Nats Corner

Nats Corner

 

By: Will Facciolo

Shades of Red

 

 

                Hello out there to all of you Nationals seam-heads, Shades of Red and Bristow Beat readers! Yes, I realize it’s mid-January, the Wiz and Caps are in the hearts of their respective seasons and you may think it’s too early for baseball news...Well, WE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE! There are too many stories to get prepared for once spring training ramps up on Feb. 28^th (just a little over a month away) against the Mets. Today, I’m going to focus on the starting pitching staff, the bullpen, and the bench.

 

               With the acquisition from the Detroit Tigers, the Nationals have one of the best, if not, THE best 4-man rotation in baseball with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez,Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister. Yet, as we know, you need a 5-man rotation during the season. The candidates for the 5^th spot are, LHP Ross Detwiler(2-7, 4.04 ERA, 71 IP in 2013), RHP Tanner Roark (7-1, 1.51 ERA, 53 IP), RHP Taylor Jordan (9-1, 1.00 ERA, 90 IP in minors) and Nathan Karns (10-6, 3.26 ERA, 1.32 IP in minors). The natural choice here would be Detwiler since he’s a guy that’s proven to win-you ball games and has been in the majors for a few years, but then you look at Roark’s numbers last season and you wonder why there’s even a debate that he isn’t the guy! Two very capable and professional pitchers in the running there and in my opinion, they will be dueling-it-out in spring training for that 5^th spot. Jordan was great in the minors last season, while showing flashes of brilliance during his brief call-up to the big leagues as well. Chances are strong he’ll start the season in AAA though and the same goes for Karns. Both Karns and Jordan could be major league-ready starting pitchers in their own right but this staff is crowded.

 

              Early last season, the Nationals made a huge blunder by only having one lefty in the bullpen and another blunder by his name being Zach Duke(HA!). This offseason, General Manager Mike Rizzo made it a point to go out and acquire a left handed reliever for lefty-on-lefty matchups. He found his guy in Jerry Blevins( 5-0, 3.15 ERA, 60 IP in Oakland). Typically a healthy and well-balanced bullpen has 7 pitchers: a left handed long reliever(Xavier Cedeno or Ross Detwiler), a right handed long reliever(Ross Ohlendorf or Jordan/Karns/Roark), 2 right handed middle relievers(Tyler Clippard and Craig Stammen), a left handed middle reliever(Jerry Blevins), a setup man and a closer (your 2 best short men: Drew Storen and Rafael Soriano). The Nationals seem to have this covered on paper. There will be a little tweaking here and there, some pitchers may perform better or worse than expected…but the bullpen is about matchups and they have more than enough arms to provide many favorable ones. Look for the battle between Detwiler and Roark in spring training to determine who will be one of the long men.

 

 

             The bench for the Nats has basically 2 definite members: OF Nate McLouth and OF Scott Hairston. Infielders Jamie Carroll and Jeff Fontenot, SS/2B Danny Espinosa, 1b/LF Tyler Moore, C Chris Snyder, C Sandy Leon and C Jhonatan Solano all will battle for the 3 remaining bench spots with one of them reserved for a backup catcher. Some think Rizzo is still looking to acquire a veteran backup catcher via free agency or trade but he’s been quoted as saying that he’s “comfortable” with the in-house choices. I personally think Espinosa will be dealt by the start of the season because of his youth and potential as a power-hitting middle infielder that has great defensive capabilities. Also, you look at these bench candidates and you’re not seeing any power from the left-side. This may be another thing Rizzo addresses before the season. I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

Who's the trade bait? Neuvirth or Holtby?

At the mid point of the season, the Caps have an odd issue on their hands. They have three promising goalies in Grubauer, Neuvirth and Holtby who are all making a case to be starters. They can't continue to keep all three as it causes problems with ice-time, attitudes and...well there's only two nets on the ice for practice if you catch my drift. 

 

Grubauer was recalled from the AHL Hershey Bears on Nov 30th to serve as Holtby's backup after Neuvirth was injured. When Holtby began to struggle, Grubauer was given a chance to show his stuff and has taken full advantage of the opportunity. He has been a stud between the pipes for the Caps and has instilled confidence into this team. The defense seems to be playing better in front of a goalie they can count on to bail them out consistently. Grubauer is the hottest goalie of the three right now and he will most likely continue to get the bulk of the ice-time while he's hot. Since being recalled from the Hershey Bears, Grubauer has a 6-2-3 record with an impressive 2.27-GAA and .931 save%.

