The DC Sports Junkies sat down with Jeremy Roenick on the premier episode of their new show Table Manners on CSN. The show is great and despite what people were saying the other night, the Junks crushed it. Check it out Tuesday nights at 11pm on CSN.
During one segment, the conversation turned to Alexander Ovechkin and his declining skillset and fatness. Roenick talked about how partying and lack of work ethic puts Ovi at a disadvantage, while talking about how hard Crosby works out. A few quotes from Jeremy:
"I think he's [Alex] let himself go. I think he stopped working out hard."
"One thing about Sidney Crosby, whether you like him or not, he will work until he has no more. He will put in the work, he will put in the time, he will do what he has to do and I think Ovechkin hasn't put in the time. And when you stop putting in the time, and you gain a little weight, I do believe he looks slow at certain times, you're worried about going out and partying, you're worried about being seen with the people, I think Ovi's gotten caught in that."
Roenick sort of described what may be the national perception of the difference between Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Check out what Roenick said just a few years back. Seems to have shifted gears from yelling at Mike Milbury about Ovi vs Crosby:
The show was fun, you should def check it out. Tuesday nights. 11pm. CSN.
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.
I love Conan O'Brien. He is one of my favorite performers of all time and I have watched him since he started on TV a million years ago. But this week Coco has decided to take a few shots at hockey fans on his show. Here are some jokes from his monologue on Monday & Tuesday:
"Good news, after 113 days the National Hockey League has settled it's hockey dispute, so finally Americans can get back to NOT watching hockey"
The crowd sort of laughs. (watch it here) Conan continues:
"Nobody watches hockey...(in strange mocking voice)...'I gotta go I gotta watch hockey'...nobody says that...hahahhahaha"
The jokes didn't stop on Tuesday:
"Good news for hockey though, after 113 days the National Hockey League has settled it's contract dispute...by the way if you are interested, the last time Americans went 113 days without watching hockey it was during last year's hockey season"
There were a few hockey fans in the crowd who groaned. Conan continued:
"Even hockey fans cheer that joke...'it is very unpopular'...No Teeth...'it's unpopular (in a voice like he had no teeth)' "
So Americans hate hockey, and all hockey fans have no teeth. Got it Conan. Look forward to your next prewritten structured NHL zing that the audience doesn't really laugh at tomorrow night.
So, here we are: day 103 of the lockout. There’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said in a variety of ways: thoughtful point/counterpoint blog posts, insightful interviews with key players, poorly translated recaps of foreign interviews guaranteed to inflame already weary fans.
As I read yet another prediction about yet another meaningless potential deadline, I reflect on two things hockey fans need right now: tranquil Japanese wisdom and a new way to talk about what we’ve been talking about for 103 days already. Therefore, I submit my feelings about the lockout…in haiku.
A few weeks ago, I asked Caps fans to send me some pictures of them being sad about the lockout. Well a few people actually sent in pictures, but not enough to create the video I envisioned. One of those people who sent me a photo was @CapsBN92 who emailed me (not tweeted, emailed) a picture of her with her face covered up because she was sad about the lockout. I posted it at the link above.
Well today that picture, which was only posted on this website, and was never tweeted, showed up on the Facebook page of the NHL on NBC Sports. It didn't mention our site, and it didn't even mention the Twitter name of the person it was (which was posted below the pic on our site).
UPDATE: NBC Sports finally amended the article, no link, just a credit below a link to their site.
Hey everyone! The "season" is fast approaching and with every new story that comes out it seams that the season may not be fast approaching. The players and ownership are looking like the season could be pushed back (or never happen) due to a lockout.
I'm going to need your help, so if you don't want to read my hockey fan story, then skip to the bottom!
As someone who started watching hockey just last year you would think that this would not be a problem. Just pretend last year didn't happen and go back to watching replays of Wizards losses on nights when the Caps were supposed to play.
Submitted By @slapbetcomish
However, something happened last season. Something that can not be undone. I became a hockey fan.
I watched every game, I lived and died with every goal and goal against. I went to games, I wrote about games, I learned about hockey, and I even almost went ice skating once. I even have a Caps shirt...that I bought! (I never actually bought any Wizards/Redskins/Nats shirts before).
The NBA lockout was rough. But eventually basketball returned and by the end of the season we didn't even remember there was a lockout. Hockey however, will not be that easy. The local team is much better, the players play much harder, and the arena is much more full. Plus...I'm kind of obsessed with the Caps now (see me attending every day of Caps Development Camp)
Submitted By Lindsey
What is going to happen if there is a lockout for the NHL?
Well I'm going to be quite mad. I'm not going to start a Caps Basketball Soccer blog and cover DC United. I'm just...not. I want my hockey. It is not fair. Hockey made me like hockey and they are going to take it away!? NO! NOOOO! But what can I (you) do!
Submitted By @CapsBN92
HELP US!
I know that most of you who read this are feeling the same anger and frustration about possibly missing the NHL season. In fact you are probably much more upset than me. I'm a rookie. So don't just sit there in your room crying and eating ice cream! Speak up!
