ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- Shut up and play has been a mantra lately for the Washington Capitals.
Too often early in the season players would harp on officials for missing a penalty or getting a call wrong. So coach Barry Trotz and veteran leaders made a concerted effort to tone down on the yapping.
Even though the Capitals have taken their fair share of penalties, their bench has been quieter during an 11-game point streak and that's not a coincidence.
''You don't want to be known as the whiny team that the refs don't want to go by the bench because they're always going to get whined at from the players,'' right winger Justin Williams said. ''You don't want to have that reputation.''
Trying to nip that reputation before it gets out of control, players talked inside the locker room about officials being human beings. No one likes to get yelled or screamed at while doing their job, so show a little respect and maybe it'll get returned in kind.
Trotz and most around hockey will readily acknowledge just how difficult officiating an NHL game can be and compliment referees and linesmen for getting more calls right than wrong. He'll often apologize to referees later for yelling at them if they saw something he didn't.
But that doesn't mean everyone's always thrilled about officiating. Captain Alex Ovechkin expressed his displeasure about a couple of missed calls in their 8-7 overtime loss in Pittsburgh on Monday, including a high hit from the Penguins' Patric Hornqvist on T.J. Oshie in the second period and a trip by Sidney Crosby on him in overtime.