ROADTRIP! Bears and Babies and Chocolate

Saturday marked a first for the recently expanded family: Cam's first Hershey Bears game (a Calder Cup Finals game at that). We've been to Hershey before, for the Mutineers annual trip/scrimmage at the old Hershey Park Arena, but we couldn't stick around for that evening's Bears game.

Heading up 83 into Chocolate Town was a super easy drive (with a sleeping 5 month old) and lunch at Houlihan's was pretty tasty. We pulled into the Giant Center parking lot around 3:30 and made our way over to Chocolate World (because nothing beats fresh Take 5 bars!). Hershey is an interesting place. There are tourists galore, a few locals, and a huge range of people and personalities (the tailgate that set up in front of our car was a study in 'woah...').

The Giant Center hums. The fans in Hershey are a rare breed: passionate, polite, educated and fun. Everyone smiles, everyone wears Bears gear and everyone knows every player on a team that changes every year. If ever a town deserved to be called Hockey Town, Hershey is it (sorry Detroit, your reign ended when you let Stevie Y. leave for Tampa).

Side Note: $8 for the small Coco the Bear stuffed animal was super reasonable and Cam greeted him with real pleasure. A similar Slapshot toy would easily be $20 at the Verizon Center. Just saying Caps. Just saying.

Our seats were in the lower level, behind the Bears net for the 1st and 3rd. We managed to get seated next to a couple and their 9 month old, and just in front of THE 5 Stars fans in attendance (in town from Iowa, the former home of the Stars). Mom and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of an active 9 month old Cam at Caps games next season. Cam took in the pregame festivities, watching warm ups curiously. Mom ran out to get some food (note to the Verizon Center: get more dessert options! The cookies and cinnamon-sugar pretzles at the Giant Center were PERFECT). That's when it all went downhill.

Cam decided he was hungry. This decision applied for the next 5 hours. A squirmy 1st period was followed with a cranky 2nd period, was followed with a diaper blowout of massive proportions (and an expert clean-up by mom, as only 2 wipes remained) was followed by a massive letdown of a last minute goal against to send Hershey to the loss.

Hershey looked flat and from our vantage point, Texas looked to be skating downhill at Neuvy all game. The first and last goals against were concentration lapses on our usually exceptional young goalie, and the middle 2 can be placed squarely on defensive lapses. It eerily reminded me of a Caps game: brilliant offensive pressure and skill, followed by a fast break against and poor defensive decision making or the failure to make a routine/slightly difficult save. It's frustrating to admit, but across the board, the Caps system is lacking that 'something' that negates those defensive struggles. Even Super Prospect John Carlson made several poor decisions leading to at least one goal against.

The trip home with a very hungry baby was a bit unnerving, but ended up alright once 'sleeping baby' frequency was reached in the car. The restful Sunday that followed was needed and enjoyed, and knowing that we'll be able to watch Games 3-6 from Austin on TV was a welcome treat.

Overall, the trip was a good one. The Verizon Center crowd could learn a lot from Hershey fans (although there were a TON of Caps jerseys in attendance) as far as sportsmanship and supporting your team more than railing on the opposition and refs.

What If?

There are times when a group of friends sits around and throws out ‘what if’ scenarios that would have forever changed the world, if only they’d happened (or happened differently). The NHL’s new “History Will Be Made” ad campaign shows important moments in hockey, shown in reverse, ending with the ‘What if…’ question. Without further ado, my personal list of hockey ‘what if’s.


5. What if Esa Tikkanen had scored in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals for Washington? For Detroit, down 4-2 at the time of the miss, coming back from 3 down in the 3rd period might have been too much, tying the series at one. The Caps would have momentum heading back to DC and could have put up more of a fight instead of the four-game sweep that occurred.

4. What if the Caps had matched St. Louis’s offer sheet for Scott Stevens in 1990? I have often said that if Stevens had remained a Cap for 4 more seasons, there is at least one Stanley Cup in those years. Instead, we have another 20 years of Cup failure.

3. What if Rocket Richard hadn’t punched linesman Cliff Thompson and incited the Richard Riot? The riot changed Canada, inspired the Quiet Revolution in the 60s and forever divided French and English speaking citizens of Canada.

2. What if a team other than Pittsburgh had won the 2005 NHL Draft lottery? Would the Penguins still be in Pittsburgh if they hadn’t gotten Sidney Crosby in the Draft? Would people’s opinions of Crosby be as polar as they are if he played in, say, Anaheim? Or Minnesota?

