Let me start out by telling you guys that there is no actual statistical stuff in this post.  Nor is there any real reason for you guys to read it.  I'm writing it for myself, in a public forum, hoping that you guys will and may remind me of this when I feel down on the Nats.

Many of you who've seen me post before have read that I grew up a Cardinals fan.  I grew up watching those guys, and they were my team, definitely, they were my favorite team by far.  I spent my summers bouncing from walking distance from Piftzner Stadium while the Cannons were affiliated with the Cardinals and sitting in Busch Stadium with my uncle or step-grandfather, watching the "Prince William" flag fly high over left center.  And it filled me with just pure joy to see that flag and names I recognized on the field.  Lankford.  Benes.  Looper.  Pujols...

I remember the day I was stumbling on the internet while a senior in high school.  "Sign a petition for Major League Baseball to come to NOVA/DC."  I signed it, fast.  I snapped up an Expos hat, hoping that maybe my 20 dollars at lids would be seen by MLB to show that my area already supported the team.  I had strange hopes that the team would move to Northern Virginia, and become the Dulles Expos (playing near the Dulles Expo Town Center).  As I prepared for college, the news came.  Washington was getting a baseball team.  I snapped up a hat and jersey, hoping that they'd be the Senators, but the Nationals was fine.  DC had a baseball team.  Excitedly, I watched when I could for their first season, wearing my red hat when the team was at home, and blue when they were on the road.  But there was one problem.

They were not my team.

I was still a Cardinals fan.  My Cardinals hat was finding its way on to my head.  Often.  After the 2006 World Series, I was ecstatic.  I loved going to Nationals games, but I loved putting on that 2006 World Series Champions shirt.  Tony LaRoo was my hero.  Pujols was his prophet, and Carpenter?  Man.  Those were my guys.

But times change.  This last year, I had the awesome opportunity to work for City Year in Washington, DC.  And man, what a year.  I rode the metro every day in my red jacket and khakis, either from Pentagon when I slugged or from Springfield if I drove, to Minnesota Avenue.  Or I drove to Northeast, to an inner city school across the street from the north parking lot of RFK.  RFK, where I saw my first Major League Baseball game in my adult life with my father, on opening day weekend for the Nationals.  And walking out of that school, every day, I turned to my right, and I waited for the X2 bus...while staring at the stadium.  I found myself wearing Washington across my chest and Cordero or Guillen on the back (Shirts my mother had bought me the first year the Nationals were in town).  When CY got free Nats tickets, I jumped to get them.  Friends would come with me to Nats Park.  We would go right after work some times, getting out at 6, running to the bus stop, running to the metro, running to the field to get the opening pitch.

Not being allowed to partake in certain activities in uniform(Namely, drinking), we'd stuff our jackets in our back andthrow red shirts on and have a beer while watching the team, yelling so loudly that we lost our voices, earning reprimands the next day.  When Cubs fans chanted "Let's Go Cubbies" we replied "1908".  We found out that yes, indeed, our city, had a baseball team.  And yes, indeed, it has won a World Series more recently than the Cubs.  And we let those Chicago fans know.  And I went to Pfitzner Stadium to stand and watch Strasburg pitch 50 pitches...and found that standing room only was right in front of the bullpen.  What a trip.

Well, this year, I watched the World Series.  I watched every game.  I called my grandmother (Who lives near Alton, Illinois) and we talked about every game.  How great it was to see the Cardinals pull it off.  How boneheaded Larussa was.  How awesome David Freese was.

But we also talked about Steven Strasburg.  And Jordan Zimmermann.  And Ryan Zimmerman.  And how those Nationals who I was watching in Potomac uniforms were showing up in DC playing in the Majors.  And while on the phone with her after the Cardinals won, she said the words that really cemented what was going on for me.

"After the Nationals win a world series, I'll have to call you and we can be excited for them."

And I realized, that this Cardinal victory, while exciting for me, meant more for her and my uncle and cousin outside of St. Louis, and less for me, outside of DC.  I realized that Washington is my city.  My players are Espinosa, Clippard, and Wang.  I saw Wang had resigned, and I threw my hat in the air.  And I realized that my grandmother, who has watched baseball religiously when it involved players with two birds sitting on a bat on their chests, had been watching a few Nationals games against her Cardinals.  And she, at her age, thinks she'll see them win a championship.

I grew up a Cardinals fan, and I was happy to see them win.  But I'm a Nationals fan now.  They're my team.  And while I still love the Cardinals, especially the ones I saw play for the Cannons, I want the Nationals to win the World Series in 2012.  And 2013.  And 2014, etc.

