The Journey continues tonight!

Not much to be said. The road to the Cup continues with the start of Round 2 tonight against the Lightning.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

Skins pick Ryan Kerrigan

Good first day draft for the Skins. Loved the move to trade down six spots and pick up an additional 2nd round pick. Then they pick for need in DE/LB Ryan Kerrigan.

I don't know this guy but sounds like he is does not possess the best athleticism but he is an extremely hard worker and has a tremendous motor and good nose for the ball. He should provide a very good complement to Osakpo. I like that pick.

Sounded like Deepie was hoping for a QB but we have too many other needs to focus on QB and from what I hear, most experts think this draft class' QBs are not as good as other years. We shouldn't take a QB because he is the best of a mediocre litter. Our needs include:

- D line
- O line
- WR
- CB
- RB

We took a big step in addressing D line yesterday. We have two picks in the second round. Would like to see an interior O linemen (would have loved to have gotten Pouncey as he plays C and G) or RT. Would like to see a WR as our current corps is Armstrong and Malcolm "Mr. Glass" Kelly. There is talk of bringing Moss back but even so, WR is a need.

RB is also a need but lower on the list. I like Torain and think he is solid but not sure on his durability. Still, RBs are easier to pick up.

CB may be a need as Rogers is not signed nor is Buchanon. If both those guys come back, it is not as critical. Still, Rogers is looking for a megadeal and while is cover skills are good, the guy has hands of stone and that will hurt his negotiations.

In the end, really like the first day.

As a side note, the Pears tried to pick Dr. Phil and he was close to being selected until he withdrew his name from consideration. The Pears picked up some mediocre O lineman.

NFL draft tonight

With the lockout and the hockey playoffs going on, the draft seemed to be on the back burner. However, it is on tonight and it will be interesting to see who the Skins draft. They have several needs and I could see them taking a DE, O lineman, or even a WR (if Julio Jones and/or A.J. Green are available). I could also see them trading down for an additional pick. Will be interesting to see what they decide.

As far as the Bears, I had heard they were looking O line but now that Jeff Gutless is engaged to The Hills "star," I heard they are looking into the unprecedented move of drafting a good marriage counselor/person to stroke an arrogant arse's ego. I would agree that that is there biggest need.

Bring on the Lightning!

Congratulations to Tampa Bay for coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to win and eliminate the Penguins. Their reward...the Capitals.

The Eastern Conference playoffs played out as I had said a couple of days ago. I thought we would end up playing the Lightning. However, they are the team I least wanted to play. They are playing with confidence and seem relaxed. They are also getting good goal tending from Roloson and they have star power with their big 3 (Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier). They also still have a few guys on their team that were there when they won the Cup a few years back so they have experience.

Still, the Caps are the #1 seed and, while I didn't want to face the Lightning, I feel confident we will take care of business. We were 4-1-1 against them this season. We are rested and hopefully will get Wideman and Knuble back some time during this series. TB is coming off of a tough emotional series so they have to turn right around and go from Pittsburgh to D.C. and prepare for the Caps. Winning Game 1 will be huge. It all starts tomorrow night and I like our chances.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

Easter Epic

Hockey playoffs bring about some great and tragic moments depending on who you are rooting for. I believe sudden death OT is some of the most exciting moments in all of sports.

Robs will remember the Easter Epic and how we sat in the Cap Centre until almost 2 am only to be let down by what seemed like a harmless slap shot from LaFontaine. Still, a tremendous game by Bob Mason and Kelly Hrudey.

Hopefully, in the end, we can find ourselves on the winning side of this playoff tournament.

Jeff Cutler is engaged to Kristen Cavallari

Another stellar move by Cutler. He started dating The Hills "star" in the fall and now they are engaged.

So how long does anyone really think this marriage will actually last?

Who's next?

So while the Caps are the only team in the East to have advanced to the next round of the playoffs, they must sit and wait as the other teams continue to battle to advance and then we will see who our next opponent will be.

