Change in PUCKCON readiness

Almost two months ago – two MONTHS ago – we scribbled out our handy tool to let the reader know just where we are in these infernal labor negotiations.  It’s over there on the right.

For some time now, we have been at PUCKCON 2, described as:

“No labor discussions are scheduled; sides far apart on key issues for foreseeable future.”

With this week’s owner/player confabs and the widespread reports of progress being made, plus the fact that the discussions have gone into the early morning hours, we have changed the “puck-in-play condition” to PUCKCON 4:

“Sides are exchanging proposals on major issues in same framework.”

Carry on…

The Science of Hockey... Sorta

We've shown this before, but while the NHL and NHL Players Association continue to sort out their labor differences, we bring you once more one of the great moments in experimental science, an answer to the question, "yeah, but will it blend?"

A NO-point night -- Game 26: Rangers 3 - Capitals 2

The Washington Capitals completed their back-to-back set of games this week with a visit to Manhattan to take on the New York Rangers.  It was a story of two teams going in different directions.  The Capitals entered the contest on a three-game winning streak, while the Rangers were stumbling since Thanksgiving with a record of 1-3-1 since the holiday.

However, the Rangers won both of the previous contests with the Caps this season, a 4-2 win at Madison Square Garden on November 14^th and a 4-3 win in Washington two days later.  Neither team could take control of the contest at the outset, although both teams enjoyed good scoring chances in the first period.  Caps goalie Braden Holtby stoned Rick Nash from point blank range off a Caps turnover at the six-minute mark of the period, and Henrik Lundqvist foiled Jason Chimera on a breakaway 13 minutes into the period.  That would be as close as either team would come to scoring in the first 20 minutes as the period closed scoreless.

The scoreless tie was broken by the Rangers early in the second period.  Brad Richards held the puck at the left wing wall and waited for Marian Gaborik to settle into a seam in the Caps’s defense.  Richards found him in the high slot, and Gaborik one-timed the puck past Holtby for the game’s first goal.

The Rangers added to their lead less than six minutes later on a power play when it was Richards on the receiving end of a feed, this one from Dan Girardi, who carried the puck deep and around the Caps net.  When he emerged from the other side of the cage he managed to push the puck in front, even with Brooks Laich draped over him.  From the edge of the left wing circle Richards chipped the puck over Holtby’s blocker to give the Blueshirts a 2-0 lead.

New York made it 3-0 late in the period when they caught the Caps chasing in their own zone.  Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin played a game of cycling the puck in the right wing corner until Stepan stepped out toward the Capitals’ net, and Hagelin found him with a pass that Stepan redirected through  Holtby’s legs for a three-goal lead that the Rangers took to the second intermission.

The third period started with the Rangers trying to consolidate their gains from the first 40 minutes and run out the clock in the last 20 minutes.  For the first ten minutes, it worked as the home team suffocated the Caps in their own zone.  But after getting a whistle in one of their rare forays into the Ranger end just after the midway point of the period, Marcus Johansson took a draw for the Caps to the left of Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist.  Johansson tied up Derek Stepan just long enough for Mathieu Perreault to gather up the loose puck.  Perreault ducked out from behind Johansson and Stepan and wristed a puck past a surprised Lundqvist at the 11:02 mark to get the Caps on the board.  It was only the Caps’ second shot on goal of the period, but it touched off what would be a furious finish for the visitors. 

The pressure the Caps applied to the Rangers did not, however, result in any production on the scoreboard until Nicklas Backstrom scored with 2:16 remaining in regulation.  Dmitry Orlov sent a shot to the Ranger net that Lundqvist turned aside.  However, Troy Brouwer was lurking and snapped the rebound at what looked like an open net.  Lundqvist managed to get a skate on the puck, but could not defend the shot by Backstrom that came from that rebound, Backstrom lifting a backhand high into the net over a prone Lundqvist.

That would be all the Caps would get, though, even with the fierce pressure they applied in the last minute with Holtby pulled to the bench for an extra attacker.  The Rangers escaped with their third win over the Caps in three tries so far this season, 3-2.

Rangers 3 – Capitals 2

A TWO-point night -- Game 25: Caps 4 - Islanders 1

A Tuesday night in early December does not make for the most exciting setting for hockey, and when the opponent is the New York Islanders, the temptation might be to sleep walk through the night.  That was the big test for the Washington Capitals as they headed off to Long Island to face the Islanders on Tuesday.  The Caps were looking to extend a two-game winning streak, while the surprising Islanders came into the game challenging for the Atlantic Division lead.

If the Caps were tempted to try to stroll through this one, it didn’t show.  After a closely contested first ten minutes, the Caps broke on top just after the ten-minute mark when Mike Ribeiro won an offense zone faceoff, and Wojtek Wolski picked up the loose puck at the side wall.  Wolski circled out and from the top of the right wing circle fired a wrist shot through a screen that goalie Evgeni Nabokov never saw as it sailed past his glove, giving the Caps a 1-0 lead.

