Alex Ovechkin, captain and forward for the Washington Capitals, won his this Hart Memorial Trophy on Saturday, June 15th when the second half of the winners for the 2012-2013 National Hockey League Awards were announced.

The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the NHL's Most Valuable Player as determined by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. This year, the players nominated for the award included Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders John Taveres. With his win this year, Ovechkin has won the Hart trophy three times: 2008, 2009, and 2013.

“This means a lot. It's means, again, it was a hard year for me, for all the Caps in organization because it was middle of the year. I went to the right wing. It was especially hard for me. You know, it works. Again, first of all, how I said on Twitter, thanks to everybody, thanks to my teammates, my coaching staff, my family. Again, it's big pleasure for me to have this award. You know, it's means a lot. I think I'm pretty happy. It means a lot,” says Ovechkin on winning the award.

Ovechkin also credits coach Adam Oates for encouraging him to switch position and improving his play. “Oatesy tell me you have to do it. I talk before. If situation was working left wing, it was work. But situation on the right wing, power play, of course it's a different position. Of course, it's my work, but it's all about everybody, you know, coaching staff, my partners, everything. Right wing was hard, but it's working. So I'm pretty glad. I'm pretty happy.”

Congrats, Ovi. May the chants of “M-V-P” reign in Verizon Center once again!

Read the rest of the interview with Ovechkin here: http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=90075

Source: http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=674105&navid=DL|WSH|home

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When Hillen's regression comes, how bad will it be? (AP)

As the Washington Capitals’ 2013 season has come to a close, and many words have been written about the team as a whole, it’s now time to look at this club at an individual level.  As such, we will be taking a look at each player who played a significant role on the club this season and what they could bring in the future.  Next up is defenseman Jack Hillen.

Season Summary: Hillen, after being signed to a flier contract in the offseason, made the team out of camp and played on opening night, only to take a crunching hit early in his first Capitals game and miss the next seven weeks with what was believed to be a shoulder injury.  Once he returned to the lineup in mid-March, he was actually pretty good, much to my surprise.  He posted nine points in 23 games, three of which were goals, and posted the highest corsi (1.35) and second highest corsi rel (7.5) among Capitals defensemen.  He did this while playing mostly even strength minutes with some time on the penalty kill.  Outside of the injury, I would have to say that it was a very good year for him.  Grade: B+

Role Play: There really wasn’t much hype surrounding Hillen when he got to Washington, other than the nice tidbit that he once ate an Alex Ovechkin one-timer in the teeth while playing for the Islanders.  Many, including myself, did not understand why he was signed at all given the apparent logjam on Washington’s blueline at the beginning of the season, but by the end injuries and bad play by others had made him a steady presence in the lineup.  He exceeded all expectations. Grade: B+

Playoffs: Hillen had a lone point, an assist, against the Rangers while posting a solid corsi of 9.14, though that figure fell to fifth among the six Capitals defensemen to play in the postseason. In addition, his corsi rel fell to -12.4, an alarming drop off which was again fifth on the roster among six defensemen.  He made some solid plays and had some gaffes, though his penchant for taking some bad penalties was certainly not a plus.  Overall, there really wasn’t much to report, especially for a guy with such low expectations. Grade: C

Future Potential: Towards the end of the season, Hillen was signed to a two-year contract extension that will pay him $700,000 per annum for the next two seasons.  That’s a fine contract in terms of money, especially because Hillen’s sky-high PDO of 1051 indicates that there is a correction in store for his statistics next season.  It seems curious given all the young defensemen that Washington has, but they may end up trading him.  In the end, Hillen is a middle-aged, somewhat reliable defenseman who can play good minutes in limited quantities.  That’s nothing to sneeze at, despite the likely regression.  Grade: B-

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Can Crabb fight off a poor year to land in the NHL again? (Zimbio)

As the Washington Capitals’ 2013 season has come to a close, and many words have been written about the team as a whole, it’s now time to look at this club at an individual level.  As such, we will be taking a look at each player who played a significant role on the club this season and what they could bring in the future.  First up is winger Joey Crabb. (V.v.V.)

