Tag Archives: hockey

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Flyers Beat Caps AGAIN

Photo courtesy of
‘Tied Up’ courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

Yes, yes, I know. There’s no actual hockey going on. But, there is.

News came down today that the NHL and NBC have announced the teams and location for the 2009-10 Winter Classic. As expected, it’s in Boston at Fenway Park. Yep, the Boston Bruins hosting. And following prior year NHL logic, the other team will also be a rising powerhouse with a top-notch superstar, right? Like, as expected, the Washington Capitals with Russian powerhouse Alex Ovechkin?

Wrong.

Nope, the League, in its continued head-scratching pathetic screwball logic, has named the hated Philadelphia Flyers as the other team. That’s right, those despicable FLYERS. Supposedly, the decision was made because Philadelphia has a bigger hockey television market than Washington.

Say what? Guess the NHL and NBC forgot about the tremendous buzz the Caps/Pens series put on. Or the continual highlight-reel goals by Ovie, or his mounting hardware from numerous awards, or the fact that the Caps are one of the top five most exciting teams to watch…

Yeah, I know. I don’t get it either. Stupid ****ing Flyers.

The Daily Feed
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Fedorov Signs With Metallurg

Photo courtesy of
‘Fedorov’ courtesy of ‘borman818’

Russian news outlets are reporting that Caps forward Sergei Fedorov has signed a two-year contract with the Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Continental Hockey League (KHL). There, he’ll be reunited with his younger brother Fedor.

Fedorov, 39, was reportedly negotiating with several NHL teams besides the Caps but decided in the end to return to his native Russia. His decision ends an 18-year career in the NHL, including three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings.

Fellow Russian Viktor Kozlov left the Caps last month and signed on with this year’s KHL champs Salavat Yulaev Ufa in May. With the two forwards now having moved on and relieving some salary cap space, tomorrow’s NHL Draft and the upcoming July 1 UFA “open season” will prove most interesting for the team. We’ll have a Draft roundup on Monday.

The Daily Feed
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Covering Ovechkin

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Ovechkin-2’ courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

2K Sports has unofficially announced that Caps left winger and superstar Alex Ovechkin will be on the cover of NHL 2K10. The official announcement will be on Tuesday.

The company is hosting a motion capture session in Las Vegas next week, where the public can watch Ovechkin and Vancouver Canucks centerman Ryan Kesler wear motion capture suits and pull off their moves at an outdoor rink. If you’re in Sin City, the event is free at Ceasar’s Palace from 8-11 pm.

Alex’s response says it all: “It’s a good time to be Ovi!”

The Daily Feed
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Fedorov Back to Russia?

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Fedorov’ courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

It’s quite possible the first summer Caps casualty may be Sergei Fedorov. According to the Russian newspaper Sport Express, the 39-year-old center will be signing a two-year contract worth over $7 million with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Continental Hockey League (KHL).

However, Fedorov’s agent has told the Washington Post that nothing is decided yet, other than that the Caps’ veteran center has had multiple offers from KHL teams. It’s possible Fedorov might return to the Caps next year as well, but nothing is set in stone. Any money sunk into a declining forward will surely take away prime salary cap space better used elsewhere.

The Caps have his rights until June 30th, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Fedorov scored 11 goals and 33 points this season but scored only one goal and eight points in this year’s playoffs. His goal was the Game 7 winner against the Rangers that got the Caps to the second round before losing to the Penguins in seven.

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Hockey – DC’s Newest Bandwagon

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Alex Ovechkin’ courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

So Wednesday night saw the end of what could arguably be the best Caps season in recent history. Despite the letdown of Game 7, Caps fans – diehards and bandwagoners alike – can walk away with heads held high.

Should I remind you why?

1. Alexander Ovechkin. Every year, he gets better. From his exuberant celebrations (Don Cherry be damned) to his wide, gap-toothed smile, to his on- and off-ice passion, he is Mr. Caps Hockey. Does he still have more to learn? Honestly, yes. But he’s young, he’s talented, and he’s willing. It’s only going to get better from here, so settle in and enjoy the ride.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Hangin’ By A Thread Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Rock the Red’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Capitals
2nd Round: 2-3, facing Game 6 on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

It’s down to the raggedy edge again for the Caps. After starting 2-0 against the Penguins, the Pens have picked up 3 running, two of them in Overtime. The Caps are short on momentum right now, and that may well be their undoing. Ovechkin has been en fuego, and leads the NHL in post-season goals, but a pair of costly mistakes have cost the Caps their lead on the series.

Tonight, they’ll face elimination in Pittsburgh, much as they faced it two weeks ago in New York. Varlamov will need to be superlative, and the Caps will have to play aggressive & razor-sharp hockey. The good news is, Brashear’s coming off the bench after the end of his suspension, so that’ll return some hard-hitting power to the Caps’ side. The puck drops at 7pm, and can be seen on Versus. C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS! Endanger the Penguins!

