An Open Letter to Steve Mason

MASE1-

Hello there, Stevie Franchise, I come to you with a proposition it will be hard for you to turn away. Now I know you are just a 20 year old rookie, not wanting to step on toes; but the truth is you are a star. Any demand you have should be met, and this is why I believe you should change your jersey from 1 to 0. Now, I don't suggest you do this because you are a zero, but do so to reflect your propensity towards shutouts. My goodness, Stevie. Your are a shutout machine. Does your mom not make you dinner if you let a goal in? I'm beginning to think that is the case. You lead the league in shutouts with 7, a task that hasn't been done since Chico Resch in '76 (back when the Isles were not a total joke). With over 30 games left in the season it is not unfathomable that you will surpass Tony Esposito's record of 15 in his rookie season. You have only played 32 games and with 19 wins, over a third of your games are shutouts. If you truly want to wear the 1 on your back, you might want to let a few more biscuits into the basket. I think it would take a complete breakdown to let the Calder slip away from you, and if you keep up the status quo, your name will replace the standard 'Martin Brodeur' on the Vezina.

Think about it,
Nash Brown, MD

PS.. I know you probably spent a few dollars getting that totally rad 'MASE1' license plate, but with some hard work you'll surely land a Gatorade endorsement to help you pay for 'MASE0'.

Open Ice

I finally got on my game and ordered Jack Falla's "Open Ice." There's a great bit that made me giggle on the bus -- very apropos because Nash Brown and I were talking about the Beanpot this afternoon:

I once coached varsity hockey at a nearby private school, where during a brief break in a practice, an assistant coach pointed to a corner of the rink ... There, three of our better players had opened the door leading to the dressing room, stepped briefly off the ice, and then, one at a time, turned and jogged back toward the open door and jumped through it, fairly exploding onto the ice surface.
"Would you go see what that's all about?" I asked the assistant coach who returned a moment later with the answer.
"They say they're practicing their Beanpot entrances" he said, laughing.
Years later I was at the Boston Garden when one of those former high school players, a BU defenseman, skated out for his first Beanpot game. I found his entrance smooth and stylish with only a trace element of self-consciousness.

Stupid Sports Writers

God it pisses me off when people who don’t know about hockey write about it. Today’s gem comes from the Wa.Po, which should clearly tell its staff to step off the Caps and leave the wonderful beat writers alone. “Sports Columnist” John Feinstein writes about how the Caps should get over whining about the ASG and focus on winning the Cup. Valid point, although if you’d paid attention to anything going on in the past week you’d know that the Caps coach and team has already gotten over the All Star “slight” and is focused on tonight’s game against the Bruins. He also says the Caps need better goaltending. To pluck a phrase from 1990, NO DUH! This guy acts like he’s giving brilliant advice, but makes points that anyone paying attention to the last four months has heard a hundred times before.

Then we get this: Here is what we know about the NHL: home ice in the playoffs often means little. Teams win seventh games on the road frequently -- witness the Philadelphia Flyers in the Verizon Center last April -- and there really isn't a dominant team in the league right now.

I am slamming my head on my desk right now. Technically, his point is true – teams do win game 7 on the road, Flyers, Wings, etc. - but it reeks of someone who just looked up some stats without an understanding of what actually happened. Home ice in the playoffs is supremely important, not just for Game 7. It’s important to win the first game, to come from behind in Game 4, to force a Game 7. Especially if you’re the Caps, who have the best home record in the East, with just 3 regulation losses (19-3-1). The Bruins are 17-3-2 and if it comes down to those two in the Eastern Conference final, don’t tell me home ice isn’t an advantage.