Season Summary: Crabb, like Jeff Schultz, played pretty much nightly up until the middle of March, after which he did not play another game.  Seeing almost exclusively fourth line minutes, the former Toronto Maple Leaf scored two goals in his 26 games while posting a -11.35 corsi and -11.2 corsi rel, both of which were the worst on the club among forwards.  Crabb played physical hockey but really only saw his ice time early in games and was seldom used outside of regular fourth-line duty, unlike fellow grinders such as Matt Hendricks and Jay Beagle. Grade: D+

Role Play: Crabb was signed to be sandpaper; a guy who could play the wing on the fourth line and seemingly coexist with Beagle and Hendricks while providing a physical presence regularly.  He was able to do that to an extent, but, as previously noted, was not very versatile and was Washington’s worst forward in terms of possession, with no metric forecasting an improvement.  Of course, it’s hard to argue with a benching that lasted two months, and being sent down to Hershey as a result. Grade: D+

Playoffs: Crabb did not see postseason action. Grade: N/A

Future Potential: Crabb’s contract is up, and with Aaron Volpatti signed as the team’s “sandpaper” winger, there is almost zero chance that he returns to the Capitals.  Crabb was in the minor leagues for half of the season and didn’t impress anyone at either level this year.  He will need to work hard to get an NHL gig next season, especially with the cap coming down and his poor performance this year. Grade: D

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Can Kundratek continue to develop with older, declining defensemen in front of him? (Clydeorama)

As the Washington Capitals’ 2013 season has come to a close, and many words have been written about the team as a whole, it’s now time to look at this club at an individual level.  As such, we will be taking a look at each player who played a significant role on the club this season and what they could bring in the future.  Next up is defenseman Tomas Kundratek.

Season Summary: Called up to the big club after an injury to Jack Hillen on opening night, Kundratek stepped in to the lineup and played just about every night for Adam Oates until succumbing to an injury of his own, believed to be a knee ailment, in the middle of March which forced him on to injured reserve.  When he got healthy, there were too many defensemen playing well in Washington for him to reclaim a role, and he finished the season in Hershey.  Overall, the young Czech played in 25 games, posting one goal, six assists, a -6.81 corsi rating, and a -5.7 corsi rel.  It should also be noted, however, that Kundratek had a PDO of 969, among the lowest on the team, which indicates that he was unlucky and could be expected to have some better numbers in the future. Grade: B-

Role Play: Kundratek impressed me this season, as he was a player that I had not given a ton of thought to in terms of playing big minutes on this club until he actually started to play them.  He saw playing time in most situations and though his stats weren’t glowing by any stretch of the imagination, I thought that he handled what he saw relatively well, especially given the expectations that most had of him.  His puck possession numbers are a bit worrisome, especially with how often he started in the offensive zone (52%), but overall I think that he performed pretty well given the circumstances. Grade: B

Playoffs: Kundratek did not see any time in the postseason. Grade: N/A

Future Potential: A restricted free agent when the new League year starts in early July, Kundratek is probably due a small raise from the $816,000 that he earned at the NHL level this year. He is a player that I would like to see the Capitals hang on to if only to give them relatively cheap and capable player to fill in on the blue line if need be.  I think that eventually he could turn in to a top-six defenseman, but he is unlikely to see consistent minutes next year, especially with the signings of John Erskine and Jack Hillen to multi-year contract extensions this spring.  After being acquired from the Rangers seemingly on a whim late in 2011, Kundratek has become a young and intriguing defensive prospect with some potential. Grade: B

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Ah, Sarge. A moment of glory. (WaPo)

As the Washington Capitals’ 2013 season has come to a close, and many words have been written about the team as a whole, it’s now time to look at this club at an individual level.  As such, we will be taking a look at each player who played a significant role on the club this season and what they could bring in the future.  Next up is defenseman Jeff Schultz.

Season Summary: Schultz played pretty regularly up until the end of March, seeing playing time despite a poor season due to injuries.  Overall, Sarge played in 26 games with three assists and a minus-6 rating while posting a corsi rating of -7.84 and a corsi rel of -8.2.  Schultz never seemed to find his groove as a stable, complementary defenseman this year, which he has proven that he can do in the past, and it was so bad towards the end of the year that he was sent to the press box at the end of March and did not return.  It was a disappointing year for the double nickel in just about every facet. Grade: C-

Role Play: As stated above, Schultz had previously made his case as a relatively reliable, solid defensive defenseman who kept the puck out of his own net despite constant cries that he didn’t “hit people enough” by the fanbase.  But those wheels totally fell off the bus this year, as no matter who Oates put him with, he was decidedly poor according to both the eye test and metric test.  Schultz failed to even come close to justifying his salary and took a big step backwards by almost all accounts. Grade: C-

Playoffs: Schultz did not appear in a postseason game. Grade: N/A

Future Potential: Schultz is almost certain to have played his last game in a Capitals uniform, as he has fallen out of favor hard with Oates and there is no need for him on the roster with the growth of Steven Oleksy as well as the presence of many young defensemen in Washington’s system.  His salary cap hit would free up room necessary for people who are actually in Oates’ plan, so it seems as though this is an obvious choice.  Expect George McPhee to try and trade him, and if no partner is available, hand him an amnesty buyout. Grade: C-

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Hopefully, Volpatti's role will continue to shrink. (Faceoff)

As the Washington Capitals’ 2013 season has come to a close, and many words have been written about the team as a whole, it’s now time to look at this club at an individual level.  As such, we will be taking a look at each player who played a significant role on the club this season and what they could bring in the future.  First up is winger Aaron Volpatti.

