The Bears maul the Wolfpack. A look back on the 2018 Capitals. There’s a new coach in Toronto

the Hershey Bears pick up a decisive victory in game number one you’re locked on capitals your daily podcast on the Washington Capitals part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day well hello and welcome into this edition of lock on capitals I’m so glad you decided to join me today as always this podcast is free and available on all the major platforms including the SiriusXM app and on YouTube and I want to thank you for making this your first listen each and every day my name is Dan homy I’ve covered the capitals for the last three seasons for lockdown and various other platforms before that I’m also the host of the weekly show called the capitals minute cast available where ever you find your podcasts you can find me on Twitter it’s ancaps 218 you can find the show on Twitter it’s at locked on caps and the best way that you can help grow the show is to subscribe to locked on capitals on YouTube and comment anything down below today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply so in this edition of lockdown capitals we talk about the Hershey Bears picking up a decisive victory in game number one one of the things I said is the biggest key for success for the Hershey Bears is to get off on the right start and they did that by taking down the wolf pack in a decisive fashion we’ll talk about that a little bit later we will take a look back on the 2018 Washington Capitals in their season when they won the Stanley Cup and then a little bit later we will talk about how Craig baru is named the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs but just to get it going here talking about the Hershey Bears in the excitement that surrounds this team and I think for me the biggest thing is the capitals did not get the season that they were looking for but the Hershey Bears are absolutely crushing it and the interesting thing uh ironic thing perhaps is that you take a look at the capitals and the Rangers in the postseason and who are the Hershey Bears playing well they’re playing the New York Rangers AHL affiliate the wolf pack uh in The Calder Cup playoffs here and the difference between the two is the Hershey Bears absolutely destroyed the wol pack in game number one is that something that is sustainable and can they keep it going but in the first game very impressive the Hershey Bears defeated the Harford wolf pack 6 to one in the first game of the Atlantic division finals on Thursday at Giant Center so you want to talk about a good start that is a good start and the one thing I will say is that the Hershey Bears had the momentum going right away they were out shooting Hartford they controlled the pace it was definitely their game and that is why they had the decisive Victory Hershey Bears dominant performance in game one the impressive 6 to1 victory over the Hartford wolf pack in the Atlantic division finals of the CER Cup playoffs highlighting the depth and talent of the team’s prospects and rising stars and I watched it on AHL TV if you guys haven’t had a chance to check it out make sure and do it if you can’t be at Giant Center uh the video quality is pristine and it looks near NHL quality uh to me and watching the game it was exciting as you are seeing the future stars of the Washington Capitals playing out there and they were getting a lot of different contributions from a lot of different players suffices to say as the score was 6 to1 Hershey a very very exciting game to watch but the individual performances is what really stood out for me even mirish nenko standout goal in Impact in the playoffs a highlight real goal for even mirish nenko in that showcasing his talent his dominant performance in the playoffs thus far gives me reason to believe that he is going to be much better in the fall when the capitals are in Camp the contributions from other players such as Chase prisy Ethan Frank Alex lamos and Jimmy Huntington and Garrett R notable performances from hendrik Lop here Lucas Johansson Joe snively and Henrik rabinsky they were getting production up and down the lineup this is a really really great Hershey Bears team and I ultimately think that they do have what it takes to win another cldr cup they were steamrolling Hartford and I don’t think that there is a way uh for hardford to get back I understand it was just game one the momentum has swung so greatly uh for the Hershey Bears now to be fair here let’s take a look at the situation for Hartford is their net minder That was supposed to start actually got called up to the New York Rangers uh because ding got injured so all of a sudden Hartford is down their depth chart in net that did factor into it I get that but other than that it was a dominant performance uh by even mirish getting this the goal scoring from Chase py Ethan Frank Alex lamos Jimmy Huntington and Garrett R quite an evening I personally cannot wait for Saturday night I am that excited but it wasn’t just the offense the defensive display Dylan melrath Hardy hom oel and the Bears Blue Line effectively limiting scoring opportunities for the Hartford wolf pack it was quite stunning and Dylan melrath is a guy for me