It's been a long two years for Brooks Laich.
In the last two seasons, Laich has played in just 60 games after playing in all but 4 between 2007-2012. A nagging groin injury had taken it's toll on Laich and he struggled to play, at times pushing himself too hard and aggravating the injury even more. Even after two surgeries, the pain never seemed to go away.
"You're just fearful of any sort of acceleration, fearful of any turn, fearful of engaging in any contact because you know there's an extreme amount of pain coming your way if you do that," Laich said. "It's a very difficult way to live. It's a very difficult way to participate, let alone try to excel at the sport. What I feel is the last two years have been trying to survive that day in order to be on the ice the next day as well. That's not productive." (Dan Rosen, NHL.com)
Brooks Laich came to Washington in 2003 in a trade that sent the Capitals all-time leading goal scorer, Peter Bondra, to the Ottawa Senators. After bouncing around a little bit between Portland, Hershey and Washington, Laich earned his keep and has become one the Capitals most popular players and, more importantly, one of their best leaders.
Laich's absence from the ice the last couple years has made an impact on the Caps as a whole. He has the ability to play every position, and his heart and versatility is something that Head Coach Barry Trotz is aware of.
"We need a healthy Brooks Laich," Trotz told NHL.com.
The Caps are a team that has gone through so many changes the last few seasons, from coaches and players all the way to management. This is a team that has struggled with an identity ever since the Montreal Canadiens Incident of 2010. The once mighty Washington Capitals offense fizzled and they have been scrambling to get back to their once elite regular season status ever since.
However, the Caps need more than just another 50 goal season from Alex Ovechkin, they need to show the fans and the league that they deserve to be at the top of the power rankings. The last few seasons Washington has been a playoff disappointment, the "San Jose Sharks of the East" if you will. If the Caps want to be taken seriously, then they need to stop putting blame on the coaching staff and start taking responsibility for their game as a team.
Brooks Laich knows that, and he's ready to hit the reset button and get back on the ice with his teammates:
"Now the onus is on us," Laich said. "The coach has changed numerous times, but for the vast majority of us we're the same players, and we need to be better. The core guys, the guys that have been there for eight, nine years, need to establish that right away.
"Change is coming for all of us. Some people might not like it right away, but you need to adapt, change, and buy in right away." (Dan Rosen, NHL.com)
Barry Trotz is a completely different animal than the last three coaches the Capitals have used. He's a seasoned vet with a ton of experience, instead of a newbie with a "fresh set of ideas". As good as Bruce Boudreau was, he did lose control of his locker room, Whether or not that was his fault or the immaturity of his players is up for debate, but that won't happen with Trotz.
If Washington wants to be a good team again, then they will have to grow up and learn from their past mistakes, and Laich believes that missing the playoffs last season was the best thing to happen to them:
"My honest opinion is not making the playoffs last year might have been the greatest day going forward for our organization, because I really think it made us all take a look in the mirror and at our failures and why we are failing," Laich told NHL.com. "If we would have made the playoffs and lost in the first or second round it would have been the same old story, but you wouldn't have had that hard, brutally honest look at yourselves to realize why you are failing."
Which leads us back to why we're happy that Brooks Laich is back after a successful surgery back in March. Laich is healthy and eager to start the season with a fresh set of legs and a fresh determination to win.
"...You can impact the game and you have to impact the game on every inch of the ice. We are going to be aggressive on the forecheck. We are going to be aggressive when we don't have the puck. " (NHL.com)
What is exciting about this off-season, so far, is that the right players are seeing the potential in the team and the coaches. When Oates came on board, it was McPhee and Leonsis who were in the media talking about how great Oates will be for this team and for Ovechkin. It's refreshing hearing statements like this from players other than Ovie.
Laich is the real leader of this team. His presence as a healthy player will no doubt make an enormous difference, and that is something to get excited about if you're a Caps fan.
Welcome back Brooksie.
More to come...
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