Winter Classic proves worth

By Dan Rodgers

This 2011 Winter Classic is proving to be a great game. The Washington Capitals currently lead the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 halfway through the final period of play.

I'm watching with a friend of mine who is a big Caps fan. His dad had tickets to the game, which is being played at Heinz Field, but decided to sell them and watch from home. As a season ticket holder he was given the opportunity to buy them, he did so for $250 per ticket for two seats. He sold the two seats for $700 total only because someone sent him a nice email asking for them as a gift for someone, so he was nice enough to lower the price from $1,000 to $700.

The place is sold out and it's incredible to think that the place is sold out and the tickets are that expensive. There are just over 65,000 seats and imagine how much money was exchanged for all of those seats. Jeez, crazy to think about.

Note: Fehr puts in his second goal of the game on a breakaway with eight minutes left in the game. Caps 3 Pens 1

The game has been fast-paced and hard-hitting. I'm not a huge hockey fan but this is the kind of game someone like me needs to watch to get more into the sport.

Game over, Caps win 3-1.

This is completely unrelated to this post, but it is awesome yet kind of inappropriate. I would be surprised if this guy didn't get fined or punished in some way. If he was on a good team he definitely would be.



Hope you enjoyed it, I certainly did because he came after a Dolphins loss.

Rodgers That

The Way the World Works

By Dan Rodgers

Okay, so this post is going to a be a short description letting you know how the world works as of December 2010. Ready, go.

• Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are Yankees
• Red Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez in attempt to keep up with Yankees
• Troy Tulowitzki overrated? No sir, best shortstop in the big leagues

• Virginia Tech Hokies are ACC Champs having won 11 straight
• Oregon and Auburn stay unbeaten and head to BCS National Championship, sorry TCU - not this year...better luck next year in the Big East
• Cam Newton is a lock for the Heisman Trophy
  

• Jets and Pats battle Monday night for AFC East supremacy
• Ravens and Steelers battle Sunday night for AFC North supremacy
• The whole NFC is a complete mess and a .500 or sub-.500 team may win their division

• UNC Men's BBall is a joke even though they beat Kentucky by two at home
• On the other hand, Duke is playing at the level they are ranked, No. 1

• The Heat don't look too hot with their "Big 3"
• Why is the Western Conference so much better than the Eastern?
  
• Anyone surprised by New Orleans(13-6) and Utah(15-6), I sure am...

• Caps, Pens tied for most points in NHL - surprise surprise...
• Why is the Eastern Conference so much better than the Western?

As you can tell, quite a bit is going on in the sports world. Some eyebrow-raising, some not. The point is, it's unpredictable. I love it and I love that Jeter and Mo re-signed. It's no surprise that the Sox gone Gonzalez, but I was hoping SD would keep him. The NFL is beyond nuts and don't get me started on NCAA Basketball. The NHL seems to be the most predictable with the NBA being somewhat surprising. We'll see where we're at in a month or so.

Rodgers That

Surprising Saturday

By Dan Rodgers

Today we experienced just about everything except the NFL, which of course, is saved for Sundays at this point in the season. Some of the exciting headlines

MLB:

• Texas showed no hangover from the heartbreaking loss in game one, dominated game two with a 7-2 victory. The series heads to New York, with Cliff Lee set to pitch...it's getting interesting. Series even at 1-1
  
• Surprisingly enough, this game went over the six runs predicted by the odds makers. More surprisingly, San Francisco came away with a huge upset victory in Philly to take away home-field advantage. San Fran leads 1-0
  

NCAAF:

• 1 Ohio State knocked off by 18 Wisconsin. Second consecutive week the No. 1 ranked team has lost.
• Un-ranked Kentucky upset 10 South Carolina, un-ranked Mississippi State upset 22 Florida, un-ranked San Diego State upset 23 Air Force
• 5 Nebraska get completely outplayed and throws away their National Championship hopes with a loss to un-ranked Texas.
• Will 3 Boise State jump to No. 1?
  

NHL:

• Caps have early season magic, come back from 2-0 to win 3-2 in OT.
• Blackhawks show no sign of slowing with 4-3 win over Sabres.