Send us your pictures (like the ones above) of how the lockout has affected you. Pics of signs you made, posters, chalk boards, computer screens, or anything you feel gets across the point to the NHL players and owners that they should stop F'ing around and start signing some papers. Pics of you crying, pics of you in the hospital, or however the lockout hurt you.
We are going to use te photos in a anti-lockout video, so send them in and get in on the fun! Be sure to have your team jersey on when you take the pics!
Email the pics to editor@DCSportsNexus.com or TwitPic them to @TheDugsSports
THANKS YOU!
PS: If you have a picture of your pet wearing Caps stuff, send those in too!
As we all (should) know, the 2012 NHL Draft starts tomorrow. The Edmonton Oilers have the 1st pick for now three years in a row, the Blue Jackets have the 2nd yadda yadda, and the Caps have pick #11. As you all know, the Caps got two picks from the Avs (one first round and one second) for Semyon Varlamov during last years off season.
The Caps have pretty good picks this year, compared to last year anyways. Since the Caps desperately need a strong second line Center, picking one up in the draft or with our draft pick and someone's rights (I'm looking at you, Green) seems like a great idea. I'm all for it.
What I'm not a fan of is the idea of trading Green's rights (or any other star UFA's rights) and our #11 pick for Yakupov. He's a right wing. The Caps are up to their ears in right wings, I don't care if the kid is the second coming to Jesus. The Caps don't need a right wing. They need centers and that's what they need to focus on.
Whether that comes in the form of Grigorenko (these Russian names are killin' me), Jason Arnott (personal favorite), or another free agent or draft pick. All I know is the Caps shouldn't waste their draft pick on something they don't need.
While I've been ranting about needing a solid center, I completely forgot to bring up the whole no coach thing. Not having a Coach and picking guys in the draft is a little tricky. I know that GM's basically do all the picking, signing, etc. but they have the coaches input based on the kind of team he wants to run. Without having a coach with input on the kind of team he wants to build is going to be tricky. Yeah, the Caps need a center. But depending on the coach the Caps have, having a strong center could range from being vitally important to just being a good bonus.
In the end, GMGM knows what he's doing and will make the best deal to get the best player possible for the Caps to become a strong contender for the Cup in seasons to come. I just hope the Caps can get a Coach before September.
I apologize for my "editors" brash article about a player he clearly knows less than squat diddly about. I know I haven't been around because finals are next week, but bad mouthing such a well respected and great player is silly business. Now, let's talk about this guy. A legend of sorts.
As we all know, Mike Knuble was signed back in 2009 to a 2 year deal worth $2.8 million and was given a contract extension in April of last year for a one-year contract extension for $2 million. He was not re-signed this off season. Ok, really?!
Caps, it's like you want to piss me off. You don't re-sign Matt Bradley and pick up Joel Ward instead, which wasn't the smartest move, and now, you're getting rid of the only guy on the team who's a lead by example veteran. Guys like Knuble grow don't on trees, ya know! Guess the Caps are going to have to turn to the likes of Hamrlik for their sage advice. Let's see how good that goes.
Really, Knuble was a great player for the Caps up until Dale Hunter took over and decided to bench him in lieu of a less seasoned player. I'm all for rookies getting ice time, but when you're team is in dire straits and you're playing guys like Keith Aucoin instead of seasoned veterans who can really bring something to the game and the locker room, one is going to scratch their head.
Now, after this season I did have my doubts on a Knuble contract extension but I didn't think the Caps were seriously going to let a valuable asset like him walk. And by valuable, I'm talking integral. He didn't have the greatest stats this season, but considering he was benched what seemed like the majority of the season or put on the fourth line (which I also didn't agree with, btw), you can't really blame him.
He was the kind of guy to give rallying speeches when you're down going into the third of game 4 of a series or a third overtime. He provided leadership and experience, which not many people on this young team have. He's actually won a Cup, people. Not to mention he's played over 1,000 games.
Not re-signing Knuble was a mistake, he provided a strong leadership back bone for the team and was an anchor for the less experienced players he played with. His talents, leadership, and strength will be missed in Washington. I wish him the best wherever he goes and hopefully he'll have the luck to be able to hoist the Cup one last time before he retires.
Camilla is the head writer for Caps Bball. She also writes for Capital Connection and Puckbuddys. Follow her at @Camcoco10.
Trapezoids. Double Minors. Dump & Chase. Lower Body Injuries. What had I gotten myself into?
Back in October I thought that sauce was something I dipped my McNuggets in. I thought a biscuit was something delicious at Popeyes that I smother in honey. I thought that Zdeno Chara was a word scramble. I thought pluses and minuses were for math. I even thought if you didn't win a sports game, it was always a bad thing.
But after 82 regular season games and 14 nights of playoff hockey, I know better. (Although I still don't believe Zdeno is a name). So what happened? Hockey happened!
Start A Hockey Blog? Why Not?
During the 2011 basketball season I was angry with the NBA. The league was in the midst of a lockout and the entire season was possibly going to be cancelled. I needed something to get me through the boring winter. As a joke I told people I would watch hockey if the NBA didn't have a season.
