Dear Mr. NHL General Manager,
I write this letter to you on behalf of a player who currently has no team to call his own. This player is a hard worker in the truest sense of the word; his dedication to the game of hockey, to his team and to his teammates is unsurpassed. This player will do anything to earn a spot on your team and will give it his all in every second he's allowed to skate, whether it's in a game or at practice.
I write this letter on behalf of Quintin Laing.
Quintin has earned the respect of his Washington Capital teammates through his self-sacrifice, determination, and willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team, even if that's pushing them hard in practice in preparation for a game he'll watch from the press box. Unfortunately, it appears that the Capitals' roster simply cannot hold a spot for him this season.
It is true that the things we have come to associate with Quintin (shot blocking, hard checking, defensive-minded hockey) weren't as evident in his game last season than in previous years. Perhaps Quintin has worn himself out of being an NHL player from the abuse he has subjected his body to. And perhaps an NHL roster spot is too valuable to waste on a player such as Quintin. But if you have the freedom on your roster to do so, I guarantee he won't let you down.
On behalf of every hockey player who ever dreamed of making it, we ask you to take a small gamble on the one of us who worked the hardest. The one who refused to give up. The one who never stopped working towards his goal. Your team will be the better for it.
Thank you,
Kevin
P.S. Mr. Yingst, if this letter doesn't work, could you please see if Quintin might like to skate with your Bears again? At least that way I'll get the chance to see him play a few more times.
Showing posts with label Quintin Laing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quintin Laing. Show all posts
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thoughts on the Game: Florida, 11/7
Ok, so I'm super late is posting this and it's short. Sue me.
-Go Go Perreault! Not only did the kid get his first NHL goal, but he executed a perfect 'knee-down, fist pump' celebration that Ovie would be proud of (if I recall, that's the same celebration Alex pulled after his first goal). Many more young man. Many more.
-I read on Japer's Rink that Q "blocked a shot with his ribs in the 1st, broke his nose in the 2nd and scored in the 3rd." Urge to buy a toddler-sized #53 jersey growing...
-Once again, WTFD, at least through 2 periods. I guess I must be missing something about Bruce's system...I can't understand why, with the lack of speed on defense and the opponent's tendency to forecheck us them hard, the Caps' forwards start the breakout at the red line. It seems inevitable that our D will bobble the puck and either lose it or simply throw it hard-around. Unfortunately, when they do, there is never anyone on our side of the blueline to get it. A simple '1 deep, 2 high' forecheck and it's an instant 3-2 in the defensive zone.
-Semin: please do something. I know you're hurting. But you are way better than this. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
-Fleischmann has found 'it', and it certainly doesn't look like some 'taking advantage of Ovie's absence' production. Bruce has always put more faith in him than I thought he deserved. This season, Tomas has shown why Bruce is so very good at what he does.
-Finally, this went along with another Japer's Rink post about Caps Forward Prospects. Learn the name Marcus Johansson (and watch the videos!!!). If he keeps progressing, he could be very similar to Backstrom soon...
-Go Go Perreault! Not only did the kid get his first NHL goal, but he executed a perfect 'knee-down, fist pump' celebration that Ovie would be proud of (if I recall, that's the same celebration Alex pulled after his first goal). Many more young man. Many more.
-I read on Japer's Rink that Q "blocked a shot with his ribs in the 1st, broke his nose in the 2nd and scored in the 3rd." Urge to buy a toddler-sized #53 jersey growing...
-Once again, WTFD, at least through 2 periods. I guess I must be missing something about Bruce's system...I can't understand why, with the lack of speed on defense and the opponent's tendency to forecheck us them hard, the Caps' forwards start the breakout at the red line. It seems inevitable that our D will bobble the puck and either lose it or simply throw it hard-around. Unfortunately, when they do, there is never anyone on our side of the blueline to get it. A simple '1 deep, 2 high' forecheck and it's an instant 3-2 in the defensive zone.