NFL:

• Get ready for some crazy week six action tomorrow.

Rodgers That

NHL Awards Recap

By Scott Antoszewski

The NHL’s post season awards were handed out on Wednesday night in Vegas, and no, I didn’t win MVP. Here’s who did win and a few comments:

Hart Memorial Trophy, MVP: Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks. This is being called a huge upset as he beat Ovechkin and Crosby. I think it’s good for the sport to have a different guy as MVP. He did lead the league in goal scoring which netted him the Art Ross Trophy as well.

Ted Lindsay Award: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. This is the “players” MVP, as this award is voted on by the players.

Norris Trophy: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks. The Norris is awarded for the best defenseman. Keith’s win signals a “changing of the guard” from the veteran defensemen like Nicklas Lidstrom.

Calder Trophy, Rookie of the Year: Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres. This was a mild upset, considering he beat out Matt Duschene, but certainly not a surprise.

Vezna Trophy, Top Goalie: Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres. I think we all know why he won this. He’s awesome.

Jack Adams Award, Top Coach: Dave Tippett, Phoenix Coyotes. Phoenix came within one win of getting to round two of the playoffs. Considering where they came from. Enough said.

Blackhawks advance, Habs look for more magic

By Dan Rodgers

So...the Chicago Blackhawks have returned to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992. Good for them. Chicago finally has something to cheer about considering the Cubs and White Sox currently stink (White Sox lost 13-0 tonight, and the Cubs are battling to keep their heads above .500). Of course, they'll probably cheer up a storm when they get LeBron James, but that's for another post.

Anyway, the Blackhawks will sit at home and relax while the Flyers attempt to put away the Canadiens in game five. Might seem fairly simple considering they've dominated them just about the entire series. Except for this one statistic, the Habs are an undefeated 5-0 this year in elimination games. Whether that was luck or them playing well with their backs against the wall, props to them. I hope they pull it out again... being down 3-1 to the Caps, then 3-2 to the defending champion Pens, and now 3-1 again to the seventh-seeded Flyers.

Let us look at something else. Does Chicago actually have a disadvantage here? They were the two seed and absolutely dominated the first-seeded San Jose Sharks without question. Well beyond a reasonable doubt. However, if the Habs pull out a win on tonight...and maybe even another, the Hawks will be at home watching. Ever think they might cool off in the process, and even though the other team will be tired, they'll still be hot. Just something to think about. I hope Montreal pulls out another one, but something tells me the story stops here.

Go Blackhawks in the finals...they're a fun team to watch.

Rodgers That

Game seven trash talking

By Scott Antoszewski

With help from Kevin Bryant

In honor of the improbable game 7 that Montreal has forced with my Caps. One of my buddies and I have some up with the list of insults you see below in an effort to shame the Canadiens into a loss tomorrow night. Should the Caps lose, this may be my last blog entry as I just might jump from my seats in the upper deck. Enjoy!

• Mike Cammalleri is short. Like dwarf-short.
• You have a picture of a man growing a beard on your boards. Seriously, that’s all you’ve got?
• Scott Gomez was paid $666k per goal, and $135k per point this season. Great value! HONK!
• The NHL had to put a time limit on the length of pre-game ceremonies because of you, and you don’t even win. So much for lulling the other team to sleep.
• The last time someone took 54 shots, it was Renzo Gracie, at UFC 112, and it didn't end well for him.
• You speak French, enough said.
• Sergei Kostitsyn. Not even the best Kostitsyn.
• Ryan O'Byrne steals purses. Actually, that's not an insult. It's a fact.
• Strange but true: Roman Hamrlik is NOT Roman. Nor does he lick hammers. Talk about false advertising!
• Is EVERYONE on your team an alternate Captain? (Gionta, Markov, Gill, etc)
• You’ve retired almost every number between 1 and 99. Next year’s new players will have to wear 00 or 100.
• Will someone PLEASE tell the announcers how to pronounce “Plekanec”. There is no “S” at the end.
• Only 5 of the 21 Canadiens that have played in the playoffs are positive or even in +/-, as opposed to 13 of 20 Caps. Because, you know, +/- is the important stat...
• Our goalie has more 'V's in his name than yours.

