Over at FanHouse ...

... You can read my recap of last night's 4-0 Caps win over New York.

One day can make a very big difference. As per usual, I'll be twittering hockey-related news all day long: @emcerlain.

Recent Capitals Content

Just in case you might have missed it, here's my post-mortem of Game Two of the Caps-Rangers series from FanHouse. More recent thoughts heading into Game Three tonight can be found here.

And this morning over at The Sporting Blog, I took a look at the historical record for NHL playoff teams down 0-2 in the first round.

The prognosis: Not good, but not hopeless either. And be sure to catch my Twitter feed: @emcerlain.

Game One: Caps vs. Rangers

Ok everyone, I know it's been a while since I've been a regular here at Off Wing, but that's going to change now that we're about to start the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For starters, I'm going to be live blogging tonight's game over at FanHouse starting at 7:00 p.m. Click here for that link.

Also, thanks to the fact that I'm really pressed for time these days, I'm going to shift a lot of what I write and think about over to my Twitter feed and my Facebook page. I'm finding both a heck of a lot easier to use than MT.

Also, keep your eyes peeled on these pages in the coming weeks. We've already re-designed OffWing Photo, and the mother ship is next.

That's all for now. See you tonight at 7:00 p.m. over at FanHouse.

The 2009 Off Wing Stanley Cup Challenge

So, who do you think will win the Cup? If you give me the right answer, you'll win bragging rights and a whole lot more.

The rules are fairly simple, and here's how it works:

Send me your pick to win the Stanley Cup by email (emcerlain-at-hotmail-dotcom). I'll list every entry I receive in the left hand margin, like so. And if you have a blog, I'll embed a link to it in your entry:

Chris McMurtry: Ottawa

As teams get eliminated, I'll indicate their departure with a strikethrough over incorrect entries. For example:

Chris McMurtry: Ottawa

That continues until we get to a winner sometime toward the end of June. Since we'll probably have a number of folks who have picked the Stanley Cup Champion, I'll conduct a random drawing from the winning entries to determine a Grand Prize Winner. After consultation with the winner, I'll make a $50 donation in honor of the Grand Prize Winner to the charity of their choice.

And best of all, if you win, you'll be immortalized on the left nav bar along with previous winners Gregg Simon, Josh Crockett, Kartikeya Sinha and James Mirtle.

Easy enough? One last detail -- just get me your entry to me by e-mail by 5:30 p.m. U.S. EDT on April 15, 2009, the opening night of the playoffs.

Now get to it, get you pick in, and you may be able to do some good.

Midwest Regional; Northeastern vs. Cornell

The early game in the Midwest starts at 4pm in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Northeastern

Northeastern doesn't put up huge numbers. They win close games, from 2-1 squeakers to 4-3 goalfests. Offensively, however, they only have 3 guys with more than 10 goals, and 6 guys with over 20 points. Fortunately they have Brad Thiessen between the pipes, a junior who has played every game for the Huskies. He boasts a 2.09 GAA and a save percentage of .932.

The issue here is that Northeastern has had trouble this season with the better teams. All their losses, with the exception of 3 losses to UMass, have been against ranked teams. Their toughest opponent has been BU (they've gone 0-2-2 against them this season). Inside College Hockey has what Northeastern needs to win.

They looked gassed in the Hockey East playoffs, especially during their semifinal defeat to Lowell, when they lost a 2-0 lead and fell in overtime. The Huskies have been a confident bunch for the majority of the season, but they’ve got to show they believe they’re the better team when they take the ice in the national tournament.

If the Huskies can play with that confidence and toughness, they will be a difficult team to beat.

Cornell

Cornell wins with defense. As Hoover Street Rag notes;

It's defense that's gotten the Big Red to where they are. Cornell is the #4 team in terms of scoring defense, only giving up 2.00 goals per night. Goalie Ben Scrivens is stopping 93.3% of the shots he's seeing, and his GAA is down at 1.77.

They have only scored 88 goals on the season, but because they let up so few, their +0.59 goal differential is actually pretty good. They only have 5 guys on the team that have scored more than 5 goals this season, and only 8 guys in double digits for points.

The Big Red have to be cautious of their defense and the play of Scrivens in this tournament. Several goalies already, most notably Princeton's Zane Kalemba and Minnesota Duluth's Alex Stalock, have seen their GAAs increase in some high scoring games. While Air Force's Andrew Volkening shut out Michigan and Vermont's Rob Midore allowed only 1 tally to Yale, it's not a guarantee that some of these outstanding goalies stay true to form in the tournament. Scrivens is 3rd in the nation in GAA, 4th in SV%, and 2nd in shutouts. But as Inside College Hockey puts it, "Goaltender Ben Scrivens has spectacular numbers, but was far better in the fall than he was in the second half of the season." Cornell will need a strong game by their defensemen and good backchecking by the forwards to help ensure Scrivens has a solid game.

Prediction

All the numbers point to a close, low-scoring game that could go either way. But so far in this tournament numbers have meant nothing. Strong defensive teams have let up big goals, high-scoring teams have been held in check, and upsets are the norm. Northeastern has the better record in a better conference, and their top scorers are spread across their lines, making it harder to shut them all down. Despite Cornell's best efforts, Northeastern will pull out a close one.

Northeast Regional; Boston University vs. Ohio State

Boston gets to stay close to home as the puck drops in Manchester at 5:30pm.

Boston University

I really like Boston University in this tournament. For starters, they're the top seed in the tournament. They've won the Big East regular season title, the Beanpot championship, and the Big East championship. They have only 6 losses all season, and only 2 since the New Year. They're also from Boston, which I have to like. And when I had a chance to see them this season, I was really impressed with the play of senior defenseman Matt Gilroy. He's a guy I want to see go far in this tournament.

The Terriers are just a solid team all around. They have 11 guys with over 20 points, and 6 guys with 10 or more goals. BU has put up 158 goals total, good for tops in the nation. As Inside College Hockey puts it, "BU's top six forwards essentially give the Terriers two No. 1 lines." Colin Wilson, a projected first round pick in the upcoming draft, paces the Terriers with 50 points. Gilroy leads all blueliners with 32 points. And somehow he is the only defenseman on BU that has yet to be drafted. Something tells me that will change come Draft Day.

Between the pipes Kieran Millan has been phenomenal. Only a freshman, he has a 1.84 GAA and a .923 save percentage. He has only let in 56 goals, with the Terriers letting in 80 total. And he has only lost 2 games all season. With his 25 wins that's a .923 win percentage. That's unheard of.

We can talk about numbers and stats all day long, but the bottom line is that BU has a deep set of strong forwards, a crazy-good defensive corps, and a freshman phenom between the pipes. Anything less than a national championship for Jack Parker's squad will be unacceptable.

Ohio State

Ohio State was the last team to make it into the tournament with an at-large bid. Playing in the tough CCHA, they score a lot of goals, but they also let in more than they should. However, while the backup netminders come into the tournament with rough numbers, starter Dustin Carlson boasts a respectable 2.40 GAA and a save percentage of .920.

The issue with the Buckeyes is their youth. Hoover Street Rag breaks it down.

The key theme with the Buckeyes this year is youth. Just five upperclassmen populate the roster of the scarlet and gray, and while senior Corey Elkins lead the team in scoring, he is the only upperclassman among the Buckeyes' top ten in scoring. This is a team that will be very dangerous next season, but what will they do when they have arrived a year early for the tournament. The Buckeyes tournament run rests largely on a thirteen game unbeaten streak in the middle of the season, with a slightly sub-.500 record in their final 19 games, including a rough pair of shutouts up in Alaska during the CCHA quarterfinals. The question will be whether these young Bucks can find their mid-season form and give the Terriers more than they might expect out of the last at-large team.

Remember the movie For Love of the Game, when Kevin Costner is an inning away from pitching a perfect game? And in the bottom of the 9th young Ken Strout is sent in to pinch hit. And announcer Vin Scully points out that it's the perfect move, as Strout is so young that he probably doesn't understand the significance of the moment. While the tournament is no perfect game, the youth on the Ohio State team may not realize just how ridiculous an idea it is for them to run the table. Although with two top seeds falling already, it might not be that crazy an idea anymore. While it's only an outside shot, it's still a shot that Ohio State can beat BU.

Prediction

After all the craziness that went on Friday, I can no longer be certain of what will happen. But I have Boston University going all the way, so I have to take them here. They're just so good all-around that it's tough to go against them. If Ohio State were to come away with the win, I wouldn't be surprised, but I just don't think they'll be able to do it.

West Regional; Minn-Duluth vs. Princeton

In the West Regional nightcap Friday, UMD takes on Princeton at 9pm in Minneapolis.

Minnesota-Duluth

The Hoover Street Rag lays the story of how UMD made it this far.

Finishing seventh in the WCHA in the regular season, the Bulldogs (named after the 148th Fighter Wing stationed in Duluth) swept fourth place team Colorado College (in Colorado Springs), then beat Minnesota in the 4 v 5 game in the Twin Cities, then North Dakota, and then Denver to assure themselves a spot in the tournament with an automatic bid. In doing this, the Bulldogs became the first WCHA team to win three straight games to take the conference tournament title (in 34 previous tries), largely due to the lockdown defense of goalie Alex Stalock and the Bulldog blueliners, allowing just three goals in that span, and posting back to back shutouts in the WCHA semis and finals.

MacGregor Sharp and Justin Fontaine lead the Bulldogs with 47 points apiece, and Alex Stalock has used his playoff hot streak to drop his GAA to 2.10 and raise his SV% to .926. And if there was ever a time for Stalock and the Bulldogs to get hot, they picked the right one. After finishing the regular season with 2 ties and 3 losses in their last 5 games, they turned it on in the playoffs and ran away with the WCHA championship. Along with their goaltending, the Bulldog's powerplay will help them advance in the tournament.

UMD continues to pace the WCHA and is third nationally in overall power play efficiency with a 21.7 percent mark...Senior tri-captain Josh Meyers, UMD’s top scoring defenseman in 2008-09, certainly has taken full advantage of the man advantage this season. The 2008-09 team tri-captain has collected all but five of his career-high 28 points -- including each of his 10 goals -- on the power play this season. Meyers’ 23 power play points places him fourth among his WCHA brethren while his 10 overall goals are the second most accumulated by any league blueliner.

Keeping pucks out and putting a lot in is a good recipe for success. Hopefully Minnesota Duluth can ride their success at least to the Frozen Four.

Princeton

Princeton is a defensive team. They've scored 95 goals on the season and have given up a paltry 69 tallies. Hoover Street sums it up nicely.

Their top five scorers are all upperclassmen and the average age of the team is a downright elderly 22 years, 5 months. Dan Bartlett is their leading goal-scorer with 16, while Brett Wilson leads the team in assists with 15 and is second in penalty minutes with 44. As you might guess based on that, Princeton is the least-penalized team in all of men's D-I hockey, taking only 10.6 minutes per game. You might also guess that, with goal totals like that, Princeton is winning with defense, and you'd be right. Kalemba is the #2 goalie in the country by save percentage, just .005 behind Alaska's Chad Johnson (and .001 in front of Notre Dame's Jordan Pearce and Mercyhurst's Ryan Zapolski). This puts Princeton at fifth and Kalemba at 3rd in scoring defense.

Princeton has wins this season over ranked teams like Yale, Northeastern, Cornell, and St. Lawrence. Looking at their stats it's easy to consider them a pushover, but they can compete with the best of them, and have as much of a shot at running the West Regional table as any of the other 3 teams.

Prediction

This will clearly be a defensive struggle. Both teams have stellar goaltending and a defense-first mindset. But the Bulldogs took the WCHA title in the Twin Cities, and it is back there they go for Regionals. The Twin Cities have been good to UMD so far, and I'll expect that to continue, even if it will be in a low-scoring game.

West Regional: Denver vs. Miami (OH)

Friday at 5:30 Denver takes on Miami at the Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.

Denver

Denver comes into the West Regional as the 1 seed and the 3rd seed overall. The last time they came into the tournament as a number 1 seed, in 2005, they won their second national championship in a row.

Denver will have a tough road to the championship. They've lost Tyler Ruegsegger to a knee injury, and J.P. Testwuide is questionable with a lower body injury. Ruegsegger is the 6th leading scorer for Denver, and led the Pioneers with 12 powerplay goals on the season. The loss of Testwuide on the blueline will make things harder for goalie Marc Cheverie. Cheverie has put up stellar numbers this season (2.30 GAA and .923 SV%) and is one of the key reasons the Pioneers have done so well.

I was fortunate enough to be in Denver for the Wells Fargo Denver Cup, where Denver played both Holy Cross and Boston University. While Denver was missing Tyler Bozak, it shouldn't have been enough to merit the poor play I saw. It took overtime and a shootout for Denver to get by Holy Cross, who finished 7th in Atlantic Hockey. They then got handled 4-1 in the championship game by BU, who was without star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Denver had 6 powerplays and another partial one, but was unable to score.

On the plus side Denver has been on a tear, going 11-5-3 since the loss to BU. With Ruegsegger out the Pioneers still have 9 players with over 20 points on the season. They will be hurting with Ruegsegger out, as well as Testwuide (for now), and Bozak playing in his first game back. This could improve as the tournament goes on, but I just don't think that they'll have enough to go all the way. Cheverie will only be able to take Denver so far.

Miami (OH)

Miami brings 9 guys with over 20 points on the season. They've also had freshman goalies Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard have split time in net, with both posting quality numbers. The problem with Miami has always been their consistency; they're a streaky team. A midseason 8-game winning streak was followed by a 5-game losing streak. A couple games later they started a 5 game win streak. Miami then finished off the season 2-4-1, including their CCHA tournament series loss against Northern Michigan. And this was a team they outshot 47-7 in a game in February. They have never done well in the NCAA playoffs, and this won't be the year they turn things around.

Prediction

Denver will work Tyler Bozak into the game slowly, and they will put up the bigger number in a high scoring game. Both goalies will see their 2+ GAAs go up after tomorrow's game. Denver will advance and face Minnesota-Duluth in a WCHA rematch.

NCAA East Regionals; Yale vs. Vermont

Friday night at 6:30 2nd seeded Yale takes on 3rd seeded Vermont on ESPNU.

Yale

Yale is led by senior goalie Alec Richards, who has posted a 1.97 GAA and .926 SV% on the season. They also have Mark Arcolbello and Broc Little leading the offense with 35 points each. They don't put up as many points as other teams, but Inside College Hockey breaks down how they'll be able to move on.

Yale capitalizes on seemingly every opportunity. One lapse, one giveaway, one breakdown and the Bulldogs will attack the net, so opponents need to be ready to play at a high level for all 60 minutes. Senior goalie Alec Richards hasn't been spectacular, but if he and a young defense corps hang in, that's all Yale needs with plenty of dangerous options up front. They'll be a tough out.

The Bulldog's defense and goaltending will have the pressure on as they go through the tournament. All-ECAC blueliner Thomas Dignard has been out since January, so his absence may hurt the 'dogs. While they did win the ECAC championship without him, the ECAC for the most part doesn't have the quality of teams the other big conferences do. Yale's only real competition was Cornell, Princeton, and St. Lawrence, and the Bulldogs went 5-2-1 against those teams this season, including the ECAC playoffs.

You also have to look at Alec Richards' stats for conference and non-conference play. His numbers in conference are a SV% of .936 and a GAA of 1.72 over 17 games. Now consider that through 24 games overall his numbers are .926 and 1.97. That means that his SV% non-conference is around .900, and his GAA is more than 2.50.

Vermont

The Catamounts finished the regular season tied with New Hampshire for 3rd place in Hockey East. They are led by junior power forward Viktor Stalberg, a Sweden native whose NHL rights are held by Toronto. Freshman goalie Rob Midore has gotten the majority of the starts this season, and posts a GAA of 2.36 and a save percentage of .911. Dan Lawson is Vermont's top all-around defenseman, has 6 goals, 9 assists, and a plus 14 rating.

Like Yale Vermont doesn't put in a lot of goals, but they also don't allow many either. They have been shaky defensively recently, and that could be their undoing.

Vermont has given up 18 goals in its last four games (1-3-0) — it gave up 18 goals in the nine games prior to that stretch. Granted, the Catamounts’ last two games were against a UMass Lowell squad that had their number this season, but that’s of little value at this time of year. UVM’s blue liners have had issues against aggressive forechecks, and they’ve been known to cough up the puck in their zone, leading to easy scoring chances - a bad combination against Yale.

Midore needs to rebound from a rough showing at the Hockey East playoffs if Vermont wants to advance. Stalberg needs to have a big game on offense. It's simply too much to ask for a single forward and a freshman netminder to carry them all the way, and it may not even be enough to get them past Yale.

Prediction

Neither one of these teams puts up big numbers. Yale, however, has the better and more steady defense and goaltending. They take advantage of opportunities and will really pressure Vermont into making mistakes. Barring an outstanding game by Midore, Yale should pull out a close win.

NCAA East Regionals; Michigan vs. Air Force

Friday kicks off the East Regional in Bridgeport, CT with top seed Michigan taking on Air Force at 3pm.

Michigan

Michigan come in as the top seed in the East and the third seed overall in the tourney. They boast a 29-11 record and are the only team in the East Regional to go all season without a tie. Looking at the stats for Michigan on the season, the thing that jumps out the most is their defense. Netminders Bryan Hogan and Billy Sauer have combined to post a GAA below 2 and a save percentage above .915%. And this was with defenseman Mark Mitera playing only 7 games all season due to a torn ACL. He was a first round pick (19 overall) by Anaheim in 2006. He wasn't a factor in the CCHA playoffs, and was a -2 in their championship loss to Notre Dame, so his play in the playoffs could have a big impact on how Michigan does overall.