Buffalo (the 7th seed) had a great opportunity to put the Flyers away on Sunday as they led the series 3-2 and was winning Game 6 3-1 at home but they couldn't finish. Now that series is tied 3-3 and heading back to Philly for the deciding Game 7 tonight. I am hoping for a Buffalo win as I feel they would be the easiest team to face in Round 2. Still, I feel Buffalo blew their opportunity in Game 6 and I am expecting Philly to pull it out at home and advance.

Montreal (the 6th seed) was up in their series against Boston 2-0 but with the return of Chara have lost 3 in a row and it's looking more and more like the Bruins will advance. Frankly, I wouldn't want to face Montreal anyways.

Pittsburgh had a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Lightning but Tampa Bay blew out the Pens in Game 5 8-2 and then won Game 6 last night back in TB so they are headed for a series deciding Game 7 up in Pittsburgh tomorrow night. Not sure who is going to pull this out. Watched some of their game last night and TB certainly looked like the more relaxed and confident team. Pittsburgh looked to be pressing but they will be playing back at home. Still, I feel like the Lightning is going to pull this out.

Given that I believe Philly and Boston will win their series, we would play the winner of Pitt and TB. Frankly, despite being the higher seed (Pitt is 4 and TB is 5), I would rather face Pittsburgh. TB has star players in Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier. They also seem to be getting good goalie play from Roloson. I feel like we would welcome the opportunity to play Pittsburgh and despite our past issues with them in the playoffs, I think we would handle them this year. Again, I would be more concerned facing the Lightning.

In the end, it really doesn't matter because to be the best, you have to beat the best. Frankly, I don't think any of the teams that remain would look forward to facing the Caps. We certainly seem to be acting the part of the number 1 seed and I feel like we are ready to face who ever is handed to us.

Can't wait for Round 2!

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

CAPS ELIMINATE RANGERS!!!

GREAT game! After Game 4, I was thinking about going to Game 5 and being there to have the opportunity to see the Caps eliminate the Rangers and advance to Round 2 of the playoffs. The tickets were pretty expensive but my son was begging to go and it really didn't take much for me to get the tickets. After shelling out the cash for the tickets, overspending on some food at the stadium, I will say that being at that game with my son was a great experience and a great memory that for both of us. Walking out of Verizon Center, I had a great time and it was some of the best money I have ever spent.

A few things about the game:

1. The Caps crowd has got to be some of the best fans in all of sports. It was super loud from start to finish in there. I love that we have some of our own special cheers too. A few minutes before the game started, the jumbo tron displayed some quotes from media and, more importantly, players on opposing teams saying how loud and great of a crowd the Caps have. There is no question in my mind that the fans helped pump up the Caps and intimidate the Rangers.

2. Caps were awesome. That was playoff hockey. We controlled the tempo. We had the better opportunities and the stars shined. Goals from Green, Ovie, and Semin, arguably our three best players, were awesome as they led the way.

3. Neuvy was huge again. The guy is showing us that it doesn't matter that he is a rookie, he can handle these games. He is also making us forget about Varly pretty fast. There is no doubt that he is the number 1 and he has earned the spot. Give a lot of credit to this kid for being confident and playing like a proven vet.

4. Strong strategy. We took the game to them early on. We took the lead and then we played strong defense. Again, that is playoff hockey and that is what will carry this team deep into the playoffs.

5. McPhee is dead on. Watched an interview of McPhee after the game and the normally stoic McPhee was visibly happy and could take a breath of relief. One thing he said that stood out was that training camp seemed like a long time ago. The Winter Classic and all the HBO stuff seemed like a long time ago. However, being eliminated last year still seems very fresh and I think that is the feeling that most players and fans feel.

In the end, it is clear that this is a very different team from last year. It is clear that they have learned from last year and made the necessary changes to become a championship caliber team. It's funny to think how many fans were down on the Caps this season especially when they hit that 8 game slump. There was talk of firing Boudreau. Even Robs wanted Boudreau out. I am not a fan of firing a coach during the season. I also thought the players enjoyed Boudreau. I had always maintained that they made these changes to the strategy so lets at least give the guy the opportunity for the remainder of the season and the playoffs will be what determines his fate. Right now, things are looking good. I like this team and feel like they fully appreciate and understand the system now. They also look like they are out on a mission as opposed to last year where they looked like arrogant gunslingers. There is a maturity about this team and balance of older vets and young hungry guys that has mixed well.