Oh, lastly, a joke I once heard:

In court the other day there was a case regarding the custody of a small child.
The judge asked the boy, "Do you want to live with your mother?"
He replied, "No, I don't want to live with her because she beats me!"
The judge then asked, "Do you want to live with your father?"
The boy stated, "No, he beats me too."
Finally the judge asked, "where do you want to live"
The child responded, "I want to live with the Montreal Canadiens!"
The judge asked, "Why do you want to live with the Montreal Canadiens?"
The boy exclaimed, "Because the Montreal Canadiens don't beat anybody!"

LETS GO CAPS!

Crazy round one

By Scott Antoszewski

We’ve seen our first casualty of the 2010 NHL Playoffs. The New Jersey Devils have been eliminated in five games by the Philadelphia Flyers. The fact that the Devils were a two seed makes this a fairly large upset. I didn’t get to see a lot of the games in this series, but I did see the one last night. Marty Brodeur looked very “ordinary”, and the Devils just looked like they weren’t really all that interested. Let the Kovalchuk free agent speculation begin!

I thought I was going to get to see a second elimination when the Penguins rallied to take a 3-2 lead on Ottawa in the third period, but to the Sens credit they fought back. The game kept me up way past my bedtime, but it was worth it to see Ottawa get a 4-3 win in triple overtime. Game 6 is back in Ottawa on Saturday night. (Pens win, advance)

The Capitals get their first chance to knock out the Canadiens tonight in DC. Washington has dominated this series ever since getting down 4-1 in the second period of game two. The Habs are going back to Halak in goal tonight to try and extend their season. The Buffalo Sabres are down three games to one to the Boston Bruins, which is a major surprise. (Caps lose 2-1, Sabres win 4-1)

Out west, the Canucks lead the Kings three games to two in their series. I haven’t seen many of these games, but the highlights are proving that they are playing some very entertaining games. The Red Wings took game five from Phoenix, also leading to a three games to two series lead. The Sharks have weathered an “own goal” in OT against the Avalanche and are now up three games to two. The Sharks need to close out this series as quickly as possible. They can’t let Colorado hang around and push it to a game seven, even though it would be played in San Jose. (Sharks won game six) Lastly, the Blackhawks and Predators are tied at two games a piece heading back to Chicago for game five. (OT win by Hawks, lead 3-2)

Round two will get going toward the end of next week. Overall the games have been very entertaining, I’m happy with the level of play and the officiating. Game five between Pittsburgh/Ottawa was the first real “epic” overtime game of the playoffs. I’m looking forward to at least one more three or four overtime marathon before the end of the playoffs.

Enjoy the games!

Best time of the year...for some

By Scott Antoszewski

The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, the temperatures are rising, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun!

The last series of the first round starts tonight as the Nashville Predators head to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks. The story of the playoffs so far, granted it’s only been 3 days, has been the lack of home ice advantage. The home team has lost four out of the seven games played so far. Phoenix, Vancouver, and Buffalo are the only home teams to win. I loved seeing the whiteout in the desert. I find it interesting how people make such a big deal out of getting home ice for the playoffs, and every year it ends up meaning crap. The Capitals lost games one and two on home ice against the Rangers during last year’s first round. Carolina spanked Boston on home ice twice during last year’s second round. I don’t think it matters where the game is played; the better team is usually going to end up winning. I’ll have more playoff comments next week, after the series are a little bit further along.

In other news, the Tampa Bay Lightning have fired head coach Rick Tocchet and all his staff, as well as General Manager Brian Lawton. The new ownership in Tampa wants a fresh start for next year. They will be picking sixth in the draft, so they should be able to get another quality prospect, possibly an NHL ready player.

The New York Rangers have agreed to extend HC John Tortorella contract for one more season. The Rangers missed the playoffs by a single point this year. It’s going to be tough for them to make a lot of moves in the off season due to the overpaid and undervalued vets that are on the team. It will be interesting to see what they do for next year.

