Dan Steinberg on Joe B and Locker

Dan Steinberg over at DC Sports Bog has a pretty... let's say illuminating piece about everyone's favorite play-by-play combo.Yes, apparently they're just as crazy out of the booth as in it.

Seriously, when those two retire, they should write a book. I'd buy it. Oh, and good on Locker for keeping his accent. He'd be nowhere near as much fun without it.

Caps v Lightning (Apr 2nd)

Tonight was a pretty important game for the Caps.  Just like every game of late.  And as is the case all to often, the Caps let us down and let this game slip away from them.  They didn't even get a pity point out of it.  Nothing to do but move forward.  Two games left before we find out if this team did enough to get into the playoffs.  We sure don't make things easy on ourselves.

In CSN related news, there was some sort of emergency at CSN HQ tonight that prevented the pregame show from airing.  That really hindered Alan May and Al Koken from scoring tonight and left the door open for the rest of the CSN crew to put up some points.  Read below to see how they did:

Third Star (1 pt):

Joe B. Despite the fact that he was wearing one of the ugliest suits I’ve ever seen (though still more interesting than Harris’), Joe B managed to score solely by virtue of his comment during the first: “The 1-3-1 strangles the life out of games.” Damn f***ing straight. It’s hell to watch, and the sooner that shit is out of hockey, the better. Must be extra-painful for a guy like Joe B to call these games, seeing as he loves his firewagon hockey as much as we do.

Seriously. F*** Guy Boucher and his 1-3-1.


Second Star (2 pts):

Julie Donaldson.  Julie handled the 1st intermission and post game tonight.  She had a nice looking shirt and skirt outfit on.  Too bad it was allll black.  During her first segment she showed us the Pens-Flyers brawl.  Seriously, Julie always gets to talk about the fights when she is on, but we aren’t complaining.  She also talked about the overall playoff race picture in a quick but comprehensive manner.  Julie reappeared after the game and thankfully didn’t even acknowledge that the game had ended.  Instead she talked about a charity event that the Capitals wives and girlfriends put on recently, which put a smile on our faces for a split second before realizing that a hockey game HAD, in fact, just ended and we HAD in fact lost.  

First Star (3 pts):

Locker.  Locker returns to his scoring ways tonight with a first place finish.  Unlike Julie and Joe B, Locker wore a really nice looking suit and also had a bright red tie on.  Clearly, he came to play tonight.  Locker did an average job providing color commentary tonight while also handling the intermission interviews with Nicky and Matty.  Anytime Matty gets air time it’s a win in our book so good on you Locker.  The other thing that set Locker apart tonight was the praise he laid on the Semin-Matty P pairing.  Those two have been a consistent bright spot for the second half of the season and it’s about time people start taking notice of their great on ice chemistry.  Locker inched out a first place finish in front of Julie tonight, but it may not be enough for him to compete with Alan May for the number one spot.       



Last Star (-1 pts):

Chick Hernandez. Covered the second intermission. Didn’t mention hockey. Didn’t wear red. ...There’s really not any way to spin this that looks good for Chick. Pretty easy call on a non-Gormley night.

That's all we have for you tonight.  One more CSN game to go.  Check out the standings to see how the final game is going to have an impact on the race.  Vote in the poll to ensure your fan-favorite is recognized in the awards presentation.  Stay tuned for that coming some point next week after the dust has settled.  Thanks for reading!

Caps v Bruins (Mar 29th)

So what is it with this team?  One night they get blown out by the team they are fighting with for a playoff spot.  The next they play the defending champs tough and win in dramatic fashion in an OT shootout.  If this season has taught me anything, it's to not ask questions.  I have no idea who is going to show up every time the Caps take the ice.  I have a feeling they don't know themselves.  Four games left until we find out if the "good" Caps showed up enough to get us to the playoffs or if the "bad" Caps paid us a visit one to many times...

I was able to follow the scores and highlights tonight but had to leave my TV after the 1st intermission.

Therefore points are going to be short and sweet and pretty seat-of-pants thrown together.

3rd Star (1 pt):

Joe B.  Joe B rarely lets us down.  He did let us down in the first period.  He also loves goals and drama.  The Caps sure gave us that at the end of the game so I'm confident Joe B had several great moments then.

2nd Star (2 pts):

Locker.  Locker had a pretty crazy suit-tie combo on tonight.  I enjoyed his back and forth with Joe B during the first period.  He was also handling intermission interviews tonight and I always find his interviews more enjoyable than Smokin Al's.

1st Star (3 pts):

Jill Sorenson.  Jill doesn't get enough credit.  She knows her stuff.  She gets air time every night, though its normally very brief for pre or post game interviews, and she probably deserves to be on camera a lot.  I am always saying she seems a little to "business" like whenever she handles the intermission breaks so I have a hard time connecting with her.  Still, she is a hell of a hard worker so she gets some much deserved recognition tonight.  Also I left after her intermission break so I apologize to whoever her partner was if they gave the broadcast of their life tonight.

Last Star:

Tonight this goes to me.  That's right, the editor in chief himself.  I left my television to go out for pizza with friends.  I have let you all down.  Actually...last time I watched the Caps they got killed.  Tonight they got a win.  On second thought, I probably did you all a favor by skipping out early tonight!


That's all I got for tonight.  Sorry for the lateness of the post.  We only have 4 games left, with the last being on NBC.  That means only 3 CSN games left!  The race is heating up and I'm pretty excited to see how things are going to turn out.  Check back tomorrow during the day because I'll be putting up a post how the end of the season "awards" are going to be handled and what to expect during the off season.

PS.  I am also writing over at   http://woefulnats.blogspot.com/ now.  If your a baseball fan/ nationals fan check it out sometime!

