Silence, Fools!

For anyone who hasn't seen yet, Alex Ovechkin has signed his new contract with the Capitals and it's a whopper: $124 million over 13 years.

Tarik has more details here.

I'm generally a pretty modest, reserved guy. In addition, two of the things I hate most is when people use their blogs to vent/rant and when people call names or insult other people. But you'll have to excuse me this once because each of these journalists is guilty of at least one of the following:

(1) Chasing ridiculous rumors with no credibility
(2) Failing to understand the CBA
(3) Failing to do any research regarding the players in the Capitals organization
(4) Insulting the Capitals organization, the Capitals players, the Capitals fans and/or the city of Washington D.C.
(5) Pandering to fans in their home market
(6) Ignoring the facts in front of their faces

By doing this, all are guilty of failing to their job are journalists and consequently open themselves us to mockery by us mere mortals who aren't paid to write about hockey, yet somehow know exponentially more and comment on it without smugness and without insisting that anyone who doesn't write for a major new publications has opinions that don't matter.

Let me just be perfectly clear: to be wrong, propose ideas that I (or other Caps fans think are silly) or have an opinion I disagree with is perfectly fine, and while I may criticize the article I won't be rude to the author. But if an author is going to willfully ignorant (or even proud of their ignorance) or is going to insult Washington D.C., the Capitals or their fans as a substitute for research, insightful commentary and good writing, well then I take the Fire Joe Morgan approach: such authors do not deserve the respect of us fans and they will not get it.

That said...

Shut up, Larry Brooks, and realize that just because the Rangers are the most obnoxious franchise of the last fifteen years doesn't entitle them to a damn thing. You know, when you're done with your hissy fit.

Shut up, Jack Todd, and learn the names Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, Semen Varlamov, Michael Neuvirth, Alexander Semin, Karl Alzer, Josh Godfrey, Chris Bourque, Francois Bouchard, Jeff Schultz, Sasha Pokulok, Books Laich, Shaone Morrison and Bruce Boudreau before you say the Capitals have a lack of young talent or can't win with the players they have now.

Shut up, Mike Brophy, and learn the meaning of the word "cosmopolitan" before you use it in an article suggesting it's something D.C. is not. (note: the above tip to Jack would be a good one for you to follow as well)

Shut up, Bruce Garrioch, and learn when to trust a source and learn not to insult George McPhee's intelligence.

Shut up, Eklund, and...just...stay shut up until you actually successfully predict an NHL personnel move (being signed to a13 year extension is almost the same thing as being traded to Nashville, right?)

Ted Kulfan, I won't tell you to shut up because you were not rude, insulting or willfully ignorant. But you were wrong, and that's one more article for Capitals fans to look at giggle while they sit back and simply say, "Thirteen years".

And all of you - Larry, Jack, Mike, Bruce, Ted, Eklund - sit and listen to the one voice of reason I've found in all this madness: Spector of Fox Sports.

Thirteen years, Caps fans. Thirteen years.

To close, here's Ovechkin on his extension:

I cannot say how happy I am. I didn't want to go nowhere. If I want to go somewhere, I could sign for three years.

I decided I didn't want to go anywhere, and they didn't want lose me, so we signed a long-term deal. It won't put more pressure on me. I will play the way that I always play.

Photo: AP