"It's Called Respect..."

A couple of games ago when the Caps were in Montreal and the Habs fans boo'ed Alexander Ovechkin for no apparent reason other than he was carrying the puck up the ice, Capitals TV Announcer Joe B. stated: "Its called respect." I found that an odd take but not an unreasonable one on the whole situation. However, this past week, an article was published in The Hockey News that really says RESPECT back to the Capitals about their play and prospects this season. It's titled: "Ovechkin, Capitals crushing NHL with new responsible, winning system" - basically it says what most of us in the Capitals blogsphere have been saying for a while but to be said in The Hockey News well that's RESPECT.

Also interesting information and reading this morning for Caps fan is this post over at "Capitals News Network" about the NHL Team who that leads the league in minutes played by rookies so far this season. So if you've been enjoying the play and/or having a man crush on Marcus Johansson, John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Michal Neuvirth, Jay Beagle, or Braden Holtby, and wondering why, this blog post might help you understand the roots of those feelings. Or perhaps the way these guys have been playing the second half of the season you forgot they were all at least technically rookies, and lest not forget Semyon Varlamov, who is just past rookie status himself.

In case you missed the Selection Show for the NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament this morning on ESPN 2 the 16 teams in this year's tourney are:
The five (5) automatic bids - Hockey East Champions and defending 2010 Champions Boston College, WCHA Champions North Dakota, ECAC Champion Yale, CCHA Champion Miami of Ohio, and Atlantic Hockey Champ Air Force.
and at large selections: Minnesota - Duluth, Union, University of Denver, Western Michigan University, Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha, Colorado College, Merrimack, Notre Dame, and New Hampshire.

Regions for the Tourney are:
In the East Regional in Bridgeport, the # 1 Seed is Yale who play #4 Air Force, while #3 Minnesota - Duluth plays #2 Union.
In the Midwest Regional its the #1 seed North Dakota Fighting Sioux vs #4 RPI and #2 Denver vs #3 Western Michigan Broncos.
In the West Regional its #1 Boston College vs # 4 Colorado College and #2 Michigan vs. #3 Nebraska - Omaha.
In the Northeast Regional in New Hampshire its #1 Miami of Ohio vs. #4 New Hampshire and #2 Merrimack vs #3 Notre Dame.

If you're wondering why/how an at large selection/#4 seed basically gets to play a home game against a number 1 seed who is being force to travel out of area (i.e. Miami of Ohio vs. New Hampshire) then you are sharing the feeling I have right now as I listened to the selection show. If you know the answer then please enlighten me, I cannot understand why the Selection Committee isn't making New Hampshire travel say to the Midwest region and sending RPI to play Miami of Ohio in New Hampshire, but hey that's just me and just one of numerous possibilities that would likely be "more fair" than what they've done here. Of course if you're Miami of Ohio, you'll probably just tear through the region as a way of demanding RESPECT...

Finally as noted over at Japer's Rink today - Happy 28h Birthday to Dennis Wideman.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!

BU Captures NCAA Title in DC as Caps Drop Last Game of Regular Season to Florida

Yesterday in Sunrise Florida it was a No Point day for the Capitals as the 2008-2009 Washington Capitals tried to capture a team record 109th and 110th point. In the end it was loose defensive play that did the Caps in. Now it's on to the playoffs for the Capitals who finished the regular season in second place in the NHL's Eastern Conference. Since Montreal lost yesterday we now know the Caps first round opponent will be the NY Rangers, who have been playing pretty well and who finish their season this evening in Philadelphia. Sadly, despite a solid effort and a 93 point season the Florida Panthers finish the season in 9th place behind the Canadiens who also have 93 points by virtue of the tie breaker rules. All said, it's very possible, the so called "weakest division" in hockey may well not be the Southeast Division next season. Now Florida fans need to see how they will fare in the "Unrestricted Free Agent Wars" of this off season. The Panthers clearly took advantage of what became a game of pond hockey and had the Capitals end the season the way the started it - giving up 7 goals to a Southeast Division rival. Clearly the top three teams in the SE finished the season playing solidly; in their last 10 games Washington is 6-2-2; 2nd place Carolina (6th in the Conference) is 8-2-0, though they have dropped their last two; and Florida finished the season 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

The first round series of the 2009 playoffs are all settled now. In the Eastern Conference the match-ups are:

1) Boston (114) VS. 8) Montreal (93)

2) Washington (108) VS. 7) NY Rangers (93/95)

3) New Jersey (106) VS. 6) Carolina (97)

4/5) Philadelphia (99 or 101) VS. 5/4) Pittsburgh (99).

