tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85875952631070569482024-02-20T12:45:21.027-06:00Ravings of a Rink RebelMild-mannered urban professional by day; rabid, foul-mouthed Capitals fan by night.Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-53765279187187185252018-06-13T23:45:00.004-05:002020-12-01T01:28:05.066-06:00The Significance of WeightlessnessWhen I heard about the new hashtag for the year, #ALLCAPS, I thought, "meh."<br />
<br />
I didn't really get it. Since I'm one prone to use caps lock a lot on Twitter, particularly about hockey, I thought maybe it was an allusion to that? I didn't understand the "we are #ALLCAPS" messages because I thought, "well, I don't play for the team, so, not really?"<br />
<br />
However, after the parade and rally on Tuesday, I finally understood it. Watching the Capitals party through the weekend, and
seeing them continue to act like over-excited children at the parade was
an unexpected joy. Seeing the players' celebration shenanigans of the weekend, hearing their heartfelt speeches at the rally, and their invitation for all of us (<b><i>US</i></b>) to sing along with them to "We Are the Champions," I finally understood what they really meant. <br />
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Every single moment of this celebration has been shared with the fans. Whether it was through the players' individual social media accounts (Instagram stories have never been more fun) or splashing around with fans in a Georgetown fountain, the Caps have truly wanted to celebrate this championship WITH their fans. To invite their fans to become involved and feel like a part of it all. Heck, at some point during the weekend, TJ Oshie handed the Cup off (like, all of it) <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanBritton_/status/1005656033904250880" target="_blank">to a group of fans</a> to hold over their heads.<br />
<br />
I've never seen a team do anything like it. They very well could have kept this celebration to themselves. The fact that the players had the presence of mind to realize that not only they wanted it, but WE wanted it is amazing. And they didn't hold back on letting their personalities shine. Thank God they didn't hold back.<br />
<br />
I remember back in the Young Guns days that people used to blame Ovechkin for the Capitals' faults because he "partied too hard." Every weekend, there were new photos of him <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/02/caps_at_the_russia_house.html" target="_blank">downing vodka shots at Russia House</a> with Alexander Semin, not to mention the <a href="https://www.sportressofblogitude.com/2010/06/10/alexander-ovechkins-turkish-party-photos-are-epic-with-babelfish-translations/" target="_blank">infamous photos from the boat in Turkey</a> in the offseason. Some even suggested that <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/whats-wrong-with-alex-ovechkin-is-his-mother-part-of-the-problem/" target="_blank">Ovechkin's relationship with his own mother</a> was to blame for the team's downfalls. Beginning several years ago, the light playfulness Ovechkin used to share with fans and the media died down a bit. His answers in media scrums became clipped, and his tone during interviews was usually stoic.<br />
<br />
Sure, he'd still goof off at practice every now and then, but it was evident that the scrutiny, year after year, was getting to him.<br />
<br />
Cut to Tuesday. <br />
<br />
The Stanley Cup weighs 34.5 pounds, yet every time a Washington Capitals player hoisted it over his head at the rally, it was a reminder that the Cup represents a weight lifted.<br />
<br />
I can't describe how happy it made me to see the old Ovechkin. The one who doesn't give a <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/1006603298634379264" target="_blank">shit what words</a> might fly out of his mouth <a href="https://twitter.com/ikhurshudyan/status/1007028865158524931" target="_blank">in front of the media</a>. The fun-loving one that enjoys being a goofball with his friends, dancing around in the club or even in the <a href="https://twitter.com/PostSports/status/1006534616365387776" target="_blank">locker room at Capital One Arena before the parade</a>. The one that dives into a public fountain and <a href="http://wjla.com/sports/washington-capitals/alex-ovechkin-leads-capitals-on-epic-night-of-partying-in-dc-celebrating-the-stanley-cup" target="_blank">starts breaststroking</a>.<br />
<br />
It was everything seeing <a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/2018/06/12/tj-oshie-chugs-beer-jersey-capitals-stanley-cup-parade-video" target="_blank">TJ Oshie drink a beer through his damn jersey and pouring it on his head</a> upon his name being announced. It was everything seeing the unlikely hero, <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/1006590569521516546" target="_blank">newly-shaven Brett Connolly just wordlessly head to the front of the stage and chug a beer</a>.<br />
<br />
It was everything seeing Nicklas Backstrom <a href="https://twitter.com/rinkrebel/status/1005897329210265600" target="_blank">truly smiling</a> for the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCapitals/status/1005487227936346113" target="_blank">first time</a> since I've known him. He hasn't stopped smiling since. To see him share this with Alex Ovechkin, <a href="https://twitter.com/jperkalator82/status/1005636051354963968" target="_blank">his long-time friend and teammate</a>, has been so special.<br />
