from Mike Wise of The Washington Post,

Ted Leonsis, guilty of believing this seriously flawed roster could be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

George McPhee, guilty the past seven years of not being able to put together a coaching staff and roster capable of getting past the second round of the playoffs — despite building around one of the greatest offensive talents in NHL history.

Adam Oates, guilty of employing more odd-line combinations the past month than the makers of Master Lock, guilty of coaching a team that gave up 13 two-goal leads, a team that rested on its laurels routinely after it scored and never developed a consistent identity — really, a mentally soft team that inexplicably has yet to win a game under Oates when scoring two or fewer goals.

And Ovechkin, inferior linemates and all, guilty of one of the most meaningless 50-goal seasons in NHL annals. With the Caps’ playoff hopes in the balance, the captain failed to score an even-strength goal in 15 straight, gotta-have-it games.

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