Ten years ago today, Joe Juneau sent the Caps somewhere they'd never been before - the Stanley Cup Finals. Do you remember where you were?
Showing posts with label Video Madness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Madness. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
This Day in Caps History
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Season in Review: Entertainment
It's impossible to go to a hockey game at any level these days and not find yourself bombarded with music, strange sounds, flashing lights, stupid audience participation games and feeble attempts at getting the crowd to cheer. It is, as some have mentioned in the past, the death of the pure hockey experience. The mantra of NHL arenas these days seems to be "keep them stimulated at all times", and the Verizon Center is no exception.
So as long as we're going to be subjected to a constant attack on the senses, it's only fair that it gets critiqued along with the rest of the team. After all, the video screen has become just as much a part of the hockey experience as the stuff on the ice.
In other words...what were the best and worst in-game features this season?
Worst:
Original opening video - The Caps have a long history of producing great opening videos that get the crowd pumped up, that showcase great creativity and spotlight the talent. So it was surprising to see this unveiled at the start of the season, a video with good intentions but miscues all over the place. Watching the boys get dressed and then "play" on what is clearly the practice rink? Not thrilling. Not exciting. And not good enough.
Announcer Challenge - A clip of a past game is shown and two competitors are then asked to provide their own calls. The winner is decided by the crowd. Sounds like fun, right? Wrong. It only took one round to remind us that what Joe B. does every night is not as easy as it looks, something I'm sure most of us already knew. Please let this one die.
Tattoo Commercial - This one surfaced at the beginning of the season and thankfully died soon after, but you have to wonder what the thought process was behind it. Sure, sex sells, but come on. Nothing about this was sexy - the woman, the idea, the tattoo that looked like one of those temporary tattoos you see on little kids, nothing. Just horrible.
Ovechkin's Garage - I'm all for videos that show us the players away from the rink. I love seeing where they live and what they do in their spare time, its fun. It makes them seem like real (albeit much wealthier) people. But this was just a big ol' commercial for a garage makeover company, a five minute plug that showed us nothing but the least exciting part of Ovechkin's house. Frankly after the first viewing I never needed to see it again - sorry, Ovie.
Best:
Cribs with Brooks Laich and Mike Green - Ladies and gentlemen, the Abbott & Costello of the Washington Capitals. These two guys are hilarious together and so what better way to showcase that then to have each one commenting on the other's house? There's just great stuff in both episodes, from Laich's giggling over "Gary the Bear" to Green planting Hockey for Dummies and chick flicks around Laich's apartment to the duo's ill-advised musical exploits. Instant classics.
Opening video (midseason) - About halfway through the season the original opening video was mercifully scrapped and replaced with this adrenalin-pumping, heart-pounding rocker set to the fantastic Foo Fighters song "The Pretender". It took the best parts of the first attempt - Ovechkin and Semin's fist pound, Olie's mystical breath, etc. - and mixed them together with new footage and highlights. The montage now included great goals, hits and fights from everyone on the team, showcasing emerging stars like Backstrom and Green along with the usual suspects while giving just about everyone on the team face time.
Caps on Segways - It's always fun to see the guys out and about in DC; Caps Up-Close videos are among my favorites for just that reason. Ovechkin being goofy behind Matt Bradley is hilarious. Backstrom talking about how fun segways are is adorable. Seeing Mike Green wipe out in the slowest segway-meets-cement planter collision ever, and then seeing his teammates mocking him after? Priceless.
Year in Review - This video only appeared once, obviously, airing at the end of the final game of the season against the Panthers. Had the Caps not been headed to the playoffs, it would still have been great; but on the heels of a division-clinching win the video took on a poignancy and a magical quality that made it that much better. And no one was left out, from Schultz's and Laing's 1st NHL goals to Ovechkin's 60th of the season to Olie's 300th career win. Great music ("Believe" by the Bravery), great editing, great footage - perfect for capping off a great season.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Party On, Alex
Want a preview of what the Caps' locker room could look like in the next few years? Check out this footage from right after the Russians captured the gold, complete with bad Russian music and worse Russian singing from our very own #8.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Journey to the Cup
How did we get here? The NHL Network has our Journey to the Cup all ready to go (although I think our journey involved playing teams outside of Canada...and poor Cris!):
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
A Little Pre-Game Journey
Okay, so you've checked out what the Canes are doing to prepare and it's time to get yourself ready to go.