The Edmonton Oilers won the NHL draft lottery this week. They finished with the worst record in the league AND won the lottery so they will be picking first. The Boston Bruins got Toronto’s first round pick for Phil Kessel earlier in the year, and their number came up second. The Florida Panthers pick third, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There are playoff games basically every night for the next week, so enjoy the games!

NHL playoffs underway

By Dan Rodgers

The first games of the first round of the NHL playoffs have been rather interesting:

• (8) Montreal stunned (1) Washington in OT to take a 1-0 series lead against the best team in the NHL
• (7) Philadelphia beat Marty Brodeur and the (2) New Jersey Devils to switch the home ice advantage
• (1) San Jose continues to struggle in the playoffs, dropping the opener to (8) Colorado
• (5) Ottawa upset the defending champion (4) Penguins in game one

Hopefully, the rest of round one games will be as interesting as these. Nothing better than the underdogs coming through. Both one seeds going down would be extremely interesting. Best of luck to everyone...

Rodgers That

How do you define success?

By Scott Antoszewski

The NHL playoffs start in about a week. Last night the Colorado Avalanche completed the Western Conference bracket by dousing the Calgary Flames. There is only one spot left in the East and it appears that the New York Rangers just aren’t interested enough to get it done.

The beginning of the playoffs had me thinking about what the different playoff teams would consider a successful season. The Avalanche have a rookie head coach and are in year one of the rebuilding process, so the fact that they led their division several times this year and have made the playoffs is huge success for them. The Phoenix Coyotes are in the same type of situation. They were picked to miss the playoffs altogether, so the fact that they darn near won their division was a success in and of itself.

The other side of the coin has team like the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals. Success for the Caps and Sharks is measured much differently. The Sharks recent playoff failures have their whole fan base in a wait and see mode as the playoffs start. The popular thinking is that anything short of a Conference Final or Stanley Cup final may mark the end of the GM, the coach and many of the players. The Caps on the other hand are working against an ever shrinking window. There will be serious salary cap issues for Washington to deal with in the not too distant future. Nicklas Backstrom is a restricted free agent after this year, Alexander Semin has one year left on his deal, and players like Schultz, Morrison, Poti, and Fehr will be due big raises, not to mention the questions in goal. The time to win is now for the Caps. Anything short of a Conference or Stanley Cup final would leave fans of Ovechkin’s army very disappointed as well. Presidents Trophy teams do not have a stellar track record of converting that into playoff success. I doubt people will be jumping off the Caps bandwagon, but an early playoff exit will make for a long summer in our Nation’s Capital.

It will be interesting to see how these teams handle the success they’ve had or the huge expectations of their fan bases in the coming weeks. Buckle up folks, the playoffs should be a wild ride.

Greatest Caps moments

By Scott Antoszewski

­Several NHL teams have released DVD sets in the last few weeks that are a compilation of that team’s 10 best games of all time. The Washington Capitals are my team (as you most likely know) so I am particularly interested in the Caps version of this. I got my first look at the list and was pleasantly surprised about how many of the listed moments I have witnessed in person. The list is below and I will detail each of the games that I was lucky enough to attend:

10. Ovechkin’s hat trick in game two against Pittsburgh last May, one matched by Sidney Crosby in a losing effort. I was NOT there for this one, but was going nuts in my basement and texting my friends who were there.

9. Game seven versus the Rangers last April. I shared this moment at home with my wife. She loves hockey almost as much as I do.

8. Game one versus the Flyers in 2008. I was at this game. I’ve never been in a louder building in my life. The Caps erased a 3-1 second period deficit to win 5-3. I remember getting light headed from jumping up in the air when the Caps scored the go ahead goal. My throat was sore for a full day afterward. It wasn’t my first playoff game, but it was the first playoff game that I saw the Caps win. This game was also the last time I high-fived a random stranger.