Wolski and Ribeiro teamed up again four minutes later.  The play started when Karl Alzner chipped the puck off the glass in the Caps’ end and into the neutral zone.  Ribeiro picked it up and started up the right side.  As he approached the blue line he sent the puck to Wolski cutting into the middle.  Wolski picked it up and split the Islander defense, finding himself alone on Nabokov.  He deked Nabokov to the ice and roofed a forehand to put the Caps up 2-0 at the 14:20 mark.

The Islanders might have made it out of the first period with no further damage, but a self-inflicted wound did them in for a third Caps goal just before the intermission.  A bad dump-in coupled with a bad line change left the Caps with a 2-on-none break in the final minute.  Brooks Laich converted a Mike Ribeiro pass for a lay-up with just 27 seconds left in the period, and the Caps had a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.

If the Islanders had designs on making this a competitive game in the second period, those thoughts were smashed in the second minute.  An Alex Ovechkin wrist shot hit Nabokov on the left shoulder and seemed to stun the goalie.  While Nabokov struggled to recover, Nicklas Backstrom swooped in and snapped the puck into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season to give the Caps a 4-0 advantage.

The teams traded power play opportunities later in the period, but neither side could convert their chance.  The teams skated off at the end of 40 minutes with the Caps still holding their 4-0 lead.

The third period took on the look of a game in which both teams were looking to get it over with.  The Caps managed 11 shots on Nabokov, but none could have been considered the product of a good scoring opportunity.  The only suspense left was to see if Michal Neuvirth would record his first shutout of the season.  The Islanders ended the suspense late in the period when a Kyle Okposo shot from the right wing circle struck Caps defenseman Mike Green in the thigh and was redirected past Neuvirth’s glove.  It would be the last of the scoring for the evening, the Caps coming away with a 4-1 win.

Capitals 4 – Islanders 1

A Look at a Last Gasp: The Owners and Players Meet

The eyes of hockey will be glued to their mobile devices today, waiting for the faintest glimmer of news about a meeting scheduled to be held between six owners of NHL clubs and six players on NHL teams with minimal staff and no league or union principals in the room.  It is what might be a last gasp to nudge the sides to a solution to a labor agreement.  No one knows what the agenda is, not even who will be representing the NHLPA.

But we at Peerless Central do have our sources, and we have obtained a transcript of what is likely to transpire during the meeting based on experts in labor negotiation, business management, and meeting facilitation.  Here is what we expect to unfold…

Good morning, everyone.  I am your meeting facilitator, and I want to welcome each of you to this meeting.  As all of you are aware, this meeting is entirely voluntary.  You are here because you are interested in reaching an agreement on some very important, but some very contentious issues.  I hope that even if we do not come to agreement today, that we will have respect for each other’s points of view and that we will have made progress toward an agreement.

Now, the first order of business is that I ask everyone to turn off his mobile device.  Has everyone turned off his device?...Good, now I would like to go around the table and have each person introduce themselves and offer a few words on what they would like to accomplish in this… yes, you have a question, sir?

“You’re a new kid on the block here, aren’t you?  You should probably let those of us who are the Chairman of the Board of Governors do the talking.”

Oh, you must be Jeremy Jacobs…they told me about you.  Well, I am the meeting facilitator here, and talking sort of goes with the job.

“hmmph…whippersnapper.”

OK, so…who’s next?

“Uh, hi… my name’s Mark, and… can I talk Mr. Jacobs?”

“Very well, but make it short.”

“Uh, ok… like I said, my name’s Mark, and came all the way from Winnipeg, and HOLY CRAP, IS THAT SIDNEY CROSBY?!”

We’ll let the players introduce themselves in a moment, Mark.  Now, if we can continue…

“Hi, my name is Ron, and I’m a contractaholic…”

(owners)… “Hi, Ron…”

“I signed a player to a 12-year contract for $104 million, and I keep seeing his face in my dreams, and HOLY CRAP, THERE IT IS!!!”

Ron, Ron, that’s Sidney sitting over there…he’s really here… OK, if we can settle down, there are a few more on the owners’ side of the table who should introduce themselves…

“My name is Murray…”

-- players snicker –

Settle down, now…please go on Murray.

“My name is Murray, and I’m here from Calgary…”

-- players laughing loudly –

“I’m Larry Tanenbaum, and…”

“Oh Tanenbaum, oh Tanenbaum…

Guys?

“Sorry, we were just getting in the spirit.”

Uh-huh… and, last but not least…

“My name’s Jeff…”

Wait, this is a meeting of National Hockey League owners and players.  Aren’t you the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles?

“No, that’s Jeff Lurie.”

Jeff Loria, you say?  I thought you were the owner of the Miami Marlins.

“He is, but I’m not him.  I’m Jeff Vinik.”

Hold on…don’t you own the Boston Red Sox?

“Yeah, well, I’m a minority owner of that club, but…”

“Wait, doesn’t he own a soccer team?”

“No, Murray…”

-- players snicker –

“No, Murray, he owns an Arena Football team.”

“No, or yes…I’m on the Board of Directors of the Liverpool Football Club over in England, and I do own the Tampa Bay Storm, but…”

So what are you doing here?

“Tampa Bay Lightning?  Heard of them, Murray?” 

