Where's the Beech?

Caps Beat Jagr-led Rangers




Your Nations' Capitals beat the New York Rangers Saturday night 3-1, making up for a 5-0 tookus-whipping handed to them Thursday by Carolina, the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Olie Kolzig--Godzilla to us Caps faithful--was stellar in the net, once again. He was a brick wall that the high powered Rangers could not break through. The former Penguin, Jaromir Jagr, didn't solve Zilla and was booed heavily all night by the almost full Verizon Center. The Caps almost played a complete game. They had one defensive lapse. And when you play with a suspect defense--as Redskins fans will tell you--sometimes it doesn't matter how much you score, but how well you defend. The Caps played 57 minutes of fabulous hockey. They out played the Rangers for almost the entire game and secured the much needed win. Things are looking much better on "F" Street than last year.


However, there was one infuriating moment in the game, a moment that Caps fans have seen so many times over the past 10 years. With 1 minute and 51 seconds left to go, the Rangers were on a power play, swarming around the Caps Net. Suddenly, Kolzig gave up a goal, the score reaching 3-1 and ruining Olie's chance at the shut out. AGAIN!!!!
Holy crimony! I can not tell you the number of times that Kolzig has taken a shut out into the last 5 minutes of a game, only to watch it disappear due to defensive breakdowns or unlucky bounces. Kolzig is not the shut out machine that Martin Brodeur is, but Kolzig could have at least a dozen more or shutouts on his resume if he and the Caps could finish a freaking game.

Now, a win is a win. I'll take it. I know a meaningless goal in the waning minutes of a win means nothing. (Okay, if you play fantasy hockey, that one goal the Caps gave up was 65 points off of your total for the night). The Caps were supposed to be terrible this year, and their current record is 7-5-4. I'll take that. (The 4 stands for overtime losses, for all of you readers who don't give a hoot about hockey and have continued to read on anyway. You readers are my favorites, by the way. And I love you.) With their current record and exciting young players, the Caps have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs this year and beyond.

But the lost shutout still frosts my little red wagon. Kolzig is much more than an average goalie. Drafted in the 1989 draft in the first round, it took Kolzig 8 years to finally take over the #1 goaltending job here iin Washington. He hasn't given it up since Bill Ranford got hurt to start the '97 season, and Godzilla has racked up more wins and shut outs than any netminder in Washington Capitals history. Not to mention, he was a huge factor (perhaps the deciding factor) in the Caps run to the Cup Finals in 1998. Many teams around the league would kill for a goalie who gets better when he faces more shots. Despite the suspect defense, Kolzig usually turns in a spectacular performance most evenings.

But, a shutout would be...(sigh). Kolzig has Mike Mussina disease. How many times did Mussina take a shutout, a 1 hitter or no-hitter into the 7th, 8th or 9th inning, only to give up a solo homer, a bloop single or a ground ball with eyes. A lot, trust me! I used to be gay for Mussina more than any other athlete in sports, except for John Druce (which I still am, by the way). I watched 95% of Mussina's starts from '92 until he left for the Yankees. He was oh-so-close so many times. The difference between the two is that Kolzig wanted to stay here in DC and Mussina took the money--not to mention the better chance of winning a title--and headed to the Big Apple. Of course, Mussina didn't get that title. Sorry Mike. Um, actually, No I'm not. Traitor...

Kolzig is probably my favorite Capital, with Brian Sutherby a close second. I love Alex Ovechkin, but I'm a sentimental guy. Kolzig wanted to stay with the Caps when they traded all their high priced players away and started to rebuild. After keeping his team competitive in oh-so-many games last year and seeing what a special player Ovechkin was, he decided to sign a contract extension and stay in Washington. We all know how rare it is in today's sports world for a player to want to start and finish his career in one city. I say Kolzig deserves it. I know most of you would agree. If you don't you should. So many guys leave town for the money and they don't care if the city they leave ever wins a title. Some care so much about their adopted city that they would sacrifice their title hopes to bring one "home". Olie the Goalie is that special player. Now, if we could send him into retirement after he drinks from the Cup, then that would be a story book ending.

Where's the Beech?

