Wizards Jan Vesely Takes In A Caps Game

If you follow us on Twitter, and or have ever spoken to me in real life, you probably know that my favorite player on the Washington Wizards is Jan Vesely.  We turned him into the cartoon Jem (below), I screamed at him in Atlanta, we had him captured by an eagle, we turned him into Rick Rolling, and we raised money for charity in his honor.

On Sunday afternoon the Czech Cager went to Verizon Center to watch the Caps play the Buffalo Sabres and tweeted the above picture.  Maybe Jan is good luck because the Caps picked up their first win of the season while fellow Czech Michal Neuvirth picked up the W.

Jan gave a shout out to Czech compatriots Neuvy, Roman Hamrlick, and Tomas Kundratek on Twitter:

And here is Jan rolling some sushi in his Caps shirt because:

Let's get Jan at more games and pick up some more wins!

Blame Game: Did Braden Holtby Give Up Six Goals?

Hockey  is finally back. For the Washington Capitals, however, it came back not with a bang, but a whimper. Saturday night, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum the Capitals came out strong but then faded quickly in their 6 – 3 "most beautiful loss in the world".

Whenever a team scores six goals against you people are going to look for a scapegoat, and when the finger pointing starts it’s usually focused at the goaltender.  But should it?

Braden Holtby is already a household name in Washington DC thanks to his heroics last spring during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The thing fans forget, though, is that the 23 year old netminder is still a rookie. This is his first regular season on an NHL roster.  All rookies are going to take some time to find their footing and Braden is no exception.

The new style of the Washington Capitals is a much more open, flowing style than it was during the Dale Hunter era. This leads to the dreaded “odd-man rush”.  When faced with these 2 on 1 or 3 on2 situations it is imperative that the defense block the passing lanes and leave the initial shot to the goalie to stop. This did not happen several times and the Lighting capitalized with quick passing one-timers that several times found the back of the net.

Let’s take a look at each of the goals against: (open this, and click the blue play button to quickly and easily play each goal, they don't let us embed)

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Goal 1 – Shultz, Perreault and Poti form a wall in front of Holtby. Add in a lightning player and there is no way that Braden could see anything. The forwards should have been much higher in the slot and pressuring the D-men at the point.

Fault: Caps’ Players

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Goal 2 – Holtby catches the edge of the first shot, forcing it to go off the post. Then after tripping Hendricks, Braden gets back to make the second save. Finally when trying to make a third save Holtby is interfered with as his own defenseman, new acquisition Hillen, slides through his crease. A goalie should only have to make the first one or two saves. After that the Defense should have either cleared the puck, or the opposite team playing it.

Fault: Hillen & the collapsed forwards.

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Goal 3 – On this play Holtby makes three saves before the puck finally sneaks in. First he bails out a bad play by Carlson, then another by Green. The third shot was just good work by the lightning. The final shot came as both Carlson and Green tried to double team a forward behind the net (where he couldn’t score from anyway) leaving forward Troy Brower to try to handle the attackers. The shot comes from right in front and maybe could have been handled by Holtby, but he shouldn’t have had to. 

Fault: Green, Carlson, and Holtby

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Goal 4 – Now this is a power-play goal by the Lightning so it’s hard to fault anyone other than the guy in the box. This goal is scored on a hard point shot through traffic. Only one screener in front of Holtby, so even though it’s not his fault, I am going to blame him.

Fault: Holtby

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Goal 5 – This goal is exactly what I mentioned before about the odd-man rush. The Caps get beat early giving up a 3 on 1 rush. Mike Green, who has not been playing during the lockout and may not be in game shape just yet, goes after the player with the puck leaving to trailers wide open. One quick pass and a tap-in later and Tampa is celebrating their insurance marker.

Fault: Mike Green

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Goal 6 – This was another power play goal for the Lightning. Add to that the fact that Poti, Carlson, and Backstrom were all practically in the crease with Holtby and you have a recipe for disaster. – Fault: Defense and the guy in the box.