And as for Pujols...he should stay in St. Louis.  He's stupid if he leaves.  But if he has to, I want him in Washington.  My heart would just love seeing another Potomac player wind up back in Washington.

Yes, it's a tiring debate, yes, it's annoying.  No, it's not going away. 

So last night at Glory Days I sat with my wife (Hereafter referred to as Frau Mage) and informed her she was the new Commissioner of the NHL, because Bettman was so bad, everyone else has no track record, and every single fan had such a slanted view it was impossible for them to come out with an unbiased divisional set up.

What follows after the jump are her divisions, and her rationale for them.  The rules were she had to establish cities/ares that did not have teams and should, eliminate teams that she did not see fit to have NHL teams or where the NHL had too much of a presence (Her call, it's pretty interesting), and to set up divisions based on this semi-new league.

It's in it's entirely a work of fiction.  Following the fun example, I had her align the current NHL, which she is doing now.  This will come in a second post.

Continue reading this post »

We hear it all the time, and a post in the conversation on Jason Arnott brought by Chris Burton really got me kind of going.  As hockey fans, a lot of us here would like to be considered classy, and there's nothing wrong with that.  But rather than just saying "let's be classy," I'd like to propose something more along the lines of The Code.  What follows are some basic ground rules.

Continue reading this post »

I know the Stanley Cup Finals haven't wrapped up yet, but I was thinking about starting some discussion for the direction we want to take the league, and get some discussion in on some general ideas from as many people who want to contribute.

Continue reading this post »

For the last several years (and it's been several) I've been finding solace in a little place known as Japers' Rink.  And many of you have as well.  Now, we all have one major thing in common, and that kind of pulls us here - we all of the Capitals, and we all seem to enjoy banter and well thought out analysis.

Continue reading this post »

Dear Habs...

Continue reading this post »

Here, we (Collectively) often talk about the need for an enforcer, or more grit.  We discuss whether or not the aspect of an enforcer is necessary in today's game, among other things.  We also get into the discussions of how this player isn't acceptable (John Erskine isn't good enough, Donald Brashear fights teenagers, Matt Cooke knees people, etc).

The problem with this mindset is that most gritty guys or enforcers have done some dirty crap.  Grit and dirt in the NHL are separated by such a thin line that it's often crossed, and often unintentionally.

There are some players who can contribute solidly to the physical game and score, like Jarome Iginla.  The only problem is, those players who can do that aren't going to move.

Who, then, should the Caps use to add this element that the team seems to be missing(outside of Matt Bradley)?

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

A conversation with Stanley Cup of Chowder over on his blog
(http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2009/10/1/1065344/bruins-fall-to-washington-4-1-in#comments) has got me thinking - the Caps really do play against Atlantic and Northeast foes better than they do against the Southeast.  I also got to thinking about the time old conversation of divisional realignments, which I think makes a lot of sense.

We've been in the Southeast since the league adopted the 6 division format, and honestly, I'm tired of it.  Our closest thing to a rival in our division is just a team that hates us and throws beer on our fans when we go visit.  I can't think of a team in the Northeast and Atlantic who I dislike less than Carolina.

The league insists on geographical divisions, which I'm fine with.  They make the most sense to keep travel costs down, but it's completely unfair to the Capitals.  Raleigh is 278 miles from DC by car.  By contrast, Pittsburgh (246), Philly (138), and New York (227) are all closer.  I can't think of a team that is closer to five non-divisional rivals than it is to ONE divisional foe (Except, perhaps Nashville, but I doubt it).

If you look further, the Capitals are 1,035 miles from Sunrise, FL (Panthers).  By contrast, the Capitals are closer to MONTREAL (592), and they're about as far away as you need to get.

The facts are, the geographical divisions may hurt the Capitals.  It could even be possible that the team is more tired from longer flights to divisional foes.  Regardless, I think the divisions are a joke.  Five teams compete for a promised 1-3 spot.  I'd rather 7 or 8 teams compete for a 1-2 spot.  That in mind, I propose a divisional realignment, and if you want to base on geography, that's fine, but leaving the Capitals out of divisional match-ups with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh is marketing the NHL just is letting slip away.  And maybe if we were in a new division, we'd find a way to play better more consistantly.

Hell, we're even closer to more teams in the Central division than we are the Southeast.  Swap us with Nashville, and the divisional travel schedule wouldn't even change that much.

Regardless, it's just a shame that we can't play as well against Southeast opponents, or I wouldn't even bring this up.