Their offense will come mainly from forwards Aaron Palushaj and Louie Caporusso, who have posted 50 and 49 points on the season, respectively. No other Wolverine has notched more than 31. But should these two be held in check, there won't be any need to worry. Inside College Hockey points out what Michigan will need to advance to the big game;

How They'll Advance: A key to Michigan’s second half success has been secondary scoring from all kinds of unlikely sources. While the Wolverines did lose the league playoff title, they took a two-goal lead over the Fighting Irish with goals from freshmen Luke Glendening and David Wohlberg, neither of whom was particularly heralded coming into this season. If teams lock down on Palushaj and Caporusso, it’s those freshmen and wily veterans like Tim Miller and Travis Turnbull that will give opponents a headache.

One thing to point out is that Michigan is prone to giving up more goals in the later parts of a game. Breaking it down, they've allowed only 17 goals in first periods, but have allowed 31 in the 2nd and 34 in the 3rd. If they want any chance of winning the national championship, they have to play a full 60 minutes of shutdown hockey. Their offense is inconsistent in their output, so it is the stability of the defense that they must ride to the title. They'll have a tough first-round matchup with Air Force due to Andrew Volkening's abilities between the pipes, but they should be able to advance at least out of the East Region.

Air Force

Air Force has spent their season on the shoulders of two men, Andrew Volkening and Jacques Lamoureux. Volkening has played every game in net and finished the season with a 2.04 GAA and a .916 SV%, posting a 27-10-2 record. Lamoureux has 32 goals, well beyond Matt Fairchild, who is second on the team with 17.

While Atlantic Hockey champions will almost always come into the tourney as a 4-seed, they are not to be taken lightly. It was only 3 seasons ago that Holy Cross upset 1-seed and top-ranked Minnesota in the first round, the first 4 seed to do so. Since then Air Force has dominated Hockey East, and is the only team in the field to have won 3 straight conference championships, albeit in maybe the softest conference.

In their past two appearances Air Force has gone into the third period with the lead, only to lose by a goal each time. Two years ago Minnesota scored 3 goals in the final 8 minutes for a 4-3 win, and last year Miami (OH) tied things at 2 in the third, and scored the winner less than 5 minutes into OT. In each of these games Air Force came into the third with the lead, but instead of continuing to play their game they crept back into a protect-the-lead mindset, and both times it has cost them. While they have only a thin chance of winning their regional, they have an opportunity for a first-round upset here, but only if they don't drop back and allow Michigan to keep firing away late in the game.

Prediction

Michigan's deep offense and strong defense against Air Force's top line doesn't allow Air Force to enter the third with the lead, and kills any chance they have of an upset. This will be a grind-out sort of game that Michigan takes by a goal, maybe two.

Scalpers, Beer, and Sidney Crosby

Last week was spring break, and like any self-respectable college kid I made the trip down to Florida for the week. A couple of my friends are from Pittsburgh, so we decided to see them play the Florida Panthers in Sunrise. The fact that there were 10 dollar student tickets and free parking only sealed the deal. We got to the arena a few minutes late, and quickly realized that we had greatly underestimated the drawing power of the Panthers. The parking lot was packed, and there were still people pulling in. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to get tickets, so we scalped a set off a guy for roughly 15 bucks a ticket.

As we walked in we found out there were still 10 dollar tickets left, so we were a little annnoyed. But after the first period we moved down to some open seats 10 rows from the glass, and by the end of the game we were sitting in the second row behind the Florida net. The Penguins controlled the game, but it was amazing to see all the Panthers jerseys in the crowd and how loud the place got for Panther goals. All in all it was a good game.

After the game we hung out in the parking lot, drinking a couple beers, waiting for the traffic to die down. Then as we went to leave we saw a dozen or so fans waiting by the staff and players gate. with nothing else to do, we decided to park, hang around, and try to see if we could meet a couple players. Well after hanging around and talking to the other people there for a little while, Pens players starting heading out of the arena to their bus. Thanks to the cries of a ten year old wanting autographs, Hal Gill and Mike Zigomanis came over to the gate.

Several minutes later both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin came over to sign autographs. My Pittsburgh friends were ecstatic. I don't even like the Pens and still thought it was pretty cool of them to come over and sign autographs.

While they were there a guy that works for the Panthers wanted a photo of him and Sid for his son. I used someone's camera to take the picture, and the guy with the Panthers thought the camera was ours. So we were talking and he gave us four club seat tickets to Saturday night's game against St. Louis.

So in the end 17 bucks each got us parking, a good game, a chance to see Crosby and Malkin, free tickets to another game, and a great story to come back to school with. If they weren't in the same division, league even, I might almost decide to become a Panthers fan. The game was pretty good, the atmosphere was great, and you could tell the people there were really into the game. There were 19,000 people at the game, and the energy in the building was way more than I expected out of a Florida hockey game.

So if you ever find yourself in the Ft. Lauderdale area with some free time on your hands, head over to the BankAtlantic Centre and catch a game. You never know what could happen.

Panthers Win Against A Flat Washington Team, 6-2

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 1: Brooks Laich of the Washington Capitals jumps over the sticks of Florida Panther defensemen during a NHL hockey game on March 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing Photo)

Unfortunately for the sell-out crowd the Caps fell to the Panthers, 6-2. Stop by OffWing Photo for the story, a slideshow and more photos from Sunday's action.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.03.01 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Catholic University Wins Mason-Dixon Championship

It has been an up and down season for the Catholic University hockey team, but luckily it finished on a high note as CUA took home the Mason-Dixon Collegiate Hockey League championship over the weekend. I am fortunate enough to play on the Catholic U. hockey team, and can say taking home that trophy was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had.

After finishing first in the South Division, the Cardinals received a first-round bye, and had to wait and see whether they would be playing Gettysburg College or Dickinson College in the semi-finals. After a 4-2 win, Gettysburg advanced to face Catholic U.

After an early 1-0 lead turned into a 5-1 hole a period into the game, Catholic refused to pack it in and ground their way back into the game. They put two on the board in the 2nd, and fought back to a 5-5 tie with 5 minutes to go in the 3rd. With a minute and a half to go Kevin Harding blocked a shot from the point and turned it into a breakaway and burying what turned out to be the game winner. After pulling their goalie and pressing for the equalizer, Gettysburg came up just short, and Catholic advanced to the championship game.

Sunday morning saw Catholic go up against top-seed and league heavyweight Alvernia. In their only meeting of the season, Alvernia took advantage of an unprepared Catholic team, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and running off with an 8-1 win. In the championship Catholic didn't make the same mistake twice, putting in the first 2 goals, which held in the 2-1 win. Both teams played solid defense, and freshman Mike Ferrucci was stellar between the pipes for Catholic. It was a wild finish as Alvernia pulled their goalie and pressured CUA for the final minute and a half, but were unable to tie the game.

This is the first league championship for Catholic University, who will return next season with their lineup mostly intact.

Caps Send Penguins Packing, 5-2

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 22: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates following his goal against Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins during a NHL hockey game on February 22, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing Photo)

Today's match-up between the Capitals and Penguins was NBC's feature game and another sell-out crowd was on hand to watch as the Caps upended the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2.

Stop by OffWing Photo for the story, a slideshow and more photos from this afternoon's action.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.02.22 Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Verizon Center's Bad Ice Could Influence Frozen Four

From College Hockey News;

The Division I Men's Hockey Committee will have a conference call Thursday to discuss ice conditions at Washington D.C.'s Verizon Center, location of this year's Frozen Four. This comes following a Washington Post article that discussed numerous complaints that players from the Washington Capitals have made about the ice surface.

No one wants a national championship to be affected by a bad bounce or two on less than acceptable ice conditions. And should the Caps make it all the way, there may be a second championship contested on the Verizon's ice. So the Verizon should probably get this ice thing taken care of by April, because there are going to be some big games being played this spring.

Green's Scoring Continues In Win Over Panthers

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 7: Sergei Fedorov and Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals try to score against goalie Tomas Vokoun of the Florida Panthers during a NHL hockey game on February 7, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing Photo)

A sell-out crowd was on hand to watch Mike Green kick it into high gear, scoring two goals tonight against the visiting Florida Panthers. The Caps skated to a 3-1 win over the Panthers.

Stop by OffWing Photo for the story and more photos from tonight's action.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.02.07 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers , Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Heartbreaker As Caps Take A Loss At Home Against LA Kings

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Michal Handzus of the Los Angeles Kings scores against goalie Jose Theodore of the Washington Capitals during a NHL hockey game on February 5, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing Photo)

Head on over to OffWing Photo for more photos and news on the win.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.02.05 Washington Capitals vs. Los Angeles Kings, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Ovechkin Scores Hat Trick In Win Against Ottawa Senators

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 1: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scores in the first period against goalie Brian Elliot of the Ottawa Senators during a NHL hockey game on February 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing)

Head on over to OffWing Photo for more photos and news on the win.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.02.01 Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Caps Winning Streak Now At Six

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 3: Goalie Jose Theodore of the Washington Capitals makes a save against the New York Rangers during a NHL hockey game on January 3, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

The Washington Capitals gave coach Bruce Boudreau a 2-1 victory over the visiting NY Rangers. The good times just keep on rollin for the Washington Capitals as their winning streak stretched to six, and 11 out of the last 12 games. This also keeps coach Buoudreau a perfect 5-0 against the Rangers.

For more photos of game action visit OffWing Photo.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.01.03 Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers, Allen Clark/OffWing Photo photoset

Caps Pick Up Another Win At Home

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 1: Mike Green of the Washington Capitals scores a second period goal against goalie Mike Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning during a NHL hockey game on January 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

It was tough to pick out a single story line from tonight's game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning. There are so many to chose from:

• The very scary injury to Tampa Bay's Jame Heward that stopped play as he was taken off the ice on a stretcher and will stay overnight in a DC hospital.
• Coach Boudreau's 100th game coaching in the NHL.
• Mike Green played his 200th career NHL game.
• The Capitals are now 16-1-1 when playing home in the Verizon Center, the best home record in the Eastern Conference. They have outscored opponents 71-37 and have eight sellouts (four in a row) at home.

The Tampa Bay Lightning stopped by the Verizon Center today for the second time this year. And once again went home with a loss. The Caps have not lost to the Lightning since Nov. 16, 2007 and their seven game-winning streak is their current longest such streak against any team in the NHL. Tampa Bay is one of two Eastern Conference teams that Coach Bruce Boudreau has never lost to.

Next up for Coach Bruce Boudreau and his Capitals this coming Saturday are the New York Rangers which is the other Eastern Conference team the he has never lost to.

For more photos of game action visit OffWing Photo.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2009.01.01 Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, Allen Clark/OffWing Photo photoset

Caps Over Sabres, 3-2

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 26: Alex Oveckin of the Washington Capitals shoots a third period goal against goalie Patrick Lalime of the Bufalo Sabres during a NHL hockey game on December 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

The Caps went on a scoring spree going up three to one and then held off Buffalo to gain the win. Alex Ovechkin scored what would become the game winning score by slicing and dicing the defense.

"It was a pretty cool goal," admitted Alex Ovechkin afterwards. "It happens sometimes … I just made some moves. Puck was probably neutral, so I won the battle. I was tired and I just fell, and I shoot. It was in, so that's pretty cool. It was a great goal and I'm glad it happened to me."

Caps Break Open Big Win Over Senators, 5-1

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: Goalie Brent Johnson of the Washington Capitals stops an attempted goal by Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators during a NHL hockey game on December 12, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing)

Visit our Flickr gallery for more pictures from the game.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008.12.12 Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: Alexander Semin celebrates with teammate Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals following his goal against Alex Auld of the Ottawa Senators during a NHL hockey game on December 12, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing)

Photos From Caps vs. Panthers

Bryan Helmer and Tomas Fleischmann of the Washington Capitals fight for control of the puck with Brett McClean and other players of the Florida Panthers.

Tomas Fleischmann scores Washington's third goal late in the final period.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008.12.02 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers, Bill Ingalls/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Caps Shutout Montreal Canadiens, 3-0

This was huge. The Caps while digging deep into their bench shut out the Canadiens tonight to remain unbeaten at home this season. The Caps have lost only once at home in ten games, and never in regulation. Caps scoring came from Tomas Fleischmann, Alex Ovechkin, and David Steckel.

Montreal Coach Guy Carbonneau had this to say about the Caps play, "We knew they had injuries or something like that. Having that kind of record at home is not a fluke. They came to work and we didn't. We didn't respond."

Washington's goalie Jose Theodore was outstanding in the net. Stopping 28 shots on goal, playing tough throughout the game as Montreal threw everything they had at him.

For more photographs from the game visit, OffWing Photo.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 28: Goalie Jose Theodore of the Washington Capitals makes a save against the Montreal Canadiens during a NHL hockey game on November 28, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 28: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scores on goalie Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadiens during a NHL hockey game on November 28, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008.11.28 Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens, Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com photoset

Washington Caps Stuff Atlanta Thrashers

With the help of the hot hands of Ovechkin, Kozlov, and Fehr the Caps beat the visiting Atlanta Thrashers, 5-3. Ovechkin scored a hat trick while Kozlov and Fehr each scored once.

Four Players were called up from Hershey. Alex had this to say about their play, "The played well tonight and we did a great job too. We have a very big future with young guys. We have experience and we see guys like Alzner, Bourque, Mink and Lep come onto the team and they fill their role."

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 26: Fans of the Washington Capitals toss their hats onto the ice following Alex Ovechkin's Hat Trick against the Atlanta Thrashers during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 26: Alex Ovechkin and Sami Lepisto of the Washington Capitals celebrate following an Ovechkin goal in the first period against the Atlanta Thrashers during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

Click on any of the following images to be taken to more photos from the game in our flickr gallery. Or visit OffWing Photo for full photo coverage.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008.11.26 Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers, Allen Clark/OffWing Photo photoset

Pond Hockey, the Next Best Thing to, Well, Pond Hockey

Last night I made the cross-city trek to The Avalon Theater to see On Frozen Blog's screening of Pond Hockey, the documentary about the first-ever U.S. National Pond Hockey Championships and the decline of pond hockey in North America.

The movie was great, and offered some candid thoughts from NHLers past and present, as well as those who never made it pro, but still love the game. I loved watching "Bug" Booston fly across the ice, having never played high school or college hockey, but still showing up many of the other guys on the ice.

There were two other moments in the film that really connected with me. The first was when Jack Falla was sitting beside his backyard rink, the Bacon Street Omni, and said simply, "I've never been unhappy at the rink." I don't think anyone could argue with that statement. When you're skating on that open ice, with the wind in your hair and your skates crunching into the ice, all is perfect with the world. There is no other feeling like it, and it certainly can't be felt inside an indoor rink.

The other was when Jeff Sorem, a Minnesota native widely regarded as one of the best pond hockey players around, said that his idol was Neal Broten. Then later in the film Broten says, sitting with a frozen pond in the background, that he just wishes he could be eight years old again, for just a couple days. Hockey has become so structured that I think we all just wish sometimes that we could go back to when it was a game of simple and uninhibited fun.

Pond Hockey makes every person who sees it long for a move back to the simplicity outdoor skating; the way so many people have learned to love the game. That feeling needs to be brought back to today's kids, so they can learn to love the game as their parents did so many years ago.

Ribiero Scores, Sabourin Saves

The title explains it all. See for yourself.

(thanks to Fanhouse for the video)

Boudreau On Ovechkin's Absence

Click here for Washington Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau talk about Alex Ovechkin leaving the team to be with his ailing grandfather. For more from FanHouse, click here.

Milan Lucic is Dirty

Nice to see our friends at On Frozen Blog showing one of my Bruins some love...

...because you clearly don't want to be on his bad side.

Pettinger On the Move Again; People Barely Notice

Former Caps forward Matt Pettinger has been claimed on re-entry waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Pettinger was sent to Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Manitoba to start the season, and he was claimed by Tampa Bay when Vancouver tried to call him back up. But Ben Kuzma tells Canucks fans not to worry.

Quite frankly, Pettinger never carved out a niche with the club after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals for Matt Cooke on Feb. 26.

The Canucks are also overstocked with veterans in the minors and Krog and Michael Grabner are better recall options who don't need to clear waivers.

And as much as Pettinger might have been a fit on the third line, he was easily supplanted by the younger and cheaper Jannik Hansen, who has meshed well with Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows.

The more than half million dollars the Canucks have to pay of Pettinger's salary is a drop in the pail, keeping them nearly 9 million dollars under the salary cap. So while Caps fans didn't get a chance to see Pettinger back at the Verizon when the Canucks came to town, there is a good chance he'll be back with a bolt on his chest.

Photo Highlights From Caps vs. NJ Devils

For more pictures from the game visit out flickr gallery by clicking on any of the images.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008.10.18 Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils photoset

Friday Night Capitals Miscellany

For starters, Thursday night was a comeback fan's dream. Not only did my Red Sox manage to come back from a 7-0 deficit in the 7th inning to win 8-7, the Capitals stormed back from a 3-0 hole to beat the dreaded Penguins 4-3 at the Mellon.

We can learn a few things from Thursday night's game, all of which can be summed up by Japers' Rink:

The offense is still clicking (especially at five-on-five, where all four Caps goals were scored); the penalty kill is still sucking (allowing all three of Pittsburgh's goals in six chances); Alex Semin is still scoring; and the goalies are still crappy early (Jose Theodore now has a 7.00 first period GAA).

The Caps clearly need to work on both aspects of their special teams. While yes a couple of their goals allowed were "fluky", it doesn't mean it's okay for them to be allowed. Maybe the Caps need to take the Alexes off the ice and put on someone who's a little more defense-oriented. If the injuries on offense continue, I wouldn't mind seeing a Quintin Laing call-up. He knows how to lay out the body.

The Caps continue to dominate 5-on-5, but why aren't the putting a few powerplay goals away? With Ovechkin, Semin, Fedorov, Green, and Backstrom on the PP, the Caps have one of the scariest powerplay units in the league. They just need to take that potential on paper and translate it to the ice.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien didn't react too favorably to the loss.