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If it wasn’t obvious before, it should be now, that it takes much more than a goalie to keep pucks out of the net. Holtby still has some things to work on, but this loss should not be thought of as his fault. Not in the slightest. I am sure that he will get the start again Tuesday night when Winnipeg comes to the Verizon Center and as long as his teammates can stay out of their own way, he should be able to easy redeem this performance.

Written By Our Goalie Expert, Rob Taggart

Rob Taggart is a Level Three USA Hockey coach with six years coaching experience at the midget level and three at the high school level. In that time he has worked as a head coach, assistant coach and goalie coach.  Rob has been playing hockey for 22 years and played for the University of Maryland Terrapins during the 1999-2000 season.  We don't know jack about hockey, but he does.  You can follow him on Twitter @GoonTendy

Hockey Mom Talks Holtby And Neuvirth

Saleena Andrea is the definition of a hockey mom.  Her two kids have been playing hockey since they were old enough to walk and she spends most of her days at the ice rink.  Whether she is driving the kids to practice, screaming from the stands, or helping out her husband the hockey coach, Saleena knows that the most important person at the rink is mom.  All season long she will be giving out rewards to the good, and dishing out punishment to the bad little boys.  One thing is certain Caps players, you better not cross The Hockey Mom!

INCREASED ALLOWANCE: Holtbeast

As a goalie mom myself, I of course have a soft spot for our goalies and always have.  The one with the name closest to my own son Brady’s name gets my vote for “Lockout Winner” because he spent this lockout racking up his 70th pro win, securing his name in the shutout history books, and letting in a paltry average of 2.14 goals.  In a town that ended last season sporting “Team Holtby” shirts to rival Twihards, he’s riding a massive wave of success and goodwill the mere-2-hours back to DC.

ALLOWANCE REVOKED: Neuvy

Neuvy, on the other hand , will have more to think about during his flight back from Europe.  He spent the lockout posting relatively good, but not earth shattering, numbers with HC Sparta Praha, his old Juniors organization in the Czech league.  And when it comes to the court of public opinion, a gigantic Taylor Swift – vs- Kanye West sized advantage goes to Holtby courtesy of Neuvirth’s remarks backing up Grandpa Hamrlik’s remarks against the Caps.

Were Neuvirth’s remarks probably the victim of a translation decision assigning a negative spin to words with multiple English equivalents?  Most likely.  Will that matter when it comes to whose name adorns the behind-the-net signs the Caps faithful will hold up as a vote in the starting goalie campaign?  Probably not.

And check out Holtby & Neuvy Making This Kid Happy Then Sad

Four Fine Goalies Show Caps Fans What They've Got

Rob Taggart is a Level Three USA Hockey coach with six years coaching experience at the midget level and three at the high school level. In that time he has worked as a head coach, assistant coach and goalie coach.  Rob has been playing hockey for 22 years and played for the University of Maryland Terrapins during the 1999-2000 season.  We don't know jack about hockey, but he does.  You can follow him on Twitter @GoonTendy

On Tuesday morning, fans that gathered at Kettler Iceplex to watch their beloved Washington Capitals take on their ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, and two very different goalies stood in their respective creases.  In the Caps net was the Royals Brandon Anderson, long time WHL player who was signed by the Caps back in 2010.  On the Reading side was 2012 playoff hero Braden Holtby, and the presumed starting goaltender for the Washington Capitals.

Anderson looked to be in awe of his surroundings. Not surprising as he was backstopping for one of the biggest names to ever play the game in Alex Ovechkin. When handling the puck, Anderson played with a nervous look and many times he seemed surprised to look into his glove and find the puck after a shot.

Holtby was a different story. He turned shots away with ease and swallowed up rebounds with nonchalance, despite giving up four goals to his Capitals teammates.  He didn't look like a rookie at all, much of which can be attributed to his 14 game playoff run with the team this past spring on an injury call-up. The time spent in Hershey with the Bears, during the lockout, didn't hurt either.