<br />
It was everything seeing Philipp Grubauer, who I've been a fan of since he was 17, <a href="https://twitter.com/danielwfiller/status/1006693373934268416" target="_blank">sprint off the bus during the parade</a> and <a href="https://georgetowner.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC09551-204872.jpg" target="_blank">wave a DC flag over his shoulders</a> and not let the dang thing go THE ENTIRE TIME. It was everything seeing <a href="https://twitter.com/PostSports/status/1006591980976201728" target="_blank">Devante Smith-Pelly get all the recognition he deserves</a>, particularly in the form of at least one, if not two "D-S-P" chants.<br />
<br />
It was everything watching <a href="http://ravingsofarinkrebel.blogspot.com/2017/10/full-circle-with-nathan-walker.html" target="_blank">Nathan Walker</a>, the first Australian to ever play in the NHL, score a goal in the NHL, get a point in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, and win a Stanley Cup <a href="https://twitter.com/PostSports/status/1006594565518839808" target="_blank">get overturned by Ovechkin and Wilson</a>. It was everything seeing Jakub Vrana <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/06/13/i-love-all-these-people-here-jakub-vranas-star-continued-to-grow-at-capitals-parade/" target="_blank">make his case for favorite new-ish player</a> when we hadn't seen all his personality before.<br />
<br />
This team of wonderful dorks had been so missed. They've been stifled for so long, and seeing them let loose has been the best thing about winning the Stanley Cup.<br />
<br />
Despite the lack of sleep, the intense sunburn and subsequent sun poisoning, the days missed from work, I wouldn't have missed this parade for the world.Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-14322922080094746382018-06-08T22:37:00.001-05:002021-11-17T00:14:59.185-06:00Finally<div>
"You know the Capitals, the hockey team? I heard about this promotion
where you can get cheap tickets with a student ID. Let's go to a game!"<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those
paraphrased words came from my coworker and friend Jennifer Baarson one
day in February 2008. Both of us were working at a non-profit on 20th
and M, my first job out of college. On the day of the game, we took an
extended lunch break to Metro quickly over to the then-Verizon Center,
went to the box office, flashed our student IDs (even though both of us
were out of college) and got lower bowl seats for $30.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I
played hockey in high school but had never been to, let alone seen on
TV, an NHL game. Growing up in Chicago during the Bill Wirtz Era meant
the Blackhawks were a completely foreign concept to me. At the Capitals
game that night, I had no idea how much <i>fun</i> hockey was. Brooks
Laich and Shaone Morrisonn scored in the first period. "Lol that guy's
name is Semin." "I've heard about this Ovechkin guy." The Minnesota Wild
scored in the second period, but goals from Eric Fehr and another from
Brooks Laich sealed up the 4-1 win.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was <a href="https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/min-vs-wsh/2008/02/26/2007020952#game=2007020952,game_state=final" target="_blank">February 26, 2008</a>. It is not an overstatement to say that is the day that changed the course of my life. It's the day I became a Capitals fan.<br />
<br />
When
I look back on it now, things progressed very quickly, though it didn't
seem like it at the time. I went to my first Capitals playoff game that
same season, Game 7 against the Flyers. It was my first taste of
postseason heartache. That next Christmas, I got my first Capitals
jersey as a gift -- Alexander Semin's #28. Less than a year later, <a href="http://ravingsofarinkrebel.blogspot.com/2010/01/tomas-fleischmann-at-espn-zone.html" target="_blank">I started this blog</a>. I found Canadian junior hockey and started studying up on prospects. Soon, people were asking me to write for them. Like, <i>reputable</i> people. Only 18 months prior, I'd been making bodily function jokes about a player's last name.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYd5EBNbwD0OCirkdDl8xPj7p8-DCD2gTY8JYFV_MqJqjmUr2Buux9BzpaesudIU81h78HetcIbKZibW9raARNruwjgWg4-7uKNDtLjMgtEFBe40UpdwTyAX0rfqptWTlnuDdAsw36f2xi/s1600/39446_766724885074_2950225_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="720" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYd5EBNbwD0OCirkdDl8xPj7p8-DCD2gTY8JYFV_MqJqjmUr2Buux9BzpaesudIU81h78HetcIbKZibW9raARNruwjgWg4-7uKNDtLjMgtEFBe40UpdwTyAX0rfqptWTlnuDdAsw36f2xi/s320/39446_766724885074_2950225_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2010 Capitals Convention -- with said bodily function joke-named player</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So,
I joined the ranks of the media, one of a few bloggers who regularly
got credentialed. And I loved writing. I loved it and I was good at it. I started getting more attention. Once at development camp, a now-former Washington Post beat writer asked me everything I knew about a particular prospect. <i>Me</i>.<br />
<br />
I never asked for credentials for games.
