In researching and writing the piece about the Capitals’ defense that is currently up on washingtoncaps.com, I was startled by something I had not previously realized. In both 2004 and 2005, the Caps chose a pair of defensemen in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. That in itself is not so startling, but [...]
Archive for January, 2007
Blueline Blues
January 30, 200799 is 46
January 27, 2007When I was about 18, I was over at a friend’s house. His dad was sitting there reading the paper, and my buddy and I were watching what passed for “sports news” on television back in those days. A Wayne Gretzky highlight reel came on, showing the young WHA phenom, a mere 17 years old [...]
The Art of Dodging Bullets
January 26, 2007There are times in the course of watching a hockey game when your stomach can turn and twist into any number of shapes and knots. This can happen for any number of reasons, and it can sometimes even be one of the elements that attracts us to the game. I had a prolonged stretch of [...]
All-Star Lame
January 25, 2007When I was a kid, I routinely watched the NHL All-Star Game with my dad and my brother. It wasn’t something I looked forward to or anything, but it was mildly entertaining to see the best players in the league playing hockey with and against each other.
I had not planned on watching it [...]
Gordo and the Guns
January 19, 2007Talked a bit with Boyd Gordon after today’s morning skate. Gordon is obviously known mostly for his defensive prowess, which seems to grow greater by the game. But he put up his fair share of points during his junior hockey days with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, and he actually started his NHL career as [...]
Washington Monument
January 17, 2007These last few Capitals road trips haven’t been the same. We’re missing a key member of our often merry band of traveling media. The incomparable Dave Fay of The Washington Times, dean of Washington hockey writers, baron of the beat, has been absent from the road games of late, and now he will be absent [...]
Klepis In Against the Team that Drafted Him
January 16, 2007Yesterday’s Game Day preview over on the Caps’ main site (washingtoncaps.com, you know, the paying gig) made note of some lineup adjustments for the Capitals as they prepare to take on the Senators tonight in Ottawa.
At yesterday’s practice here, Jakub Klepis sported the yellow sweater, meaning he was the guy who did not figure to [...]
A Little Help on the Helper
January 11, 2007Scoring changes in NHL games occur occasionally. The off-ice officials want to determine who scored the goals and assist(s) as soon as possible, but some goals are easier to determine than others. A player will often come forward between periods to let officials know that he touched or did not touch a puck, and occasionally [...]
Shootout Sickness
January 9, 2007I missed work on Monday, a pretty rare occurrence. Was violently ill, blowing bile and all sorts of assorted stomach contents throughout the day. Too warm, too cold, sweating, trembling, not fun.
When felled by such a sickness, there’s a natural tendency to try to trace the origin of the malaise. At least from my [...]
Washington’s All-Star Defenseman
January 9, 2007We won’t find out until later today whether Alex Ovechkin is named a starter for the NHL All-Star game later this month, but word came out earlier today that one of Ovechkin’s Capitals teammates was named as an All-Star starter. Nope, not Olie Kolzig. It’s defenseman Lawrence Nycholat.
Despite spending the last two weeks in the [...]
