Tag Archives: caps hockey

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F is for Fun at Caps Street Fest Today

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‘IMG_9132’
courtesy of ‘Jessica Whittle Photography’

F is for family-friendly hockey fun on F Street in front of Verizon Center this afternoon from 3-7pm. Even if you don’t have tickets for tonight’s Caps game against the Atlanta Thrashers, come on down for the Capitals’ Street Festival where you can try your hand at hockey action.

There will a variety of activities for hockey fans of all ages, including:

Slap Shot Challenge – Take a shot at the hockey goal, and a radar gun will record your top speed.
Hockey Accuracy Challenge – Shoot pucks and hit as many white light targets as you can before the buzzer sounds.
Call the Play – Experience what it’s like to be a sportscaster and record play-by-play commentary on your favorite Capitals plays.
Hockey Rink Photo Booth – Get a picture of yourself in the middle of the hockey action with this staged booth using green screen technology.
Zamboni Photo Zone – Sit in the driver’s seat of the ice resurfacing machine.

There will also be fan appearances by rookie John Wall of the Wizards; Caps owner Ted Leonsis; Marissa Coleman of the Mystics; and of course Slapshot, the Capitals’ mascot.

Capital One Bank is hosting this event. Any Capital One customer will receive complimentary food vouchers for the nearby Green Turtle restaurant.

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Bruins Crush Caps Again, 4-1


‘DSC_7102~’
courtesy of ‘photopete’

Two nights after beating the Caps in Washington, the Bruins handed the Caps a second straight defeat last night in Boston, 4-1. While the Caps unleashed even more shots on Tim Thomas than Tuesday night, the Boston goalie was brilliant and the Bruins physically dominated the Caps all over the ice. It seemed that the only team that learned any lessons from Tuesday night was the Bruins as they demolished Washington’s perfect record on the penalty kill, scoring three power play goals on four chances.

Two bright spots for the Caps were the play of rookie Marcus Johansson, who was promoted to the second line and responded with his best game of the season. Semyon Varlamov made his first start of the season and showed why the Caps have a promising future with two young netminders.

The Caps once again had many quality chances in the offensive zone, especially early in the game, but Thomas played lights-out good, making 38 saves for the game. The Bruins scored a power play goal in the last minute of the first period when Patrice Bergeron found Michael Ryder open at the side of the crease, and he knocked it past Varlamov for a 1-0 lead.

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Bruins Drop Caps 3-1

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‘DSC_6300’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The Boston Bruins capitalized on some early opportunities and held on to the lead in front of stellar play by goalie Tim Thomas to defeat the Caps 3-1 last night at the Verizon Center. It was the Caps first lost at home this season. Goalie Semyon Varlamov came off the bench to replace a dizzy Michal Neuvirth halfway through the first period. Alex Ovechkin was held to no points for the first time this season by Boston’s tight defense.

The Capitals started the game with some jump in their legs, getting several quality scoring chances in the first and generally dictating the pace of the game. Only some exceptional saves by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas kept the Caps off the scoreboard. Even an early fight between Matt Hendricks and Greg Campbell went in the Caps favor. But the Caps’ trend of allowing odd-man breaks continued to hurt when Milan Lucic sprung Nathan Horton and David Krejci on a two-on-one break with with Krejci converting to give the Bruins the lead. It was the fourth time in six games that the opposing team has scored first on the Caps. Two minutes later, Lucic put back a rebound on a shot by Johnny Boychuk to go up 2-0 with just seven shots on goal.

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Backstrom, Ovie Sink Isles

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‘DSC_7711’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The two biggest questions the Caps had going into last night’s contest with the New York Islanders were: “When is Nicklas Backstrom going to score?” and “Is the power play ever going to be effective?”

Both questions were answered with less than four minutes remaining in regulation; Backstrom’s deflection of an Alexander Ovechkin slap shot on the power play proved to be the game winner in a 2-1 win for the Caps.

