Caps Practice

I watched the Capitals practice on Tuesday (a little late on posting, I know) since I had no idea what went into an NHL hockey practice. Here are some observations that I found interesting.

• All the things worked on in practice (line rushes, special teams play, etc.) were done close to full speed. Rather than constantly whistling the action dead to correct/comment on things, the coaches observed from a distance and did not interrupt the players. I don’t know if this is just the style of head coach Bruce Boudreau, the style of the NHL, or the style of hockey practices in general, but I’m sure specific coaches were keeping track of specific players, because otherwise it would be hard to keep meaningful notes of whether players were doing things correctly and what needed to be improved.
• When the Caps were doing line rushes against zero or one defenders and shooting on goal, they still did not score with the frequency you would expect given the advantage in numbers. It just goes to show how hard it is to put the puck past a goalie filling up most of the net when skating quickly on ice.
• Since it was Election Day and kids had school off, there were a bunch of young fans at Caps practice. Naturally, they all crowded against the glass to get the best view of their favorite players. Occasionally a Cap would fire a puck right towards them, which the kids loved—but I’m sure gave their parents a heart attack every time.
• It was really obvious to tell from practice that the only reason D.J. King is on this team is to fight. His skating and stick-handling abilities are poor compared to his teammates’, and he spent a lot of the free moments in practice bumping players, faking going after guys, or showing how quickly he can drop his gloves. His stats in Toronto show all the value he brings to the Caps: 5:17 time on ice, -2 +/-, 5 penalty minutes for a worthless first period fight with Toronto heavyweight Colton Orr.
• Tomas Fleischmann (Flash) floated a saucer pass from the left boards across the width of the ice and sunk it into the bucket that holds the pucks on the right boards on his first attempt. It was a stunning piece of work, and it is no wonder that Boudreau believes highly in his skills if he gets to see displays like that on a normal basis. But as a Caps fan, it is frustrating that Flash can’t make more plays like that on the ice when they count.
• A bunch of players and some coaches ended practice by sticking two hockey sticks in the corners of the goal and trying to hit them on either one or two consecutive shots. It was hard to keep track of from the stands, but I think David Steckel lost.
• After practice, Brooks Laich, Mike Green, John Carlson, and Karl Alzner played the hockey equivalent of 21 for pick-up basketball, although no one took long range shots. The idea was to use your stick-handling and skating ability to dribble the puck past everyone and take it to the empty net. Brooks Laich made this even more difficult than it already is by repeatedly fouling everyone with the puck, especially Green. It was obvious that those four really love playing hockey and just being on the ice.
• Speaking of Carlson, he was the last player off the ice after giving backup goalie Brandon Holtby some extra shots, and when I left he was still autographing stuff for the fans along with Matt Hendricks. Earlier, he slipped a puck in between the narrow space between the glass and net for a young fan off his stick. Just another day for the young American hero, who hopefully will be a big fan favorite for many more years to come.