WASHINGTON -- Heres an audacious way to get a promotion: Tell the big boss what hes been doing wrong. [url=https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/]New England Patriots Gear[/url] . Brian MacLellan did just that when he interviewed with owner Ted Leonsis for the Washington Capitals general manager job. &q

WASHINGTON -- Heres an audacious way to get a promotion: Tell the big boss what hes been doing wrong. New England Patriots Gear . 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." Stitched Patriots Jerseys . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. Patriots Jerseys 2019 . Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . With Washington teammate Nene drawing double-teams coming off his big game against the Lakers, Gortat scored 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Wizards to a 100-92 win in overtime over Milwaukee on Wednesday night.LONDON -- Arsenal conceded an injury-time own-goal to give Swansea a 2-2 draw on Tuesday and fall further behind in the Premier League title race. Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. Per Mertesacker slid in front of Leon Britton to clear a dangerous ball, but it bounced off goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny onto Mathieu Flamini and into the net. Arsenal had trailed after Wilfried Bony put the visitors ahead with a header in the 11th minute. But substitute Lukas Podolski equalized in the 73rd and then set up Olivier Giroud for the second less than 70 seconds later. However, the late equalizer leaves Arsenal six points behind leader Chelsea in fourth place. That last Champions League spot now suddenly looks vulnerable as well, with Everton six points behind with a game in hand as Arsenal looks increasingly likely to finish yet another season fighting for fourth place. "This result tonight hurts us a lot," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "The way it happened of course is more frustrating. ... We made a mistake on the second goal, it was not needed." Swansea even left feeling aggrieved after referee Lee Probert blew for full time just as Jonathan de Guzman was racing clear on goal with a chance to net a winner. "For me, its a very poor decision," Swansea manager Garry Monk said. "Its definitely going to be a shot on goal. ... Whether he scores that one or not, I dont know." Arsenal started ambitiously and seemed eager to turn the page on the Chelsea embarrassment. However, tthe home side was caught on the counterattack when Neil Taylor sent a ball into the area and Bony beat defender Thomas Vermaelen in the air to head the opener at the near post. New England Patriots Store. Arsenal dominated possession for much of the rest of the game but failed to create any clear-cut chances until it netted two goals in the space of 70 seconds midway through the second half. First, Kieran Gibbs cut into the left side of the area and squared for Podolski, who slotted in the equalizer. Shortly after the restart, Swansea gave the ball away and Podolski turned provider as he raced down the left flank and crossed for Giroud, who couldnt miss from close range. Arsenal, which had been booed off the pitch at halftime, seemed to have turned things around only to concede the nearly comical equalizer. "We just wanted to win the game without pushing any more forward, and a mistake happened unfortunately," Wenger said. "The result is very disappointing but the spirit we put in and the effort we put in was great. We have to take it on the chin." Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both started for Arsenal despite the red-card debacle against Chelsea, when Oxlade-Chamberlain handled in the area but Gibbs was mistakenly sent off instead. The red card was transferred to Oxlade-Chamberlain by the Football Association on Monday but then rescinded after it ruled that he did not prevent a clear goalscoring opportunity. Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom, who was signed on the last day of the January transfer window only to be ruled out with a back injury a day later, made his debut as a substitute after Arsenals second goal. ' ' '