What better way to get the blood pumping than with the (un)official theme song of the 2007-08 Washington Capitals? Illustrated with a few select images, of course, and compiled lovingly and painstakingly by yours truly.
...no, no. Hold your applause.
Time to get pumped up, Caps fans - and remember, don't stop believing!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Sergei Rockin' Out
We've gotten a pretty good taste of Sergei Fedorov's moves on the ice, but what about off the ice? Check it out:
And a little behind-the-scenes action with Feds and his brother:
He's quite the renaissance man, isn't he?
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Weekend Gameday Previews: The Slacker Version
It's hard to claim injury or illness at a time of year when the big guys are likely playing with broken bones and torn muscles - and yet here we are. The flu has struck the Cheap Seats and alas, I am just not as tough as the boys who get paid millions to play a game. Go figure.
At any rate, gameday previews for this weekend's back to back matinee games will therefore be reduced to reliving some classic moments in Caps-Bruins and Caps-Penguins history (both of the ancient and more recent variety). Enjoy these captured moments in time, comment on the games at will, and sublimate your withdrawal pains with witty commentary from any of the fine bloggers featured on the right sidebar.
If all goes well and the supply of fluids and aspirin hold out we'll be back to full strength in no time - hopefully with two more wins under our belt. Go Caps!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hold On to the Feeling
Check out Mike Green's postgame interview last night - could there be a more poetic song playing in the background?
Monday, October 15, 2007
From the Locker Room to the Sofa
The NHL has made a lot of changes over the past few years, some of them more ridiculous than others. Among the more positive changes, however, is a concerted effort to make the game and the players more accessible. As most of you know, in conjunction with launching a league-wide template for team websites, every team now also has an NHL TV channel that is free to the public and provides assorted videos – everything from postgame interviews and highlights to TV spots, player profiles and in game features.
It sounds like a small thing and to fans of the game it’s obviously secondary to the goals, hits, and saves, but there’s something about seeing the personalities behind the sport that makes it even more entertaining and, more importantly, more appealing to the casual fan. For those of us still without NHL Network (anytime you’re ready, RCN) the veritable online feast of highlights, interviews and behind the scenes clips provides welcome relief from a hockeyless Sunday afternoon.
Most teams have about the same amount of coverage as the next, with a handful of videos across various areas like “Interviews” and “Features”. But as is always the case, some were better than others…
Winners
- New York Islanders: “Islanders TV” is packed to the gills with 35 pages of insider videos dating back to the 2005-06 season, including a huge number of video blogs from players at training camp and other assorted goodies.That's a lot of Islanders. And a lot of hair on Ricky D.
- Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers kicked off the season with a long western conference road swing and took the opportunity to document it not only on a road trip blog on their website but also through multiple video clips. Highlights include extensive footage of team-building exercises in Whistler during a break in the schedule.- San Jose Sharks: San Jose has always been really good at reaching out to their fan base and providing as much coverage as possible, as anyone who has seen an episode of Shark Bytes can attest to. They’ve stepped it up a bit more with their Sharks TV contributions and continue to provide some great stuff – if nothing else, “20 Questions with…” is always good for a laugh.
Kyle McLaren on the hot seat for 20 questions
Losers- New York Rangers: They have nothing. Literally. Guess they figured being the self-appointed world’s greatest hockey town precludes them from having to post anything at all.
- Colorado Avalanche: Their “exclusive insider coverage” is limited to 2 videos, both on milestones from last season. This is a franchise with a couple of Cups, Hall of Famers, new faces and great young talent, but none of it is being showcased here.
Highlights:
- Two from the Isles - Jon Sim mic’d up during preseason vs Thrashers and joking around with some of his old Atlanta teammates during the game like Kovalchuk and Hedberg, and Bill Guerin delivering suite tickets to one of the sponsors
- “Cooking with the Hawks” segment that displays Jim Vandermeer’s cooking talents and his roommate Brent Seabrook’s lack thereof.
- The St. Louis Blues “Whatever It Takes” commercials featuring players and others from the Blues organization trying to woo fans…literally. Borderline creepy, but Doug Weight with a bouquet of flowers in his hands is worth watching anyday.
Dougie's such a softie...
- Henrik Zetterberg taking a face full of shaving cream on his birthday.- Thrashers’ Fake Vacations are pretty funny, although they do feature some of the world’s worst photoshopping efforts.
- A number of teams are in anniversary years and have taken the opportunity to commemorate the occasion with highlights and archival footage. Check out Carolina, Nashville, Vancouver and the NY Islanders for a trip down memory lane.
