Listen up, snowflakes! Ovechkin is rolling

fix · Post by **fix** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 4:27 am

The Rat Pack wrote:Just a heads up that I'll be putting my new sig up sometime this evening.

Otis... how about some kind of an avatar? Any chance of russling me up one?

Sorry for the delay.. I must have missed that request.

How's that one work for you ;)

AcidQueen · Post by **AcidQueen** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:03 am

Y'know, as much as I dislike the Crapitals, I must admit that I adore Ovencookin'. The dude is clearly just having a blast out there and is just happy to be playing in the NHL and loves to interact with the fans--very rare to see that kind of mentality these days. Were it not for his still-shaky English, he'd be an ideal poster boy for the NHL.

Hopefully he doesn't become a jaded lazy floater like Alexei Yashin--who is great with the fans and about the most polite guy I've ever encountered, but has a just plain shitty attitude when it comes to his game.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:11 pm

Great avatar TRP...that goal still amazes me.

JD · Post by JD » Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:23 pm

The Rat Pack wrote:Who was it in here that I was talking about Chris Clark with? He's having a career best season. It's great when a trade works out like that.

That'd be me...

I was disappointed to see Clark go... he's been steadily improving since he first played for the Flames years ago. His speed and toughness really complemented the Flames' system last season. A lot of folks in these parts were hard on Clark a lot of times, even though it really wasn't his fault.... just that previous regimes placed him into positions he didn't belong (2nd line winger).

Anyway, it's not a good sign for the Caps that Clark is again on one of the top two lines, but he'll work hard and score roughly ten goals for them anyway. Now I see he's got 12 already... armageddon must be near!!

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:59 pm

Otis... thanks for doing me a solid.

Yeah, if Clark should end up with 20+ goals.. I'm heading for the bomb shelter.

Scarecrow, way to man-up and give ATG his props. That takes balls.

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:52 pm

Shoalzie wrote:Great avatar TRP...that goal still amazes me.

You what the most amazing thing about the avatar is?

He gets knocked off the puck and get tangled with the Dman...but he never takes his eyes off the puck.

98% of the players in the league would have just given up on the play.

al? · Post by **al?** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 10:44 pm

That goal's pretty good.

I like the breakaway goal he scored v Carolina a bit better. Can't find a link to it (yet) but he flips the puck in the air as a diversion then scoops it down and beats the goalie.....with a defender all over him from behind.

[understatement]The kid is good.[/understatement]

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:55 pm

I really liked the Carolina goal. I also liked it because he crashed the net without fear. He'll take his lumps.

Just a couple of things from last nights game:

The Capitals announced Friday that they have re-signed right wing Chris Clark to a two-year contract extension. The 29-year-old native of South Windsor, CT was obtained from Calgary last summer. The team made the announcement late in the third period, and Clark was given a warm ovation.

...and about ATG: "You have to battle that guy," McCabe said. "He's a great player and that's why I like him so much. He's not a guy who dances around. He's a guy who finishes his checks"

"We got outworked tonight, that's the bottom line," Toronto's Darcy Tucker said. "It wasn't anything but that. Their team came to play and outworked our hockey club, and that was the difference in the game. ... We got pushed around. The big kid that he is, he takes care of himself, and when guys try to hit him, it's almost a mistake because he sometimes runs right over them"

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:29 am

It has been a good week for ATG.

-Named to the Olympics all star team
-The Toronto media is all over him. Treating him like a walking god.

Of course, he doesn't disappoint.. Getting the possible game winner in a proper beatdown of Toronto at the ACC.

I think the caps will be 3-1 with the Leafs in the season series.

ATG did a great 20 questions with Michael Lansberg that I'll post later.

Oh, I see Kolzig is his guest tomorrow. Caps are everywhere in TO.

AcidQueen · Post by **AcidQueen** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 1:43 pm

al? wrote:I like the breakaway goal he scored v Carolina a bit better.

So do I--even though he scored that goal on MY team.

If the Crapitals get some decent talent around him, I'll be waking in cold sweats night after night for years.

