Mike is on a tear and the Caps increased their lead in the SE division over Florida to 14 points.
I was so happy with the way the fans all stood and cheered loudly for the last 5 minutes of the game as we tried to kill a 5 on 3 power play.
In the locker room afterwards, Alex Ovechkin noted to me that the “crowd was sick”. He then gave me a hug as he is so happy when the fans are rocking.
I was concerned about the conditions of the ice last night as it was unseasonably warm and there was a Georgetown basketball game that went into OT in the afternoon. The building staff has to really hustle to get the ice in game ready condition when this happens.
I asked our coaches about it after the game and they weren’t as displeased as I would have thought although I just read Tom Poti’s comments and am very concerned.
We are truly working these matters. We are very detailed about what we need to do as to temperature, timing, humidity and the like.
One of the things we will have to consider doing is not having any activities on the ice between intermissions. That extra 2 to 3 minutes may help us treat the ice. We are looking into this as a development now as well.
We are on it as is the building. We are looking at issues such as the building scheduling basketball games on our afternoons too although Georgetown has a schedule and is a tenant in the building and pays rent. And while the building tries to schedule their games before Wizards games, coordinating NHL, NBA and NCAA is an art not a science.
We are doing our best. We are making progress but we want to have great ice NOT acceptable ice and I hear Tom Poti loud and clear.
Mr. Leonsis:
I think it’s really humorous that some people want to use this foroum and issue as a reason why you should give even more money to your Alma Mater, my understanding is you are already one of the biggest donors. Assuming that’s true given your civic pride and responsible behaviour, I’ll say this on your behalf to those who have great ideas as to what you should do with more of your money. To folks like kchoya: If you are a GU alum or just fan – become a booster and give more of your own money to GU both for Academics and Athletics.
In the meantime, my votes are 1) stop/severly curtail intermission activities on ice; 2) Move start times 1/2 later to get more time to prepare/cultivate the ice when there is a basketball game preceeding the hockey game; 3) Get the demumidifiers the NHL is recommending in place by hook or by crook (Washington Sports & Entertainment should foot the bill, not Lincoln Holdings but either way they appear needed); 4) Assuming the experts are in consensus lower the arena temperature and if it’ll help do it earlier in the day (even if it’s during a GU basketball game or the circus.
LETS GO CAPS!!!
Ted,
Besides agreeing with the comments about lowering the building’s temperature and getting dehumidifiers, other improvements might marginally improve ice conditions. First, install revolving doors on the F Street entrances. Sure, they will leave a larger footprint, but the longest and most-used side of the building won’t be left wide open to rising outdoor temps for more than an hour before gametime.
Second, limit the number of doors opened at 6pm. Perhaps even keep some key doors shut until a half-hour before the puck drops. Yes, some pre-game skate fans may get momentarily confused or upset a time or two, but announcements and directional signs could be made, and outdoor ushers could direct early arrivers to the smaller 7th Street entrance. Isn’t the Acela Club also located above 7th Street? As you know, most Washington area fans are anything but early arrivers.
I have heard a rumor that the VC is the only NHL arena that does not use a Zamboni. There must be a reason the rest do and I have often wondered if that does not contribute to the poor quality ice?
“The reality is that Georgetown needs to get its own stadium like every other college in this area has. I don’t think they should play at the VC at all.”
Well, as soon as Georgetown becomes a big state school (like Maryland) to spend a ton of money on a new arena and has acres of open space suddenly appear, and doesn’t have to deal with the anti-everything forces in Georgetown, it will get its own arena.
In the meantime, Caps fans will have to live with the fact that there are other tenants in the Verizon Center. I count up FIVE WHOLE DAYS where Georgetown and the Caps have played (or will play) on the same day at the VC. I think that’s pretty manageable.
BTW, the guy who could probably be the biggest [financial] help in getting Georgetown a new arena is the guys at the top of the blog, a Georgetown alum.
As a STH, I pay to watch the Caps play. If getting rid of the intermission activities will make the ice better/safer for the players, I’m all for it. We can always schedule the mites after the game if it’s that important.
If bringing in the dehumidifiers will help, do that as well. If we need to reduce the air temperature, do that too.
As we are anticipating this season going longer into the summer than any in recent memory, please troubleshoot this NOW. Try anything, everything to get this right asap.
As much as I like the 7pm starts, a later start on Saturday nights would be better than seeing practically the whole team go down to injury again like they did earlier in the year. Thankfully the boys from Hershey are probably use to playing on bad ice.
An extra hour could go a long way toward getting the ice ready for the pre-game skate and game time.
Turn the temperature down, the fans dress for outside weather and then have to strip down to a shirt inside. To me it feels more like hockey when it’s a little colder.