Granted, Backstrom got an assist on Ovechkin’s second period goal, but you could tell he wanted more. Having been demoted to the second line at the start of the game, swapping places with Tomas Fleischmann, Backstrom was put back on the first line at the start of the second, and that’s when things began to click. “I thought they needed a break,” Coach Bruce Boudreau explained after the game. “And by the start of the second period, I thought they’d had a long enough break.” The strategy seemed to work. “Once (Backstrom) got the assist I just knew he was going to get more, because he never stops at just one once he gets a little bit of a roll going.”

The Caps came into the game having converted only 1 of their last 13 power play attempts. The Islanders gave the Caps plenty of chances to redeem themselves; it was the last power play opportunity that produced Backstrom’s game winner. The team now sits at converting 2 for 17, a dismal 11%, compared to last year’s league-dominating 25%.

Things looked a bit rocky at the start. The Caps were sluggish and let the Islanders dominate in their end. Even an early fight by new winger DJ King failed to provide much spark. King took on Trevor Gillies in the corner less than three minutes into the game in a rousing fight. It was an rousing introduction for the fiesty winger to the Verizon Center crowd, despite his eventual takedown by Gillies. Continue reading →

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Ovechkin Trips Senators’ Bid for Win

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‘DSC_7613’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Fresh off their shellacking of New Jersey on Saturday, the Caps were looking to extend their success last night against Ottawa. The Senators were looking for some redemption after being pasted by Toronto and in search of their first point on the season. A point they got, but the Senators left the Verizon Center winless, thanks to the overtime heroics of one Alex Ovechkin.

With a great fake, Ovechkin slammed a low shot home past Pascal Leclaire with only 31 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Caps their second win in a row and on the season. The goal capped a high intensity game that by rights, Ottawa could’ve won.

“Only Alex can play like he did and still score the overtime goal and be the hero,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “That’s what superstars do. That’s why he’s out there in the last minute – because he can win you a game at any chance.”

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Caps Return Home for Preseason

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‘DSC_6325’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Tonight the Caps return to the Verizon Center for a preseason matchup with the visiting Boston Bruins. The Capitals, fresh off two road games versus Columbus and Nashville (both Washington wins), will be featuring a trimmed-down roster of 33 players. Tonight’s roster will most likely include center Matt Hendricks, who was signed to a one-year two-way contract yesterday. Hendricks scored a hat trick in last week’s game against Columbus.

Line combinations for the new season aren’t fully set as roughly 14 forward slots have yet to be filled. Rookie Marcus Johansson has been solid in his last two preseason starts, as has last year’s draft selection Cody Eakin. Coach Bruce Boudreau is liking the talent depth at center this year, something the Caps weren’t all that strong in last year. “Weve got a lot of capable guys,” he said yesterday. “There are a lot of guys who are capable of playing that position…It’s going to be really tough for us to make a final determination because they’re all good.”

Tickets for tonight’s game are still available and the Caps announced that their Student Rush plan is in effect for this evening – $40 for lower tier and $20 for upper tier seats when students bring their ID to the Verizon Center box office.

The Caps regular season begins October 8 in Atlanta.

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Caps Extend Neuvirth’s Contract

Photo courtesy of
‘Michal Neuvirth’
courtesy of ‘M. Janicki’

Goalie Michal Neuvirth received a two-year contract extension today, according to the Washington Capitals. Financial details are not yet known.

The two-time Calder Cup-winning goaltender went 9-4-0 in 17 games last season, posting a 2.75 GAA and a .914 save percentage. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 Entry Draft by the Caps and has been instrumental in the success of the Caps’ AHL affiliate in Hershey.

Neuvirth is expected to be with the Caps full time this season as Semyon Varlamov’s backup.

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Poti Takes Paycut, Signs Extension

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‘DSC_5306’
courtesy of ‘photopete’

Word from Kettler is that Caps veteran defenseman and assistant captain Tom Poti just signed a two-year extension with the team today. The deal is reportedly worth $3 million in 2011-12 and $2.75 million in 2012-13. This season is his last under the old deal at $3.5 million.

Poti’s an important presence on the Caps blue line; last year, the Worcester, MA native had 20 assists and 24 points but more importantly, a solid +26 plus-minus rating. While not a prolific scorer like Mike Green, Poti does give the defensive corps some solid play and leadership on the ice.