Halfway through the scrimmage the Royals other goaltender, 2012 7th round draft pick Sergey Kostenko, took the ice for the Caps and veteran Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth stepped in for the Royals.

For Kostenko this was his chance to show Caps general manager George McPhee that he was worth the $100,000 they paid for his recent shoulder surgery. It may not be too long before we see Sergey up in Hershey playing alongside former Russian teammate Dimitri Orlov.  Kostenko was one of the standouts at Caps rookie development camp this summer.

For Neuvirth this was his chance to show that he's still an important part of this team.  The Czech goaltender believes he is a starting caliber goalie, but over the years has mostly been relegated to a backup role behind Jose Theodore, Thomas Vokoun, and now rookie Braden Holtby.  Neuvy also gave up 4 goals to his Caps teammates.

But neither goalie showed anything flashy or brilliant that would boost their reputations significantly.  However, both played excellent, stay home, position hockey.  Each goalie played the angles tightly giving up little daylight for players to aim for.  Most shots ended up hitting them square in the gut where they were quickly smothered.

The score doesn't typically mean much in a scrimmage, but in the end the Caps handed the Royals a rather hefty defeat earning the two prospects Anderson and Kostenko the prized shutout victory.

But regardless of the score the Caps are definitely the winners in this one as it looks like they will have very solid netminding for many years to come.

David Vallorani: A Familiar Face To Watch For On The Reading Royals

The Washington Capitals will scrimmage their new-ish ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, today at Kettler Iceplex.  The Royals are currently 2nd in the ECHL in wins and are a top tier squad.

It won't be a full game and Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby will play goalie for each team and switch at the half. More on the game from the Reading Eagle:

"The game will include three 20-minute periods and will have referees. There will be no penalties and no special teams. Admission is free."

Before you head out to Ballston, check out one of our favorite Reading players that we saw playing this summer at Caps Rookie Development Camp.

David Vallorani:  At 5'8"Vallorani is not the biggest guy on the ice.  But he plays hard, shows a lot of heart, and after a great D-Camp he earned a contract with the Hershey Bears.  Vallorani was assigned to start his career with the Royals.  Read how the former UMASS-Lowell forward impressed the crowd over the summer.

He may be small, but Vallorani has been impressive all week, displaying his offensive talent with a number of shot attempts on goal and several great centering passes.  He knows how to get the puck to the net, a skill that most of the other players at development camp are lacking.  The four year senior has scored 3 goals in 3 scrimmages and has made his case for being signed by the Capitals organization at some level.

Vallorani has tallied 25 points in 35 games in the ECHL this season so far, which ranks 11th among all rookies. He is tied for 5th on the team in scoring.  It will be interesting if he can repeat some of the magic from his surprising D-Camp performance against the big boys.


Stanislav Galiev was also at D-Camp and has had a disappointing season for the Hershey Bears.  The Russian was sent down to the ECHL on Monday for the second time this season and has 0 goals and 1 assists in 17 games with the Bears.  He also has 13 points in 12 games for the Royals this year.  Not sure if he is in VA for the game or not, if he is, keep an eye on him.

David Civitarese and goalie Sergei Kostenko were both at D-Camp as well.  Civitarese was recently activated from Reserve and should play.  The Reading goalies are not scheduled to play with Neuvirth and Holtby supposed to man the nets for both teams.  Kostenko, Russian goaltender and 7th round pick in last year's NHL Draft, also had a very good rookie camp which included a nice little showdown with first round pick Filip Forsberg over the summer that was quite interesting.  It's ashame we won't get to see him.  You can read about it here.

Kid Asks Braden Holtby & Michal Neuvirth For Autographs

So a little kid, maybe 6 years old has this really cool Maryland hockey goalie helmet, and he was wearing it around Kettler all day.  Later his mom takes him to get autographs from the Washington Capitals goaltenders.  See what happens in this video.

This video is great because it starts off with one of the fans screaming "Brandon" to get Braden's attention.  Later, you can hear the little kid scream "Mr. Neuvirrrrth!" in an adorable kids voice. Enjoy:

View All The DCSN At Training Camp Videos Here!