Nationals
Record: 10-19
Last Two Weeks: 6-6
Place: Last in the NL East

Well, we’re still the worst team in major league baseball. But, in the last two weeks, the Nats have played a lot better than their opening two weeks. Shairon Martis has been pretty much amazing, his last outing with a 5-hit complete game over the Cardinals last week. Jordan Zimmermann’s still 2-1, and though his ERA is over 5, he’s still got a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio. And, of course, mid-season number-one-draft-pick-to-be Stephen Strasburg threw a no-hitter last week against Air Force. If the Nats can get together with a decent deal with Scott Boras, he’ll be up and pitching in DC by the end of the summer. Ryan Zimmerman’s got a 28-game hitting streak as it stands right now, as well. Get that up to 30 games and maybe he’ll get the credit he’s due. The Nats have three more games on the road against the Giants before coming home for a long homestand. Just think, 9 more wins and they’re at .500.
Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Eastern Conference Semifinals: Caps vs Penguins

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin and Malkin, Friends at Last, Friends at Last’ courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

I’m in hockey nirvana.

When the NHL playoffs were finally set, one of the first things many fans here and in Pennsylvania did was figure out when and if the Capitals would actually face the Pittsburgh Penguins during hockey’s “second season.” It was a bit convoluted to work around, since both teams were highly seeded, and it looked – for about a week – that this year wouldn’t see the match-up we all secretly wanted (and dreaded). But then the Caps figured out they were actually in the playoffs and executed a very stressful and tense comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to stuff the Rangers.

And when Carolina shocked New Jersey with two quick goals in the last two minutes of their own Game 7, it was as if the hockey planets aligned. The match-up the NHL slobbered for had arrived.

Penguins. Capitals. Eastern Conference Semifinals.

And it promises to be one extremely wild, crazy, emotional ride for both cities. Find out why after the jump. Continue reading →

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Fedorov, Hero

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Fedorov’
courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

Big night for Sergei Fedorov, who put in a beautiful goal with just 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd to sink to the Rangers and send the Caps onward to the 2nd round of the NHL Playoffs for the first time since 1998. I’m not sure what exactly Coach said to the Caps in the 2nd intermission, but I suspect it was the kind of pep talk that involved biting the head off a bat or something.

Looks like we’ll be facing the Pens in the second round. Sorry Ben Rome, your boys are going DOWN!

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Features
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Eastern Quarterfinals: Caps vs Rangers

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin Waits For Puck’ courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

After one of their most successful regular seasons ever, the Washington Capitals are now ready to begin what many call the “real” hockey season: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tonight kicks off Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, with the second seed Caps holding home ice advantage in facing the seventh seed New York Rangers. So how does it all break down, and what do we think will happen?

The Rangers are coming in with a simplified game plan: attack, attack, attack – and hope that goalie Henrik Lundqvist can stop all the pucks flung his way. It’s not the most sure-fire strategy, but it’s kept the Rangers hanging on the last half of the season and slipping them into the playoffs with a decent 11-6-1 record after March 4. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Extra: Halfway There

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Boudreau and Capitals at Bench, courtesy of clydeorama

I recently had the pleasure of chatting about hockey with John Buccigross, ESPNEWS Anchor and SportsCenter host – and the former primary host of NHL 2Night when ESPN covered NHL games. Bucci’s (as many call him) columns on hockey on the ESPN website are often insightful, humorous and engaging. Just don’t call him ESPN’s “hockey guy.”

Since the Washington Capitals have hit the halfway point, I wanted to give a mid-season review, so why not Bucci?

Sum up the Caps season so far. At or above expectations?

[Bucci] Right about where I thought they would be. Maybe a little better. They are certainly among the NHL elite. Time will tell if they can win low scoring playoff games and if they have enough playoff defense and goaltending when they play a good team every night for two months.

Areas of improvement?

[Bucci] Team defense, blueline, a goaltender to trust to win for two months, and keeping their goals against lower.

Goaltending. Can they be successful with just Johnson and Theodore (and some solid minor-league backups), or is this where McPhee needs to pull a trade-trigger?

[Bucci] This where GM’s earn their money. They get paid to make tough decisions. They have to make a determination if they have the goaltending to win the Cup. I would think they don’t because they are not a great defensive team. But, if they can improve in that area and they keep scoring goals, they might have enough. Continue reading →

People, Sports Fix, WTF?!
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Minding the Net

Photo courtesy of ivanomak
Jose Theodore, courtesy of Ivan Makarov

I watch hockey. A lot. So when stuff happens that seems unusual, I’m not entirely phased. Tonight, however? Yeah, totally amusingly unusual and worth posting here.

My friends and I were engrossed in Boston’s ugly beat down of Atlanta tonight before we switched to Chicago’s eventual win over Colorado when we got wind of the ‘unusual’ over at the Caps game.

We’d heard that Theodore went down with a hip injury (or is that a “mid-body injury,” to use the NHL’s new method of reporting boo-boos?) earlier in the day and that Brent Johnson – he of the hot glove hand lately – would be in the net against the Senators. The NHL Network had been reporting Sergei Varlamov’s call-up to back up Johnson, so what was all the buzz about?