An extension was something wanted by both sides. Poti told the Caps he and his wife love it here, and that “”I’ve played in the league 12, 13 years and still haven’t won. I think this is the best chance for me to get a Cup. I was willing to give up some money, leave some money on the table, to have a chance at that.” All that’s left now is to prove it. The Caps open up the new season October 8 in Atlanta.

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Bye-bye, Belanger

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‘1ST_9932’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

In case you were unaware, (former) Caps center Eric Belanger signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes yesterday. Sources at ESPN indicated the deal is worth about $750,000. Belanger played 24 games for the Caps last season after being snagged from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline.

What’s news today, however, is the fact that apparently Belanger has been lashing out at Caps management for reneging on a verbal contract. (The Caps have said they never had a contract agreement with the former center.) Belanger had apparently taken the Caps at their word at the end of July, when they (apparently) deferred putting the deal down on paper due to a possible trade in the works that could affect his contract. “We had a verbal agreement over seven weeks ago, and they said it would take about a week to make a trade. It wasn’t a question of if we were making it, it as a question of when you’re gonna be signed, because they didn’t want to lose any leverage on the trade, and we all know the story after that. I’m no lawyer guy, but the line has been crossed, and now I’m looking ahead. I have a great opportunity in Phoenix, and I want to play good for that organization. I feel wanted by them in Phoenix.”

Belanger became a fan favorite after he did some self-service dental cleaning during Game 5 of the series against Montreal. He’d taken a stick to his mouth from Canadiens defensman Marc-Andre Bergeron, losing eight teeth. He still played another 10 minutes that night, despite serious emergency dental work to trim some exposed roots.

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Important Caps Dates to Remember…

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‘Verizon Center ice’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Tired of Haynesworth and the Redskins already? Want to watch a winning team for once? Well, soon enough you’ll have your chance. Only 46 days until the Washington Capitals open up the 2010-11 campaign in Atlanta!

Single game tickets go on sale on Friday, Sept 10 at 10 a.m. at the Verizon Center, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, online, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. (You can get multi-game packages now.) The first home game of the season is on Saturday, Oct 9 against the New Jersey Devils (who may be with or without Ilya Kovalchuk), where the 2009-10 President’s Trophy will be displayed and Southeast Division championship banner will be raised.

Other nights of note are Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Oct 23 (vs. the Thrashers), Military Night on Mar 3 (vs. the Blues), and Niklas Backstrom Bobblehead Night on Apr 2 (vs. the Sabres).

Other dates to note – rookie camp opens on Sept 11, training camp a week later on Sept 18, and the second annual Capitals Convention on Oct 2. And of course, the 2011 Winter Classic on Jan 1.

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Semin Unhurt in Accident

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‘IMG_9085’
courtesy of ‘Jessica Whittle Photography’

Capitals forward Alexander Semin is unhurt after being in a car accident in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. His Mercedes was struck while he was waiting in a “traffic queue.” The driver apparently failed to brake and slammed into the back of Semin’s car. “I didn’t even realize what had happened,” Semin told the Moscow News. “I was just sitting in my car and suddenly – crash!”

No one was injured and neither driver is admitting responsibility. Semin is a frequent visitor to Krasnoyarsk, where he was born, and runs coaching classes for local players in the offseason.

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Flash, Oh-Ooooh!

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‘20100202 Boychuk and Fleischmann’
courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

Late last evening, the Caps announced they have re-signed forward Tomas Fleischmann for the 2010-11 season. The one year contract is worth $2.6 million. The signing removes one more Cap from arbitration and firms up the team’s offense. “Flash” set all sorts of career highs last season, netting the most goals (23), assists (28), points (51), and plus/minus (+9) in his five-year NHL career.

Acquired by the Caps in 2004 in a trade with Detroit, Flash has clocked 260 games with the Caps and racked up 128 points, improving his offensive numbers every year. Last season, 10 of his 23 goals came in the first period and he was one of the standout forwards to step up during the ten games Alex Ovechkin was absent from the lineup. He also represented the Czech Republic in the most recent Olympics and was a key player in the Hershey Bears’ 2006 Calder Cup championship.

