RED ALERT: Caps fans: It all starts tomorrow!

NHL hockey is back.  Caps hockey is back.  Let’s get ready to Rock the Red! 

The Washington Capitals face off in the season opener tomorrow in bean town against the point winner in the Eastern Conference last season, Boston Bruins.  Here are some game previews:  Examiner,

Bourque waived . . . As you read yesterday, one day after being told he made the Capitals roster, Chris Bourque was waived.  If Bourque clears waivers, he returns to Washington.  If he does not return and is claimed by another team, the Caps receive no compenation.  As of this morning, Bourque had not been claimed.  The big question is, if he goes unclaimed, do the Caps keep him in DC or option him to Hershey.  The bet is — Boruque will be sent to Hershey (AHL).

So why bother?  What was the point in telling Bourque that he made the roster?  This all revolved around Michael Nylander’s status.  The thought out there was the Caps were likely confident they woudl work out somethignt hat woudl send Nylander to Europe.  Burce Boudreau even claimed the situation woudl be resolved on Tuesdasy.  Tuesday came and went, nylander wa son the practice ice with the Caps.  With Nylander on active roster, both physically and financially, Bourque was the odd man out.

Here is more on the Nylander situation.  Examiner,

Optimism is high  . . . There is alot of enthusiasm out there for Caps fans.  There should be.  In my opinion, the Caps are returning a roster that is essentially the same roster that has been progressing each year, but upgrading former Victor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov with Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison.  And here is a good reason to have heightened optimism.

This could be the year that changes. Surrounded by the best supporting
cast since his arrival, and likely the most talented lineup in the
franchise’s 36-year history, expectations have never been so high for
the gregarious 24-year-old Russian or the Capitals.

The Capitals didn’t get good overnight. The roster is the result of a
risky process that began during the 2003-04 season, when, after another
veteran-laden team got off to a rotten start, ownership decided to blow
it up and start over.
   

Ummm, maybe the Redskins should do the part highlighted.  In any
regard, had to get my Snyder shot in, the fact is, it was a masterful
plan and it is all coming to fruition.

It’s called Caps Mania.  And it apparently doesn’t faze the bench boss.

“Whether my expectations are realistic or non-realistic is really
unimportant to me,” Boudreau said after a recent practice at Kettler
Capitals Iceplex. “They are what they are. I go to bed every night
dreaming that we’re going to win everything, and that’s what my
expectations are.”

And then Boudreau and the Caps went out and raised it again last
season. Now they have no one to blame but themselves if their fans
expect no less than to see various Capitals lugging the Stanley Cup
around town next summer, visiting national monuments by day and
exclusive nightclubs by night. Boudreau loves the excitement his team
has created in the Washington area, and he refuses to consider it
pressure.

“As a guy who wants hockey to be the most popular sport in the
world, I think it’s fabulous for the growth of hockey and kids playing
hockey,” he said. “So with them having a buzz in the air, I think
that’s great for this area and now that we have that momentum, we want
to keep that momentum.” 

Tarik provides his Three Keys to the season.

too many low-percentage shots from the perimeter and too little traffic
in front of the opposing team’s goaltender. The free-agent acquisition
of 6-foot-3, 230-pound power forward Mike Knuble should go a long way
toward eliminating that

We cited that very thing in several review articles and daily game
reviews we do here at DCPSR.  Outside the occassional presence of
Brooks Laich, the net presence for DC was literally sporadic and at
times NOT present.  Knuble was a great addition to fix that.  But, for
quality net presence, it can’t come from just Knuble. Chris Clark’s return and health could be another boost for net presence.  

And of course, the big issue is the man between the pipes. 

If Theodore gets off to another slow start, Boudreau could find himself
in a tough spot. Varlamov and Neuvirth — both 21 — have plenty of
potential but a combined 24 games of NHL regular season and postseason
experience..

Again, I wonder how logn ti will take for the young Russian to
become the everyday net minder.  The thing is, the little I saw of
preseason and much of what i read, Michal Neuvirth and Varlamov pretty
much outplayed Theo in preseason.  Is that a bad sign?

Great 8  . . .  And of course, there is no doubt, the
Capitals fan base will increase again this season.  Keep an eye on
merchandise sales, TV ratings, and sell outs.  We will do that here as
well.  Many of these new fans are coming initially to see the guys that
is the center of all the talk, the Great One, Alexander Ovechkin.  He
is the best damn player in the NHL, in the world.  The question is, can
he become the best player ever, eclipse the original Great One, Wayne Gretzky? 

Wayne Gretzky’s career total of 894 goals is supposed to be
unreachable, but if Alex Ovechkin were to duplicate what he has
accomplished in his first four seasons three more times, he would begin
the first year of his new contract within reach of the Great One’s
hallowed achievement.

History says not so fast, but is the Great No. 8 the guy who can defy it?

And of course, with a new season, comes the media generated hype
between Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.  Damn that gets
tiring.  Especially because there are many of us out there that don’t
believe Crosby is the best player on Pittsburgh. But hey, how can you sell a Russian versus a Russian in Canada and the US?  

Odds and Ends . . .Sporting News ranks the Caps 5th overall.  Canada.com thinks the Caps could be representing the Eastern Conference.  Fellow Caps blogger, Caps Nut, previews the Eastern Conference. Here is the good, bad, and ugly from Puckhead. 

Down on the Farm . . . Karl Alzner got paid big bucks when he signed his three entry level deal after being the Caps first round pick in 2007.  That deal is also wrecking havoc
on his chance in Washington this season.  But Alzner other problem is
the depth of defenseman in Washington.  I still think the larger reason
Alzner is in Hershey is salary cap related.  Bears cut three players and South Carolina benefits.  Among most notable was Michal Dubuc.  The dynamic duo will be back in Hershey following theiir clearance from waivers, Alexandre Giroux and Keith Aucoin.   

Finally, DirecTv and Versus  . . Have not reached any terms, but Versus apparently is willing to put the game up on DirecTv while negotiations are ongoing.  

DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said negotiations are ongoing. “We’re
open to putting the games up for our customers while we continue to
negotiate,” he said. “The puck is at their end of the rink.”

Jamie Davis, president of Versus, said that isn’t the case.

“They’re the ones who pulled our signal off the air on Sept. 1,” Davis
said. “We were having fruitful negotiations. They were the ones who put
up a slate background and insulted our programming and clouded the
issues by saying it’s all about price.

“We are still negotiating but they are still unwilling to budge off of
insisting on re-tiering our network and taking it away from 6 million
subscribers.”

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