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24/7’s second episode shows us Bruce Boudreau might actually have a handle on things

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The second episode of HBO’s 24/7 goes to show us that judging teams based on one episode is akin to judging a book by its cover. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau faced a lot of criticism after the first episode and it appeared that all of those questions raised about his preparedness as a coach and his ability to hold the attention of his team in the room were answered emphatically.

Many talked about how Boudreau didn’t appear to have meticulous notes on the whiteboards for the Caps before games making it seem like he was an ill-prepared madman. In Wednesday’s episode we see more of Boudreau the coach with game plans written out with care and seeing him work player-to-player on everything from fighting to injuries to playing psychologist as much as he is a coach. For a team mired in a losing streak doing that is just as important as laying out the x’s and o’s.

In our three things to look out for before the airing of tonight’s episode we found out that the layout of tonight’s episode was indeed easy to pick out but seeing how it was laid out in front of us makes it all more fun. Capping off the episode with Washington beating Ottawa and ending their losing streak to get off their eight game schneid and celebrating to DJ Pauly D’s “Beat Dat Beat” proves that winning can cure everything.

There was a moment that raised eyebrows though and, again, it’s the Caps doing the work. Caps GM George McPhee commented on the negative publicity surrounding the team in their losing streak and said that if those commenting knew anything about hockey they’d be working in it. I get that those on the inside know how things work better when it comes to running a hockey team, but if you’re expecting the local sports talk shows to clam up while the team plays bad hockey, you’re crazy.

Those in the media, whether it’s blogs, newspapers, or talk radio, it’s our job to comment on what we see out on the ice and if what we see stinks, you’d better believe it’s going to be told that way. For McPhee to expect to either be ignored (perhaps in favor of the local NFL failures) or not talked about at all is just crazy and unrealistic.

When you win, you get praised and when you lose you are opened up to criticism, it’s that simple and it’s how the business works. If the Caps are able to keep winning and put that losing streak behind them for good, I’m sure he’ll be quite happy hearing the praise rather than the negative comments. We may not be hockey insiders in the media, but we know a struggling team when we see it.

Not everything McPhee showed in this episode was like this though. McPhee showed that he’s clearly the man in charge of the Capitals and how things are run in D.C. and that whatever happens there is by his design one way or another. Seeing him react to the team falling behind and then coming back against Boston before eventually losing their eighth game in a row is like something out of a feature film. Leave no doubt in your mind that George McPhee is the man running the Capitals.

As for the more fun and light-hearted and enlightening stuff to take away from episode two,there’s a few things:


  • Sidney Crosby’s superstitions are both fascinating and gross. From taping his sticks at a certain time and having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before a game to seeing that Sid wears the same athletic supporter he has since he was 16 years-old provides some insight as to how quirky even the biggest star of the game is.
  • Alex Ovechkin still living with his parents in Washington provides a nice down home look at the other biggest superstar in the league. Seeing Alex’s mother prepare his dinner for him before hitting the road while seeing him pack lightly only bringing his PS3 reminds you that these guys are still just kids.
  • Penguins agitator Matt Cooke pranking his old friend and Internet superstar Paul Bissonette of the Coyotes by snipping his skate laces and stuffing Dubble Bubble bubble gum into the fingers of his gloves shows that even an on-ice villain can make us laugh.
  • The speech Caps forward Mike Knuble gave after the first period of their game against Boston where the Caps were already down 3-0 might have been the one locker room speech they needed the most to wake them up. He’s not the assistant captain for nothing.
  • Caps fighter Matt Hendricks’ eye after getting punched up by Rangers agitator Sean Avery is one of the grossest and manliest things you’ll ever see on TV.
  • Mike Green has an interesting mode of transportation.
  • Seriously, the Caps celebrate victories to this song and have a locker room Jersey Shore fist pump dance-off. My mind is blown.

Next week’s third episode figures to be the crowning glory of the four episode set as the teams will be preparing to face each other in their game that happens on Thursday night the 23rd. Having the NHL schedule makers set this up so nicely to amp up the drama will make next week’s episode even more of a must-watch.