That joke slowly turned into a reality. I decided that I would try to learn the game of hockey and watch the Caps every single game. In fact, I figured what better way to stay interested in the sport than to write about it. So just 1 day before the Capitals season started, I created Caps Basketball, a Washington Capitals hockey blog. The great hockey experiment had begun!
Nausea
On October 10th, 2011, I sat down and did something I had never done before. In fact it was something I never thought I would ever do in my lifetime. I went into my basement, grabbed a beer out of the fridge, sat down on the couch, and watched a full NHL hockey game.
When the game was over, a Washington Capitals victory in a shootout over the Tampa Bay Lightning, I was sick to my stomach. All that puck movement back and forth combined with trying to focus my eyes on that tiny black speck had made me nauseous.
In addition to the discomfort my brain was also struggling. I had no idea what I had just saw. There were strange penalties, random face-offs, and the refs blew the whistle for unknown reasons. I couldn't tell which player was which, and I didn't understand anything they did besides shooting on the net.
This was going to be a long season...
Hockey Hooligans
The reason I actually made it through the season and watched every game was because of the readers of the blog, all the amazing Caps fans, and hockey fans in general. Because of the premise of the blog, it ended up being featured on Caps blogs, national NHL blogs, and even Grantland. With all that exposure I received a lot of positive comments from hockey fans who encouraged me to keep watching and writing. (Special thanks to RMNB for showcasing me first)
What had started out as somewhat of a joke had turned into a great learning tool as well. Anytime I didn't know what was happening I would tweet my questions and readers would respond. Then after the game I would post additional questions on the blog and readers would email me, tweet me, and comment to give me the answers.
My eyes and stomach adjusting to the game along with all the great help and encouragement from readers had turned a sport that I despised into a sport where I couldn't miss a single game.
The Good Old Hockey Game
Early on in the season, I was fortunate enough to be able to go in person and witness hockey live with 18,000 screaming maniacs wearing red shirts. There was something unique about hockey fans. They seemed to understand the nuances of the game. I had to ask someone next to me, "Why is everyone clapping". The response, "Because it was a good shift".
As a Washington Wizards season ticket holder, this experience was a tad bit different from the NBA experience. Instead of playing DMX while the ball is in play, the fans made the noise during gameplay. Instead of fans having casual conversations, fans were screaming "Let's Go Caps!" in unison. Instead of a couple thousand people scattered among empty seats, every seat was full. (although the seats would be full if the Wizards had the Caps record).
An Amazing Year
So that brings us back to today. The Capitals season is over, and my first season as a hockey fan has come to an end. I learned a lot, had a lot of help, and had a lot of great readers. As the season went on, the guy who was interesting because he didn't know the sport slowly transformed into the guy who started to "get" hockey. Now I smile when friends ask me about things that are going on in a hockey game and I am able to answer them or provide analysis.
I've come along way...the season may be over but this journey will continue forever. For I am now a hockey fan...
The Caps are down to the wire in terms of time to make the
Playoffs, they have 4 games left and their opponents are the Habs, Lightning,
and Rags, err, I mean Rangers.
Tonight the Caps face the mighty dumpster fire known as the
Montreal Canadiens, or to some, as the we-only-like-French-speaking-people
team. No matter their name, they’re impressively worse than the Caps this
season.
The Canadiens are going to be coming into tonights game more
pissed than a rattlesnake due to their 4-1 craptacular loss to the Rangers last
night. Not bad motivation, eh? While the Canadiens might be on “fire”, with
their record against, all the Caps need to worry about is a repeat of the
Borque Incident.
I mean, you thought the Caps were bad? Montreal
is a 29-35-14 measly for the season while the Caps are 39-31-8. Considering the
Caps have fairly trounced Montreal
the last 4 times they played them, it’s safe to say this is a win, no?
With that, Let me bring you down memory lane. Remember that
freaking awesome 2009-2010 season? Ya know, when the Caps won the Presidents
Trophy and were going to win the Cup hands down? Remember that little, 8th
seeded team that made us pull our hair out? Yeah, those were the Canadiens.
It’s been two years and we’ve scincerely murdered them since
then, but with the Caps deadline swiftly approaching, you can’t help but think
that’s gotta ignite the flame a little. And, cripes, Caps, it’s the CANADIENS!
If you guys can kill Detroit, then
I think you guys can beat this dumpster fire of a team.
Other important notes:
-The Super Swede is back tonight! Win this one for Backy,
guys.
-Neuvirths starting against Montreals irrelevant and
terrible goalie.
-Renne Borque is going DOWN. Please…?
"Written by Camilla Alsobrook, Caps BBall's Teen Corrospondent. Camilla also writes for Puck Buddy's and Captial Connection."
After watching a month of hockey, I have developed The Good Ol' Hockey Drinking Game. You can play this with any NHL game, although the bottom section involves some rules specific to the Caps. Of course "drinks" apply to soda, water, and juice.
I tried to make it simple and easy to remember. Despite all the writing there are basically only a few rules...
I nixed the rule where if a goal is overturned, you must puke up the drink that you took for the goal. Also on the Caps side the Sasha rule was going to involve turning off your TV for 2 minutes so you would hate Sasha even more.