Degenerate · Post by **Degenerate** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:33 pm

Way to goon it up in the last three minutes there, Leafs. Do the players get Air Canada miles for running shuttles to the penalty box?

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:12 am

Well, Clark, who is having the best year of his career, has signed. He had some great quotes:

“Glen hanlon has really worked at finding the buttons to push with people. I think he is really intelligent that way and in knowing what to do with certain guys. I have responded to that and have been able to play the way I can play. Also the team is a real good, hard-working group of young guys. They’re only going up from here and big things are coming here in the next couple of years. I am excited to be a part of it."

“Hockey-wise, it has been great,” says Clark of his first season in Washington. “The team is fun, the guys are really nice, it’s great to be in the locker room and it’s a great atmosphere we have here. You could have a team when you are rebuilding and losing where it is miserable coming to the rink all the time. But Glen, the coaches and the leaders here are keeping it upbeat so guys don’t get upset coming to the rink and thinking, ‘We lost a game and we’re going to get bag-skated and it’s going to be a rough practice.’ They know we’re trying all the time and I think it makes a huge difference in the way we play.”

“Even though they are considered young kids, they are mature beyond their years,” says Clark of Washington’s group of young defensemen. These guys are really way ahead of where they should be for their age, development-wise. That has to make the organization feel really good. And it takes a little bit of pressure off the guys they consider to be older, because they know guys like [Shaone] Morrisonn and [Steve] Eminger can play 20 or 25 minutes. [Mike] Green obviously has shown what he can do. I’m feeling very comfortable with the way the organization is going with their guys back there."

Having gone through a lengthy rebuild from start to finish with the Flames, Clark is in a unique position to assess Washington’s pace as it builds its way back into contention for the Stanley Cup.

“I think we accelerated our pace and what was expected of us from the beginning of the season to now,” declares Clark. "I think that as well as Alex [Ovechkin] has played and keeping Olie and the core of this group together, I think it is going to be very good and that next year we can be a contender to get into the playoffs.”

al? · Post by **al?** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 2:02 am

The Rat Pack wrote: "I think that as well as Alex [Ovechkin] has played and keeping Olie and the core of this group together, I think it is going to be very good and that next year we can be a contender to get into the playoffs.”

Absolutely. If possible, I'd trade whatever I could to lure Malkin away from Pittsburgh. The Penguins are headed nowhere but out of town, and if the Caps can avoid mortgaging the future, a Malkin/Ovechkin line combo would strike fear into any team. Malkin's toughness may be questionable, but Ovechkin's is not. If they have to suck for another year or two to land Malkin, I think it's worth it.

Count me squarely on the Ovechkin bandwagon...........

I know. Me?!?!? On a bandwagon?!?!?!

JD · Post by JD » Fri Mar 03, 2006 3:06 pm

Almost sounds like Clark is enjoying some sort of country club atmosphere in Washington. I guess living in anonymity and not having to face consequences for bad performances is pretty sweet after having to play for a guy that actually holds you accountable in Darryl Sutter.

I like Ovechkin, but I can't see the Caps as a team that's on the rise.... not yet, anyway.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 4:16 pm

The Caps are at least a year or two away from contending unless they spend some cash on some free agents. Ovechkin rules...no one disputes that but he can't single-handedly get this team to 80 or 90 points in a season. He needs a better supporting cast and a bunch of kids won't get them there right away.

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:48 pm

You may remember Shoalzie.. I stated the Caps were 17 million under the cap and that's not including paying Jagr 6 million. So technically they're 23 million under the cap for next season. That's a lot of jack to play around with.

JD, I don't know where you got a country club atmosphere from. Maybe you should re-read the quotes and figure out where you got that. I guess you're just hating.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 8:19 pm

The Rat Pack wrote:You may remember Shoalzie.. I stated the Caps were 17 million under the cap and that's not including paying Jagr 6 million. So technically they're 23 million under the cap for next season. That's a lot of jack to play around with.

They definitely should use it...they've got a helluva piece to build around.

