Monthly Archives: January 2009

Why is John Always Mad? :-)

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Doesn’t it sound like he is mad at us in this column?

I agree with him, we don’t care about the All-Star game. We only care about winning a Stanley Cup now. We have evolved. We are past the noise and focused on a clear signal.

If we can win a Stanley Cup, everything will fall into place for us.

Thanks for the column inches John - much appreciated - but chill out. We agree with you. :-)

A Fun Weekend

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That was a fun weekend and an interesting and enjoyable exhibition game to watch.

The stars were shining. Alex Ovechkin was entertaining and played well when needed. He scored the game winner in the shootout and was his usual charismatic self.

The players were all respectful to one another although I would not want to be a goaltender in an All-Star game that is for sure.

No one got hurt. The fans and sponsors were well entertained. The city got a great infusion of tourists and dollars and the city of Montreal was paid homage for its 100 years of NHL establishment.

And now it is time to get back to work and get focused on the main event. Listening to Eric Stahl talk about how Carolina wants to “hunt us down and turn the tables on us catching us for a playoff spot” still rings in my ears. We were well respected in Montreal as a franchise but if we want true long term respect, developing a long term culture of winning will truly establish us as a class organization and as winner. Being focused on a championship has to be our calling. No time like the present to play hard and earn our place in the league hierarchy, right? Go Caps!

Random Notes from Montreal

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  • Everyone knows everyone here and everyone loves the NHL. The Canadiens all wear their colors with pride;
  • Montreal rocks. It has a very European feel; great food and really happy and welcoming people. I get recognized here for owning the Capitals as much as I do in DC. Many folks here love the Caps. Many people have told me we are their second favorite team in the league;
  • Ovechkin jerseys are everywhere. Alex is everywhere. He is the star of the show and the weekend. He eats this stuff up. He is, I believe, the most popular player in the NHL right now based on his charisma and talent. His outfit in the breakaway challenge was all the talk at the parties here on Saturday night. He tries to fire up the crowd and people love it here;
  • It is freezing and when the wind blows if feels like razors scratching your face. It is muddy and wet. And let me say it again, IT IS REALLY COLD;
  • We met a bunch of NHL players in cafes and/or eating establishments: Jeff Carter, Keith Tkachuk, Roberto Luongo, Steve Stamkos and Carey Price. They were all classy, professional and all very nice and happy to be at the All-Star game;
  • Rod Langway signing autographs at the Jamboree today. Long lines everywhere;
  • The Young Stars game was pretty uninteresting. I was surprised that Carey Price played in it. I gulped once when he went down and struggled to get up;
  • The bagels here are tasty and the dollar is finally stronger again to the Canadian dollar so things all seem affordable once again;
  • Zdeno Chara’s slap shot was historic. How would you like to be a goaltender when he is lining up that cannon? Wow. He was wearing a Right To Play hat all weekend too;
  • Several members of the media noting the irony to me of the Tampa team sending two players to the All-Star game and the Caps only sending one comparing our record to their record. Vinny Lecavalier was being wooed to come to Montreal by every citizen here. His photo was on the front page of the newspaper on Saturday. The city and local media should be fined for tampering. :-) When he speaks French, the city swoons;
  • Montreal citizens are very knowledgeable about their hockey history and their arena really creates an aura of tradition and championships past to build off of the pedigree of their Hall of their Fame players;
  • The sponsors and families here all seem to be having a great time. Glad we came.