 

Holtby is in the midst of a very inconsistent stretch. He's giving up should-be saves and letting games get out of control quick. When that happens, the defense loses confidence and momentum and it clearly shows on the ice. Many will say the defense's poor play is the reason for Holtby's inconsistencies but the fact is, Holtby is their last line of defense. At the NHL level, goalies have to be good enough to make a few outstanding saves per game. Good goalies can single handedly steal games away from good teams. Remember the last game against Buffalo? Ryan Miller stole the win from the Caps after pushing aside 49 shots. Holtby has obviously been good in the playoffs for the Caps in the past but Neuvirth has been good in the playoffs as well. This season Holtby has a 13-11-2 record and a bit of a disappointing 3.08-GAA and .916 Save%. Holtby has to be better.

 

After missing time to injury and then spending time as a healthy scratch, Neuvirth made his first start since Nov 22nd on Friday against Toronto. He put up an incredibly solid performance for a guy who hasn't played an NHL game in 48 days. He pushed aside 34 shots in the 3-2 win and finished the game with a .941 save%. Neuvirth has been pretty consistent in his NHL career and has played better this season then what his 3-3-1 record would suggest. He's sporting a 2.72-GAA and .916 Save%. He obviously has what it takes to be a starter in this league (as do the other two.) After being a healthy scratch so long his agent recently requested for the Capitals to trade him. Neuvirth himself said he wanted out of Washington.

 

It has been widely speculated that Neuvirth would be the one traded because he's the one who asked out. But what Neuvirth really wants is ice-time and he deserves more. Is Neuvirth really the one the Caps should trade? Over their NHL careers, Neuvirth seems to be the more consistent of the two. If Neuvirth were traded and Grubauer suddenly cooled off, would you be confident Holtby could come in and lead the team to their goal right now? It's an extremely tough decision and it's disappointing that one of these talented players will have to go, but it's a decision that will have to be made. The only other option would be to send Grubauer back to Hershey. But the way Grubauer is playing right now and the confidence he instills into his teammates makes that option the first to be scratched.

 

I'm not at all trying to criticize Holtby, I'm just trying to look at the facts. It's a shame that this horrible drought has hit Holtby at such a critical time. But the bottom line is, I want this team to get what they've never gotten. A Stanley cup!
I would love to hear everyone's take on the goalie situation in Washington. Please feel free to drop a comment.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Zach Hart

Shades of Red

 

Caps John Carlson makes US Olympic Roster

With the Winter Olympics in Sochi just weeks away, the writers here at Shades of Red are excited to write about some of the selected Olympians from the United States. Especially Ice Hockey. Please check out our blog and Facebook page (links provided in footer) as well as the articles we write for Bristow Beat in the weekly sports column throughout the Olympics.

 

After the Bridgestone Winter Classic on New Years Day, the US Olympic Men's Ice-Hockey roster was announced. John Carlson, a defensemen from the Caps was selected and deservedly so. At just 23 years of age, the Massachusetts product's all around skill was too great to be ignored. David Poile, the US Men's Hockey Team General manager, told reporters a bit about why Carlson was one of the players selected on Wednesday: "This year his game has transitioned from somewhat of a defensive defensemen to a two way defensemen. He leads the NHL I believe in short-handed minutes with a team that's pretty good on the penalty kill and his offensive game has gone way up."

 

The Capitals coach, Adam Oates, was not surprised that Carlson was chosen to be a US Olympian and had this to say about his defensemen: "He's one of the best defensemen in the league. He plays a lot of minutes, plays physical, he's got an unlimited tank. He plays every situation and can do anything you ask of him."

 

Adam Oates is correct. Carlson has established himself as one of the top defensemen in the league. He's been given the responsibility of shutting down opposing team's top forwards every game and has faired quite well in doing so. Carlson leads the Caps in ice-time this season and is averaging over 24 minutes per contest. He is ranked sixth among defensemen in the league with seven goals scored and fourth among defensemen with four power play goals. On special teams, Carlson is averaging over four minutes a game on the penalty kill and almost three minutes a game on the power play.