Lockout Quick Hits: Braden Holtby

What were the Caps players doing over the lockout?  DOMINATING no doubt...

Let's take a look at what Braden Holtby was doing up in Hershey with the Bears of the AHL this lockout:

Other Caps Lockout Quck Hits Videos:

• Other Caps Lockout Quck Hits Videos:
  • Alexander Ovechkin
  • Nicklas Backstrom

Four Things To Watch For At Caps Training Camp

With the NHL in full swing and camps swiftly approaching, here's a quick look at who you should keep an eye on when you go to Kettler this weekend to observe camp (if it begins).

Mike Riberio:  Also known as the new kid in town; Mike Riberio is the latest addition to the Caps roster and is, hopefully, the missing ingredient on the second line. It'll be interesting to see who Oates pairs him up with and how his chemistry with the team develops over camp.

The Goalie:  Who's starting in net; The long running controversy for the Caps.  Is it Neuvirth, Holtby, or none of the above? Or wil GMGM go Vokoun and decide the Caps need another "vet" in the net this season (just kidding). While Holtby was the unlikely hero throughout last seasons Playoffs, don't count Neuvrith out just yet. No matter who ends up being the "starter" with a fast paced season both goaltenders will be needed.



Tom Poti who?; The biggest shock to Caps fans was hearing (or most likely reading) that defensive defenseman Tom Poti plans to participate in training camp this week. Poti, who hasn't played since the '10-'11 season, will probably be one of the most interesting people to see back on the ice. He's one of the seven players still on the Caps who played in the '07-'08 Playoffs and his health is still a question.

The Big Three: Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Green oh my; The three remaining "young guns" will also be ones to watch this week. (assuming Backstrom is well enough to participate in training camp)  Caps fans have a lot of questions about these fellas; Will Ovi get over his funk and start having 50+ goal seasons again? Can Green skate five feet without getting injured? Will Nick Backstrom be a more present force this season?

So come join us at training camp, and watch firsthand as these four situations develop.  See you at Kettler!

Written By Camilla Alsobrook

3 Reasons Why A Shortened Season Could Help The Capitals

3 Benefits Of A Shortened Season

I.  YOUTH- With an average player age of 26.91, the Capitals will have one of the youngest teams in the league. 13 players under 27 will be returning to this year's team as well. Hamerlik (37) and Poti (35) are the only two outliers on the team over 32 years of age. Youth can work magic in a lockout shortened season by adding speed, agility, less fatigue, and speedy recoveries from minor injuries. A youthful experienced (Oxymoron, I know) team is just what the Caps will have this season.



II. TWO TALENTED GOALIES- Not that having two young and very talented goalies would be a bad thing in an 82 game season, but in a 50 game season it's even more necessary. Holtby (23) and Nuevirth (24) should have no problem alternating games here and there to keep each other at their peak physical condition. This will definitely come into play in a condensed season where teams may be playing more games than they are accustomed to in a shorter period of time.


III.  NO PREPERATION TIME FOR OPPONENTS- With a 50 game schedule and a lockout exterminated preseason the Capitals Southeast opponents will have less time to figure out Adam Oates' style of coaching (see how this could hurt too below).   This will be incredibly beneficial because divisional opponents will be more concerned with their own team troubles rather than spending their time trying to figure out ways to play other teams, especially a team with a brand new head coach.

Written By Caps Contributor Aaron Ebert @AaronEbert22

Read The 3 Ways A Shortened Season Could Hurt The Capitals

Lockout Over, Goalie Controversy Begin!

With the NHL Lockout finally over after four arduous months, the spot light has now turned back to the individual NHL teams and how they'll prepare for the shortened season. For many Caps fans, there are several anxious questions that they are waiting to have answered:

• How will Adam Oates fair in his first season as an NHL coach?
• How will Adam Oates system look?
• How will the Caps play without Alexander Semin?
• How will Mike Riberio fit into his new team?

And one of the biggest questions; Who will be starting in the crease?