Lowlights:
- Some of the cheesiest commercials from…well, you name the team. Chicago’s are pretty bad. Phoenix’s crazy Pierre the Fanatic Hockey Snowman is surreal (and confusing – how did a snowman get to the desert?) And coming from the organization that once brought you the classic “Always Intense” campaign, the Caps’ tattoo commercial is nothing short of a disaster.
Why isn't he melting?
- The color schemes on some of these are enough to burn your retinas. Flyers’ orange and Kings’ purple are bad enough without being the dominant colors.There's a familiar face!
- Tryouts for various teams’ ice girls, filmed, edited and posted online. Why is that necessary?
And then there was this, which is really neither a highlight nor a lowlight – it’s really just a ‘huh???’ kind of moment. Technology at it's finest, ladies and gentlemen.
Frankly I think the Caps kind of missed the boat on this one, at least to begin with. The Snapshots are fantastic and it's nice having postgame interviews up, but it would be nice to have a few more archived pieces up there to choose from. What about footage of Ovechkin's goals? How about something commemorating Olie's 250th win? Maybe even the opening videos that have been shown from year to year would be nice. Just a thought...
Monday, October 01, 2007
Caps Tee Off for Charity
The Caps hit the links today for the Caps Care Classic golf tournament in Springfield, VA and I was there to bring you all the useless tidbits and gossip that no one else will print.
- Almost every team consisted of a Capital and three "regular folks", although there were a few alumni/media groups. There was the ever entertaining team of Sylvain Cote, Joe Reekie, CSN's Lisa Hillary, and Ken Sabourin as well as a team consisting of Ron Weber, Yvon Labre, Paul Mulvie and Blair Stewart (who apparently are former Caps, according to my dad...I only knew Labre and Weber).
- A handful of Caps were merely spectators, spending the afternoon wandering around the clubhouse or hopping in golf carts for a quick spin around the course. Jurcina, Klepis, Kozlov and Semin all sat out the festivities; Mike Green was slated to play but apparently there weren't enough players to form a team so he joined the others.
- Spotted around the 13th green: Joe Reekie introducing himself to Kozlov, who was riding around on the beverage cart for some reason. Reekie then asked Viktor how Sergei Gonchar was doing and was informed that Gonch got hit with the puck a few times against Buffalo the other night. Where? "In the [rear]," said Kozlov. Ouch.
- Semin got his own cart and followed Ovechkin and his team around for most of the day. He was joined later by Kozlov and the two chatted while Ovie teed up; at one point Semin shouted out "come on!" right when Ovie was about to swing. Proof that he speaks English...and is a little bit of a brat, which I love.
- Brooks Laich had the best shot in his group from the fairway of the 18th, which garnered a little round of applause from the half-dozen of us watching. He took a series of bows...and then missed the putt. Oh, well.
- Tom Poti and his team were passing by Laich and Brooks informed him that his team was 10 under. Tom wasn't buying it (and neither were we).
- Jurcina and Klepis were running around the clubhouse for a while, popping in and out to check on the action. Later in the day Milan sat in a rocking chair right next to me and was text messaging people for about 10 minutes before disappearing again. I tried to get him to stay but he wouldn't fit in my purse...
- I think by the end of the day some of the guys who weren't playing were starting to get a little antsy - Jurcina hijacked a golf cart and he and Green went for a spin around the course, looping around several times and even stopping right next to the 18th hole to watch Erskine. And heckle him.
- Ovechkin's team finished a hole and rather than moving on to the next one Ovie decided to stand right on the green as Michael Nylander took his fairway shot. Nylander just missed him with the ball, which Ovie then pretended to poke at with his club. He scampered off before Nylander could catch him, sadly.
- Matt Pettinger is a very impressive golfer. Ovechkin is...Ovechkin.
- The five non-golfers eventually ended up at the bar, grabbing some munchies and beer while the rest of the team finished up. Can't say that didn't look like more fun than the golfing thing, frankly, but whatever.
- Erskine shanked his fairway shot on the 18th so that it was propelled over to the 1st tee. As he drove up to collect his ball he endured some ribbing from Backstrom of all people. You have to love that.
Check out pics and video from the day's activities:
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Rookie Camp: Day 1
Rookie camp! Yay!
Okay. So it's not as exciting as you may think, but it's the future of the team we're watching out there and it's important. Really.