Thanks for reading!
-dru

Caps v Sabres (Mar 27th)

So I am back from my vacation and decided to watch the game tonight in the midst of return to school work.  Boy did I pick a good game to come back and watch.  By that I mean I picked the worst game possible.  We really could of used a win tonight against the Buffalo, the team we are tied for 8th place with.  At the very least we needed to show that we were a playoff caliber team.  Instead we got absolutely blown out in our own building.  While the Caps aren't eliminated by any stretch, this playoff race is going to go down to the wire and we refuse to make things easy on ourselves.  Good news, Backstrom might be back soon.  A few notes on how the CSN crew did tonight below!

3rd Star (1 pt):

Joe B.  Joe had a strong game as always and was really showing his team spirit by wearing a bright navy blue suit and red tie combo.  To bad that didn't inspire our team to victory.  Also had a funny comment about being "obligated" to give out a player of the game.

2nd Star (2 pts):

Julie Donaldson.  I haven't seen Julie in awhile (like I said, was on vacation) so I was happy she was on in her normal Tuesday spot.  She had a awesome purple dress outfit on (or maybe a shirt) and like always made me feel a little bit better about the Caps horrendous performance on the ice.  She also provided some Nicky news after the game which was better then talking about the game.

1st Star (3 pts):

The Jenkins.  He has been on an absolute tear of late.  Not making any mistakes.  Not being creepy.  Having genuinely funny moments without coming off as corny or forced.  Rocking the team colors with an awesome tie.  With such a crazy turn around its almost like he reads this blog.  Hmm....

Last Star (-1 pt):

Locker.  Locker had two major blunders that went against him tonight.  First, he said the Caps were in playoff mode and we all know what that means...we are going to choke.  Lo and behold we did just that tonight.  Besides that least we forget that way back in September Locker counted Buffalo out of the playoffs.  Looks like you might have been wrong about that one Locker...  


So that's all I have for you tonight.  It's good to be back, just wish it could of been on a more winning note.  With the end of the season fast approaching be sure to look for our end of the season awards ceremony posts where we will be highlighting a variety of the CSN crew and their work over the course of the season.  Then be sure to check in during the playoffs and off season for random hockey related posts.  Thanks for reading!
-Dru
 

Caps v. Jets (Mar 23)

So you know how we pulled out some silver linings from last night's loss to Philly? Well, no such good feelings tonight, as the Caps blew a 3-0 lead and missed an opportunity to stomp on the Jets' collective jugular. At least CSN was on form. It's a rare night when Dave Johnson and Alan May are together and neither of them wins a star, but, well, I missed the pregame show, so there it is. Also honorable mention to Locker for taking the time to sign some autographs during the game. While doing color commentary. Because he's just that fucking awesome.


Third Star (1 pt):





Brent Harris. No idea who this guy is. Never seen him before. A quick glance at his CSN Washington profile page has him as “Comcast SportsNet's voice for the Baltimore region's sports scene.” So what the hell was the dude doing covering a hockey game? I have no idea, but despite the fact that he had on the most drab and colorless of suits, his calls of the Rangers/Sabres and Florida/Edmonton highlights were pretty good all around. Didn’t stumble over any names or anything, and he made sure to note the standings implications. Can’t really ask for much more than that. Except maybe a red tie or something.


Second Star (2 pts):





Kelli Johnson. Did basically the same thing as Harris, but takes second by virtue of the fact that A) she did it before he did, and B), she was rocking a bright red t-shirt AND lipstick. That’s some team spirit. Too bad the Caps choked anyway, but not for lack of trying on Kelli’s part.


First Star (3 pts):





Al Koken. Either Smokin’ Al read our review of Carlin’s performance last night and came out with the intention of putting his job in a stranglehold, or he was just straight terrified of Alan May and wanted to get back out of the studio ASAP. Regardless, Koken was on his game tonight, interviewing not one, but BOTH assistant coaches, and also had an (admittedly brief) chat with AotI fan-favorite Matheiu Perreault during the second intermission. That’s the way to give the people what they want, Al.


Last Star (-1 pts):





Chuck Gormley. Because no matter how many times he tries to drop his name in one pitch, Alan May is not his friend. Also, I just don’t like him.


Bleh. That is all for tonight.

Caps v Canes (Mar 6th)

So I initially thought tonight's game started at 8 for whatever reason and therefore missed the first period and intermission.  That said, I watched the rest but didn't take very details notes on the CSN crew cause I was really into the game.  You know since every game for us is basically a must win now.  Yeah, unfortunately we didn't get that memo because we lost.  Yes we had a late surge to send the game into overtime.  Yes getting a point out of tonight is nice and helpful.  However, a win and two points would of been much nicer.  This team needs to get it together, fast.

As far as the CSN scoring tonight like I said I didn't take my normal detail notes.  I'm still going to give people points cause that's how it goes around here but tonight is going to be short, sweet, and from the gut.  Here goes nothing:

3rd Star (1 pt):

Joe B and Locker.  Sure this sounds like a cop-out.  Whatever.  Both dudes had really awesome ties.  Joe B had a cool purple color scheme going and Locker had a colorful striped tie that looked holographic.  Also they both performed their jobs decently.






2nd Star (2 pts):

Smokin Al.  This dude interviewed a lot of people tonight.  His interview with The Browser (TB20) was pretty funny.  He also interview some military representatives on military night so that was pretty cool.  Nice on you Smokin.

1st Star (3 pts):

Kelli Johnson.  She handled the second intermission.  She wore red (easy points with us).  She had a cool necklace (also easy points).  I haven't seen her in awhile (we missed you!).  She didn't mess up.  That's what we expect from our top stars.  Okay, its probably not ALL we expect from our top stars.  Alan May probably could of taken this spot.  Hell, The Jenkins (who I think handled the first intermission) most likely could of been slotted in here cause he has been on fire (in a good way) lately.  But I didn't see Jenkins tonight (my bad dude) and Alan May always scores all the points.  People might say that is stupid logic.  They might say this is no way to run a blog.  To those people I apologize.  Tonight, for whatever reason, I decided I liked Kelli the best and tonight that was enough to earn her the 3 point spot!