1. What if modern arthroscopic surgery had been around during Bobby Orr’s playing time? With the various knee injuries he sustained throughout his career, Orr missed many games and retired at the age of 30. If the first knee surgery he needed been performed using modern arthroscopic methods, my guess is we wouldn’t be talking about Wayne Gretzky as the greatest player of all time.

Suggestions for Success

Mr. Leonsis,


Now that you own the Verizon Center, large rats Wizards and Mystics to go along with the Capitals, I have a few suggestions that may aid in the transition from 'Successful NHL Owner' to 'His Highness, King of DC'.

-Always make sure the ice is in great shape. If this means keeping the arena 2 degrees cooler during basketball games, please make it happen.

-Change the Wizards name back to the Bullets, or at least restore the Red, White and Blue color scheme. Do this for the Mystics too. Purple and gold are so late 1990s; it reminds me of high school. It’s like purple and light blue, or teal and black… it looks dated (sorry San Jose, it is), like an old Starter jacket.

-I know it’s an expense that isn’t really necessary, but please rip out all the purple seats and replace them with bright red ones. Make it so The Phone Booth Rocks the Red, even when its empty.

-In 41 home games, section 412 was only visited one time by Red Rockers/Slapshot/Section Roulette. Just saying.

-I hear you already took down the Mystics ‘Attendance Champions’ banners. Thank you. They were sad. They made me cry.

-If you have any say in the matter, can you have CSN drop Laughlin’s voice an octave or two through some sort of filter? The high-pitched, nasal whine drives my dog nuts 41 times a year plus road playoff games.

-Please don’t try any ‘cross-sport merchandising’. If I see a Wizards/Mystics hockey jersey or a Caps basketball jersey anywhere in the arena, I might scream.

-Oh, and I know Ovechkin is Russian, but selling Caps jerseys with the Cyrillic name on the back is bad form. It’s like selling a #21 jersey in women’s sizes with ‘SEXY’ on the back. Sell what the players wear on the ice.

-The sound guy in charge of music clearly has a mullet and/or an AC/DC shirt. Every other arena plays music that is relevant to today to pump up the crowd. We play Motorhead, Metallica, System of a Down (noticing a trend), Blink 182, Blur, etc. Other teams play Arcade Fire, Weezer, Green Day, Jay Z, Gorillaz, Snow Patrol and Radiohead. 1992 Heavy Metal appeals to Middle School Me, and not many others. Including Now Me.

-I know he hasn’t been retired for long, but expediting Olaf Kolzig’s number retirement (and in my opinion, Peter Bondra’s and Calle Johansson’s as well) would be a good thing.

-Find the paperwork for letting Scott Stevens walk away via free agency and burn it in a ceremony at center ice. Clearly, this is where the ‘Caps Curse’ originated, and it should be disposed of. I know it was long before your time, but it needs to be done by someone.

-My wife would kill me if I didn’t ask for a healthy options concession stand on the 400 level. Us lowly common folk like slightly healthy food too.

-We’d also like good beer up there. That suggestion is all mine.

Insults

Yeah, I know... the 'paying final respects' thing failed miserably. I'm trying something new: Insults.

• Mike Cammalleri is short. Like dwarf-short.
• Brian Gionta is even shorter. And I know short.
• Scott Gomez was paid $666k per goal, and $135k per point this season. Great value!! HONK!
• Montreal's jerseys look HORRIBLY dated. That 1920's look just doesn't work anymore.
• The last time someone took 54 shots, it was Tony Montana. It didn't end up well for him.
• Sergei Kostitsyn. Not even the best Kostitsyn.
• Hal Gill's REAL name is Harold Priestley Gill.
• 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!
• 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. Pbbbt!

I have a ton more, but it's Montreal... they're not worth my effort to type up.

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!"

Paying Final Respects

At the end of someone’s life, it’s often customary to remember that person for all their good, ignoring their misdeeds and personality flaws. You don’t necessarily have to like a person to respect them, and paying those final respects is often the appropriate thing to do.

That being said, I think the same goes for elimination games in the playoffs. It takes a lot to win a best of 7 series in any sport and it takes a certain amount of respect for one’s opponent to do so. For that reason, I’m starting a new tradition: for every elimination game the Caps play from here-forth, I will be wearing a piece of clothing related to the other team under my jersey. As of right now, I the only team left in the Eastern Conference for which I am gear-less is Buffalo (if I have to buy a Sabres shirt, I will).

So, tonight, I will be wearing my ‘Rocket’ Richard, #9 shirt from the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (yes, an entire exhibit dedicated to a hockey player!) to honor the 2009-2010 Montreal Canadians.