Season Summary: Volpatti joined the Capitals after 16 games in Vancouver to open his season on a waiver claim, a curious move at the time and a curious move now.  Volpatti is a fourth line player, and was such for Washington in terms of production, posting one assist in his 17 games for the club despite seeing some time on the top line with Alex Ovechkin.  He was a very poor possessor of the puck, posting a corsi rating of -9.75 and a corsi relative of -9.2.  Despite that, he saw time over Wojtek Wolski in the lineup before finally seeing his run in the lineup end when Washington traded for Martin Erat.  He returned briefly when Erat got hurt again, but did not play in the postseason. Grade: C-

Role Play: When Volpatti arrived, it seemed as though his role would be to provide a physical edge on the roster, which he did to an extent.  He played the majority of his minutes on the fourth line and did what most fourth liners do: he hit people, saw a little bit of special teams time, and hit people some more.  He didn’t play those minutes particularly effectively, however, and was an absolute disaster when asked to play up on the higher lines. Grade: C-

Playoffs: Volpatti did not see postseason action. Grade: N/A

Future Potential: Volpatti was signed to a two-year contract extension worth $575,000 per season late in the year, which to be honest seems rather silly given his limited skill set.  Still, he’s an NHL level player who can fill in for a game or so, and it’s not like they were going to get someone like that for much cheaper, especially with the salary cap crunch Washington has coming.  In short, don’t expect him to play many minutes or effective minutes, but he’s a body who can play some minutes. Grade: C

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

George McPhee is here for the long haul. (AP)

Another season has come and gone with similar results for the Washington Capitals, to the point where what was going to happen eventually was very predictable.  After an awful start, the Capitals rode a tremendous stretch of play by Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Braden Holtby to the postseason, only to be knocked out in the first round once more, this time by the New York Rangers.  They lost another game seven on home ice, the sixth consecutive season that they have fallen out of the playoffs before the Conference Finals and the fourth time in those six seasons they’ve lost in the first round.

It was more of the same.

The message on Wednesday at Kettler Capitals Iceplex? Not much is going to change.

“I thought it was a really good season,” General Manager George McPhee said, dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit.  “We improved in a lot of ways.  Our coaching staff was terrific.  We had a slow start but really played well down the stretch and played well in the playoffs.  It didn’t go our way.”

No, it didn’t go the Capitals’ way.  It has yet to go Washington’s way in the Alex Ovechkin era, or frankly ever, in the postseason.  The Capitals have only made the Stanley Cup Final once, in 1998, when they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in four games.  Since then, they haven’t even come close, especially disconcerting given the talent that they have had over the last six or seven years.

Despite these rather alarming facts, the club, at both the player and management level, doesn’t see any reason to change their approach in terms of player personnel.

“But these guys, I’d go to war with these guys,” McPhee continued.  “These are good players.  Where do you get another Ovechkin?  Nick Backstrom is a heck of a player.  Mike Green is a heck of a player.  Carlson is on his way up.  We’ve got a lot of good young players, and we’ll keep going to war with them.”

READ ON FOR MORE ANALYSIS OF ANOTHER DISSAPOINTING SEASON.

Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals fell in another game seven on home ice Monday evening, losing to the New York Rangers in the final game of their 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series by a final score of 5-0.  Henrik Lundqvist was stellar once again in net for New York, posting his second consecutive shutout, behind a Ranger team that pushed all of the right buttons after falling behind in this series 2-0 and came roaring back to take their talents to the second round against Boston, who came up with a stellar comeback on Monday.  With the loss, Washington once more is left to ponder what could have been after another early exit.  And while injuries to key players did not help, New York simply wanted this one more and executted better.  The results spoke for themselves.

Braden Holtby, who was the Capitals’ best player in all three of the games they won in this series (and probably in game six, as well), did his team no favors at the beginning of the game, making some solid saves but also allowing a very soft goal to Arron Asham from the top of the circles, which took the air out of an electric Verizon Center and allowed the Rangers to gain momentum after a very good start in terms of pressure and shots by Washington.  That was the turning point in the game even though it came so early, and it’s a play that cannot happen in a game seven if you expect to win.  Holtby was stellar down the stretch and helped to get the Capitals to the playoffs and win games in these playoffs, but one goal in this game was too much for the team to bounce back from.