Sorry for the second fanpost, but there's nothing I can do to create a new poll with the new suggestions.  Tuesday may be a better option.  As far as time, please leave comments to what time is the best.

Continue reading this post »

Seeing as CapsCon is Saturday, I'm thinking we should have the draft Friday Night (As a way to kick it off and brag about who got Ovechkin at JapersFest) or Sunday Afternoon.  I'll have a poll going on here and I'm sorry it took so long to get this organized.

Alternate ideas can be discussed in the comments.

Also, since the fan post needs to be 75 words long, and I only had 61 before this, here is some bullcrap to let me fan post it.

With the interest in my Original Post, I've decided to completely change this post into a detailed post.

The first (to my knowledge) JRHL is being organized at ESPN.com. The league is now full.  Thanks to everyone who has joined.  It will be a head to head categorical league.

The ultimate goal I had was to fill all 20 slots, and have four divisions of five.  The four divisions would be the Langway, Labre, Hunter, and Gartner.  (EDIT:  If you've never played before, you may request to be in a division with players who also have not played before to increase parity.  You may also ask me or any other experienced player who offers help any questions at all.)

The winner of the league will be awarded the ESPN equivalent of a trophy - a screen saying you won a trophy.  This cup will be called the Japers' Rink Cup.  Each division winner will also receive a banner.  I'm toying with adding a "President DMG's Award" to the team with the highest cumulative stats on the regular season.

My deadline for joining the league is going to be September 24th.  I can add teams after that if there's space, but at that point we need to know what divisions are going to happen, and make schedules and the like.  The draft will occur on either Septermber 26th(Saturday) or September 27th(Sunday).  We'll make that call with a poll on the site.

If you'd like to join, and I hope you do, please send an email to me at mage.ogre@gmail.com, and thank you to those who have already joined.

If any Caps fans in the greater DC area want to gather and go to the local Capitals friendly bar in the 'Cha, Glory Days, lemme know.  Almost every other bar in town is Penscentric, so it'd be nice to go with some fellows and have it be more Cap-friendly.

I believe that tonight would rule to get some people coming - a friend and I should be going.  Provided it's not a pro-Pitt crowd, we'll even stay.  I'm going to be wearing a red Backstrom t-shirt.  I'll also be sitting in non-smoking, cause lols I have asthma.  There'll be a beer special until 9, and then after 9 it's 5 buck appetizers - a good deal, in my opinion.

If there's any interest, feel free to comment.

Obviously, by "we" I mean GMGM.  But speculation time!

Last year at this time, I wrote an article on this topic on Bleacher Report, and I am planning to do so again.  The following is my pre-emptive research that'll guide the potential article.  Please feel free to make any suggestions and comments.  Contract info via rotoworld.com.

The Sporting News: 

1.)Doug Weight (C, New York Islanders, 4.3 Million, UFA at end of season):  This guy would be a damn good 3rd line center.  His latest injury makes him a no go.

2)Bill Guerin (RW, New York Islanders, 4.5 Million, UFA at end of season):  Has our favorite hated meme:  a no movement clause.  But would be a right wing who could play on any line.  At 4.5Mil, too much for us.  Shame.  Too much.

3.)Nickas Havelid (D, Atlanta Thrashers, 2.7 Million, UFA at end of season):  We could feasibly swing this deal.  I don't necessarily think he's an upgrade to our d-corps for his cap price over Mo, though.  No thanks.

4.)Brendan Morrison (C, Anaheim Ducks, 2.75 Million, UFA at end of season):  He's a slightly poorer mans Doug Weight.  I'd rather spend the extra .3 mil to get Weight than take Morrison, who would likely demand more ripe talent than Weight, who would more likely demand a prospect/draft pick.  No.

5.)Maxim Afinogenov (RW, Buffalo Sabres, 3.333 Million,  UFA at end of season): 3.5M seems like a low number for a guy with his upside, but he seems to struggle with the inconsistancy bug.  I'd only consider him if we find out Kozlov is going to be out long term, and even then I'd take a long look at Antropov first.  No.

6.)Kyle McLaren (D, San Jose Sharks, 2.5 Million, UFA at end of season): Is he better than Morrisonn?  He's done in San Jose, and we could have him for half the cost.  I'd consider him over Jurcina, but he's not a top four guy on this team.  With the way he's yo-yoed through waivers, if we wanted him, we'd have him.

7.)Keith Tkachuk (LW, St. Louis Blues, 4.5 Million, UFA at end of season): Would be a Hell of a pick up, but would likely move Laich to a fourth line, and maybe sit Brash completely.  Too many players who would be higher on the depth chart for Tkachuk to have a significant amount of playing time, and he may warrant too much in the way of prospects.  No thanks.

