Ovechkin Turns Down "C"

[hockechamp14 0]

I wasn't hating on Crosby.  In fact, I have nothing against him whatsoever.  Also, you have to look at the teams these guys are on.  Who should be captain for the capitals?  Witt? No, he got traded to nashville before the season ended.  Kolzig?  Nope, goalie.  Ovechkin is already almost the defacto captain due to no other options.  With the pens you have LeClair, Recchi, hell even Gonchar.

Clark, Sutherby or Clymer get my vote, although Zubrus may get it.

I think Zednik may be considered too...he started his career in Wash..moved on, and now is coming back as a veteran..He'll definately have an "A"...myabe even the "C".

Isn't the potential communication problems the same reason Jagr turned down the "C" in NY?

I don't think Zednick will be considered, because I think he will be gone at the trade deadline.

With Jagr it was not wanting to be the first captain after Messier. If he goes into a slump he can take the team around him down with his attitude and lack of work ethic, thats not captain material.

When asked about captaincy earlier in the season, Jagr said basically he didn't want to have to worry about the rest of the team and being a leader.

If it helps his game to not be captain, it's probally the right move then. From what I hear, Jags didn't say a single word to some of the guys in pittsburgh.

[willc7786 0]

Some guys like it, others don't. Look at Kenny Jonsson when he was an Islander. He was probably one of the best defensive defensemen in the game by the time he left for Sweden. One year they gave him the C, and he completely fell apart because his personality/makeup just wasn't suited for it.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

That is what happened to Leetch and that's what I am afraid is going to happen to Lidstrom.

[willc7786 0]

I think Leetch just didn't have a chance because he was post-Messier. Anything less then a long playoff run would have doomed anybody on that team. But I have the same concerns about Lidstrom. I thought it should have gone to Chelios for a year.

[Duder84 0]

by 360 you really mean 180 right? A 360 puts Jagr back where he started....

[willc7786 0]

:lol: at the 360/180 thing

Also, Jagrs conditioning and work ethic have never ever been in question. I've always known him to be regarded as one of the hardest working players in recent memory. Its the effort on the ice that sometimes has been questioned.

And just because the guy is a workhorse doesn't mean he should necessarily be captain

[mack 44]

I think Theo meant to say that Jagr's done a 540.

[willc7786 0]

Well if we're saying that he deserves it more then the other rangers, I would agree with you, but that's a different point. Just because a player is the best suited on the team that he is on, does not make him a very good captain when put up against other captains on other teams. I'm not a Jagr hater or a Ranger bashing Islanders fan, but I just don't see Jagr as a great captain. Very good with the A maybe, but not the C. And again, thats just my opinion which is worth as much as the paper this is being written on.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Like-wise w/ my opinions...So no hard feelings of course

As with me, no ill will intended, I am just a bitter caps fan, Jagr flat out gave up on the team here.

[DavisP 0]

Did he ask for a trade out of washington?

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Did he ask for a trade out of washington?

He said he wanted to play in new york, and said in an interview last season that he gave up in washington, and didn't work hard

[DavisP 0]

Oh ok, I never heard about that.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Oh ok, I never heard about that.

Two referees skated over to Jaromir Jagr before the start of overtime last Saturday night and demanded a closer look at his stick. The officials did so at the request of Jagr's former teammates with the Washington Capitals, some of whom had a hunch it might be illegal.

The request was perceived by at least a few of the Rangers as a minor league move aimed at showing up Jagr, who has wielded his stick so much more effectively in New York than during his disappointing time in Washington. The stick was, in fact, found to be illegal, resulting in a Capitals power play and a more determined Jagr.

Just when everyone thought both sides had moved on, there they were: Jagr and the Capitals, nearly two years after parting ways, at odds again.

"We knew we could do that at any time," Capitals captain Jeff Halpern said. "But especially some of the things he said on his end inspired us to call something like that. . . . That stuff doesn't go unnoticed."

"He's a great player, but I question the way he played here," Witt said. "We know the talent he had, but he didn't come to play every night. Why? I don't know. Maybe he wasn't happy. But he was getting paid $11 million. Isn't that enough to make you want to play hard? Ask any of the other players who were here, and I think they would agree with me."

In the Hockey News last month, Jagr said about his time as a Capital: "You don't have the same freedom; you couldn't play the way you wanted, the way I was used to. They didn't let you play the way you wanted; of course, you're not going to play the same. I was so used to something and I didn't get it, and I was trying to fight for it, and then I gave up."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5120101469.html

http://www.thn.com/upload_on/pool/400_j243.gif

[DavisP 0]

Oh ok, I never heard about that.

Two referees skated over to Jaromir Jagr before the start of overtime last Saturday night and demanded a closer look at his stick. The officials did so at the request of Jagr's former teammates with the Washington Capitals, some of whom had a hunch it might be illegal.

The request was perceived by at least a few of the Rangers as a minor league move aimed at showing up Jagr, who has wielded his stick so much more effectively in New York than during his disappointing time in Washington. The stick was, in fact, found to be illegal, resulting in a Capitals power play and a more determined Jagr.

Just when everyone thought both sides had moved on, there they were: Jagr and the Capitals, nearly two years after parting ways, at odds again.

"We knew we could do that at any time," Capitals captain Jeff Halpern said. "But especially some of the things he said on his end inspired us to call something like that. . . . That stuff doesn't go unnoticed."

"He's a great player, but I question the way he played here," Witt said. "We know the talent he had, but he didn't come to play every night. Why? I don't know. Maybe he wasn't happy. But he was getting paid $11 million. Isn't that enough to make you want to play hard? Ask any of the other players who were here, and I think they would agree with me."

In the Hockey News last month, Jagr said about his time as a Capital: "You don't have the same freedom; you couldn't play the way you wanted, the way I was used to. They didn't let you play the way you wanted; of course, you're not going to play the same. I was so used to something and I didn't get it, and I was trying to fight for it, and then I gave up."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5120101469.html

http://www.thn.com/upload_on/pool/400_j243.gif

Thanks for the info.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

It's not 2003 anymore.

The bottom line is that in this rare instance, the past has not predicted what the present is bringing right now. And since Jagr became a Ranger in 2004 (I believe) he has been top class in his game and his leadership

In the Hockey News last month, Jagr said about his time as a Capital: "You don't have the same freedom; you couldn't play the way you wanted, the way I was used to. They didn't let you play the way you wanted; of course, you're not going to play the same. I was so used to something and I didn't get it, and I was trying to fight for it, and then I gave up."

The Rangers had a great amount of accountability last season and team defensive play was key to the team. He didn't seem to mind it as a Ranger.

No crap he gave up as a cap and that was terrible. It took him a while to win me over as a Ranger because of his class, but I find very little faults of him as a Ranger. He won over the coaches, team, players and NHL as a whole (Pearson).

I don't care about jagr anymore, I was just showing why caps fans are bitter at him. He was so good as a penguin, then again as a ranger, so it sucked that the caps got the give up jagr, not the dominating one.