I preferred to sit with the fans, yelling for goals, wearing a jersey, and joining in the
occasional "ref you suck" chant. Side note, the Capitals were the first team in the
NHL to credential bloggers and create a standard to regulate blogger
credentials. I want to take this moment here to thank Nate Ewell (and
later Sergey Kocharov) for supporting bloggers and giving press
credentials to a little nobody like me.<br />
<br />
There was at least one year that I went to nearly every home game. It was the last full season before I left DC.<br />
<br />
A variety of circumstances
took me back to Chicago in 2011. Around here, I
continue to get a lot more questions about how I became a Capitals fan ("but...
aren't you from here?") but my love of the Capitals hasn't
diminished in the slightest. In fact, below is a photo of the car I got
when I returned home (and I still drive it today).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsO9TeJtQz-AvNnUyjtWMry8JW8m-wK6A0ZU_6N9QTqBeTExse4KWXxqJjpoZDfPWXFdYhyZ_jUgxUHfC0w2KQBbHuRs8bSVYNxiJmdo6MRQIcJqUlffxVZ5qpiF0ym8TGQT8YOzh9st6/s1600/10389012_10102513676958074_8154636017557609419_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsO9TeJtQz-AvNnUyjtWMry8JW8m-wK6A0ZU_6N9QTqBeTExse4KWXxqJjpoZDfPWXFdYhyZ_jUgxUHfC0w2KQBbHuRs8bSVYNxiJmdo6MRQIcJqUlffxVZ5qpiF0ym8TGQT8YOzh9st6/s320/10389012_10102513676958074_8154636017557609419_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My car is actually named "Ovie"</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Even after I got back to Chicago, I was still writing for one outlet as the Southeast Division beat writer, even though I didn't live remotely near the Southeast Division. While I was searching for a full-time job, I was looking into graduate school. Doing a lot of sports writing had me looking into something I'd never considered before. I started researching sports administration/management graduate programs, and found that Northwestern University had one. I applied and got in. I could do this; I could actually have a career in sports. I never would have even thought of it if it hadn't been for the Capitals.<br />
<br />
Years passed, and years of heartbreak and disappointment can take its toll. In this
season, my 10th year of fandom, I watched the least amount of Capitals
hockey since I became a fan. I don't know if it's the disillusionment or the quantity of TV shows that are out there and I apparently need to watch, but for whatever reason, I just didn't care much about this season. Of course -- the one year the expectations weren't high, that's the year they win it all.<br />
<br />
Once the playoffs started this year, I began watching every game again (with the exception of Game 4 against the Lightning, months prior we'd bought tickets to see Deadpool 2 that night). Once the Caps got to the third round, the first time since I became a fan that I'd ever seen them reach that level, and against the Penguins no less, I was in disbelief. Then the Capitals made it to the Stanley Cup Final. I was STILL in disbelief. Now, they're Stanley Cup Champions. Still, disbelief.<br />
<br />
When less than a minute remained on the clock in Game 5, I slammed my laptop shut, turned my phone on silent and turned it upside-down so I couldn't see notifications. As the clock wound down to zero, I started sobbing. Nothing has been more satisfying than seeing Alex Ovechkin lifting that 35 lb silver shiny Cup over his head. Ovechkin and Backstrom, the only two left on the team from when I became a fan, skating around with it broke me (in a good way I guess).<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmIdTH7h0VdjKnpHa0Dt66o1xKIxXGaycuEtJjVwRCVQBymnwvOr9NR9vXmtB0Im9jvn7FqU4QK0JsWD0LR5lfNv7nj9Ni4O-Qj5T8CulPjhQkbVIM-eAYPr46nz-o43HKcblMM74xR_1/s1600/IMG_9954.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmIdTH7h0VdjKnpHa0Dt66o1xKIxXGaycuEtJjVwRCVQBymnwvOr9NR9vXmtB0Im9jvn7FqU4QK0JsWD0LR5lfNv7nj9Ni4O-Qj5T8CulPjhQkbVIM-eAYPr46nz-o43HKcblMM74xR_1/s400/IMG_9954.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's been a wild ride. I'm beyond excited to get on a plane Monday and see the parade in person. <br />
