Two consecutive Friday nights with appealing visiting clubs and two straight conspicuously disappointing crowds. Ten years ago it it would have unfathomable to view wide swaths of emptiness on a post World Series Friday night with Philly in town. More and more I’ve become convinced that the hockey product here is (1) gratuitously overpriced for its value (especially in the lower bowl) and (2) battered into home emptiness by a decade of defeat that,†on the heels of a decade and a half of perpetual springtime torment, has produced as significant a marketing challenge as faced by any team anywhere in the landscape of pro sports. And Alexander Ovechkin is more or less powerless to do anything about it until he and his teammates begin to win consistently and then make some postseason noise.
In the immediate aftermath of the lockout, it was common across the league for owners to distribute a thousand freebies for every home game, and in some instances, many more, as a bit of electroshock therapy for locals, as owners sought to re-introduce them to pro hockey’s return. I suspect that practice has now ended, and what we’re seeing this autumn is more of a genuine reflection of the enormous challenge Ted Leonsis and his ticket peddlers have. This fall, with reference to the media’s†ongoing failed business practices, Mr. Leonsis asked, “Why keep repeating what isn’t working?” I’d return that identical question to him regarding absent fannies in thousands of seats. On Friday nights such as the past two, it’s ominous.
- At the risk of stating the obvious, Dave Steckel, absent an injury rehab assignment, has played his final AHL hockey game. He has done exactly what I thought he would this season having watched him play a two-way, dominant role for one of the all-time best Hershey Bears’ clubs last season.
- Kozlov played a strong first period, carrying the puck deftly and with strength. However his following two periods were markedly less effective.
- Early on it appeared as if there would be plenty of Washingtonians disappointed they didn’t come last night — this was an old fashioned chippy Friday night affair between Philly and Washington. Then the Caps fell lifeless the entirety of the second period and almost all of the third.
- You’d have to score the Richards-Laich bout Richards’ on points, but Laich made his few landings count. Eric McErlain, seated next to me, said, “Richards looks like David Koci” at the conclusion.
- Speaking of Richards: Here’s money in the bank — he’s the next Flyers’ captain. Midway through the game I knew he’d be named the game’s first star. A year ago he was thought to have been a terrific find at no.†24 in the 2003 first round by the Flyers. Now he’s positively a jewel of that draft class. You wish you could take a month’s worth of footage of his game, sit Tomas Fleischmann — who has twice the talent of Richards — in a dark room for a long weekend, and have him watch it on a loop, hoping something would seep in. But that’s hockey for you; playing the game the way Richards does comes from the heart.
- The Pothier-Schultz convergence of non-convergence led to the Flyers’ first goal. Both broke toward Briere in the center ice slot but neither ultimately covered him, which is why he was able to complete a tap-in past Kolzig without objection and heat a cup of soup there too. The blueline turnover that led to the Flyer’s jailbreak the other way of course didn’t help.
- The
CarterEager-Suts slowdance was†largely missed fists and fury†about nothing connecting. I guess you award it to†Eager on the takedown. - Boyd Gordon’s centering line 1 isn’t a long-term solution. It also isn’t a short-term one.
- Remember the mantra of playing a puck possession game as a means of reducing opponents’ scoring opportunities? After two periods tonight the Caps had 11 giveaways.
Daren Machesney stopped all 36 shots he faced — including 20 in the second period — as Hershey prevailed 2-0 on the road at Albany last night. Sasha Pokulok recorded his first point on the season. The Bears are back home at Giant Center tonight.†
Now three games below .500, and with a tough slate of three on the road this week before returning home against Tampa†next Saturday, the Caps are staring squarely at the possibility of being ranked 15th in the East at week’s end. If not sooner. Injuries aside — and all teams have injuries (the Flyers were without Simon Gagne last night) — there is a bizarre and disconcerting inconsistency to this team 13 games into the season. The cohesive and committed sets of lines, forward and back, of Monday night in Toronto bore no resemblance to last night’s 20 man-units of one. There were widespread expectations of marked improvement for this club this season, and that included the coaching staff. It would be difficult imagining this club a favorite in any of the games it plays this week (particularly Monday and Friday nights),†and November is littered with Southeast division matchups. Absent a significant turnaround, this team could be staring up at a chasm-gap in postseason contention sooner rather than later.
After†next Saturday’s game there are fully four days off. Just sayin. ††††
9 Comments
Sutherby fought Eager….not Carter.
“After next Saturday‚Äôs game there are fully four days off. Just sayin.”