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Caps Re-Sign Schultz, Gordon

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‘090127 Jeff Schultz’
courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

The Caps announced today they’ve signed defenseman Jeff Schultz to a four-year deal worth $11 million. Keeping Schultz with the club was important for the team’s blue line; Schultz had recently filed for arbitration along with Tomas Fleischmann and Eric Fehr.

Schultz skated in 73 games last season and led the NHL with an eye-popping +50 rating, a team record for a single season and the first d-man in the NHL to lead in plus/minus since 2005-6. He also racked up a career-high 20 assists on 23 points and averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time a game. “I’m not going to be one of those guys who rushes the puck from end-to-end,” Schultz admitted to Caps writer Mike Vogel. “It’s my job to get it up to the forwards as quick as possible and get it out of our zone with as much ease as possible. If I can make a simple play instead of forcing it, it helps myself and it helps the team.”

The signing is the third by the Caps since July 1, the start of the NHL’s Free Agent signing period. The team signed veteran AHL goalie Dany Sabourin on Saturday and yesterday closed a one-year deal with forward Boyd Gordon. Gordon, the Caps 2002 Entry Draft first-round choice, has played 303 games for the team and recorded 24 goals and 76 points during his Caps career. Last year, Gordon spent a good portion of the season on the injury list, playing in only 36 games and registering 4 goals and 10 points.

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Caps Enter Free Agency Fray

Photo courtesy of
‘Dany Sabourin’
courtesy of ‘Yokitis’

After remaining quiet on “Free Agent Frenzy” day in the NHL yesterday, the Washington Capitals have begun making a small amount of noise this morning, signing goalie Dany Sabourin to a one-year contract. (Details not yet released by the team.) Sabourin was technically with the Bruins last season but spent the year in Providence/AHL with a 28-27-0 record, 2.67 GAA, .915 save percentage, and 3 shutouts. He dressed for the Bruins as a back up for two games in March. Sabourin played previously for the Flames, Canucks, and Penguins. Most of his NHL experience comes from his 2007-2009 stint with the Penguins, notching a 16-17-3 record with two shutouts.

It’s a surprising move for a well-stacked Caps net; with Varlamov probably stepping into the lead role, it’ll be interesting now to see who slips in as backup between Neuvirth and Sabourin. Most likely, the Caps are positioning to cover Neuvirth’s move to the NHL by placing a veteran minor leaguer with the Hershey Bears.

More signing updates as they come.

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Capital Drafting: 2010 NHL Entry Draft

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‘Mighty Mites!’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The NHL 2010 Entry Draft occurred in Los Angeles over the last three days and after seven rounds, the Caps exited this year’s draft with five new prospects. Selected by the team are Evgeny Kuznetsov (Russia), Stanislav Galiev (Russia), Philipp Grubauer (Germany), Caleb Herbert (U.S.), and Samuel Carrier (Canada). The five selected picks cover the range of ice positions, from center to goalie, and will be entering an already well-stocked prospect larder. GM George McPhee has gotten a great handle on building the team’s future depth, in large part due to the experienced Capitals’ scouting squads.

Let’s take a look at the new blood, shall we? Continue reading →

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Capitals Preseason Schedule Out

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‘DSC_6274’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Ready for Caps hockey yet?

Well, when you are, know that the first preseason game for the team is on Sept 22 in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. The first home preseason game is at the Verizon Center on Sept 28 against the Boston Chokes Bruins. The other two home games are Oct 1 and Oct 3, against Columbus and Nashville, respectively. There are six games in total on the preseason schedule; last year, the Caps went 4-2-0.