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Bonus funny story time. <br />
<br />
Generally, my life with the Capitals has been bonkers. Shortly after John Carlson turned 21, and only an hour after I had my first big interview with a player (Matt Hendricks), I was at the Front Page across from Kettler with friends Melissa and Molly. Mathieu Perreault wandered in and sat down at the bar across from us. Shortly thereafter, John Carlson came through the door with his brother, who was in town visiting. Practically the only people in the place were us, a group of three women, and Mathieu Perreault. John shifted his eyes between us and Mathieu, us and Mathieu. Seemingly reluctantly, John headed over to sit by Mathieu. John did buy us a shot though. Thus began the inside joke of a lifetime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPB4uxp6RDbsibTCWSKQJaelcQCy7eQjj-B-8s4_klNCxAma2j8U5bfDBYFjV3vrwSF2QVHR8TM3uRGieUrQa5HdfZMwZhE5dGaad5xLpPbHC6Pg0w3btQPfMpg0mGiCLCnf2iMhTFOkJ/s1600/fullsizeoutput_eb6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="750" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPB4uxp6RDbsibTCWSKQJaelcQCy7eQjj-B-8s4_klNCxAma2j8U5bfDBYFjV3vrwSF2QVHR8TM3uRGieUrQa5HdfZMwZhE5dGaad5xLpPbHC6Pg0w3btQPfMpg0mGiCLCnf2iMhTFOkJ/s320/fullsizeoutput_eb6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YFL87T7Kpr4G9nKGj93i_2yFgI_p7VlTv0rh1UqxCNnljNRlsXUCVkDlasYpXhx15AH6AsvPmnaz9UUcztgt8CM2zA9RqdCSHuqVzsrLatdJVcxK6q3EEvwOH64XUu7IirsxbfUYVANC/s1600/IMG_9964.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YFL87T7Kpr4G9nKGj93i_2yFgI_p7VlTv0rh1UqxCNnljNRlsXUCVkDlasYpXhx15AH6AsvPmnaz9UUcztgt8CM2zA9RqdCSHuqVzsrLatdJVcxK6q3EEvwOH64XUu7IirsxbfUYVANC/s400/IMG_9964.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I should have sat with the girls..."</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-57478390884915541762017-10-07T23:33:00.000-05:002017-10-07T23:48:53.900-05:00Full Circle with Nathan Walker<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginJC9wQaFWjYgq8aON3yXcY597nSui0wxUA0BuMmSvRRgj31f7wFZ8z-IS5dCSR1d7-N8E3VeIaA3L99UYyyqIsog_T8IYfgi8uerbVBzy9TQ0Ig2JEZz_xuzMYkEYXav89IbDcSUuMIT/s1600/CapitalsDevelepmentCampDay4-8-of-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginJC9wQaFWjYgq8aON3yXcY597nSui0wxUA0BuMmSvRRgj31f7wFZ8z-IS5dCSR1d7-N8E3VeIaA3L99UYyyqIsog_T8IYfgi8uerbVBzy9TQ0Ig2JEZz_xuzMYkEYXav89IbDcSUuMIT/s400/CapitalsDevelepmentCampDay4-8-of-46.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo by <a href="https://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2012/07/12/photos-from-caps-development-camp-2012-day-four-scrimmage/#more-37663" target="_blank">Chris Gordon</a>, from 2012 development camp</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On July 14, 2012, I was back in DC (for the first time since moving back to Chicago in November 2011) on a weekend trip and asked the Capitals media relations department if I could have media credentials for development camp. They said yes, and so I returned to the media area of Kettler Capitals Iceplex on that Saturday morning, and after the players left the ice, I asked to interview an intriguing 18-year-old camp invite with a surprising country listed under his hometown: Australia.<br />
<br />
Today, that player made history. Twice.<br />
<br />