The Washington Capitals have many a young player that they hope will translate into a Stanley Cup Championship in the future. Most of those players the Caps acquired thru the draft; some came from trades when the Caps dumped salary after the 2004 season in an effort to build from the ground up. Very few were signed as free-agents, althought the ones signed--like current Captain Chris Calrk and winger Ben Clymer--have been solid and integral parts of this teams maturation process. One player on the current roster actually has the distinction of being acquired by two out of the three mentioned above. Center Kris Beech was drafted, then traded, then traded for by the Caps in about a 5 year period.

Beech was drafted 7th overall by the Caps in the 1st round in 2000. He was supposed to be the next great Caps center. However, in a brain fart reserved for Isiah Thomas, Caps GM George Mcphee then traded Beech in a package deal that brought the former Penguin Jaromir Jagr to DC before the start of the 2001 season. Beech never broke into the Penguins lineup and was traded to Nashville. Last spring, the Caps reacquired Beech when they traded disgruntled defensemen Brenden Witt to the Nashville Predators, also receiving a first round pick in the process. Whew! Did you follow all that?


Beech was supposed to be the next great center for the Caps. He had size, he had skill and he could score. If he didn't score, he set up his teammates. But, when the Caps realized Jagr could be theirs, they jumped at the chance. Beech was part of a three player package dealt for the former Penguin. Since that trade, Beech has spent most of his time in the minors, seemingly unable to crack an NHL roster. It looked like the Caps stole Jagr for nothing. The other two guys in that trade (Michel Sivek and a guy I can not recall, nor can anyone else) are currently not in the league and have fallen off the radar altogether.


But Beech played solid hockey with the Caps last year. He ended the season in Hershey with the Caps minor league affiliate which won the AHL Memorial Cup last spring. This year, Beech might have been an after thought. However, he and Russian phenom Alexander Semin clicked in spring training and they opened the season together, on the Caps second line. Beech played good hockey. Semin scored 8 goals in 7 games. Beech was the Caps top face-off man thru the first 9 games and assisted on 4 of Semin's goals. It looked like that Beech had finally found his grove and was realizing his potential... with his original club after being a throw in in the Witt trade. Wow! That is unbelievable luck! How often do teams give up on a guy and get him back by accident and see him mature into the player evaryone hoped he could become? Except, there is one problem: Beech has ridden the Capitals bench for the last 10 games. A healthy scratch. No explanation. No injury reported. Just a spectator. Curious.


I do not know if it is just a coincidence, but Semin hasn't scored a goal since Beech was benched. The Caps haven't played any worse without Kris in the line-up, but it makes you wonder if they couldn't have pulled out another win or two with Beech on the ice, setting up Semin like he did for the first few games in '06, instead of being "Stat Boy" in the press box.


Now I've read the message boards and searched for answers myself, but there are none to be found. (I'm sure many of you are shocked to hear that I don't have a source deep inside the Caos organization, I'm working on it.) Caps coach Glen Hanlon denies Beech's demotion was for any other reason than to give some younger guys like Jakub Klepis and Tomas Fleichmann extended looks with the parents club. The Caps traded some big name players for a a few of their current prospects and I understand that the Caps want to see what those young-uns can do. With the Caps winning more than last year at this point, even with Beech watching from the press box, how can you blame them?

There are lots of ideas and thoughts out there, but here are mine:

1. The Caps know what they have with Beech. He's 24, he plays solid offense, is great on the face-off and plays above average defense. The other guys are younger with, perhaps, more upside and the Caps want to see how far away these other guys are from becoming NHL players. Other clubs may take notice as well.

2. The Caps might be ready to accelerate their rebuilding plan and want to showcase their talent in the hopes they can land a stud defensemen for some of their younger talent. Ed Jovanowski of the pitiful Phoenix Coyotes comes to mind. Jovo-Cop would be a huge addition to Washingtons' D-corps and might go a long way to solidifying the Caps pourous "D".

3. Beech could have ruffled the wrong feathers and earned himself a benching. I doubt this, since he still has minor league options and talks the talk about team and not the individual. Or he is hurt, and the Caps aren't acknowledging it, which is their normal routine when in comes to injuries.