Last Star (- 1 pt):

The sun rises in the east. The capitals break the hearts of their fans.  Chuck Gormley fails at his job.  These are all things that I hold to be true.  Sure I missed the first period.  Sure I didn't see Chuck actually mess up or suck tonight.  At this point I don't really feel the need to justify giving him the -1.  You and I both know what to expect when Gormley comes on screen and he has never disappointed.  Sorry I missed your air time tonight Chuck, but not really.  Minus one for you sir.

So there you have it!  Sorry for the rushed and thrown together nature of tonight's post.  These losses are really starting to take their toll.  Hopefully the team does better next time out, hopefully I do better next time out, hopefully you keep reading.  Please keep reading.  In other sports-teams-I-like news I watched the Orioles play the Pirates in spring training and they lost 10-3.  So I got that to be excited for after hockey ends.  Wahoo!

Thanks for reading,
-Dru

Caps v Islanders (Feb 28th)

Tonight the Caps hosted the Isles at Verizon center.  This season the Caps haven't been able to beat the team from long island and tonight was looking like that trend wasn't going to end.  Thankfully, thanks to a huge 3rd period performance from the team and a big GWG in OT from Ovie the Capitals managed to pull off a win.  Read below to see how the CSN crew did tonight!

3rd Star (1 pt):

Julie!  After a long absence Julie made an appearance tonight for CSN during the 1st intermission and postgame.  Now, its no secret that I am a huge Julie fan.  In fact, my co blogger has to be the voice of reason in a lot of circumstances to keep me from placing her at the top each time she is on.  But tonight where no body really stood out from the pack to grab third he threw me a bone, so bare with me.  Julie came out with her signature energy and immediately put a smile on my face even though we were losing.  How does she manage to do this no matter what the score is?  Who knows?  Most likely explanation is she is a powerful witch (like a good, cool witch who is nice to people and not ugly).  Anyways, she lifted my spirits and made me hopeful that the Caps could pull things together and win the game.  Guess what, that is what happened!  Sure she didn’t wear red (but she looks good in blue!). Sure she stumbled a bit during the first intermission (she hasn’t been on in awhile, she was rusty!).  Sure she just repeated the same things she said in the first intermission during the postgame (it still sounded good.  If it aint broke...).  Sure everything I just wrote is absolutely ridiculous.  Seriously though, while her performance tonight was flawed she probably did enough to earn a 3rd place finish.  If only she would go back to saying “lets look at some action on the ice” like she used to during the intermissions there would be no stopping her from taking first place night after night.  (She hasn’t uttered that phrase since I started this blog...) -Dru    

2nd Star (2 pts):

Alan May.  What can be said about Alan May tonight.  Well the dude clearly knows what he is talking about.  He is always telling anybody who will listen that the Caps need to get the puck to the net and have bodies in front of it to score.  Guess what, when the Caps did that in the 3rd they scored and won the game.  Imagine that.  In the post game May was the first guy to remind everyone that the Caps played awful for most of the game and made the comment that he enjoyed watching tonight’s “5 min game”.  There was a nice back and forth banter between May and Carlin during the highlights, banter that May won handily (though Carlin actually held his own for awhile).  Of course there were plenty of classic “May-moments” in the post game as well.  For example, when Carlin said Neuvy wasn’t tested very much tonight May was absolutely speechless and refused to help him analyzing the highlight.  He also expressed how much he was looking forward to the defensive struggle with the Devils coming up on Friday (his voice was dripping with sarcasm).  Finally, he told Carlin and all the viewers at home that he doesn’t care about “home” games and “road” games.  All he cares about is wins.  Amen Alan, Amen.    

1st Star (3 pts):

Joe B takes tonight’s top prize.  Joe B had a typically strong game doing play-by-play tonight but there are two very specific reasons that he finds himself atop the list tonight.  First, Joe B seems to have mastered the art of the “anti-jinx”.  This season has seen countless examples of CSN personalities jinxing the Capitals and we have reamed them for it every time.  However, tonight Joe B did something new.  He used the power of the jinx to help the team by talking about how Nabokov had shut out the Cap’s for the last four periods.  Lo and behold the Caps scored not once, not twice, but three times on Nabby to come back and win.  If Joe B can use his jinx powers for good instead of evil from here on out the team is in good shape for the stretch run.  The second thing Joe B did tonight to earn his top finish had to do with the player of the game Troy “Browser” Brouwer.  Apparently before the game, Joe B had spoken to Troy about his rough February and lack of point production.  Well I’m not sure what Joe B said to the Browser but he broke out of his slump tonight in spectacular fashion with two scores in the third.  Can we have Joe B talk to all the players before every game?  Please and thank you!  Joe B’s powerful anti-jinx and his magic he worked on Troy are what pushed him into the top spot tonight.  Thank you Joe B! (As a side note, this finish places Joe B in a tie with his broadcast partner Locker for second place.  GASP!)

Last Star (-1 pt):

Good ol’ Gormley. To be honest, we’ve seen Chuck down here at the bottom so often we’re kind of running out of mean things to say. Granted, all of the mean stuff we’ve said so far is pretty much still true: No personality, not very interesting, awkward, bad at plugging his articles, etc. And he was certainly all of those things tonight. In fact, I honestly don’t even remember what he was talking about. So instead, we’ll just address the fact that in the two days leading up to the deadline, Gormley wrote a bunch of bullshit about trading Ovechkin for Nash. Yeah, cause trading Ovechkin for a not as good version of himself, minus the rockstar personality that makes him so marketable, on just as awful a contract would be a smart move for the Caps. Except not. At all. Part of me thinks that maybe Chuck really is deluded enough to think that that would actually be a good idea, but not even he can be that naive, can he? No, more likely Chuck is using incendiary headlines and crackpot theories without any real substance in an effort to garner some page views so he can show the numbers to his editor and go, “Look! People care what I have to say! I’m important!” Even though nobody really does and he really isn’t.