And “there really isn’t a dominant team in the league right now?” I assume he means on home ice? Try San Jose at 22-1-2 at home. Forget the home ice part. The Sharks are 5 points ahead of Detroit and 13 points in front the 3^rd place Flames. If that isn’t dominant, I need a new dictionary.

ok. i can't wait...

i was undecided for a hot while but i hate the idea of nash being sid's winger. nash is a star and needs to shine. he doesn't need to be outdone by the brilliance of sidney's sun. i just can't seem to get over the idea of nash in a pens sweater.. it feels so wrong. like parise in a blueshirt. i couldn't handle it. i always think that nasher needs a better team around him, but when i try to think of other teams he could go to, my mind is always blank. he should stay in columbus when the time comes for him to sign. what needs to change is the players around him. strides have been taken with brassard, umberger and most notably mason. the puzzle is coming together, and i like what columbus is bringing. hopefully they will make the playoffs this year. i don't even think it matters if they are out in 5 games during the first round. they just need to be there and get their feet wet. i sense good things are coming for the cbj's. i'm so sure of this that i'll bet you a bottle of mad dog that they make the playoffs this year. game on?

Jealous

The Caps are in Boston gearing up for tomorrow's game. Tarik has some stuff from their practice, which was at BC. (Eagles suck!) This made me jealous/is why I adore the Caps organization so much:

*The Boston College hockey players were invited into the Caps' dressing room after practice for some pizza and small talk with the Washington players.

"Isn't that cool?" Boudreau said. "I wish when I was playing junior that the NHL teams that came in gave us words of advice."

Just A Quick Thought

so i'm probably just riding an asg high. but as i was dealing with my soul sucking commute on the nj turnpike today. i had a thought.. which progressed into a daydream.. which became a drool inducing man coma.. which almost resulted in a multi-car pile up. so. picture this. rick nash playing wing for sidney crosby. i won't expand now. i'll wait a few days until nasher undoubtedly unleashes a highlight reel goal. that man is a true talent and flies so under the radar he could have a second career as a stealth bomber. think about this, tell me what you feel and i myself will do the same while trying not to hurt innocent suburbanites who pollute the roads.

Hey Now, You're An All-Star

Over at ESPN, Scott Burnside writes about Lidstrom and Datsyuk’s decision to skip the ASG: The punishment has nothing to do with whether Lidstrom has been a great ambassador for the game as a whole and a tremendous supporter of the All-Star event after playing in it 10 times. He is not only one of the finest defensemen of all time but also one of the classiest individuals ever to play the game. But this event is fighting for its very life. Never particularly relevant at the best of times, the NHL All-Star Game is even less so when you hold it up against the likes of the Winter Classic, which has become a showcase event for the NHL after successes in Buffalo and Chicago the past two seasons.

That’s true. So maybe the Wings were making a statement; maybe they’re saying what so many said over the course of this weekend … the ASG isn’t that great. Maybe the die-hard fans and the players find the game a dull distraction. But the Bell Centere was packed all weekend and I’m willing to bet the NHL won’t/can’t let go of the marketing revenue that this thing brings in. Yeah, the Winter Classic is much more exciting considering it, you know, actually counts. It should be the premiere event of the season, and probably will be in another few years. But until the NHL has teams that can pay their own way (cough, Phoenix, cough) and can get itself back into the hearts and wallets of a wider audience, the ASG is here to stay.

So why don’t the players see that and work their tails off to give the fans a good time? All people wanted was a little flash, some laughs and some trick shots. Give up your weekend for the good of the game that has made you a millionaire. Sure, I understand why they didn’t want to go. Why waste your time and energy playing in a game that doesn’t matter, especially when the playoffs are looming? But the fans voted for you, they wanted to see you, and you let them down.

I don’t know how bad Sid’s knee is – I think that he tends to overplay some of his injuries -- but at least he showed up. He gave interviews and waved to the crowd and you have to respect that. He understands how important that stuff is and he made the effort. If Lidstrom and Datsyuk didn’t want to play, they could have at least showed up to glad-hand with the fans. And hey, here’s an idea, if you think you’re going to be too tired, or too banged up, ask to be kept off the ballot. There were some great players (Mike Green) who would have loved be in Montreal this weekend.

But in the end, I think it was better to replace the surly stars than force them to attend. It was nice to see the enthusiasm from some of the guys who might not have otherwise been there. And you know, the players seemed to really be enjoying themselves – with the exception of Vinny, who looked like he had stage fright the entire time. Not re-thinking your impending move to Montreal, are you VLC?