In the Western Conference the match-ups are shaping ups as follows:

1) San Jose (117) VS: 8) Saint Louis (90/92) or Anaheim (91)

2) Detroit (112/114) VS. 7) Anaheim (91) or Saint Louis (90/92)

3) Vancouver (100) VS. 6) Columbus (92)

4) Chicago (102/104) VS. 5) Calgary (98).

The Caps playoff series versus the Rangers opens at Verizon Center, it looks to me like that will be on Wednesday evening though I haven't been able to officially confirm that... (I do know the first round will start on Wednesday but I'm not positive the Caps will play if anyone has a reputable source/link, please post it in the comments.)

Next up the NY Rangers - Playoffs Baby!

LETS GO CAPS!!!!

I also know that my wingman and I had a much better time watching the NCAA finals live at Verizon Center than I would have had staying home and watching the Capitals game on Comcast. We once again sat in section 118 amongst a large group of Minnesotans who came to see, cheer and root for Bemidji State. Last night they were rooting for the Miami of Ohio RedHawks, using the logic - "A Miami win makes our team look better." Pretty reasonable logic I guess and until the last three minutes of the third period it looked like they would leave the area happy. However, the BU Terriers put on a surge that reversed, what had been a period where Miami had clearly outplayed them netting two goals in under three minutes to tie the contest at 3-3 and send it into overtime. All evening long it was championship NCAA Division I sports at it's best once again. I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves but I am providing some captions.

The National Anthem sung by the Naval Academy Quartet and the Announcement of the Starting Lineups Kick Off the Evening's Contest.

Alonge with the Contest on the Ice, We Were Treated To the "Bttle of the Bands" as Well - College Sports at Their Best!

I'm pretty sure the Miami of Ohio RedHawk Fans in Section 103 Yesterday Knew How To "Rock the Red" - Next Week We Regulars In the Section Will Be Hard=Pressed to Outdo Them But We'll Sure Try, Eh?

These two shots of the scoreboard in the final two minutes of the third period tell the story

Boston University 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Champions

Caps' Regular Finale May Be a "Don't Care " Except...

Caps' Regular Season Finale May Be a "Don't Care" Except

We May Not Know Who The Caps Will Play In The First Round of The Playoffs Until Tomorrow .. But ...

We Will Know Who The NCAA DI Men's Ice Hockey Champion Is Today

Today Sunrise, Florida the game between the Capitals and the Panthers is in one respect a "don't care." The Capitals have a lock on second place in the Eastern Conference and cannot overtake the Bruins, the Panthers cannot overtake either the Rangers or the Canadiens for eighth place and a playoff spot. However, in an opposing aspect, the game is all about what really matters when men "Man Up" - RESPECT - and both teams could care - A LOT - about the game and it's result, despite the fact it will have no impact on what they do when they wake up tomorrow. Except how they feel about themselves.

The Panthers have had a solid season, and it really is too bad they can't and won't make the playoffs. However, the FlaCats are playing a Division rival who they have a 2-3-0 record so far this season. If the Panthers win they do two things of note: i)split the season series with the winners of their division and, ii)end the season at home in front of their fans showing them they have the ability to beat a solid playoff team. A Capitals win also does two things of note for the pucksters from the Nation's Capital: i) it gives the 2008-2009 Caps 110 points - the most ever in franchise history; and, ii) it also means the Caps finish the regular season on a four game winning streak ... and how many games does a playoff series take to win ... that's right hockey fans, FOUR.

Interestingly at the end of today we Caps fans may not know who the Capitals will face in the first round of the playoffs - the NY "Blueshirt" Rangers or the Montreal "All Stars," sorry I meant to say Canadiens. The following last games of this season matter to both Eastern Conference teams in them relative to playoff seeding:

1) Pittsburgh @ Montreal, Saturday at 7PM - what a finale for the regular season of HNIC, eh, I can just hear Don Cherry pointing out how if the Pens win and Canadiens loose it will be because the Canadiens have too many Europeans on the team and/or Sid "The Kid" Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury made it all happen for the Pens, despite the fact Malkin carried them on his back when they were out this season.

and

2) NY Rangers @ Philadelphia, Sunday @ 5PM. If the Canadiens fail to gain a point today, the Rangers will finish 7th on the basis of more wins, regardless of whether they win or loose on Sunday. However, if the Habs get a point or two, the Rangers have to match or better the Canadiens point total for 7th place at the end of their game against the Flyers. The Rangers will win the first tie breaker - most Wins, the head to head series is tied 2-2-0 but it can't come to that, since the Rangers start the day with one more win than Montreal. Depending on the results of today's Hurricanes vs Devils game in NJ, and today's Flyers vs Islanders results, the game may or may not matter to the Flyers.