That's all we have for you tonight.  We'll see you back here on Friday for the Caps v Devils.  Thanks for reading and check out the standings on the right hand side of the blog.  Its getting close and we are coming down to the end! (also vote in the poll if you haven't, we might give out a fan favorite award based on it if we get enough votes)

Caps v Canes (Feb 20)

In about as close as you can get to a must win at this point in the season the Caps came out uninspired and with no energy and got waxed by the Canes in a 5-0 thumping.  Terrible game all around for everyone.  Read about how the CSN crew did on a night when the hockey team they cover was clearly not interested in playing hockey:

3rd Star (1 pt):

Locker.  The third spot tonight goes to Locker by default.  That isn’t to say he didn’t do a quality job providing color commentary, he just didn’t have all that much to commentate on.  His telestrations were both terrible plays for the Caps and there were no players available for him to interview during the intermissions.  There were also zero Caps highlights that he could talk about.  Its a little funny that he wanted Mike Green to be the deciding factor in tonights game and Green was on for most of the Cane’s goals.  I suppose he DID play a factor in the outcome though.  At the end of the game Locker let us know that the players on the bench would be feeling really terrible about tonight and said that everyone just wanted to go home.  Yes indeed Locker, yes indeed.         

2nd Star (2 pts):

Michael Jenkins. Jenkins got stuck covering both intermissions and postgame tonight. Opened the first intermission showing highlights of the Senators manhandling the Islanders to the tune of 6-0 earlier today, which made us feel slightly better because it could be worse, we could be Islanders fans. Showed Sens/Isles highlights again during the second intermission. Didn’t have the same cathartic effect the second time around, but then, there was no other hockey to talk about today. Made a plea for the Caps to score a bunch in the third as he signed off, which we couldn’t really argue with. When he came on right at the end of the game to set the table for Sportsnight, he didn’t even mention hockey. Normally we’d probably knock him for that, but fuck it, we really didn’t want to be reminded of the Caps tonight. Covered the basic high(or low?) lights and moved on to other topics as quickly as possible, which again was an act of mercy tonight. Course, it wouldn’t have been a Jenkins showing without at least a little creepiness showing through; we’re pretty sure we saw him wink at us as he signed off the second intermission. Still though, Jenkins sounded interested and engaged in all the highlights he covered; props for staying upbeat and not phoning it in like the Caps did during that clusterfuck. That, plus the fact that he didn’t dwell on painful moments during postgame, gets him the second star.

1st Star (3 pts):

Joe B.  Tonight was unbearable to watch and Joe B knew it.  Most nights when the Caps struggle Joe looks on the bright side of things and tries to keep us upbeat.  Well not tonight.  His utter disappointment in the team tonight was audible in every call he made.  He said it was the worst night of hockey he could remember, and that is saying something in a season that has seen the Caps lay some pretty big eggs.  Joe didn’t get any Caps goals to call, he didn’t get any highlights to show us, and he got 2 ½ fights to talk about that weren’t even that great.  The team gave him absolutely nothing to work with tonight and despite that he managed to be the most entertaining portion of the broadcast.  His constantly taking shots at the team and his self deprecating humor helped me struggle through this game when honestly I just wanted to tune out (maybe catch the Wiz over on CSN+).  The only moment tonight that made me smile came courtesy of Joe B when he said, “he’d never waive his no trade clause to leave Locker” during the 2nd intermission.  It was nice of him to remind me what a genuine smile felt like.  To cap off his performance, Joe B gave the player of the game to Hendy.  That’s right, tonight kinda fighting a dude twice and getting an even +/- rating qualified him as the player of the game.  Thank you Joe B for your work tonight and I’m so, so sorry you had to suffer through that.  (Joe B also let us know that Julie Donaldson and Chick will be at the Laughing Man Tavern this Friday to watch the Caps game!  So that’s pretty cool.)
  
Last Star (-all the points, hopes, and dreams):

Well that's all we have for tonight.  It was a brutal game to watch from start to finish and we salute anyone who managed to make it. Thanks for reading and as always feel free to follow me on twitter @dru90, comment below, and vote in our poll.

Thanks again,

AOTI

PS. For those of you who do follow me on twitter you may have seen I teased a new blogging project that'll run during the NHL off season.  AOTI will still be posting, but less frequently, and I will be putting stuff up on Fantasy Town, USA as well.  It's still in the planning stages but feel free to hop on over there and check it out. -Dru

Caps v Lightning (Feb 18)

Talkin’ bout hockey.  Girl Style.

Behind the men of Action on the Ice stand two women, Deanna and Megan. Deanna has been with Nick for 2 years and Megan has been with Andrew for over 4 years. This blog post is where we make our feature as guest bloggers on Action on the Ice where a womanly perspective will enhance the normal blogging our men give you from game to game! Enjoy while you can, because after this we probably won’t be allowed to do this again! So... Welcome to Action on the Ice. Where the points don’t matter. That’s right, the points are just like penalty minutes to Semin!

    So why are the girls doing the post tonight? Well, our boys have had an easy week with most of the games appearing on the NBC Sports Network and then two games in a row? Well..That isn’t fully correct. We took the opportunity to write on this blog with pride, but boy was it hard to write the post for a game that really couldn’t compare to the show the Caps did last night. Good for you though! We aren’t tasked with giving out points, that is apparently a man-only field.
   