My prediction is that the Caps trade for a top-flight "D" man, and Beech could be a part of that package. I hope not. Klepis, although fast and talented, has not played with the same reliability as Beech did in his first ten games. Fleichmann lights up the minors, but has yet to transfer that scoring to the NHL level. All three are approximately the same age, 24, 22, and 23, respectively. Plus, the Caps have loads of talent in the minors, extra draft picks from past trades and last years first round pick, Swedish center Niklas Backstrom--who at last count was leading the Swedish league in scoring as an 18 year old--waiting in the wings. Beech deserves more than just one more look. I think he has earned it.

Backstrom most likely will be with the Caps next season, skipping the minors and centering a line with either Ovechkin or Semin. What the Caps need now, and in the future, is defense. They have some potentially great offensive gems playing in their system right now, but they are lacking on defense. Their plan was to build over the next few years with young players and draft picks. But, if they continue to hover around .500 and have a chance to upgrade their defense substantially now, some of those young guys might just be the gunpowder in a huge trade for a quality defensemen or two. They can hope that some of the other minor leaguers canfill the roster vacancies created by the departure of aging vets via free agency after this year and the trading some of the young guys who may or may not realize their potential before they are worth nothing.

So, if Kris beech gets traded, we better get some good defenseman in return. Beech's journey to this point has been a whirlwind trip, and there may not be a spot for him on the roster next year. But with Semin's slump and the plethora of young studs in the minors, I say play Beech and see what happens. I'm in the tank for Beech. Hopefully, the Caps are to.

Riddle me this...Riddle me that...

Michael Nylander was named as the "Third Star" on nhl.com for his performance against the Caps on Saturday. Nylander scored a meaningless powerplay goal with less than two minutes left in a game the Caps won 3 to 1. Why?! Olie Kolzig stopped 41 shots during the game. Not to mention, the Caps Boyd Gordon scored his first goal in three years plus assisted on the Caps 3rd goal. Tomas Vokoun of the Nashville Predaotors pitched a shutout in his game and... oh. Scratch that. nhl.com didn't update thier website until after 2am west coast time. I thought things were didfferent here on the west coast. I thought they would would post that stuff by 1am East Coast time. Guess i was wrong. Forget it.



all photos courtesey of Yahoo! sports

So many moments to Cherish

There are so many things I can write about today when it comes to Washington Sports. I could write about your Nations Capitals' respectable start. I could write about how the Caps beat the lowly Flyers on Saturday to end an 8 year winless drought in The City of Brotherly Shove. It is news worthy, for some of us anyway, since the Broad Street Bullies were suppsosed to be good this year and your Nations Capitals were supposed to stink.

Or, perhaps, I could write about how the Maryland Terrapins have climbed into the top 25 in the nation after their last second win on Saturday. Certainly worthy of a good article, with the new powerhouses in the ACC and the incredible job Coach "Fridge" has done for the Terps.

How about the Redskins improbable win on Sunday against the Tuna and the hated Cowboys? Arguably one of the craziest Skins/Boys game in history. Or how Nick Novak may have finally begun his professional career in the NFL with the rare "Do-Over" that transpired Sunday at FedexField? Worthy of the front page? I certainly think so.

Of course, I'm sure most of you expect me to write about the turn-around the Redskins are about to pull off and go 9-0 to finish the season and win the NFC East, on their way to their fourth Super Bowl Championship under the second coming of Lombardi, Coach Joe Gibbs.

I would write about all of those things after any other given Sunday, but instead I think it is my responsibility to write about what really is important, yet another sign of the coming Apocalypse... And that would be the sight of Bill Parcells seeking out his arch-nemesis Joe Gibbs after the another game to add to the weird file in the Redskins/Cowboys Rivalry, possibly the strangest game I have ever witnessed in my 33 years here on the third rock from the sun.

Parcells actually smiled and shook Gibbs' hand after Novak hit the winner with no time left. He shook his head and smiled! Things are weird in the world today, as we all know. But the Tuna smiling after a loss? To borrow from the Sicilian in the Princess Bride, "Inconceivable!"

Parcells seems to be finally enjoying the game of football, with all of its quirks and twists and turns. The Tuna of the Giants Era would never have sought out Gibbs after a loss. He usually just ran off the field and, in his news conference, called some of his players "girls" or losers, showing his anger and frustration. Even after wins, Parcells never smiled. He was always angry--he always looked upset. Not on Sunday; he just ran across the field , smiled and kind of acknowledged the obvious, which in the eyes of a 'Skins fan was, "What the hell just took place?"