Braden Holtby had an amazing playoffs, but this is the Washington Capitals...who knows what goalie will start, and what random goalie will appear at the end of the season.

Before the 2011-12 season, the Caps looked like they would be going with Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth in goal.  But in somewhat of a shock, General Manager George McPhee signed Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal. His reasoning? Give Holtby a little more time to mature so he would be ready to go when he hit the NHL.

Vokoun was brought in to start, but all of a sudden Neuvirth was named the opening day starter.  Classic Caps!

Fast forward to the Playoffs and to two nicked up goaltenders.  What were the Caps to do?  Call up the rookie and pray for the best.  Bam.  Braden Holtby, starting playoff games.

Holtby performed above expectations.  All of a sudden the Caps, who limped into the playoffs, were in the second round, and chants of "Holtby, Holtby" reigned down from the seats of Verizon.  The Caps had a new star, and a new goalie.

But did Holtby earn himself an automatic bid as the Capitals starter?  Just one season before Michal Neuvirth was the up and coming goalie.

Neuvy played in the NHL the past two seasons mostly as a back up to Semyon Varlomov and Tomas Vokoun, respectively, with his GAA for the two seasons at 2.61. But his real accomplishment came during the 2011 Playoffs where he lead the Caps to a 5 game series victory against the New York Rangers before being swept by the Lightning in the second round.  Neuvrith posted a GAA of 2.34 in those playoffs.

Holtby's run as playoff goaltender went a little better.  The young goalie posted a GAA of under 2 while carrying the team all the way to a seventh game in the second round.  Holtby clearly stood out as a top playoff performer.

Both goalies have their strong suits and quirks which make them both viable contenders for the starting position behind the Caps blue line.  But barring an amazing training camp by Michal Neuvirth, Adam Oates will be have to have a very good reason for not going with Braden Holtby.

Should You Buy A Holtby Jersey? Probably Not

As you know, I am new to the Washington Capitals scene.  I don't know much about the history of the team outside of stories I have heard from readers and Twitter peeps during this past season.  But after hearing all the stories, and reading about the history of the team, I have what I think is a valid question:

Is buying a Braden Holtby jersey a waste of money?

One of the things that makes me sick to my stomach is going to a DC sports event and watching as dopes strut out in jerseys of players that are no longer on the team.  Idiots in Jose Vidro jerseys at Nats parks, Dummies in Antawn Jamison jerseys at Verizon, and Morons in Adam Archuletta jerseys at FedEX Field.  Even at Caps games I shutter as I see people wearing sweaters from the days of the Caps blue & white old uniforms with Kolzig on the back.  Ug.

As a sports fan, you need to be smarter when buying a jersey.  And if you make mistakes, and we all do (choosing a girlfriend who bought me a Tyrone Wheatley jersey), too bad.  Try again next time.  Don't bring that garbage to the game.  I have 10 Gilbert Arenas jerseys (they were all free) but I will never even consider wearing them except as some bad joke.

The best you can do in that situation is pray that the player becomes a legend and the jersey becomes "retro".  But that rarely happens, John Riggins & Wes Unseld come to mind, and it takes years for that to happen, and Championships.

I could rant about this topic for pages and pages, so I'll get back to the question at hand.  After reading what was written above, is buying a Braden Holtby jersey a waste of money?

Holtby has probably replaced Ovechkin as the "jersey to own" after his amazing playoff performance and emergence as the Caps goalie of the future.  But do you really want to risk it based on the recent history of the Washington Capitals?

If there is one thing I know about the Caps it is that the "goalies of the future" come out of nowhere for the Playoffs, and the next thing you know they are on the bench watching the next "goalie of the future" in the following season.

Will the jersey end up hanging in a closet next to the Kolzig jersey, next to the Huet jersey, next to the Theodore jersey, next to the Varley jersey, next to the Neuvy jersey?

So if you think Holtby is going to be the next Brodeur, then get your checkbook out.  But if you are like me and are cautious that when next season is over you'll be reading the same article about whoever the next in the semi-long line of Caps goalies is, then save your cash & get a few generic Caps shirts for the same price.  