Naturally it's still better to be watching hockey on an otherwise dull Saturday than to be doing almost anything else, and there were exciting moments. Some guys were good, some were a little rough, a few were spectacular - just what you'd expect. It's only day one, though, and drills are a hard way to get a good idea of the range of talent here.
Some special moments captured on film:Coach Hanlon doing what he does best - working the wipe board
Watching attentively...
Perreault's posterior
Uhh...
Local boy Werner
Drills...
Learning more drills...
Backstrom - smile!
Michal Neuvirth posing just for me
Some of the guys had an interesting way of
picking up the pucks at the end
They gave up after a little while...
...but only for a minute:
Friday, September 07, 2007
Hangin' with the Boys
As I'm sure everyone has heard, a number of the Caps are now in town and have been skating together regularly in a mini-training camp - something they are doing at their own cost, on their own time, and of their own accord.
I managed to venture out to Kettler yesterday morning for a little hockey fix and I have to say I got much more than I hoped for. 18 players took the ice and after about an hour of drills (led by Craig Laughlin) they launched into a high speed, end to end, four on four game of shinny that was highly entertaining and ended with a final score of...oh, let's say 8-4. I could be wrong.
Seen and heard at KCI:
- Donald Brashear in an elevator with a cup of coffee and a kind word for a speechless fan (who shall remain anonymous...)
- Milan Jurcina getting absolutely undressed by Brash in a passing/shooting drill that drew a roar from the team and a sheepish grin from Jurcina
- Boyd Gordon with some fancy moves that led to not one but two goals against Johnson...and more than a few chuckles from the team
- Matt Pettinger and Olie Kolzig talking smack through the whole scrimmage - it was hard to hear what they were saying specifically, but rest assured it probably wouldn't have been fit for public consumption anyways
- Olie doing push-ups after the blue team scored
- Olie's "temper tantrum" after the final goal was scored, which included stick-swinging and door-slamming on his way to the locker room...I'm pretty sure it was fake
- Nylander working with Backstrom on some sprint drills after most of the team left the ice
Here are some pics from my morning at KCI:
I managed to venture out to Kettler yesterday morning for a little hockey fix and I have to say I got much more than I hoped for. 18 players took the ice and after about an hour of drills (led by Craig Laughlin) they launched into a high speed, end to end, four on four game of shinny that was highly entertaining and ended with a final score of...oh, let's say 8-4. I could be wrong.
Seen and heard at KCI:
- Donald Brashear in an elevator with a cup of coffee and a kind word for a speechless fan (who shall remain anonymous...)
- Milan Jurcina getting absolutely undressed by Brash in a passing/shooting drill that drew a roar from the team and a sheepish grin from Jurcina
- Boyd Gordon with some fancy moves that led to not one but two goals against Johnson...and more than a few chuckles from the team
- Matt Pettinger and Olie Kolzig talking smack through the whole scrimmage - it was hard to hear what they were saying specifically, but rest assured it probably wouldn't have been fit for public consumption anyways
- Olie doing push-ups after the blue team scored
- Olie's "temper tantrum" after the final goal was scored, which included stick-swinging and door-slamming on his way to the locker room...I'm pretty sure it was fake
- Nylander working with Backstrom on some sprint drills after most of the team left the ice
Here are some pics from my morning at KCI:
Laich and Green warming up with Johnny
Locker explaining a drill to Clark and Nylander
Brooks Laich
Mike Green
Boyd Gordon
Brian Pothier
Sutherby and Bradley
Punishment for being scored on...push-ups on ice
Waiting for the next drill
Scrimmage action:
(I have a newfound respect for camera operators, by the way...)
Follow the links below for some more live action thrills and chills:
Boys standing around
More boys standing around
(hey, this is stuff you won't find just anywhere, folks!)
Skating drill
Camera-stalking Chris Clark for no apparent reason
Camera-stalking Michael Nylander, again for no apparent reason
Brash doing his requisite push-ups
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Saturday Video
It's Saturday.
For now, it's just another day. Maybe you sleep in a little later. Maybe you go out late tonight. Maybe you sit on your butt and do nothing.
But in just a few weeks...
Of course, up north Saturday night takes on a whole different texture, an almost reverent stature in the cultural lexicon. Here's a look back at 50 years of CBC's legendary Hockey Night in Canada:
Friday, August 24, 2007
Friday Around the Interweb
Boy, those calendar pages are flying off reeeeally slowly, aren't they? Here's some more good summer reading for you:
- Show of hands, who here thinks this would ever happen in the States? TSN, Canada's answer to second rate ESPN, discovered that a scheduling conflict with football would prevent them from airing all eight games of the upcoming Super Series. Rather than leave a nation without coverage of this event, which commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Summit Series, TSN did the unthinkable - they turned to a rival network to pick up the slack.