    The pregame show was actually amazing tonight. The time before the game was well spent as Alan May gave us a nice interview with Papa Bear Dale Hunter talking about the win last night and how proud he was of his boys. They even talked about the high save percentage Vokoun had against Florida! How could we possible lose with Vokoun who was in the 90% for saves?! Alan May even dropped hints that Mike Green may be playing tonight, and guess what? Alan May was correct. This was the first game Mike Green was back after his surgery! Being an avid Nuevy fan my night was crushed as I did learn that Vokoun would be playing because of that high save percentage. There was more talk of the trade deadline and Joe B asked the tough question of Halpern of “how does it feel with the deadline approaching?” It was a really interesting question to get into the psyche of this player, and I think if I was giving points Joe B and Alan May would definitely have top spots. The sad thing though? It was another night without Backstrom as they told us he was still out indefinitely. Feel better, Backstrom!

    The game started off giving us hope. The clip of the CAPS men appeared, they were all dressed to the nines in suits, making us forget their toothless grins and misaligned faces. They looked like men, and dashing men at that!  However this was a ploy. This was all apart of the plan to make our CAPS boys, men, when in fact they played on the ice like babies!  The announcers had to include calling “Ovie”, “OV” which thoroughly annoys me but nonetheless, I digress. They began talking up the game, telling us to prepare for a game filled with bloodshed, gore and tears in between action shots of men getting slammed against the boards. I respectfully cleared my throat in preparation for the screaming to come, the image of the referee getting the puck in the face from last nights game still fresh in my mind.

    Both of us girls went into the game hopeful after all of this. How on earth could the caps lose? They had an amazing night the night before and the announcers were really playing it up...but then it hit us. The Tampa Bay Coach, Guy B. looked like an infamous bond villain. “Do you expect me to choke?” cried the Caps. “No, I expect you to get penalty minutes, Mr. Semin.” (I think we all expect Semin to get penalty minutes though). Semin did not disappoint as he ended up negating the power play we got in the first period due to his usual shenanigans. The best part out of all of this? Joe B pointing out the Lightning were in blue tonight. I would never have guessed the men on the ice in blue were the Lightning, I always thought that the Caps wore blue.... and then BAM.. a little over two minutes into the game and the lightning scored a goal. I think this was partially due to Locker and Joe B. jinxing us and talking the lightning up but I will let that slide. I would have a man-crush on the lightning too because of Stamkos. Lucky for us the announcers ended this period by chatting about Matty P as the camera focused on him as he skated around with his scruffy French Canadian baby-face. (Part of me believes Matty’s power comes from the scruffy unshaven look... He absorbed the power from Ovechkin after Ovechkin sold his soul to Gillette...).Matty P really took the pain away from a period full of disappoint and lack-luster performance from the Caps. For a moment, I even saw Matty P outshining the beloved Ovechkin with his butt pad protective gear hanging out of his pants, over top of his jersey, a style made popular by the one and only Ovechkin himself.

   
    The intermission followed with a short segment from CSN to then shoot it over to Joe B and Locker. The CSN intermission did not even talk about the caps for the short segment it was on, but rather focused on high school lacrosse. It was odd and I forgot what I was watching for a second. Joe B and Locker did not disappoint when it got sent to them though, they seemed in a chipper mood despite the sad start. Joe B even joked around that he needed to get Locker a monocle so he could read the teleprompter. Locker quickly replied he had binoculars for that. I did not know what to make of it, but I would rather broadcasts have Joe B and Locker in monocles and top hats from now on. CSN, can this become a reality?

The second period opened to a play that should not have happened. Stamkos took the puck and ran down the center of the ice to juke Vokoun out, now making the score 2-0. Vokoun couldn’t even be blamed for this as there was nobody helping Vokoun out. It seems the team is too used to goalies standing on their heads. Locker went on a rant about how much he loved Stamkos, and then the love for Garon started. There was a scuffle by the net and Locker stated that Garon seemed a little worried that his ear had gotten cut by the skate. How is that possible, Locker? He was wearing a goalie mask. The second period gave us a closeup shot on Ovie smooth as a baby’s bottom clean shaved face.  We pondered for a second, why hasn’t he had the scruffy look for awhile? Then we remembered, Gillette sponsorship.

Second intermission Locker interviewed Mathieu Perrault, who we lovingly call, Matty P.  While not much was said during the interview this provides us with some time to mention a few things that we love about Matty P! He’s the dark horse, doesn’t see a whole lot of playing time (until recently) but put him in the game and expect great things like a hat trick! He may not be the biggest guy out on the ice, but his determination is large.  He puts all the effort out on the ice and leaves it there. He always looks like he is having the time of his life out on the ice and always looks like he wants to play. That is what we like to see!  A nice French Canadian man, with a face not yet destroyed by the game of hockey with a genuine smile! 

    Third period opened with a hope the Caps would close the gap but we were sadly disappointed, no matter how hard the boys tried. The only solace I had was the banter on Garon as Joe B. and Locker talked about his flexibility with Joe B. stating, “Holy Flexibility, Batman!” Craig and Joe even decided they had been around long enough that they needed bobble heads. I would buy a Joe B. bobblehead just to shake it at times and say “Why would you say that!?” So the period then ended with the Caps losing 2-1. It was an uneventful game, but at least the announcers seemed to brighten it up with their banter. Matty P also tried his hardest for us, and both of us girls really appreciate the extra camera shots on him today. The only thing that would have turned this game better for us? If we saw Neuvy in net.

    Post game was basically all the broadcasters being really upset, more like really pissed, none being more upset then Alan May.  He didn’t hide his feelings and called out several players for not playing like they should in a very important game.  In particular, Johanasson was a target of Alan Mays fury. We are being Alan May’s fury though, and believe seeing Johanasson in the press box for a game wouldn’t hurt. He needs to play better more often if the CAPS want to make the playoffs, especially with Backstrom still hurt and out of the game.  

So that was Megan and Deanna making our first guest appearance on the Blog!  It may not be how things are normally done on Action on the Ice but we did things our way tonight! Hope you enjoyed reading the first ever girls only post of Action on the Ice!

