Many fans and members of the media have reached out to me to ask my opinion of the Penguins win of the Stanley Cup; what it means for the Caps; and my thoughts as to how well we played against them in our series.
And here is my answer: It means absolutely nothing to us. This year’s version of the Penguins was the best team in the NHL. They proved it outright and they deserved to win the championship. That we played them well in our playoff 7 game series offers me zero solace. We lost and they won. Next slide. There is no consolation prize in sports. We don’t get graded on efforts just on outcomes. We want to win a Stanley Cup. We didn’t get it done. The Penguins won the Cup and deservedly so.
Tags: NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take
Posted in Hockey | 23 Comments »
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Here is a very smart piece on officiating in the NHL playoffs and how important it is to stay out of the penalty box. And how important it is to capitalize on your opportunities with a man advantage or be efficient in the penalty kill. This
article also offers a good analysis on the officials and who calls what.
I was not surprised to see that we had the worst efficiency rating in power plays to penalty kills in the league during the playoffs and that the two finalists, the Penguins and Red Wings, are ranked number 1 and number 2. When you see we are last in terms of differential - we had 13 less power plays than penalties against - it is a wonder that we went to game 7 in Round 2 in the playoffs, isn’t it? Twenty-six minutes of being purely short-handed is a lot of time in the playoffs.
Tags: Detroit Red Wings, Hockey, NHL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take
Posted in Hockey | 13 Comments »
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
Time will tell if this article is right or not even close.
I am glad we are on the list.
Once the playoffs start, anything can happen. We just need to be focused on qualifying for the playoffs. That is top of mind for our organization. And we need to be playing playoff-like hockey to be prepared for the rigors of the playoffs.
Tags: Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals
Posted in Hockey | No Comments »
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
Here is a very complimentary piece on the Caps rebuild plan. Thank you so much.
We can’t gloat. We haven’t won anything yet. We have one goal, a Stanley Cup here in DC for our fans. We have to be singular in our passion and focus. Go Caps!
Tags: Hockey, NHL, Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
Posted in Hockey | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
A couple of years ago, the Capitals were 100 to 1 long shots to win a Stanley Cup. This off season, we are now 15 to 1 according to these betting experts. We have the 7th best odds in the NHL to win a Cup. I guess we are moving on up.
Tags: Hockey, NHL, Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
Posted in Hockey | 3 Comments »
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
Thank you. This articulates what we have been planning and hoping for as part of our rebuild.
It was such a difficult and painful process and it had so much risk inherent in it. And it isn’t completed. But my sincerest desire is to not only win a Stanley Cup but for the team to be really good for a long, long time. I believe that is the deliverable: Keep a very good team together for a long time to the benefit of the fan base and the franchise itself. And win the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup trophy. We made one tiny step last season. We have to get our team into its prime together. The window has opened and now we need to jump through it. This article on the Outstanding Six and best practices is a must read. How does a team build itself to compete at the highest levels over a long period of time and win a championship? That is the key question and one we are trying to answer correctly!
Tags: Hockey, NHL, Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
Posted in Hockey | 2 Comments »