"We lost the game because we stopped working in the third period. It's pretty simple. We didn't follow the plan in the third. We played on our heels. We were losing battles.

"We are not paying the price to score goals."

This may be the difference that catapults the Caps deep into the postseason this year. They are willing to pay the price it takes to put the puck in the net. The grinders are scoring, the snipers are putting them away, and they are digging away in front of the net to score, as was evidenced by Tomas Fleischmann's goal to open up the Caps' scoring Thursday night.

Also, the Caps have responded to their injury issues by recalling Bears forward Chris Bourque. Bourque had a great showing in training camp and the preseason, but was squeezed out of the Caps roster due to sheer numbers. But his preseason work hasn't gone unnoticed, and he will be the first Bear of the season to get his chance to make an impact with the big club. He played in 4 games for the Caps last season, so he'll be looking to make a lasting impression this time around, maybe even enough to stick around for awhile. Heck, Quintin Laing stuck around for 39 games last season. Here's hoping Bourque has that kind of similar success.

In reference to their injuries, the Caps don't expect Tom Poti (groin)or Viktor Kozlov (knee) to play. Brashear (hand) is "iffy".

And lastly, all Caps fans can take comfort in the fact that they have some of the cheapest beer in the league and pay less than the league average for tickets.

Tickets are $8 less than the average $49.66 ticket price for teams in the National Hockey League...A 16-ounce beer is $4.50, while the same-size brew averages $6.06 across other venues.

Puck Daddy points out that it's the 2nd cheapest beer per ounce in the leauge. So there's no better place to take in some entertaining hockey and get a good buzz on then the Washington Capitals home games.

Kozlov Out; Defense Uncertain for Capitals

Well the big news after the Caps game against the Canucks is that Viktor Kozlov will be out about two weeks after being injured in the game. From Tarik at Caps Insider;

Kozlov appeared to injure his left knee when he was hit along the boards by Rob Davison in the second period of last night's 5-1 win over Vancouver.

"We suspect it will be a couple of weeks," McPhee said. "But we'll know more in a couple of days."

Looks like this could be one of the problems Coach Boudreau foresaw when he decided to go with 14 forwards and 6 defensemen. For now it looks like Fehr will make his season debut in the lineup, while it is uncertain if Fedorov will remain on the blueline when the Caps head to Pittsburgh. Corey Masisak notes that Fed's position isn't clear yet.

No real updates on Sergei Fedorov's position for Thursday night. He practiced at forward today, but Boudreau said it was because they were short up front. Fedorov seemed OK with playing either position, which has been his stance all along.

Over at Japers' Rink there is more insight into having Feds on the blueline.

Whether or not Sergei Fedorov's move to the blueline is permanent or semi-permanent, one thing is clear - he was awesome back there, and raised partner Milan Jurcina's game considerably (though he did take two penalties). The obvious manifestations of that latter point was Jurcina's goal, four shots on goal and plus-two rating. A little less obvious was Juice's huge +20 Corsi rating for the game.

So perhaps Jurcina's got his groove back thanks to Fedorov. And perhaps the Caps gave up the fewest shots on goal in a game in team history thanks to Fedorov. And perhaps he's actually worth $4 million for the year.

Feds was making over 6 million last season, so with the pay cut you know he's all about putting the team first this season and winning. He doesn't care where he plays, so if he can help break Juice out of his shell, why not leave him back there.

Going back to the game against Vancouver, you can't find much fault in anything the Caps did. Sure Jurcina had a pair of penalties, and Ovechkin didn't have a point. But they held the Canucks to 10 shots all game, and they managed to net 5 goals, including Nylander's penalty shot where both Roberto Luongo and his pads ended up on opposite sides of the net.

The last two games have seen the Caps rebound from their season-opening loss in which both Theodore and Johnson played poorly. The Caps are averaging over 4 goals a game and the goalies are starting to settle down, with Johnson yielding just one goal last night. A big factor has been an increase in secondary scoring for the Caps. After last season opposing teams are doing all they can to shut down Ovechkin, so it will be on the second, third, and even fourth lines to contribute more heavily. As OFB's pucksandbooks notes,

The Capitals may have the most dangerous second line in hockey. Also, the third. Scoring this season should often come in waves, and there will be nights like Monday when the first line is well checked (Willie Mitchell’s work on Ovi Monday night was reminiscent of Kimmo Timonen’s shutdown success in last spring’s playoffs) but serious damage is done behind it.

This will also be a season of thinking outside the box. We've seen both Alexes on the penalty kill. We've seen Fedorov on the blue line. We've seen Jurcina score his first goal in over a year. We've seen the Caps win their last two games not only with heavy scoring but with shutdown defense.

I have a feeling there are still a few surprises coming our way this season, and it will require this approach by Boudreau and the Caps in order for them to make a run to the top this season.

Caps Get Big Win Over Vancouver, 5-1

Everybody was smiling tonight as the Washington Capitals beat the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 5-1. They also held Vancouver to only ten shots on goal, a franchise record.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: Brooks Laich and Michael Nylander celebrate following one the Washington Capitals celebrates five goals during a NHL hockey game with the Vancouver Canucks on October 13, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)


WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: Mike Green of the Washington Capitals celebrates following his goal in the first period during a NHL hockey game with the Vancouver Canucks on October 13, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008.10.13 Washington Capitals vs. Vancouver Canucks, Allen Clark/OffWing Photo photoset

Opening Night in Washington; Capitals vs. Blackhawks

For tonight's season home opener we'll be trying something different. I'll be live-blogging the game using CoverItLive.com's live-blog program. It will kick off at 7 sharp, so be sure to stop by and let us know what you think of the game as it happens.

Both the Caps and Hawks come into tonight 0-1, with Washington losing their season opener to Atlanta last night 7-4, and Chicago dropping their season opener to the Rangers.

Tonight is a game steeped in storylines. For starters it will be an immediate return for goalie Cristobal Huet. After spurning an offer from the Caps and signing with Chicago, he returns to the Verizon for the first time. And Caps fans haven't waited long in booing him, as he heard it every time he stepped between the pipes in warmups. The last time a former Caps goalie played against the Caps, he let in 5 goals in less than 2 periods of play. So let's hope Huet turns into another Bill Ranford.

Tonight's game also includes nine players drafted in the first round of the last five drafts. The Caps have such young stars as Ovechkin, Green, Semin, Schultz, and Backstrom, while the Hawks lineup includes Kane, Toews, and Skille.

Also, Sergei Fedorov needs one more goal to tie Alexander Mogilny for most goals by a Russian-born player. It will certainly make for a great moment for a first goal of the season, although something tells me his second will be a little more special.

And last but certainly not least the Caps will have to wait a few extra minutes before faceoff, as they will be raising their 2007-2008 Southeast Division championship banner.

A big change was seen in the Caps tonight as they dominated the third period, scoring two goals to pull out the 4-2 win. Last night they were the ones who were dominated, giving up 3 goals in a 7-4 loss. Said Ovechkin, "we know we can come back and it doesn't matter what score. Last night it was 3-0 and tonight it was 2-0...It shows we never give up. What happened last night...we didn't play well in the third period. Everybody was nervous...but today we played well. We showed our character."

Theodore acknowledged his rocky start for the second straight night, noting that "I knew that if I only allowed two goals...we'd score some huge goals. Sometimes as a goalie you feel good, but you still get really bad goals, and that's what happened. I thought I felt good, but then obviously the first goal I shouldn't have allowed...The important thing is to bounce back." He admitted he was pretty upset with himself after yesterday's game and even took part in the optional skate this morning in order to fine tune some things. In the end Jose felt that "in the end we played with a lot of confidence...If I could keep it at two we could come back, and that's what happened."

When asked about his team's tendency to come back, Coach Boudreau admitted that he doesn't want to have to do it all season. "We certainly hope we don't have to do that for 80 more games. But they're a resilient group and they came back and everyone battled back and picked up the slack." He also noted that having an intimidating fourth line helps the team across the board. "When you get that line scoring a goal that's an added bonus. They leaned on people and they know how to play without the puck which is so terribly important."

Tonight the Caps showed that they still have what it takes to make a great season. After last night a lot of people were nervous, but the way the Capitals closed out the game dispelled a lot of those notions. Everyone admitted they came out a bit shaky, Theodore most of all, but in the end they regrouped, attacked, and came out with 2 points. They have tomorrow free before taking on Vancouver on Monday, but hopefully they hold on to that determination and grit they showed in the last two periods. Even Ovechkin admitted his first goal wasn't pretty, and you can't say that Laich's or Bradley's goals were that pretty either. It may not be the "sexy" team Boudreau said they were, but a win is a win. As long as they get them, it doesn't matter how they play.

Flyers Lose to Phantoms...No, I'm Not Kidding

No, it's not a joke. Or a typo. The Flyers decided to end their preseason with a game against their AHL affiliate, the Phantoms, at the Spectrum. And they lost.

I'm not even going to recap the game. The final alone is enough. I just want to know what you do after that. Do you trade teams? Stick the Flyers in the AHL, and promote the Phantoms? Do you just trade all the players?

All I know is that the Flyers open up against the Rangers in a few days. And I'm pretty sure the Rangers are just a little bit better than the Phantoms. So unless the Phantoms are going to step in and play the Rangers for them, the Flyers better get their act together.

So for now I'm just going to imagine all the Flyers fans who will open up their newspapers and wonder why their morning paper looks kinda funny.

Europe May Have to Wait for Ovechkin, Caps

After a second straight year of opening the NHL season in Europe, it can be nearly assured that it will become an annual visit for the league. With players like Crosby, Alfredsson, Kopitar, Pronger, Drury, and Lecavalier displaying their talents in London, Prague, and Stockholm, you have to wonder who will be next to jump the pond.

While many, especially those in Russia, would want to see Ovechkin overseas to start next season, it doesn't look to be in the works. From Ted Leonsis;

Hockey is truly a global game and playing in Europe to kick off our season is a big and great idea. For the Washington Capitals, we are rebuilding our fan base and using our new world-class Kettler Capitals Iceplex (two-year old practice facility) is an important pillar to our overall plan to become a great franchise.

Our fans come out to support our team. The practice facility is located very close to our Hershey affiliate and we need to continue to build out our plan of leveraging Kettler Capitals Iceplex, our AHL franchise, and the rebuild of our roster to try and win a Stanley Cup.

Hence, I don't foresee us traveling to Europe to play in the short term, but I do see us doing so at some point to support our league's marketing efforts as we continue to become everyone's second favorite team.

In his conversation with ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, Leonsis talks up the Caps' new practice digs, while basically saying the team won't make any big trips until the league tells them to.

You can't really blame Leonsis for not offering his team up to the league. The Kettler Capitals IcePlex has to be one of the nicest practice facilities in the league. It is a public twin rink that also houses Caps offices and their own private locker room.

The Caps are also a heavily youth-oriented team. With the importance they place on rookie camp and training camp, they don't have the luxury of being able to take a week off of training camp and head to Europe. They need all the time they can to give their prospects a taste of the big league, and let them know what to expect.

So while Leonsis wouldn't mind sending his team abroad and widening the fan base, he won't be making any moves until the league tells him otherwise.

Brian Rafalski, Meet Your Worst Nightmare

Tuesday night Carey Price showed he is already in mid-season form, robbing Rafalski from behind his back. Just watch:

There's really no words to explain it. Price just spins around and bats it out of mid-air.

That hand-eye thing is pretty important for goalies, huh.

College Hockey at the Verizon...No, Not the Frozen Four

Early Sunday night the Capitals will be playing the Boston Bruins at the Verizon in their final preseason game before heading down to Atlanta for their opener. But for some people that won't be the main reason they'll be at the Phone Booth.

After the Caps wrap up their preseason the Catholic University Cardinals will be taking on the American University Eagles. While several Catholic players have skated on NHL rinks prior to Sunday's contest, they acknowledge that it's an experience every time.

Last spring Catholic dropped a hard-fought game to George Washington at the Verizon, so they're hungry to get a win in front of their fans.

"Last season I think we came into the game a little less focused than we should have been," said captain Ryan Gebler. "It was a novelty for us at the time, and we were so excited to be there and playing in front of so many fans that by the time we really got our heads in the game we were already down and spent the whole game fighting from behind. This year we're all business. And playing American only builds up the intensity."

That intensity comes from a close rivalry that exists between the two teams. After splitting games in the regular season last year, Catholic was able to slip by American in the first round of the Mason-Dixon Collegiate Hockey League playoffs. After tying the game at 5 to force overtime, Catholic put a quick end to things by scoring 11 seconds into OT. After a the face-off Gebler got the puck at center ice, and rifled a shot high and just to the left of the net. As the players watched the shot, winger Mike Cullen streaked into the zone and poked the puck just inside the near post past the American goalie for the win.

"It was a great feeling, winning that game," noted winger Zak McGinniss. "It was such a back-and-forth game, and the way we won just made it that much more exciting. Before I knew it the game was over and we were jumping the boards to celebrate."

Needless to say, American has been working to improve their team for this season. Both teams practice at the Ft. Dupont Ice Rink, and routinely cross paths around practice time. While everything is civil at Ft. Dupont, you have the feeling that things at the Verizon Center will become pretty heated.

Throw in rowdy college fans from both schools, and it's a recipe for some great hockey.

So if you're at the Verizon on Sunday for some Caps action, be sure to stick around for some intense and exciting college hockey immediately afterwards.

The Hersheypark Arena Aura

Earlier I read pucksandbooks' article on his trip to the old Hersheypark Arena to watch a Bears practice.

Pucks waxed poetic on the state of the rink, and reflected on the intimate atmosphere it provided.

As I slowly read the article all I could think of was my trip down there for the Mason-Dixon Collegiate Hockey League playoffs. Last season Catholic University made the playoffs, and headed up to Hershey to face American in the first round.

I knew the rink was old, but nothing prepared me for what I saw. The first thing you notice is the contrast of old and new. To get to the old Arena, you have to circle the new Giant Arena. The old rink also sits about a hundred yards from the edge of Hershey's Chocolate World, a modern building that leads you into the park. After that Hersheypark Arena looks old and worn, but to hockey lovers it's quaint and full of history.

To reach the locker rooms we had to enter the main doors, and walk to a back stairwell to reach the underbelly of the arena. There is no real concourse, simply a narrow walkway halfway up the stands, with individual nooks underneath the upper seating that contain restrooms and concessions stands. In one such nook there was a narrow stairwell so tight and turning that your hockey bag banged off the wall on your left and railing on your right the whole way down.

Downstairs held several locker rooms and skate rental counter. The locker rooms were worn but spacious, and provided ample room to horse around and prepare. Another door in the locker room opened to the walkway that leads to the ice next to the bench. When we arrived there was a public skate going on, so we threw on our skates and had a little fun before our game. Nothing makes you feel more like a kid than when you're zooming around the ice during a public skate, weaving in and out of other skaters, and mock threatening to knock each other over.

Halfway through the game the puck was tied up near one of the faceoff circles in the American zone. Playing defense, I pinched in and somehow snuck a backhand past the netminder for the goal. It was my second goal of the season, and I was ecstatic. To be able to have that feeling in such a cool place was beyond compare.

The next morning we were smoked in the semifinals by Alvernia, and were sent packing. But it was without question one of the coolest two days of hockey I've ever had. They held an AHL All-Star game there, the Bears won Calder Cups there. And there I was sitting in locker rooms that were once occupied by guys no playing in the NHL. It was a neat feeling.

Sure there were maybe 30-40 people watching our games, and the rink echoed it's emptiness. But there was just something about looking up above the upper-most seats behind each net and checking the progress of the game on the decades-old scoreboards. There's a warmth you feel with the old wooden seats and the faded paint. Pucks is so right in saying the steeped seating and old feel made it seem that much more intimate.

Overall the weekend was an experience. Nothing beats fighting for a championship in a storied old building like that. The hours-long trip there, the anticipation, the victory and defeat. It all adds up to create something that will never be forgotten. Even the picture of Osala giving that young boy a stick makes me smile.

Why? Because seven months ago it was me that was walking down that runway.

Lidstrom Breaks Nose

Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom took a puck to the face during last night's game against the Montreal Canadiens. He suffered a broken nose and is expected to miss about 3 games. From TSN;

"He's got a broken nose, but everything's fine," Babcock told the Free Press. "I mean, he got hit in the head with a puck, and so he's not feeling good today - he didn't even come to the rink today; he'll be back here tomorrow and then he'll be rolling in no time."

It's only the preseason, and Lidstrom is a veteran, so he's not missing anything new. He'll have a week or two off from games to let things heal, and he'll be back and ready for the end of the preseason and the start of the season.

Capitals Wrap Up Last Full Day of Camp With Scrimmage

There was a lot to do today as the Caps rookie prospects went through several drills before getting down to the fun stuff: a scrimmage.

At the end of one drill Neuvirth started to skate away from the net and took a slapshot off the back of his leg. He hit the ice and was down for a minute, but otherwise looks ok. He has a plain white helmet, but I'm intrigued by the Hershey-colored pads. Hopefully that means something.

It's only 15 minutes until the actual scrimmage, and the rookies are running what might as well be a scrimmage already. Technically it's a drill being run at one end of the ice, but it is definitely a game situation drill of 5-on-5 in the zone. There are occasional whistles and the rotation of players, but these guys are going all out and fighting for the puck all over the zone. It looks like the focus is working the puck in the corners and along the boards.

The rookies are in the locker rooms as the Zam is doing a thorough resurfacing of the ice. So with a fresh sheet, a trio of refs, and the guys back on the ice, it's scrimmage time.

After the first period of play a few things stood out to me. Viktor Dogvan has the skills to be an impact defenseman in a year or so. He made a couple small mistakes but showed some good moves and solid positioning. On the other hand, his partner, Sean Collins, just doesn't look like he can hack it with the big boys. He's also the oldest player at rookie camp, as he turns 25 in October. Also, Josh Godfrey hasn't impressed me as much as I thought he would. He's had a few turnovers in front of his own net and hasn't shown much offensively. And man is Oskar Osala is a big guy. At 6'4" he's tallest only behind Eric Mestery, who stands 6'5".

