The Washington Capitals are a team trying to maintain their chemistry, despite the lockout, in some rather unique ways. Some of it has been intentional; some of it has just been happenstance.
On one front, the Caps tried to focus on developing chemistry with the coaching staff by sending new head coach Adam Oates, along with pretty much his entire coaching staff, to Hersey to act as co-coaches of the Caps' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears (Washington Post).
In theory, it was a good idea. Oates and his staff would get time to work together during actual games. They would get to develop and implement strategy and see how it played out in actual games. They were even going to get to work with players who will be on the Caps' roster (if the lockout ever ends, of course), such as Braden Holtby and Dmitry Orlov.
But theory and reality often are not one and the same. As was reported by NBC Sports just before Thanksgiving, Oates and his coaching staff have returned to Washington. While it certainly seems as though the goal of developing chemistry amongst the coaches was achieved, the actual results were less than stellar, as the Bears were in the basement o ...
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Article written by Dave Ungar
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