Off Wing Opinion

Tonight at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., the Atlanta Thrashers are coming to call on the hometown Capitals -- a team mired in a six-game losing streak at the very bottom of the thirty team NHL.

In today's Washington Post, Tony Kornheiser turns his attention to the hometown hockey team (not exactly a frequent occurence), and wonder what went wrong for the Caps and principal owner, AOL marketing guru, Ted Leonsis:

Leonsis made a big splash early. He was jaunty and accessible, so much different than Abe. He certainly made hockey more fun in the building. He produced great in-house videos. He sold more season tickets than ever before. He had the town talking hockey, especially when he signed Jagr. He looked like the Next Big Thing.

But playoff disappointments set him back. And Jagr's malaise set him back. And now the team is terrible. And he's no longer opening up his wallet to bring in glamour guys (or solid defensemen). And already, just a few games into this season, it looks like he has given up and they've given up, and that nothing the young coach or the beleaguered general manager can do will change things. And the market for hockey is drying up because the threat of a lockout hangs down over each game like peeling wallpaper. It's a stock that's falling. Poor Ted Leonsis.

Poor Ted Leonsis indeed. Here in Washington, Leonsis has bought a lot of goodwill for the team with his open and accessible style. I know more than a few people who have corresponded personally with him through his AOL.com address, email that has resulted in real changes happening inside the arena. He's literally done everything you would want an owner to do, he's just been undone by an increasingly dispirited lineup, and one personnel decision (the Jaromir Jagr trade) that he admittedly pushed for over the objections of his General Manager, George McPhee.

But now, all Leonsis can do is cut payroll ahead of a potential lockout. But because he can't trade either Jaromir Jagr or Robert Lang -- his highest salaries -- his general manager is being forced to ship out the only remaining players on the team who are worth a damn. First, it was team captain Steve Konowalchuck being sent to Colorado for a younger and cheaper Bates Battaglia; next, veterans on the team think that Sergei Gonchar, who has quietly developed into one of the top offensive defenseman in the NHL, will probably be next. And with a probable move toward rebuilding the team in the offing, it can't be long before long-time Caps like Peter Bondra and Olie Kolzig will probably follow Konowalchuck out the door as well.

It's safe to say that the current losing streak has brought the team to its biggest crisis point since 1982. Back then, only a few years after the team was founded, fans had to front a "Save The Caps," campaign in order to forestall a move elsewhere. That crisis really wasn't solved until former GM David Poile pulled off the trade that saved the franchise, a six-player deal that brought Rod Langway to Washington, and turned the Caps into a regular playoff contender.

Can current GM McPhee produce some of the same sort of magic? Maybe, maybe not, but the odds sure look at lot longer than they did back in 1982. Unfortunately with the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire, failure this time might mean that the franchise doesn't just move, but may disappear entirely.

Joe Juneau got the winner in OT, as the Canadiens beat the Bruins in Boston, 1-0. In Buffalo, Miroslav Satan got the 200th goal of his career, as the Sabres beat the Maple Leafs, 5-3.

In New York, the Rangers climbed back to the .500 mark with a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes. The Rangers win snapped a a six-game unbeaten streak for Carolina. Jamie Lundmark, getting some extra ice time after Chris Simon had been ejected, had a goal and an assist for New York.

In Tampa, the Lightning's six-game winning streak was snapped when they tied the Sharks, 2-2. In Ottawa, it was the Panthers who snapped the Senator's four-game win streak with a 3-2 win.

In New Jersey, the Devils rallied from a 2-0 hole for a 3-2 win over the Flyers. The win was the Devils' first at home this season.

Curtis Joseph's return to the NHL wasn't a happy one, as the Red Wings dropped a 5-3 decision to Nashville. For all the millions Detroit is dropping on Joseph and Dominik Hasek, it looks like Manny Legace is the best goaltender in town.

In lovely downtown St. Paul, the Wild beat the Thrashers, 3-2. Reminder: Walleye season is just around the corner. In Chicago, Pengunis rookie Marc-Andre Fleury got his first NHL shutout, and Konstantin Koltsov his first NHL goal, in a 1-0 win over the Black Hawks.

The Blue Jackets remain winless on the road after a 4-3 loss to Edmonton. The much-maligned Brad Isbister got the game-winning goal in OT. And in Los Angeles, the Kings, despite the return of defensemen Mattias Norstrom and Aaron Miller, and center Mike Cammalleri, still lost 3-1 to the Canucks. The difference last night was Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier, who stopped 37 shots.