that I think that he should be on the big team in the fall he has that toughness he has the skill set he is the captain of the Hershey Bears but I thought that he filled in flawlessly in his time with the capitals I would look to see a whole lot more from him in the fall but the same goes for Hardy H octel we remember that he was with the team in Camp and then got cut um but he really kind of popped out can we see a whole lot more from Hardy hom and octel in the fall a lot will be determined on what happens in the color cup poster I think that certain players can solidify their spot on the roster for the capitals in the fall based on the play that we see right now there’s some players that can even take it to the next level I’m talking about hendrik slop here who I still think doesn’t look like he is really thrilled about playing down there I know this is the Calder Cup playoffs but I think he got that taste of NHL capitals hockey and it’s hard to go back down to the AHL but he is a big contributor down there as well he is another guy that can still work on his game he showed steps of improvement on the capitals this season over his previous stints with the team I think that getting this added experience is going to be absolutely huge and net minding the net minding was just rock solid and that was in large part of course because Shep daddy Hunter Shepards solid performance stopping 13 of 14 shots again what have I talked about if you’re an everyday or on the show I’ve said that if there is a scenario where Charlie lingren or Darcy keer gets dealt out of Washington I have absolute Faith 100% faith in Hunter Shephard and the job that he would do and Clay Stevenson I mean both of those guys kind of vacillated between number one and number two as being the best of the best in the AHL that’s exactly what I’m talking about Hunter Shepard number one Kay Stevenson number two they flip-flopped a couple times but for the duration of the Season it was Hershey at number one and number two in all of the AHL quite stunning so the series Outlook excuse me the one to nothing series lead over the Hartford wolf pack and the team’s preparation for the next game on Saturday just keep going with it again I’m excited to watch it I’ll be watching it on AHL TV I can’t make get to Giant Center but I I’m really excited from what I’ve seen in just game number one a dominant win over you know all things considered a really good hardford Wolfpack team I mean they’re at this point in the playoffs they’re not a poor team and it was a dominant performance the anticipation for an exciting and competitive playoff series as the Hershey Bears strive for a further advancement in the caler Cup playoffs again I think they’re doing just fine I would be surprised if something goes off the rails and the big thing is it’s the coaching and it’s the depth they have it in Spades uh my big worry of course is that when all the cder cup wraps up uh if Todd Nelson will still be a coach on the team or is an NHL team going to scoop him up and have them on their team I mean his reputation it speaks for itself we saw that he took the team and won a cder cup last season and you take a look at what he’s doing this season I think that a lot of NHL GMS are kind of sitting back and saying let’s just kind of see how all this plays out but if he takes this team deep or say they win another CER cup I’m going to go ahead and say that he will probably get scooped up by another team it’s unfortunate for the Bears if that happens but good for Todd Nelson as he has been clutch for the Hershey Bears behind the bench all right so coming up here Straight Ahead we will take a look back in time to 2018 when the Capitals won the Stanley Cup against Great odds I’ll talk about that straight ahead game time is an authorized ticket Marketplace at the NBA which makes getting playoff tickets even faster and easier prices on the game time app actually go down the closer it gets to tip off with killer last minute deals all in prices and views from your seat and their lowest price guarantee game time takes the guest work a of buying NBA tickets and it’s not just NBA tickets say you want tickets to the Nationals game say you were super busy at work all day and you forgot to get tickets fear not as tickets are actually cheaper close to first pitch as well so take the confusion confusion out of buying tickets with game time and take the guesswork out of buying tickets as well download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code l c k d o n NHL for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest prices guaranteed are you watching Fox Sports or ESPN on your TV all day have to turn down the volume with all the shouting make the switch to lock on sports today a free 20 47 sports streaming Channel program for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all the screaming locked on sports today brings you the can’t miss analysis opinions in news streaming 247 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day all right welcome back into this edition of locked on capitals part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day so the capitals didn’t get the result they were looking for I’ve talked about that