OK… We’re off to a good start.  Now lets’ go around to the players.  First, Mr. Crosby…and will you please be seated?

“Sorry, I was just hovering above my seat.  It’s part of my angelic presence.”

Guess that accounts for the celestial glow, too.  Can we dial it back a notch or two?

“Sorry…”

Next we have…

“Ryan Miller…Hold on.  Sid, can you pass me a donut…rats!  Through the legs again!”

We have to keep things moving here, so who’s next?

“Jonathan Toews.”

Whoa… I thought that was a mannequin… you haven’t blinked since we started.  Next up is…

“George Parros.” – cracks knuckles menacingly -

Uh, welcome George.

“You can call me Mr. Parros.” – cracks knuckles again, menacingly –

-gulp- …of course.  OK, going down the table…

“Adrian Aucoin.”

Who?

“Adrian Aucoin, defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets.”

I’m sorry, Mr. Aucoin, but this is a meeting for NHL owners and players, and you…

“Play for the Columbus Blue Jackets…right.”

Do they PLAY hockey in Columbus, Mr. Aucoin?

-- owners snicker –

We’ll just continue.  Finally we have…

“Jarome Iginla.”

Well, Mr. Iginla, welcome.  Now, if we can get started, we have a great deal to accomplish and very little time in which to do it.  Yes, Mr. Jacobs?

“I just wanted to let my colleagues know that I will be speaking for them for the remainder of the proceedings.”

Well, if the other owners are agreeable…

“No, you don’t understand.  I will be doing the speaking for BOTH sides of the table…”

Uh, Mr. Jacobs, I don’t think that…

-- door flies open, it’s the Commissioner --

“Sorry guys, time’s up, we have a Board of Governors meeting to get to.”

Well, then we’ll pick it up on…

“Uh, not likely.  Let’s go, guys.”

 

A TWO-point night -- Game 24: Capitals 5 - Hurricanes 4

The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes faced one another 83 times since the Hurricanes moved to Raleigh in 1997, the Caps leading the all-time series, 44-25-7-7.  This season, however, it took until Game 24 of the season for the Caps to face their Southeast Division foes.  It would be a contest worth the wait, featuring multiple hat tricks and multiple fights, almost 80 total shots on goal, and some late controversy that had the final outcome in doubt even after the final horn had sounded.

Things got started quickly when former Capital Alexander Semin celebrated his first return to Verizon Center in a visitor’s uniform by scoring just 41 seconds into the game.  The scoring play began when Jay Harrison fired a shot at Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth.  He made the initial save, but did not control the rebound.  Eric Staal took a swing at it, but fired it into Neuvirth’s pads.  The puck bounced out to Neuivrth’s right where Semin was waiting to flip the puck over Neuvirth to put the Canes on the board.

Near the midway point of the period, Jason Chimera and Anthony Stewart got tangled up fighting for a puck along the wall.  The fighting for the puck became just a fight in short order with both players landing punches.  Although the fight might have been considered a draw, it seemed to change the momentum in the Caps’ direction.  Roman Hamrlik capitalized on the change in momentum in the 12^th minute of the period.  Mike Ribeiro and Wojtek Wolski moved the puck back and forth along the wall.  When Carolina tried a two-man press on Wolski, the Caps winger slid the puck out to Hamrlik at the blue line.  Hamrlik sent a slap shot at the Carolina net that eluded goalie Cam Ward, who was screened on the play.

Carolina took the lead back early in the second period.  With Roman Hamrlik off for interference, Eric Staal found Jussi Jokinen from low in the right wing faceoff circle with a pass into the high slot between the Caps’ defense.  Jokinen one-timed the puck into the net before Neuvirth could react to the shot.

Not three minutes later, the Caps struck. Matt Hendricks took a shot from the left wing circle that hit Jay Beagle’s skate on the way through, the puck deflecting through Cam Ward’s pads.  Ward argued the goal, and the referees went to video review.  After a short pause, the goal was upheld, and the Caps had tied the game.

Carolina took their third lead of the game 11 minutes in when Alexander Semin scored his second goal of the contest.  It was a vintage Semin play that started when he walked out from the left wing wall, curled around Joel Ward, froze defenseman Dmitry Orlov with a faked shot, then took another step before wristing the puck on the long side past Neuvirth.

The second Semin goal might have restored some momentum for Carolina, but it was frittered away when Joe Corvo took a tripping penalty at 14:43.  Just 12 seconds later, Alex Ovechkin one-timed a pass from Mike Green past Ward’s blocker, and the game was tied at three apiece.  That is how things stood going into the second intermission, although there was some extracurricular activity late in the period when Beagle and Tuomo Ruutu dropped their gloves and were sent off for fighting.

Carolina made it three for three in early-period scoring when they took another lead in the fourth minute of the third period.  It was Alexander Semin again, this time snapping a rebound of a Jay Harrison shot past Neuvirth to complete the hat trick.

