The return of Semin

HUGE game for the Caps tonight as the division leading Hurricanes come for a visit.  It's a chance for the Caps to continue their solid play and also climb further back into the hunt.  It also marks the return of Alexander Semin to Verizon.

Old friends Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin planned to get together for dinner Monday night, ahead of the Washington Capitals' big game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.  It's safe to say Troy Brouwer would not be joining them.

While Ovi has said that he missed having Semin on the team I think both from a talent perspective as well as having a fellow Russian on the team, Brouwer took a few potshots at Semin's work ethic after Monday's practice, reviving the reputation that dogged the talented but enigmatic Russian's seven seasons in Washington. The Capitals finally said goodbye to Semin last summer, and he signed with the Hurricanes as a free agent.

"It was tough to lose his scoring ability, when he wanted to play," Brouwer said. "But all in all I think we've been doing well without him. ... Some nights you didn't even know if he was going to come to the rink. It's tough to play alongside guys like those because you don't know what you're going to get out of 'em."



For good measure, Brouwer also said the Capitals had a "very lackadaisical" culture under former coach Bruce Boudreau. The streak of candor highlighted an eventful day of news good and bad that comes just as Ovechkin and the Capitals are finding themselves with a chance to ride some momentum and get out of last place.

I really like Brouwer.  Frankly, he is deserving of the "C" on his jersey.  The guy is a leader on and off the ice.  He is vocal and constantly puts maximum effort night in/night out.  I think he also knows how to get his teammates motivated. 

His comments on Gabby were also interesting. He wasn't here during Gabby's hey day so he more caught it when Gabby tried to alter styles while here which was a mistake for everyone.  He seems to really like Oates' style and I think the team looks like it is finally starting to come around. 

With the extension given to Holtby, the Caps are putting their trust in that kid and if we can get a healthy Green and Laich back and if Backstrom can return to form, this could be a pretty good team.

Again, a VERY important game tonight.  A win puts us right back into the thick of things and keeps the momentum going.  Will be interesting to see what type of reception Semin gets.  Should be a good one.

UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!

RG3 "way ahead of schedule"

Redskin fans received more good news on the Robert Griffin III injury front. Dr. James Andrews said Friday the quarterback is recovering rapidly.

"His recovery is way ahead of schedule so far," Andrews told NFL Network. "We don't have to do much except try to hold him back."

It was announced last week that the Redskins were holding out hope that RG3 could be available Week 1.

Don't think the focus should be on starting week 1 rather it should be to just get healthy.  If that means he is ready by week 1 than great.  Good news is that this guy is a physical freak and has a tremendous work ethic.  Two key ingredients for a quick recovery.

RG3 to start week 1?

Although it is only a little more than a month since Robert Griffin III underwent reconstructive knee surgery, Washington Redskins officials are encouraged enough with his recovery to believe he has a legitimate chance to start in the 2013 opener, according to team and league sources.

Griffin recently returned to Washington, where he spent some time rehabbing. Those who know him insist he is a physical freak, not unlike Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who was able to rush for 2,097 yards and win the MVP award the season after undergoing major knee surgery.

 

The Redskins know there still is a long way to go, and they're hardly going to rush Griffin. But they also know that based on what they've seen so far, it is well within the realm of possibility that Griffin will be the team's starting quarterback in Week 1.

I will say that he looked great at the NFL awards ceremony.  Not at all what I expected him to look like.  He walked with no visible limp and appeared in good spirits.  I don't want to rush the guy.  His long term health is WAY more important than playing in a few extra games this season.  However, if the doctors clear him and there is no greater risk of him playing in Week 1 than in Week 10, why not play him?  We are still several months away from the start of the season and I'm sure there will be much more discussion/updates on RG3's health along the way so we'll see but at least it's encouraging to see/hear that he is doing well.

Should the Redskins change their name?

Few mascots and logos in American professional sports conjure up such controversy as the Washington Redskins.  While some claim it represents the storied history of Native Americans, others consider it to be a racial slur and highly offensive. 

The discussion around the usage of "Redskins" has now been waged for many years. Despite many clamoring for a change, the mascot has remained since 1933, when it originated in Boston prior to the franchise's move to Washington.

The controversy has deep roots.  While it's been a polarizing name for most of its history, opposition really started to heat up in 1992.  Twenty-five years after the Redskins originally trademarked the brand, a group of Native Americans filed a lawsuit against the nickname. The case was later dismissed after the Supreme Court refused to take it up.

Years later, while the Redskins were attempting to build a new stadium inside the city, senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell introduced legislation that would have required the team to change its nickname before building such a structure in Washington.  According to The Washington Post, then-owner Jack Kent Cooke, unwilling to comply, eventually moved the construction outside of the city. Throughout the Redskins' history, government, social groups and Native Americans have attempted to get the name changed. So far, no effort has been remotely close to successful.

The controversy reentered the public sphere last week when a symposium at the National Museum of the American Indian went on the attack against Native American mascots in professional sports. The Redskins, according to The Washington Post, were predictably one of the biggest targets.  A month earlier, with the Redskins reemerging in the NFC playoffs, Washington mayor Vincent Gray suggested that a name change should be discussed if the Redskins want to move back into the city, according to The Post. "I think that if they get serious with the team coming back to Washington, there’s no doubt there’s going to have to be a discussion about that, and of course the team is going to have to work with us around that issue," Gray said.