Boudreau Puts Potential Capitals Through Their Paces

It wasn't a whole lot of fun for the Caps prospects earlier today, as Coach Boudreau ran them ragged on their first day of Rookie Camp. Tarik likened it to the scene in "Miracle" where Kurt Russell works his team after a game until they drop.

It wasn't meant as a punishment, though. Boudreau did it for a couple of reasons. First, he wanted to see who was in shape and who wasn't. (Karl Alzner, John Carlson passed Boudreau's test easily, while Mathieu Perreault, Anton Gustafsson and Dmitry Kugryshev, well, they were among the ones who wound up on their backs.) Secondly, Boudreau wanted to make sure that when the grueling skate was over, each of the prospects had a clear understanding of what it takes to make it in the Big Leagues.

Tim Leone of The Patriot-News likened it to Bear Bryant working out the Junction Boys when he coached Texas A&M.

Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau, playing the role of Bear Bryant in his Texas A&M incarnation, put 26 players through a vigorous two-hour workout capped by a draining 15-minute conditioning skate that dropped Dmitry Kugryshev to his knees, put Anton Gustafsson on his back, and made Mathieu Perreault so woozy he nearly fainted.

Boudreau also said that;

The rest of the week won't be nearly as hard, but we had to have a barometer of who is where and what stage they were ready," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We wanted to make the young guys understand there is NHL shape, there is junior shape, [and] there is AHL shape. This is stuff I had to go through as a player. I didn't understand. If we can make them understand at 19 or 20, then for some of them with their next camp, especially the first-year guys, it is 'I know what I've got to do this summer.'

Rookie Camp gives a lot of guys a taste of what it's like to play in the NHL even though they won't see any action for a year or two. First-round pick Anton Gustafsson will spent at least 2 more seasons is Sweden, and Dmitry Kugryshev will be playing the the QMJHL this year. But when they come back for their next training camps, they'll know exactly what is expected of them. As Boudreau said, they'll know how much work they have to do in the off-season and the level they have to play at to make it in the NHL.

On the other hand, the only thing the rookies need to remember is that in comparison, the rest of camp will be easy. Or at least it will seem easy after what they had to go through today.

Cardiff Devils Lend a Hockey Hand to Basingstoke Bison

After dealing with the less than kosher dealings of owners like Anaheim's Henry Samueli and Nashville's William "Boots" Del Biaggio III, it's always nice to hear stories like this one out of Britain:

The Cardiff Devils are proud to have provided substantial, immediate five figure cash injection that will enable the Basingstoke Bison to compete in the BMI Baby Elite League next season.

Cardiff Devils owner Matt Burge commented: “I am delighted to be able to help Basingstoke out in this way. We need to look at the bigger picture and the impact of no Bison team in the Elite League would have been severe; it would have not only been terrible news for Bison fans, but the league as a whole.”

Following the collapse of Zoom airlines, the possibility of no Elite League ice hockey in Basingstoke had become very real. As part of their sponsorship deal with the Bison, Zoom had been scheduled to fly the new team to the UK; an obligation they could not fulfil following their collapse. However, fans can now look forward to a ten-team league with Basingstoke an integral part of that next season.

Burge continued; “At Cardiff, we have felt the repercussions from the collapse of Zoom, but Basingstoke suffered severely. They now have the foundations in place to build a sustainable future, which is so vital to clubs throughout British ice hockey. However, the goodwill stops at the plexi; we’ll be looking forward to smashing the Bison all over the ice when we play them.”

Bison owner Tomas Enerston said; “The Cardiff Devils have demonstrated the true spirit of our great game. Their incredible support is a huge contribution, not just to Basingstoke, but the whole league. It also ensures that top level ice hockey will remain in the South of England. We will be forever grateful”

“The Devils new owner Matt Burge has shown he recognises the importance of a strong Elite League to the game as a whole in the UK, by helping us during this tough time. The Devils are our local rivals, but also our great friends and I am very much looking forward to our two clubs continuing both our rivalry and friendship this season” said Enerston.

The Devils are also offering Bison fans a 4 game flex ticket for each of their games against the Devils at the Cardiff Bay arena. Bison fans can attend all four games for just £40 as part of the Devils’ 4 for £40 offer.

Such generosity is unrivaled, and is just another example of why hockey communities include the most close-knit and nicest people around.

The Bigger Picture For British Ice Hockey

With traditional hockey countries like the US and Canada, Sweden, Russia, and the Czech Republic having national and international hockey leagues, other nations and their leagues tend to get overlooked.

One such example is the Elite Ice Hockey League in Great Britain. What was once the British Hockey League turned into the Ice Hockey Superleague before becoming the EIHL. It is a ten-team league with members in every area of Britain except for one important one: London. Says Ian Winwood of The Guardian;

London essentially has two kinds of journalist - the one who believes the city is the centre of the world, and the one who believes the city is the world. Given this, securing national coverage for a game between the Basingstoke Bison and the Hull Stingrays is a tough draw. Securing a team in London would be a smart move for the Elite League. Not because London is the UK's key 'media market' (although it is) and not because London is the UK's most significant city (although it is). The reason London should have a team is because it might just take hold.

The average age of Premier League attendees is now 40-something, meaning that a whole generation of people are being priced out of the stadiums near which they live. Most of these people will not develop a taste for hockey. But you don't need most of them, just four or five thousand. Build a small arena...and sell the game, cheap, to young people. It might work. It did for me.

It's clear that even across the pond hockey can capture the attention of a kid and draw them to the game for life. Ian Winwood has taken his passion to the NHL, covering the Flyers, Rangers, and Capitals. Just goes to show, NHL fans can come from anywhere. Winwood finishes his article with a simple request.

So let me ask this favour: if you get the chance to attend one of this season's Elite League games then please do so. It's not much more expensive than the pictures and you might come home with a souvenir puck, or someone's front tooth. Not only that, but you will be supporting something that is local to you in more ways than geography. Try it once, you never know. I'm not going to say that the experience will change your life, but it certainly changed mine.

You can tell that the Elite League is working to build interest in hockey and a sense of community. A league rule is that no more than 10 players can be international, which forces teams to recruit from junior teams and build a pipeline of homegrown players.

Hopefully the Elite League will expand, preferably into London, and the league will continue to grow and thrive.

Several Capitals Brush Up On Their Skills Before Training Camp

Some of the players are holding an informal practice at Kettler today. Chris Clark, Boyd Gordon, Brent Johnson, Jose Theodore, Shaone Morrisonn, Donald Brashear, Matt Bradley, and a couple other guys. There's 9 skaters plus both goalies, so I know I'm missing someone. And at least one of them is not from the Caps. I asked Paul, and apparently he's the hockey pro here at Kettler, or something along those lines.

After some down the wing shooting drills and two-on-ones, the skaters broke up into 3 teams of 3 and are running an informal 3-on-3 scrimmage, rotating through the teams. The far net has been brought up to the far blueline, so they're not playing the full length. They've been out for about an hour or so, and there has been a decent amount of hanging and some quality open shots. Both netminders are getting a workout.

What has stood out to me the most this morning is the release of Chris Clark. Several times he has taken a pass and the puck isn't on his stick a half-second before he rips it into the net. Everyone had a penalty shot on each goalie to end the scrimmage session, and against Theodore Clark pulled the puck across his body backhand to forehand and sent a wrister past Theodore before he could even react. It's just so quick.

With that said the remaining guys are down to suicides and other skating drills, so I'm going to call it a day.

And remember, we're less than 2 weeks away from the start of Training Camp.

Bourque Coming To Camp Hungry

With nearly every forward position spoken for coming into training camp, there is a shortlist of guys who will fill the last couple spots, and yet another list of guys who will be the first to be called up from Hershey in the event of an injury. Even knowing that he'll most likely be in the call-up list, Chris Bourque will be coming into camp prepared to do whatever he can to grab one of those Caps opening night roster spots.

"To win a job I've got to go in and play well right off the bat," Bourque acknowledged. "I have to keep my work ethic up, finish my checks, be responsible defensively, maybe score a goal or two in the (exhibition) games and get some points.

"Basically, I know I've got to go there and take someone's spot."

This will be a crucial season for Bourque. He has already spent the past 3 seasons in Hershey, and has increased his point totals each season, finishing second on the team in scoring last season. He has the potential to be a big contributor at the NHL level. Now it will be up to him to earn his time.

"There's been a lot of grinding and blood, sweat and tears, but I feel really good now," said the former Cushing Academy and Boston University star. "My legs have never been like this. I feel fresh out on the ice, and my wind is great. I feel really good about where I'm at."

Bourque has been working hard over the summer to improve his speed and jump. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to earn himself a spot. This is certainly going to be an interesting Training Camp for Chris Bourque.

Number 11 No Longer Available

No longer will anyone be able to don the #11 sweater for the Caps, as the team will retire Mike Gartner's jersey on December 28th. From the Caps website;

Gartner, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who ranks second in Capitals history in goals (397), assists (392) and points (789), will become the fourth player in Capitals history to have his number retired...He holds the Capitals record for most consecutive games with a point (17, twice) and consecutive games with a goal (9) and shares the club record for most shorthanded goals in a season (6)...Gartner played 1,432 career games with five teams in his career, recording 708 goals (sixth in NHL history) and 627 assists for 1,335 points. Inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, Gartner holds the NHL record for the most 30-goal seasons (17) and shares the record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons (15). He played in seven NHL All-Star Games and three times won the NHL’s fastest skater competition at the NHL All-Star Game.

This will be the first time a Caps jersey has been retired without the player being the last to wear it. This has been nearly two decades of waiting for Gartner, with #11 being worn by players such as Bob Carpenter and Jeff Halpern after Gartner's departure.

As Caps owner Ted Leonsis puts it;

Capitals fans have fond memories of Mike Gartner flying down the right wing and scoring goals at the Capital Centre,” said Capitals chairman and majority owner Ted Leonsis. “This is a fitting tribute to one of the elite offensive players in the history of the game who was a crucial member of the first Capitals playoff teams.

It's always good add another piece of visible history to the rafters of the Verizon Center. While it doesn't change anything that Gartner did, I'm sure it will make more than a few kids in the crowd as their dads "Who is that?". And then they'll hear a story about one of the greatest goalscorers in league and Capitals history.

The Nerdiest Hockey Post Ever

I love hockey. And I love to see how stuff is made. Combine the two, and you get a select few episodes of Discovery Channel's How It's Made that focus on hockey equipment. And in honor of Labor Day The Peerless has embedded videos that show how to make hockey pucks, composite sticks, goalie masks, and hockey skates. If only he had the clip on building Zambonis, I'd be in heaven. And if you're like me and can't get enough of How It's Made, here's a clip on how to set up a rink.

So next time you strap on your skates, hit the ice, take your stick and unleash a slapper on net, think about all it took to get you there.

Ottawa Helps Tampa Make Big Move

With the Ottawa Senators unable to reach a deal with defenseman Andrej Meszaros, they have cut a deal that sends him to Tampa Bay for defensemen Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard, and a first round draft pick.

Word was that the Bolts were prepping an offer sheet for Meszaros that went way beyond what the Sens were willing to offer him. If the Lightning had signed him away, they would have had to give Ottawa a first, second, and third round draft picks as compensation. Unfortunately they gave their third round pick to Pittsburgh for Ryan Malone.

In order to get Meszaros Tampa had to work out a deal. So instead of parting with 2nd and 3rd round picks in addition to the 1st rounder, the Bolts sent Kuba and Picard north, who can be considered worth 2nd and 3rd round picks, respectively.

The Senators did what they had to do here, but it still seems like they lost out in the deal. If they had allowed him to sign away, they gained 3 draft picks. In this deal they get a first round pick, a 31 year old defenseman in Kuba with good if not average numbers, and a young blueliner in Picard with good potential but not much in terms of experience.

Ottawa has lost much of its blueliners in the off-season, with only Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov remaining from last season. The Sens just don't have the time to get new picks and let them develop. They need immediate impact, and will have a good incoming balance in the veteran leadership of Kuba and the raw skills of Picard.

Under the circumstances both teams will be getting more talent, whether its overall or in the skills of an individual player. The move helps Ottawa bolster its blueline, and fits into the Bolts' plan to ice a solid team this season.

Ottawa could have done better, but for the situation its a solid deal.

Capitals Latest to Offer "Variable Pricing"

According to Greg over at Puck Daddy, the Caps have become the latest team to add variable pricing to their schedule. In addition to no group discounts for the select games,

season-ticket holders can no longer purchase additional tickets for friends at their discounted rate for select Capitals home games: Like the season-opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, and contests against the New York Rangers (Nov. 8 and Jan. 3), Detroit Red Wings (Jan. 31) and the two visits from Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins (Feb. 22 and March 8).

Individual tickets for those games will increase by an average of $15 above their usual cost.

At least these price hikes are only in place for 6 games. But it still hurts the average fan, if only for 6 games. With so many transplanted Rangers and Pens fans that live here, what's the incentive to see any other Caps games if they are getting ripped off to see their own team play. I have friends at school that only manage to make it to a game or two a year, usually to see their home teams play, which just so happens to be the Pens and Rangers. If they have to fork over an extra $15 for one game, it makes it that much harder to justify seeing another Caps game.

Greg also notes that;

Nate Ewell, director of media relations, told me today that this variable pricing is in keeping with the Capitals' long-standing tradition of trying to fill their building with more home than away fans.

"That's something that's important to the franchise and to our season-ticket holders," he said. "And Caps fans can still buy those tickets with savings - season-ticket holders get them at their usual rate and fans can buy mini-plans as small as six games that include substantial savings."

Now how about the fans that can't get a six game plan?

I suggest a different idea to allow more home fans than away. Keep the price increase for all tickets purchased online, but allow for a discount if the tickets are bought at the box office. And if they really want to get tough, make sure the tickets at the box office are bought within a week or two of the game, so out-of-towners can't buy tickets well in advance while in the District, and come back later for the game. This allows local fans to save by buying tickets at Kettler, while away fans will have to pay the $15 price increase on Ticketmaster.

Variable pricing is a bad idea. If we have to pay extra for what are anticipated to be more exciting games, shouldn't we get to pay less for games against lesser opponents like Toronto or Nashville. At least cut the 6-game packages into 2 or 3 game packages. Don't charge extra, but make someone that buys a premier game have to buy a ticket to a game that the Caps will have trouble selling tickets for.

Calling on the need to have more home fans than away fans is a poor excuse for variable pricing. There will probably be more Flyers fans in DC this season than Hawks and Wings fans combined. If you're going to pry extra money out of the fans, then at least step up and give a real reason for why. The Caps can at least say they need to bring in more money to pay more in salary. I'd at least understand.

Whatever the reason, no paying customer is going to be a fan of variable pricing.

Just Give it to Him Already

In an MVN Outsider list of the Franchise players for each team, Jonathan Ragus has Peter Bondra tabbed as the Face of the Franchise for the Caps. But his explanation doesn't explain a heck of a whole lot.

Watch your back Peter because there is a slick, fast, amazing Russian by the name of Alexander Ovechkin who is going to steal this title from you, if he hasn’t already.

There are a few guys that you think about when you think Capitals. Mike Vogel thinks of Dale Hunter. Many people think of recently departed goalie Olaf Kolzig. Bondra, Gustafsson, and Langway pop into mind as well. But if you're simply going to tell a guy that he'll be overthrown shortly, you might as well just get it over with now. While Ovechkin isn't a sentimental favorite, he has done much to reinvigorate the District with a passion for hockey. He is also already arguably the best player in Caps history, if not stat-wise then skill-wise.

So with all due respect to Peter Bondra, Alex Ovechkin is the face of the franchise. Plain and simple.

Another Writer Tabs the Caps for Tops in the Southeast

The Caps come into this season with high expectations from fans, experts, and the organization itself. Add Jared Book from MVN's Outsider to the growing list of people expecting big things. He has the Caps repeating as Southeast champs, this time by a wider margin. They "have the talent to finish 3rd based on points, not just because they win their division." I don't know if I'd go that far, but they certainly have the potential to crack the 5-spot on points alone.

It will be really interesting to see how the Caps perform with a whole season of Boudreau behind the bench. Can they keep up the pace they had under him last season for a full schedule? Or do they go through a few slumps and finish in roughly the same spot they did last season? Bottom line is they will take the division either way and earn the 3 seed in the East.

And about that Ovechkin guy, this is what Book has to say:

Alexander Ovechkin is my favourite player in the National Hockey League. Not for his eccentric personality or his fantastic array of skill, but because he isn’t just a scorer. He stands up for himself, he stands up for his teammates and plays with an edge that we’re starting to see from this new wave of Russians and Europeans coming to the NHL...No matter what you do, you will not stop him, and that’s why him doing most of the scoring on this Washington team doesn’t concern me. You can do anything you want to him, and short of taking off his skates or locking him in the dressing room, he will get his points. There aren’t many players you can say that about in the league.

Heck, even a broken nose doesn't stop the guy.

This season's roster brings together the solid blend of talented youngsters, poised veterans, and skilled role players required to help carry the team deep into the playoffs. Now it's up to them to fulfill expectations.

Hats Off to Our Photographers

Tic Tac Toe did their own little Caps hockey blogger awards the other day. There were some interesting titles and award winning blogs, several of whom I am familiar with and a couple that were new to me.

Over the course of the awards Off Wing managed to put in an appearance. Thanks to our excellent staff of photographers Off Wing took top prize in the photography category. Or as TTT puts it, "The Scarlet Johanson Award -- For Visual Aesthetics"

Winner: OffWing nails this badboy, and deservedly so. I'm always stunned by at least a few of their shots, press pass or not.

Allen, Ellen, and Kate have worked hard over the years to provide topflight images of a variety of events. They've covered DC United, Washington Capitals, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Michigan hockey, and numerous other events.

