re: MSB Season Long Hockey Thread

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Horrible horrible start and it was all on his shoulders and he handled it terribly

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bullshite. Complete and utter bullshite.

To deal with the Milbury thing first, what was so infuriating about his comments (other than people who ACTUALLY AGREEING WITH MIKE MILBURY) was that he was saying Ovie was done as a great player when he literally had a hat trick in his previous game. Ovie is the only player on earth who will get dogged for not scoring a point in the game after he notches a friggin' hat trick. Even worse, he complained about a no look pass from behind the goal, the kind of pass Crosby makes all the friggin' time. In fact, next week, they were praising Crosby for making the same exact pass the next week in studio. The only difference is that Kunitz buried it.

OK, Milbury's stupidity out of the way...


Ovie has been great all year. Oates put him on a line with Matt f'n Hendricks. Until a few games ago, Hendricks was his most common linemate (Backstrom finally passed him). He's been on a glorified checking line, asked to play defense first, and you didn't hear one word of complaint. Hell, he didn't complain last year during Hunter Hockey. Ovie is playing his fourth system in five years, and outside of one time he called Boudreau a fat frick on the bench (which was caught by cameras, he didn't run to reporters with it), he's not once complained. This malcontent BS is just that. BS.

And he was solely responsible for their slow start? Chimera has scored as many goals in his own net than the opposing one this year. Secondary scoring was practically non-existent, going nearly 10 games with a point from the third line. Over three quarters of the Caps goal have involved Backs, Ovie, or Green on the scoresheet.

The Caps problem early in the year, more than anything else, was defense. The Caps allowed 41 goals in their first 11 games. That's almost 4 a game. They've allowed 69 in their last 28, closer to 2.5. Shave off 1.5 goals a game, and it's shocking the team got better.

And know what team has the best record against their own division in hockey? The Penguins. The Atlantic is a pretty crappy division as well, so quit chucking stones from your glass house. You ain't in the meat grinder of the Northeast.