7. Caps winning the Southeast and qualifying for the postseason in the last game of the season against Florida, April 5, 2008. I still watch the last 30 seconds of this game on Youtube every now and then. I decided exactly one day before this game that I wanted to go. I called a sales guy I used to know that worked with the Caps, and because he knew that I had bought seats for less meaningful games, he sold me four $55 seats for $35 each. People were paying two and three times face for this game and I got discount seats. The last minute and a half of the game was one of the coolest environments I have ever experienced. I smile every time I think of that night, including right now. The memorabilia collector in me wonders who ended up with the Ovechkin game used stick he chucked into the stands at the end.

6. Ovechkin scores four goals against the Canadians while enduring a broken nose, Jan. 31, 2008. I took my boss and my wife to this game. I was playing broom-ball on the ice after the game, so I didn’t get to see Ovechkin’s fourth goal. My wife and I ran into some friends at the game and she left my boss and me to sit four rows from the ice. Ovechkin’s hat trick was the first NHL hat trick I had ever been in the stands for. My hat didn’t make it to the ice from the 400 level.

5. Bruce Boudreau’s first game behind the Caps’ bench, Nov. 23, 2007. This game was in Philadelphia, and I wasn’t there. I was however at Glen Hanlon’s last game as coach two days before. I was not part of the crowd chanting “fire Hanlon”. The change was needed, but I couldn’t bring myself to join the chant. Nicklas Backstrom got Bruce Boudreau a win in his first game with an overtime goal.

4. Ovechkin’s first Caps’ game, against Columbus, Oct. 5, 2005. I was at this game. I remember going in wondering if this “Big O” guy could live up to all the hype. I’m glad we don’t call him the “Big O” anymore. I think I have the ticket stub for this game around somewhere. They were big and fancy because it was opening night.

3. Joe Juneau catapults the Caps to their first-ever Stanley Cup finals, June 4, 1998. This was before I got into hockey, but I do remember watching this game on TV. I started following the Caps regularly about a year later.

2. Game one of the 1996 Eastern Conference quarterfinals when the Caps overcame a 4-1 deficit to beat Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and the Pens 6-4. This was before my time, but any victory against the Pens makes me smile.

1. Dale Hunter vanquishes the Flyers in overtime of game seven in 1988! This game may have been one of the first games I ever watched. The memory that stands out to me was thinking “Wow, they are celebrating like they won the game” after Hunter’s goal. I didn’t know that overtime in the NHL was sudden death. I asked my father several times in subsequent years to take me to a game, but we never went. I was honored to take my Dad to HIS first game sometime during the early 2000’s.

The set seems to be a little heavy on the recent history, mainly due to the Pollin family’s unwillingness or inability to produce video of some of the early years of the organization. I know there is a set out for the Blackhawks and several other teams. I feel very lucky to have seen as many Caps games as I have. I’ve been a hockey fan for about ten years and feel very fortunate to get to see a player the caliber of Ovechkin in my city. I hope you enjoyed this; it was great fun to write.

NHL round-up

By Scott Antoszewski

They are printing playoff tickets and selling division champion shirts and hats in D.C. The Capitals are the first team this year to sew up their division and a playoff berth. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up the level of intensity for the rest of the regular season.

The Sharks are still in first out west, but are staring right down the barrel of a first round match-up with a quickly strengthening Red Wings team. Will this be another short run for San Jose? If so, will it cost GM Doug Wilson his job?

The Canucks finally return home after a fourteen game road trip with an Olympic break in the middle. They lead the northwest division by six points over Colorado who is looking more and more like a team that could make some noise come playoff time. The Flames and Blues are going to need very strong finishes and someone above them to falter if they plan on playing deep into April this year.

The battle for the eight seed in the Eastern Conference will probably go down to the last few days. The players are the same as last week, as the Rangers, Bruins, and Lightning are making a push. The Bolts gained valuable points with a rare road win in Washington on Friday night, and are my pick to bump the Rangers for that spot.

"Geargate"

By Scott Antoszewski

I know, I probably could have come up with a better headline, but as Americans we need a good “gate” controversy every now and then.