-Semin: please do something. I know you're hurting. But you are way better than this. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
-Fleischmann has found 'it', and it certainly doesn't look like some 'taking advantage of Ovie's absence' production. Bruce has always put more faith in him than I thought he deserved. This season, Tomas has shown why Bruce is so very good at what he does.
-Finally, this went along with another Japer's Rink post about Caps Forward Prospects. Learn the name Marcus Johansson (and watch the videos!!!). If he keeps progressing, he could be very similar to Backstrom soon...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thoughts on the Game: Columbus, 11/1
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ovie's 'hurt' and everyone is worries it's serious. Serious would be if he didn't get up after he fell, or if he was slumped over on his way back to the bench. Serious is not coming back to the bench, waving both arms like a bird and wearing a suit after the game. Ovie will miss MAYBE 1 game. My bet is we see him in all his Ovieness on Wednesday.
To the notes!
-I'm not sure I've heard the Phone Booth go from 'Fedorov scores in Game 7' loud to 'Pittsburgh goes up 4-0' quiet so quickly.
-The Knuble/Laing "I bet I can keep the puck pinned to the boards behind your goalie for 2 minutes" PK was a thing of beauty. Caps fans are smart enough to know when they see hard work and rewarded the PK unit with a deserved ovation.
-Q was his typical Q: nice layed-out shot block and a prettier 'putting in the garbage' goal that SHOULD have been the game winner. No, he's not blocking shots like in previous seasons. But if you notice, teams are moving the puck away from the point side that he's playing. His shot blocking is so well known that he's dictating the direction the puck is going. Caps, take note of this and you can eliminate the harder point shots just by putting Q on that side.
-Having Flash back opens things up to interesting line combos. It was nice to see the Bradley/Steckel/Laich line back together, and Semin/Backstrom/Fleischmann put on a passing clinic early on. When Laich moved up to Ovie's spot with Morrison and Knuble, that line became the best.
-A penalty at the end of regulation? A penalty in OT? Same M.O. on the power play and same goal scored twice? Great teams just don't do these things. We're a good team, but not a great one.
-How can you let the puck get to the far side man on the PK? The Caps' defense does a poor job getting into obvious passing lanes, and an even worse job letting the D know when they have a man behind them.
-I think I'm going to stop trashing the Defense. It's getting repeditive. From now on, I'm just going to type 'WTFD' when the defense:
-It's come to the point where if Semin and Backstrom can't stop toe dragging and behind the back passing, and Green can't stop going end-to end and then turning the puck over in the corner, I'm going to lose it. Great teams make the simple play. Great teams don't try the highlight reel play.
-Rick Nash is the quietest superstar in the game. He has great hands, exceptional skating ability and a sick shot. And, unlike a lot of superstars, he's in the first PK unit fot the Jackets.
-Speaking of Nash, I'm not sure who looked worse on his goal: Green who looked like he'd forgotten how to transition from forward to backward or Theodore, who simply fell down.
To the notes!
-I'm not sure I've heard the Phone Booth go from 'Fedorov scores in Game 7' loud to 'Pittsburgh goes up 4-0' quiet so quickly.
-The Knuble/Laing "I bet I can keep the puck pinned to the boards behind your goalie for 2 minutes" PK was a thing of beauty. Caps fans are smart enough to know when they see hard work and rewarded the PK unit with a deserved ovation.
-Q was his typical Q: nice layed-out shot block and a prettier 'putting in the garbage' goal that SHOULD have been the game winner. No, he's not blocking shots like in previous seasons. But if you notice, teams are moving the puck away from the point side that he's playing. His shot blocking is so well known that he's dictating the direction the puck is going. Caps, take note of this and you can eliminate the harder point shots just by putting Q on that side.
-Having Flash back opens things up to interesting line combos. It was nice to see the Bradley/Steckel/Laich line back together, and Semin/Backstrom/Fleischmann put on a passing clinic early on. When Laich moved up to Ovie's spot with Morrison and Knuble, that line became the best.
-A penalty at the end of regulation? A penalty in OT? Same M.O. on the power play and same goal scored twice? Great teams just don't do these things. We're a good team, but not a great one.