Jamie Fitzpatrick:  I dunno who he is, but he came up on a search for trade rumors.

8.)Chris Pronger (D, Anaheim Ducks, 6.25 Million, UFA at end of 09-10):  You make too much, Chris.  Stay in Anaheim.  (Got a feeling he won't be traded).

9.)Scott Niedermayer (D, Anaheim Ducks, 6.75 Million, UFA at end of 09-10):   6.75 mil.  You make too much, Scott.  Stay in Anaheim.  (Also won't get traded).

10.)Nik Antropov (RW, Toronto Maple Leafs, 2.05 Million, UFA at end of season):  Nik is an interesting story.  Having played for the Leafs, he obviously lacks in the way of playoff experience.  I'd like to think if we're making a move at the deadline, we're going to want an experienced guy, not a playoff rookie.  I'll pass, unless Koz and Clark are both long-term injured.

11.)Tomas Kaberle (D, Toronto Maple Leafs, 4.25 Million):  Has a no trade clause.  He's also injured.  I'm not ready to take a guy like that.

12.)Pavel Kubina (D, Toronto Maple Leafs, 5 Million, UFA at end of 09-10):  At 5 million, makes way too much for my liking. Also has a no trade clause.

13.)Alexei Kovalev (RW, Montreal Canadiens, 4.5 Million, UFA at end of season):  Would have to be a replacement for someone.  While everyone would scream Nylander, it'd have to be Kozlov to give up his spot.  Would Kozlov perform as well without Ovechkin?  Which Kovalev would come to the Caps, the refreshed one or the Kovalev of the past few weeks.  No thanks.

14.)Sean Avery (C, Hartford Wolf Pack, 3.875 Million):  I would love to have his level of grit see him ruin the Rangers watch him sit in Hartford all year  have him go join Ray Emery in Russia.  No.

15.)Radek Bonk (C, Nashville Predators, 1.475 Million, UFA at end of season):  What does he bring that David Steckel doesn't?

16.)Greg De Vries (D, Nashville Predators, 2.75 Million, UFA at end of season):  2.75M makes him an attractive candidate to replace Morrisonn.  His -15 on the Predators squad does not.

17.)Vernon Fiddler (C, Nashville Predators, 850k, UFA at end of 09-10):  850K makes him an attractive prospect, but he's not producing on a level yet that he's worth a regular player, and we don't need another left wing prospect.

18.)Scott Nichol (C, Nashville Predators, 750k, UFA at end of 09-10):  He's having concussion issues, but even before that, he doesn't seem like the kind of player we need.  A lesser version of Brooks Laich.

19.)Steve Sullivan (LW, Nashville Predators, 3.2 Million): 3.2Mil is too much for a guy who seems to have missed so much of the regular season.  It is not too much for a guy who could provide playoff grit.  I'd look elsewhere first, and maybe come back to this option.

20.)Greg Zanon (D, Nashville Predators, 725k, UFA in 09-10): 725k for what I'd consider an upgrade on Jurcina/Erskine.  I would not hesitate to go for this guy if a draft pick or borderline prospect was offered.  Shaone Morrisonn to the Preds straight up for Zanon would be a steal.

21.)Jay Bouwmeester (D, Florida Panthers, 4.875 Million, UFA at end of season):  His 4.875 mil will jump to 6+ mil after the season.  Do we really want to give up a Semin level player for him?  I don't think he's good enough.

22.)Erik Cole (LW, Edmonton Oilers, 4 Million, UFA at end of season):  Not a good fit.

23.)Chris Neil (RW, Ottawa Senators, 1.1 Million, UFA at end of season):  Chris makes 1.1 Million dollars.  If Clark is out long term, I try to snatch this guy up, if the asking price is not too high.  I think his play style would fit in, and he'd add grit.  Is he dirty?  Yes.  But he's not dirtier than Hunter.  I would hate this trade at first, and likely love it after a few games.  Not opposed to it, for the right price.

24.)Filip Kuba (D, Ottawa Senators, 3 Million):  In my opinion, Kuba makes too much to not provide enough.  Pass.

25.)Nathan Horton (C, Florida Panthers, 4 Million):  Would be a hard trade to make.  Florida is looking to make the playoffs, as are we, and we're in the same division.  On those grounds alone, I'll say no.

26.)Brendan Witt (D, New York Islanders 2.767 Million):  Had his chance here.  He can stay on the border of Kansas and Missouri Long Island.