 

Carlson is the 1st player in Capitals history to have made the US Olympic roster and his experience on the big stage fits the bill. He has played in multiple playoff series with the Hershey Bears and Capitals and even played for the US in the 2010 World Junior tournament. In fact, Carlson scored the game-winning overtime goal that won US the Gold medal in that 2010 tournament. He finished the World Juniors with seven points in seven games and was named to the World Junior All-Star team.

 

"It's obviously a huge honor to play for your country," Carlson said.

 

The United States is the only country who has released their Ice hockey rosters (men and women) but the deadline for all countries rosters is set for noon on January 7th. There's no doubt that there will be many more Capitals players representing their countries in the Sochi Olympics and we will talk more about that when the rosters are released. One thing that's known is every countries rosters will be packed with talent and this should be incredibly fun to watch. What else would we expect from the worlds greatest hockey players and athletes coming together for the greatest tournament known to man?

 

GO USA!

 

Here's the (quite impressive) US Olympic Men's Ice-Hockey Roster:

 

Forwards

David Backes, St. Louis Blues
Dustin Brown, L.A. Kings
Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks
Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs
T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues
Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks
Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche
Derek Stepan, New York Rangers
James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs
Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets

Defensemen

John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes
 Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks
Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers
Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh Penguins
Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues
Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild

Goalies

Jimmy Howard, Detroit RedWings
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

Thanks for reading,

Zach Hart
Shades of Red

The Post Shanahan Era: The Future of the Redskins

  With an abysmal 3-13 season finally at an end, the fan base can let out a sigh of relief. No more painful Sundays. No more getting a shimmer of hope and belief, only to be let down by bad coaching and bad play. No more wondering when the next story will be leaked about RG3 and Mike Shanahan. No more questions. No more. And with the final regular season game played, we finally have a bit of clarity on the future of head coach Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins.  Quite simply... there is none.

  Monday morning Daniel Snyder and the Skins organization gave Mike Shanahan the news. He would no longer be the head coach. Further more, the staff would not be retained. According to Bruce Allen, the decision was made following the Redskins loss to the Dallas Cowboys. However, Allen and Snyder still felt that the most important thing was to win the game against the Giants the following week. And they believed that Mike Shanahan and his staff gave them the best chance to do that.

  So was relieving Mike Shanahan of his duties the right decision? Should it have been done earlier? Is he really to blame for the faults of the Redskins this season? There are a lot of questions surrounding the decision for change and rightfully so. Only the future holds the true answer to these questions, but what has happened over the past couple of months says a lot. Who is truly to blame for the lost season of the Skins? If you ask me, it is only fair to place the blame solely on the head coach. I do not blame Danny Espinosa for not being able to hit the side of a barn, I don't blame Jan Vessely for being the NBA's worst jump shooter and I don't blame RG3 for being back in the game when he was obviously injured. It's the organization and the head coach who put the players in the position they were in. Can we really be upset at an offensive line built to run block when they are inefficient at pass blocking?  Do you think Joshua Morgan is at fault for being brought in as a free agent and basically being benched? Same thing with Fred Davis. It comes down to the fact that the head coach makes the decision of who to plug in and where. Shanahan decided who played and who didn't. If RG3 (a rookie,) was able to tell the coach he was going back into the Skins/Seahawks game, after he was obviously hurt, then that's an issue in itself.

   A lot of people are also asking why Mike Shanahan was kept around so long? Why not let him go earlier and get a head start on the coaching carousel? The Houston Texans respectfully let go of their head coach during the season, (who for the record was more beloved to Houston then Shanahan was to DC) and have been interviewing coaches since. If Snyder and Allen had realized how truly awful the situation the team was in was, why not make the move earlier and get your team's name out there to try to lure in some big names like Bill Cowher or maybe Jon Gruden. Those two guys may not want to come back and coach and if they did, why on earth would they come here?!

   Bruce Allen claims that with the nucleus they have intact and with the high-profile of the Redskins organization, this job is an attractive one to many different coaching suitors. Really? With the quarterback seemingly out of control, a defense that can't get out of its own way and an owner that just can't get things right why would this job be appealing to any coach? As far as I'm concerned the Redskins are far behind the ball already, while only being one day removed from the regular season. The question now becomes, what's next? Do you bring in another veteran coach with a respectable resume? Or do you go the young route that other teams are going and hand pick a coach from college? I would love to see a defensive coach hired to restore order on the defense, while keeping a lot of the same running principles that have already been established. A good defense with a power running game? That sounds like Redskins teams that have had success in the past.