-How can you let the puck get to the far side man on the PK? The Caps' defense does a poor job getting into obvious passing lanes, and an even worse job letting the D know when they have a man behind them.
-I think I'm going to stop trashing the Defense. It's getting repeditive. From now on, I'm just going to type 'WTFD' when the defense:
- Loses battles in the corner
- Panics
- Throws the puck away like a hot potato
- Makes passes through the slot
- Loses the race to nearly every loose puck
- Takes dumb penalties
- Skates the puck end to end just to turn it over (coughGreencough...)
-It's come to the point where if Semin and Backstrom can't stop toe dragging and behind the back passing, and Green can't stop going end-to end and then turning the puck over in the corner, I'm going to lose it. Great teams make the simple play. Great teams don't try the highlight reel play.
-Rick Nash is the quietest superstar in the game. He has great hands, exceptional skating ability and a sick shot. And, unlike a lot of superstars, he's in the first PK unit fot the Jackets.
-Speaking of Nash, I'm not sure who looked worse on his goal: Green who looked like he'd forgotten how to transition from forward to backward or Theodore, who simply fell down.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
H1N1NHL (and beyond)
With yesterday's news that the Washington Capitals'(and JtG's favorite shot blocker) Quintin Laing has the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus), along with reports from various NHL cities about how the virus is infecting their players, I think it's time to ask the big question: What if this gets serious?
The majority of NHL players these days are in the 18-30 range that seems to be the most affected by this strain of flu. What happens if the majority of a team comes down with the flu and can't field a team? What happens to a Cup contender if its superstar or starting goalie misses a significant amount of time with H1N1 (in Laing's case, he's not allowed near the team until he's sympton free...often weeks in the case of the flu). It may be something the NHL (and likely, every other major professional sports league) will need to address.
The next question is 'What about the Olympics?' There will be various qualification events this fall to determine who makes the cut for the Winter Olympics. I'm almost guaranteeing that one 'favorite' is going to come down with the swine flu and miss his or her qualifier. Will Olympic teams make exceptions in these cases, or is the 'next best' athlete taking that person's place? In the case of hockey, someone is inevitably going to miss the Games because they've contracted the virus. The H1N1 could turn favorites into 'DNQ's and completely throw the Winter Sports scene on it's head.
The majority of NHL players these days are in the 18-30 range that seems to be the most affected by this strain of flu. What happens if the majority of a team comes down with the flu and can't field a team? What happens to a Cup contender if its superstar or starting goalie misses a significant amount of time with H1N1 (in Laing's case, he's not allowed near the team until he's sympton free...often weeks in the case of the flu). It may be something the NHL (and likely, every other major professional sports league) will need to address.
The next question is 'What about the Olympics?' There will be various qualification events this fall to determine who makes the cut for the Winter Olympics. I'm almost guaranteeing that one 'favorite' is going to come down with the swine flu and miss his or her qualifier. Will Olympic teams make exceptions in these cases, or is the 'next best' athlete taking that person's place? In the case of hockey, someone is inevitably going to miss the Games because they've contracted the virus. The H1N1 could turn favorites into 'DNQ's and completely throw the Winter Sports scene on it's head.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thoughts on the Game: Philly, 10/27
Before we begin, I just finished reading On Frozen Blog's article about Kevin 'Killer' Kaminski. Last night, after watching our guys get manhandled again and again, I turned to my fellow season ticket holders and said "We don't have an inforcer. There is no one to stick up for our guys right now." It's true. Bradley was supposed to be the 'New Brashear'; the guy who made you pay for the late/dirty/cheap hits. The Flyers don't need a standard 'enforcer', as they have Carcillo and Hartnell. We do.
-Once again, beating a dead horse here, we can't stop running around in the defensive zone. It all starts with puck posession, and we can never get it. When we do, there isn't a break out happening; it becomes the C-league dump out of the zone. Tom Poti was guilty of this EVERY TIME HE TOUCHED THE PUCK last night.