Last week, the Tuna slapped Tony Romo on the ass after the Cowboys beat the Panthers. Huh? Before that, he grabbed Totally Obnoxious by the hat and gave it a twist...with a smile! Huh...HUH? What is going on with Parcells? The Tuna is good friends with Bobby Knight. He is old school. Win or lose, Parcells always finds something to be upset about. The only times I've ever seen him smile was when he got the Gatorade dumped on his back in 86 and 90. Is the end near? Is Parcells enjoying his time now because this is his farewell tour, and he just isn't telling us? If he smacks Totally Obnoxious on the ass in the next few weeks, I think that would say it all.

John's Rumors and Predictions

Today is the debut of the newest feature I have come up with. These are rumors and predictions that I have heard, that I would like to see happen, or have made up completely. This was fun, so expect to see it again.

-T.J. Ducket will take over as the feature back in the Redskins offense (after Clinton Portis, Rock Cartwright and Ladell Betts all come down with the avian flu) and will run for 327 yards against the Eagles . That will extend the Skins winning streak to 2, on their way to just missing the playoffs by seasons end. Ducketts performance will end up costing the Redskins the conditional 1st rounder that was part of the trade that brought TJ to town. (Look it up! A third rounder and conditional 1st. Worst trade in Redskins history, barely edging out the Sean Gilbert debacle.)

-Nick Novak, former Maryland kicker and all time leading scorer in ACC history after a shaky beginning to his college career, will go on to win four more crucial games for the Redskins, on his way to becoming the all-time leading scorer in NFL history.

-The Washington Nationals will hire Don Baylor as their new manager by next week, bringing on board the teaching and players' manager that Joe Girardi wishes he could be.

-The Washington Wizards will trade Brendan Haywood to the National Heart foundation for a healthy heart that will average 20 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks for the Wizards this season.

-Brendan Haywood will be released from the National Heart Foundation for not having a heart.

-Bill Parcells will slap his big ass (wide out Terrell Owens) and immediately retire from football when the Cowboys lose their final game. The loss will be a direct result of losing quarterback Tony Romo when Romo breaks his throwing arm after getting in an altercation with former Wizards center Brendan Haywood when Haywood's agent calls Romo a Homo.

-The Washington Capitals will trade three young prospects (I say Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich and Hershey defenseman Jeff Schultz) to the Phoenix Coyotes for stud D man Ed Jovanowski. Phoenix is a mess, and unless they start winning, they will dump salary, handing the Caps the much needed blueline Stud they so desperately need.

-The Diving Whiner (Penguins star Sidney Crosby) and his resurgent Penguins get the new arena deal they have sought for years, keeping the Pens in Pittsburgh. (I said it before and I will say it again, the NHL fixed the draft lottery to ensure the Pens were able to draft Crosby, rookie phenom Evgeny Malkin, and Jordan Staal--former member of the New Kids On The Block-- and Ray Whitney so they wouldn't lose the Pittsburgh market.)

-The New York Rangers, off to a slow start, are finally seeing the effects that the former Penguin Jaromir Jagr has on his team when he is around for more than a year. Like I predicted, Jagr and the Rangers choked in the first round of last years playoffs. This years Ranger prediction? A 6th place finish, only because of Brendan Shanahan, and another early exit come April. Jagr likes golf, and we all know how good the weather turns come mid-April.

-Tiger Woods will bitch-slap new Ryder-cup captain Paul Azinger at his first practice for questioning his desire to win and leadership skills.

-The Washington Capitals winger, Alexander Semin is having problems scoring after tallying 8 goals in his first 5 games. Look for Semin to explode in the coming games.

-Look for Your Nations Capitals to make the playoffs, beat the Penguins and the Diving Whiner in the first round before losing in the 2nd round in 7 games.

-Finally, I predict the San Jose Sharks will win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Buffalo Sabres in six games, bringing the first Stanley Cup Championship to the great state of California.

Here's to the American People, who went to the polls on Tuesday and took back our our government from the oil companies. We sent a message to the Bush Administration that we want change and we want it now before the "Rapture" takes Bush and his advisers away before we can indict them.

All photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports