Tag Archives: nhl

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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

Photo courtesy of
‘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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Possible Moves Coming to Capitals

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There might be some movement on the ice in Capitals land.

Multiple sources have indicated that forward Eric Belanger has a one-year deal that is waiting to be signed by a team, but that he’s been told to not announce where he’s actually going. The deal is rumored to be just over the $1.75 million he made last season with the Capitals. Belanger told Le Soleil yesterday that he can’t say because the team working to sign him is also working on a trade.

It’s very likely the Caps are indeed resigning Belanger, who had 15 goals and 41 points across 77 games last season, but are trying to complete a deal that might bring in another defenseman. The Globe and Mail speculates the Caps may actually be shopping around Tomas Fleishmann, who just signed a one-year deal with the team last month.

What is known is that the Caps are not in trade discussions with Toronto regarding available Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. And of course, this is all purely informed speculation – nothing’s set in stone until GM George McPhee pulls the trigger – but it’s something for Cap fans to think about as we creep towards the start of the new season.

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Brawler King Coming to Caps

Photo courtesy of
‘First fight’
courtesy of ‘Hjelle’

The Caps pulled off a quiet trade yesterday afternoon, acquiring winger D.J. King from the St. Louis Blues and parting with prospect Stefan Della Rovere in the process. King’s a big winger at 6’3″ and 230 lbs and racked up 185 penalty minutes over 101 games with the Blues. A prolific goal scorer he is not (only 4 goals and 9 points in his NHL career), but brings some heft and grit to the Cap’s forward lines – provided he remains healthy. He only played in 13 games the last two seasons due to injuries (dislocated shoulder, broken finger). King remains under contract through the 2011-12 season.

The Blues get Della Rovere, who spent most of his last four seasons playing in the Ontario Hockey League where he racked up 65 goals and 138 points across 230 games.

Welcome to the Capitals, DJ!

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Flash, Oh-Ooooh!

Photo courtesy of
‘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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2011 Winter Classic Logos Debut

While it’s been confirmed since May, the reality of the 2011 NHL Winter Classic finally began to set in today. The league’s press conference today didn’t reveal much information beyond the logos and some remarks by various officials (mostly from Pittsburgh), but it did serve as a nice bit of hockey news in the heated wastland of summer.

The Caps had a few officials in attendance, including Team President Dick Patrick and Caps players Dave Steckel and Mike Knuble. Most of the press questions revolved around the recent history between the Penguins and Capitals and the hyper focus on the Crosby/Ovechkin matchup. “It takes a team effort to win the game,” said Steckel during one brief interview. “There are outstanding performances by them [Crosby and Ovechkin], but ultimately it comes down to all the guys on the team to succeed.” Continue reading →

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Caps Retain Eric Fehr

Photo courtesy of
‘Caps/Habs (April 15, 2010) – 20’
courtesy of ‘Garyisajoke’

Fresh off a career high season, Eric Fehr has extended his stay with the Caps after signing off on a two-year deal worth $4.4 million yesterday afternoon. Fehr had 21 goals and 39 points in 69 games with the Caps last season, even though he averaged less than 13 minutes of ice time a game. Out of all the 20+ goal scorers in the NHL, Fehr had the lowest on-ice average.

Plagued with injuries during the early portion of his career – he was the Caps’ first-rounder in the 2003 Entry Draft – Fehr finally came into his own last season, shrugging off surgery on both shoulders and a major back injury. Having been an offensive force despite the low ice time, his return to the Caps offense should elicit a great sigh of relief for the Rock the Red nation. Fehr had a solid playoff performance last year, with 3 goals and 4 points in the seven game series with Montreal.

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Caps Re-Sign Schultz, Gordon

Photo courtesy of
‘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

Photo courtesy of
‘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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Ovie, Theodore Walk Away With Hardware

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‘Theodore Warms Up’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Last night at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, the Washington Capitals did not come away empty-handed. Both winger Alex Ovechkin and goalie Jose Theodore (who won’t be back this year) nabbed individual awards, with Ovie also being elected to his fifth-straight First Team All Star honor.

Theodore won the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, which honors the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Theodore, who lost his son Chace last year to respiratory complications, created the “Saves for Kids” charity to benefit the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s National Medical Center in DC. “Obviously, it was a tough year emotionally, but I’m really proud of the way I handled myself,” Theodore told NHL.com. “Then winning this award just brings back some tough memories or good memories, it depends, but it’s tough. With all the support I had, it was just fun to see people around me that cared for that.” He presented a check for $35,000 to Children’s at the beginning of May after pledging money for each save, win, and shutout he made during the season. The donation also included matching donations and support from the Capitals organization and fans.

