Ted's Take on the Fans' Take
It's still weird to me that Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is a blogger. Not because he isn't a righteous dude, but because certain other franchise owners in this city are so. . . not bloggy like that.
Could you ever imagine a certain other franchise owner taking the time to craft a thoughtful response to fans who had disagreed with a decision? Pshaw!
Here's the post from Leonsis's blog:
Ted wants to know what's up with that.
Last off season and pre-season, I received numerous emails and read some board postings from some of our fans on Nicklas Backstrom. Comments like "He is a bust", "Backstrom was at best a second round pick" and "You blew this pick" came from some of our most earnest board posters directly to me. I think Nicklas Backstrom turned out to be a pretty good pick, don't you? He is up for Rookie of the Year consideration. Alex Semin, Mike Green and Jeff Schultz all turned out pretty good too, didn't they? Mike Green was picked 29th in the draft. Do you NOT think 28 other GMs are asking their scouts what went wrong in that draft?
Today I have received 3 emails - very, very deeply negative on Karl Alzner. What is up with these fans? He was Player of the Year in his league. He was captain of the Junior National team. He will most likely be a top 4 D-man in the NHL for a long, long time. Give the kid a break, will ya?
The funny thing is that our Caps fans are straight-up giddy about Alzner's signing:
Danny: Yeah! Finally some movement in signing!
RobMonroe: Great news! Can't wait to see him in action.
And really, really giddy:
Roger #94: ALRIGHT!!!! Starting the signings off with a bang!!! I really like this kid. Saw him play at the developmental camp and he is the real deal. Don't know, don't care if he starts in Wash or Hershey but I think he will be in the NHL for a while. Keep it going GMGM!!!!! A signing a day keeps first round playoff losses away!!!!!
Only one negative comment in the bunch, from Anonymous, because that guy ruins everything:
Karl Alzner wants to know what's up with that, too. (Getty Images)
Anonymous: Why is everyone getting excited over Alzner? So what, he played in the WHL and was player of the year blah blah blah. Saying he is 'the real deal' without basing it upon seeing him in the NHL is nonsense. He got an entry level contract. So what, my guess is he starts in Hershey and stays there for the season. Why put another mediocre D man in the lineup? The Caps have plenty of those.
Now that Alzner is taken care of -- Matt Bradley, too -- who should be next on the Capitals' list?
By the way, don't forget about the latest Crowd Noise Caption Contest. Sure, there's no prize, but what kind of person would you be if that stopped you?
By Lindsay Applebaum |
May 28, 2008; 8:36 AM ET
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Posted by: Cart | May 28, 2008 11:19 AM
Is it just me, or was Ted's take a bit smug, maybe too heavy on the "I told you so?"
Snyder doesn't blog, but he also doesn't tackle his own dissenting fans in the lobby of the building in which his team plays.
Posted by: John in Mpls | May 28, 2008 12:49 PM
Are you kidding? Dan Snyder would send hired goons to do it for him. He doesn't have the balls to do it himself.
Besides, with all the $*!% that Ted takes from idiotic fans, it's nice to see him game enough to toss his wins in their face. He's been man enough to take it on the chin when he loses. Good for him. It shows some passion.
Posted by: 121 | May 28, 2008 1:33 PM
Holy !@#$%, someone thinks Dan Snyder is a good owner.
Posted by: Cart | May 28, 2008 2:03 PM
I didn't say that, either.
Nor would I. Ever.
Posted by: John in Mpls | May 28, 2008 4:41 PM
I think Snyder is a good owner too. I love him and have defended him from day one. (I'm gonna take some heat for that).
I also think Leonsis is a good owner. He saw the salary cap coming and started over. So far, so good.
And even if you don't think he's a good owner, you have to believe in the Capitals' scouting.
Green, Semin, Backie, Laich, Morrison, Ovechkin, ect.
This team knows how to draft and I already thought Alzner was a great puck-moving defensman before they drafted him, but just the fact that that best drafting team in the NHL took him, makes me that much more confident.
Props to GMGM. Where is everyone that was calling for his head on Tarik's blog in October and November???
Posted by: Super Angelos | May 28, 2008 4:44 PM
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Yes Lindsay. Yes Lindsay, yes.