Let’s see if this works…

Hockey and the Media

With the 24-hour sports news cycle leaning heavily on the NFL draft, NBA playoffs and the topsy-turvy start to the baseball season, it’s interesting that almost everyone I talk to about sports wants to talk about hockey. Since its creation, sports have been dissected, replayed and talked about constantly on ESPN. Think about the growth of the NFL and NBA since ESPN’s sports coverage began. The NFL draft has become a 2-night, prime-time event. And now, for the first time in 30 years, a sport doesn’t need a constant presence on ESPN to educate, inform and grow its fan base.


I think it’s fair to say the NHL has seen more growth in the years since the lockout than at any time in its history. In the Washington, DC area the last few years, hockey has found a fan base unlike any this town has seen before. It has grown by word of mouth, local news and newspaper coverage but mostly, it has grown due to the explosion of the internet as the main way the NHL is reported to the world. There is there no other major professional sport whose image, status and appeal have been more greatly aided by the rise of social networking, blogging and internet-based video than hockey.

The NHL has everything: the world’s fastest players (whose remarkable feats are practically designed to be watched over and over again on YouTube), crushing hits and fights (again, destined to make the rounds on blogs, Tweets and Facebook), and a new-found sense of celebrity among the truly great players (and Mike Comrie). NHL players are just as controversial, quotable and dedicate as other athletes and it’s fun to watch and read about their thoughts.

Millions of new hockey fans sat slack-jawed at their computers a few years ago, watching Alex Ovechkin score ‘The Goal’ over and over and over again on YouTube. They watch montages of every goal Ilya Kovalchuk has ever scored, the hit that sent Marc Savard into a daze and the coach that threw every stick in Canada over the boards over a disputed call.

Still more, like me, have begun to think of ourselves as amateur journalists, writing about our observations of our favorite teams in the many NHL blogs out there. Mainstream bloggers, like Yahoo! ‘s Puckdaddy, have become a place mainstream media envies: a blog that scoops the traditional news outlets on big stories and does so in a highly respectable, highly journalistic way (hiring a Russian-speaking journalist to get the highly-illusive Russian Superstar Interviews: brilliant!).

Now you have professional hockey writers opening up in blogs, offering their opinions and little tidbits that were missing from their printed pieces. NHL.com has streaming video of game highlights, and team sites have interviews, pre-game shows and other insightful material up for everyone to read, free of charge.

I used to watch ESPN all the time. John Buccigross and Barry Melrose offered up great insight on the game and Buccigross’ weekly column on ESPN.com was one of my must-reads. Now, I find myself watching Sports Center for everything but hockey coverage, as I’ve already gotten my hockey info elsewhere, and in a more complete form than anything ESPN has ever dedicated to hockey. It doesn’t matter that the NHL’s network, VS. , isn’t hugely popular, as fans go elsewhere for highlights and interviews.

It’s a great time to be a hockey fan.

Hitting

In my 15 years of coaching, I’ve had the opportunity to help run a wide range of programs including a women’s team, a developmental ‘clinic’, a high school team and a couple AAA, elite-level teams. I’ve started to notice a trend among the checking-level teams that has stated to concern me: the way kids these days hit with the intent of causing injury. It’s frustrating and it seems to be a product of a generation.


My first experience coaching checking-level boys was at the high school level. It seemed like every hit was intended to knock the opposing player unconscious. Checks were almost always charging or boarding and were usually led with elbows or fists held high. Kids would go out of their way to attempt the big hit, usually resulting in missed contact and a scoring change against. I also noticed that when opposing teams played the same way, our kids took it as a personal slight; some form of disrespect that must be avenged. That vengeance ALWAYS ended with our kid in the penalty box.

The AAA teams weren’t much better. Certain kids showed exceptional confidence and ability and the purpose of the body check in hockey: to gain position or the puck, to stop an opposing player and to tire them out with a constant physical presence. Checking was more of a strategy than an intimidating tactic. Still, several kids thought it was all about YouTube, highlight-reel big hits. And it always elicited “Why?”s in my mind.

This season in the NHL, the number of head hits and clear attempts to injure the opposition seems to have increased exponentially. Grown men playing a dangerous game in a dangerous manner concerns me. I’m not sure if it’s the product of a generation raised on violence, the constant media exposure of the ‘wow’ play or something else. I’m also not sure if it has to do with the area (the kids from other parts of the country played the physical game differently).

I hope something changes. I keep hearing of concussions and other injuries that are unfortunate and unnecessary, what with the advances in the protective equipment kids wear. I just know that in physical sports such as hockey, football and lacrosse, hitting is now done in such a way that it’s become disrespectful of the game. Kids these days have lost sight of the reasons these are physical games.