The Caps won a road game last night 3-2 over Carolina.
We now have 38 points and are tied for most points in the East and second in the NHL.
Carolina is a long time respected rival of ours. We play each other hard and we play each other often.
We take each divisional game seriously as does every other NHL team.
We are already playing short-handed. We are playing without Semin, Knuble, Poti, Laing, Gordon, Morrisonn and we seem to be playing a lot without Alex Ovechkin as well.
Alex suffered a double whammy last night. He was injured and he was awarded a game misconduct penalty and missed most of the game.
Alex loves the game and respects his teammates and his opponents. He plays the game with abandon and he plays the game with a deep sense of intensity. He is an honest player. He is also a two time NHL MVP. It was painful to watch that play happen last night on all accounts.
I thought our team rose to the challenge last night. Our goaltending was very good and we played as a unit and got the two points.
I am glad November is past us now. Having 14 games in 30 nights is too much of a strain on our players. If my math is close to being right, I think we garnered 20 points this month in the standings all while playing with a makeshift lineup.
I am happy that we are off until Thursday when we play the Florida Panthers at home. The incident regarding their goaltender last night has to be another very painful issue for the players. I cringed when I saw the replay of that play last evening.
No one in our league wishes bad circumstances or bad health on any player. This is a big brotherhood. It is a shame that there has been what seems like an inordinate amount of injuries this year in our league. This is a fast paced game played by big men in a contained area played with ferocity.
It pains me when I see any player in the NHL suffer an injury. We are in this together.
I know what you all know about Alex and his health right now. When a player suffers an injury, he is iced immediately to try to contain the swelling. Alex will be checked out by our doctors today. We will all know more about his health within the next 24 to 48 hours.
We wish for good health for all of our players. Keep your fingers crossed.
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Hockey, NHL, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
Hate to say it Ted, because I love AO as a player, but this was coming for a long time. He throws dirty checks and it is unbelievable he hasn’t been suspended for some of them. This is the 2nd major kneeing incident I can recall (Gonchar being the first) and neither of them jibe with Boudreau’s contention last night that he was just leaning out with his shoulder. He stuck his knee out and anyone who has ever played the game knows it’s dirty. If Laraque gets 5, so should AO, injured or not.
This is an(other) ‘iron-man’ moment for Ovie. In terms of hitting, that was a nasty, violent game last night. There was a hit on Perreault in the third period where he was mashed up against the end boards by two Hurricane players. Perreault is a bit on the diminutive side and he could have been badly injured. Few will be talking about that today. The Ovie-Gleason incident was relatively coincidental - they both made mid-move adjustments and crashed awkwardly. The Perreault hit was an intentional rookie crush-job, performed with a certain degree of malice. I personally like that Ovie holds the opposition accountable for their hits because otherwise our team would be constantly hit with impunity. It is impressive to me that the Capitals can play both with finesse and toughness at this point. They are on a short list in that regard. I also hope the league changes in terms of how violent the game is in context with the speed at which it is played. NFL in ice would not be much to do with hockey.
Thank you, Ted, for being the kind of guy who DOES care about - not only his own players, but the players on other teams. Give Alex - and everyone else - my best.
When you sign a player like Ovechkin, we have to be prepared for that kind of thing at any moment. He gives as good as he takes. I do think the penalty was dicey. That was a bad situation caused by 2 men at the wrong angles, not a dirty play.
This game is fast, hard hitting and sometimes scary and injuries will happen.
The hockey boards are blowing up with every fan from opposing teams wishing Ovechkin at least a 5 game suspension. I’ve looked at the replay a number of times and I can’t seem to find an alternative to the fact. He was leading with his knee, not his shoulder. It is a shame and will probably cause him the league vote for MVP.
Likewise, my wife could not believe that there was no penalty to Gleason for dragging Sloan by the horse collar across the ice during the large scuffle towards the end of the game.
Sometimes Ovi’s style is the hockey version of “irrational exuberance.” We just don’t want him to crash and burn, taking the team with him.
Ted,
You guys need to sit him down and lay the law down. He seems to think that he is an enforcer out there to rough up other players when his friends get hit. His career is going to be shortened by several years if he keeps it up. He is getting a reputation around the league and other tough guys are going to start taking runs at him at a higher level than they already are.
He really needs to watch out.
Ted,
I am sad to say that I was disgraced to be a capitals fan yesterday. I am a long time fan of the game of hockey and a long time fan of the capitals, and the play of Ovechkin yesterday showed his complete lack of respect for the game of hockey and the other players. I love Alex and his on ice abilities, but it is becoming harder and harder to defend his actions on the ice. If he continues to play this way he will have a strike against him much like dirty players in the NFL (cough cough Hines Ward). I really hope the capitals address this matter…
JM
Ted,
Tom Boswell’s column is excellent. Maybe Alex will heed advice to ease off a notch. He will score just as much, showcase his finess, and stay healthy so he can play at 30 the way he plays now. Maybe a conversation with Federov would be useful. Or Bobby Clark.
Sincerely