Looking at their work it's easy to see why they provide some of the best sports photography, for blog purposes or otherwise, in the DC area.

The Search for a Hockey Book

One of the earliest things that interested me in hockey was a book I used to get from my elementary school library. If I remember right, it was simply titled "Stanley Cup Stories". If you looked at the library card in the back of the book I was responsible for nearly all its use.

The problem is, I can't seem to find it. My old school no longer has it, most likely due to my losing it at some point a decade or so ago. I've searched online and in old book stores, and have a few leads, but so far I have come up empty handed. If anyone out there knows of the book I am talking about, and knows more about it, or even where a copy can be found, please feel free to point me in the right direction.

The only things I can recall is that the book was hardcover and brown, with the title in black on the lower right corner of the cover. Two chapters I remember included the story of the 1924 Canadiens fixing their car and leaving the Cup on the side of the road and the 1928 Cup finals when Rangers goalie Lorne Chabot was hurt and coach Lester Patrick suited up and played the rest of the game.

It was a great book that I couldn't get enough of as a kid. I'd like to be able to go through that book again, I just need some help in finding it.

Another Way to be the Most Valuable Player

"...which NHL players are worth the most in a one-for-one swap?"

As most will agree, Scott Cullen thinks it's Ovie.

The guidelines of the exercise was such:

1. Contract - It's better to have a long-term deal, if the price is right for the production, because the team knows that they have that asset for a definite period of time. The cap hit of the contract is obviously important as well. After all, getting a player to provide similar production to another player at a fraction of the price provides significant value to the franchise.

On the other hand, players that are closing in on free agency aren't as valuable because they may only provide a season's worth of value.

2. Age - A young player has potential that, while it may not be realized yet, is undeniably worth something on the trade market. It's how guys like Steven Stamkos and Kyle Turris made this list.

At the other end of the spectrum, as a player gets older, his impact tends to diminish, naturally decreasing trade value.

Ovechkin is the best player in the league at the young age of 23. He also has a guaranteed a contract until 2021. Any GM would kill to have him on their team.

And with that Ovechkin finds yet another way to win MVP honors.

Room for Everybody

In all the scrutiny over the surprise retirement announcement of Stefan Legein there was a hidden gem in an article by The Hockey News' Adam Proteau.

The other intriguing angle to this story is the way in which the news was broken: by a Blue Jackets blogger who received an anonymous tip and forwarded it on to intrepid Columbus Dispatch reporter (and THN correspondent) Aaron Portzline, who confirmed the news with team officials.

There’s still a sizeable chasm between the hockey media establishment and bloggers, but I’m guessing that gap will shrink in the coming years. As long as both sides are on the same page in terms of accuracy and accountability, there’s room for everybody.

Indeed, at a time when the NHL has trouble selling itself to traditional media, nobody in the hockey business should be especially picky as to who piques fans’ interest in all aspects of the game.

While Proteau speaks the truth, it is nothing new for some of us. Capitals owner Ted Leonsis learned long ago that bloggers were going to become an integral part of sports reporting. For several years bloggers have been welcome in the Capitals press box to cover games and practices. The New York Islanders have set up a special section that allows bloggers to enjoy certain games and go into the locker room after and report on the game.

It's nice to see more and more people recognizing the benefits of bloggers and their ability to coexist with mainstream media. And Proteau is absolutely right, it's all about accuracy and accountability. Bloggers conduct themselves with the same professionalism as MSM reporters. Many sports reporters even have their own blogs. Go into the Capitals locker room post-game on any given night and you would be hard-pressed to tell who is a blogger and who is an MSM reporter.

The divide between bloggers and MSM reporters is rapidly shrinking, and the black and white is turning into shades of gray. And that's not at all a bad thing.

Stefan Legein Retires...at 19

Stefan Legein is a little-known prospect in the Columbus Blue Jackets system. I'll even admit I've never heard of him, except for the mock interview he did with John Tavares. Well apparently he has had enough of hockey, according to several sources. Both Puck Daddy and Eric picked up on a post by Columbus Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline. According to Aaron, he received an e-mail from Jackets blogger Bethany Porter at Bethany's Hockey Rants. It was actually forwarded, as she received the anonymous e-mail with the initial news that Legein was done.

Now this was initially to be taken two different ways.

First, Stefan is really done. He has lost his desire to play, and he's simply had enough. It's a tough thing to wrap your head around, but is completely understandable. The kids that are destined for the NHL have most likely been playing non-stop since they were around 6. They go to camps and selects tryouts and join travel teams. It's fine when you love the game, but I can see how some kids could tire of it.

Secondly, you can see Legein as a big jokester. As Puck Daddy puts it, "we knew him best as the guy with an athletic tape mustache interviewing John Tavares." As Eric notes;

There may be other reasons to hedge our bets. The blog Two-Line Pass chimed in with some helpful reminders about just what sort of kid Legein really is:

Legein is famous for his pranks. Sportsnet ran a story stating he once tricked a rookie into thinking he had been traded, is known for putting shaving cream under the door handles of teammates' cars, and the CBC has called him "Team Canada's original prankster."

...TLP makes some interesting points: The original report did come from an anonymous tipster, and you'd figure that a 19-year old kid would have consulted his parents before making such a life-changing decision. Then again, the team's general manager confirmed the report, something you'd think he wouldn't do lightly. If this is a prank as TLP has considered, I can't imagine the team, his parents or his agent will be terribly happy with him.

Following events as they have unfolded suggests that Legein may very well be done. According to Portzline, Legein's parents are saying he hasn't quit anything yet, while his agent is saying otherwise.

This will certainly be an interesting story to follow as it continues to unfold, as it most certainly will. In a relatively light summer news-wise for hockey, Legein's situation will be closely scrutinized and reported on. It is unfortunate, as he will undoubtedly have to deal with that added scrutiny for such an important personal decision. As THN's Adam Proteau puts it;

Who among us hasn’t had doubts in our late teens (or for that matter, well beyond that age) about our direction in life? Legein’s biggest problem is he has been in a line of work that receives so much publicity and adulation most casual observers assume he should be down on his hands and knees in gratitude for the opportunities he’s been afforded.

That attitude has some degree of validity. At the same time, though, nobody knows what led this kid to his decision.

So until we find out the whole story, the real story, let's step back and give the kid room to breathe, and to think.

Steckel Gets Another Year

After a solid first year in the league, the Caps have rewarded center Dave Steckel with a one-year contract extension. This will keep Steckel in a Caps uniform through the '09-'10 season.

Steckel was the top face-off winner for the Caps last season, and ranked 7th in the league. The Caps came into last season with questions in the face-off circle. Backstrom and Steckel were untested, and Kozlov and Laich aren't known for their face-off prowess. Nylander was just below 50% when his season was ended by injury. Along with Boyd Gordon, Steckel was a pleasant surprise for the Caps this season at the dot.

Dave Steckel will be making a half million dollars this coming season, which is a bargain considering his production last season. He was a plus 1 with 12 points on the season, which is pretty good for a defensive-minded player. He was able to hold his own in the defensive end while contributing offensively. His role diminished late in the season as the Caps picked up Sergei Fedorov, bringing their number of active centers to 6.

With a deep list of centers coming into camp this year for the Caps, it will be interesting to see how Steckel does and where he ends up. He has always played well for coach Boudreau, so it would seem the safe bet is on him sticking with the Caps starting lineup for most if not the whole season.

Fears Put to Rest

With his post the other day concerning his good fortune in acquiring Frozen Four tickets, On Frozen Blog's pucksandbooks unknowingly caused me a couple days of anxiety.

You see, I too had applied for a set of tickets to the Frozen Four. But I double checked my e-mail, and no confirmation was there. Nothing.

And then at the tail end of a phone conversation with my father, I got the good word. "Oh by the way, we got those Frozen Four tickets." What was an off-hand remark for him, I was through the roof.

Last year he went out to Denver to see the Frozen Four, so it will be nice to have him come down to my neck of the woods for some hockey. The regionals are almost always held in Worcester, and my father and I would go down to get a glimpse of the players we didn't get a chance to see.

Since I haven't been able to catch any college hockey playoffs the past few years, this will be a treat for the both of us. Ever since I found out the Frozen Four was being held in DC this coming season, I have been dying to go. The best teams in college hockey playing for the championship in my own backyard. It's a can't miss.

And now that I know I have my tickets, I'll be able to sleep easy.

Choose Your Dream Team

The other day our good friend Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy gave us his roster for an all-time hockey dream team. Says Sean;

Listening to Toronto's FAN590 this week inspired me to write this post. On the show Hockey Central with host Doug Farraway, he brought up a contest the station was doing about naming your dream hockey squad. Consisting of four forward lines, three defensive pairings and two goaltenders, this dream team could be made up from any players from any era.

What at first glance seems like a simple enough question is actually quite the thinker. There are just so many ways to go. Do you take current stars like Ovechkin, Crosby, Lidstrom, and Broduer, or do you go old school, taking guys like Joe Malone, Frank Mahovlich, and Sid Abel? Do you take all Hall of Famers, or do you mix things up? Can you take players based on specific moments, like Jim Craig at Lake Placid, or do you take into account his lackluster pro career and skip over him?

Leahy is encouraging all to submit their rosters, and it will be interesting to see how serious, and outlandish, people can get. There will be the numerous inclusions of Gretzky and Lemieux, and Orr and Roy (yes I've included them on my team), but it will be a treat to see how people fill out the rest of their rosters.

The choices are endless, and I have a feeling you'll be able to tell a lot about a person by who they pick? Do they follow the pack and take the easy picks, or do they go off the charts and put together an intriguing team? Will they take legendary greats from the early years of hockey, or will they stick with guys they know for a fact are scary good?

Well without further adieu, I present my own Hockey Dream Team.

First Line: Wayne Gretzky, Joe Sakic, Mario Lemieux

Yes they are all centers, but for my top line I'd like to think I have a little leeway. This is a pure scoring line, with Gretzky and Lemieux surrounded one of the least selfish and classiest players in the NHL in Joe Sakic. Who wouldn't want to see Burnaby Joe dishing the puck all over the ice to the two greatest goal scorers hockey has ever seen? Everyone will have The Great One and Super Mario somewhere on their teams, but it's Sakic that would provide the leadership and class to drive this team.

Second Line: Alex Ovechkin, Phil Esposito, Gordie Howe

This is my heart and soul line. Ovechkin plays every shift like it's his last, and will without question finish his career as the best left winger ever to play the game. Espo was a great playmaker and finisher, and was a hero in Boston. Who else at the time could inspire a bumper sticker that read "Jesus saves, Espo scores on the rebound." He also holds the record for most shots on goal in a season with 550. Throw in Mr. Hockey, and you've got possibly the best crash-the-net line anywhere. Whoever is in net will be seeing so much rubber his head will be spinning.

Third Line: Valery Kharlamov, Frank "One-Eye" McGee, Maurice "Rocket" Richard

This is my skill line. The natural talent found here is unmatched. Kharlamov lead the most feared hockey team in the world for nearly 20 years. He was a hero in the Soviet Union, and was so devastating in the 1972 Summit Series that Bobby Clarke broke his ankle to slow him down. Frank McGee still holds the record for most goals in a Stanley Cup game with 14. Said Frank Patrick; "He was even better than they say he was. He had everything - speed, stickhandling, scoring ability and was a punishing checker. He was strongly built but beautifully proportioned and he had an almost animal rhythm." And of course Rocket Richard was so loved and revered he could have taken over Canada if he really wanted to. As Sean put it, "Richard ... well, he caused a riot after nailing a linesman." He also knew how to score goals...lots of 'em.

Fourth Line: Ted Lindsay, Jean Beliveau, Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion

This is the tough guy line. "Terrible Ted" was both a scoring champion and a physical player. And you've got to respect anyone that has a lifelong fued with Conn Smythe. As for Beliveau, he was a class act who just so happens to have his name on the Stanley Cup a record 17 times (10 as a player, 7 as an executive). And I'm shamelessly piggybacking on Greg when I throw in Boom-Boom Geoffrion, mostly due to the fact that he originated the slap shot, which lends its name to the famous movie, which is possibly Hollywood's single greatest contribution to mankind. Bernie also was famous for playing through bad injuries, breaking his nose several times and getting hundreds of stitches over his career.

Defense, First Pair: Bobby Orr, Nicklas Lidstrom

Much like Shaone Morrisonn was Mike Green's safety blanket this season, Lidstrom would be the safeguard for the ever-rushing Orr. While Orr would cruise the offensive zone, Lidstrom could glide up to the offensive blueline, waiting for the feed to either unleash a shot or work the puck around, quarterbacking the play from up top. They very well may be the two best defensemen ever, so they are deserving of each other as the top pairing.

Defense, Second Pair: Lionel Conacher, Doug Harvey

Conacher was such a stellar all-around athlete that he was named Canada's top male athlete of the half-century in 1950. Nicknamed "The Big Train" he was an imposing player, standing 6'2", 195 lbs. before skates. He played in a time before the Norris Trophy was awarded to the top defenseman in the NHL, or else he would certainly have one to his name. Harvey, on the other hand, has several Norris Trophies, 7 to be exact. He knew how to get the job done.

Defense, Third Pair: Ray Bourque, Chris Pronger

I'm showing a little home team pride with my choice of Ray Bourque. He holds records for most points by a defenseman and most goals. He spent nearly his entire career with the Bruins, leaving for the last year and a half to win a Cup, his only one, with Colorado. His class will offset the nastiness found with Chris Pronger. Pronger holds the last defensive spot for being a heavy hitter who also happens to be insane. He is a fan of the bodycheck and heavy slapshot, but doesn't mind resorting to stomping or clobbering someone in the head with his stick. He is so unbalanced that opposing teams will think twice before messing with anyone on the team.

Goalie, Starting: Patrick Roy

No one matches Roy's credentials. He was a Vezina winner, Conn Smythe winner, and is the winningest goalie in NHL history. His early success as a Cup and Conn Smythe winner in his rookie season, which he didn't even start in net. He was a great netminder in crucial games, and Roy wasn't afraid to mix things up, fighting both Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon. He was a sort of wild child, but there's no one you'd rather have in net to get a big win.

Goalie, Backup: Vladislav Tretiak

Tretiak paired with Kharlamov to be the other half of the feared duo on the Soviet Olympic teams. He won multiple gold medals, and it is widely regarded that he would have most likely had a 3rd if coach Viktor Tikhonov had left him in goal for the remainder of the Miracle on Ice game. Part of his success came from the mystery surrounding the Soviet team. Not many teams beat the Soviets, and Tretiak was considered to be nearly unbeatable between the pipes. The mystery only adds to his allure.

So there you have it, my personal Dream Team. Feel free to let us know who you would pick. Remember, we all know that you'll put Gretzky and Lemieux in there; we're interested to see who else you put in. So take your time and think, it's certainly not an easy process. We'll be here waiting...

Replacing Barry Melrose

Puck Daddy brought this to my attention earlier, and now that I've recovered from the laughing-induced sore ribs, I feel compelled to share it with you. So here are ESPN's options to replace Barry Melrose. (For the whole thing go to The Money Shot)

Reg Dunlop

If you've seen the movie, which I shouldn't even have to ask anyway, you know that Reg is a marketing genius that knows how to get people talking about hockey.
Potential catchphrase - (After a questionable hit against the boards by a goon) "Oh you cheap son of a bitch. Are you crazy? Those guys are retards!"

Reggie would bring hockey broadcasting back to the good old days, when organ players were hit with pucks and Hanson brothers would roam the stands beating up anyone they thought had thrown something at them. Heck, have him team up with Mike Millbury and you're pretty much there.

Matt Stairs

I remember some baseball game from a few years back where Stairs was mic'ed in the dugout and he asked who was winning some random hockey game. It was hilarious. I think he's a Canuck, too, so that helps.

Well he's certainly not doing anything noteworthy for the Toronto BlueJays. Might as well call it a career and cover a real man's sport.

Judge Walter Burns

The Judge has developed so many great players out in rural Alaska, the man clearly knows his hockey like he knows the law. But I worry that he would talk too much about the open ice game as opposed to the NHL-sized rinks.

On the plus side, he played two-way hockey in college. He knows his stuff, and shows the right kind of disregard for refs.

Gordon Bombay

The man knows the game from his beginnings in the Minnesota Junior League up to his meteoric rise through the coaching ranks. I'm a tad concerned that his ego will get in the way of quality broadcasting. Cake eater!

You can't go wrong with the Minnesota Miracle Man.

Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell)

I thought that Russell was very good in this role actually. With Melrose's mullet leaving the company, ESPN could use some new, great hair in the hockey seat. And everyone loves the Brooks-ian "Lego hair".

He also knows how to give one hell of an inspirational speech. And you can't argue with a gold medal winning coach.

Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme in Sudden Death)

McCord may not know much about the sport, but he's a beloved figure for stopping that terrorist attack in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That alone makes him a Canadian Icon...like Dave Coulier!

Everyone in Pittsburgh would automatically tune in for every game. As an added bonus for Caps fans, he's really good at kicking the crap out of IceBerg, the Pens mascot.

Elisha Cuthbert

Not only does Elisha blog about hockey during the NHL playoffs, she will also sleep with anyone that has skates or a stick or has a bag of ice.

Also, she's really hot. And Canadian. And did we mention hot?

Tim "Little Hockey" Meadows

All around the world, Meadows is known as "Little Hockey". Allow me to paste the transcript since I can't find the video on YouTube (this was done during the strike in '94 and was part of a Weekend Update):

Tim Meadows: Thank you. Thank you. The baseball strike I can deal with. But when it comes to hockey, nobody, and I mean nobody, is a bigger fan than me. In fact, around here, my nickname is "Little Hockey." ... Watch this. [waves to someone off screen] Hey, guys!

Off Screen Guys: Hey, Little Hockey!

