Rink Stories: Small-world with the Washington Capitals and finding balance with criticism

Some thoughts on a Thursday afternoon.

Let’s start today with two small-world hockey stories related to the Washington Capitals.

First, it was good to connect with my old friend Zach Bryne who is the massage therapist for the Capitals. Zach started his professional hockey career in the AHL with the Texas Stars, worked for the team when the won the Calder Cup in 2014, and often reminds me it’s been too long since I actually made a trip to Washington to cover a game.

I also had a good chat with Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery about our mutual friend (and Shap Shots subscriber!), Jeff Zucker, who I worked on a The Late Game with and knows Carbery from when the now Capitals coach played and then coached South Carolina Stingrays.

Carbery told me a story after morning skate about how when he first arrived in Charleston, South Carolina as a player his wife ended up working as a nanny for Jeff’s niece and nephew, finding the job on Nanny.com to help support her husband’s ECHL career.

It’s funny how life works, isn’t it?

Anywho, let’s get to some NHL stories related to today.

Patrick Kane’s next point will make him the all-time leader amongst American-born players in the NHL. I wrote about this on Tuesday after he tied Mike Modano and how, in my view, the bigger milestone will eventually be catching Brett Hull as the true American record-holder.

Patrick Kane has tied Mike Modano, but shouldn't we talking about his chase for Brett Hull?

But whether you think 1,375 or 1,392 is the true “American” record, Kane’s chase has been a motivating push in the Red Wings locker room. Emitt Finnie and I spoke earlier this week about how for him, even as a Canadian player, there’s something special about being part of history and being able to say “I was there,” when something like that happened.

It’s fitting then that Detroit hosts Washington tonight, which went through their own record case last season as Alex Ovechkin eventually caught and passed Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Multiple Capitals I spoke to on Thursday said that was never more important than winning last season, but it was an extra push that helped them in when it came to extra motivation.

Carbery said those major milestones and records can break up the monotony of an 82-game season, because like it or not, with such a packed schedule there are times both teams and players need that extra boost from some external force to get them going.

Those external forces aren’t always hockey related either. Sometimes during the 82-game slog, a family or personal element can be a boost. One Red Wings player told me the mom’s trip earlier this season provided that boost, while the famous “money on the board” process can also act as some internal motivation for a player going into a revenge game against an old opponent.

It’s just another good reminder on the human element of the job, and how like any job, there are good and bad days — think about your work week, I’m sure it happens for you, too.

That human element also had me stopping and thinking about myself for a minute, because on Monday on the DLLS show I had a pretty heated take on Matt Duchene’s play this season. Duchene has been very open about his mental health, he’s also been very kind to me and we spoke at length last week, so I can’t help but admit there’s a part of me that always feels weird when I dig into a player’s performance, maybe even harshly.

Travis Hamonic and I spoke about that this morning, and how while NHL players are well aware they are open to outside criticism, it’s the family element that you want to protect. Hamonic has two young kids around the same age as mine, we spoke Thursday about how there have been times, particularly when he played in Ottawa that he did his best to shield them from some of the outside noise, because few other dads in his kid’s class have job where they get judged, for better or worse, by the outside community.

Ryan Bowness, the assistant GM for the New York Islanders, and the son of Columbus Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness once told me the hardest part of his dad coaching in the NHL was on his mom and extended family. While Rick and Ryan are used to NHL-related criticism, it’s the extended family that can feel the most hurt and frustration when your dad or brother are being dragged on talk radio.

The point I have on this, if I have one, is that it’s important for me to find some balance. It’s why it’s important for me to only write things I would say directly to players and if at all possible when being critical, to make sure that there are avenues open for potential rebuttal or discussion coming back my way.

Anywho, thanks for reading, hope you are having a great Thursday.