Saturday, September 15, 2007

Day Two at The Plex...

Day 2 . . . it was more like the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Alexander Semin and Matt Pettinger got tangled up at the end boards in the second half of today’s scrimmage right in front of The Peerless, and it wasn’t pretty. Semin appeared to be cut above his eye, and although he left under his own steam, the trail of red stains on the ice behind him as he skated off was not the most pleasant thing for Caps fans to contemplate. For his part, Pettinger looked a bit stunned, himself, but returned to action.

Before that slice of scariness, today’s session was full of things to ponder. First, Semin was having quite a day before his injury. A move that looked for all the world like a behind-the-back dribble in basketball left the crowd “oohing” appreciatively (note to Peerless….new nickname for Semin: “Meadowlark”). It wasn’t the last of his stickhandling wizardry, as he seemed to be in mid-season form as far as such things go.

Nicklas Backstrom gave indication of why he will be a centerpiece of this team, and also why fans will be scratching their heads wondering if he’s all that good. During the scrimmage he was the picture of calm with the puck and earnestly played defense. He does both at what The Peerless would call a “low temperature.” He might give the impression to some of not being especially intense or not putting forth a top-end effort. Well, The Peerless suggests you get a little closer to the glass and watch him over a whole shift or two. He certainly has some moments when the smaller rink seems to give him a bit of difficulty, but this is a kid who plays such a seamless, fluid game, that you could watch the game for ten minutes and wonder if he was out there. The Peerless suspects that as time passes, he’s going to have the quietest three-point games you’ll ever see. It would have been nice, though, if he’d buried that breakaway he had after picking off Tomas Fleischmann’s iffy pass.

Karl Alzner plays a similar kind of game. But he’s more noticeable in the same way a cornerback in football is more noticeable – he’s on an island of sorts. But Alzner just isn’t often in a position where he has to scramble to recover. One watches him out there, and it just doesn’t register that he won’t be 19 until the 24th of this month.

Sasha Pokulok had a moment that might have had fans’ hearts in their throats, given his recent physical problems of other sorts. He took what appeared to be a knee-on-knee hit (The Peerless wants to say with Brian Sutherby, but is not sure about that). He did make it back to his feet, but the youngster was clearly feeling it and favored the leg for the remainder of his shift.

Chris Bourque and Milan Jurcina got tangled up on a couple of occasions. Jurcina is a very large man. Bourque, alas, is not. It was a bit comical to watch (but easy to appreciate) Bourque’s sticking his nose in there. And The Peerless thought he was a hard-working cuss out there, too.

The morning skate on the Capitals’ Rink, administered by Coach Hanlon, looked to be at a much more up-tempo pace than yesterday, and the guys looked like they were feeling the effects of it, too.

The Peerless witnessed what might only be called, “The Kolzig Bloom.” After being beaten a couple of times in the first session over at the Public Rink, Olaf Kolzig swung his stick under the crossbar and popped a dozen or so pucks high into the air – it looked like a flower blooming.

And now, your Caps Snaps for today:

Frederic Cassivi shouting, "DOWN IN FRONT!"


You don't see any of that crap in front of Olaf Kolzig....his reputation preceeds him.


The Loneliness of the Long Distance Goaltender

Not a Happy Thing...

For those of you who haven't included the entries of DCSportsChick in your daily survey of the local blogosphere, well, that's been your loss. It is one of the truly go-to places to keep up-to-date on DC sports from one who is very much devoted to her craft.

Unfortunately, DCSportsChick.com is going dark -- we hope only for the shortest while.

You're going to be missed.

Hope Metro Likes Chowdah


Former Cap Glen Metropolit is trying to make a go of it as a non-roster invitee to the Bruins training camp.

"The summer was coming to an end, and I didn't have a concrete offer from anyone. But the Bruins were interested, and I figured, hey, I'll give it one last try.

"No harm in trying, right?"

None at all...good luck, Glen.

I don't know, but I've been told...


...Tortorella is so cold.

Asked how to cope with the grueling fitness tests that at best will leave players gasping for air and at worst barfing up their breakfasts, defenseman Dan Boyle said, "Fake an injury."

Really, he said with a straight face, "Fake an injury."

"Yeah, pay someone to hurt you," chimed in defenseman Brad Lukowich, sitting at the next locker.



"Camp Torturella" has opened. No word on if the Lightning will soon be deployed to the Middle East.

"Hot-lanta" to become "Hot-amilton?"


Jim Balsillie is nothing if not persistent. Failing at winning the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star muses on the possibility of the Thrashers being the next object of his desire.

You're on your own, big guy...


"It's no secret that we thought John (Ferguson) could use some help..."

So said Richard Peddie, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, when speaking to the Canadian Press on Friday.

Well, they didn't get him any help, so it's pretty clear...if the Leafs find themselves on the outside, looking in at the playoffs this year, so Ferguson will find himself on the outside, looking for a job.

No pressure, eh?

Keep on jumping

As the dawn of day two of Training Camp comes upon us, The Peerless feels compelled to bring you what others are doing to get ready for the season. This morning, we bring you training....Sedin-style:



...keep on jumping!