Ovechkin led off the awards ceremony, winning the Ted Lindsay Award (formerly the Lester B. Pearson Award) as the players’ MVP for the third straight season. However, Ovie didn’t collect his third Hart trophy (the NHL MVP) as expected; that honor went to Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin.

Mike Green was a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy (outstanding defenseman) but lost to Chicago Blackhawks Duncan Keith.

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Ciccarelli Going to Hall of Fame

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‘IMG_2775’
courtesy of ‘Uncleweed’

The NHL announced its Hall of Fame inductees yesterday and former Capitals player Dino Ciccarelli will be the fifth Capitals player inducted into the NHL’s shrine of hockey history. Ciccarelli joins women hockey players Cammi Granato and Angela James in the player category.

Ciccarelli played four seasons with the Caps, from March 1989 when he joined the team near the trade deadline thru 1992. During his Caps career, Ciccarelli knocked in 112 goals and 209 points across 223 career games. All four seasons with the team, Ciccarelli and the Caps made the playoffs where Dino was among the top two playoff goal or point scorers every year. “This is a tremendous honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Ciccarelli told ESPN. “I really appreciate the support of my coaches, the fans and mostly importantly my family throughout my 19-year career.” Dino’s 19 year NHL career was with four other teams after the Caps: the Minnesota North Stars, Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Florida. Over his career, he recorded 608 goals and 592 assists in 1,232 games.

With the inclusion of Ciccarelli, the Capitals now have five members of the Hall who played on the team, joining Mike Gartner, Rod Langway, Larry Murphy, and Scott Stevens.

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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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NHL to Announce Caps, Pens for 2011 Winter Classic

Photo courtesy of
‘Pre-game Festivities at Heinz Field’
courtesy of ‘marc.benton’

According to one of my sources, the NHL will be announcing two outdoor games for the 2010-2011 NHL season. And yes, it looks like the Capitals will be part of the festivities. Rumored to be a participant since last summer, the Washington Capitals will be facing the Pittsburgh Penguins this coming New Year’s Day at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. (The other game is an all-Canadian affair between the Canadiens and Flames in Calgary, sometime in February.)

Honey, I know what I want for Christmas this year!

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An Open Letter to the Washington Capitals

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Dear Ted, George, Bruce, and Alex:

I know right now you’re dealing with a lot of crap from pretty much every corner because of Wednesday’s loss. So I just wanted to toss in two words you may not have heard much over the last 48 hours:

Thank you.

Those two words are pretty well drowned out right now, given that in true DC fashion, everyone’s getting busy on offering their opinions on what went wrong and what you guys need to do to fix things. And don’t misunderstand me – I have my opinions on the matter as well, but now’s not really the time to list them. I really just wanted to take a moment during all of the hubbub and let you know how I feel as things settle down. They’re simple words, but they need said.

THANK. YOU. Continue reading →

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Ovechkin Named Hart Finalist

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‘DSC_6331’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Some upbeat news for Caps fans today from the NHL offices: team captain Alex Ovechkin has been named as one of the finalists for the Hart Trophy. The Hart is given to the league’s MVP, as voted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. The award is given to the player who was determined as the most valuable to his team during the regular season.

Good thing the voting was already completed for this one before the playoffs began.

The other two finalists this year are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.

Ovechkin has won the award the last two years; if he wins his third in a row, he’ll be the first to do so since Wayne Gretzky won eight straight from 1980 to 1987. Ovie notched 50 goals for the third straight season and led the Capitals’ charge into the postseason after being named captain in January.

The Hart will be awarded at the NHL Awards Ceremony on June 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Heartbreaker in Chinatown

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_9124’
courtesy of ‘jessie.whittle’

As I exited the Verizon Center this evening, I saw a few things that spoke to what I had just witnessed.  Dejected Caps fans covered their Ovechkin jerseys with jackets and pull overs.  I walked past a sign showing a basset hound with its ears held out straight; “SURPRISED?” it asked. Frankly, yes.  Surprised, shocked, slightly embarrassed; the Caps, the best team in the NHL, had just been defeated by a number eight seed in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  How did it happen? I’m sure there a dozen perspectives.  Mine is that the Caps never quite figured out how to get inside the Canadien’s defense and play the net. Continue reading →