And so it is that TSN will air games 1, 4, 5 and 6 with Rogers Sportsnet carrying 2, 3, 7 and 8. The two will share commentators, analysts, and online streaming (which we here in the States should keep our fingers crossed that we'll be able to access) throughout the series. Sure, they'll do the same for the Olympics in Vancouver, and yes, it's been done before. But that still doesn't detract from what it is - a truly amazing sign of sportsmanship and yet another reason why Canada is truly the first nation of hockey.
- The Caps' website has a Q&A with Karl Alzner with his thoughts on the new practice facility, rookie development camp, and his style of play. Anyone else just loving this kid?
- Kevin Hatcher Fan Club has uncovered a hidden corner of Alex magic on CCM's website with some funny videos of our young superstar and step-by-step instructions on how to score "The Goal"...for those of you practicing at home. Admit it, you know you've wanted to try.
- Check out what's going on with Al "Wild Thing" Iafrate (sans the long flowing locks) over at Japers' Rink.
- Thanks to super junior reporter in the field, Chris, for passing along this article about Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL who is speaking at the Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame conference in Nova Scotia today and tomorrow. Interesting fact - the NHL didn't get a second black player in the league until 1974, 16 years after O'Ree made his debut...and he pulled on the red, white and blue - Mike Marson, original member of the Washington Capitals.
- Just a reminder that preseason tickets go on sale today, so get those phones dialing and those buttons clicking. Sure, they're meaningless games with less intensity than a box of Saltines and a roster more closely resembling the AHL...but its hockey!
- And finally, more treasures plumbed from the depths of YouTube for your Friday viewing pleasure. Today we'll go with a compilation that's a little older - check out Jagr with his mullet, Stevie Y. with some sick moves, a little love between Detroit and Colorado goalies, and a Hurricane tripping headfirst into the bench. Ah, memories...
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Blogs and Bloopers
Take a stroll around the blogosphere for some good stuff today, kids:
- Peerless Prognosticator continues his really nice analysis of benchmarks for winning teams (top defensemen, power play, etc.) with a look at penalty killing for this season. Be sure to flip through the archives for the Peerless's always entertaining and usually spot on breakdowns of what it takes to win.
- J.P., another king of hockey analysis, has a post that can only be described as intense as he breaks down every player's stats and production on a per-shift basis to see what they do with the ice time they're given.
I'm actually convinced he and Peerless are not humans but machines who do not sleep...they simply make a whirring noise and go into standby mode for a few minutes.
- Ever wonder what your favorite HLOG ladies are really like? Ever even been to HLOG? If not, now is the perfect time...especially if you want to find out the truth behind the ladies who love hockey. Eye-opening, to be sure.
- Be sure to stop by Capitals' Insider where Tarik has a little chat with the big man himself, Olie Kolzig. You just don't find many guys as classy and well-spoken as Zilla, its well worth a read.
- And lastly, in my desire to continue the high level of analysis that has taken place here in the Cheap Seats these past 11 months few weeks, I give you...old hockey bloopers.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Q&A Day
This will be a short one because there is nothing going on in the NHL. Nothing.
Oh, look, was that a tumbleweed?
- Tarik's got a few good Q&A's with some of the boys who are hanging around DC before training camp. Nothing earth-shattering in either one, obviously, but still worth a look.
- Check out Vogel's interview with former accident-prone Cap (and one of my favorites) Pat Peake on the Caps website.
- And finally, because there's nothing better to do, watch some grown men running into each other. Only two hits featuring the Caps but one of them is Ovie on a Penguin...frankly that's all I need. Enjoy!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Yeah, They're Pretty Good
So it's Friday and I'm heading out for a weekend away from the computer. Naturally in my absence I could leave you with some deep analysis, some number-crunching, some thought-provoking commentary...but why start now?
Instead here's a little look at our two Russian superstars in all their glory. Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
GMGM is Old School...and Hanlon's a Loon
This is fantastic:
Even if you don't like fighting (or the Rangers), there's just something satisfying about seeing little GMGM taking on Tocchet.
Even more satisfying? Hanlon.
Trust me, you won't want to miss the last minute of the video.