Not to be outdone, Alex Ovechkin knotted the game for a fourth time after Drayson Bowman was sent to the penalty box for tripping.  Ovechkin was on the receiving end of a give and go from the left wing corner, taking a pass from Nicklas Backstrom and finding a seam between Carolina defenders.  From the edge of the left wing circle Ovechkin caught Ward overplaying a shot to the long side and snapped a shot past Ward’s blocker and inside the near post to tie the game.

With just over two minutes left in regulation it would be Ovechkin one last time.  Inexplicably, he caught the Hurricanes napping on defense as the Caps were emerging from their zone.  It started when Michal Neuvirth left the puck behind his own net for Nicklas Backstrom who started out slowly toward the Carolina end.  As he reached his blue line he sent a pass up the middle to Ovechkin knifing between the Carolina defensemen.  Ovechkin took the pass in stride and skated in alone on Ward, where he snapped the puck over Ward’s glove to complete his own hat trick.

Ovechkin’s third goal gave the Caps their first lead of the contest, but the excitement was not over.  Carolina pulled Cam Ward with just over a minute remaining, and they succeeded in pinning the Caps in their own end with pressure.  Neuvirth was up to the challenge, but a shot from Joe Corvo with under ten seconds left started a flurry of events in front of the Caps goalie.  Corvo’s shot was deflected in front of Neuvirth and hit the post to his left.  The puck caromed over to Eric Staal who tried to one-time it past Neuvirth.  He did not get a solid connection, though, and the puck slid slowly toward the clot of bodies in front.  Jussi Jokinen took a swing at it, but not enough to get the puck cleanly past Neuvirth.  The trouble was, Neuvirth did not stop the puck cleanly, either.  Neuvirth reached back to try to cover it, but the puck slid over the goal line before he could get his catching glove on it and as the final horn sounded. 

The call on the ice was a goal, but the referees skated to the phone immediately to confer with the war room in Toronto.  It was a lengthy delay, the fans in Verizon Center chanting “no goal” while the video was being reviewed.  Finally, referee Kelly Sutherland skated out and announced that the puck had indeed crossed the line completely but that it had not done so before the clock expired.  The Caps escaped with a 5-4 come-from-behind win.

Notes: Alex Ovechkin’s hat trick was his second of the season, his first coming in Game 3, a 6-1 win over Florida on October 15^th… Semin’s hat trick was his first multi-goal game since December 28^th of last season and his first hat trick since February 16, 2011 in a 7-6 Caps win at Anaheim.

Capitals 5 – Hurricanes 4

A TWO-point night -- Game 23: Capitals 4 - Panthers 3 (OT)

The Washington Capitals took to the ice on Thursday night having lost Turkey Week – three losses in three tries, but the ice they were skating on for Thursday’s game happened to belong to the Florida Panthers, a team they had defeated twice in two matchups so far this season.  Florida lost those games on Washington ice, though, and they came into this game well-rested, having played their most recent game last Sunday.

Michal Neuvirth got his first start since suffering an ankle injury on November 14^th in a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers.  The layoff did not appear to leave him having to scrape off any rust.  He was sharp early and needed to be, the Panthers jumping on the Caps with early pressure.  The Caps settled down in front of Neuvirth, though, and held the Panthers without a shot on goal over the last 9:22 of the period.

Meanwhile, the Caps would break the ice late in the period.  Mike Santorelli was sent off for goaltender interference at 16:40, a product of his getting tangled up with Neuvirth behind the Caps’ net as the goalie tried to play the puck around the boards.  Late in the ensuing power play John Carlson sent a drive toward the Florida net.  The puck hit defenseman Ed Jovanovski in front and caromed to Mike Ribeiro, to goalie Jose Theodore’s left.  Ribeiro snapped the loose puck over Theodore’s blocker on the short side at 18:22 to give the Caps the lead heading into the first intermission.

The second period started just fine for the visitors when Dmitry Orlov jumped into a hole in the Florida defense and one-timed a pass from Mathieu Perreault past Theodore to give the Caps a 2-0 lead.   The lead almost held up heading into the second intermission, but saw it halved late.  Sean Bergenheim was penalized for tripping at the 16:05 mark, but the Caps could do little with the man-advantage.  As the penalty expired, Panther defenseman Filip Kuba pitch-forked the puck up and out of the defensive zone, just as Bergenheim was exiting the penalty box.  He collected the puck behind the defense and skated in alone on Neuvirth, depositing the puck into the back of the net on a nicely played deke to his backhand.

The Caps restored their two-goal lead in the first minute of the third period when Ribeiro struck again, converting a pass sent by Brooks Laich from behind the Panther cage.  Florida stepped up the pressure, though, and the Caps eventually cracked.  Tomas Fleischmann sent a wrist shot past Neuvirth at 15:22 on a nice cross-ice feed by Peter Meuller.  Less than three minutes later Flieschmann set up Kris Versteeg for the equalizer that sent the game into an extra session.

In the overtime Florida pressed early, Fleischmann hitting a post behind Neuvirth, and Neuvirth having to make a fine save on Versteeg on the rebound of that shot.  It would be the only shot on goal that Florida would record, however. 