In Philadelphia, the Flyers took down the Panthers 5-1, as five different players scored for the hosts -- including John LeClair. In Detroit, Michigan native Doug Weight scored a hat trick to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 6-5 win over the Red Wings. Defenseman Dallas Drake had five assists, as the Blues chased Red Wings goalie Dominik Hasek early in the second period. Hasek gave up 4 goals on only nine shots.

For the Wings, congratulations go to Brett Hull, who scored the 718th goal of his career, moving him into fourth place all-time, and snapping a tie with Phil Esposito.

In Dallas, Bill Guerin scored three goals, but Jason Arnott had the game winner in OT as the Stars beat the Flames 4-3 in OT. In Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux got the 1,700th point of his career as the Penguins tied the Islanders 4-4.

In Washington, the misery of the Capitals continued, as the visiting Ducks whipped them 4-1. Sergei Fedorov scored twice, and Martin Gerber got the win in net in his third straight start. The Caps remain the worst team in all of ice hockey, and already trail the Southeast Division-leading Atlanta Thrashers by 10 points.

The George McPhee/Bruce Cassidy death watch continues.

UPDATE: Looks like Hasek has more on his mind these days than just ice hockey.

ANOTHER UPDATE: For more on the hockey woes in the nation's capital, click here, here, and here.

Liz at Breakfast Of Losers has her own suggestion for the Caps.

On Long Island, the Devils took down the Islanders 4-0, with Martin Brodeur getting the shutout. In the pre-season, a number of Islanders said that one of the ways they would measure their progress this season was whether or not they improved against the Devils. Looks like there's more work to do.

In Raleigh, the Hurricanes shut out the Sharks 3-0, as Joseph Vasicek got the first hat trick of his career. In St. Louis, an early Scott Mellanby goal gave the Blues a 1-0 nothing win over Nashville. Sid Abel's grandson, Brent Johnson, got the shutout.

In Buffalo, the Wild snapped the Sabres three-game win streak with a 3-1 win. The reborn Alexandre Daigle seems to have found a home in Minnesota, scoring his fourth goal of the season, and probably helping the Wild survive the absence of Marian Gaborik.

In Montreal, the visiting Bruins blanked the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, 2-0 behind goalie Felix Potvin. The Cat had 23 saves. In Manhattan, the Ducks continued to right their ship, grabbing a 3-1 win over the Rangers, but it wasn't J.S. Guguere who's helping. Instead, the Ducks relied on backup Martin Gerber, who had 39 saves.

Out West, a late third period goal helped Phoenix tie Chicago 2-2. Very quietly, Phoenix defenseman Paul Mara is gradually piling up the points.

In Vancouver, Markus Naslund scored twice to lead the Canucks to a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jackets. And on the night they retired Patrick Roy's number in Denver, the Avalanche doused the Flames, 4-2. Jim Cummins, who hadn't scored since March 18, 2001, got the game winner for Colorado.

POSTSCRIPT: ESPN's John Buccigross has a new column, featuring an interview with Buffalo's Chris Drury, and news that winger and prakster Shjon Podein has just signed with V

Long-time Washington Capitals beat reporter for the Washington Times, Dave Fay, reminds us that the Caps have managed to stink every October since the dawn of the franchise, and that the team's 1-6-1 start shouldn't surprise anyone:

Nonetheless, it is a story that has dogged this franchise since its inception 30 years ago (1-8-1 under Jimmy Anderson that fall). Nobody

In a bit of sad bit of news, it turns out that Canadian doughnut chain, Tim Hortons (named after the former NHL player) has stopped serving fresh doughnuts at its stores in favor of mass producing and flash freezing them for shipment all over Canada. That doesn't exactly gibe with the chain's motto of, "Always Fresh."

Primary assist to Bruce Rolston.

UPDATE: Doughnuts are also the centerpiece of a sinister plot to get the Toronto Star to write more positive stories about the Maple Leafs. Credit Steve Ovadia with the deflection.

In Toronto, the Thrashers overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Maple Leafs in OT, 3-2. Marc Savard scored twice, as the family of late Thrashers winger Dan Snyder watched the game from a private box in the Air Canada Centre. In the first period, the scoreboard displayed a message for his family:

"To the Snyder family and the Atlanta Thrashers. Over the past few weeks the Toronto Maple Leafs and the people of Toronto have been thinking about you." A standing ovation followed and players on both benches tapped their sticks on the ice.

In Philadelphia, the Flyers crushed the Canadiens 5-0. John LeClair had a goal and an assist in his first action since a puck broke his foot in training camp. Robert Esche got the shutout for the Flyers, the sixth of his career.

