Is Emery's mask on too tight?

First of all, I'd like to say how much I enjoyed meeting J.P. of Japers' Rink and Mrs. J.P., and seeing Eric from Off Wing Opinion again on Saturday. It was an unintentional omission from the previous post. (This is why I shouldn't write posts when I'm in a hurry and after having a glass of wine.) J.P. certainly was animated while watching the Caps game!

The Caps face Ottawa this evening. You'd think after the last time, Ray Emery would learn to stop making comments to the press. Remember in December he said:

"He's probably one of the top five guys (in the NHL) for me. When he's on the ice, you want to know. When he's on the ice, you kind of cheat towards him, because more often than not, whoever else has the puck is looking to get it to him."

So what happened? Instead of the Caps giving the puck to Ovechkin every time, he passed it to his teammates- who scored. Ovie had three assists in that game.

What did Emery say today, you ask?

Ottawa Senators goaltender Ray Emery says he has learned not to take his eyes off No. 8 of the Washington Capitals when he's on the ice, and most fans operate on a similar principle. If Ovechkin doesn't have the puck, chances are he soon will, and he will shoot from anywhere at anytime.

Looks like Emery hasn't quite learned yet. We'll see what happens tonight.

But oh! that Canadian media. They continue their bias against the U.S. and the Capitals in particular:

In 2003-04, Washington might have been the one team in the NHL happy to be shutting down for a long, sleepy lockout...The Capitals had just finished dead last in the Southeast Division and would have been tied for last overall in the NHL if the Pittsburgh Penguins hadn't eked out one extra tie to finish with 58 points to Washington's 59. The Chicago Blackhawks also had 59 points in the west.

The "one team?" Yeah, I'm sure the Penguins and Blackhawks wish they could have kept playing.

At least there's this backhanded compliment:

It used to be an occasion when the Capitals came to town -- an occasion to give your hockey tickets away, to strangers on the street if necessary. Now it's Ovechkin and the Capitals and tickets turn into keepsakes after the team is gone.

Come on, would anyone in a hockey-friendly town *ever* give away tickets on the street? In Sunrise, Florida, maybe. But Ottawa? I sincerely doubt that. Sell them for half price, maybe. Give them away to strangers? That's a little extreme.