WILD

[jimdahl]

I'm going to assume that you've attended a few Caps games. How would you characterize their fan base? Knowledgable? Passive? Astute? I just can't see them being very passionate.

Small D.C. just isn't a hockey town. The Skins are the one team everyone is behind. Drawing new residents primarily from New England/New York, everyone's a baseball fan (not to be confused with being a Nats fan, which no one really is yet).

However, because most of the Caps fans are transplants who love hockey, my experience is that they're often reasonably knowledgeable and passionate. I definitely see way more Caps jerseys on the metro on game days than for any other local sport on their game days, and they were 95% this year's model on day 1.

[AZSIOUX]

Small D.C. just isn't a hockey town. The Skins are the one team everyone is behind. Drawing new residents primarily from New England/New York, everyone's a baseball fan (not to be confused with being a Nats fan, which no one really is yet).

However, because most of the Caps fans are transplants who love hockey, my experience is that they're often reasonably knowledgeable and passionate. I definitely see way more Caps jerseys on the metro on game days than for any other local sport on their game days, and they were 95% this year's model on day 1.

jim, you saw he got 124 million for 13 years right............wow thats a long contract for the nhl

[Bob in Wisconsin]

The new owner, Craig Leipold, lives in Racine, Wisconsin (my hometown). Ouch...a Minnesota team owned by a "Sconie"....

[Siouxmama]

The wild are lacking a few top of the line forwards to make a run, they also have a bunch of crappy defensemen.

Tonight they will be dismantled by the Red Wings. Skula sp is the first denseman I would throw in the Mississippi river.

Wild win tonight in a shoot out (2-1).

Wild tied up the game at 5-5 with about 48 seconds left. Didnt watch the entire game, as I was surfing the Center Ice channels, but they managed to pull it off. Gotta love a shoot out.

[redwing77]

Wild win tonight in a shoot out (2-1).

Wild tied up the game at 5-5 with about 48 seconds left. Didnt watch the entire game, as I was surfing the Center Ice channels, but they managed to pull it off. Gotta love a shoot out.

Stunned at that. Osgood must have been going over the new fat check he just got from Detroit.

In fact, I don't think either team played especially well defensively.

As per the Capitols - Jim, I remember seeing them play the Red Wings. I don't think they ALL play with passion, but some of them do. Believe it or not, Ovechkin is one that stands out who I saw played with fire that night. The other was Olaf Kolzig. Admittedly, I saw a Capitals team that didn't have Semin and some of the other talent it currently has, but I just don't understand Washington. They seem to be far more talented than they are playing at.

[Goon]

Wild win tonight in a shoot out (2-1).

Wild tied up the game at 5-5 with about 48 seconds left. Didnt watch the entire game, as I was surfing the Center Ice channels, but they managed to pull it off. Gotta love a shoot out.

For once I got Reverse psychology to work. I was actually stunned that Detroit didn't start Hasek.

I missed the shoot out but got to see the replay of it on the NHL network.

[MafiaMan]

nevermind, i guess hes getting a 13 year 124 million dollar deal whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - he must like washington

It's funny how Garth Snow was ridiculed as loony for signing DiPietro to a lengthy contract, yet Ovechkin signs a similar deal and Washington is hailed for locking the guy up for the long-term. Philly recently made a similar contract with one of their players.

The NHL is the new NBA. Five or six years from now, deals like this will cripple the team financially unless the owner wants to spend money, and, much like the Timberkittens, they will have ONE big star on the team and a bunch of scrubs no one else wants.

[Displaced Nodak]

I don't understand why the NHL is letting Leipold buy into another franchise. He was more or less run out of town by the people in Nashville.

[CDog]

The best part of the Ovechkin contract is that there wasn't an agent involved.

[jimdahl]

As per the Capitols - Jim, I remember seeing them play the Red Wings. I don't think they ALL play with passion, but some of them do. Believe it or not, Ovechkin is one that stands out who I saw played with fire that night. The other was Olaf Kolzig. Admittedly, I saw a Capitals team that didn't have Semin and some of the other talent it currently has, but I just don't understand Washington. They seem to be far more talented than they are playing at.

I was more responding to a question about the fan base than the players. It's a very young team, prone to mood swings and fits of talent mixed in with fits of mediocrity. Kolzig is really the one stable veteran, and Ovechkin is so ridiculously good that he shines no matter what else is happening.

Though the Red Wings are one team they just haven't matched up well against ever since the '98 cup, I do agree that Washington has dramatically underperformed this season, for having added Nylander and Backstrom to Ovechkin and Semin. I can only repeat my stat from above -- they are 11-6-4 since Bruce took over as head coach (if only they hadn't started in a 7-14-1 hole).

[nodak hockey fanatic]

It's funny how Garth Snow was ridiculed as loony for signing DiPietro to a lengthy contract, yet Ovechkin signs a similar deal and Washington is hailed for locking the guy up for the long-term. Philly recently made a similar contract with one of their players.

The NHL is the new NBA. Five or six years from now, deals like this will cripple the team financially unless the owner wants to spend money, and, much like the Timberkittens, they will have ONE big star on the team and a bunch of scrubs no one else wants.

yeah, mike richards got a 12 year deal with philly. there seems to be alot if these long term deals going around. for a player like alex, i think it is a no brainer to lock him up, but he is a rarity. with the dipietro and richards deal, you have to wonder how it will affect being able to sign other high end talent under the cap? guess that is why i am not a gm. no one player makes a team, but you sure have a good start with alex or sidney (or jon toews ). speaking of long term deals, i was a little surprised by how low zpar's deal was this summer, anyone else agree?

[ScottM]

I don't understand why the NHL is letting Leipold buy into another franchise. He was more or less run out of town by the people in Nashville.

Shows how desperate the NHL is to maintain the current roster of teams, even in traditional "non hockey" areas. There were rumors Leipold was either going to sell or move the Preds to KC(?) or some other place, until the tightwads around Nashville/Brentwood stepped up. I actually enjoy going to Preds games. It's kind of fun defining concepts like forechecking, icing, etc. for the natives, and those foam "claws" are amusing.