Tim Meadows: See? ... [increasingly upset] What am I supposed to now that there is no hockey? Watch basketball? No. I'm sorry, it's not gonna happen. ... But forget about me. What about African-American kids all over the country? ... They need their heroes. If an African-American kid can't look up to a Mario Lemieux or Mark Messier or Mario Roberge or a Guy Carbonneau or ... or Patrick Roy ... who can he look up to? ... I swear to God, there are only a few things that get to Tim Meadows: racism, sexism and no hockey! ... So, come on, you owners and players, I need my hockey. Like I need air or water or food or clothing or whatever. You don't want to make me mad! Because when I get mad, I get stomach pains. Back to you, Norm.

Who doesn't want to hear that Ladies Man voice giving them their hockey commentary. And what guy wouldn't want a man who can give them their hockey while still being able to "provide all the right responses to your romantic queries"?

Well there you have it, the top potential replacements for Barry Melrose. The Money Shot went with Tim "Little Hockey" Meadows for their top choice. I personally would go with Reg Dunlop. Cause nothing beats old time hockey.

Sabathia a Class Act

In an age where players get fed up with their teams, and vice versa, and stars spurn their current teammates for more money elsewhere, C.C. Sabathia made it clear that he didn't leave Cleveland simply for greener pastures.

According to YahooSports;

The left-hander, traded from the Indians to the Brewers for four prospects on July 7, took out a large ad Wednesday in the sports section of Cleveland’s daily newspaper, The Plain Dealer—a $12,870 thank you to the community, the team and its fans.

“Thank you for 10 great years … You’ve touched our lives with your kindness, love and generosity. We are forever grateful! It’s been a privilege and an honor!” read the ad, signed by CC, his wife Amber and the Sabathia family.

Sabathia acknowledged the ad earlier today, saying;

"The day I got traded, my wife and I started thinking about some of the people we needed to thank," said Sabathia, whose trade from Cleveland to Milwaukee was made official when he passed a physical on July 7. "It seemed like something in the paper was the way to do it, and it started as a little half-page. Then it grew to a whole page.

"It was worth it. I had been there 10 years, and I felt like I should say thanks to some people."

It's a rare and appreciated thing when a player recognizes the people that made their time in a certain city so meaningful. Earlier I noted the departure of Manny Ramirez from Boston. While being a stellar ballplayer he will be remembered for his negative antics and the bad vibes he brought to the team, especially of late. In a time where that isn't all that common, it's refreshing to see a player take the time and care to thank those that contributed to his success.

C.C. Sabathia will always be remembered with respect and affection in Cleveland, and his act will only further the respect for him in Milwaukee.

It's been pointed out that Sabathia is a free agent at the end of this season. As many NHL fans know, being traded to a contender and then returning to your old team is not uncommon. Loaning players has been an NHL staple of trade deadlines for years.

So who knows, maybe C.C. will be back in an Indians uniform in the near future.

The Capitals as America's Team

While the Dallas Cowboys are America's Team in football, is there a possibility that the Washington Capitals can become America's Team in hockey, if only for a day? The boys over at On Frozen Blog seem to think so.

On Sunday, February 22, 2009, the Capitals matinee-host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Verizon Center. That day will commemorate the 29th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, the greatest day in the history of hockey and the greatest day in the history of sports. Summertime question for you: what do you think of the idea of the Caps doing something radically different with their sweaters that day — like, say, wearing re-issues of the Lake Placid heroes’ sweaters? Before you dismiss the idea out of hand, let’s first have a little chat among patriots about the matter.

First, let’s acknowledge the Caps’ unique qualifications for potentially pursuing such a scheme. In representing the nation’s capital, Washington’s hockey team is different from 29 others in the NHL. They aren’t a generic animal of prey (Panther, Bruin) or an abstract circumstance of nature (Lightning, Hurricane, Avalanche, Star); they are named as a signifier, of something nationally unifying and laudatory. Millions of Americans each year flock to Washington to experience what our city represents. In return I say a sports team named for the entirety of that experience can well represent one of this nation’s finest moments. If ever there were a pro hockey team compelled to don the ‘80 Miracle look for a commemorative occasion, it ought to be Washington’s Red, White and Blue Capitals.

Now while it sounds like a grand idea, I'd have to disagree. Yes the league needs to observe the date, and do something special. It was arguably the biggest moment in hockey history, and deserves to be recognized and commemorated by the greatest hockey league in the world. But to have one team don the retro USA jerseys for a game is taking the nostalgia too far.

Earlier this week On Frozen Blog designed a third jersey for the Caps that is similar in color and style to the "Miracle on Ice" jerseys worn by Team USA. Now they have noticed the similarity and decided it should mean the Caps can wear the vintage USA jerseys for a day. I go the other way, and say the Caps should wear that third jersey on February 22 in honor of USA's victory over the USSR. It's close enough, and could be even closer with a few tweaks, but retains the Caps logo, making it distinctly theirs.

While the Caps are the closest thing to America's team in the NHL, they are also led by a Russian superstar. There are nearly as many Russians (4) as Americans (6) on the team. So who are we to make those Russian players wear the uniforms of players that defeated their national heroes nearly 30 years ago?

It's a good idea, and very patriotic. Clearly their hearts are in the right place, but in the end it doesn't seem like the right thing to do. The only connection they have is that Dave Christian spent 6 seasons with the Caps.

Yes the Capitals play in Washington, and wear the red, white, and blue. But that's as close as they'll get to the Miracle on Ice.

Lowe, Burke Fued May Be Finished

The heated GM rivalry between Edmonton's Kevin Lowe and Anaheim's Brian Burke may be a thing of the past. Earlier today Lowe was replaced as the Oiler's GM by Steve Tambellini. However, Lowe will remain in the organization, moving up to become Rexall sport's President of Hockey Operations.

Lowe will no longer hold the same position, but he will maintain a heavy hand in the decision-making processes of the Oilers. It will be interesting to see how involved he gets come the trade deadline and during the restricted and unrestricted free agency periods next season. Will he be a heavy influence on Tambellini, or will he back off and allow Tambellini to do his thing? Will he make sure things stay interesting with Burke and the Anaheim organization, or will he let things take their natural course?

In the end it's congratulations for Lowe on his promotion, and we'll have to wait and see what happens for the Oilers as the season rolls along.

#1 Pick Stamkos Signs in Tampa

It's finally official, as Steve Stamkos has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's the standard deal for a rookie, giving him $875,000 a year for the next three years.

But a number one pick deserves more than the rookie standard. Stamkos' contract includes performance incentives that could total $8.55 million over the three years. Said Stamkos about being the top pick;

“The draft is all great, but when you come to training camp it’s a clean slate,” Stamkos said. “I have to earn that respect from the teammates to be part of the team. For me, I’m going to work hard the rest of the summer. I have to be in the best shape of my life and prove to everyone why I was the first pick.”

Stamkos also has an advantage the last few tops picks haven't had: he won't be counted on to save a franchise. In 2004 it was Ovie who was looked up to save the Capitals. A year later it was Sid the Kid who was tasked with turning around the Pittsburgh franchise. Last year Patrick Kane was the savior of Chicago. But while Tampa Bay is certainly in a rebuilding stage, Stamkos is by no means being looked upon to deliver the Bolts back to glory. Tampa has brought in a slew of new talent, and has retained its explosive offensive tandem of Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.

Stamkos will almost certainly gain a spot on the Lightning roster, but there is no weight on his shoulders to carry the team. He will be able to elevate his game to the NHL level on his own terms, and will be able to look to guys like Lecavalier for guidance.

Stamkos can be seen as this year's Nicklas Backstrom. Nicklas joined the Caps this past season in the middle of the pivot depth chart, and quickly climbed his way up to the #1 center position. But while he maintained such an important position, he did not have to do it himself. He had the world's best left winger in Alex Ovechkin to feed the puck to, and he had the veteran guidance of Michael Nylander and Sergei Fedorov, among others.

In much the same way Stamkos will be able to learn from those around him and mature at his own pace.

No doubt he will be a big contributor for Tampa Bay as his rookie season rolls along.

Bruins Bite the Bullet; To Buy Out Murray

For the past few years Glen Murray has been that borderline scorer that seems to always produce, but never quite as much as people would hope for.

After a career year of 44 goals and 92 points in the 2002-2003 season, Murray's production has slowly declined. Since then he has produced 60, 53, 45, and 30 points each season.

Unfortunately for the Boston Bruins organization, while his production has fallen, his contract has not. For the past few seasons he has been making 4.15 million a year, with this season being the last in his current contract.

With his declining production in mind, the Bruins have decided to take the action of buying out Murray's contract. He was put on waivers earlier, and no team claimed him. With his performance dwindling and his body still taking up roster space, Boston didn't really have much of a choice.

Murray is the definition of overpaid. He was stellar in a contract year, and then got worse as the years went by. He could perform at the top of his game this season and not get a bigger contract.

He will catch on with another team in need of a second or third line sniper on the wing. But for now it seems like he'll be getting a big chunk of money to simply walk away.

Not a bad way to wait for a new job.

Phoenix Rewards Brawler Carcillo With New Contract

It looks like one of my favorite new players will be spending some more time in the league. The Phoenix Coyotes have signed Daniel Carcillo to a 2-year deal. This past season was Daniel Carcillo's first in the league. Due to injury he was limited to 57 games, but was still able to rack up a league-leading 324 PIMs, nearly 100 minutes more than Jared Boll, who came in 2nd in the category.

While being a rumbler on the ice, Carcillo also managed to net 13 goals to go along with 11 assists. His +1 tied for 6th on the Coyotes, and his 24 points were 10th on the team.

While not a big scorer, Carcillo is a fairly strong all around skater. He can put up points as well as his fists.

Jes Golbez has an article on Fanhouse about Phoenix's new foray into toughness. With all their new additions, he notes that;

The Coyotes probably want [Carcillo] to concentrate more on scoring, given that he put up a respectable 24 points in his rookie campaign.

Last season I picked up Danny boy to help my PIMs category. Each goal and assist was an added bonus. This season look for him to cut down on his dirty work and pick up on his scoring. With a new direction in Phoenix coming this season, it will be interesting to see just how well Carcillo does.

Over At The Sporting News ...

I take yet another look at the brewing conflict between the NHL and the KHL, and why the NHL ought to make a deal with them sooner rather than later.

Over At The Sporting News ...

I take a look at the latest news surrounding the Kontinental Hockey League and all of the associated headaches for the folks at NHL HQ.

Pictures From Camp: Capitals Development Camp

It was great attending the the Capital's development camp this week. If you were there you will understand the tremendous energy and excitement for the team and upcoming season.

From my vantage point across the ice from the stands I can confirm what everyone in the stands could feel, they were PACKED and there wasn't an empty spot along the glass!

We have a bunch of pictures from Thursday and Saturday that we will be posting as we get through all of them. We now have our first group online, a few are here and the others will be posted to our complete development camp photographic coverage on our Flickr site.

As always, if you are a blogger and would like to use our photographs please contact us.

www.flickr.com Off Wing Opinion's 2008 Washington Capitals Development Camp (Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com) photoset

Live Blogging Caps Development Camp

Just a friendly reminder: I'll be out at Caps Development Camp tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. along with John Keely and OffWing chief photographer Allen Clark. Be sure to stop by to see our live coverage of the scrimmage:

Hope to see you then as I get my first look at Karl Alzner and Oskar Osala, the two guys seem to be impressing the most thus far.

Ovechkin On Theodore

Dmitry Chesnokov just passed me another quick translation from Sovetsky Sport. In this snippet, Pavel Lysenkov asked Alex Ovechkin what he thought about Washington's signing of free agent goalie Jose Theodore:

PL: What do you think about Theodore’s arrival in Washington?

AO: “We needed a good goaltender because we were losing Huet. And our management made a though out move. I have only played once against Theodore in my career. It was last season. We played Colorado at home and won 2:1. Although, I didn’t score.

It is a shame that Huet didn’t stay [with Washington]. He was a great goaltender. But our future now lies with Theodore, and I am sure he won’t let us down.�

Click here for the article in the original Russian.

Hossa Skips Out on Pittsburgh, Runs Off with Detroit

Like a high school guy dumping his latest girlfriend for the prom queen, Marian Hossa has fled Pittsburgh and run right into the waiting arms of the Detroit Red Wings.

Over at FanHouse Pat Lackey is reporting that Hossa turned down a 7-year, $50 million dollar deal with the Pens. He instead chose a 1-year, $7.4 million dollar offer with the Wings, which is a pretty good fit. As Lackey points out;

He's a great two-way player and this one year deal lets them shoot for a repeat in 2009, then leave plenty of cap room to deal with Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, who will be UFAs after next year. In purely hockey terms, it's a great move for Hossa and Detroit.

Hossa is setting himself up nicely with this deal. He did take a pay cut to play with a contender, and he'll be surrounded by great players. With Detroit's offense and overall team play, Hossa is in a great position to put up big numbers. He'll have a chance to win the Cup. And with his deal being only one year, he'll enter free agency again with an even higher stock.

Now that is the ideal outcome for Hossa. If all goes well he could sign a huge contract next year for even more money. But there's always the chance he gets hurt or his production and play slips. Then he'll be left hanging with no one to blame, except maybe his agent.

The Stars Align for Sean Avery

After much speculation as to where Avery would land next season, the Dallas Stars have brought him into the fold for the next 4 years.

For 15.5 million bucks the Stars get arguably the nastiest, and most versatile, player in the league. In the last two seasons Avery has 19 powerplay points and is a +7. Add in 328 penalty minutes to bring his career NHL total to 1,067, and you have a player that can do it all. He can bring attitude and the ability to get under the skin of even the classiest of players, and can still get things done offensively.

Nearly $4 million a year seems pretty steep for Avery's services, but if you think about the impact he'll have in Dallas it seems to be a pretty good deal. He'll bring that nastiness to a division that includes the Anaheim Ducks, possibly the most physical team in the league. He joins a division that includes league PIM leader Daniel Carcillo, Jody Shelley, and George Parros. Now the Stars have Steve Ott, and I'm sure Avery isn't expected to do a heavy deal of fighting. But he'll also be in a conference that includes offensive threats like Joe Thornton, Ryan Getzlaf, Shane Doan, and Anze Kopitar. Avery will be responsible for driving them so crazy that they forget their job is to score goals.

And who knows, maybe he'll bring a little style to Dallas.

Kolzig Lands In Tampa Bay

...here's hoping he comes back and shuts out the Capitals.

But just once...

Caps Hope Theodore Can Fill Huet's Pads

I spent yesterday at work, being fed text messages from my hockey buddy about what was going on with the free agent frenzy. Work became so busy I lost track of my messaging, and returned to a double-barrel shot of news: "Caps get Theodore" and "Huet goes to Chicago."

I was stunned. By all accounts the Caps were fairly close to re-signing Huet, and it sounded like he wanted to stay in DC. But no, he bolted for the big bucks and extra years in Chicago.

Huet was the reason the Caps made the playoffs last year. There's no way around it. He came into the District and finished the season 11-2 with a 1.63 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. Unfortunately, in addition to endearing him to the city, that kind of performance gave him additional leverage in any dealings.

I was a fan of Huet. He was a stellar goalie for the short time he was here (not so much against Philly) and handled himself quite well in the locker room with reporters. He was quiet but confident, and more often than not would be found deflecting praise to his teammates.

With that in mind I was dubious as to why the Caps would fail to offer him more money, especially since it was less than what Olie made last year (5.635 mil instead of 7). But fortunately I stumbled across some wisdom put forth by our friend Japers' Rink as well as The Red Skate.

I'll be honest, I didn't exactly follow the Avalance last season past knowing they brought back some old favorites and made the playoffs. Fortunately Red Skate let us in on a little secret: Theodore was just as good as Huet down the stretch last season.

For those upset that Huet isn’t between the pipes for the home team at Verizon this fall, justify your belief that it is more likely that Huet will carry his dominant play from March of last season into this coming season than it is likely that Théodore (12-4-1 with two shutouts, a 2.27 GAA, and a .917 SV% in his final 18 starts) will do, essentially, the same. They seem exceedingly comparable netminders, and are of similar age as well.

Looking at the numbers Huet wasn't exactly head and shoulders above Theodore. His GAA was far lower in his last 13 games than in Jose's last 18, but hey, wins are wins, and they were pretty damn close.

Plus, Theodore has a few more accomplishments to his name that Huet can't match. As Japers' points out,

Jose Theodore has played in more than 52 games in a single season before (five times) and has won a playoff series (four times, in fact). Jose Theodore has won a Hart Trophy and a Vezina Trophy. Jose Theodore has scored a goal, failed a drug test, and probably nailed Paris Hilton.

So there you have it. Theodore is better, and apparently way cooler. Now he does have his hot and cold streaks, but with the way the Caps offense is geared, as long as he doesn't let in a million goals he should be alright.

Huet was a star for the short time he was here, but now it's time to get the spotlight ready for another stellar goalie.

Over at FanHouse ...

We're in the middle of the Free Agent Frenzy -- quick, somebody trademark that!

The NHL Free Agent Frenzy at This Hour

Evgeni Malkin Expected to Agree to Extension Soon

NHL Free Agency Live Chat

Oh, and we seem to no longer have a definite site for the 2009 NHL Winter Classic.

Stop by all day long, agents are undoubtedly looking over the big contracts as I type.

Green Staying in DC

After weeks of nervous waiting, the news is out that the Washington Capitals have come to terms with Mike Green on a new contract that will keep him in DC for the next 4 years.

The deal pays Green $5.25 million a year for a cool 21 mil. Green was able to capitalize on a terrific final year of his entry-level deal that saw him lead all NHL defenseman with 18 goals and put up 56 points.

Green has emerged as the top defenseman for the Caps, manning the powerplay and starting up the rush, even carrying the puck all the way into the zone before unleashing a wicked slapshot. With 4 more years in the district we can expect many more moments of Green-induced fan frenzy in the Phone Booth.

Now with all this money, I wonder if he'll be springing for a new pad anytime soon?

