The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

I don't really buy the excuse that a team may be too tired to play the second game on back-to-back nights. You're professional athletes, you're paid top dollar, you should be in tip-top shape day in and day out and a quick flight between games isn't really a valid excuse. TSN's commentators Glenn Healy and Chris Cuthbert mentioned this a few times during the 6-2 Washington whipping of Ottawa tonight, but it doesn't fly with me. They were horrible and deserved to lose. Poor Ray Emery was left out to dry for most of the game, and taking senseless penalties certainly didn't help things, especially when the game was still within reach. Peter Schaefer thought he might have been funny putting a white towel on his stick from the bench, waving it in surrender to the penalty calls. But the way the game was called was consistent with both teams: EVERYTHING was going to result in a penalty. Regardless, the Sens were probably due to lose after winning four straight and winning 8 out of their last 10. This game should be forgotten quickly as they now look to Saturday playing a tough NY Rangers team on home ice.

One thing did stand out for me, and it had nothing to do with the play on the ice. The TV cameras caught Capitals' forward Alexander Ovechkin taking a few sips of a frosty beverage before hitting the ice. Was it Gatorade? Powerade? Red Bull? Perhaps good ol' fashion H20? Not at all...turns out during a game, Ovechkin counts on Coca-Cola to give him the boost he needs.

Coke is indeed it.