We did what we needed to do by getting through Round 1 quickly. We are the only team in the East to have their series decided. Now we get to rest up and have the guys nicked up recover and we wait and see who our next opponent is. It looked like it was going to be Buffalo yesterday but they blew two leads and ultimately lost in OT. While I'd like Buffalo, I don't really care. To be the best, you have to beat the best and frankly I don't think any team will look forward to playing the Caps. Looking forward to Round 2.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

Caps vs. Rangers tomorrow

A little reminiscing from a couple of years back when Federov put the Rangers away in Game 7. Great shot. Great moment. Great call by Joe. B.

Hopefully we can put the Rangers away again in Game 5 tomorrow afternoon.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

FINISH THEM!!!

The Caps need to have the attitude of Kreese and that weird arse next to him but the patience, passion, and dedication of Daniel San and put away the Rangers on Saturday...preferably with a crane kick to Sean Avery's face!

GO CAPS!!!

Sucky to SPECTACULAR! Caps Win!!!

HUGE win last night in double OT! One could argue it was a must win game for both teams. The Rangers were fighting to tie the series. Whereas the Caps were looking to take the commanding 3-1 series lead against the #8 seed and try and get out of this first round quickly.

Since Game 3, the Caps were talking that the Rangers came out in Game 3 knowing that they needed a win and that they pushed harder and that it was now our time to push back. The coaches and players and D.C. reporters were all talking that we needed more intensity and that it would be coming. However, that intensity only lasted about 2-3 minutes of the first period. After that, we were just outplayed and outhustled.

The first period was pretty even with neither side getting great scoring opportunities. There was talk after Game 3 about avoiding bad penalties and we took a couple which fortunately didn't hurt other than we were on PK and not able to attack.

The second period was abysmal. We were thoroughly outplayed. We couldn't muster any quality offensive chances and what was worse we looked like a team without any passion or intensity and seemed to just be standing around watching. Consequently, the Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 advantage. Their first goal pretty lucky as it was thrown in front of the net and bounced off of someone slipping by Neuvy. The second goal was a quality goal that Neuvy had no chance of stopping and their third one came just 7 seconds later and was very angering because we just looked like we stopped playing and just watched them score the goal. At that point, the crowd was in a frenzy with fans yelling disparaging remarks at Boudreau, and chanting "BOOOOD-REAU!" and then yelling in unison, "Can you hear us?" when the Rangers took over in the second period. This was in response to Boudreau's comments after Game 3 that MSG sucked and their fans weren't that loud. The Caps did show a little life towards the end of the period but it still looked bleak.

Not sure what Boudreau told the guys b/t periods but they certainly came out on the attack. Heading into the third period, the Capitals ditched their defensive-minded ways and ignited the high-flying offense they have long been known for and stormed back to tie it.

Semin started the comeback at 2:47 with a goal that stood up to a brief video replay. Rangers rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh gave the puck away to Semin in the right circle, and the Capitals forward fired a shot that got past Lundqvist's leg and slid to the goal line. Lundqvist swept it out, but couldn't cover it before Semin put it in again.

Johansson scored his first just 57 seconds later off a pass from the left wing boards from Brooks Laich to him at the right post for a redirection. At that point, there was still 16 minutes remaining and we had ourselves a game. With about 7 minutes remaining, John Carlson fired a slap shot from above the left circle that hit Johansson's hand and caromed past Lundqvist tying the game up 3-3. Regulation finished with that score and on we went to OT.

I felt that OT was largely dominated by the Caps with many more quality scoring opportunities. None better than Ovie's breakaway which would have been a GREAT way to end the game. Unfortunately, he was denied by Lundqvist. I was concerned because while we had stormed back to tie it and we had what I thought were the better opportunities in OT, I was afraid that the Rangers would get that lucky bounce and find the net winning it despite us outplaying them from the third period on.

The game ended up going into double OT and you could really see the players starting to fatigue. I said to my son that this game is going to end on a player making a mistake or a fluke goal caused by fatigue. That's when Jason Chimera took a shot from near the right circle that was blocked in front. Rangers forward Marian Gaborik raced in and tried to clear the puck out of the crease as Lundqvist tried to reach out to freeze the puck. The puck ended up getting swept right to Chimera who dumped it into the ocean for the game winner. AMAZING!!!