-Our breakout starts much, much to high. I don't mean the 'D behind the net, center looping past and up the ice' breakout; I mean the 'I have 2 Flyers within 6 feet of me and need to get this out under control' breakout. Our forwards bolt from the zone the second our D gets control of the puck, but our D can't make that pass. The Caps need to shorten their passes getting out of the defensive zone. Period.
-I love Keith Aucoin. I now use his 'built for a 6'2" player' stick. The last few games, he's either not backchecked or made a costly defensive blunder (see: pass to Kovalchuk). Last night, Aucoin backchecked like mad, made hits, had confidence with the puck, and was tenacious on the forecheck. Perfect.
-Speaking of backchecking, Backstrom FINALLY started playing some proactive defense and the chances against dropped dramatically.
-Jose Theodore STOOD ON HIS HEAD. A 4-2 win can be deceiving: we should have lost last night. Badly. The only reason we won was Jose. If he can continue that level of play, he's a Stanley Cup-level goalie.
-How would you feel about getting Theo Fleury for the league minimum? Just a thought.
-I will say it till the day I die: Alex Semin has THE BEST WRIST SHOT I have ever seen. He shot it off the wrong foot, on the 'wrong side' of the ice, with a man on him and he put it top-shelf as hard as I've ever seen a wrist shot. Emery looked broken.
-I missed Q's presence on the PK. We looked confused.
-Why am I not all that excited about getting Flash back?
-Once again, beating a dead horse here, we can't stop running around in the defensive zone. It all starts with puck posession, and we can never get it. When we do, there isn't a break out happening; it becomes the C-league dump out of the zone. Tom Poti was guilty of this EVERY TIME HE TOUCHED THE PUCK last night.
-Our breakout starts much, much to high. I don't mean the 'D behind the net, center looping past and up the ice' breakout; I mean the 'I have 2 Flyers within 6 feet of me and need to get this out under control' breakout. Our forwards bolt from the zone the second our D gets control of the puck, but our D can't make that pass. The Caps need to shorten their passes getting out of the defensive zone. Period.
-I love Keith Aucoin. I now use his 'built for a 6'2" player' stick. The last few games, he's either not backchecked or made a costly defensive blunder (see: pass to Kovalchuk). Last night, Aucoin backchecked like mad, made hits, had confidence with the puck, and was tenacious on the forecheck. Perfect.
-Speaking of backchecking, Backstrom FINALLY started playing some proactive defense and the chances against dropped dramatically.
-Jose Theodore STOOD ON HIS HEAD. A 4-2 win can be deceiving: we should have lost last night. Badly. The only reason we won was Jose. If he can continue that level of play, he's a Stanley Cup-level goalie.
-How would you feel about getting Theo Fleury for the league minimum? Just a thought.
-I will say it till the day I die: Alex Semin has THE BEST WRIST SHOT I have ever seen. He shot it off the wrong foot, on the 'wrong side' of the ice, with a man on him and he put it top-shelf as hard as I've ever seen a wrist shot. Emery looked broken.
-I missed Q's presence on the PK. We looked confused.
-Why am I not all that excited about getting Flash back?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thoughts on the Game: Nashville, 10/17
I don’t work on the weekends, so here are my thoughts from last Saturday’s game against Nashville:
-Once again, I was impressed with Quintin Laing and his work ethic. He laid the game’s biggest hit behind the Nashville net in the 3rd and was excellent on the PK. His ice time continues to increase (up to over 17 minutes last game).
-On the flip side, the Aucoin/Fehr/Clark line looked terrible. No offensive pressure and no defensive presence. They were the bottom three in ice time and none of them skated more than 7:15 at even strength (and only Clark added any PP time to that number).
-My wife noted that Fehr was “falling all over himself” and that the last time she saw that much falling by a player, it was in C-league hockey at The Gardens. Yikes.