a lot and sometimes it’s fun to reminisce about the 2018 season and how that team with Alex oetkin and Nick bxr and TJ OSI how they found a way to overcome against Great odds does this team have what it takes to get it done at least one more time while Alex oetkin is playing for the capitals I would like to think so but let’s take a look back to 2018 and how they got it done the capitals journey to their first ever Stanley Cup Championship was a long and arduous one marked by both Triumph and tribulation over the course of their 43-year franchise history back in 2018 the regular season success and playoff heartbreak that is something that was quite commonplace for the capitals as oftentimes people said the capitals are good enough to make it to the playoffs but they’re not good enough to win a Stanley Cup for years the capitals had been one of the NHL’s most consistently strong teams making the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 seasons and capturing eight division titles during that span however their postseason runs were always defined by heartbreaking defeats whether it was blowing a three to1 lead uh losing and devastating game seven showdowns or simply being outmatched by more experienced battle tested opponents and capitals fans we saw that this past off season or past postseason rather when the capitals were taking on the New York Rangers as they were outmatched by I wouldn’t say necessarily more experienced but what I would say is a more skilled team and they found a way to get it done and the hard part was moving past their past failures in 2018 the capitals exhibited a new found resilience and determination liberated from the weight of past failures and high expectations they navigated playoff Gauntlet vanquishing demons like the Rival Pittsburgh Penguins and the high powerered Tampa Bay Lightning before dispatching the upstart Vegas golden knights in the Stanley Cup finals and I remember that quite vividly uh every day I would drive home from work and it would be JJ rean and tck elbashir and they had the capitals podcast going and I would listen about what their thoughts and I remember both of them thought the capitals were down and out against Columbus against Tampa and kind of lucky that they found a way to hang around and then they did the unthinkable and they won a Stanley Cup watching those games and I remember quite vividly them playing the Tampa Bay Lightning and how it was tough and how the Tampa Bay Lightning were really good and how they struggled the same goes for Columbus and thinking to myself you know they found a way to get this far but there’s no way there’s just no way they can take down the golden nights and you know what they did with Pittsburgh as well it was quite something and how they were were able to get it done and it was done in large part because Alex oetkin uh he was a guy that weighed that weighed heavy on his shoulders about you’re a good player the capitals are a good team but you’re not good enough to be a Stanley Cup winner the long- awaited Triumph of prolific goal scorer Alex oetkin at the time with 607 career goals solidified his status as a generational talent and dismissed any lingering doubts about his leadership determination and Effectiveness in crucial playoff moments uh if you guys remember when he was sitting on the bench in the last seconds when his hand was over his head or his hands were over his head like he couldn’t believe it like this is finally happening we’re finally going to do it and then screaming in Jubilation when the team did the unthinkable the improbable not impossible they won the Stanley Cup and what was it all about it was triumph over adversity finally getting rid of vanquishing old demons and saying yes this team can do it we’re good enough and I think that a lot of the you know current day capitals uh roster and you know whatever the roster will be in the fall they can learn a lot from that 2018 team and they can do that with the leadership of Alex oetkin in part the win represents the culmination of a journey marked by years of playoff heartbreak and Relentless criticism oetkin perseverance and unwavering commitment to his team are evident in his performance throughout that entire playoff series where he played a pivotal role in leading the Caps to their first ever Stanley Cup victory and that’s something that there quite a few other teams in the NHL actually have not done and that was quite a feat and I still have stuff hanging up all over my studio and my house about the 2018 season and remembering exactly where was when it happened I was watching it with my wife and I was thinking they’re G to find a they got they’re going to find a way to screw this up I mean this team just cannot win a Stanley Cup and they did it and then after them winning the Stanley Cup I remember thinking to myself I don’t know what to do with myself they actually did it I wanted to run I I wanted to drive around in my car honking the horn waving a capitals flag but I it was one of the moments where I just could not believe that they finally did it after watching this team for so many years to get that monkey off their back was quite something uh talking about it though the historic