So....you guys down there in sunny Florida:

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!

NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship To Be Decided Today

Here in the district fans in search of live, playoff style hockey can get a large helping of hockey excitement at Verizon Center today, even though the Capitals are out of town. After watching two exciting semi-final games with my friend Dave, in which my adopted teams - the underdogs - lost, my regular wingman, home from college for Easter Weekend, and I will be in Section 118 watching the Boston University Terriers take on the Miami University of Ohio Redhawks for the NCAA Championship. On Thursday Dave and I, who started out the afternoon with seats in Section 424, adopted the Bemidji State University Beavers at their pre-game gathering point - the Gordon Biersch Brewpub at 9th and F street. The mood was exciting and we were able to but tickets in one of their sections, section 118 from a fan who had some extras and had come from Minnesota. As Peerless noted, for a school of only 5,000 BSU did NOT lack in any way for fan support. Also I have to say, these are really nice people and they are pretty much totally into supporting their team. It's a total shame they didn't make it to the finals, but both they and the RedHawks played a hekuva game. In the end the RedHawks skated as well as the diminutive team from Bemidji and this time even continued great play from Bemidji's Sophmore sensation - goalie Matt Dalton, wasn't enough to drive the Beavers to victory. The RedHawks won 4-1 (the last goal being an empty netter). The first period was awesome though and both Dalton and the RedHawk goalie was awesome. In the second period the forwards on both teams came alive and the game continued at a frenzied pace in the third though, sadly for the folks seated around me the RedHawks seemed to dictate the pace of play most of the third period. Here's an interesting side note - the Music at the Beaver's end of the ice was provided by the George Mason University Band - how's them apples our local Cinderella University helping out the first 16th ranked team to make it to the Frozen Four? They even played the BSU fight song twice - way to go!

In the second game of the day the #1 ranked Terriers from BU, whose fans are also at the end of the ice I was sitting in. raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. However, the Catamounts from Vermont roared back until a late goal by the Terriers gave them a 5-4 victory and propelled them into the finals against the Red Hawks.

The atmosphere is awesome, it's not a "Rockin' the Red" atmosphere it's different - it's big time college sports at it best kind of atmosphere. The "tailgate" yesterday at Gordon Biersch was awesome, our waitress, Shaz saw my Caps Jersey and said - "Caps game nights are pretty wild, but these guys take it to a whole nother level, man." I told here "Yeah, but wait till the NHL playoffs, we'll be crazy too." That said I really, really got into it with the BSU Beaver Fans, urging the "Little Engine that could on to victory and was disappointed when "our team" lost.

Now it's off to the Phone Booth for my first DI NCAA Championship game!

Caps Down Thrashers 4-2 ...

Well last night was another TWO POINT night for the Capitals as they downed the Thrashers 4-2. I am in Atlanta on business and had a dream of possibly seeing the game however, since I like my "day job" and was involved doing it from 7AM yesterday through 9:00PM, I am sad to say, my dream didn't come to reality. Either way it was nice to get back to my hotel room and turn on ESPN to see the Caps are now within 1 win of: a) a 50 win season, b) clinching 2nd in the Eastern Conference and c) tying their best regular season point total - ever.

Thursday's game against Tampa should be a good one - however, I'll be at Verizon watching the NCAA semi-finals. My buddy Dave & I have adopted Bemidji State, as in - "GO BSU Beavers!" - "The Beaver's are really HOT, eh?" - "You Gotta Love These Beavers, Don'tcha?" Even if they weren't the Cinderella Team of the Frozen Four, you have to admit you'd be tempted to get "behind" the BSU Beavers, wouldn't you with the endless possibilities for smile and winks as well. Seriously though - Go Beavers!!! but I will be checking the out of town scoreboard and really, really thinking -

LETS GO CAPS!!!