WASHINGTON -- Heres an audacious way to get a promotion: Tell the big boss what hes been doing wrong. David Johnson Chargers Jersey . Brian MacLellan did just that when he interviewed with owner Ted Leonsis for the Washington Capitals general manager job. "He led off with some of the things that I have to do to be a better owner," Leonsis said. "I thought that was very brave and very astute, because you dont want to hear things like that." MacLellans strategy helped him pull an upset. Leonsis was looking for a new direction and hadnt intended to promote from within after George McPhees contract wasnt renewed, but MacLellans candour helped him rise above the 15 or so candidates and land the job. "I didnt think I had anything to lose," MacLellan said. MacLellan has been with Washington for 13 seasons, including seven as assistant GM, but most of his work had been in scouting and he had rarely spoken to Leonsis. His message: When everyone in the organization is not on the same page, including the owner, the product on the ice suffers. Such was the case last season with McPhee and coach Adam Oates, and the result was a team that missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years despite 51 goals from Alex Ovechkin. "I think the important point I was trying to make is that I think the team feels when theres a disconnect," MacLellan said, "or (when) theres not a unified philosophy from ownership to manger to coach." MacLellan was introduced alongside Barry Trotz, the longtime Nashville Predators coach who replaces Oates. While MacLellan was one of many GM candidates, Trotz was the only coach the Capitals interviewed. His only hang-up was that he had to wait for a GM to get in place, and to make sure it was someone who shared a similar vision. "Its where I started," said Trotz, who coached the Capitals top minor league affiliate in the 1990s before spending 15 seasons with the Predators, "so I feels like I was coming home." Leonsis said he was keen to get someone with a solid track record after five consecutive McPhee hires who had no previous NHL head coaching experience. "We are not rebuilding the team," Leonsis said. "But we are going to refresh the team." Ovechkin has been forced to adjust to multiple offensive systems through several coaching changes in recent years. One of Trotzs priorities will be to sit down with the three-time league MVP and discuss the way forward. "My job as a coach is to find a way to allow Alex and the other players to reach their potential as a group, and be able to play together," Trotz said. "One of the very fundamental things, if you have a kindergarten, they give you your report card and they say, Do you play well with others? My job is to get everybody to play well with the others." Trotz downplayed his reputation as a defensive-minded coach, saying he didnt have the same firepower in Nashville that hell have in Washington. "I dont want to take anything away from the Capitals offensively. ... (They have) great power plays and great individuals that can put the puck in the net," Trotz said. "I didnt have that in Nashville. I had some real good players, but not enough up front, so we become a little more of a defensive team." Trotz said he doesnt see why the Capitals cant get back in the Stanley Cup mix right away, assuming they can forge the unified gameplan envisioned by MacLellan. "Theres enough ability here," Trotz said. "We just have to forge a little bit of an identity going forward." Jeremiah Attaochu Chargers Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Philip Rivers Chargers Jersey . Kekuta Manneh unleashed a 25-yard bomb that even the cat-like Jaime Penedo couldnt catch up to.(Sports Network) - With a lengthy losing streak finally over, the Ottawa Senators hope they can keep heading in the right direction when they host the Edmonton Oilers today at Scotiabank Place. The Senators went 0-6-1 from Jan. 21-Feb. 7, but ended the slide with Thursdays regulation win over visiting Nashville. It marked Ottawas first victory since Jan. 19 and improved the Senators to 15-11-2 as the host this season. The Sens are 1-2-1 on a five-game homestand that ends this afternoon. Despite the recent slide, the Senators are still in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Theyre currently sitting seventh in the East, one ahead of Toronto and two in front of ninth-seeded Washington. Jason Spezza played a huge role in ending Ottawas longest skid of the season, as the centerman netted two goals and added an assist to lift the Sens to a 4-3 decision over the Predators. Spezza scored the first goal of the game and also put Ottawa ahead 3-2 with another score late in the second period. "We were fortunate enough to get the first goal of the game," Spezza said. "Its a much easier league to play in when youre playing with the lead. We saw the product of that tonight, we got the lead and were able to hold on." Chris Phillips -- playing in his 1,000th NHL game -- also contributed in a big way with a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner at 6:25 of the third. Milan Michalek and Bobby Butler added a pair of assists apiece for the Senators, while Alex Auld made 24 saves in the victory. Following todays game, the Senators will head out on a three-game road trip, beginning with Tuesdays stop in Tampa. Lance Alworth Chargers Jersey. . Edmonton will try to snap a two-game slide this afternoon after losing the first two tests of a three-game road trip in regulation. The Oilers latest loss came Wednesday evening in Detroit, where practically nobody has had success this year other than the Red Wings. The Oilers were tied with Detroit 2-2 heading into the third, but Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg both scored in the final 20 minutes to help the Red Wings record a 4-2 victory and extend their club-record home winning streak to 18 games. Edmonton center Sam Gagner continued his recent tear with two goals in the loss and now has eight in his past four games. Including an eight-point effort against Chicago last Thursday, he now has eight goals and seven assists during a five-game point streak. Nikolai Khabibulin allowed all four goals on 30 shots for the Oilers, who are 13 points out of a playoff spot in the West. The Oilers will again play without rookie forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has missed the last two games after aggravating a shoulder injury. Edmonton has a dreadful 6-20-2 record as the road team this year and has lost its last eight as the guest. The Oilers last victory away from Edmonton came on Jan. 2 in Chicago. The Senators posted a 5-2 win in Edmonton on Nov. 17 in the first of two scheduled meetings between these clubs this season. Ottawa has taken two straight and eight of nine overall in the series, while the Oilers are just 1-2-2 with a tie in their last six trips to Canadas capital city. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