achievement of the Washington Capitals the team’s long awaited absent uh uh excuse me the long awaited Ascent to the Pinnacle of hockey Glory represents the culmination of years of hard work determination and unwavering belief the victory not only validates oetkin individual Brilliance but also cements his legacy as one of the greatest players in the history of sport uh quite something uh that they were able to get it done and something that I will never forget and I don’t know if everyone that’s watching or listening to this show was a fan back then but it was quite something and you know I’m sure I’ll hear people say why are you talking about 2018 it’s the summer and it’s fun to kind of look back a little bit listen on this show I talk about capitals coverage current capitals coverage five six nights a week sometimes it’s kind of just fun to sit back in the easy chair you know drink your favorite beverage and think about better times with your favorite hockey team uh but the one thing that will live on more than anything is oetkin legacy and inspiration oetkin unwavering belief and unrelenting pursuit of Excellence have finally paid off his performance in the playoffs marked by clutch goals and unwavering leadership has silenced the critics and cemented his place in hockey immortality the victory is not just a personal Triumph for oetkin but a momentous achievement that will forever Define his legacy and Inspire future generations of hockey players uh and I think that’s true I mean you take a look what Alex soetkin did for hockey in DC you know long after he hangs up the skates we will forever remember what he did for hockey in DC you know bringing the cup there in large part let’s let’s you know not be revisionist Alex oetkin had a lot to do with that I understand that it was a team Victory but it was Alex oetkin doing what he does best and I a proud moment uh you know thinking back on it for the capitals but also Alex oetkin who you know by the pundits uh primarily you know Talking Heads and and people from the Pittsburgh media said yeah you know the capitals and Alex ofkin they’re good but they’re not good enough to win a cup well they did just that and that’s something that can never be taken away from the C Capal is winning a Stanley Cup and I don’t want to be the person that’s living on former glory but it’s sometimes fun uh to just think back uh you know being that it is that time of year we’re well into May here and the Stanley Cup is just going to be in June here sometime that you know the time has got away from me a little bit and 2018 wasn’t exactly yesterday but sometimes it’s fun to sit back and reminisce about this really great team and how lucky we are to have this as our favorite team and get to watch them each and every every winter all right so coming up here Straight Ahead we will talk about how Craig baru was announced as the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs I’ll talk about that straight ahead passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof r exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers all right welcome back into this edition of locked on capitals part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day so in the summer months here uh I do take a look around the NHL as you guys know uh I’ve done this show for the last three seasons during the season it is all capitals five or six days a week but in the summer sometimes I like to peek my head up a little bit and look around what’s going on in the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs are always an interesting team for me a team that absolutely Lo or a city that absolutely loves their hockey team whether they’re playing well whether they’re playing poor they love hockey in Toronto and they did a big thing by piing a coaching change and some people thought it was a good idea some people thought it was a bad idea and you take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs they are a team that has struggled for years and every year people are like this is going to be the year for the Leafs and every single year it’s not and what is one of the biggest weak weaknesses for the Maple Leafs is in net they don’t draft well they don’t address the net minding situation they pick up goalies like Ilia Sam sonof you know we saw how great he played for the capitals or the lack thereof and and other moves and it’s just you know it looks often times like an All-Star team out on the ice when you see all the goal scoring threats that they have It’s just sometimes it doesn’t seem like it’s a cohesive unit and then you take that you know plus the poor net minding and that is why that team struggles and who’s always the Fall Guy who is always the first guy to get the axe the head coach and head coaches know that you get hired to get fired and you don’t get too comfortable but I think that they have a really good upgrade in Craig buub and we know that he was the former head coach of the St Louis Blues and what he did for the St Louis Blues organization I am still absolutely baffled that they decided to cut ties with Craig Brey for after all he did for that team and you know you take a look at the direction that team is going in right