JD · Post by JD » Fri Mar 03, 2006 8:45 pm

The Rat Pack wrote:JD, I don't know where you got a country club atmosphere from. Maybe you should re-read the quotes and figure out where you got that. I guess you're just hating.

Well I like Chris Clark and I have no feeling towards the Caps, good or bad, so it's not hating. But the general gist of the quotes in question seems to be that Clark is pretty upbeat about being in a losing situation, very similar to the prevailing attitude here in Calgary before Darryl Sutter arrived. As soon as Sutter got here, he talked about changing that attitude and making people miserable about losing and being accountable for it.

I don't know if Sutter's approach is the best one, but it worked here, and it's disappointing to see Clark so happy-go-lucky about losing.

al? · Post by **al?** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 1:54 am

Alfredsson likes Ovechkin, doesn't care much for Crosby

WASHINGTON -- Daniel Alfredsson knows who would get his vote as the NHL's best player this season.

"Alexander Ovechkin," said the Senators captain, without hesitation.

Not just rookie of the year.

Best player, bar none, in the NHL.

That's high praise for the Capitals rookie from Alfredsson, a player who sets pretty high standards himself.

Alfredsson is impressed with Ovechkin's rare skill in the NHL today, the ability to beat people one-on-one and seemingly create something out of nothing.

"He can make chicken soup out of chicken (bleep)," said Alfredsson. "Everybody is coached so well, every defenceman knows how to play the one-on-one. It's very rare that you see it and he can beat people clean. That's the key. He can create chances from nothing, really.

"I just think he's got everything you could want. He's a great skater, he's a great stickhandler, good one-on-one and he's got a really good work ethic.

"He's the best player consistently. What he's done with that team? To be able to put up those numbers ... but I don't think he's all about the numbers, either."

The Senators face Ovechkin and the Caps today at 3 p.m. with the 20-year-old Ovechkin looking to rekindle his scoring touch.

The runaway candidate for rookie of the year had a seven-game goal scoring streak (a Caps record) snapped Friday night in the Caps' 4-3 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils. In that span, he brought his season total to 42 goals (second in the league) and had an incredible 35 shots, 24 in the last three games of the streak.

When defencemen try to close the gap on him to take that shot away, that's when Ovechkin, who seems to do everything at top speed, can embarrass them.

"Beating a guy one-on-one is so hard these days. You don't see it too often," said Alfredsson. "To do it, you have to be able to do some pretty special things. He's got the speed and he's got the threat of the shot that makes the defenceman even more cautious, too. That's the key to beating a guy one-on-one. I can't do it."

Ovechkin also impresses Alfredsson with his willingness to take and give a hit, a trait not often seen in a lot of high-end players.

That's what separates him from a player like Atlanta Thrasher Ilya Kovalchuk and from a player like fellow rookie Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, said Alfredsson.

"I haven't seen a rookie like him in I don't know how long. Kovalchuk was good, but he's another step ahead of him, just because he adds another dimension of being physical.

"He doesn't get frustrated if he gets hit, either. He gets up and keeps playing. Not like the other rookie (Crosby), who starts crying. I think there's a big difference in the attitude. He's pretty impressive with the way he's handled himself overall. He loves the game, no question."

The task of trying to cover Ovechkin will fall again to the Senators defensive tandem of Zdeno Chara and Chris Phillips.

Kovalchuk was blanked 5-on-5 in Ottawa's 3-1 win over the Thrashers Friday night thanks to Chara coming up with one of his best games in what has been a so-so year for him.

Without the benefit of last change, Senators coach Bryan Murray and the players did a great job of recognizing when Kovalchuk was on the ice and getting the matchups they wanted Friday night.

"It's like a cat-and-mouse game," said Chara. "You're watching their bench. Sometimes you jump on and they jump off and you wind up playing two or three shifts in a row. That's okay, that's what I train for in the summer. Then the other guys get frustrated with what you're doing and just stop trying to get their matchups.

"I remember one game against Vancouver, I think I had 47 shifts. Every time I went on the ice, (Markus) Naslund went back to the bench. He would see me jump on and he would jump off. I think there were a bunch of two- or three-second shifts.