It was a series defining victory. For the Rangers, it will be hard to come back from that one. Being up 3-0 going into the third period and looking to tie the series only to blow it and lose in double OT will be tough to come back from. For the Caps, they needed the win especially after tying the score in regulation. Losing in OT would not have brought any moral victory. In fact, it would have been even more maddening knowing the stakes going into the game and playing so poorly the first two periods. So it was good that they found a way to win.

A couple of side notes:

1. After the Caps had fallen down 3-0 in the second period, my 7 year old son wanted to watch a kids show that he had DVRed. I told him no way and he said, "Why? We are going to lose anyway." I said no because we are watching the game. He's on Spring Break so I let him stay up and watch the game with me and when it was over, I told him about his earlier transgressions and how he said the game was over and we would lose. He chuckled but a good lesson to never count a team out.

Actually, it reminded me of a time in high school where me and a few friends went to a Caps playoff game and I believe they were taking on the Rangers. We had a 2 or 3 goal lead late in the game and while the crowd was excited, Scott wanted to leave to avoid the traffic. I said, "No way, man!" The Rangers ended up coming back to tie it sending it to OT where none other than, Rod Langway, found the net to win it in sudden death. This is playoff hockey where history will be made and anything can happen.

2. After the Caps second goal, I raised my hands and yelled in excitement. My 19 month old daughter who was a few feet away from me playing with some toy, turned and looked and put her arms up and yelled, "GOAL!" Then she walked over to me with her
arm held up and said, "Five!" We slapped high five and a series of fives were being passed around with all my kids.

The series shifts back to D.C. Saturday afternoon where the Caps have the chance to end the series in front of its home crowd. Would be good to end it and not have it shift back to NY for a Game 6. We need to get out of this series early to get ready for Round 2 and also erase the memories of last year where we had the 3-1 series lead on the Canadiens only to blow the next 3 games and lose. We need to finish the Rangers now.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

Caps lose to Rangers - series now 2 -1

Caps had an opportunity to really put a couple of nails into the Rangers coffin on Sunday. Instead, the Rangers pulled out the win and breathe new life into this series.

The Rangers certainly seemed to feed off of their home crowd. They also did what they do best and that is frustrate and bait the other team into taking bad penalties. It was one of the big stories of that game. The Caps just took WAY too many penalties and by doing so, really hampered their chances of victory.

We have to be smarter and more focused and not lose sight of the task at hand. We are the better team and just need to act like it. Stay within the game plan and we should win.

Neuvy was solid. The Rangers first goal where they beat him near side where the puck had just enough room to get in was disappointing. It was disappointing because I have seen that happen to Neuvy before. Still, he was solid and I don't think there should be any consideration of a goalie change. Doing so would only upset Neuvy and show the team that the coach is in more of a panic mode. The team seems to be comfortable with Neuvy back there and he has been the starter the bulk of the season so no reason to make a change.

I suppose the Caps loss does make tomorrow's game MUCH more interesting. We have an opportunity to take a 3-1 lead and then close out the series at home. However, the Rangers have the opportunity to hold serve on their home ice and tie the series at 2-2 and make the series wide open.

Brooks Laich said it best in an interview yesterday that the Rangers were pressed and they pushed hard but now it is our turn to push back. I expect victory tomorrow. This team seems much more understanding of a situation like this. We have fought back from adversity and fought back in tight games all year so I feel that we are better prepared for this game. I feel like it is much more business like this year and I feel good about tomorrow. The key will be to score early/first to get the crowd out of the game and get the Rangers to be frustrated.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

THIS IS OUR TIME!

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

CAPS WIN IN OT!!!

HUGE win last night for many reasons! Here are my thoughts:

1. The system works! Last night is what we have all been waiting for ever since the season ended last year. I had said earlier in the year that the season was largely a formality and this team will be defined by what they do in the playoffs. They changed the system in the offseason to focus more on defense and there is no question you could see the benefits of it last night. We were much tighter on defense and granted NY is not much of an offensive team but we really held their quality scoring chances to a minimum. Loved the defensive effort. We look much more like a playoff team than we did a year ago where we knew we were going to give up goals and just hoped that we would out score our opponents.