No, that’s not to say that this loss was in any way Holtby’s fault.  After that first goal, the next two saw him left completely out to dry by bad defensive zone coverage and poor plays by the team in front of him.  The Capitals fell apart after that first goal and they kept trying the same things offensively and defensively, failing to make any adjustments as they saw their season slip through their fingers.  That’s really all there is to say about their collective performance tonight.

Alex Ovechkin got himself off to a great start in this game physically, registering seven hits in the first period and establishing himself as a presence all over the ice against the Rangers defense.  But as has been the theme since game three, when he probably got hurt, he couldn’t capitalize on the chances that he generated or the chances that he was presented with by the solid play of his linemates.  It’s not fair, but the criticism of Ovechkin in the playoffs will continue to mount from outside sources until he puts the team on his back in the postseason and carries them a distance, if not THE distance.  Such is the nature of being the superstar captain of a team.

This game had the feeling of game seven against the Penguins in 2009, just like the series as a whole felt like that 2009 series against Pittsburgh.  The Capitals dominated the first seven minutes or so of this game before allowing New York to take the lead and then grind them out before blowing them out to another disappointing exit and an early summer.  I don’t know what it is with this team and game seven, or getting 2-0 series leads and then letting them slip away.  But if they want to achieve the ultimate goal, they must figure it out.  This is simply too talented a roster, despite their inefficiencies, to continue to falter in this heartbreaking fashion.

PS – If you blame Adam Oates for this loss and want to see Dale Hunter back…

The Capitals will have postmortem interviews at Kettler Capitals Iceplex some time this week, probably Wednesday.  And then we will all sit and think.  Again.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

#6 New York Rangers at #3 Washington Capitals
Series Tied 3-3
Location:  Verizon Center
Time: 8:00 PM
TV:  Local: CSN, National: NBCSN, Canada: TSN
Radio: 1500AM & 820AM
Previous Games:
Game 1, May 2 in Washington: 3-1 W
Game 2, May 4 in Washington, 1-0 W (OT)
Game 3, May 6 in New York, 3-4 L
Game 4, May 8 in New York, 3-4 L
Game 5, May 10 in Washington, 2-1 W (OT)
Game 6, May 12 in New York, 0-1 L
Familiar Faces of Former Capitals:  D Steve Eminger (212 GP, 2002-08)

C'mon Ref! Read on!

Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images

As a trained hockey referee and an official and coach in other sports, I can say from experience being a referee is a very difficult job.  The National Hockey League does an excellent job selecting and training their officials and icing the best officiating crews in the world.  Almost without exception, the four officials on the ice do the best job they possibly can to ensure a safe, fair, and entertaining game.  That said, they are human beings, the speed of the game means they will occasionally miss calls, and they have feelings just like everyone else.  That said, the last two games in Madison Square Garden were poorly officiated and biased, but Game 6 was an absolute travesty. 

In summary, the New York Rangers received 5 powerplays to the Capitals 0.  The Capitals clearly deserved two penalties in the game (Alzner's delay of game and Fehr's elbow), but the referees' inability or unwillingness to rein in the Rangers led to several retaliation penalties tby the Capitals that should have been both players going at the very least.  In the first period, Rangers' captain Ryan Callahan got away with a blatant elbow on Jack Hillen, leading to a retaliation penalty for Hillen.  Hillen was called for a roughing penalty even though replays showed Callahan clearly embellishing by jerking his head back after Hillen's glove hit his chest, which is not roughing.  The referees also did not call a very late hit from behind on Mathieu Perreault by Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto.  The hit was delivered when the puck was 40 feet away from Perreault and it sent him crashing into the boards.  To be clear, Dorsett had already been penalized for diving after intentionally running into Joel Ward earlier in the series.  Later in the game, the referees called a cross-checking penalty on Joel Ward after Derek Dorsett flew into his of his own free will, very reminiscent of the ridiculous penalty Jason Chimera was called for at the end of the second period of Game 4.  The biggest disgrace of them all was Dorsett's attempt to slew foot Mike Green in the third period.  Even though Green didn't fall over after Dorsett kicked his skate out from under him, Green slammed into the boards and Dorsett proceeded to hold onto Green's leg, keeping him from moving.  Green thoroughly deserved the 2-minute penalty he got for cross-checking Dorsett in the mouth for his reckless play, and he probably deserved 4 (and Ribeiro probably could have gotten a penalty for tripping Dorsett on his way back to the bench), but it is inconceivable that Dorsett was not assessed a penalty for his role in the play.  Predictably, when a game gets out of hand because of poor officiating, an end-of-game brawl broke out, earning the Rangers their only two penalties on the scoresheet, but they were assessed after the final horn had sounded and did not affect the outcome of the game. 

Read on.