Teams Adjusting Rosters Before Free Agency Deadline

With the free agent deadline looming, several teams have been working with their rosters in preparation of gaining or losing new players.

Kings-Oilers

The Kings sent defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to Edmonton for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene. Visnovsky's numbers have declined the past 2 seasons, but he is still a solid puck-mover on the blueline. Edmonton gets his 5-year, 28 million dollar contract in the process. LA gets Stoll, who is looking for a fresh start after posting a -23 rating last season. He will be a restricted free agent, so the Kings need get get him under contract. Greene is looking for a breakout season of his own, as he missed over half of last season with injuries, finishing with a -3 rating in 46 games, which brings his career plus/minus rating to -31.

While they have to deal with his hefty contract, the Oilers leave this trade with the best player. Unfortunately it gives Edmonton a lot of puck-movers on the blueline, so it will be interesting to see where that goes. LA gets a pair of youngsters with the potential to be a #2 center and a top-4 defenseman.

Stars

Dallas has extended the contract of young forward Loui Eriksson by two more years to the tune of 3.2 million. In the final year of his contract Eriksson had career highs with 14 goals and 17 assists. Dallas hopes he can match or exceed those totals in the next 2 years.

Flyers

The Flyers have brought forward Jeff Carter back under contract. TSN is reporting a 3-year deal worth 15 million. They are also reporting that former Cap Steve Eminger has signed a one-year deal.

Ducks - Maple Leafs - Thrashers - Blue Jackets

All of these guys are shedding unwanted salaries, with several players being bought out and/or hitting waivers. Anaheim has bought out the final year of Todd Bertuzzi's contract for 2.6 million, and he has already cleared waivers.

Toronto is in the process of buying out goalie Andrew Raycroft's final year for 2.2 million after buying out Darcy Tucker earlier this week.

Atlanta has cut loose veteran Alexei Zhitnik after a disappointing season. After trading away Braydon Coburn to Philly for Zhitnik, Coburn has thrived while Zhitnik has disappointed. With Alexei gone, hopefully Thrashers GM Don Waddell can put the awful trade behind him.

Columbus has also parted with a veteran, as Duvie Westcott has be bought out after a poor season of his own. Over parts of 6 seasons he has posted 56 points in 201 games, and has a career -43 rating for the Jackets. He has cleared waivers and is now a free agent.

Tampa Bay Wants You!...and Ryan Malone, and Gary Roberts, and Brian Rolston

Another day, another deal to get Tampa Bay the rights to somebody.

Saturday it was the deal that gave Tampa the rights to Penguins Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone. With a dozen unrestricted free agents to handle, the Pens couldn't afford to re-sign Malone, and probably wouldn't have re-signed Roberts. So with the deal they get a 4th round pick from Tampa, which turns into a 3rd rounder if Malone actually signs with the Bolts. And word is they are working on finalizing a 7-year deal worth over 31 mil. So that 3rd rounder is looking pretty good.

And today, it's Minnesota that has aided in the Tampa rebuilding effort. Late last night they traded the rights to Brian Rolston to the Bolts for a 3rd round pick in 2010. Now here it gets tricky, as that pick becomes a 4th rounder in 2009 if Ryan Malone signs in Tampa, which looks likely. And if they both sign, the pick goes back to the 3rd round, and will be in either 2009 or 2010, depending on what the Wild want.

If all these pieces fall into place the Lightning will be a formidable team come next season. And if so, it will take a lot of pressure off Steve Stamkos. Where Patrick Kane had to carry most of the Blackhawks last season, Stamkos has Lecavalier, Boyle, Prospal, and presumably Malone, Roberts, and Rolston to show him the way.

So as our friend Greg Wyshynski says, who will be the next to drink the Koules-Aid?

Update:

Malone and Roberts are officially Bolts. From TSN;

Malone has agreed to a seven year, $31.5 million contract, while Roberts agreed to terms on a one year contract that pays him a base salary of $1.25 million plus $10,000 for every game that he plays in the 2008-09 NHL regular season. So if Roberts were to play in all 82 games, he would earn $820,000 in bonuses, which could make his total income for the season $2.07 million.

That gives Tampa Bay the added scoring and veteran leadership that could lead them deep into the playoffs this coming season.

AHL Testing New Penalty Rule

Greg Wyshynski over at Puck Daddy has revealed the AHL's latest rule test.

Not only is the AHL the triple-A league for hockey, so to speak, but it is also used as a testing ground for new rules. It tried out the 4-on-4 overtimes, penalty shots, altered goal crease, no-play zone behind the net for goalies, and touch-up offsides all originated in the AHL before the NHL decided to adopt them.

Next season's rule change? One-minute overtime minors. As Greg points out,

A two-minute minor penalty can literally leave a team shorthanded for 40 percent of overtime when the same call would eat up about 3 percent of regulation.

This has been a change years in the making. Overtime penalties have been a tricky thing, as has the referee's job of calling them. Many have accused refs, sometimes rightly so, that they put away the whistle in overtime. Officials don't want to turn a momentary transgression into a penalty that will take up nearly half the overtime session. And when they do call them, the complaint is that they're supposed to let the guys play in overtime. Once OT rolls around the referee really can't win.

This new rule helps everyone. Referees don't feel restricted in calling penalties, and if a team is penalized, they have their time in the box cut in half. And while that's still 20% of the overtime, it's a lot better than 40%.

The only problem, and there always seems to be a problem, is that this rule includes penalties that carry over from regulation to overtime. Say a guy is trying to prevent a goal with a minute to go, and blatantly slashes the puck carrier, earning him 2 minutes. Well if that game goes into OT, his penalty time in OT gets cut from a minute to 30 seconds. As Greg points out, it has the opportunity to allow players to take penalties late in the game that they wouldn't otherwise take, knowing they wouldn't have to serve the full time. The rule is meant to even things out in overtime, not to be abused in regulation.

It's a good rule that needs a little bit of tweaking to really be effective. But that's why we have the AHL to test it out. If it goes wrong, the NHL doesn't even have to apply it. But odds are if it goes well enough they will, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing some more intriguing ends of regulation and some more boring overtimes. And knowing how the league lusts after fan excitement, that final factor could kill the rule dead, whether the players like it or not.

Worst Kept Secret in the NHL True; Melrose to Tampa Bay

That's right, the rumors are true. Barry Melrose has been named the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. And apparently if Lecavalier, Stamkos, and the other Lightning players butt heads with him, it won't be his fault. Says Barry;

Most people love playing for me. The guys who don’t love playing for me usually don’t want being on your team anyway.

It will be interesting to see what happens next season. If anyone ends up in Melrose's doghouse, whose fault will it be? After 13 years without being behind the bench, how will he do? They won't be making a run for the Cup, but it will certainly be an interesting season in Tampa Bay.

2008 NHL Entry Draft Live Blog

Yes, I'll be putting in an appearance tonight. Nothing fancy, just a chance to talk with old friends as we watch the first round of the NHL Draft. So just click on the link for the jump starting at 6:45 p.m. and we'll be talking about hockey's future.

Draft Chat with James Mirtle

My friend James Mirtle will be hosting a live chat on the NHL Draft later today at 1:00 p.m. U.S. EDT. Please check it out. I'll be stopping by as well for a few minutes.

New Bench Bosses for Florida, San Jose, Ottawa

Some of the many NHL head coaching positions were filled this week as the Sharks, Panthers, and Senators picked new coaches today.

The worst of the three teams last season, the Panthers finished with a 38-35-9 record, good for 85 points and 3rd place in the Southeast Division. Last year's coach Jacques Martin remains as the Panthers' GM, and has chosen Peter DeBoer as his successor. DeBoar has spent the last several seasons as the coach of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers. In his 7 seasons there he has led his Rangers to a pair of OHL Championships and a Memorial Cup Championship as the best junior team out of the three members leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. They won the OHL last season and hosted the Memorial Cup, finishing 3rd. Says Martin of DeBoar;

“I think he brings some intensity. He brings some discipline. I believe he runs a good bench. He believes in the depth of the team. When you look at his team and his record … it’s really outstanding.”

The Ottawa Senators went the same route as the Panthers, pulling their new coach out of the OHL's ranks. Craig Hartsburg has spent the last 4 seasons coaching the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, but also has several seasons of NHL coaching experience. He has a career NHL coaching record of 184-190-69 with both Anaheim and Chicago. After firing coach John Paddock in February, Sens GM Bryan Murray finished the season behind the bench. The Sens sneaked into the playoffs as a 7-seed and were swept in the first round by Pittsburgh. This was after leading the Eastern Conference through much of the early season. Ottawa has a solid team that underachieved this season. Hartsburg knows what he has to do, saying;

“To me, it’s not about being fixed. It’s about me coming in with a program and getting the players to buy into it."

San Jose went with the championship pedigree, bringing in Detroit Red Wings assistant Todd McLellan to lead the Sharks next season. McLellan worked with coach Mike Babcock the past 3 seasons, and was an integral part of their Stanley Cup championship this season. He also spent several years coaching the AHL's Houston Aeros, and led them to a Calder Cup Championship in 2003. McLellan has a simple plan for next season:

It's a matter of getting over the hump. There are some real parallels between the Wings and the Sharks.

The idea of getting over the hump isn't anything new for San Jose. That problem is what cost coach Ron Wilson his job. Realizing the problem and fixing it are two different things, so it will be interesting to see how McLellan handles the Sharks next season.

All these men bring experience and a winning attitude to their new teams. Their predecessors were unable to deliver the end result each team desired, so big things are expected from them.

In San Jose and Ottawa McLellan and Hartsburg already have solid teams in place. They just need to tweak different aspects of their teams the right way in order to do more than the coaches before them. In Florida DeBoer has to take a mediocre team and instill a winning attitude in them with the hopes of returning to the playoffs for the first time in 8 years.

No man has an easy job, and expectations will be high. Now it's just up to them to meet them.

Ovechkin, Boudreau Clean Up; Backstrom Misses Out

The Caps nearly had the sweep fans were looking for as Alex Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award for best player voted on by the players. He added to his Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals this season, and the Art Ross Trophy for most points.

Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau took home the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the NHL this season. He replaced coach Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving Day and proceeded to lead his club to a 37-17-7 and an improbable playoff spot that was captured with a win in their last regular season game.

Just missing out was Caps rookie Nicklas Backstrom, who had a stellar first season, notching 69 points and a rookie-leading 55 assists this season. While many considered his second-half improvement crucial to the Caps' playoff run, he still missed the award by 206 points. Backstrom was also a +13 to Kane's -5 rating, and helped put his team in the playoffs. Any other year Backstrom would have been a shoe-in. But Kane's solid play on a sub-par team no doubt endeared him to the voters, giving him the trophy and distinction of being this year's NHL rookie of the year.

FanHouse Live Chat at 1:00 p.m.

My friend James Mirtle is going to be hosting a live chat at FanHouse in a few minutes on tonight's NHL Awards. Please stop by and participate.

Winner Of The Off Wing Stanley Cup Challenge

Congratulations to James Mirtle, winner of the 2008 Off Wing Stanley Cup Challenge. We had a number of folks who correctly selected the Red Wings as the winner of the Stanley Cup, and James' name was randomly selected from the list. As soon as James gets back to me, I'll be making a $50 donation to the charity of his choice.

Because we had a tie, we also had to perform a random drawing for our second prize -- a free lunch on Off Wing. The winner there was longtime Off Wing supporter John Graham, owner of Two Sheds Music.

Congratulations to both our winners, and thanks for participating.

Fleury's Replacement in Pittsburgh?

Hey, you never know.

Fleury, Penguins Start Off On Wrong Foot, er, Skate

I didn't get a chance to watch all of Game 1 of the Cup finals, so it was much to my surprise and amusement when I saw a quick clip of Marc-Andre Fleury taking a spill to lead the Pens onto the ice for warm-ups.

Tough way for the kids to start their first NHL championship series. Even the Detroit fans on the ice were laughing.

For a team built around an explosive offense, two consecutive shutouts is unacceptable. While they are a young team in uncharted waters, you would still expect something out of a team boasting arguably the scariest powerplay in the league and stars such as Hossa, Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury. They came into the series with a 12-2 postseason record, and return home with their loss column doubled.

But if you had to pick any team to face off against that vaunted attack, it would have to be the Detroit Red Wings. They are a veteran team all around, but that veteran emphasis can be found from the blue line back. They have what might be the oldest goaltending duo in finals history in Osgood and Hasek, and have a rugged defense anchored by veteran Chris Chelios, perennial Norris winner Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, and Brad Stuart. Add Niklas Kronwall and Brett Lebda, and you might have the deepest defensive lineup in the league. Throw in some solid two-way play by their forwards, and Detroit could sweep the series without allowing a goal.

Now Pittsburgh was supposed to beef up their already solid defense with the addition of Hal Gill, but they have been pretty porous so far. They're going to have to step up and give Marc-Andre Fleury a little help, especially considering the rough start he's had. Usually the Penguins can overcome that with their high scoring offense, but they've gone more than two straight games without scoring a goal. Hopefully home ice will give them a chance to right things.

After all, you're never in trouble until you lose at home.

Capital Punishment; Russian Style

"There can be only one"

That is the theme of this afternoon's IIHF World Championship final between Canada and Russia. Both come into the title game undefeated in the tournament, both looking for one more win and the gold medal.

While Canada is led by Rick Nash, Ryan Getzlaf, and Dany Heatley has dazzled for Canada, no line this tournament has been scarier than Russia's top line of Sergei Fedorov, Alex Ovechkin, and Alex Semin, dubbed the "Capital Punishment Line".

Sergei and the Alexes each have ten points and are each a plus-9 going into the championship game. Canada's top line has more points, but the combination of skill and experience shared by the Caps Russian contingent can't be matched.

When asked how they would stop Canada's top line, Russian coach Slava Bykov wasn't fazed, saying, "“They have to think about how to stop our lines, too."

With the top two lines in the tournmament going head to head, it looks like both defenses will have their hands full, as will both netminders.

If anything, it will make for an exciting championship game.

Nonis No More in Vancouver

After three years in which his team failed to make the postseason twice, Canucks GM Dave Nonis has been let go. From chairman Francesco Aquilini;

"We want to thank Dave for the many contributions he has made helping to build our organization during his tenure. However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It's not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn't in the playoffs."

To be fair it's tough to repeat a 105-point performance when your defense misses 174-man games to injury. I also agree with Nonis' explanation as to why he made only a minor move at the trade deadline.

"If there is a deal that makes sense for our hockey team and will make us better, regardless of who it is, we would do it," Nonis told reporters in February. "But if it's a deal that would decimate our reserve list, take all of our top prospects and require players off our team along with those picks and prospects, I think it's highly unlikely we would do that for any rental player."

The Canucks have an aging set of leaders. Captain Markus Naslund is 34, alternate captain Trevor Linden is 38, and alternate captain Brendan Morrison is 32. All are set to be unrestricted free agents next season. They also have looming resignings to take care of, namely the Sedin twins and Mattias Ohlund after next season. So while it may have hurt for the Canucks to miss the playoffs this year, it makes sense for the Canucks to hold onto their young picks in order to keep building the team.

Dave Nonis had no choice but to take the heat, but he didn't do as bad a job as they are making it seem like he has.

The 2008 Off Wing Stanley Cup Challenge

So, who do you think will win the Cup? If you give me the right answer, you'll win bragging rights and a whole lot more.

The rules are fairly simple, and here's how it works:

Send me your pick to win the Stanley Cup by email (emcerlain-at-hotmail-dotcom). I'll list every entry I receive in the left hand margin, like so. And if you have a blog, I'll embed a link to it in your entry:

Chris McMurtry: Ottawa

As teams get eliminated, I'll indicate their departure with a strikethrough over incorrect entries. For example:

Chris McMurtry: Ottawa

That continues until we get to a winner sometime toward the end of June. Since we'll probably have a number of folks who have picked the Stanley Cup Champion, I'll conduct a random drawing from the winning entries to determine a Grand Prize Winner. After consultation with the winner, I'll make a $50 donation in honor of the Grand Prize Winner to the charity of their choice.

And best of all, if you win, you'll be immortalized on the left nav bar along with previous winners Gregg Simon, Josh Crockett and Kartikeya Sinha.

Easy enough? One last detail -- just get me your entry to me by e-mail by 5:30 p.m. U.S. EDT on April 9, 2008, the opening night of the playoffs.

Now get to it, get you pick in, and you may be able to do some good.

Top Ten Reasons You Know Tampa's the Worst (Hockey) Team in the East

Ten: Team Plus/Minus for the Capitals in the game.

Nine: Caps that registered at least a point in tonight's game.

Eight: Skaters left on the Tampa bench at the end of the game.

Seven: Minor penalties taken by Tampa Bay.

Six: Powerplay face-offs for Tampa Bay. They only won 1.

Five: Shots Ovechkin had against Ramo. Ramo only stopped 3 of them.

Four: Tampa players thrown out of the game with less than 30 seconds to play.

Three: Tampa skaters on the ice at the end of the game.

Two: Tampa skaters in the box at the end of the game.

One: Beatdown of Tampa's Junior Lessard by Matt Bradley.

Ready for this? Hottest Hockey Wives and Girlfriends

You gotta love Google's Alerts...Google helped dredge this one from the depths of the web.

We didn't write this but we sure enjoyed it, of course we read it for the articles.

Alright off with you now...on your way to the Hottest Hockey Wives and Girlfriends.

Quite a Name

While checking out the box score of the Atlanta-Tampa game, an interesting name popped out at me: Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman.

I wonder how that last name looked on the back of his jersey.

You're Never Too Old to Play Hockey

On Frozen Blog has a great post on the GeriHatricks’ Annual Senior Hockey Tournament in Laurel. It's an over-50 tournament which brings in teams from all over. One team was the Central Mass Rusty Blades.