Midway through the extra period Alex Ovechkin slid the puck to Nicklas Backstrom in the neutral zone.  With the teams at 4-on-4 Backstrom had more open ice to work with and maneuvered himself into the middle of the ice as he crossed the Florida blue line.  The Panthers were keying on keeping Backstrom from feeding Ovechkin on his left, but Backstrom had other ideas.  He dropped the puck for Mike Green, and just as if he teed it up, the puck sat still for Green to wind up and fire a slap shot that beat Theodore cleanly over his glove for the game winner. 

Capitals 4 – Panthers 3 (OT)

The Dismal Cliff

The more I look at the NHL labor dispute, the more it starts to look like another dispute that has been unfolding before our eyes over the last year.  The term “fiscal cliff” is a term that refers to the potential economic effects of a series of laws that will either expire or have their provisions take effect starting on or about January 1, 2013.  It is a train wreck of items, but it boils down to tax increases and spending cuts, and the concept has pitted two groups, two worldviews – two sides – against one another. 

The same is true for what I will refer to as the “Dismal Cliff,” which refers to that date on which the National Hockey League will cancel its 2012-2013 season and the potential, and as yet unknowable, economic and structural effects on the professional game of hockey in North America.  The two concepts have much in common, perhaps none more so than having two very clearly defined sides, one a “mob,” the other an “insurgency."  How are these groups and these “cliffs” similar?  Well…

The Players…

The Leader of the Mob

In the Fiscal Cliff matter, the “Leader of the Mob” is clear.  John Boehner “governs,” for lack of a better term, an unruly caucus of 242 members, many of which are freshmen and many of them “Tea Party” members – the “hard line faction” of the group that wants severe cuts to spending on public programs.

In the “Dismal Cliff” situation, the “Leader of the Mob” might be a bit less clear, but it is still Gary Bettman, who governs, by virtue of by-laws, a group that has its own factions.  These factions include (reportedly) a “hard line” group of owners that are insisting on severe cuts to player compensation as a share of revenue and to restrict contract provisions that would have the effect of restricting movement and potential income.

The Leader of the Insurgency

Fiscal Cliff… Barack Obama, the President.  Although seemingly unsuited temperamentally to being the role of voice of the common man, he is it.  He is the champion of having the middle class wage earner protected in their comparatively meager ability to carve out a living in a roiling economy.

Dismal Cliff… Donald Fehr, the Executive Director.  Although seemingly unsuited temperamentally to being the voice of the worker, he is it.  He is the champion of having the rank-and-file hockey player protected in their comparatively meager ability to carve out a living in a short window of time in which they can make their living at playing hockey.

The Basic Issues

Fiscal Cliff… Taxes and spending.  One side – the mob – emphasizes the need to cut spending and preserve income for all, even the most well-to-do, through lower tax rates.  The other side – the insurgency – emphasizes the need for the most well-to-do to pay their “fair share” of taxes to preserve benefits that accrue to the middle class through public programs.

Dismal Cliff… Revenue and compensation.  One side – the mob – emphasizes the need to define revenue narrowly, even for the “big market” teams (although they have backed off this aim), while retaining a larger share of revenue by spending less on player compensation.  The other side – the insurgency – believes that existing contract provisions should be honored and that revenue share should be maintained, or lowered slightly and gradually.

The Strategy

Fiscal Cliff… Miles and miles apart.  One side – the mob – offers up a budget that cuts spending, terminates certain benefits, extends existing tax cuts, and proposes new tax cuts that preserve and protect the “one percent.”  It does not accept the concept of tax increases, even if it meant accepting one dollar of tax increases for every ten dollars of spending cuts.  The other side – the insurgency – opens with the gambit that doesn’t even pretend to negotiate off the other side’s initial offer… they propose ending tax cuts for the “one percent,” proposing more spending (“stimulus”), and preserving and protecting programs for the “middle class.”  The sides have adopted a position of talking past one another and speaking right to the media.

Dismal Cliff… Miles and miles apart.  One side – the mob -- offers up a proposal to increase ownership share of revenue from 43 to 54 percent, limit contract length, eliminate salary arbitration, extend the term of entry-level contracts.  The other side – the insurgency – doesn’t even pretend to be negotiating off the other side’s initial offer and opens up by proposing de-linking the salary cap from revenue and preserving contract rights for players.  The sides have adopted a position of talking past one another and speaking right to the media.

The Side Shows

Fiscal Cliff… Simpson-Bowles Commission, Domenici-Rivlin Debt Reduction Task Force

Dismal Cliff… Federal mediators

Monkey Wrench in the “Grand Bargain”

Fiscal Cliff… One side – the insurgency – proposed more taxes as part of a final deal, killing an agreement that seemed close at hand.

Dismal Cliff… One side – the mob – proposed a “make whole” provision on existing contracts that had players paying other players, killing an agreement that seemed close at hand.

The Idea Out of Left Field

Fiscal Cliff… End to debt limit votes.

Dismal Cliff… Players and owners negotiating without league or union heads and staff present.

The Sad Truth

Fiscal Cliff… Reasonable people know where this is going in the end.  Taxes will go up for high-end wage earners, some deductions will be pared back, and eligibility requirements for certain entitlement programs will be changed to rein in spending.  Reasonable people, however, do not seem to be doing the negotiating.