Current fans already use the shortened "Skins" to describe the team, so officially changing it to the abbreviated version would be an easy and pain-free transition. More importantly, dropping "Red" would altogether eliminate the inherent racism from the team name—which is the goal here in the first place.

Other options would be to change the name to Washington Warriors and use a spear as the logo.  Not much would have to change with the uniforms.  Washington Braves is another option.  The team was originally the Boston Braves and when they were moved to D.C. became the Washington Braves for a couple of years before becoming the Redskins.

While I like the name Redskins and the logo, I certainly don't want to offend anyone.  I don't think that is anyone's intent today.  However, I understand that the name can be offensive and I would be fine with a change as long as the spirit of the team remained intact.  That is why I could go for the Washington Warriors.  The Braves rides on tradition, but it doesn't offer a huge step forward in moving past the Native American problem "Redskins" presents now.  While Redskin fans use the term Skins, I don't know how much I like that.  Changing to something completely different would require completely different branding and I don't think the organization or fans would really like that.  The Washington Warriors would be a pretty simple transition as the colors could remain the same.  The name is pretty cool and can tie somewhat to the history of the Redskins but at the same time not really offend anyone. 

Caps beat Panthers in OT

BIG win.  Down 5-3 late in the game, the Caps came back with Eric Fehr's first goal of the season with a little more than 5 minutes remaining.  With just over 2 minutes left, Ovi tied it on a PP goal right off of the faceoff. 

 

Thirty seconds into OT, Backstrom hit Brouwer in stride who was behind the defense and scored the game winner on breakaway.  Exciting game and more importantly, the Caps get their first road win of the season, their first back to back wins of the season, and get the 2 points. 

 

The Caps had their issues and there were defensive breakdowns but it was nice to see them persevere and fight back for the win.  Additionally, the PP has been great the last couple of games.  Last night, the Caps went 2-for-3 on the power play, getting goals from Mike Ribeiro [first period] and Alex Ovechkin [third period].  They are now 7-for-14 [50 percent] in their last six games. Washington has improved its league ranking on the man-advantage from 18th on Feb. 1 [17.9 percent] to tied for fourth at 25.5 percent.

 

Also of importance is the re-emergence of Ovi, he is looking more comfortable on the RW and looks to be getting more opportunities and developing his moves from the right side.  Ovechkin played a season-low 16:53 last night and was on the ice for two of Florida’s goals, but he also scored the game-tying goal on the power play and assisted on a goal by Matt Hendricks. Ovechkin finished with 10 attempts at the net. Three of them hit the net, three were blocked and four went wide. Ovechkin also delivered a hard hit on Kris Versteeg and answered the bell on his next shift when Versteeg cross-checked him and the two got into a scuffle.  A good, hard game from Ovi and hopefully we see more of this.

I said before the home and home with the Panthers that the next three games pretty much decide the season for the Caps.  They won the first two and now head to TB to face the reeling Lightning on Thursday.  This is another must win game.  Given that no one seems to be running away with the SE division, a win on Thursday gets the Caps right back into the mix in the division. 

We still need Laich back and could use Orlov as well to spell Schultz but it seems like this team is starting to take shape.  A couple of more wins and this team will really start believing.  Hopefully they can pull out the road win in TB and make it three in a row.

Skins hire Keith Burns as Special Teams coach

The Redskins have an agreement to hire Keith Burns as their special teams coach, a league source confirmed Monday afternoon.

The 40-year old Burns has been the assistant special teams coordinator for the Denver Broncos since 2007. Burns was a linebacker who played primarily on special teams under Mike Shanahan in Denver. Burns served as special teams captain and later coached under Shanahan.

Interestingly, Burns went to T.C. Williams high school and I played against this dude. 

Caps win!

It's been a while but the Caps pulled together a really strong and complete game and beat the divisional rival Panthers at home on Saturday.  A much needed win.  In fact, the season really hangs in the balance this week as they have three straight divisional games (home and home with the Panthers and then divisional leading TB on Thursday).  These are huge games.  If we can pull out all three we are right back in the mix as TB has struggled (losers of 4 in a row) after a red hot start in which they looked like they were going to run away with the division.

I will say that the Caps have looked good at points even during their losses.  If they can just string a full game together, they will be fine.  That appears what they did on Saturday.  It's a good win but it is only one win.  Still, this team was desperate for a win and you have to start somewhere.  Hopefully that win will jump start their season.  However, a loss on Tuesday against a Panther team playing back at home and no doubt wanting revenge for the beating they took on Saturday, will send the Caps back to where they were. 

I will say that it was good to get Erskine back and hopefully we can get Laich back soon.  Nice to see Ovi score his first 5 v 5 goal. I also like that Oates appears calm under the pressure and is holding firm and believing in his system.  Hopefully it is all starting to turn and we can make a run. 

Honestly, it just felt good to get a win. Should be a good one tomorrow night.