27.)Dan Hamhuis (D, Nashville Predators, 2.25 Million, UFA at end of 09-10 season):  I have a confession - I love Dan Hamhuis.  And it's no secret I'm not a fan of Juice.  I think he'd slide nicely into a 4th slot on our defense, and if they'd take Mo and Jurcina and a draft pick or middle tier prospect (Lepisto comes to mind) for Hamhuis and Zanon, I'd snatch that in a heartbeat.  A d-corps of Green-Schultz, Hamhuis-Poti, and Alzner/Zanon/Kronwall/Erskine would just make me giddy.  I approve.

28.)Derek Morris (D, Phoenix Coyotes, 3.95 Million, UFA at end of season):  Makes too much.

29.)Brett Clark (D, Colorado Avalanche, 3.5 Million, UFA at end of 09-10):  Are the Avalanche sellers?  Even if so, our 5-6 pairing is log-jammed as it is, and I don't think Brett's a 4.

30.)Ilya Kovalchuk (LW, Atlanta Thrashers, 6.4 Million, UFA at end of 09-10 season):  Costs way too much, both in obtaining him and paying him.  The thought of a first line of him, Ovechkin, and Fedorov though does make me salivate.

31.)Kyle Calder (LW, Los Angeles Kings, 2.75 Million, UFA at end of season):  A +2 on LA is kind of impressive.  At the same time, I think he'd only be a short term fix, and isn't worth giving anything of value up.

32.)Marian Gaborik (RW, Minnesota Wild, 6.33 Million, UFA at end of season):  Scoring a problem?  No.  Injuries?  Yes.  Gaborik would be redundant on both parts (Not that scoring is a bad redundancy to have, but he'd create too many shooters and not enough passers.   Not enough puck between him, Semin, Ovechkin...)

33.)Niklas Backstrom (G, Minnesota Wild, 3.1 Million, UFA at end of season):  Is Theo hurt?  I don't think Backstrom is worth the cost if he isn't.

34.)Manny Fernandez (G, Boston Bruins, 4.33 Million, UFA at end of season):  We're chasing the Bruins.  We're against the salary cap.  We've been getting stellar goaltending.  All signs point to no on this trade, which probably means if we do trade for a goalie it'll be him.  I hope not.

35.)Vesa Toskala (G, Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 Million, UFA at end of 09-10):  I think Stretch would be a better option in goal.  I submit this as evidence.

TSN.ca

36.)Vincent Lecavalier (C, Tampa Bay Lightning, 6.875 Million): Nah.  Let him have his Canadien love affair if he gets traded.

37.)Ryan Smyth (LW, Colorado Avalanche, 6.25 Million):  At his salary, we can't take him.  He's a guy who you'd LOVE to have though.

38.)Colby Armstrong (RW, Atlanta Thrashers, 1.2 Million, RFA at end of season):  Another situation of "If Clark is gone long term, we're going to need a gritty right wing.  I wouldn't mind Armstrong.  Also, RFA status let's us decide whether we want him or draft picks at his contracts expiration.

39.)Scotty Upshall (RW, Philadelphia Flyers, 1.225 Million, RFA at end of season): A guy who I would LOVE to see in Red White and Blue instead of Black and Orange.  Realistically, we can't acquire him, but I'd love to.  Won't happen.  He's basically the same as Colby Armstrong at this point.

What would you be willing to give up for these guys?  What would you *realistically* expect GMGM to go for in the coming days.

Hopefully this helps.

Ed. note be sure to check out SBN Nation's Trade Deadline Hub by clicking below:

Mike G. Morreale, you are a winner.  You write for NHL.com.  That being the case, how can you make such a terrible error about the NHL?

"The 6-foot-9, 260-pound Chara, a player on the hated rival of the team upon whose ice he stood, established a new standard in the Cisco Hardest Shot event when he skated into his second attempt and clocked 105.4 mph before a stunned, yet appreciative, crowd at Bell Centre. The cannon shot enabled the gentle giant to best a 16-year-old mark held by another former Bruin, Al Iafrate (105.2 mph), who set the standard as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs."

Leafs?  Further inspection found that the 105.2 mph shot was done in 1993.  Quick look at the stat line reveals...

Guilty of failure to check his facts while wanting to bring more good names of good old Canadian teams into the conversation.

I feel better now.

Here is my article, as submitted to Bleacherreport.com

I've been writing there off and on when I have time for the last year and a half or so, and Ted has linked to an article of mine on his blog, which was a really big deal for me.  (Though, admittedly, not as awesome as the honors he bestows on JPs blog.)

Continue reading this post »