Nathan Walker became the first Australian to ever play in the NHL, and then the first Australian ever to <a href="https://www.nhl.com/capitals/video/walker-nets-first-nhl-goal/c-53269803" target="_blank">score a goal in the NHL</a> -- in his first game!<br />
<br />
I never published an article based on the conversation I had with Nathan Walker that day in 2012. I think I felt kind of bad about it because one of my questions was basically "why didn't you get picked in the draft?" and I was afraid I hurt his feelings. Back story: Nathan Walker was first eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, even ranked as high as #21 among European skaters before the draft. Yet, he was not selected in that draft. He wasn't selected in the 2013 draft either. The Capitals did later select him in the 3rd round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the last draft for which he was eligible.<br />
<br />
Walker came as an invited player to the Capitals' 2012 development camp, and caused a bit of a stir with his unusual story. Walker was born in Wales, raised in Australia, and moved to the Czech Republic at the age of 13 (by himself) to embark on his hockey career.<br />
<br />
I remember when he walked up to me (since I'd requested to talk to him) that day in July, the first things I noticed were that a) he is surprisingly short (I'm 5'6" and he wasn't much taller) and b) despite his unusual back story, he seemed genuinely surprised that someone requested to speak to him.<br />
<br />
When he speaks, his accent is not strictly Australian; there's a bit of Welsh in there. It's definitely not an accent you usually hear on your digital recorder while pucks fire off boards in the background. He got into hockey when he was six years old because his older brother was playing. "I was the little brother, I always wanted to do what he was doing. I guess I just followed in his footsteps," he told me.<br />
<br />
I asked him why he opted to go to the Czech Republic to play when he was 13, and he said his coach in Australia told him that "if you want to go anywhere in hockey, you've gotta go now." He left his family in Australia and went to live in Europe, in a country whose language he did not know, without his parents, because his coaches saw that he had potential. It speaks volumes about his drive and his work ethic.<br />
<br />
When I asked about what his expectations were coming to development camp, he said, "I want to show them that I really want to play hockey." I asked if he had thought about playing in the Australian league (AIHL), but he said, "I played there a few games, last season, before I got injured straight away. I don't think I want to do any of that."<br />
<br />
I suggested, "So you're really wanting to go for a higher level," and he enthusiastically agreed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."<br />
<br />
Today, five years later, he played at the highest level like he always wanted. And he won.Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-61414198254880463322017-06-28T20:57:00.000-05:002017-06-28T21:13:20.965-05:00Throwback: Anaheim Ducks Kick Off "Movember"<i>Originally written by Erika Schnure for Hockey Primetime, 11/1/2011</i><br />
<i>Re-posted in honor of Teemu Selanne's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame</i><br />
<br />
The Anaheim Ducks kicked off the month of "Movember" in style Monday, holding a "Shave Off" event in downtown Washington, DC while they are in town to play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. The famously-mustachioed George Parros headlined the event, joined by Saku Koivu, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne, Matt Beleskey, Sheldon Brookbank, Ryan Getzlaf, Jonas Hiller, Francois Beauchemin, Andrew Cogliano, Kurtis Foster, Dan Ellis, and Luca Sbisa.<br />
<br />
