Spooky Wednesday

Happy Halloween!

It's a non-gameday Wednesday, so of course that means assorted goodies for your reading pleasure.

- First up - Mike Vogel, of course, has a great piece on Peter Bondra's retirement over at the Caps' website. Reading about the various milestones, the franchise records, the evolution of one of Washington's great athletes just reminds me how amazing he was as a Capital - something I think we forget from time to time with a couple of young superstars burgeoning here in the District.

- Morrisonn, Green and Jurcina stopped by the NHL Store in Manhattan and made an appearance on NHL Live on XM Center Ice. Some highlights:

• Jurcina talking about having to learn English and about the difference between playing in Boston and Washington.
• Morrisonn discussing getting "jumped" by Vinny and offering the quote of the day: "Next time I don't want to lead with my face onto the ice." Indeed.
• Mo grew up idolizing Cam Neely, switched his allegiance from Vancouver to Boston when Neely was traded and had the opportunity to meet him when he was drafted by the Bruins; Green idolized Scott Niedermayer; Jurcina was a fan of the Red Wings and Canadiens but loved Chris Pronger
• Favorite movies: Morrisonn, Braveheart; Green, Dumb and Dumber (oh Mike...really??); Jurcina, no favorite movies
• What they do on days off: sleep. Bet you didn't see that one coming.
• By the way if you've never heard Green, Morrisonn and Jurcina talking together before and you get the chance, be sure that you're caffeinated. Let's just say that Mo was probably the most animated of the three...

- Karl Alzner was voted team captain by his Calgary Hitmen teammates, a process the team does later in the season to allow the team to get to know one another. Said Hitmen coach and GM Kelly Kisio, "I think Karl is a student of the game. He's there every night and competes hard every night." Karl will look to lead the Hitmen out of a recent slump in which they've dropped 5 of their last 7 - this is after starting the season 9-1. Good luck and congratulations to Karl!

- Mr. Happy Sunshine Guy Tarik reports that its not looking good for any of our three injured players returning tomorrow night against the Rangers. Clark is still day to day, Semin skated with the team but not at full speed, and Poti is still nursing a groin injury - and we know how long those can take to fully heal.

People need to stop panicking, though. We beat Toronto...and no, the Leafs are not exactly a formidable opponent. Who says the Rangers are? They have Jagr and a slew of centers unable to play with him; they have a defense about as good as Toronto's; their only asset really is their goaltending. If the Caps play like they did north of the border, they'll be fine.

Plus I'm not ready to count Clark out for the game until I hear official word otherwise. The fact that he flew to NYC when the Caps return home again on Friday gives me hope that he'll be back sooner rather than later - I guess we'll wait and see.

- Finally, happy 24th birthday to injured (or "injured"?) defenseman Steve Eminger - you still have the love of the Cheap Seats, Stevie!

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Bonzai Retires

There are some players that flit in and out of an organization, whose impact is never truly felt, whose mark is never really made on the team or the fans.

And then there are the people who, regardless of what jerseys they may have worn in their final game, will forever be linked in our minds with a certain team. Ray Bourque will always be a Bruin; Steve Yzerman always a Red Wing.

Here in DC we have had quite a few of the former, players who barely distinguish themselves in a Caps sweater before moving on. But we're also lucky enough to have several who are indelibly stamped on our brains as one of ours and only ours.

Dale Hunter. Rod Langway. Olie Kolzig.

And Peter Bondra.

Regardless of how he may have left the team or how he attempted to come back, Bondra - Bonzai to those who followed him lovingly - is one of those people.

It was announced today that Bondra will officially retire to become the GM of the Slovakian National Team, an appropriate role for someone whose poster likely adorned the walls of the young talents he will soon be guiding.

I doubt I'm alone in admitting that, while all that was basically missing was the "official" part for the last few months, the news is still a little jarring.

Those of us who were lucky enough to watch Bondra from the start know that there have been few superstars like him in Washington hockey history. He was never mistaken for a power forward or a great playmaker or a Selke candidate - he was a sniper, pure and simple.

But what a sniper...no player was able to bring the fans out of their seats quite the way Bondra did back then. The way people lean forward in their seats now when Ovechkin or Semin have the puck, that's what happened when Bondra was on the ice. He was breathtaking, exhilarating, surprising. His goal celebrations were one of a kind, full of joy and excitement and pure hockey happiness.

When Bondra was traded along with the bulk of the superstars back in 2003-04, there was many a tear shed in DC. For most of us it seemed to be the unthinkable trade - how do you send someone away who was such a cornerstone of the organization, so beloved by fans and so integral a part of Caps history? Seeing him in a Senators jersey, a Thrashers jersey, a Blackhawks jersey, always seemed wrong somehow. Watching him score his 500th career goal was bittersweet because it was done in Chicago, in front of cheering fans who didn't know him like we knew him.

Yet I'm not here to argue that he shouldn't have been traded or that we should have re-signed him, because I believe the organization did the right thing on both counts. But even if I didn't, that's not what this should be about. Bondra has been the center of controversy here in DC these last few years - and frankly its a shame. One would hope that his legacy with the Caps would not come down to petty arguments over money and flagrant manipulation of the media. Those years should be nothing but a footnote in the history of Peter Bondra with the Washington Capitals; a sidebar item, not a headline.

So I choose to remember him as the man who put fear into the hearts of goaltenders, who terrorized the Lightning for five goals in one game, who reinvigorated a franchise and made us cheer night after night. I choose to remember him as #12 with the goofy smile, the wicked shot. I choose to remember him as Bonzai.

Good luck to Peter in all his future endeavors. We wish him all the best.

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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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