Dismal Cliff… Reasonable people know where this is going to end.  Owners and players will define hockey-related revenue pretty much as they do now, and they will split it 50-50.  There will be some changes in things like salary arbitration, contract length, and how “back-diving” contracts are handled.  Reasonable people, however, do not seem to be doing the negotiating.

Finding Fault

Fiscal Cliff… Who cares whose fault it is for negotiations to bog down?  Do your jobs!

Dismal Cliff… Who cares whose fault it is for negotiations to bog down?  Do your jobs!

Public Response

Fiscal Cliff… Well, we could vote all the bums out, but what’s the chance of that happening?

Dismal Cliff… Well, fans could cancel their season tickets and not buy any merchandise, but what’s the chance of that happening?

The “Cliff”

Fiscal Cliff… January 2^nd. The day after tax cuts enacted in the early 2000’s expire, spending cuts go into effect as well as new taxes under health care legislation enacted in 2009.

Dismal Cliff… Who knows?  But it’s out there.  It could be in early-January; it could be later in the month.  But it’s out there, the cancellation of the 2012-2013 season and suspension of play until an agreement is reached.

1984 Redux

"They're putting a Mickey-Mouse operation on the ice.  It's ruining hockey."

TSN.ca reported the following after Federal mediators were dismissed upon completing two (as in, "more than one, but less than three") days of effort at bringing the NHL and NHL Players Association closer to an agreement...

"Sources confirm that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is awaiting response from NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr on a proposal that owners and players have a bargaining session without any NHL or NHLPA leaders or staff in the room."

OK, now they're just screwing around.  This isn't even serious anymore; they're just coming up with lame, hare-brained schemes to mark the time until they cancel the season.

In 1984, Wayne Gretzky called the New Jersey Devils a "Mickey Mouse operation" after his Edmonton Oilers beat the Devils, 13-4.  Today, the NHL became a "Mickey Mouse operation."

Bravo...bravo.

"Mediation?" The Lockout in 50 Other Words Ending in "ation"

1	Abdication
2	Agitation
3	Allegation
4	Annihilation
5	Anticipation
6	Cessation
7	Condemnation
8	Confrontation
9	Consternation
10	Defamation
11	Degradation
12	Denunciation
13	Desecration
14	Desolation
15	Desperation
16	Detestation
17	Disputation
18	Elimination
19	Exaggeration
20	Extermination
21	Hallucination
22	Hesitation
23	Hibernation
24	Humiliation
25	Indignation
26	Instigation
27	Intimidation
28	Inundation
29	Isolation
30	Lamentation
31	Litigation
32	Location
33	Machination
34	Manipulation
35	Mutilation
36	Permutation
37	Premeditation
38	Privation
39	Prolongation
40	Provocation
41	Realization
42	Reprobation
43	Reputation
44	Retaliation
45	Speculation
46	Stagnation
47	Starvation
48	Termination
49	Tribulation...
	...makes you want to take a... Vacation

A NO point night -- Game 22: Sharks 4 - Capitals 2

Once upon a time, the Washington Capitals owned the San Jose Sharks.  The Caps won the first five games in the series between the two clubs.  How long ago was that fifth win?  The goal scorers for the Caps were Peter Bondra, Craig Berube, Mike Ridley, and Keith Jones.  Rick Tabaracci was the winning goaltender.  Arturs Irbe, former Caps goaltending coach, was the losing netminder for the Sharks.  It was October 30, 1993.

Coming into Tuesday night’s contest against San Jose, though, the Caps had won only four of the previous 26 games in the series (4-20-1-1) and were 1-15-1 in the last 17 meetings dating back to a 3-2 loss on October 16, 1999 at MCI (now Verizon) Center.  Making things worse for the Caps, the Sharks were on a roll.  San Jose brought a 17-5-1 record into Verizon Center, while the Caps had lost their last two contests, each by a 2-1 margin, to Dallas and St. Louis.

San Jose opened the scoring at the 6:22 mark of the first period when Michal Handzus redirected a Ryan Clowe centering feed under Caps goalie Braden Holtby.  San Jose kept the pressure on, but Holtby was up to the challenge, keeping the Caps in the game despite facing 15 shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of the period.  His heroics were rewarded late in the period when Marcus Johansson returned the favor, knocking a centering pass from Mathieu Perreault past Sharks goalie Antti Niemi at the 15:33 mark of the period.  That would be the extent of the scoring, although the Caps did tighten up late, allowing no San Jose shots on goal after the 15-minute mark.

The Caps came out strong in the second period, peppering Niemi with an early flurry of shots, but were unable to push a puck behind him to take the lead.  The Sharks were the ones to break the tie 8:12 into the period when Patrick Marleau one-timed a feed by Logan Couture from behind the Capitals’ net past Holtby.  The goal stopped whatever momentum the Caps generated with their early pressure, but a penalty to defenseman Mark Stuart late in the period gave the Caps a new life.  Troy Brouwer converted the power play opportunity when he pounced on a rebound of a Mike Green shot and roofed it over Niemi to tie the game at two apiece going into the second intermission.

