Washington Post
Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, exasperated with his team's 10-13-2 record and its 2-7-1 skid before last night's 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, said yesterday that blame falls squarely on his players' "work ethic" and that if their performance does not improve significantly, extensive changes will be made in the offseason.
"I'm heartbroken. I just expected so much more," said Leonsis, whose team's $50 million payroll is among the highest in the NHL. "My patience is not very long, nor is the patience of our fans.
"I don't mind losing. But it's when we lose in this unorganized, dispassionate way that it upsets me greatly. We need to right the ship quickly. We have 57 games left," Leonsis said before last night's contest. "That's plenty of time. But 25 games is also enough to make you very concerned."
After missing the playoffs last season, the Capitals fired coach Ron Wilson and replaced him with 37-year-old Bruce Cassidy, who is in his first year as an NHL coach. They also added three key players while retaining most of the top performers from last season. Despite the overhaul, the Capitals are tied for 12th among 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and would not make the 16-team playoffs if they began today.
"I understand the [extenuating] circumstances. We have [some] new players, a new coach and a new system," Leonsis said. "But at some point as an owner, you also need to have a reality check.
"We said we needed a right-handed shot at center. So we got [Robert] Lang. We said we needed grit and speed, so we got [Mike] Grier. We said we needed to get healthy [after injuries to Steve Konowalchuk, Calle Johansson and Jeff Halpern]. We did. We said we need a player-friendly coach and we got one [Bruce Cassidy]."
Despite a rash of injuries, a slump by goalie Olaf Kolzig and without Lang, Grier and Michael Nylander, the Capitals were 9-13-3 at this point a year ago. Now Kolzig is playing well, talent has been added and most injuries healed, yet the record -- and the lack of early-season effort -- remains.
"I understand why he's mad and I would be, too," said star forward Jaromir Jagr. "I thought we got a better team. Of course, I would like to have 20 goals and see the team at least five or six games over .500, but we haven't done that."
Those were the original expectations for these Capitals. But they are 26th out of 30 teams in penalty killing -- perhaps the best statistic to show effort, or lack of it. The team is 21st in goals allowed, a painful measure of how little they are capitalizing on Kolzig. And, finally, the Capitals are 15th on power plays, an indictment of a team with scorers such as Jagr, Lang and Peter Bondra.
"I would have thought our players would have internalized what happened to us [last season] and taken all this seriously and to heart," said Leonsis. "To win, you need talent, team work and work ethic. We have a lot of talent. Sometimes we play as a team and sometimes we don't. But it is our lack of work ethic that is concerning me."
This is the third straight season in which the Capitals have buried themselves with a slow start amid charges of insufficient intensity. In the past, blame was sometimes laid on the sharp-tongued Wilson. Yet he was also one of the league's most innovative motivators.
Cassidy arrived with a lighter touch and a more offense-oriented system, but after less than a third of the season, he is trying to increase the team's discipline. After an hour-long practice at Piney Orchard on Saturday, Cassidy tried to light a fire under his team, saying: "At some point you have to ask when they are going to get mad. I'm looking for some pride. Some guys are in there saying, 'Poor me.' I'd like to see a little passion." The Capitals responded with a 5-4 loss to one of the worst teams in the league, the Atlanta Thrashers, on Sunday.
"I'm back at AOL and I'm working like a mad man [to increase business at the company]. I expect the same of them," Leonsis said. "This should be a shot across the bow. I want to see them play with effort, passion and commitment. And take joy in this great game that they are paid a lot to play.
"They can't enjoy losing by scores like 7-2 and 7-3, or playing poorly at home, or losing to Atlanta on a last-minute mistake. I'm hopeful that they wake up. But if they don't, my loyalty is to the fans and not to the players. Changes will be made."
"Right now we're in a shambles," Kolzig said before last night's game. "Guys are getting along. But chemistry might be a bit of an issue -- not knowing what each other does on the ice and not doing what we're told. . . . But you still have to give 100 percent.
"In the past when you played the Caps, you knew you were in for a tough game at both ends of the ice. . . . Right now we're so far from that identity. The onus comes down on the players."
Nobody's more aware of the issue than captain Konowalchuk. "I guarantee you we're more frustrated than Ted is. He's heartbroken, but we're all broken up over this, too," said the winger. "We've got to get this turned around quickly. It starts with the players. If we can't get on the same page, then he's right. They've got a commitment to the fans and to the players who are doing the job. And the guys who don't do it . . . well, that's the business."
Leonsis emphasizes he understands the need for patience. "We have a lot of new moving pieces on this team. So our goals were more modest," he said. But those expectations certainly included making the playoffs and providing energetic play on home ice.
