ARLINGTON, Va. Willie McCovey Jersey . -- Of all the subjects raised with George McPhee at his on-the-way-out news conference after being told hes done as the Washington Capitals general manager, the two most vital to understanding the teams future and recent past involved captain Alex Ovechkin and fired coach Adam Oates. And those were two topics McPhee did not want to address Monday, two days after the Capitals announced the 17-year GMs contract would not be renewed. "I dont really want to answer questions about individuals. Im going to duck those," McPhee replied when Ovechkins name was first brought up. Pressed to weigh in about the three-time NHL MVP, McPhee replied: "If youre asking me if we can win with him, I believed we could win with him." As to how Ovechkin could lead the league with 51 goals and be among the worst in the NHL with a minus-36 rating, McPhee said: "Of course I have opinions, but those issues are for the next guy." Later, McPhee was asked to describe his working relationship with Oates, who was fired Saturday with a season left on his three-year deal. "Again," McPhee said, "I dont want to talk about individuals." At another point in the half-hour meeting with the media, though, McPhee did say he "loved working with" Oates two immediate predecessors as Washingtons coach, Bruce Boudreau and Dale Hunter. The Capitals finished ninth in the Eastern Conference this season, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007. "For five years, we really had an opportunity to win a cup. We were legit," McPhee said. "And then I thought the last couple years, we could make the playoffs, but going deep might be hard, because I didnt think we were quite deep enough." During the six post-season berths in the span from 2008-13, though, Washington never made it past the second round. McPhee thinks hes leaving the team in good shape, ready to reach the Stanley Cup finals "sometime in the next three years." "Im not exaggerating when I try to explain that this organization is in great shape," McPhee said. "We dont have any bad contracts on the books. Lots of cap space to work with. A great (AHL) affiliation in Hershey. A whole group of young players coming into the organization." He said the Capitals simply need a "pretty easy fix." McPhee said his contract wont expire until July 1, so other teams would need to ask the Capitals for permission to speak to him about a job. "If theres another GMs job in the future and someone gives me an opportunity, Id love to do it again," he said. "And Id go to Iceland to do it. Doesnt matter where it is." McPhees mood was light and he made a handful of jokes. Perhaps its because he was not stunned that the Capitals would make changes. "I felt it was coming," McPhee said, "but in this job, youre 24 hours away from being fired almost any time." Matt Williams Giants Jersey . First reported by FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal, its unknown if the impetus for the deferral proposal came from players or management, but it never left the preliminary stages. Santiago Casilla Jersey . -- While much of the nation is buried in snow, glazed by ice or just plain shivering in the cold, its time to play ball in the desert.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen was named the NHLs first star for the week Monday. Lehtonen went 3-1-0 with a 1.25 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and two shutouts for Dallas. The 30-year-old Helsinki native has a 20-14-8 record, 2.52 GAA, .917 save percentage and three shutouts this season. Right-winger Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Andrej Sekera were named the secoond and third stars, respectively. Sergio Romo Jersey. Nyquist had four goals and two assists in four games as Detroit earned five of a possible eight points. The 24-year-old native of Halmstad, Sweden, has nine goals and eight assists in 27 games this season. Sekera recorded a goal and five assists in helping Carolina earn three straight wins. Sekera, 27, of Bojnice, Slovakia, leads Hurricanes defencemen in goals (eight), assists (22) and points (30). wholesale nfl jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