My dad has skated a few tournaments with the Rusty Blades, and it is always a good time. With the games full of old timers they tend to be a little slow, but that doesn't matter. The feeling of friendship and brotherhood only grows stronger with age. When I'm home I skate with my dad and other guys his age for fun, and it's the most fun I have skating. They play competitively, but there's always fun to it. If I trying beating my dad down the wing, and he can't stop me, he'll hook me or hold me, but it's all in fun, so it's alright.

While an old-timers tournament may not sound like fun, those are some of the best guys to ever play hockey with. Everyone starts as friends, skates hard, heads back to the locker room as friends, and then share a few beers as they change. For any guy looking for a sport to play into his retirement years, hockey is that game.

Michigan vs. Clarkson

First Period: MI 1, CL 0

Flashes of gold everywhere. That's the only way to describe what is going on so far in this game. Michigan scored on a wraparound where Clarkson goalie Leggio bit on a fake, and his attempted kick-save left him helpless as Michigan's Palushaj looped behind the net and slipped the puck across the line on the other side. Both teams have been playing well, with neither team really holding advantage. Michigan seems to be a little bit better hockey, so I expect them to come out hard in the 2nd.

Miami (OH) vs. Air Force

First Period: Miami 1, AF 0

After one period Miami has a slim 1-0 lead. But despite the close score, Miami has been in control of the game. My dad and younger sister are actually at the game back in Worcester, and my sister noted that "I hope [Air Force skaters] fly planes better than they play hockey." Miami is the more physical team, and are crashing on the boards and battling for loose pucks. Miami is even dominating the faceoff circle.

This game is Miami's to lose. They only way Air Force can win is if they get a couple lucky bounces and net a few lucky goals and sneak away with the win. They have to find a balance between risky attacks and lockdown defense. They have to push in order to get 2 goals, but they also can't give up any more. It will be interesting to see how Air Force comes out in the 2nd period.

Second Period: Miami 1, AF 2

Volkening starts out the period in style by making an NHL-caliber top play save. On the penalty kill the rebound bounces back door to a Miami forward, and as he shoots on the wide open net Air Force goalie Volkening sprawls across and throws out his stick, deflecting the shot. I'll try and link to video of it as soon as I can find it.

Air Force rebounds from their penalty kill to move into the Miami end and bang in a rebound to tie things at 1. Air Force is going to have to play gritty hockey and knock in some ugly goals tonight.

And they seem to agree, as they bang in another hardworking goal. After a few ugly shots, the rebound is collected and an Air Force forward slips the puck five-hole for the lead.

The whole period has been surreal for Air Force. Volkening has made some huge saves, Air Force has banged in some gritty goals, and they kept Miami off the board in the 2nd. Now it's Miami's turn to regroup during the break and come out strong. They're playing their game, they just have to finish their chances. While Volkening is playing well, he is by no means unstoppable, and the RedHawks need to exploit that. It's time to get ready for a dogfight in the third.

Third Period: Miami 2, AF 2

You'd be hard pressed in that period to tell who was the #1 seed and who was the #4. It was Miami who needed the ugly goal to tie, as Camper collected a deflected shot next to the net and buried it for a goal. Volkening had no chance to stop the shot. Air Force backed down a little trying to protect the lead, but it was their too many men penalty that caused the Miami goal. With both teams back on even footing, the OT will be a nail-biter. Miami has the momentum and skill, but Air Force will not give up without a fight. Normally I'd say that Miami's big, physical skill guys will finish this came, but Air Force has played tough tonight, so it really is anyone's game.

Overtime: Miami 3, AF 2

Someone forgot to tell Air Force that they were supposed to roll over in overtime. They fought all the way until Miami's game winner, and certainly gave their all. They were clearly outmatched but still managed several strong scoring chances in the extra session. Both goalies played extremely well, stopping some point-blank shots. But in the end Miami's Justin Mercier made a nice move down the wing and cut back in, beating Volkening for the winner.

Live Blogging the NCAA Hockey Playoffs

For the rest of the weekend I will be liveblogging the NCAA D1 hockey playoffs. I will be blogging any games which are on ESPNU, which as of now is the Miami (OH) vs. Air Force game and then the East Regional final between Michigan and Clarkson at 7:30.

I will be updating summaries after each period of each game, so be sure to check back often for updates.

Late Night Rantings on Hart, Ovechkin, Crosby

After what seems like forever of listening to who should be awarded the Hart this season, it boils down to 2 camps. Either it matters if your team makes the playoffs or not, and therefore Ovechkin can't win if the Caps don't make it. Or playoffs don't matter, and Ovie should be a unanimous pick.

Barry Melrose is in the playoffs decide things camp, and he made a statement that confused me.

"Anybody can play on a bad team, anybody can put up big numbers on a bad team. It's putting them up on a good team, it's putting them up in the playoff time."

For starters, the Hart is chosen for regular season efforts. The Conn Smythe is for work in the playoffs. And shouldn't it be the other way around? Anyone can put up big numbers on a good team, but not everyone can do so on a bad team? I'd imagine it'd be easier to do well when your team doesn't stink.

And yeah, if the Caps miss the playoffs, Ovie wouldn't have mattered, because they would have missed the playoffs either way. But come on, imagine how far back they'd be without him. He is scoring over 27% of the teams goals so far this season. No other 60-plus goal scorer in NHL history has been responsible for more than 20%. Ovechkin is the heart and soul of this team.

And if we're going strictly by how important a player is to his team, does that mean Sidney Crosby should never win the Hart Trophy again? Because it's clear that his team can do just as well, make that even better, when he's not playing. So just how important to his team is he?

When it's all said and done Ovie should walk away as league MVP no matter what. But to be safe, how 'bout we just have the Caps make the playoffs. And if that happens and he still doesn't win, I want to see a Johnny Drama-style verbal lashing of whoever didn't vote for him.

All in the Family

For the past couple days I've been hearing and reading about the fight involving Patrick Roy's son in juniors. Patrick Roy owns and coaches the team, and was said to have encouraged his son before the fight. And if you watch the video, it isn't so much a fight as a one-sided beatdown. Before I wasn't sure if it was actually that bad, or it was just being blown up because it involved Patrick Roy. Well, it turns out it was really that bad.

I don't know what either Roy was thinking. Yes they were losing big in the playoffs, but there's never room for that kind of stuff in hockey. It clearly looks like the elder Roy knew what was about to happen and gave a sort of "fine, go ahead" gesture to his son. A seven game suspension for Jonathan and a five-gamer for Patrick isn't enough. Well, 5 may be alright for the Roy behind the bench. But his son deserves more than 7 games. What he did was inexcusable, and 15-20 games would be more deserving.

Nicklas Who?

According to Yahoo Sports, this is what Nicklas Backstrom looks like:

Something doesn't seem right.

Someone's Optimistic

From the AP, on Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster...

Minnesota Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster is recovering in California after having surgery to repair a broken left leg...He had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher and his season is likely over.

i'd say more than likely. Anyone who comes back that quick, even if it was in the Cup finals, is either a miracle healer or plain dumb, or both.

Vesa Toskala's YouTube Moment

Poor guy. If this guy never wins a Stanley Cup, here's the video they'll be showing the day they put him in the ground:

Awards Season

Mike Brophy kicks off an argument today about what exactly constitutes an outstanding or most valuable player. His story today breaks down who he feels could vie for the Hart Trophy, and why. But it seems like he is a little misguided in his ideas, and people have noticed. On Frozen Blog mentions his lack of direction in choosing candidates.

'With a few weeks to go, the Hart Trophy is still wide open from my perspective. So wide open, in fact, Daniel Alfredsson might sneak into the pack with a strong finish.'

Alfie definitely is valuable to his team, but this suggestion goes against his logic for the other candidates (except for Brodeur and possibly Iginla). Ottawa is a team who went through much of the season in the number one spot in the conference, but they’re now in a bit of a decline. Yet, according to Brophy’s logic, because the Sens are going to the playoffs, a player like Alfredsson would be a good candidate.

And according to Japers' Rink, Brophy forgot Ovie entirely in his first list of candidates. He even includes Vinny Lecavalier on his early list. While Vinny has had a remarkable season, he has St. Louis, and at least had Richards to spread things out. Even Vaclav Prospal was contributing before going to Philly. And Tampa Bay still sits in the bottom of the East.

With these ideas in mind The Peerless breaks down what exactly the Hart Trophy and Pearson Award mean.

The Hart is for the player "judged to be the most valuable to his team." The Pearson is for the "most outstanding player.

Is being the most valuable or most outstanding about numbers, or contributions to the team? Is it about a goalie backstopping a team with more defensive holes than swiss cheese? Is it a scorer who single-handedly prevents his team from tallying the least goals in the league? Or is it a third line checker who shuts down opposing stars night after night? I'm not even sure exactly what constitutes the most valuable or outstanding. But I know that it's more than stats. It's how well your team plays with you. It's how you affect your linemates' play. When it's all said and done people should sit back and say man, that guy plays heart and soul, and helps his team more than anyone else. Now who do you think fits that bill?

Pronger Slapped With 8 Games

After initially getting away without punishment, the league took a second look at the Chris Pronger stomp on Ryan Kesler's leg and hit Prongs with an 8 game suspension. The video evidence clearly showed that Pronger intentionally stomped on the leg of Ryan Kesler when he was down on the ice. After seeing then-Islander Chris Simon get slapped with a 30-game suspension for stomping the boot of Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu, it is hard to see why Pronger only got 8 games.

Some can say that Simon was punished so severely in part for his past history. But Pronger has been suspended numerous times, including twice in the playoffs last year. On the NHL page at TSN.ca 80% of voters felt that the suspension wasn't long enough. Over at Polemic Hockey Rick takes a look at the suspension and notes that it's all about what people think Prongs was trying to do.

8 games for Pronger may seem like a lot if you credit that he was just trying to get loose, and very light if you think it was intentional.

It's a tough call for the NHL to make, but it seems like with his past Pronger should have gotten a few more games, maybe 15. But when the league ends up with such contrasting suspensions for nearly the same infraction, it just looks bad. And with the Ducks seemingly out of the race for the Pacific lead, and nearly a lock for the 4-5 series, missing Pronger for 8 games isn't a big deal. The NHL and Colin Campbell need to take a hard look at how they handled this and see how they can get it right in the future.

Sen's Paddock Sent to Pasture

With Ottawa in a tailspin they fired head coach John Paddock,and are having GM Bryan Murray step back behind the bench for the remainder of the season.

The Sens have lost 6 of their last 8 and 14 of their last 21, and have slipped to #2 in the East after holding the top spot for most of the season. Whether it's the same type of problem facing Detroit, or something completely different, Ottawa needs to start playing like they want to win. They pack scoring forwards named Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson, and their firepower can be matched really by only Pittsburgh or Detroit.

Murray led them to the finals last year. Can he improve on it this season? Last season Lou Lamoriello fired Devils coach Claude Julien with 3 games to go in the season. He stepped behind the bench and New Jersey didn't even make it to the Conference finals, losing to Ottawa in the semis. Will Murray have more time to change things and make the run? He did coach most of these guys last season. I don't think he'll ever be considered as crazy as Lamoriello, but I'm still not sure he should have pulled the plug on Paddock so quickly.

A Cool Million and Four Cars

That's what Darwin Head could win if he scores a few empty netters during the 1st intermission of the Colorado-Vancouver game in Vancouver.

During the first intermission, Head and two friends - avid hockey player and cousin Lance Badger, and die-hard Canucks fan Randy Bout - will head to centre ice, where they will each have 15 seconds to shoot 10 pucks at an open net (30 pucks in total). Depending on the number of total goals scored as a group, prizes will be awarded as follows:

- 5 goals - Head wins a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
- 10 goals - Head, Badger and Bout win a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
- 15 goals - Head, Badger, Bout and one in-arena fan attending the game at General Motors Place all win a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, for a total of four cars given away

Immediately following the group shots at centre ice, Head will move back to the far blue line where he will have 24 seconds to shoot 20 pucks into an open net. If Head scores 15 or more goals within the allotted time, he will win $1 million in a one-time payout.

Sounds relatively easy. Although I'm not sure if they'll be getting an ice cut beforehand. Also, Head will have Hall of Famer Bobby Orr on his side, as Head and his friends will get a one-hour practice session with the Bruins great on Wednesday afternoon.

I don't know, but it seems like Head and his friends could all be leaving in new cars, one of which may have a big check in the backseat, a la Happy Gilmore.

Trade Day Breakdown

The deals today certainly clarified what teams considered themselves out of the hunt and what ones are poised for a run at the Cup. Here are some of the bigger buyers and sellers from today.

Sellers

* The Kings sent goalie J.S. Aubin to Anaheim for a 7th round pick and Brad Stuart to Detroit for 2nd and 4th round picks.

* Toronto sends Wade Belak to Florida for a 5th round pick. Hall Gill goes to Pittsburgh for 2nd and 5th rounders. Finally, Chad Kilger follows Belak to Florida for a 3rd round pick.

* The Islanders send Marc-Andre Bergeron to the Ducks for a 3rd round pick. They also send the troubled Chris Simon to Minnesota for a 6th round pick.

* Columbus sends Adam Foote to Colorado for a 1st round pick and a conditional 1st rounder if he re-signs. They also send Sergei Fedorov to Washington for prospect Ted Ruth.

* Atlanta sends Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pens for a 1st round pick, prospect Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, and Erik Christensen. They also sent Alex Giroux back to the Caps for Joe Motzko.

Buyers

* The Caps acquire Sergei Fedorov from Columbus for Ruth. They also send underproducing Matt Pettinger to Vancouver for Matt Cooke. And finally they sent a 2nd round pick to Montreal for goalie Cristobal Huet. Also, they swap Motzko for Giroux with Atlanta.

* Pittsburgh sends a bunch of young guys and picks to Toronto and Atlanta for Hal Gill, Marian Hossa, and Pascal Dupuis.

* Colorado signs Peter Forsberg, sends a pick to Columbus for Adam Foote, and sends Karlis Skrastins and a 3rd round pick to Florida for defenseman Ruslan Salei.

* Anaheim gets J.S. Aubin to back up J.S. Giguire from LA for a 7th round pick. They also get Bergeron from the Islanders for a 3rd round pick.

* San Jose acquires Brian Campbell and a 7th rounder and sends Steve Bernier and a 1st rounder to Buffalo.

Other Big Deals

* Dallas gets Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist from Tampa Bay. They send backup goalie Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern, and a 4th rd. pick to Tampa Bay.

* New York sends Marcel Hossa and Al Montoya to Phoenix for Fredrik Sjostrom, David Leneveu, and Josh Gratton.

Some Thoughts

* The Caps have done a solid job of addressing their problems in net and the 2nd line center positions. Cooke also helps give the Caps another forechecker up front.

* Toronto got rid of a few guys in return for some picks. They did what they could with Sundin refusing to move. The picks will help them build for the future.

* The Pens are serious about a Cup for a 2nd year in a row. They've snagged the top sniper on the market and a solid blueliner. They've mortgaged much of their future, but with their big names -Crosby, Fluery, Malkin, and others- young themselves, they should be fine.

* Columbus sent their veteran UFAs to Colorado and Washington in return for a 1st rounder and a solid defensive prospect. They know they're out, so they're working towards their future.

* Anaheim had a repeat of last year, doing minimum work while still solidifying their lineup. Maybe the key to victory is minor changes.

NY Times Slap Shot Interview

A couple of days back, I got a note from Jeffrey Z. Klein of the New York Times asking me to fill out a hockey blogger questionnaire. I was happy to oblige, and my contribution appeared late yesterday afternoon over at Slap Shots along with entries from other Southeast Division bloggers. Please check it out.

Forsberg back in Colorado

Just days after his agent said he probably wouldn't be returning, ESPN is reporting that Peter Forsberg has signed with the Colorado Avalanche.

"We're proud to announce to our fans that Peter Forsberg has decided to come back and play with our franchise where he's enjoyed so much success early in his career," Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere said in a statement. "His addition should complement our roster and will bring our team to an even higher competitive level."

It seems like a good idea, as the Avs are low on scoring and have their big names either out or just returning from injury. Forsberg is a point per game guy that could really boost the scoring for Colorado.

Friday Night at Clyde's

Instead of reviewing the rough Caps games from last weekend, Japers' Rink took the time to remind everyone about the fundraiser being put on for the Wilson High hockey team.

The long and the short of it is that Wilson is D.C.'s only public high school with a varsity hockey team and following the loss of their coach last winter to pneumonia, the program is on the verge of being dissolved (more details can be found over at OFB).

In an effort to help out a little bit, a group of bloggers (led by OFB) is hosting a fundraiser this coming Friday night at Clyde's of Gallery Place. For $10 a head, you can help out a great cause AND have a good shot at some great prizes (including items signed by Caps and Hershey Bears players).

So if you're looking for something to do Friday night, come out to Clyde's. In the upstairs room there will be those prizes, as well as the game against New Jersey on the tvs. There will be bloggers, fans, and other hockey folk from around the area, so I encourage everyone who can to show up and show their support.

How Two Men Can Make a Team

15-15-4. That was the Ducks' record nearly halfway into the season. As defending Cup champions they were mired near the bottom of the playoff picture.

That all changed when Scott Niedermayer returned. Since then the Ducks are 19-8-3. With several Western defenseman pulling out of the All-Star game, Niedermayer was chosen even though he had only played 20 games or so this season. As of now he has 14 points in 30 games.

The Ducks are also bolstered by the return of Teemu Selanne, who has 5 points in 8 games. Anaheim has won 7 of 8 since Selanne's return. He has filled a role as a 2nd line forward, and is producing as expected.

From the AP;

Now with Niedermayer and the return this week of heart-and-soul forward Teemu Selanne, who also said no to retirement after thinking long and hard about it, the Ducks could be setting themselves up for another run at the Cup.

That was written a few weeks ago, and that "could be" has turned into "will". Anaheim has jumped all the way up to 4th in the West, and are only 4 points behind Dallas for the Pacific lead. True the Ducks have a bunch