Ted's Take

Nice words from The Hockey News who threw a great party in Montreal at the All-Star game. Check it out.

• 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.

It is an exhibition game in the middle of the season. There are no points awarded for it and it is all about individual achievement and fun. It is really an event that caters to television, sponsors and the local fans in the community where the game is played.

I watch All-Star games and my only hope is that our players who participate don’t get hurt. I have zero emotional connection to the game.

At season’s end, there is a vote for the best players in the NHL. Alex Ovechkin has been a FIRST team ALL NHL player in each and every year he has played and he was last season’s MVP. That is the All-Star vote that matters.

So it is now time to stop our collective whining here. I didn’t want to mount an All-Star online voting campaign. I didn’t want to expend franchise energy and resources on a program that frankly is about individual stats and not about playoff hockey and the pursuit of a Stanley Cup. I also think that franchises that mount campaigns to support individuals for All-Star games look “small time and unsophisticated” to the media, longtime fans and industry insiders.

That was a decision that I stand by. I am much more concerned with our play of late than I am about the All-Star game balloting process.

We now have many players who have been out for a long time trying to be re-integrated into our team. We also need to find motivation and play with desperation and show hard work and play physical with a big lead in the standings. This is a new experience for this team and right now we have lost our focus and our momentum. All of our energies need to marshaled to get back to being a tight knit team that plays together and is trying to achieve a common goal. We also need to play with a chip on our shoulder. We are not taken seriously yet and the best way to get respect is to win; be a long term playoff performer; and win a Stanley Cup. Everything else will take care of itself if we win a championship. A Stanley Cup clarifies and provides true signal through all of the noise.

I appreciate the media writing supportive and critical articles such as this one and the emails I have received about the All-Star game but to be direct and honest, I don’t care. I don’t want us to waste cycles on this exhibition game any longer. We need to be focused on the next 38 games to qualify for the playoffs. That is all that matters to me and our franchise.