Ovechkin's (short) Hart speech

Caps win in June after all!

What a big night for the Caps!

Caps (Alex O. and Coach Boudreau) took home FIVE of the awards given out at the NHL Awards Night!

Washington is giving Alex Ovechkin the key to the city on Friday!

I'm very glad Coach Boudreau was not overlooked for the Jack Adams award. He led a historic turnaround--one that, fortunately, is now documented...metallurgically?

And stating so probably should be avoided (I mean, FIVE AWARDS!) but Nick Backstrom...

I'll post a pic with this post of Coach Boudreau...what a great picture!

The Key to the Caps' Success?

Down two goals? No problem! How 'bout them Caps!! How do they do it???

Well, I think I figured it out today.

Game 1 giveaway: Red towels. WIN!
Game 2 giveaway: Red tassel-thingy. (loss)
Game 3 -- Watched on TV (loss)
Game 4 -- Missed game while performing. (loss)
Game 5 giveaway: Red headband. WIN!
Game 6 -- Watched game while wearing red headband and red towel. WIN!

I think I have found the key to the Caps' success: The presence of absorbent red fan giveaways!

Three cheers for absorbency! Hopefully tomorrow will be red chamois night at Verizon Center! See you there!

Game 6!

Don't Stop Believin'! Still!

The Caps fought off elimination on Saturday--and what a great atmosphere at Verizon Center! It got all sorts of loud!

Game 6 is tonight in Philly. I've got my tickets to Game 7--and I plan to use them. As does Tim Russert. Here's a clip from the end of Sunday's "Meet the Press":



Let's go Caps!!

Red-Out

Don't Stop Believin'!!

What a great atmosphere for the Caps' first playoff game in five years! I was always a big fan of the "White-Out," where all the Caps fans would wear white, but I think I may have been converted to a proponent of the "Red-Out" after tonight.

My entire section spent most of the third period on their feet--jumping, yelling and cheering on the Caps! What a great comeback effort! Hopefully the rest of the series will look like that third period.

Man...down 2-4 in the third period and winning 5-4...BELIEVE!

Don't Stop Believin'!

Believe!

The Capitals were faced with increasingly unlikely scenarios throughout the season, but ultimately proved that hard work and believing in yourself pays off in the end. They now, deservingly, find themselves in the NHL playoffs as DIVISION CHAMPIONS!

Prior to yesterday's game, I was blasting Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" over and over. Don't laugh!!

I can't even count how many articles I read over the course of the season discrediting the Capitals' chances. "Power Rankings" throughout the season--even down the stretch--wouldn't even include the Capitals in the top 15! And, my personal favorite, those commentators who claimed that "if the Capitals' record isn't good enough to qualify for the playoffs, Alex Ovechkin shouldn't be MVP." The Caps were going to end 5 games out of first place in the conference at the end of the season (regardless of if they made the playoffs or not) after starting the season 6-14-1 and firing their head coach. They made the run under the effective guidance of Bruce Boudreau, a great team effort, including the exceptional play of Ovechkin.

I'll see you at Verizon Center! LET'S GO CAPS!!!

Lets Go Caps!!!

81 games played, and one to go!!

Last night's game was incredible! The Caps didn't look too great in the second period, but played great hockey overall! Tonight, we watch the scoreboard!! Check out the Washington Post's potential playoff scenarios. The Caps need to win on Saturday, and will need some help, but hopefully their hard work will pay off with a trip to the playoffs!

Ovechkin for MVP!!!

60!!!

Alexander Ovechkin reached the coveted 60-goal mark last night, as the Capitals made a late comeback in Atlanta. How exciting!!!

I think there is no doubt in anybody's mind that he is the clear MVP this year...but that's a whole other blog...

Cool video of the game highlights:

Way to Play, Caps!

The Eastern Conference playoff race is crazy!

It's been great to see the Caps bounce back from last weekend's disappointing outcomes, playing great hockey all week and picking up six hard-earned points. Great perseverance!

This week's thoughts:

* I still don't know how Boston has won as many games as they have. I still think they won't make the playoffs, even though they're currently tied for 6th in the conference.

* Flying under the radar, Florida's got a real great chance at making the playoffs w/ an exceptional finish.

* Seriously, though, how is Boston doing so well??

* Quintin Laing is the Caps' nominee for the Masterson Trophy this year, and deservingly so. I'm pretty sure he'd block a shot with his face if presented with the opportunity.