"Some nights they're going to get their chances. They're great players. I like the challenge and the motivation of playing guys like that. You have to be on your toes for 60 minutes. If you give them a chance to get going, suddenly they're controlling the game. I like to be the guy in control and dictating the game."

So far, so good.

In two games against the Senators this year, Ovechkin has one goal (shorthanded) with eight shots and is minus-3.

-----------------------------

Crosby already with a crybaby tag. His career has not started well. He will always be a step behind Ovechkin.

Mainiac · Post by **Mainiac** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 2:16 am

al? wrote:Crosby already with a crybaby tag.

Well, he's obviously learning at the knee of the Magnificent One.

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:31 am

It seems that winning the Calder is a done deal.

He is in serious contention for the following:

Lester B. Pearson
Calder
Hart
Art Ross
Maurice Richard

Agree or disagree.. He is in the running for all of them. In the top three for each one.

Only I had the faith.

al? · Post by **al?** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:55 am

The Rat Pack wrote: Only I had the faith.

eazy, brah.....don't let an 8+ pg thread go to your head.

He's only a rookie. This is a rockies/west of the rockies populated board (true?). It takes time for word to spread 2000 plus miles, even in todays techological age.

There's lots of bright stars that turn out duds. This kid with his skill and his heart have proven him one of the best. Barring injury and/or a major attitude change, he's a lock for the HOF. Can't say that about Crosby, whoever wins the Calder.

Ovechkin won't win the Pearson, Hart or Art Ross. Too young on a bottom feeding team.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 3:34 am

al?--You and I know who's going to win MVP, right? :wink: (Sup JD) If not Kiprusoff, Ovechkin wouldn't even be in the top 10 on my list. The Caps were horrible before he got there and they're still horrible now. They're on pace to finish only 6 points better than they were in '03-04

If he goes bonkers, he can win the Art Ross...I wouldn't bet on it though. He's 13 points behind Thornton and Thornton has a game in hand.

I can see him winning the Richard Trophy...gonna be trading off between Jagr, Ovechkin, and Kovalchuk until the end of the season and look for Gagne to make a push if Forsberg stays healthy.

The Calder, I don't think there is a doubt he wins that as long as he keeps up his current pace. Crosby is also top 10 in scoring though...it'll be pretty close if he can narrow the gap in points. He's 8 points back of Alexander the Gr8 and Ovechkin has a game in hand.

The bottom line is he is setting the hockey world on its ear with how quickly he's stepped in a been dominating force. He will be Art Ross winner a few times in his career, I'm fairly sure of that. He'll get more assists when he gets a supporting cast. Right now, he's got to do a lot the work on his own.

As far as most electrifying players in the game, he's right there in the discussion. He may be the most exciting player one-on-one in the game. Datsyuk is probably the most creative playmaker in the league. Kovalchuk is slightly better than Ovechkin as far as being a pure sniper...right now at least. Ovechkin pretty much has the total package as a player though...crazy skill, wheels, passion for the game, and can play the body. He's a lot of fun to watch. Crosby will be a thrill to watch as well but he's no where near Ovechkin as far as pure entertainment value is concerned.

al? · Post by **al?** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:51 am

They should give Ovechkin the C next season.

He's nailz......like a Sakic, or an Yzerman, or.....or, even an Iginla (but with more than 35 goals a year).

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:22 am

We'll see about his leadership skills in the coming years when the Caps are more of factor in the Eastern Conference. Right now, he's having the time of his life playing on a brutal team. Imagine how exciting he'll be when Washington actually has a team worth watching.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:46 am

Alexander the Gr8 gets point #100...where you at, RP?

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:08 am

The team gave him a pie in the face.

I hope someone posts a picture of it.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:34 pm

http://midatlantic.comcastsportsnet.com ... 041006.wmv

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:10 am

Alexander Semin returning to the Caps next season...

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=162166&hubname=

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:18 am

I like his comments.

Add another 20+ goal scorer into the mix.