Next game comes on Monday against the Canes.  Leave some comments below to let the girls know how they did.  Thanks for reading and see you then! -Dru

PS.  Look for an annoucment to come in the coming month about a new blogging project to replace AOTI during the off-season.  Fantasy Town USA!  

Caps v Panthers (Feb 17)

Big game tonight for the Caps.  They managed to come alive in the third and stop themselves from falling 6 points behind the division leading Panthers.  As season gets closer to the end every game matters if the Caps want to find themselves in the playoffs.  Tonight was an important part of that, but it was only the first step.  Back to it tomorrow against Tampa.  Here is how the CSN crew did after a long break:

3rd Star (1 pt):

Locker comes in third tonight.  He handled his normal color commentary duties tonight as well as the intermission interviews.  He does a nice job setting up the significance of the game in the first period by stressing the importance of getting of to a good start on this extended road trip.  He first interview of the night was with Jay Beagle.  At that point there really wasn’t much Locker could have asked him and as a result the interview seemed a bit lazy on his part.  In the second period, Locker gives some love to D-Wides by pointing out just how many minutes he eats up for the team each night.  The major highlight for Locker in the second was him getting upset at the washed out Knuble call in the dwindling seconds of the period.  His second intermission interview was with a very sad looking Alzner.  In the third, Locker did a really nice job explaining what happens when a ref has to leave the game and how it effects the officiating crew and how they call the game.  It was pretty interesting and a nice bit of insight from Locker. 

2nd Star (2 pts):

Alan May. May had a relatively quiet night (by his standards), but was still solid. Listed his Keys to the Game as play tough on the puck all 60 minutes, get traffic in front of the net, and win the special teams battle. Well, the Caps’ effort tonight was solid throughout, as they outshot the Panthers by a fairly wide margin and looked dangerous, with only some stellar netminding from Theo (and a shitty call by Eric Furlatt) keeping the Caps off the board in the first two periods. The effort paid off as they finally broke through in the third. As far as traffic in front of the net, well, Knuble scored one, but the aforementioned Eric Furlatt decided it shouldn’t count. Well, we can’t fault May for the ref being a fucking idiot, so we’ll give him points for that one. And the Caps did win the special teams battle, albeit with only one goal, so May gets credit for that too. Also made me laugh early on when Ovechkin and Wideman’s spat during practice yesterday was brought up. Without missing a beat, May said, “Hockey’s not for babies,” and moved on.

1st Star (3 pts):

Joe B takes tonight’s top honor tonight.  He started the game letting us know that the PP has been less than stellar on the road.  His first period highlights were rounded out as he fed us a cool fact about Voko being a 9th round pick.  That is crazy.  The second period was filled with big calls but unfortunately they were all save-calls because of Jose’s outstanding play.  In the final seconds of the period a Knuble goal that would have tied the contest was washed out and Locker was outraged.  Joe B was also upset with the call but kept a level head and calmly explained to us the letter of the rule that was used to make the call.  In the third period the Caps got a chance to go on the PP and Joe B said he had a good feeling about it.  A few minutes later Ovie knocked one home and the Caps didn’t look back.  Coming out and saying he thought the team would score on the PP, especially after his earlier comments about the Cap’s road PP woes, was pretty impressive and helped to solidify Joe B in the top spot.    

Last Star (-1 pt):

Chris Miller. I was rather surprised to see Miller in on the Caps on a night on which the Wizards also played, since I’ve always though of him as more of a basketball guy. After tonight, that belief has been reinforced. Miller wasn’t bad in his first intermission coverage, but he was pretty lifeless. Not a lot of energy, and was pretty obviously reading the details of the Hal Gil trade and highlights of the NSH/DET off a teleprompter. He was significantly more vibrant when talking about Jeremy Lin and other basketball highlight so in the postgame show, but we don’t give out points for basketball highlights, now do we. Miller gets last star for just being meh, and clearly not caring a whole lot about hockey.

That's all we got for you tonight.  Thanks for reading! 

PS if you haven't already vote on our poll we have running on the right side of the blog!

Caps v. Jets (Feb 9)

So tonight had all the makings of a good Caps win: The Caps came out, outshot the Jets, and basically dominated every aspect of the game for the first two periods. The second period ended 0-0 thanks to some studly work by both Tomas Vokoun and Ondrej Pavelec, but in the third, the Caps finally broke through in a big way. The first goal came courtesy of the Captain, who's finally starting to look like he's regaining his old form, burying a back-door no-angle shot on the power play. The second came as a result of a beautiful missile of a pass from Ovie (who would also add a shootout tally to cap off his awesome night) to Semin, who tapped it in, also on the PP. And at this point, everything looks golden. Of course, Joe B and Locker couldn't sit and enjoy the success; they had to call out the Jets offense. Repeatedly. And guess what, their insistence on jinxing us proved to be the Caps' undoing as the Jets managed to win the game in a shootout.

Tonight was just one of those nights where we simply didn’t have enough last stars to go around. So, because we’re cool like that, we decided we’d flip everything around tonight and give out three anti-stars for being terrible and one gold star to theone performer who was on top of his game tonight.



Only Star (3 pts):
The Jenkins. On a night where Gormley did what he does best (and then some) and a new guy was all around uninspiring and sucked Jenkins managed to slip into a scoring spot. Yes he did have some issues during his intermission highlights but those seemed to be more on the technical staff at CSN. Hell, at least Jenkins showed some NHL highlights unlike his partner. He also wore red, unlike his partner. Sure he messed up, but he was able to laugh at himself and that helped to make it less awkward. He ended this intermission break with a “Come on Caps” so that was awesome and the first time I have heard him do something like that. He had a really, really nice post game spot that made me do a double take to see who was speaking. It was downright good. Jenkins did enough tonight to be better than the hopelessly lost Gormely and the newbie. He also didn’t jinx us like some other people. For that Jenkins, we salute you. Keep up the excellent work.



