Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/15/2009
Fourth line center Boyd Gordon (sore back) won't suit up tonight against the Sharks, Coach Bruce Boudreau said. He'll be replaced in the lineup by Keith Aucoin, who was called up earlier today just in case. Aucoin will center the third line, while David Steckel will drop to the fourth line. Boudreau is hoping Aucoin can spark the third line and that Steckel might get the fourth line going offensively....
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
Goaltending. It was a game about goaltending. Well, sort of. Because if Jose Theodore didn’t play as well as he did, and Chris Osgood didn’t play as poorly as he did on two shots, the Caps would have lost tonight’s game against the Red Wings by a much wider margin than the final 3-2 score. Actually, it was something of a clinic in Red Wing hockey. Subtle, yet effective defense. Don’t...
Bleatings From a Caps Nut (Free subscription) | 10/02/2009
Well, it's a start... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment... THE GOOD: Speaking for ourselves and ourselves alone, we're certainly glad we spending $2.8 a season for the next two seasons to get Mike Knuble to stand in front of the net and bang in rebounds on the Power Play like Brooks "and Dunn" Laich ($2.1 million this season) did twice tonight. The Penalty Killing tonight was good, going...
DCist (Free subscription) | 10/01/2009
Photo by clydeorama . By Eli Resnick and Elisabeth Meineke With another hockey season upon us – the opening faceoff in Boston is mere hours away – it's time for the DCist hockey crew to look foolish and guess what the Caps will do this year. We'll take a wide turn of the stories heading into tonight's opener, offering our prognostications on the season to be along the way. The New Additions...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/28/2009
David Steckel Theme: “Every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead.” That little quote comes from one of the most familiar faces in movies and television you’ve probably never heard of, a fellow by the name of Dabbs Greer. The kind of fellow of whom you might say, “oh yeah, I remember him in ‘The Green Mile,’” or “Little House on the...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/28/2009
Alexander Semin Theme: “The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.” For a guy who provides little for public consumption (absent the odd quote about Sidney Crosby), Alexander Semin is chock full of surprises. Last year, Semin was 34-45-79, +25. But that was in only 62 games. On an 82-game basis, his 45 goals would have put him tied for...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/25/2009
...to get to the prescribed roster size, that is. The Caps assigned Mathieu Perreault and Jay Beagle to Hershey this morning, bringing the Caps to 31 hands on board. There are eight more spots to move to get down to a maximum opening night roster of 23. Here are the 31 remaining Caps... Forwards: 8 – Alex Ovechkin 9 – Brendan Morrison 10 – Matt Bradley 14 – Tomas Fleischmann...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 09/23/2009
(Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post) Longtime Caps goaltender and often face of the team Olie Kolzig officially announced his retirement from the NHL today. You can read a full release here. It seems like a long time since Kolzig and the Capitals parted ways following the 2008 season when Cristobal Huet was brought in at the trade deadline and helped fuel a playoff run, but it's unlikely anyone...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/20/2009
Your leaders in the early preseason clubhouse… Goals: Chris Clark - 1 Brian Pothier -1 Kyle Wilson - 1 Mike Knuble - 1 Alexandre Giroux - 1 Jay Beagle - 1 Mathieu Perreault - 1 Assists: Chris Clark – 2 Nicklas Backstrom – 2 Points: Chris Clark – 3 Brian Pothier – 2 Kyle Wilson – 2 Nicklas Backstrom – 2 Plus/Minus: Tom Poti - +2 Milan Jurcina - +2 Penalty Minutes:...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/20/2009
Boyd Gordon Theme: “The superior man is slow in his words and earnest in his conduct.” Confucius said that. No… really. And if there was a player who gave the impression of being earnest, it would be Boyd Gordon. It’s hard to believe that Gordon is still only 25 years old (he’ll turn 26 in October); it seems as if he’s been here since the first time the Caps wore...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 09/17/2009
Here are a few notes from today's on-ice sessions at KCI: *With the departure of Sergei Fedorov, one alternate captain's "A" is up for grabs this season, and there's no shortage of options. Coach Bruce Boudreau listed Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Mike Knuble, Tom Poti, Brooks Laich, David Steckel and Matt Bradley among those who he considers strong leaders. Specifically speaking about the...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/16/2009
Chris Clark Theme: “Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about...Well the names have all changed since you hung around...” John Sebastian might have been singing about a former student turned teacher, but the Caps are welcoming back a healthy (we hope) captain to a team that is considerably different from the one on which he scored 30 goals the last time he played more...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 09/15/2009
A few notes from today's training camp sessions at KCI: * The afternoon scrimmage, won in the shootout by Team A, 3-2, had a thrilling conclusion (for fans of penalty shots, that is). Boyd Gordon beat Michal Neuvirth over the glove in the sixth round, then Jose Theodore stopped David Steckel at the other end to clinch the win. *Here are the updated Duchesne Cup standings: Team A is 1-0; Team B is 0-1...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 09/14/2009
On the frozen tundra of Kettler Capitals Iceplex… two squads faced off with malice in their hearts and visions of the Duchesne Cup dancing in their heads. Group B, a collection of skilled skaters and indomitable netminders took on the gritty grinders and hardnosed (owing largely to their masks) goalies of Group C. The teams spent the early minutes of the first period probing for weaknesses,...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 09/07/2009
Rookie camp just wrapped up, and many of the fans who came out to KCI to watch the youngsters have stuck around for some bonus hockey. Veterans Brooks Laich, Shaone Morrisonn, Brendan Morrison, Mike Knuble, Chris Clark, Mike Green, Matt Bradley, Brian Pothier, Boyd Gordon and David Steckel are on the ice for an informal practice session. Prospects Jay Beagle and Michal Neuvirth are also out there....
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