   With the fact that Dan Snyder has had 6 head coaches in his tenure, who's to say this will be any different? Are we to assume that just because we have RG3 we can bring in someone like a Chip Kelly and all of a sudden we're back on the map? I would assume no. If anyone is expecting anything besides another rebuild and grooming of RG3 for the future, you might be solely disappointed. However if they can hire a coach that can instill discipline, fundamental football and a defense that actually has a backbone, I believe that the core of the team can be successful.

   Regardless of what you think about Shanahan being let go, it had to happen. Something had to change, something drastic. With all of the turmoil between RG3 and the coach, it was only a matter of time before something went down. Early on, I was on the record as saying keep Shanahan for one more year. Let him and RG3 work on the relationship over the offseason and continue building what they started. But as the season went on, and the losses piled up, I changed my tune. There was no other choice besides letting him go. Shanahan had lost his locker room and it had to be done. Despite what the players said and how Shanahan portrayed it, there was no fight left in the team. That goes on the head coach. The future of the Redskins is up in the air right now, and we most likely won't have any news on the hiring of a new head coach for some time. Sadly, this isn't hard to believe. This is what we're used to, and low and behold, we keep on buying into the same old thing. I for one know that at the beginning of next year, that same excitement and hope will be inside of me. I'll turn on the TV for that first game of the season expecting a win and a completely different team. And that my friends...  is the plight of being a Redskins fan.


Brian Smith
Shades of Red
 

London Fletcher Set to Retire

With his contract running up at the end of this season, we have all guessed that it would be his last. London Fletcher has stated that he is "99% certain" he will retire from the NFL at the end of this season. As a diehard fan of the Redskins, I consider myself lucky to have watched #59 play the linebacker position for the Skins since 2007. His presence, preparation and intensity on the field will be missed.

 

Fletcher, who was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie out of John Carroll University, has earned more money ($53,611,000) then any other undrafted player in the history of the NFL. He is the leagues current "Iron Man" with 254 consecutive starts but barring injury he should finish his career with 256. Fletcher has played a total of 16 seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. There are two games to be played, but for his career, the four time Pro-Bowler has accumulated 1,380 tackles, 20 forced fumbles, 23 interceptions 95 passes defended, and 39.5 sacks. He also helped the Rams to a win against the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

 

Fletcher is the definition of leadership on and off the field. After Robert Griffin III was drafted, the team put his locker right beside London Fletcher's hoping he would help the young quarterback become a leader. In 2012, Fletcher was the NFL's Bart Starr award winner. The award is given to the athlete who displays the greatest character and leadership. Fletcher is very active in charitable work and in 2003, he started the "London's Bridge Foundation" which provides mentoring to youths. The Nonprofit organization helps youths to build standards of education, leadership, teamwork and recreation.

 

Here's some of what London Fletcher has had to say about his retirement from the NFL:

 

"I want to do some other things in life," Fletcher said. "For probably the last four or five years I've always thought about retiring and what do I want to do. But for me, at least, in order to [play] at the level I've been able to do it, it takes a lot of commitment and sacrifice, just time spent training and meeting and watching extra film and all things I've been able to do. And I enjoyed doing it, but I missed a lot of other parts of my life."

 

"Obviously everyone wants to go out like Ray Lewis with the Super Bowl parade," Fletcher said. "That would be a great way to go out. But it wasn't in the cards for me if this is it. But it's more again about trying to leave a legacy and putting some seeds in place and hopefully they'll grow ... and a year down the road I can be proud of this organization. That's how I really look at it." 

Fletcher goes on to talk about his being the current NFL Iron Man.

"That's a part of my legacy," Fletcher said. "The way I approached it is to go about my business, being accountable and not wanting to let my teammates down, and coaching staff, and always wanting to be there for them and know they can count on me.
"I'm sure the consecutive games is part of my legacy, but as time goes past you will be able to see what type of player I was as well."

 

The last game the Redskins played at FedEx field was quite an embarrassment when the Kansas City Chiefs dealt them a 45-10 loss. This Sunday's rivalry game against the Dallas Cowboys will most likely be Fletcher's last home game of his career.