Last Star (-1 pt):
Greg Toland. He was a new guy. He wore a blue tie (Jet’s color) instead of red. He talked about boxing. He talked about Tiger Woods. He talked about the Wizards. He talked about the winter classic being in Michigan. No highlights. No Capitals to speak of. All of that was bad enough but what really ensured he would land here and the last spot...he messed up saying the word “part”. Its four letters. Four letters and he couldn’t manage it. Lucky for him there were some other, much worse performances from the CSN crew tonight so his night will probably be largely overlooked.



Worse Star (-2 -1 pts):
Chuck Gormley. So Chuck came on for his usual spot tonight and said he talked to Mike Knuble and got his reaction to potentially being traded. Our editor was skeptical, so in the interest of journalistic integrity (yes, apparently we do have that here at AotI. Who knew?), I decided I’d take a look at Gormley’s blog and see (and yes, I apologizing for giving it hits). Well, turns out Gormley did apparently talk to Knuble, but there’s no evidence in the article that he actually discussed the possibility of being traded with Knuble. Instead, he discussed Backstrom’s Super Bowl party, his concussion, and how Knuble thought it was wise of the team to protect its investment by being cautious with Backstrom. At the very end, there’s a passing mention of what effect Backstrom and Green’s absence may have on McPhee’s deadline moves, but nothing of real substance and nothing about Knuble personally being traded. That, Mr. Gormley, is false advertising, and that is just not cool.

EDIT: So, apparently I wasn't thorough enough in my digging last night; the article I mentioned does not, in fact, appear to be the article to which Gormley was referring. I've since been linked to the correct article, which is mostly about Knuble's healthy scratch and struggles this season. However, at the end of the article, there is a single sentence, which contains the quote Gormley mentioned in his TV spot .So, in the spirit of that whole journalistic integrity thing (because apparently it has to work both ways), I'll be giving Gormley a point back. Because while he was just as boring and robotic as always, at least he didn't lie to us.




Worstest Stars (-3 pts):
This one is a package deal tonight. Joe B and Craig Laughlin both finish dead last for doing their damnedest to jinx the Caps, and eventually succeeding. Joe B started the snowball in the second intermission, saying that Vokoun was “doing it again, for 100+ minutes now.” I could perhaps have overlooked that one, but they really ramped it up during the third period. Joe pointed out that the Jets powerplay was 0-17 lately, and Locker took it a step further by saying that the Jets basically couldn’t score a PPG on the road. Later in the period, Joe B pointed out that WPG was having offensive struggles, only scoring 7 goals in their last 7 games. So guess what happened? The Jets scored two goals. In twelve seconds. One of which was on the power play. And then won the game in a shootout. Way to be, Joe and Craig... Everything you mentioned them being bad at, they managed to do. Good game. NOPOINTSFORYOU!

Caps v. Habs (Feb 4)

So the Caps managed to shut out the Canadiens 3-0 in a game that was much more boring than the score indicated. That, coupled with the fact that CSN half-assed the broadcast (no pre-/post-game show or CSN intermission reports), means I'm going to half-ass this review.

Our only two participants tonight were Joe B. and Craig Laughlin, both of whom will get a point. They managed to not jinx us, though it wasn't for lack of trying as Gomez's scoring drought was mentioned multiple times, and Locker thought it would be a good idea to poke fun at the Habs' powerplay (people in glass houses and all). Still though, neither Gomez nor the powerplay actually scored, so no harm no foul.

Locker did an admirable job with the intermission interviews this afternoon. His interview with Wideman was longer than usual (perhaps because he knew he had to kill extra time), consisting of 5 relevant questions. The highlight was Wideman's sheepish grin and "...it was kind of embarrassing, but they all count," after Locker asked him if he was patenting that slapshot, which Locker described as a 'knucklepuck.' His interview-ee for the second intermission was Keith Aucoin, who bore a slight resemblance to a deer in headlights. Oh, and he managed to slip in one of his famous food-related puns based on somebody's name, referring to Cammalleri as "Calamari."

As for Joe B, well, he was there. That's about all I can say.

Tomorrow's a rematch with the Bruins, which will hopefully be less of a snoozefest. We won't have a post tomorrow because Dru and I are taking the night off and going to a concert.

Caps v Panthers (Feb 1)

Tonight was the first "CSN" Caps game since the All Star Break.  I gotta say, it was good to hear Joe B and Locker calling a game.  Unfortunetly it was on CSN+ which meant bad picture quality.  It also meant that Joe B and Locker were on their own tonight.  Read on to see what I thought of their first game back!

Second Star (1 pt):

Tonight the one point spot goes to Locker.  He did a typically strong performance that was highlighted by his outrage at the way the league handles goalie contact calls.  He also had a lot to say about a contested Florida goal in the 3rd that had to be decided in the Toronto War Room.  Locker didn't get to telestrate or interview anyone but that was more of the fault of the CSN network for putting the Caps on CSN+ and not caring about road games.  Still, Locker wasn't allowed to do enough tonight to score above 1.  Welcome back Locker!

First Star (2 pts):

Joe B takes the top spot tonight.  Nights like tonight put a lot of pressure on Joe B.  He basically has to carry the broadcast and during games that aren't very exciting he has to really work hard to maintain viewer interest.  I thought he did a good job of this in the first, dropped off a little in the second, and finished strong at the end of the third.  Huh, that is kinda like how the Caps performance on the ice went tonight.  Welcome back Joe B!  Here are some of my favorite Joe B-isms of the night: "Hammered-Hard!" "Laser-Locker!" "Minute-muncher." and the obligatory "Mike Green is hurt/ Tom Poti is hurt".

Well on a really slow night CSN wise that is all I got for you.  It is nice to have hockey back and can't wait for the next game.  Thanks for reading!