The teams played cat-and-mouse with each other over the first half of the third period, but San Jose started tilting the ice to the Caps’ end as the clock passed the ten-minute mark.  Effective forechecking pressure yielded dividends for the Sharks in the 15^th minute when Joe Pavelski snapped a loose puck from between the hash marks past Holtby to give San Jose a late lead.

The Caps opened up their offense in the last five minutes in search of the equalizer but had difficulty putting their shots on net.  A wrist shot by Alex Ovechkin in the last minute missed wide on the long side and skittered out of the offensive zone, where Pavelski picked it up.  With all the Caps pressing in the offensive zone, there was no one back to defend as Pavelski skated to the empty net and flipped the puck in to give the Sharks a 4-2 win.

Notes:  Joey Crabb took a shot off his left hand in the second period and did not return; he is listed as day-to-day…

Sharks 4 – Capitals 2

It's Never Too Early to Think About... The Draft

With the National Hockey League in lockout/lockdown mode and the league and its players association having been joined by a mediator to help push the process along, it is just about time to bid hope for a 2012-2013 – or rather a “2013” – NHL season goodbye and start focusing on the NHL draft to be held…well, whenever.  And that brings us to the rules that will govern the lottery to determine the number of ping pong balls each team will received in the lottery to come.  Sort of the NHL’s version of Powerball… “Puckyball,” if you will.

Let us recall the rules that governed the last lottery back in 2005, the “Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes:”

1.  All 30 NHL teams start with three ping pong balls.

2.  For every playoff appearance in the previous three seasons, a team loses one ball.  Teams left with three balls:

Buffalo Sabres

Columbus Blue Jackets

New York Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Atlanta Thrashers

Florida Panthers

3.  Teams with a number one overall draft pick in any of the previous four years lose one ball.  Since Atlanta and Florida had number one draft picks in that window (Atlanta picked Ilya Kovalchuk in 2001, and Florida had the number one overall pick in 2003 but traded it to Pittsburgh), they dropped out, leaving four teams with three balls:

Buffalo Sabres

Columbus Blue Jackets

New York Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Of course, every thoughtful hockey fan knows that the league and Buffalo had a deal for the Sabres to host the first Winter Classic in exchange for their balls being “lost” before they went into the tumbler for selection.  And please, who takes Columbus being in that group seriously?

So, miracles of miracles, the two teams with the only legitimate chance of getting the rights to speak the words “Sidney Crosby” at the top of the 2005 draft were the league’s biggest market and its favorite pet of a team.  It was a win-win for the league!

It begs the question, what machinations will be involved to rig the Puckyball rules to get to the result the league wants this time?  Well, our special ops forces at Peerless Central managed to obtain the secret documents that set forth the rules that will govern the 2013 draft lottery…

Step 1… All 30 teams start with three ping pong balls

Step 2… Teams lose a ping pong ball for each playoff appearance in the last three years to a maximum of two balls lost (to ensure that every team still has one ball).

Remaining teams with three balls…

Carolina

NY Islanders

Toronto

Winnipeg

Calgary

Dallas

Minnesota

Columbus

Edmonton

Step 3… Teams lose a ping pong ball for each top overall pick in the last four years to a maximum of two, but in no case shall any team be left with no ping pong balls.

Remaining teams with three balls…

Carolina

Toronto

Winnipeg

Calgary

Dallas

Minnesota

Columbus

Step 4… Each team having been selected to host a draft in any year since the “schedule interruption” of 2004-2005 will lose a ping pong ball.

Remaining teams with three balls…

Carolina

Toronto

Winnipeg

Calgary

Dallas

Step 5… Each team having hosted an NHL all-star game in any year since the “schedule interruption” of 2004-2005 will lose a ping pong ball (and just because you moved, don’t think you get a pass… Winniplanta).

Remaining teams with three balls…

Toronto

Calgary

Step 6… Each team whose arena was renamed since the “schedule interruption” of 2004-2005 will lose a ping pong ball.

Remaining teams with three balls…

Toronto

Step 7… Teams having replaced their coach at least once last season will lose a ping pong ball for every time the coach was replaced.

Remaining teams with three ping pong balls…

None

(oops...)

Step 8… Each team having opened a new arena in any of the past three seasons will have all ping pong balls lost restored for their contributions to the game.

Teams with three ping pong balls:

And there you have it.  The Pittsburgh Penguins will be the team with the best chance of landing a Nathan MacKinnon or a Seth Jones in next June’s NHL entry draft, should the 2012-2013 season be cancelled.  You will find no more deserving team in the 412 area code.  Well, no more deserving NHL hockey team in the 412 area code... maybe.

For the rest of you, there is the chance of drafting the next Alex Bourret or Sasha Pokulok.  Good luck.

A Turkey Week Trifecta of Games... The Caps Go 1-2-0

A fantasy season comes with a fantasy Turkey Week and a fantasy hiatus from game summaries.  We just wish the fantasy turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and all the trimmings only required a fantasy unbuttoning of the slacks after dinner.  But we’re stuffed, and the Caps had a full plate of Turkey Week games as well.