 

"There aren't many times on a field where I felt embarrassed, as a team, as a player," Fletcher said. "What we put on display against Kansas City hurt me to my core. I want our fans to be riled up. I want it to be a special occasion. I want us to get a win. I want to leave with great memories."

 

After last years great season the Redskins are a horrific 3-11. If there is anything to fire this team up for this weekend's game, it should be to get a victory for the guy who has been on a roller coaster since he signed with the Redskins. He has been the one guy the fans could rely on to show up on Sunday no matter who the coach or quarterback was. I speak for all the Washington Redskins fans when I say "Thank You" to London Fletcher #59 for being a true professional through the good and the bad and giving us something to look forward to every game day since 2007. I'm sure the fans will have no problem getting pumped for your last home game against the Dallas Cowboys. We wish you the absolute best in your retirement!

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Zach Hart

Shades of Red

 

 

 

This article is featured in a weekly sports column for "Bristow Beat"

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Capitals (17-12-2) VS. Panthers (10-17-5) - Game Preview

The Washington Capitals will travel to BB&T arena to face off against the Florida Panthers Friday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30pm.

The Panthers are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Red Wings. In the game they were down 0-2 in the 3rd period but received goals from Nick Bjugstad and Sean Bergenheim to tie the game and force overtime. After the scoreless overtime period the two teams went to the shootout and Boyes scored the winning shootout goal for the Panthers. Boyes now has 35 shootout goals which is more then any other active player in the NHL. Tim Thomas pushed aside 24 shots in the matchup and was credited with his 3rd win in a row.

After leaving Thursday's practice early due to an unknown injury, Thomas will be a game time decision for the Panthers on Friday night. If he is unable to make the start, Panthers have called up Jakob Markstrom from AHL San Antonio to take his place against the Caps. On the season, Thomas has a 2.75 GAA and a .909 save %. The Caps have not faced Tim Thomas since the 2012 playoffs when they defeated Boston in the series. In limited ice-time, Jakob Markstrom has a 3.36 GAA and a .877 save % for the season.

The Capitals have looked very good their last three matchups and have beaten the Predators, Rangers and Lightning. In their most recent matchup against the Lightning, Holtby was pulled after giving up three goals early in the 1st period. Grubauer came to the rescue and turned aside 32 of 34 shots. Nicklas Backstrom scored the Capitals 1st goal and from there it was the Ovechkin show. Ovechkin scored four goals in the matchup, all of which Backstrom assisted, and two of the goals came on the power play. With those two power play goals, Ovechkin surpassed Peter Bondra for the most power play goals in franchise history. Ovechkin's 4th goal of the matchup came with just over 30 secs left in the 3rd period and tied the score at 5 and sent the game to overtime and eventually a shootout. Troy Brouwer notched the game winning goal for the Caps in the 5th round of the shootout. It was an absolute thrilling game to watch.

Holtby is our projected goalie for the matchup against the Panthers. On the season he has a 2.82 GAA and a .920 Save %. Hotby has been quite inconsistent this season so no one should be surprised if Oates elects to start Grubauer who is hot as of late. In limited ice-time, Grubauer has a stellar 1.36 GAA and .959 save %.

Note: Ovechkin has more goals then all 3 of the Panthers top goal scorers combined. The Great 8 now has 48 goals in his last 50 regular season games!

Zach's Three Keys to the Game:

Goaltending: If Holtby gets the start, he needs to make some critical saves. It's understandable that he'll get scored on sometimes through screens and deflections but he has outright blown some wide open saves. He needs to be better. There's nothing worse then blowing an easy save because it deflates the defensemen that are working in front of you. But hopefully Grubauer gets the start and Holtby can have some time to think about his game on the bench for awhile.

Defense: The Caps rank near the bottom of the league in shots on goal allowed. They need to block more shots, keep the pucks to the boards and stay in the chest of charging forwards. The Panther's may not be an offensive power house but they do have what it takes to score if they're given space.

Mike Green: When you have a game SO BAD that you have to apologize to your teammates afterwards, you need to go out and fix it! Green had a horrific 1st period against the Lightning when he was called for 4 different penalties for a total of 18 penalty minutes! He had a 4 minute double minor for high sticking, 2 min minor for tripping, another 2 min minor for high sticking and then a 10 min game misconduct. On top of that, his defense has been shaky all season and the goal scoring hasn't arrived. Green is an alternate captain for this team and he needs to lead by example on the ice. There are players from the Hershey Bears and even rookies who are coming in and playing better then Green. He was even benched one time this year while Steve Oleksy double shifted. Let's all hope Green can snap out of this horrible slump tonight against the Panthers!