2. SEMIN! After all the hub bub about this guy not being able to score in the playoffs, the guy comes up huge with the one timer in OT for the game winner. Great goal and a great way for this guy to get the monkey off of his back. Hopefully he can feed off of this and keep the goals coming.

3. OVIE! Solid all around game by him and good to see him get rewarded with the hard fought game tying goal. He certainly seems to have sacrificed individual play for the team and it was good to see the stars shine last night which is what they need to do. Again, fair or not, he will be defined by what his team's do. He needs to raise the Cup to solidify his legacy.

4. GREEN! Great game back by Mike Green. He logged in a lot of playing time and showed very little rust. I was confident that he would be able to play in terms of endurance and skills as he has been practicing with the team for months. The question was going to be if he got overly excited being back in a game. He was very good. Solid defense and showed some offensive spark when he needed to. Great to have him back.

5. NEUVY!!! Can't say enough about this guy. He said before the game very calmly that he wasn't nervous at all and was excited about this moment and that the Rangers are a decent team but that we are "Way better." Loved the confidence. The "experts" give the edge to the Rangers in goaltending with Lundqvist but Neuvy was stellar. He came up with a few very big saves and showed no signs of any type of jitters. After the game, he was happy but calm and said that it is one game and he needs to now get ready for Game 2 on Friday. I love his quiet confidence and calmness. Exactly what we need from our goalie.

6. ARNOTT! The guy has been brought in here for this moment. He has done everything he has been asked to do. He has provided that veteran leadership this team needs. He has addressed the team and been vocal in what it takes to win the Cup. He has also taken some of the burden off of Semin allowing him to be the playmaker he can be. I loved that he was the one that made the play and assist to Semin for the game winner. I also loved that after all of the celebration with the team after the goal, Semin specifically went over to find Arnott to give him a hug. The two of them seemed to have formed a pretty good bond which can only translate to bigger things on the ice.

7. Staying the course! Last year, if the team found itself in a hole, they would have pressed and panicked and not been able to claw itself out. The last few weeks of the season we have won a number of close games by one goal with several of those victories coming in OT/shootout. Those victories have helped prepare this team for the playoffs. Last night, there didn't seem like that aura of panic when we got down. They seemed much calmer and stayed with the system as opposed to guys trying to do everything themselves. When Ovie scored, it seemed like not only a weight was lifted off of the team but that there is strong belief in the system, the coaches, and the players. Loved it!

I know that it is only one game and there is a lot of series left but it was a HUGE victory. If you watch enough sports, you know that games seem to follow similar story lines. Last night, I felt like we were the better team during the game. We were playing well and we had a number of very good scoring opportunities (hitting the post twice and Lundqvist making what I considered a lucky save on Backstrom's breakaway). Still, we couldn't punch it in and seemed like we were a little snake bitten. Again, if you watch enough sports, we have seen this story play out where the team expected to win plays better but can't pull away and the then the "weaker" team gets that one goal and the entire complexion of the game changes. That's what happened last night. Still, I loved that the guys bounced back, tied it up, and ultimately pulled it out in OT and I love that the guys that scored were our stars. It's just the kind of victory that can set the tone and keep things moving in the playoffs. It's an emotional victory and it has to be pretty disheartening for the Rangers knowing that they were close to stealing home ice and taking the series lead. Just as much as an emotional high it is for us, it is equally an emotional low for the Rangers.

Now we have to take care of business on Friday. A win puts us in great shape. However, a loss would really negate the emotional win we had yesterday. I expect another great game from the Caps. I believe the series will be similar to last night's game with many blocked shots and limited scoring. Still, I gotta believe we are feeling confident and this series is now ours to lose. Looking forward to Friday.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!

The road to the Cup starts tonight.

Questions will become Answers

The time is now.

Blackbirds are 1-0!

Tremendous game on Saturday. All the boys played hard and they were able to jump out to an early 5-1 lead. Think they got a little too comfortable with the lead and they let up a bit and allowed the other team to come back and tie the game 5-5. However, they regrouped and finished strong scoring a late goal on a perfectly timed corner kick for the game winner!

