The Hockey Stop

As I write this the No. 1 seed Washington Capitals were just swept by the No. 5 seed Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Something must drastically change in this organization for this team to stop underachieving when it matters most -- in the playoffs.

There was a lot of optimism in Washington when owner Ted Leonsis and General Manager George McPhee decided to blow up the team and rebuild through the draft. The team lucked out by drafting Alex Ovechkin -- a sensational player they could build their team around. They added young, dynamic players like Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green into the mix, creating an offensive powerhouse --- in the regular season that is.

The problem is that the core of the team they built is geared toward offense, which unfortunately doesn't work in the playoffs. So the decision was made in the middle of this season to change the system to a defense-first style. McPhee added some veteran depth in the likes of Scott Hannan, Dennis Wideman, Marco Sturm, and of course Stanley Cup winner Jason Arnott.

It wasn't enough.

It has been three straight years of epic playoff collapses (not including the Game 7 loss to the Flyers four years ago).

• A 6-2 Game 7 blowout loss at home against the Penguins two years ago in round two.

• An historic Game 7 loss to No. 8 seeded Montreal after having a 3-1 series lead last year in round one. The Caps became the first No. 1 seed in NHL history to blow a 3-1 series lead to a No. 8 seed.

• And now getting outsmarted, outplayed and outclassed by the Lightning in a four-game sweep in round two. The Caps became the first No. 1 seed in NHL history to be swept before making it to the Conference Finals.

Now it is time for some serious introspection from top to bottom in the organization. The first, and perhaps most important, step is to fire head coach Bruce Boudreau. While I thank him for his service in Washington, having propelled the last-place Caps to an historic late season march to the playoffs four years ago after taking over for Glen Hanlon, the bottom line is that he is not the leader to take the Caps to the Promised Land. During his playing and coaching career he was known as an offense-first type guy, which like the Caps players themselves, is suited perfectly for coasting through the regular season.

But at playoffs time it doesn't work.

Plus his off-the-ice theatrics, with all the car and carpet commercials, and his laughable coaching techniques, which were on full display on HBO's "24/7" series, were reasons I believe he lost the locker room a long time ago and thus the Caps lacked the mental strength, focus and discipline to play a full 60 minutes every game.

So Gabby has to go and a no-nonsense, disciplined coach who displays quiet but effective leadership -- sort of like Tampa coach Guy Boucher -- is who should replace him.

If McPhee doesn't have the guts to fire Boudreau, then Leonsis must fire McPhee.

Then the really tough decisions need to be made. The "Young Guns" -- Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin and Green must be split up. That means trading one of them. I don't know who but one of them must go. And it won't be Ovechkin, although he should be stripped of his captaincy and the C should be worn on Arnott's sweater. It is evident any chemistry the "Young Guns" have developed over the years has not translated into playoff success. So a change is in order.

Next, do everything possible to draft, trade for and pick up in free agency more tough, gritty defensive-type players in the forward and blue line positions. The Caps need more workhorses if they are going to get to the Promised Land. More Matt Hendricks-type guys and less Alex Semin-type guys.

Also, while Michal Neuvirth played great and can't be faulted, and Braden Holtby will be our goalie of the future, the Caps must pick up a proven veteran to mind the net -- much like the Lightning did in picking up 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson. Youth is not the answer in goal for making a long playoff run. A Stanley Cup-winning goalie who has been through the battles is preferable as a calming presence in the grind of a long playoff series.

Finally, the Caps need a new marketing strategy. Tone down the whole "Rock the Red" and "Unleash the Fury" themes and tone down hyping up all the "Young Guns" to fans. That strategy doesn't work anymore after four straight years of early playoff exits. I don't know what the new marketing scheme will be, but I'm sure Leonsis and his brain trust will think of something.

These are just the humble thoughts of one disappointed Caps fan. I don't know if these are the right answers, but one thing I am absolutely sure of -- Change must come to Washington!

Most hockey fans remember goalie Mike Richter leading the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1994.

It was the Blueshirts' first championship since 1940 and happened in a thrilling Game 7 victory at Madison Square Garden over the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 3-2 to send Gotham into a frenzy.

But not many know about the Hall of Fame netminder's off-ice heroics of late. Richter is committed to a much tougher task than stopping pucks -- he is speaking out about fighting climate change and his target is the tar sands of Canada.

The Abingdon, Pa., native and father of three sons recently teamed with the Sierra Club to advocate for a clean energy economy in America and he also wrote an op-ed against a proposed Canada-to-USA dirty oil pipeline that ran in newspapers in the United States and Canada.

In the op-ed he points out the inconvenient truth of the Athabasca Oil Sands and the devastation they cause the environment (including the threat of killing as many as 166 million migratory birds over the next five decades, one of which is seen below):

"The Canadian province of Alberta is home to a form of oil that is considered the dirtiest on earth. It's called the oil sands, and each barrel creates three times the global-warming pollution of conventional oil. That's a staggering amount of carbon," writes Richter.

And in his letter to Sierra Club supporters he says the following:

"I'm calling my senators because I want my three sons to benefit from a lifetime of winter sports, to graduate in a country that continues to be a world leader in industry and innovation, especially when it comes to clean energy, and to protect them from the reliance on foreign oil that threatens our national security."

But is it too late to stop the dirtiest oil on the planet from crossing the border into America? Perhaps. From Wikipedia:

"On August 20, 2009, the U.S. State Department issued a presidential permit for an Alberta Clipper Pipeline that will run from Hardisty, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin. The pipeline will be capable of carrying up to 450,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Athabasca Oil Sands to U.S. refineries."

I checked the State Department website and in the press release of the Alberta Clipper Pipeline permit it includes the strikingly contradictory statements that greenhouse gas emissions were taken into account and that the United States is committed to reducing carbon emissions and reducing dependence on oil.

Huh? Then why start pumping the filthiest fossil fuel on the planet into Wisconsin. Doesn't make sense. If this is the idea of addressing climate change than I agree with Richter and suggest scrapping this pipeline. But I'll let Richter speak for himself:

"We can't seriously combat global warming while getting fuel from the world's dirtiest source. If we allow Canada's oil sands project to creep across our border, it will lock our nation into dependence on yet another foreign source of oil, just as our local clean-energy industry is beginning to thrive.

Right now, we are poised to become a leader in the global clean-energy economy. By taking the steps to ensure that we are the leader of the next industrial revolution, we can reignite our economy, bolster national security and improve the health of our people.

One of the most important things we can do to demonstrate that leadership is to say no to Canada's oil sands. For now, the decision rests with the Obama administration. By denying permits for pipelines and refineries in the United States, President Obama can signal to the world that we are serious about fighting climate change and helping American clean-energy technologies thrive.

If he does, we just might be able to save the winter games we love -- and set a new course for the nation we cherish."

Thanks, Mike Richter, for doing what's right and taking a stand on this important issue. While he is busy as a founding partner in the private equity firm Environmental Capital Partners and was considering running for U.S. Congress under Connecticut's 4th congressional district in 2008, my hope is that Richter brings his message to Washington. President Obama and Congress need to hear from a hero like Richter.