Sidney Crosby’s stick and one of his gloves from the gold medal game in Vancouver have been missing for almost a week and a half. Hockey Canada and Reebok want the stick and glove back badly enough to post a $10,000 reward for their return and a no questions asked policy.

I found myself wondering… would that be enough money for me to return them if I had them? I dabble in the sports memorabilia market enough to know that anything that has Crosby’s name on it has value. Add to that the fact that it is game used memorabilia and the value increases dramatically. The issue I have with taking the glove and stick from the gold medal game is how you prove to a perspective buyer that this is authentic?

Companies like Steiner Sports and Upper Deck take extensive measures to make sure that the items they sell as “game used” or “authentic” really are. Does someone really think that a collector will part with thousands of dollars for what someone might claim to be the “gold medal game used glove and stick” by Sidney Crosby without proof?

My answer to the question I posed earlier is yes (see paragraph two sentence one). I would turn in the equipment, take the $10,000 and run like hell. I would feel obligated to spend at least part of the money on something autographed by Alex Ovechkin. The Caps fan in me would feel some kind of justice had been done there.

CAPITALizing on the opportunity

By Abe

The Washington Capitals had a very busy trade deadline day, making 4 trades, second only to the Coyotes 7. The Capitals have added Forwards Scott Walker and Eric Belanger as well as Defenseman Joe Corvo and Milan Jurcina. If you recall the Caps traded Jurcina to Columbus in the deal for Jason Chamera, and have now made a conditional trade to get him back, despite him getting injured during the Olympic break.

Joe Corvo is a solid offensive minded defenseman who will add a veteran presence to the blue line and another scoring threat to go with young gun Mike Green. I personally was very upset when i first heard that the Caps had traded for Milan Jurcina cause I don't think he is that good of a player. Not to mention, with the addition of Corvo, as well as all of the young talent in the minors, I didn't see the need. Then i heard that it was a conditional trade in the sense that if Jurcina does not play this season because of his injury, the trade in void, I think.

Eric Belanger is a center from the Minnesota Wild that will add depth to the Caps PK and gives them another dependable person for face offs. He should fit in very nicely and should help to create yet another solid line for the Caps. Kevin Walker is a a solid gritty right winger from the Hurricanes who will definitely help the Caps. He is physical and a hard working player that will add an enforcer to the Caps line up, adding another strong checking player, something the Capitals can definitely use.

All in all, the Capitals had a good day at the trade deadline. Hopefully with the help of these new players, the Caps can hold on to the East and win their first ever Stanley Cup.

Caps 14 ends in Canada

By Dan Rodgers

I know, right now you are probably thinking...

I had no idea this guy could write about hockey?!

Well...I can!

I am a sports fan and have the ability to write about anything I want. Now, to what this post is actually about: The Washington Capitals remarkable 14-game winning streak.

The Caps 14-game streak came within three games of tying the all-time NHL record for longest winning streak; the '92-'93 Pittsburgh Penguins won 17 games in a row. Here are a few fun stats from the Caps streak:

• Never scored less than three goals
• Didn't shut anyone out
• Let up 3+ goals five times
• Averaged 4.86 goals per game
• Gave up 2.36 goals per game

Even though you might think these stats are impressive, take a second to look closely. If you look at some of the teams the Caps beat (Florida x2, Toronto, NYI, NYR to name a few), nine of the 14 wins came against teams that would currently not make the playoffs. Two more wins came against Tampa Bay and Philly, tied for the seventh and eighth seed in the East. They did have two quality wins in Pheonix and Pittsburgh, but that's two...out of 14.

Not to mention, the Caps just lost two in a row...both in Canada, Montreal and Ottawa. Both games they lost 5-6 which only proves my point about the Caps having a weak defense. You might be thinking, the Caps scored five goals though! My response to that is, when you score five goals...you shouldn't be losing. And since I watched the games I can say that the goals didn't seem to be the fault of the goaltender but more so the defense.

Look, I could rant for longer than you might think about this...all I'm trying to say is I'm curious what will happen to the Caps in the playoffs. If they can't score three, four or five goals a game they might not win. So if their offense cools off a bit there might be an upset in the making...

Rodgers That