. The playoff tested team is going to dismantle the young guns.

 

[leafsfan1234]

Dale Hunter is no longer the coach

He only played 15 minutes last night.. Less than Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Oshie, and Williams. No other team would rely on their super star captain that little. Even rookie Matthews is almost always the TOI leader on our team and is out there defending leads.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

He only played 15 minutes last night.. Less than Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Oshie, and Williams. No other team would rely on their super star captain that little. Even rookie Matthews is almost always the TOI leader on our team and is out there defending leads.

Trotz admitted that he ****ed up and he said he's going to give Ovechkin way more ice time in game 4. Expect to see Ovechkin playing around 20 min this time.

 

[g00n]

He only played 15 minutes last night.. Less than Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Oshie, and Williams. No other team would rely on their super star captain that little. Even rookie Matthews is almost always the TOI leader on our team and is out there defending leads.

It had nothing to do with pulling Ovechkin for defensive purposes if you believe what Trotz said afterward. He got caught up too much in trying to match certain lines, supposedly, and in dealing with TOI for PKers and so forth.

Plus, toi for one game? Seriously? That's the smoking gun?

 

[BigT2002]

What would striping the "C" actually do? I swear people put too much stock in a letter on a jersey. They are all professionals.

 

[swimmer77]

Only if he leaves his team and goes to the Olympics.

 

[leafsfan1234]

It had nothing to do with pulling Ovechkin for defensive purposes if you believe what Trotz said afterward. He got caught up too much in trying to match certain lines, supposedly, and in dealing with TOI for PKers and so forth.

Plus, toi for one game? Seriously? That's the smoking gun?

Ovechkin has been behind guys Oshie, Backstrom, Williams, Kuznetsov, and even Johansson in ice time throughout the games so far this series. I don't see why you would want a guy who can't be played in all situations as your captain. Exhibit A to why you don't make an offense-only winger your captain.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

What would striping the "C" actually do? I swear people put too much stock in a letter on a jersey. They are all professionals.

People think that Ovechkin didn't deserve to be captain in the first place so they're trying to justify the idea that stripping Ovechkin of the C will instantly make the Caps a more successful team. In the end, it's a letter sewn on a jersey, and grown adults making millions playing a sport can and should handle themselves without having a captain to look after everything they do.