Todd Bertuzzi has signed a four-year, $28 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The news isn't as good in Minnesota, as Marian Gaborik has left Minneapolis, and issued a statement saying that contract talks with the Wild have broken down. In Detroit, the Red Wings have recalled goalie Curtis Joseph from the minors, and he's expected to play sometime this week.

UPDATE: St. Louis Blues defenseman Al MacInnis doesn't know if, or when, he'll ever return to the ice.

Friday night in Detroit, the Red Wings crushed the Stars 4-0, as Dominik Hasek got his first shutout of the season. Wonder if the Stars missed Derian Hatcher on the blueline?

Also on Friday, Minnesota won a mistake-filled game over Florida, 4-3. Former number one draft pick Alexander Daigle got his third goal of the season for Minnesota, who will have help arriving soon in the form of the recently resigned left wing Pacal Dupuis.

Dupuis didn't arrive in time to help the Wild on Satuday night, as the Lightning won their sixth straight over Minnesota, 3-2. Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Thrashers went down to defeat for the first time in regulation, 3-2 to the Panthers.

In Toronto, also on Saturday, the Caps finished off their first road trip of the season with a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs. Earlier in the day, disgruntled winger Jaromir Jagr unloaded on his head coach, Bruce Cassidy, to the Washington Times:

I heard I have to earn ice time. I thought I earned it. I haven't talked to Bruce. He's in a higher place than me. I don't have a right to go to the coach and say, 'Can I talk to you?' He should go to the players and ask, but maybe he doesn't need us to know. Maybe he knows everything."

Earlier in the week, Jagr revealed that he plans to play in Russia next season if the NHL and its players fail to come to a labor agreement.

With the loss, the Caps are now 1-6-1, and are dead last in the NHL.

In New York, the Rangers beat the Red Wings at Madison Square Garden for the first time since March 1997, 3-1.

On Friday, the Black Hawks fired General Manager Mike Smith, as he lost a power struggle with head coach Brian Sutter. And in their first two games since Smith was dumped, the Hawks beat the Kings, 3-2, and then tied the Ducks in Anaheim 1-1 on Sunday night.

In Denver, also on Sunday night, the Sabres took down the Avalanche 3-1. Martin Biron had 32 saves for Buffalo, as the Sabres won their third straight game on the road, and climbed above .500 for the first time this season (5-4).

For the rest of the weekend's scores, follow these links:

Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Due to the positive response, I'll continue to do a roundup of NHL games. However, I won't recap all of the weekend's games on Monday morning.

See you all back here bright and early on Monday morning.

In Columbus, the Lightning remained undefeated as the took down the Blue Jackets, 1-0. Vincent Lecavalier got the only goal for Tampa Bay, and John Grahame got the shutout as the Lightning extended their season-opening winning streak to five games.

In Nashville, Ilya Kovalchuck got a hat trick to lead the Thrashers to a 4-2 win over the Predators. Jordon Tootoo, the first Inuit to play in the NHL, got his first career goal for Nashville. More ominously, less than 12,000 fans showed for the game. In Boston, Carolina got their first win of the season, 2-0 over the Bruins. Kevin Weeks got the shutout.

In Ottawa, the woes of the Washington Caps continued, as the Senators gave them a 5-1 beatdown. The Capitals are now winless in their last six games (0-5-1), and are in last place in the Southeast Division. And by the way, Jaromir Jagr is in a serious funk now that he's broken up with his girlfriend, the former Miss Slovakia.

Consider the GM George McPhee/Head Coach Bruce Cassidy death watch to have begun.

Peter Forsberg had a hat trick, as Colorado crushed Edmonton on the road, 6-1. In Phoenix, Owen Nolan awoke from a coma and scored twice as Toronto beat the Coyotes, 5-4. It was Toronto's second straight win on their current road trip.

In the pre-season, I said it would be a rough year for the Canadiens, but it looks as if GM Bob Gainey and head coach Claude Julien have turned things around by installing a system that uses the trap (what a surprise!). Last night, Jose Theodore stopped 34 shots as Montreal shutout the visiting Islanders, 3-0. Montreal is now 5-2, and is tied atop the Northeast Division with Boston.

In So Cal, Buffalo crushed the resurgent Kings, 5-1. In San Jose, the Sharks continued to struggle, having to settle for a 3-3 tie with the young and inexperienced Blackhawks club.

UPDATE: The Caps coach just got a vote of confidence from an anonymous source, according the Dave Fay at the Washington Times. Welcome back Dave, who has returned to covering the Caps after a long absene due to illness. He's a real professional who was sorely missed.

ANOTHER UPDATE: TSN is reporting that Paul Kariya could return to the Avalanche lineup as soon as next week.