(Think I suck/ you could do better? There are bound to be nights that I won't be able to cover the games so if you want to take a shot at this for a game message me on twitter @ Dru90 or email me at amontoya1990@gmail.com!)

 

Caps v Bruins (Jan 24th)

Tonight when all the attention was focused on the suspension of Ovie and how the Capitals were going to get rolled by the Bruins the Caps stood tall.  They didn't roll over and die.  They stood toe-to-toe with the Bruins and thanks to a huge performance by Mathieu Perreault (a favorite of AOTI) the Caps sent the Bruins out of town with a loss.  A side story to tonight's game was Tim Thomas and how he skipped visiting the White House.  Whatever, I don't want to get into that because I don't like politics mixed into my sports.  Something several of tonight's broadcasters didn't seem to understand.  The Caps showed some heart tonight and so did these members of the CSN crew:

Third Star (1 pt):

Smokin Al Koken.  This man interviewed Matty P at the start of the game.  He interviewed him after the second period.  He interviewed him after the game.  He also interviewed Denis Widemen.  Notice anything.  Yeah that is all people who scored goals.  Big time points for that one.  Koken was also there to offer Matty a towel when he got a shaving cream pie to the face during the post game, via Ovie.  Really enjoyed each of his interviews tonight and thought he asked good questions that the players could answer.  Nice work from Smokin tonight. 

Second Star (2 pts):

Jill Sorenson.  She did appear much tonight.  In fact she only had a brief spot during the pregame.  But its quality, not quantity that matters here at AOTI.  Jill had a interview with Hunter before the game and also talked about how the team would need to step up without Ovie and Backstrom.  Jill seemed to think that Matty P,  getting an opportunity to play on the top line, might be the guy to step up.  Well guess what...she was right.  Just about as right as it is possible to be.  I’m not sure Jill thought that Matty would net three goals tonight but she believed in him and comes off looking like a genius after this game.  When you make bold predictions that come true you earn some respect (and points) from us!    

First Star (3 pts):

Julie Donaldson. Julie got first intermission and postgame duty tonight. First intermission started a little rough when the sound cut out, but she didn’t miss a beat. Made sure to talk about the fisticuffs in the Rangers/Jets highlights. Good ol’ Julie, always making sure she shows us the fun stuff. Also showed highlights from an uneventful Sabres/Devils game. Made no mistakes and signed off with a smile. Also, bonus points for not mentioning that the Caps were missing people, since that had been done to death already. Opened her postgame spot with, “Hey, who needs Ovie?” Indeed. We respect that. Certainly a nice change from doom-and-gloom “we’re-toast-without-him” kind of talk.

Other Participants (0 pts):

Alan May: Said guys needed to step up.  Guys stepped up (Matty).

Joe B:  Game intro was about "Malkin-Mania".  Yuck.

Locker: Telestrating and was all about triangles tonight.

Rob Carlin: Meh pregame.  Good postgame.  Feeding off those good team vibes as always.

Chick: Nothing terrible about his performance tonight.  Had a nice red tie on.

Last Star (-1 pt):

It’s no surprise that this spot goes to Chuck Gormley.  When he shows his face during a CSN broadcast it is almost a given that he will be in the last spot.  Two appearances ago he found himself in last but didn’t lose a point.  This is because we at AOTI felt he should decent improvement and an effort to better his craft.  However, his last time out he was back to his old ways and seemed to have regressed.  Tonight confirms that Chuck has forgotten everything he seemed to learn.  He was flat, uninteresting, and obviously reading off a teleprompter.  Its really mind boggling that CSN keeps sending Chuck back out there.  His job is to drum up interest for his blog stories.  There are two ways to accomplish this: have controversial or thought provoking topics or be a engaging and interesting dude.  Chuck consistently does neither.  His story tonight, Ovie’s suspension.  Who didn’t see that coming?  That story has been all over the news and covered to death.  Chuck’s fatal flaw tonight was choosing to compare himself to Alan May.  He opened his spot by letting us know that Alan May and Chuck Gormley are all about the old school hockey hits.  Then he lets us know that he disagrees with May on this particular topic.  This brings up serious complications.  First, it implies that Chuck Gormley has seen hockey before he got his blogging job and knows about the “old school” NHL.  Don’t buy it.  Second, it makes me compare Alan May and Chuck and makes me realize how awful Chuck really is.  Also have some courage to outline your views Chuck.  Saying “I disagree with...” isn’t telling us anything.  Take a stand and that’ll get your stories some views and inspire debate.  Finally, up until now I’m not sure May even knew who Gormley was but Chuck may have just woken a sleeping giant.  If they get into a war of words it’ll be a massacre, and that’s something that everybody can enjoy.  Just don’t kill him Alan, we need him here at AOTI.

As mentioned at the top, Matty is something of hero/fan favorite here at AOTI.  That said, here is a profession of that love:

GOLD STAR (for awesomeness):

Mathieu Fucking Perrault. So, coming into tonight’s game, the talk was all about the fact that the Caps are now playing without their two best players and two-thirds of their top line, as Nick Backstrom is out with a concussion and Ovechkin is serving a suspension. The million-dollar question from every media/blog/anyone-with-a-computer source out there was “Who’s going to step up?” Well, Matty P answered the bell in a big way tonight; he was a force almost every time he was out on the ice en route to his first career hat trick. The goals themselves were the result of hard work; the first was a beautiful passing play, the second was an unassisted wrister that started with a beautiful pickpocket, and the third came as a result of Matty going to the net and scoring on a rebound. Admittedly I’ve always been a shameless Matty P fan, but after watching his effort and energy tonight, coupled with the fact that the smile on his face after he scored that third goal was so goddamn big that there’s no possible way one could NOT be happy for him, he’s pretty much cemented himself as my fan-favorite. (Murshawursha)

Thanks for reading!  Next game comes next Tuesday.  Enjoy the All Star break and see you then!