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Caps defenseman Mike Green has just about had it with losing in the playoffs

Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin

Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green, right, celebrates his goal with Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, during the first period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoff series against the New York Rangers on Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

AP

Mike Green isn’t usually a guy you hear a lot from. The Capitals defenseman is one of the quieter guys around the league and while he’s one of the better offensive threats from the blue line on one of the most popular teams in the NHL, you’d be hard pressed to find a memorable quote from him.

After another disappointing playoffs in Washington and a summer filled with team-changing moves for the Caps, Green is speaking up about how things have gone. After finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference the last two years, the Capitals haven’t been able to escape the second round of the playoffs. After being knocked out in the first round by Montreal two years ago and Tampa Bay in the second round last year, the Caps have a lot of things to fix in the postseason and Green says it’s time to get it done.

Chase Hughes at CSNWashington.com has the tough talk from Green as he and the Caps gear up for this season.

“The old game plan obviously hasn’t worked, but at the same time we have a team with a lot of skilled players and we need to utilize that.”

Green said the team’s biggest problem in the playoffs was “not being on the same page” and that perhaps some of the team’s players were overconfident heading into the postseason.

“I think in the past we’ve been great obviously in the regular season and maybe a little too confident going into the playoffs,” he said.

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“Enough is enough and I feel that we’ve wasted enough time there and our time is now and we don’t want to let it slip away.”


It’s a big deal for Caps fans to read these fed up words from such a normally quiet guy on the team. Most of the Capitals aren’t big talkers as it is, but for Green to come out like this and say that things have to change and get better should be the sort of motivation they need to get their act together in the playoffs.

Last season felt like the one that taught the Caps that nothing can be taken for granted. After getting bounced by the eighth seed the year before and struggling most of last season in fighting off Tampa Bay to win the Southeast Division and finish atop the East, before the playoffs began it had the makings of a great championship story for the playoffs. That all came to a swift end against Tampa in the playoffs bowing out in a sweep to the Lightning in the second round. After looking like they had it all figured out, they showed that all the same issues they had in closing out Montreal came back to haunt them.

Now the Caps have more veterans to change things up. They’ve added Tomas Vokoun to lead the way in goal, Roman Hamrlik to help solidify the defense, and tough forwards Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer to give Washington a bit more sandpaper and offensive touch up front. If the Caps can’t put it together now to make a deep run, the questions will come back again next season and the doubts will only linger longer as to whether or not the Capitals have what it takes to win the Stanley Cup.