Game 19…  Capitals 3 – Jets 2

A team in the midst of a long road trip – this would be the third game of a six-game roadie for the Jets, their longest of the season – does not want to fall behind early.  That’s just what the Jets did, though, when Nicklas Backstrom put back a rebound of an Alex Ovechkin shot just 77 seconds into the game.  That could have been the start of something big for the home team, but the Caps frittered away the momentum early in the second period when they took minor penalties 22 seconds apart to give the Jets a 5-on-3 advantage.

Winnipeg made good on both ends of the power play, Evander Kane striking off a scramble in front at 4:19 and Dustin Byfuglien giving the Jets the lead 14 seconds later on a rocket from the point through Caps goalie Braden Holtby.

The Caps settled down after that, Holtby being steadfast in goal for the rest of the middle frame and into the third period.  Unfortunately for the Caps, Ondrej Pavelec was up to the task of keeping the Caps off the scoreboard after the early Backstrom goal.  There was not much he could do, though, when Joey Crabb knotted the contest at two-apiece with less than five minutes left.  Crabb was left all alone at the right post to backhand the puck into an open net after Pavelec blocked away a close-in chance by Matt Hendricks. 

The Caps took the lead just over two minutes later when Brooks Laich scored from almost the same place from which Crabb scored, this one being the product of a slick cross-ice pass from the edge of the right wing circle by Mike Ribeiro.  Holtby did the rest, turning away a good chance by Blake Wheeler in the last half minute to preserve the 3-2 come-from-behind win.

Game 20… Stars 2 – Capitals 1

The Caps took to the road on the day after Thanksgiving, visiting Dallas to take on the Stars.  The Caps won their earlier meeting on November 4^th in Washington, defeating the Stars by a 3-2 score.

Washington got off to a fast start once more, Alex Ovechkin scoring off a one-man rush just 33 seconds into the game.  Ovechkin picked up a loose puck along the left wing wall in the Caps’ end and skated out with Trevor Daley back.  Ovechkin pushed Daley back with speed and before Eric Nystrom could get back to close off a detour through the middle, Ovechkin snapped a wrist shot past Daley and over goalie Kari Lehtonen’s glove.

Dallas would strike back and strike back quickly.  Michael Ryder notched his fifth of the season and first since scoring against the Caps on November 4^th at the 1:01 mark when he collected a rebound of a Stephane Robidas shot and curled it past goalie Braden Holtby’s glove as Holtby dove to try to cover the puck.  Former Capital and Capital nemesis Jaromir Jagr got his fourth of the year just 50 seconds later when he stepped out from the right wing wall and rifled a wrist shot into the top corner over Holtby’s glove.

That would end the scoring for the first period and, in fact, for the game.  The game settled into a lethargic affair that featured few shots, fewer scoring opportunities, and no flow.  Dallas was happy to play that kind of game, and it left the Caps on the short end of a 2-1 decision, ending the Caps short two-game winning streak.

Game 21… Blues 2 – Capitals 1

Different city, same result.  The Caps scored early once more.  Joel Ward won a fight for a loose puck in the corner to St. Louis Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak.  Ward threw the puck to the front of the net where Brooks Laich was waiting.  The puck never arrived, though.  Halak tried to blade the puck away from Laich but managed only to have it hit the heel of his stick and deflect through his legs into the back of the net.  The goal at 45 seconds was the second straight game in which the Caps scored in the first minute.

With the way goaltender Braden Holtby was playing, it seemed as if the Ward goal would hold up.  Holtby stopped the first 20 shots he faced from the home team and was steering rebounds safely out of harm’s way.  The 21^st shot, however, tied the game.  Matt Hendricks went off for roughing at 16:04 to give the Blues a power play.  The Caps stymied the Blues, holding them without a shot on goal as the man advantage was about to expire.  The Caps got caught breaking formation, though, on their penalty kill, and T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund found themselves with a 2-on-1 deep, only Roman Hamrlik defending.  Oshie laid the puck off onto Berglund’s stick, and with Holtby unable to scramble across to defend, Berglund finished the play to tie the game.

Alex Steen jumped on a mistake just before the period ended to give the Blues a lead they would not relinquish.  Caps defenseman Jack Hillen misfired on an attempt to send the puck into the far corner and put the puck on the stick of Steen.  The Blues forward broke clean on a breakaway and finished the play with a deke and a backhand over Holtby's left pad for the score.

The third period passed without either incident or excitement, the Blues happy to put the clamps on the Caps, and the Caps unable to cast off the shackles of a stifling Blues defense.  The Blues limited the Caps to seven unsuccessful shots on goal and held on for a 2-1 win.

Notes… Nine different Caps had points for the week, but only Alex Ovechkin (1-1-2) and Jason Chimera (0-2-2) had more than one… Michal Neuvirth has been cleared to play after sustaining an ankle injury in the Caps’ 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers on November 14^th… Since taking over for Neuvirth in the November 14^th contest, Braden Holtby is 2-2-1, 2.10, .927 in six appearances…