Hockey, like all sports, is measured on statistics. How often someone scores, how many shots someone blocks or how many saves someone makes are all integral to a franchise’s success.
Yet, there are things – “intangibles” are what they are called – that cannot be quantified. Arguably the most common is veteran leadership. Every team needs at least one player that has been through it all: winning, losing, championships, just to name a few. The Washington Capitals have a few of those players, particularly forward Mike Knuble and defenseman Roman Hamrlik. Their collective experience, however, cannot be utilized if they are not playing.
Knuble has been a healthy scratch for five of the Caps’ past nine games, while Hamrlik has been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games. Neither player (quite surprisingly) was traded before Monday’s trade deadline, so both will remain Caps and end the season in Washington. That may be perplexing to those outside of the organization, but the sentiment in the locker room after Monday’s practice (which ended several hours before the 3 p.m. deadline) suggested that Knuble and Hamrlik’s continued presence brings more value than what the Caps would have received in exchange for them.
“Everybody on this team is important to success, whether it’s by minutes you’re playing, points you’re getting or just experience and leadership,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “You need a little bit of everything. [Knuble and Hamrlik specifically] bring all three of those things. It’s important to have those guys in the lineup. I learn a lot from them every single day. You like to have guys like that on your team.”
With their two most-experienced teammates out of the lineup recently, the remaining Caps have used a “lead by committee” approach, which is possible because of the strong personalities in the locker room, according to forward Marcus Johansson.
“Almost everybody on this team is a leader,” he said. “We have so many good hockey players and good personalities here. I think we have so many leaders. Obviously, we miss the guys [who are] not playing, but we have other guys that step up and take part in the locker room. We have a lot of good personalities to do that.”
With the 39-year-old Knuble and 37-year-old Hamrlik sitting out for both Friday’s 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens and Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs (as well as 35-year-old Tomas Vokoun, who did not start either game as Michal Neuvirth saw back-to-back action), the oldest active player on the ice was 35-year-old and 12-year veteran Jeff Halpern, who Alzner said has taught him “a lot” (“He talks a lot and says good things,” Alzner said). Following Halpern is 32-year-old Jason Chimera, who is in his ninth full NHL season. Chimera said Monday that he does not think of himself as an “older guy,” but has stepped up when Knuble and/or Hamrlik are not in the lineup.
“I try to maybe say a little more, but not get carried away, do anything out of the ordinary,” he said.
The Caps may use a collective approach to provide leadership when their most-experienced players are not playing, but even though Knuble and Hamrlik were not replaced by new players at the trade deadline, their specific brands of leadership cannot be completely replaced by their current teammates, either.
“[Knuble and Hamrlik] have been around for a long time, especially [Knuble],” Chimera said. “He says a lot in the dressing room. It’s always tough with him out. There are guys who can talk the talk, but guys who can walk the walk, too. I think that’s the biggest thing. You can say all you want in the dressing room, but if you don’t do anything about it on the ice, your words mean nothing. [Knuble] is a perfect example of that. He talks the talks and goes out there and backs it up, too. To me, that’s leadership. Not just saying things, but doing things.”
“I don’t think you can fill the voids of [Knuble and Hamrlik].”