The Ducks got a professional shave at The Art of Shaving's downtown DC store to get a clean start on their Movember facial hair. Movember, with which many NHL players are involved, is an annual event during the month of November during which men grow out their facial hair and raise awareness and money in support of men's health and cancers.<br />
<br />
The cause is particularly close to Saku Koivu's heart. In 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and missed most of the 2001-2002 NHL season while undergoing chemotherapy. In remission since, Koivu said that Movember is an entertaining way to raise awareness and money for cancer research. "It's a fun way of getting awareness out and getting a couple laughs," Koivu said. "Obviously with the 'stache, boys look a little different.<br />
<br />
"It's obviously a cause that's really important to me because it's in my history. It's so important to have the knowledge out there... Hopefully we can make a difference."<br />
<br />
Last year was the Ducks' first year of involvement with Movember, and this year, Koivu said it was very easy to convince the rest of the team to participate. "George (Parros) brought it up about a week, two weeks ago and said, 'The month of November is coming up, and do you guys want to be still in it?'" Koivu said. "And everybody (agreed). That wasn't a tough one."<br />
<br />
Corey Perry got particularly involved, clipping off half of Parros' mustache before his professional shave began. Luca Sbisa thought Parros unrecognizable once his shave was finished, jokingly introducing himself to Parros after he unveiled his clean-shaven look.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd8fuLYsqK-m4UbT34K7Zxpok_Q9O8c5zHN2sN4URt5cONApNUxaCXCXzXO3tZZvZoO7-pKMm-8LayBQhl9MD5YhlMf2ISevahlbGpCqryEa3q-CZuOh5wH3oX-WV45cwyn3_jtCo1bjb/s1600/6300330511_63c37fffa0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd8fuLYsqK-m4UbT34K7Zxpok_Q9O8c5zHN2sN4URt5cONApNUxaCXCXzXO3tZZvZoO7-pKMm-8LayBQhl9MD5YhlMf2ISevahlbGpCqryEa3q-CZuOh5wH3oX-WV45cwyn3_jtCo1bjb/s200/6300330511_63c37fffa0_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perry shaving Parros' mustache (photo by Erika Schnure)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDCur3MWjKEcK5dxf0fwyxdRTnJLvxcVByjRroVR4D8A8Du8FmVP_zApPRytF_w4cvJgHuY0lMl3OpgN_K73uNwC25RDI-v5MFezgtxin0CL_9EllAo_DoGNkq3Ti7aYzt_NhyphenhyphenuOowoaF/s1600/6300870974_c87488fe24_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDCur3MWjKEcK5dxf0fwyxdRTnJLvxcVByjRroVR4D8A8Du8FmVP_zApPRytF_w4cvJgHuY0lMl3OpgN_K73uNwC25RDI-v5MFezgtxin0CL_9EllAo_DoGNkq3Ti7aYzt_NhyphenhyphenuOowoaF/s200/6300870974_c87488fe24_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parros after his shave (photo by Erika Schnure)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Goaltender Jonas Hiller brought along his special "Movember" mask, featuring roster shots of all the current Ducks, with various facial hair styles imposed over their faces. Hiller will wear the mask throughout the month of November, and it will be auctioned off in December to support the Movember cause.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVILK5kQAr2n6gKdKt8RZgKxJy_101sJyqMwmvUW4xRUwBYLMv-W5ZllrjfiHsCv4AGr1-NsafJ8qdAx8jqjjhd6kcOevfmtETdtvrJDPd3GBx0WPgpV3FA6fJv0lVfQPEUK3m1Kis3Ca/s1600/6300324773_757b42ac24_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVILK5kQAr2n6gKdKt8RZgKxJy_101sJyqMwmvUW4xRUwBYLMv-W5ZllrjfiHsCv4AGr1-NsafJ8qdAx8jqjjhd6kcOevfmtETdtvrJDPd3GBx0WPgpV3FA6fJv0lVfQPEUK3m1Kis3Ca/s200/6300324773_757b42ac24_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiller's Movember mask (all photos by Erika