GO CAPS!

Zach Hart
Shades of Red

Ovechkin and Backstrom are setting the league on fire!

Thinking back to Backstrom's 2007 rookie season, I thank the hockey gods that Ovechkin's line mate at the time, Michael Nylander, sustained the injury he did, when he did. When Nylander was injured, Backstrom was selected to fill his spot alongside Alex Ovechkin. Since then, the duo has been lethal and has never really been changed. Backstrom's premiere passing, stick handling and magical way of slowing the game is the perfect compliment to the goal scoring Ovechkin. Ovechkin's 100+ mph and extremely accurate slap shot blends perfectly with the creativity of Backstrom.

Since they were paired up in that 2007 season, Ovechkin has scored 299 goals and Backstrom has assisted 331 goals. Now, these numbers don't go hand in hand but it's pretty obvious that Backstrom has assisted on the majority of those 299 goals Ovechkin has tallied. It should be noted that it's harder to score a goal then it is to assist one but either totals could be different if they didn't play together on the ice.

Through the five seasons the tandem has been together, Ovechkin has won three Rocket Richard trophys (leagues leading goal scorer) and three Hart memorial trophys (league MVP.) Twice in those five seasons BOTH players finished in the leagues top 10 in total points. Through the young 2013-14 season they place in the top 10 as well. Their best season together was in 2009-10 when, in the whole league, Ovechkin finished 3rd in points with 109 and Backstrom finished 4th with 101. That is phenomenal when you think about the league having 30 different teams taking the ice every season.

In Tuesday night's 6-5 shootout win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ovechkin scored an incredible four goals in the matchup and Backstrom assisted on all four and even added a goal himself. Two of Ovechkin's goals came on the power play and with the second one he surpassed Peter Bondra for the most power play goals in franchise history with 138. After the game, Ovechkin received a ton of attention for scoring four goals and breaking Bondra's record but made sure Backstrom wasn't forgotten. Here's what he had to say about his friend and linemate Backstrom: 

"He's a leader and one of our best players," Ovechkin said. "He probably deserves more attention, but it's all about us being on the same page." The two players have been in a small slump in terms of hooking up for goals and actually hadn't combined for a goal since Nov 17th but Ovechkin goes on to explain how hard work changes everything. "We win a couple of games and then everyone thinks the chemistry is back and everything is ok." Ovechkin said. "We're working hard. We're trying to do what's best for the team and for our success. We've been together since his first year. I don't think any two players on this team have the same chemistry."

In Ovechkins last 50 regular season games, he has 48 goals. Those are Wayne Gretzky type of numbers. So far this season Ovechkin has produced a league leading 26 goals and 9 assists and Backstrom has produced 7 goals and 25 assists. Isn't it amazing how those numbers match up? For the season, they are both on pace to tally over 100 points. Ovechkin is on pace for 70 goals! This tandem is feared around the league and requires every team's top defensemen's full attention. 

When the NHL went into a lockout for part of the 2012-13 season, Ovechkin signed with his old KHL team, Dynamo Moscow in Russia, to play with until the NHL straightened out the new collective bargaining agreement. After playing in a few games, Ovechkin actually talked Backstrom into coming over and playing with him. The two were reunited on a line and it didn't take long for them to show off their chemistry in a different country. Before they returned to the NHL, Ovechkin scored 19 goals and 21 assists in 31 games and Backstrom scored 10 goals and 15 assists in 19 games. The duo helped Dynamo win games which helped them reach the playoffs and Dynamo went on to win the KHL's Gagarin Cup.

The only thing that saddens me, is when it comes time to watch Olympic hockey, we will not have these incredible hockey players on Team USA. But at least we won't have to worry about facing them as a duo because Ovechkin will be suited up for Russia and Backstrom for Sweden. Let's just hope they can stay healthy through the Sochi Olympics and team USA finds a way to bring home the Gold.

GO CAPS! GO USA!

Thanks for reading,

Zach Hart
Shades of Red

 

 

This article is featured in a weekly sports column for "Bristow Beat"

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