This weekend is the NHL Draft; I’ll have a rundown on how the Caps fared and their prospects next week. Only three more months before the puck drops…

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Weber Receives Hall of Fame Honor

Photo courtesy of
‘Newseum WTOP Microphone’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Yesterday the Hockey Hall of Fame announced that Ron Weber, the original play-by-play voice of the Washington Capitals, will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

Hired in 1974 when the Caps joined the NHL as an expansion team, Ron Weber had the dubious honor of calling all of the record-breaking 67 losses by the franchise in their first year on WTOP. Nonplussed, Ron stuck with the team for the next 23 years, never missing a regular season or playoff broadcast – a total of 1,936 consecutive games. Chuck Kaiton, President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, said in a Caps press release that “Ron has been a key contributor to the growth of NHL hockey interest in the DC area over his two-plus decades as the original voice of the Capitals. He’s very worthy of this honor.”

The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is named for the late “Voice of Hockey” in Canada and was first presented in 1984 by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association in recognition of members of radio and television who’ve made lasting contributions to both broadcasting and hockey. Ron will receive the award on November 8, 2010 in Toronto.

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It Goes to Eleven!

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‘Amplifer Knobs’
courtesy of ‘Koonisutra’

Congratulations to the Washington Capitals for setting a franchise record last night! With their 4-1 whipping of the Boston Bruins, the Caps are sitting on an amazing 11 game win streak, stemming back from Ovechkin’s anointing as team captain.

It wasn’t a sure thing until the third period, however. Both teams fought a solid game through two periods, and the 1-1 score going into the last 20 minutes reflected it. But, as seems to be standard Caps operating procedure lately, around five minutes in the Caps just exploded. Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin made Boston’s Matt Hunwick pay on a turnover to gain the Caps’ first lead of the game. Boyd Gordon dropped in his second of the season and then Ovie capped it with an empty netter. Mike Knuble continued his strong play of late with the tying goal early in the second period.

The Caps are sitting pretty at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 10 point lead over New Jersey and face the New York Rangers tomorrow at Madison Square Garden.

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Caps Clip Ducks 5-1

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‘IMG_0371’
courtesy of ‘jsmjr’

Settling into one’s seat last night at the Verizon Center, one would wonder what roller coaster the Washington Capitals had planned next? Visiting the seven-game-streaking Caps were the Anaheim Ducks on a six game road trip. The Caps, fresh off a 7-2 blowout of the New York Islanders on Tuesday where seemingly everyone grabbed a point except captain Alex Ovechkin, were looking to lengthen their 19 point lead in the Southeast Conference and remain atop the East as the NHL drove towards the Olympic break.

Ovie had to have felt left out of the fun on Long Island and let it show early by burying the puck only 36 seconds into the game. A solid twelve minute run through the first period saw the Caps dominating in the Duck’s zone, racking up a 13-3 shots on goal advantage before Anaheim’s offense settled down. The Caps ended the period with a season-high matching 19 shots on goal, peppering Jean-Sebastien Giguere in spurts during his first game back in over two weeks.

The game settled down in the second; both Giguere and Michal Neuvirth had some terrific saves as both teams hammered into the zones. Dan Sexton managed to finally get one past Neuvirth and it looked as if the game would settle into a classic low-scoring goalie duel. But everything flipped in the span of less than three minutes as the third period unfolded.

Continue reading →

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Caps 3, Red Wings 2

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‘Caps WIN!’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Going into last night’s game, the Capitals knew they were going to be tested. This week, the Caps face both Stanley Cup finalists from the last two seasons and Coach Bruce Boudreau knew it was going to be an examination of sorts for the team. Coming off a 5-3 win against the Flyers on Sunday and winning four of their last five, the Caps were looking to impress. (And possibly get Ovechkin his 250th career goal.)

They did, but not in any way you’d think.

While the Capitals did skate out with a 3-2 win over an injury-ridden Detroit team, the Caps weren’t performing at their finest. Detroit controlled most of the game, dominating in the offensive zone and sewing up their defense around Osgood. The Caps started the game extremely weak, with only 3 shots on goal in the first period. The Caps forwards came on in spurts, but couldn’t sustain any consistant pressure against Osgood. Despite some stellar play by Jason Chimera early in the first to give Nicklas Backstrom a couple of shining opportunities to score, the Wings just dictated the pace of the game. Jose Theodore decided to have a good night, however, and kept the Caps even with the Wings through the first two periods, handling several breakaways with skill.

Then came the third period. Continue reading →