As this team becomes more successful and more popular, the condition of the ice will become a scandal (in a town that thrives on scandals) unless the ice quality improves substantially.
Can you imagine the furor — and the negative publicity — if FedEx Field had deep ruts and grooves from poor groundskeeping? How would the press respond if a star player making millions of dollars a year suffered an injury (e.g., a groin injury or high ankle strain) that laid him out for an extended period of time?
I will personally volunteer to skate in between periods with a tank of liquid nitrogen strapped to my back and hose down the rink.
I will agree with Trackback’s previous post about the “Unleash the Fury” video. I don’t think anything else can replicate the effect it has on the crowd, and in the Ottawa game, they scored *IMMEDIATELY* afterwards on the power play.
Ted, sure hope there are some solutions to improved ice that don’t include eliminating Mites on Ice or the youth shoot-outs. Can’t imagine that the 3 minutes of those little tykes (and future ticket holders) would make a difference to the ice condition one way or the other.
Thanks for all you do!
Ted, I’m glad that you’ve again publicly addressed this. However I believe you said the same thing before the season started? I know you are a great owner and very passionate and I appreciate everything you’ve done for the Capitals. I really hope you will be able to find some creative ways to improve the ice…maybe we need a few more air conditioners to bring the temps down faster after a basketball game? I’m all for cutting out the intermission activities, most people are on the concourse anyway.
Curtailing the activities on the ice between periods will have a minimal effect. Likewise, moving the games to 7:30 is just a band-aid that might slightly mask the symptom but not cure the underlying problem. Everybody who has studied this situation has agreed that Verizon Center needs a couple of new dehumidifiers. Yes, they are very expensive, but Abe Pollin needs to stop being a cheap-arse for the good of our players. Nothing less is acceptable.
Ted, I’m a long time Caps fan and a full season ticket holder, it would not bother me if the on ice activities between periods were ceased in favor of better ice conditions for the players. I used to operate a Zamboni for an ice rink in Baltimore and I know the extra dry time would make a difference. My seats are up high in 427 (where the real fans sit) and from there I can see wet spots in the end zones when the periods begin. There’s nothing like a little excess water on the ice in your defensive zone to help keep the puck closer to your net!
About the last 5 minutes of the game. I think it’s a real crime when the sound/video guys don’t broadcast the “unleash the fury” video. I can recall at least two recent games where they didn’t play that video and it did affect the crowd in a negative way and from my view point it affected the out come of the games which were both losses. Now I know we don’t skate with sticks and shoot pucks at nets, but I really feel the fans get excited from that video and the players feed on it and it has to affect the visiting teams when they hear 17,000+ fans going crazy for the Caps, and I know I am not the only fan who feels this way about “unleash the furry”. As far as we’re concerned it’s now part of the game and it should be a part of the Caps playbook. As silly as this sounds, I think the Caps might have turned it around and maybe won those two games if the furry would have been unleashed.
Anyway, thank you for giving us the best and most exciting hockey team in the world to watch, it’s worth the 1 1/2 hour drive from Baltimore. Let’s Go Caps!
A later start time for Caps games when another team is playing in the afternoon would be fine any night of the week as far as I’m concernre. I drive down to Metro from up by Baltimore, and I seldom have time to eat before I get to the arena… the extra half-hour or hour would be very VERY welcome by me!
1) Less intermission activity will have minimal effect. Also note that while the temps Saturday were above normal it wasn’t like it will be come playoff time when they will be 20-30 degrees warmer! What then?
2) Either this issue can be controlled or it can’t. Its not like its a new problem. Earlier this season you were in denial saying it couldn’t be a problem as the press hasn’t written about it. meanwhile your captain(Clark) and more recently Tom Poti(who was probably injured because of the ice) have gone VERY publicly to denounce the ice conditions.
3) Two opposing players/coaches have said its in their teams benefit to have the ice be so bad. So now what? The answer is to scrub the mites on ice??? Please don’t piss on me and tell me its raining!
I have played full games there a few times and the ice is certainly softer than normal. I don’t think getting rid of the entertainment between periods makes a lot of sense though as a lot of people enjoy it. I can’t imagine the Mites tear the ice up all that bad. Plus, my son had the chance to do that and he still talks about it to this day. I think the only way to have really good ice would be to have the place REALLY cold. I can’t imagine that being possible either so then scheduling becomes more the main concern IMHO. And as stated I imagine that is more of an art form. Either way, Love the CAPS!!!!!