-Listen, I know I sport a #40 jersey to every home game I can make, but you honestly can’t fault Varly for either goal against on the night. The first goal was a nice drop pass to Shea Webber who, in case you forgot, shot the puck 103.4 mph at last year’s All-Star Game skills competition. From just below the top of the circles, with accuracy to put it just under the crossbar, I dare any NHL goalie to get apiece of it.
-Webber is a VERY underrated player. I, honestly, would put him in the top 5 among NHL defensemen for his all-around skill. Did you notice he took a slap shot on a breakaway in the 1st? He knows how hard he can shoot the puck. He’s really, really good.
-The second goal, from an incredibly poor angle, deflected off Pothier’s shin pad and through Varly. I take the blame away from Varly because had he not reacted to the initial shot/pass, and it hadn’t hit Pothier, it goes through the top of the crease instead of on goal. I guess no one noticed the Predator making his way to the far post for what would have been an easy tap in had Forty not reacted to the puck.
-The last two games, the Caps defense has been pressured in their own end and has had SEVERE problems getting the puck out of the defensive zone. The positioning seems to be there, but the puck is getting stuck in the corners. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of speed (Jurcina, Schultz, Poti and Morisson all look VERY slow this season) or the fact that the wings routinely start the breakout at the center red line but something needs to change.
-The two shorthanded break-aways in the 1st were about as bad as they looked. No far side point man, no real effort to get back. Varly stood his ground on both and it game the team confidence.
-You can tell Semin had a bad game by the following stats: 4 shots on goal, 4 missed shots, 0 take-aways, and 0 turn-overs.
-To thedrunk excitable guy who sits in the back of section 412: Please, please, please STOP YELLING AT JEFF SCHULTZ. Telling us all how much he sucks does not make you suck any less.
-Ted: Thank you for stocking dog collars at the merch stands! Our dog has never looked so cool.
-Once again, I was impressed with Quintin Laing and his work ethic. He laid the game’s biggest hit behind the Nashville net in the 3rd and was excellent on the PK. His ice time continues to increase (up to over 17 minutes last game).
-On the flip side, the Aucoin/Fehr/Clark line looked terrible. No offensive pressure and no defensive presence. They were the bottom three in ice time and none of them skated more than 7:15 at even strength (and only Clark added any PP time to that number).
-My wife noted that Fehr was “falling all over himself” and that the last time she saw that much falling by a player, it was in C-league hockey at The Gardens. Yikes.
-Listen, I know I sport a #40 jersey to every home game I can make, but you honestly can’t fault Varly for either goal against on the night. The first goal was a nice drop pass to Shea Webber who, in case you forgot, shot the puck 103.4 mph at last year’s All-Star Game skills competition. From just below the top of the circles, with accuracy to put it just under the crossbar, I dare any NHL goalie to get apiece of it.
-Webber is a VERY underrated player. I, honestly, would put him in the top 5 among NHL defensemen for his all-around skill. Did you notice he took a slap shot on a breakaway in the 1st? He knows how hard he can shoot the puck. He’s really, really good.
-The second goal, from an incredibly poor angle, deflected off Pothier’s shin pad and through Varly. I take the blame away from Varly because had he not reacted to the initial shot/pass, and it hadn’t hit Pothier, it goes through the top of the crease instead of on goal. I guess no one noticed the Predator making his way to the far post for what would have been an easy tap in had Forty not reacted to the puck.
-The last two games, the Caps defense has been pressured in their own end and has had SEVERE problems getting the puck out of the defensive zone. The positioning seems to be there, but the puck is getting stuck in the corners. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of speed (Jurcina, Schultz, Poti and Morisson all look VERY slow this season) or the fact that the wings routinely start the breakout at the center red line but something needs to change.
-The two shorthanded break-aways in the 1st were about as bad as they looked. No far side point man, no real effort to get back. Varly stood his ground on both and it game the team confidence.
-You can tell Semin had a bad game by the following stats: 4 shots on goal, 4 missed shots, 0 take-aways, and 0 turn-overs.
-To the
-Ted: Thank you for stocking dog collars at the merch stands! Our dog has never looked so cool.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)