Do you think we’ll potentially see a shakeup if things continue down the wrong path? I’m skeptical. Although Ted’s ‚ÄúWhy keep repeating what isn‚Äôt working?‚Ä? is an apt statement about so much right now.
I did not realize how overpriced the seats were until last week when I actually realized some of the seats for which the caps are charging $50. I went over and took a look from them in the third period. Wow. Even if the team was winning $50 would be pricey for some of these seats.
It seems Philadelphia is not the fighting team they once were, but they’re an aggitating team. They do things to try to get the opponent off of their game. (See the checking suspensions the team currently has.)
Last night you could see it. Once they figured out the referees were not calling holding or interference, the Flyers took advantage of that to get the Caps out of the game they played in the first period. (After Laich split Richards’ nose, they stopped trying to have heavyweights pick fights with the lesser fighters though).
The thing is, the Caps let it get to them. They let it break their focus from the first period and the way they literally dominated play. That led to the retaliation shots and the laziness calls which the Caps take when they get shaken out of their gameplan (and all those penalties are enough to get you out of a gameplan).
Hanlon and Clark (missing) and whoever else is in the locker room has to figure out a way to motivate these guys sufficiently to play around the obstacles thrown in their way. Yeah, the games are not necessarily fair (goaltender interference in the Rangers game a couple weeks ago when the Rangers scored), but you have to deal with it. Find a way to overcome it. Play hard. Don’t make stupid mistakes. Maintain focus. When the Capitals finally figure that out, they’ll be a good team. Until then… we’ll get a game like the one against Toronto, then several like playing the Flyers.
The Flyers played a good game. And they used their gameplan to beat the Capitals. Are the Flyers a more talented team? Maybe. But at least for a night, they were the smarter one. I know… anything from Philly being smart seems crazy.
Not a full rundown, but a few things I noticed:
-When focused, the Caps can control play very well.
-Laich held his own, all things considered.
-Kozlov still looks like he’s fighting the puck and the play on the ice. Get him drunk? Laid? Something to help him relax and find the game he should have.
-Shooting off of a faceoff leads to good things. So keep winning faceoffs.
-Too many penalties wears your players out. I know… DUH. But that means once again the Caps have to stop taking stupid penalties. A bit more discipline in play might go a long way. And isn’t the “Don’t take stupid penalties” matra getting a bit old by now? Do we have to Clockwork Orange the team as a new way to get the message to them?
-Nylander makes everyone else play his pace of game. Maybe that sense of calm can help the Caps if they go along with it as opposed to fighting it. There’s no hurry, no panic. Curling around, letting the play unwind, making the opponent impatient.
Here’s hoping that Hershey can string together two wins.
Couple of things:
I have a 11 game plan in the lower bowl and found myself wondering about other ways I could spend $90 and two and a half hours to watch a disappointing, and predictable, result. Predictable because this season’s Caps have no heart, no drive to play through more than a full period. They fold at the first sustained pressure. And Hanlon has to take most of the blame for that. A lower bowl seat might be appropriately priced if we had elite coaching and managerial talent, but we don’t.
Indeed, a decade of early exits from the playoffs, followed by a long stretch of no playoffs, is too much to bear for an area that has no historical hockey roots.
Sadly, this team is becoming quite consistent. It’s lost 8 of its last 10. Its the 3-0 start that’s been the aberration.
A few of my friends were potential season ticket holders as you know. I haven’t heard from them about going to a game anymore. I don’t know why.
Hi guys–I feel blue today too; but..after 6 home games–the Caps revenues are up more than $ 500k –year over year.We are a gate driven business– the players get a peice of the revenue –while papering the house may make you feel better–it doesnt drive revenues–which we are mandated to do by the new CBA–so our revenues may increase more than 20 percent-year over year– that would qualify us as a growth company.Our tix prices are lowest of any top 10 market in NHL; and basically the same as they were in 1999.Ofcourse–our team payroll will grow faster than our revenues–but that is a story for another day..
We also have 5th least goals against in the East– and best in SE division–we need to score more –let us
NOT forget we have lost about 80 to 90 goals per year by not playing Fehr–Clark-_Semin and Poti; the world hasnt ended-I am troubled–but remain steadfast in believing that we can execute on our plan and have a shot of making the playoffs–if we can get healthy. Our business is also growing; so thank you for the concern; I just wanted to level set for you and your readers. Go Caps. Ted
A little late to weigh in on this post, but I’m sure the Flyers would love to have Eric Fehr instead. We sure do.
Post a Comment