Mediocrity By Committee

Who Is The Goalie?

Dale Hunter has been flipping goalies all season long.  At one point Vokoun was the man.  Then he was benched a few times and Neuvy took over.  The Vokoun again.  Then he got hurt.  Then Holtby became the man.  Remember I don't know much about hockey, but I don't see this being a good thing.

Vokoun has had a nagging injury.  Will he be well enough to be in the lineup if the team makes the playoffs?  Neuvirth gave up 4 goals against the Jets, a home "playoff" type game.  Then the next "playoff" game Holtby comes in and gives up 3 and gets benched.  Both these games were at home, and huge, and the goalies couldn't come through.

So who does Dale Hunter go with if they make the playoffs?  The sometimes shaky veteran who may be flat or injured.  The middle guy who has been giving up 4 goals in game after game?  The young guy who plays well a few and then plays terrible in a few?

My vote:  Varlamov

What The H Is A "Lower Body" Injury

According to The Examiner, Mikey Neuvirth missed practice today and is listed as day to day with a "lower body injury". My first thought was to assume

that "lower body" meant his junk since it was so vague, but I was told that was not necessarily the case.

Now I am no doctor/scientist/mortician, but I do have a lower body of my own. So I decided to do some real reporting, and look at my lower body to find out just what it consisted of. What I found was shocking!

I discovered that my lower body consisted of several different parts. There were legs, feet, even like 20 toes! My lower body had bones, joints, muscles, and even tendons. It was like I was Christopher Columbus discovering the new world. A knee, where did that come from. What is that round thing at the back of my foot, why it appears to be a heel! Wow look at that 8 inch thing, never realized my big toe was that long.

Note: Hands only count as a lower body injury if you have them by your side

Recalling that I know nothing about hockey injury reports, I decided to see what this lower body injury really was. I assume that Neuvirth didn't injure his ENTIRE lower body. I saw this interesting tweet come up on my computer

Cool dog. So I will assume henceforth that this is a common thing.

By that logic the following injury to NBA player Shaun Livingston (Don't watch, it will make you sick) is equivalent to Gilbert Arenas stubbing his toe, losing a toenail and missing a game. Two "lower body" injuries.

At least they said he was Day to Day with a lower body injury, which narrows it down to about 2,968 possible injuries. In conclusion hockey, get rid of "lower body" on the injury report. Also never say "body injury" "human injury" "mammal injury" or anything else as pointlessly vague...

New V vs Old V

After 2 games, the average time it takes for DC Sports fans to cut bait with any player who isn't an all star, fans are already grumbling. We have a goalie controversy!!! We don't have a goalie controversy!!!

I don't think Neuvie's ball pop pusher goal stick can compete with the double walker goalie stick...

In the first game, after getting the surprise start, Nouvie (New V) played reasonably well saving 90% of the shots, and giving up 1 bad goal. In the second start Vokoun (Old V) let in 5 goals, a few terrible ones, with an 82% save rate and didn't really look too comfortable the whole game even on his saves. Is it only a case of Voktober?

(Varlomov had a 30 save shutout in his first game with the Avs aka 100% save rate)

So after a few goals last night, before the game was over, some Caps fans were starting to panic. Every incomplete pass from Grossman I yell "Put In Beck!" then after every Rex touchdown I yell "Beck would have thrown a pick". This looks to be what I will do with these goalies.

According to most people, Vokoun is going to get the majority of the starts this year, but I'm not buying in to that just yet. I've watched two hockey games, so I know, you stick with the hot goaltender. The first game Nouvie wasn't really on fire, but he did play better than Tommy V. I think you gotta go with Nouvie against the Penguins.

Beck vs Grossman was fun, so lets see if New V vs Old V turns out to be something, hopefully it helps both guys and helps the team since both will spend time in goal. And if the Skins can win with 3 Running backs, surely the Caps can win with 2 goaltenders (of course they can, and don't call me Shirley)