now you know I I don’t see the success there that they would have if Craig was pushing the buttons but in any event the past is the past and today is today the Toronto Maple Leafs have appointed Craig buub as their new head coach buub brings in valuable Stanley Cup winning experience having led the S Blues to the championship in 2019 right after the Caps the maple Lees who last won the Cup in 1967 I wasn’t even alive back then hope that Bru’s leadership will help end their longstanding Championship drought uh there have been a lot of different coaches that said I am going to be the guy that’s going to take the the Maple Leafs over the top and every single time that is not the case and and you know it’s a tough thing as a head coach you can only do what you can do with the weapons that you have at your disposal your tools if you will uh we saw that with the capitals as well is you know you take a look at Spencer he did what he could do with the tools he had the same thing goes for in Toronto uh I think that a lot of this also lies on the GM getting that rock solid net minder and and taking care of one of their biggest deficiencies bruet replaces Sheldon Keefe who was dismissed following the team’s early playoff exit during ke’s tenure the Leafs only managed to advance past the first round once in five years brub who is 58 years old previously served as the head coach of the Blues and and the Philadelphia Flyers known affectionately as the chief due to his first nation Heritage breu transitioned into coachen after playing 1,100 games in the NHL so again change is coming I don’t think that is too surprising and if we want to talk here briefly about other potential coaching moves what is going to happen with the Carolina Hurricanes now that they were eliminated by the New York Rangers they f valiantly I thought you know they’re going to do it I didn’t think it was possible they were they were going to do it they were going to come back and win this series it seemed like they were going to be able to do it there but they didn’t the New York Rangers were just too much the New York Rangers are still my favorite to win the Stanley Cup this year I don’t see a team stopping them um and it’s interesting but you know the thing that I keep hearing and seeing and have observed is are the Hurricanes really going to cut ties with Rod brandemore really don’t think that’s the case he is he is the face of the franchise and kind of the heartbeat of that entire team if you take Rod brymore out of the Hurricanes you really have nothing I saw how that team struggled before he was there I know that they want to stay on the cup in the past I I know all that but there were also some lean years for the Hurricanes as well and I think that the hurricanes are the best that I have seen in quite some time with Rod brend deore pushing the button so coaching changes are exciting for me it’ll be interesting to see what Bru can do with the Toronto Maple Leafs what is all going to shake out uh will Gabby Bruce bu R will he find another head coaching job uh in the NHL I think that ultimately if he wants one he can but what it it is what it is and you know I think that some teams has have reservations about Gabby uh just based on the fact that he can get the teams maybe to the playoffs or close but then he can’t really do anything historically or hasn’t historically done anything in the playoffs so it is an interesting time of year and once the Stanley Cup finally does wrap up that is really when you will start to see changes take place as far as July 1 and in free agency uh those kind of thing I hope that the capitals are active uh head coaches will be coming and going it is an exciting time to be a hockey fan not just a capitals fan if you don’t love what’s going on in playoff hockey right now I don’t think you have a pulse because regardless of if the capitals are in it or out of it there is some truly great Hockey being played right now and if you haven’t done so check it out all right I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of lockon capitals your only daily yearr podcast covering the Washington Capitals and I want to thank all of you that listen on the audio side and watch this on YouTube you are ultimately what makes this show successful when you’re done here head on over to lockton’s 247 streaming channel available on the free Amazon Fire TV TV channels app and on YouTube all right once again I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of lockon capitals part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day my name is Dan homy and I’ll talk to you again next time

The Hershey Bears delivered a dominant performance in the Atlantic Division Finals, securing a 6-1 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Washington Capitals’ journey to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship was marked by triumph over past failures, with Alex Ovechkin’s leadership and determination playing a pivotal role in their historic achievement. Additionally, the Toronto Maple Leafs appointed Craig Berube, a Stanley Cup-winning coach, as their new head coach in hopes of ending their championship drought.

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