April 21, 2003
NHL Playoff Roundup
Canucks 4 Blues 3: Time was, a 3-1 lead in a best of seven playoff series meant your club was home free. Then, in an attempt to boost post season revenue, the NHL deigned back in the 1980s that it was high time that all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs become best of seven affairs. It was then that the impossible, while not becoming commonplace, at least became uncommon.
Which is where we find ourselves with the Canucks-Blues series. Seemingly dead two games ago (and down 3-1 in the series), the Canucks' finally decided it was time to play some serious ice hockey. In Game Five, that task fell to the top line of Marcus Naslund/Brendan Morrison/Todd Bertuzzi. In Game Six, it was the power play that made the difference, as some bad St. Louis penalties allowed the Canucks to get some more pressure on the always vulnerable Chris Osgood. Now we go back to GM Place in Vancouver for Game Seven tomorrow night. Series tied, 3-3.
Lightning 2 Capitals 1, 3 OT: Back in the early 1990s, Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser coined the following riddle. More or less, it went like this:
Q: What's red, white and blue and plays golf in May?
A: The Washington Capitals.
No doubt, there's some version of that riddle floating around any NHL city that has never seen its home team win it all. But today, this riddle doesn't hold sway anymore. Why? Because back during the 1996-97 season, the Capitals changed the colors on their uniform. Hence, it needs some updating:
Q: Quel est bleu, noir, blanc et en bronze, et le golf de pièces en Mai?
A: The Washington Capitals.
Glad we got that out of the way. And I'm glad to see that the Captials have done their best to make sure they've got plenty of open tee times until the start of training camp next September.
As time wound down in yesterday's contest with the Lightning, I couldn't help but shake a feeling of impending disaster. Sure the Caps were able to take a one-goal lead deep into the third period of yesterday's game -- one that they thoroughly dominated in regulation -- but somehow I knew it wouldn't matter. Someway, somehow, the Caps were going to find a way to blow this game and the series. Late in the third period, it came in the form of a penalty.
A few moments later, a number of quirky deflections put the puck on the stick of veteran Dave Andreychuk -- a man who was conveniently crashing an open net. Bang: 1-1 and we're going into OT.
From that point on, we were only waiting for the inevitable. By the time Martin St. Louis scored the game winner early in the third OT, it seemed almost merciful.
As for the Caps, it's pretty clear that the frustration level keeps rising, and in the moments after the game, had clearly gotten to Caps owner Ted Leonsis:
It also hurt that the money-losing Capitals failed to sell out any of their three home games in the series. Sunday's Easter attendance was 15,269 - and that appeared very generous.
"I have to really reconsider the kind of commitment and investment I'm making with this team,'"Leonsis said. "I'm not a quitter. ... It was hard to see 14,000 fans. I don't like the treatment that we're getting from the building. The party's over. To play back-to-back games on Passover and Easter Sunday does not help."
Leonsis was also dissatisfied with the officiating, including a dicey high-sticking call on Kolzig in Game 6.
"They made a cheap call on too many men on the ice that I don't understand," Leonsis said. "The third game really hurt us. The penalty on Olie was the wrong call. Every game at home or every pivotal game was in the hands of the refs. . . What I am disappointed in is the game continued to get taken out of the players' hands."
Leonsis' words bear some closer analysis. Note that he didn't complain about fan support, but he did complain about, "the treatment that we're getting from the building," a reference that can only be aimed at Abe Pollin's organization that owns the MCI Center and controls the arena's schedule. It's important to note that while Leonsis owns the Caps, Pollin still owns the majority of the rest of the organization -- including the Mystics, Wizards, MCI Center, and the local Ticketmaster franchise.
Hence, it is in Pollin's interest to give the franchise he still owns the most favorable dates. In the past, this has meant that the Caps are often forced to take long road trips at the beginning of the season that often leave them in a large hole before the All Star break. It also doesn't help that Leonis still doesn't share in the concession and parking revenues that are generated during Caps games. He's hurting, and one has to wonder if the honeymoon between Pollin and Leonsis might over with for good.
As for the Lightning, they move on, and now get to discover that life is far different outside of the Southeast Division. They play the New Jersey Devils next, a team that knows something about defense, and shutting down Cinderella stories. Lightning win series, 4-2.
UPDATE: Here's more on what Leonsis had to say regarding his relationship with Pollin in the Washington Post.
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11:51 AM