Ted,
First off I think you have done a great job and I am quite pleased that you own the Caps. That being said I know when I am being fed some BS. The players have been complaining about the ice for years, yet we are consistently being read the company line about how we the caps are doing their best…. Considering we live in a very humid climate, why does the VC not have dehumidifiers? This seems like a very simple fix. Considering the investment you made OV. This seems like a prudent idea. It’s like purchasing a Ferarri and putting $100 tires on it.
Ted, the future of NHL hockey, and the Caps specifically is in the growth of acceptance. One successful tactic is grass roots involvement. Dismissing Mites on Ice should not be taken so lightly, and the responders here that favor that need to take a second to think of repercussions.
The health of the players does need to come first, but the sacrifices to achieve that need to be weighed. What is the profit loss for the Caps to be the day game and the basketball to be the evening game? What is the loss for moving back the start time a half hour or an hour on such nights?
Are you thinking of giving up the intermission use of the ice only on those days when the ice pregame preparedness is in question, or on all nights?
Uniting the Capitals organization with the areas youth hockey is a must for both organizations. The Mite-on-Ice program and that of Capitals players coming to area rinks for practices and stick and puck times are great programs.
With the hot team, youth promotion may not be as much needed as it is in times of struggles, but I would hate to see you give it up when there are better options out there.
Make them play basketball somewhere else.
I would rec. turning the heat off in there…just a few years ago I had to wear a jacket, or 2 shirts – now I’m warm in one shirt…ice freezes better when its cold :^)
Building a “hockey” town in a non traditional area, requires getting the youth involved and in to hockey, w/o it, tough to build.
Turn the air on (isn’t 55 degree’s about right ??) and leave the on ice intermission stuff alone….other arenas do just fine…..
and just say no to 7:30 starts
I have to say Ted, I entered the VC on Saturday night just before 5 pm for the Fan Club meeting, and I peeked into the seating area to watch the changeover crew in action. To me, they didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to get the changeover complete. As a matter of fact, I would describe their pace this past Saturday as “casual.”
Ted, I’ve attended about 20 games a year for the past 12 seasons. I think the answer to the ice problem is pretty obvious, TURN THE AIR CONDITIONER ON. On most nights I find it quite warm in the VC. It’s acctepable to expect a hockey fan to wear a jacket during a hockey game. My two cents. Dave
Nice sentiment, Ted, but if you weren’t so worried about saving a few bucks you would have done something before now. If you’re serious about fixing it then fix it
I read somewhere that Chris Clark complained about the ice and now Tom Poti. Then the other day someone said to me, “How many more groin injuries before the ice is fixed?” Can’t make passes and can’t control the puck. Can’t skate without falling down. It’s been bad for years.
What if Ovechkin hurts his groin? He’s strong but not immune to getting hurt (Whitney spears) will someone finally REALLY fix the problem? Of course by then it might be too late. There goes our franchise star with a career-long nagging groin issue all because some folks were too cheap to fix a problem that’s been around for, like, EVER.
Ovie really likes that word “sick”, doesn’t he
From today’s WaPo: “Players and officials rate the ice after each game, but [NHL facilities operations manager Dan] Craig would not divulge the marks Verizon Center’s ice has received. He did, however, say that the ice has been better since his visit to Washington in the fall before acknowledging that the challenge of producing good ice consistently will increase as spring approaches. Craig said he will recommend the Capitals bring in dehumidifiers in the playoffs.”
There’s your mandate, from the league. How about bringing those new dehumidifiers ASAP, rather than waiting for April? -JW
Sir Ted:
Thank you for taking on the elephant in the room. You know from the software biz that some systems were designed just to get built. And later on if you want them to actually work you have to completely rebuild them. Same thing with VC. The building is too influenced by outside temps (doors and windows not up to spec for climate retention). I suspect they underengineered the air cooling plant also. (Like someone said up top, in Cap Centre it used to be cold, not in VC.) And probably the cooling and piping system for the ice itself is not up to snuff. The old Madison Square Garden had problems like this, and didn’t get fixed until they had a new building. Hope it doesn’t go that far for VC, but some kind of root and branch effort, in addition to tweaking, certainly seems in order…
Wow. The man that signs Tom Poti’s checks gives him that much cred. Wow.
Ted…keep it going and stay true to yourself. Love ya!
Ted I know that good ice is important to you and to the Caps, unfortunately, until it is important to Washington Sports and Entertainment, nothing much is going to get done.
I can’t wait until you are the majority holder of WS&E so you can do what needs to be done to get the ice right and you can set up the event schedule once the NHL season schedule is set.
I attended Saturday’s game as my first Caps game after the lockout. All I can say is “WOW”! The last 5 minutes of the game with the entire building going nuts at the outstanding job of the PK unit and Theodore’s performance was about as loud and as exciting as any game I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live. I’m still hoarse from all the screaming I did at the game.
My buddy (who also had not been to a Caps game for years) commented that the Caps fan base was really impressive in their turnout, behavior during the game and overall excitement. Congratulations on this great year and best wishes for continual success for your exciting young group of dynamic players.
Thanks for saying something Ted. It’s good to know that you’re still paying attention to this issue. Eliminating the on ice intermission activities is definitely a step in the right direction. Pretty much every game the ice is still covered in pools of water when the guys come out to start the period. That ice needs as much time as you can give it to resolidify.
“We are doing our best. We are making progress but we want to have great ice NOT acceptable ice and I hear Tom Poti loud and clear.”
Wow- I feel like many owners would dance around an issue like this and “say the right thing” to please everyone involved- Pollin AND Poti, but you stood behind your guy. Speaks volumes Mr. Leonsis, and this is why we love our organization. Thanks!
Dear Ted, Thanks so much for your concern as the owner of the Caps. The experience at the phonebooth keeps getting better. The team you have helped to build and nurture is awesome. My 2 cents is to eliminate interperiod events as I am normally in the concourse then. Better ice to help the Caps avoid injuries is an A+ in my book. Best wishes, Jim Dwight
would it be possible on days like yesterday to schedule the start time back an hour to 8PM just in case the game does go to OT like yesterday? – or even if it doesn’t just to give the crew that much more time to get things set up.
I know it wouldn’t be hugely popular with everyone, but I think having the ice in the best shape possible would settle people a bit more than a little later start time – especially on a weekend.
Ted, thanks for your comments on the ice. You are the very last person who would want any harm to our players. I wonder if turning the arena temperature down would help. I sat really close to the ice last year, and it was t-shirt weather. At the old Cap Centre I sat up in the cheap seats and it was cold! ……thx.
ted- i know that back in the day when the montreal forum existed, it was well known to have the best ice. i was a season ticket holder and the only between period entertainment on the ice was watching the zamboni clean the ice…which was actually nice and relaxing after a usually intense period—kind of like watching somone clean your windshield.
Bottom line—eliminating the on ice activities sounds like a good idea, but be prepared to take some heat because everyone loves watching the kids play.
Thanks, Ted, for hearing your team, for responding to fans, and for this team!
Lets Go Caps!
No activities on the ice does not seem like it would be a huge deal if that’s what it takes. After all, we go to the games to watch the Caps play, right? Additionally, the scoreboard entertainment is the best I’ve seen. More of that in lieu of on-ice action? I don’t think any fan would leave disappointed.
From where we sit (a few rows behind the players bench/red line), you could see the ice was ESPECIALLY bad last night. I’m glad Poti had the confidence to say what he said. I’m happier still to read what you wrote, Ted.
As much as we enjoy Mites on Ice and the fans dressed in puck outfits racing between the 2nd and the 3rd, if it helps to suspend those events on nights following basketball-in-the-afternoon, go for it!
It’s one thing when the puck bounces wildly and breaks up a play. We thank the ice when the puck skips over a visiting team player’s stick and we curse the ice when it happens to a Caps player.
But any player becoming injured as a result of the ice is another story. It seem worth the NO MITES try, Ted.
You’re going to have the same problem on March 14th when the Harlem Globetrotters play at at 1:00 before the game against Carolina. Why in the world would they schedule the Globetrotters to play on that date? Absolutely ridiculous.
ted,
i’m glad you commented on the ice conditions. you’ve been a model owner over the years, and you’ve rightfully earned a lot of trust from caps fans. i think allowances can be made for scheduling and for the arena’s lease agreements, but only if the problem is acknowledged by management.
it’s good to hear that the ice will be a priority, and it’s GREAT that you are staying true to your track record of keeping an open and honest dialog with fans.
v/r
kyle, chicago, IL
The reality is that Georgetown needs to get its own stadium like every other college in this area has. I don’t think they should play at the VC at all.
I like the idea of cutting out some of the activities between periods.(Mites on Ice, and stuff like that). When they cut the lights out before the period starts you can still see puddles on the ice. Having the extra time in between periods would help.
Also, would it be possible in the future to have some(only on days basketball is played) games at 7:30? If a basketball game is played in Verizon in the day, having the extra 30 minutes to get the rink ready would help.
Last year after the playoffs Daniel Briere said that the ice conditions at Verizon was beneficial to Philly. He said that the ice didn’t allow the Caps skilled players to maximize their skills. Also Florida’s coach commented on the ice last night, and said how it played in favor for Florida.
With all that said, the Caps still play great at home. 22-4-1 is one of the best records at home.
Also, Mike is on fire right now. He should be some consideration for the Norris trophy. I think he’d be a lock to win it if he didn’t get injured earlier in the year.