Even more satisfying? Hanlon.
Trust me, you won't want to miss the last minute of the video.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday Overbite
Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure everyone has heard that the Simpsons' movie, a project its diehard fans (read: computer nerds) have been awaiting for almost 20 years, opens nationwide today. Whether you're a fan of the jaundiced family or not, its hard to deny that this show is something of a cultural revolution...but it has nothing to do with hockey.
Or does it?
After all, the characters themselves are a veritable who's who of NHLers and NHL-adjacent:
Homer - Not the brightest lightbulb in the bunch, quick-tempered, yet extremely happy and ultimately lovable...I think we just described about half of the NHL.
Bart - Playful, mischievous, smart when he needs to be, dim when he wants to be, gets himself into and out of extremely sticky circumstances. Am I crazy or is that not our own Ovechkin?
Ned Flanders - Mike Fisher. Or Peter Budaj. Or Shane Doan. Nice, likable guys with a bit of a religious thing going on (and a killer body easily disguised in everyday clothing...but I digress).
Chief Wiggum - Bill Daly. 'Nuff said.
Otto the Bus Driver - Those long, flowing locks, the slightly dazed and glazed look, the existential nonsense that can probably be attributed to some sort of herbal enhancement...gotta be Ryan Miller.
Marge - Soft-spoken and protective, she knows when to stick up for what she believes in and is quick to defend her family with the temper that lurks beneath the surface. I'm not calling him a woman, of course, but that's Glen Hanlon in a nutshell.
Comic Book Guy - Every Caps fan, and I quote: "Worst ... trade ... EVER."
Rod and Todd Flanders - They look perfect, they sound perfect, but every once and a while there's a smidge of crazy in them. Eric and Jordan Staal, of course.
Mayor Quimby - Your typical politician, making crazy new laws and speaking with a funny accent. Who could that possibly be, let me think...
Of course, no discussion of the Simpsons and hockey would be complete without looking back at a few classic Simpsons hockey moments. Enjoy!
Hockey Dad...not the most politically correct clip, but still funny all these years later.
Ah, Viktor - welcome to DC! May your hockey tree be...er...never mind.
And of course, "Lisa on Ice" - the best of the bunch.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Dog Days of Summer
- As we wait for the oh-so-thrilling results of Brooks Laich's arbitration hearing with baited breath, I think it's pretty safe to say unanimously that the offseason stinks. This one in particular seems incredibly unbearable - people seem about ready to jump off a building or worse, watch America's Got Talent.
I think, like the rest of us, the folks over at NHL.com are getting a bit antsy. In their own well-intentioned way they've provided a vault of milestone highlights for the rabid hockey fan to get their fix of ice during the sweltering summer. Great idea, right?
Only if you don't mind seeing the Caps getting scored on again...and again...and again. I wish I was kidding, but we all of course remember Shanahan's 600th. Sakic's 1500th point. Jagr's *shudder* 1500th point.
But still, it's a nice thought and there are some truly wonderful accomplishments on the list - the one they're highlighting today is, appropriately enough, Peter Bondra's 500th career goal. Don't worry, it wasn't against us.
Just remember, while it's great to see that familiar smile and enthusiastic celebration once more - he's not coming back.
- To all you Bettman-haters out there, here's an article aimed at you. I'm personally not sure where I fall on the issue of Uncle Gary so I'll let you decide for yourself how much merit this piece has. I could do without the requisite mention of the poor TV ratings, though. When has hockey ever had good ratings? Enough, stop beating the horse already - I assure you it's dead.
I also think we all can agree that even "Operation: Slapshot", despite having the worst code name ever, is peanuts compared to some of the crap going down in the other major leagues. Take that, Michael "the Dog Days of Summer Indeed" Vick.
UPDATE: Per Capitals Insider, Brooks Laich has been awarded $725,000 for one year in arbitration. He gets a slight raise and that precious one-way deal, which makes me happy. Whiners of the world, feel free to jump all over Laich and say he's not worth it or he may not even crack the lineup.
Here's how I see it - Laich can play the wing and does so skillfully, at least in my humble opinion. Fleischmann and Klepis, both right wingers, remain unsigned. Neither has really proven they deserve a roster spot, again at least not in my humble opinion. I see one or both either being traded or simply released. Depth is a wonderful curse to have but the roster has to be whittled down one way or another, and those two still seem like "prospects" to me. Time is running out for Flash and Jakie...at least in my humble opinion.
Take it with a grain of salt.
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