It was a hard fought victory and it was really good to see the team rally after squandering the lead. It was also great to see all the kids cheering for each other. To Scott's point, I know that at this age we aren't supposed to keep score but you can bet that every kid on both teams and most of the coaches/parents watching knew the score. I am not focused on winning. I am more focused on getting good effort from all the kids. Winning is a bonus and it's nice to see their hard work getting paid off.

Week 2 starts this today so I'm looking to get a good week of practice in preparation for game 2. The good thing about the game was that it identified areas we need to work on so I'm looking forward to getting some of the kinks ironed out this week.

GO BLACKBIRDS!!!

Caps draw the Rangers in Round 1 of Playoffs

Playoffs start Wednesday with the Caps hosting the Rangers in Game 1 of Round 1. This is the moment that we have been waiting for since the disappointing first round exit from last year.

The regular season was almost a formality and now it is time for redemption. The Caps fought hard in the latter part of the season and earned the top seed. Their reward is the Rangers. I would have preferred to have played the Sabres or Hurricanes (the two other possible teams we could have played). However, to be a champion you have to be able to beat who ever you are scheduled to play.

Keys to the game will include:

1. Goaltending: Neuvy gets the nod and he was very good during the season. However, he is a rookie so we'll see how he handles the large stage. The positive is that he has taken the Hershey Bears to multiple AHL championships so he is familiar with championship hockey but again, this is the NHL and the lights and stage will be much grander. The Rangers on the other hand have Henrik Lundqvist who is a workhorse and strong veteran presence that will be able to provide solid leadership. While Neuvy gets the nod, I won't be surprised in the least if Varly gets the call should Neuvy struggle. The leash will be short.

2. Will Semin show up? Semin was pretty much non existent in the playoffs last year. Should he struggle early on, you can bet that story line will pop back up. The best thing that can happen for Semin is for the Caps to win the first game and Semin be a strong offensive contributor. When he is on, he is one of the most talented players in hockey. However, he can go stretches where he struggles, gets frustrated, and ultimately disappears. I think the addition of Arnott has been huge for Semin and I expect much better play from him this post season.

3. Ovie. Can't talk about keys to the game without talking about Ovie. The guy often times puts too much on himself and can also start pressing. No one wants to win more than this guy but he does seem to have matured this season and understood and accepted his role. He is more of a team player as opposed to trying to be the hero. He needs to continue to play within the system and not get carried away.

4. Mike Green. Greenie is coming back from a concussion that he sustained against the Rangers back in February. It's going to be tough for him to step back into the rotation in the playoffs. Also, his play the last couple of years in the playoffs has been inconsistent. With Wideman out, it will be even more critical for Greenie to be solid. He typically leads the team in minutes and Wideman seemed to take over the role Green was playing so it will be interesting to see how he steps back into his role.

5. Special teams. Both teams are solid in 5 v. 5 play so special teams are going to be critical. Our PK has been stellar all year and the PP seemed to come to life in the latter part of the season so I feel pretty good about this.

In the end, we HAVE to win this series. We are playing our best hockey of the season now and the window is wide open for us. I feel like the Caps have matured and are ready for this moment. Even last year, as great as they were, I said all year that we are a year away. That time is now. We have a great mix of youth and vets and the younger guys have all played for a few years now and have played in the playoffs before. There should be no surprises this year. I believe the team understands this moment and understands what it takes to win and understands that this will be tough and ther is a mission that needs to be completed. It all starts on Wednesday evening.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

The Black Birds have arrived!

I am coaching my 7 year old's soccer team this year. We are the Black Birds. This is his first year playing and my first year coaching so there have been a lot of new experiences for us both. We just finished our first week of practice. It was great to get to know the players and they have gelled together quickly. After two practices this week, we gear up for our first game on Saturday. Unfortunately, we will be without who I consider our best player. Despite having never played before, my kid is probably the second best player on the team so there will be extra burden on him to score some goals for us. Hopefully everything comes together for us Saturday and we can pull out a victory.

GO BLACK BIRDS!!!