"Our fans pay a lot of money," Leonsis said. "Everybody in our organization knows how I feel. This lackluster play is bad for business
Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, exasperated with his team's 10-13-2 record and its 2-7-1 skid before last night's 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, said yesterday that blame falls squarely on his players' "work ethic" and that if their performance does not improve significantly, extensive changes will be made in the offseason.
"I'm heartbroken. I just expected so much more," said Leonsis, whose team's $50 million payroll is among the highest in the NHL. "My patience is not very long, nor is the patience of our fans.
"I don't mind losing. But it's when we lose in this unorganized, dispassionate way that it upsets me greatly. We need to right the ship quickly. We have 57 games left," Leonsis said before last night's contest. "That's plenty of time. But 25 games is also enough to make you very concerned."
After missing the playoffs last season, the Capitals fired coach Ron Wilson and replaced him with 37-year-old Bruce Cassidy, who is in his first year as an NHL coach. They also added three key players while retaining most of the top performers from last season. Despite the overhaul, the Capitals are tied for 12th among 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and would not make the 16-team playoffs if they began today.
"I understand the [extenuating] circumstances. We have [some] new players, a new coach and a new system," Leonsis said. "But at some point as an owner, you also need to have a reality check.
"We said we needed a right-handed shot at center. So we got [Robert] Lang. We said we needed grit and speed, so we got [Mike] Grier. We said we needed to get healthy [after injuries to Steve Konowalchuk, Calle Johansson and Jeff Halpern]. We did. We said we need a player-friendly coach and we got one [Bruce Cassidy]."
Despite a rash of injuries, a slump by goalie Olaf Kolzig and without Lang, Grier and Michael Nylander, the Capitals were 9-13-3 at this point a year ago. Now Kolzig is playing well, talent has been added and most injuries healed, yet the record -- and the lack of early-season effort -- remains.
"I understand why he's mad and I would be, too," said star forward Jaromir Jagr. "I thought we got a better team. Of course, I would like to have 20 goals and see the team at least five or six games over .500, but we haven't done that."
Those were the original expectations for these Capitals. But they are 26th out of 30 teams in penalty killing -- perhaps the best statistic to show effort, or lack of it. The team is 21st in goals allowed, a painful measure of how little they are capitalizing on Kolzig. And, finally, the Capitals are 15th on power plays, an indictment of a team with scorers such as Jagr, Lang and Peter Bondra.
"I would have thought our players would have internalized what happened to us [last season] and taken all this seriously and to heart," said Leonsis. "To win, you need talent, team work and work ethic. We have a lot of talent. Sometimes we play as a team and sometimes we don't. But it is our lack of work ethic that is concerning me."
This is the third straight season in which the Capitals have buried themselves with a slow start amid charges of insufficient intensity. In the past, blame was sometimes laid on the sharp-tongued Wilson. Yet he was also one of the league's most innovative motivators.
Cassidy arrived with a lighter touch and a more offense-oriented system, but after less than a third of the season, he is trying to increase the team's discipline. After an hour-long practice at Piney Orchard on Saturday, Cassidy tried to light a fire under his team, saying: "At some point you have to ask when they are going to get mad. I'm looking for some pride. Some guys are in there saying, 'Poor me.' I'd like to see a little passion." The Capitals responded with a 5-4 loss to one of the worst teams in the league, the Atlanta Thrashers, on Sunday.
"I'm back at AOL and I'm working like a mad man [to increase business at the company]. I expect the same of them," Leonsis said. "This should be a shot across the bow. I want to see them play with effort, passion and commitment. And take joy in this great game that they are paid a lot to play.
"They can't enjoy losing by scores like 7-2 and 7-3, or playing poorly at home, or losing to Atlanta on a last-minute mistake. I'm hopeful that they wake up. But if they don't, my loyalty is to the fans and not to the players. Changes will be made."
"Right now we're in a shambles," Kolzig said before last night's game. "Guys are getting along. But chemistry might be a bit of an issue -- not knowing what each other does on the ice and not doing what we're told. . . . But you still have to give 100 percent.
"In the past when you played the Caps, you knew you were in for a tough game at both ends of the ice. . . . Right now we're so far from that identity. The onus comes down on the players."
Nobody's more aware of the issue than captain Konowalchuk. "I guarantee you we're more frustrated than Ted is. He's heartbroken, but we're all broken up over this, too," said the winger. "We've got to get this turned around quickly. It starts with the players. If we can't get on the same page, then he's right. They've got a commitment to the fans and to the players who are doing the job. And the guys who don't do it . . . well, that's the business."
Leonsis emphasizes he understands the need for patience. "We have a lot of new moving pieces on this team. So our goals were more modest," he said. But those expectations certainly included making the playoffs and providing energetic play on home ice.
"Our fans pay a lot of money," Leonsis said. "Everybody in our organization knows how I feel. This lackluster play is bad for business