Nine more games to go! Two points out of 8th! Five points out of 3rd! Let's go Caps!

Disappointing Weekend...

Four possible points, and the Caps were awarded none. And in ways that could only happen to the Caps...

Just imagine how many penalties Erskine would have gotten had he actually tripped someone!

Pittsburgh is really good. I think they might be the only Eastern Conference team that could take 4 of 7 from the top teams out West.

I can't see how Boston will make the playoffs. They seem incapable of scoring a goal which, from my understanding, is the standard by which a game's winning team determined.

It'll be a shame if the Caps don't make the playoffs. Alas, it hardly seems their fate is in only their hands at this point.

TEN!?!?

The Caps dropped 10 on the Bruins last night at the Verizon Center. What a fun game to watch! Here are some highlights. It was great to see them bounce back after a regulation loss to Toronto at VC on Saturday. Great effort by the Caps!

Three back from Carolina from first, with a game in hand! Hopefully they can keep it up!

Capitals Deadline Deals

I would have liked to see the Caps acquire a fourth goalie just in case.

Seriously though, what a great set of pickups by George McPhee and the Capitals. We definitely seemed to need a play-making center, and we got that in Sergei Fedorov. Though I guess nobody told Brooks Laich that, judging by his four points last night...

Great to see Pettinger get a fresh start, he can play much better than he has this season.

Playoff push! Lets go Caps! See you at Verizon Center!

NHL Trade Deadline

Tomorrow afternoon is the big NHL trade deadline, and those who follow hockey are well aware of how hectic the night before can be. Here's a cool site which seems to be a great place to check out the transactions. It's generally updated quite promptly.

I wonder if the Caps will do anything! It'd be nice if they got an offensive-minded center to fill the void left by Michael Nylander's injury...but I'm sure whatever GM George McPhee chooses will be great!

Caps beat Tampa

Good to see the Caps get a regulation win against a division opponent last night. It was unfortunate we had dropped the last few.

I thought Sami Lepisto, who was playing in his first ever NHL game, looked good. He looked pretty confident. While we didn't get to see him make an impact on the score sheet, he also wasn't on the ice for either Tampa Bay goal...so that's good!

Okay, back to watching the Daytona 500...

Mike Green is the "Real Deal"

Mike Green is the real deal, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

His overtime goal in yesterday's game was his third game-winner of the season and 15th goal overall (leading all defensemen). He logs more and more ice time each night, sometimes over half the game.

Mike Green deserves to be seriously considered for the Norris Trophy this year, but it seems few others are giving him the credit he truly deserves.

Caps owner Ted Leonsis actually had a neat stat on his blog today--Mike Green has scored as many goals as Jaromir Jagr so far this season.

Let it be known throughout the land!

Mike Green shall now be referred to as Mike "Real Deal" Green!

My friend Matt was the first person I heard apply that nickname, and I like it. Perhaps now the doubters will be forced to give him more credit.

Caps in First Place!

Woo! I had to post this before tonight's games, since Atlanta or Florida may (temporarily!) usurp the Caps' position in the NHL standings...but, woo!!

The media hasn't given the Caps the respect they deserve, even as they climbed from the bottom of the NHL standings to division leaders...but I suspect they'll receive all the respect in the world once they make the playoffs and start to make some noise (the Caps are 20-10-4 since hiring new head coach Bruce Boudreau). Also, I can't remember the exact statistic, but I think Alex Ovechkin has scored A BAGILLION goals during that stretch.

Big game vs. Carolina this weekend...

Caps win in OT!

I think you could effectively sum up any part of tonight's game with the following phrase: "Are you kidding me?"

It could have been uttered after Nash's 3-on-5 breakaway. It could have been said after the referee tripped up Morrisonn on the goal that put Columbus up by one in the third. And it definitely could have been yelled in disbelief as Alex Ovechkin scored his second of the night in game-winning overtime fashion.

I couldn't help but feel bad for the referee, Bill McCreary, he certainly didn't mean it. But, boy, what a tough break for Morrisonn. It's tough to defend against Rick Nash and even tougher to do so with an injured foot....let alone having to do so with an injured foot and a REFEREE TACKLING YOU!! Still, just one of those tough breaks....McCreary seems like a great referee from what I've seen.

The Caps definitely deserved the two points tonight, and it would have been a shame if they left with anything less. Congrats to the team on a spectacular effort--this fan certainly appreciated it!