Category Archives: Marcus Johansson

Managing, and Excusing, the Ever Repeating Loop of Mediocrity

“I hope the Caps win a Stanley Cup before I’m dead.” — Kevin Fletcher, age 7, Alexandria, Virginia, earlier this week, relayed by his father on Facebook. The definition of precocious there. Good luck with that, Kevin. This Henrik Lundqvist … Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, Front Office, George McPhee, Marcus Johansson, Martin Erat, Media, Morning cup-a-joe, Much-needed realignment, New York Rangers, NHL referees, playoff hockey, Print, Southeast Division, Ted Leonsis, Thomas Boswell, Washington Capitals, Washington Post, Washington the cursed hockey town, Winter Classic | 8 Comments

Capitals Relished Intensity in Game 2’s Closing Moments

Nail-biting, heart-pounding hockey. And the Capitals relished it. The Capitals and Rangers fought long and hard, literally, Saturday afternoon, culminating in an overtime that saw Mike Green make the only successful shot past either team’s goalie all game. For those … Continue reading

Posted in 2 Points, Eric Fehr, Marcus Johansson, Troy Brouwer | 6 Comments

Hitting the Reset Button

I commend to your attention the most recent fit of gutsy thoughtfulness from my blogger buddy Ed Frankovic, who with commendable clarity of consideration arrives at this sobering recommendation as it relates to the handling of the Capitals roster here … Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Ed Frankovic, Free agency, Front Office, George McPhee, Jeff Schultz, Marcus Johansson, Mike Ribeiro, Morning cup-a-joe, New media, Seth Jones, Washington Capitals | 8 Comments

Suspension of Disbelief

Right as Washington was settling in for a spring-delayed/prolonged winter weekend last night came word (via Twitter, necessarily) of some manner of meteor shower, or meteor explosion, high in the sky above the capital. For those watching the hockey televised … Continue reading

Posted in Brooks Laich, Dale Hunter, Dmitri Orlov, Ice, John Druce, Marcus Johansson, Matt Hendricks, Mike Green, Morning cup-a-joe, Old Time Hockey, Steve Oleksy, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets | 1 Comment

The Club That’s Needed Has Been Built

The sort of Capitals club I’d want to see contest an NHL postseason would be able to roll four lines almost interchangeably, impact achieved rather uniformly among them, and cumulatively, deliver an impact that wears down a quality opponent the … Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, Dennis Wideman, Jeff Halpern, Marcus Johansson, Mathieu Perreault, Mike Green, Morning cup-a-joe, NHL playoffs, Old Time Hockey, playoff hockey, Tomas Vokoun, Troy Brouwer, Washington Capitals, Washington the hockey town | 7 Comments

Referendum Hockey Is Here

We are going to learn a great deal about the DNA of the Washington Capitals over the next 36 hours. Immediately before them is an enormous if suddenly unexpected task: attempting to gain, on the road, viability in a series … Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, American Hockey League, Bruce Boudreau, Calder Cup, Hershey Bears, Jason Arnott, Marcus Johansson, Michal Neuvirth, Morning cup-a-joe, NHL playoffs, Nicklas Backstrom, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ted Leonsis, Washington Capitals, Washington the hockey town | 28 Comments

Game Notes: A Tale of Four Teams

Ah, the joys of being a Caps’ backer. Last night at the hellhole Garden, we witnessed hockey of the highest and lowest quality from the Capitals. It was a see-saw of a game ended in double OT by Jason Chimera. … Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Bruce Boudreau, Marcus Johansson, Morning cup-a-joe, New York Rangers, NHL playoffs, Washington Capitals | 5 Comments

A Bad Matchup Indeed — for New York

This Rangers club was supposed to be a bad matchup for these Capitals. Big up front, racsally around the net, opportunistic offensively, a good defensive club backstopped by a premiere netminder. Turns out, the Capitals are a very bad matchup … Continue reading

Posted in Dennis Wideman, Eastern Conference, Jason Arnott, Jason Chimera, John Carlson, John Erskine, Karl Alzner, Marcus Johansson, Michal Neuvirth, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, New York Rangers, NHL playoffs, Washington Capitals | 11 Comments

Memo to the Revisionists: It Was a Tale of Two Seasons

How will you remember the 2010-11 Capitals’ regular season? I ask because at least one prominent person in town – the team owner — thinks that to date I’ve judged his team too harshly on the campaign. My critique began near the end of last summer, when I observed management execute a largely passive approach to roster improvement in the offseason, while East rivals Pittsburgh and Philly aggressively improved. Not that I’m a throw-mad-money-at-free-agents kind of guy; never have been, never will be. But if you’ve just been vanquished in round one, as the Caps were last April, and you sit on your hands all summer, rest assured your conference peers will gain ground on you.

Through about 50 games into 2010-11, there was plenty of ground-gaining, you’ll recall. For instance: the Caps, having won the Southeast division title just a year ago by 40 points, trailed the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Southeast in late February. That’s ground-gaining alright. And it’s not as if Tampa in the offseason acquired Bobby Orr and Mr. Hockey in their prime. Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, Brooks Laich, Bruce Boudreau, Dennis Wideman, Front Office, George McPhee, HBO's 24/7, Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Marcus Johansson, Mike Green, Mike Knuble, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, Scott Hannan, Ted Leonsis, Washington Capitals | 16 Comments

More One-Goal Drama, Further Climbing up the Standings

You didn’t want this one preserved on the DVR, but the bottom line is that a Mike Green-less Capitals club has scratched and clawed its way through a litany of one-goal victories of late to reclaim first place in the … Continue reading

Posted in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Boyd Gordon, Bruce Boudreau, Eastern Conference, Florida Panthers, Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Marcus Johansson, National Hockey League, Scott Hannan, Southeast Division, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals | Leave a comment