Lo and behold, Varlamov was going to be running late flying in from Houston where his other team – the Hershey Bears – was on the road and wouldn’t make the start of the game. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound unusual. Yet. Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Redskins Win, Caps Look Good, Wiz Look Really Bad

FedEx Field
FedEx field by Gnomedude

Redskins
Record: 7-4
Past Two Weeks: 1-1
Place: Tied for Second in the NFC East with the Hated Dallas Cowboys.

Two ugly games in a row for the Redskins. This week, unlike last, the Skins came out on top. Clinton Portis continues to be a dominant force in the Redskins offense, with 143 yards on 29 carries, including some second-half sprints that rocketed the Skins to victory. Jason Campbell had an off-day, going 20 of 33 for 206 yards and a single TD. The defense, though, couldn’t stop the 2-9 Seahawks from putting up 228 offensive yards, most of that on the ground. They did, however, force a turnover with under a minute to go as the Seahawks were driving toward the end zone, putting the kibosh on the Seahawks’ last rally.

Up next? The 10-1 Giants. They’ll be here at FedEx on Sunday, and the Redskins will need an impressive showing to take down the top of the NFC East. Currently, we’re tied with the Hated Cowboys, and next week they play the Seahawks while we’re facing the Giants. Not exactly the matchup that we’re hoping for. So, if they want to keep their place, it’s win or die against the Giants. I’m not hopeful. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Ovie’s Back!


Another Celebration in the Spotlight
Originally uploaded by clydeorama

In case you were wondering, Alex Ovechkin is finally back on track with the Capitals. The Russian star and city favorite knocked in a power play goal and added three assists in last night’s 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, bringing his points total to 14 on the season.

It’s about time. Alexander Semin is starting to cool a little after his red-hot start and was absent for the second game in a row, nursing an “undisclosed upper-body injury” (oh, come on!). Having the Caps captain superstar slip back into gear after such a rocky October has to be relieving to many Caps fans as well as Coach Boudreau.

Next game is tonight against the LA Kings, continuing the Caps’ West Coast swing.

Downtown, Essential DC, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix
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Sports Extra: Capital Preview

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Four Caps, No Waiting For Love, courtesy of clydeorama

Thank goodness, it’s almost Hockeytime.

No, seriously. I get the Redskins, people. Really. But I’m not a football fan. It’s all about sticks, pucks and skates – and the cool Zamboni ‘race’ between periods.

Hockey. Where the men have more gaps in their teeth than West Virginians. (I kid! Ok, not completely.)

And yes, Ovechkin, I’m lookin’ at you. Continue reading →

Arlington, Fun & Games, Sports Fix
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Capital Summer

Slapshot Banner
Slapshot at Game 7
Modified; originally uploaded by clydeorama

Now that the dust has (partially) settled, let’s look at the Capitals. Yes, that’s right, I said Capitals. Hockey in July.

Because the summer is when a team’s foundation is made.

First off, Brooks Laich and Shaone Morrisonn elected to take the team to arbitration. Nothing to get worked up over, just that Ted’s going to pay a bit more for their services if things proceed as normal. Laich wants about double of his current $725,000 salary.

Matt Cooke has gone north and signed with the Penguins. Not terribly surprising, after Matt Bradley signed his three-year extension back in May. Continue reading →

News
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Capital Frenzy

Photo courtesy of clydeorama

Wow, busy week across the NHL. Lots of moves with the July 1 Free Agent Turkey Shoot, and the Washington Capitals are right in the thick of it.

McPhee managed to re-sign Mike Green on Monday, June 30, effectively sealing up a potential weak spot and relieving many diehard Caps fans. So one less headache to worry over when Tuesday hit.

And hit it did.

Biggest news? Smoking-hot goaltender Christobal Huet bolted for more money and a suddenly very dangerous team in the Chicagoland area. Can’t blame the Blackhawks there – missing the playoffs by three points with an average goalie squad made any potential FA goalies legitimate targets.

Unfortunately, it forced McPhee to take a Vegas-sized risk by approaching – and signing – Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore for a more-than-modest two year deal worth $9M. BIG risk. HUGE. Now, if this was 2003, then it wouldn’t be a big deal (ok, maybe it would be, considering his lackluster play the next few years) – but despite his sudden transformation from mediocre back to the old Hart and Vezina winner with the ‘lanche last season, it really remains to be seen which Theodore the Caps got on this deal.

The goalie situation really is crucial to the Caps’ success in the next year. With Huet bolting for more lucrative waters and Kolzig “bolting” to Tampa (for what will probably be his final year or two of his career) as a mentor for the Lightning’s fresh-faced netminders, the play of Theodore is going to either sink or rocket Capital play. All the offense in the world isn’t going to matter if the goalie position is leakier than Montgomery County’s water lines.

There’s still more signings and moves to be had, for sure, as McPhee is still faced with UFAs Cooke, Fedorov, Bournedienne, Arsene, Riazantsev, Stana, Morgan and Werner. It will definitely be an interesting summer on ice.

Green Winds Up, courtesy of clydeorama