Schnure)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tUanmu7BtmrNORZKCoNUTYkAwlRRm8N-xfniKw4c0MFq8aQsJ6vGwENoOsVObA10tOIuUDuYSXLovkqBfp8Cn9ZscuoW4-vnI5YBJzIyng7pedocehfEGL4EmAXklEF5_gbK8dla52SC/s1600/6300858806_9e41549e12_o%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tUanmu7BtmrNORZKCoNUTYkAwlRRm8N-xfniKw4c0MFq8aQsJ6vGwENoOsVObA10tOIuUDuYSXLovkqBfp8Cn9ZscuoW4-vnI5YBJzIyng7pedocehfEGL4EmAXklEF5_gbK8dla52SC/s200/6300858806_9e41549e12_o%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBMjxzcs4NXXvxC2diFwg9haLQsIOFXMYv9va6tv12BekaYGR87o7riesIjNgej6pH99hznmsBwBvU3C7xv29I3xvjnP1LqfrWfwAVk-Xt7K0NmZybqBHgfkTaftiObIAWqJ56Yfgs9XN/s1600/6300858472_db8499a0c9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1527" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBMjxzcs4NXXvxC2diFwg9haLQsIOFXMYv9va6tv12BekaYGR87o7riesIjNgej6pH99hznmsBwBvU3C7xv29I3xvjnP1LqfrWfwAVk-Xt7K0NmZybqBHgfkTaftiObIAWqJ56Yfgs9XN/s200/6300858472_db8499a0c9_o.jpg" width="190" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah7hdF8zuFVZ2lwxeXWfTGu0MA8hzcGbIOWGlJ76x1c5-v-qz7PDbMTEGFMfT-GnlgF82za2rhyphenhyphenioMsPWvPVPlfzfFyf75DwMI-2dwGiBURXZ-LhGU9-CDpbvR_OSrmHasDbEOtJQOgBw/s1600/6300859126_7f98272e6a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1334" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah7hdF8zuFVZ2lwxeXWfTGu0MA8hzcGbIOWGlJ76x1c5-v-qz7PDbMTEGFMfT-GnlgF82za2rhyphenhyphenioMsPWvPVPlfzfFyf75DwMI-2dwGiBURXZ-LhGU9-CDpbvR_OSrmHasDbEOtJQOgBw/s200/6300859126_7f98272e6a_o.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
<br />
Koivu expressed displeasure over the facial hair chosen for his image on Hiller's mask. "I wasn't really happy about that," Koivu joked. "I don't think I look too good with the mustache, but that picture there is like, I don't know what he was thinking."
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-5567820095538293812017-06-21T23:10:00.001-05:002017-06-21T23:13:14.555-05:00Loss and Sports Fandom(I wrote this a week after the Capitals got knocked out of the playoffs, but left it in my drafts) <br />
<br />
I reflected a bit on this on Facebook the night of the loss, but over a week after the Caps lost game 7, I feel like I have a little more clarity.<br />
<br />
I found the Capitals on February 26, 2008, back when the Capitals still did Student Rush promotions. The first NHL game I ever saw (and I spent just $30 on a lower bowl seat) was against the Minnesota Wild, and the Capitals won handily. Brooks Laich scored two goals in a 4-1 victory. I was in the 7th or 8th row of a mostly empty arena.<br />
<br />
At the time, I was a few months out of college, only a few weeks away
from eventually getting laid off from my non-profit job, and I thought
I'd be working there for a while. I was barely thinking of what I would
want to do in the future.<br />
<br />
All I knew was that this team inspired me. I started this blog in January 2010, writing about a <a href="http://ravingsofarinkrebel.blogspot.com/2010/01/tomas-fleischmann-at-espn-zone.html" target="_blank">Tomas Fleischmann appearance</a> that was basically a recap post for the people that were not able to attend. Little did I know that starting this blog would change my life forever.<br />
<br />
Soon thereafter, people started asking me to write for them. Some of them asked me to write for them for money. I got media credentials for practices. My articles started getting featured weekly on the front page of FoxSports.com.<br />
<br />
I came back home to Chicago and applied to Northwestern University's Master's of Sports Administration program and got in. I now owe tens of thousands of dollars to student loan corporations getting this degree so that I could hopefully work for a sports team, ideally doing community relations.<br />
<br />
I'm not pointing all this out to brag or anything. I'm just trying to emphasize that none of these monumental events would have happened if it were not for the Washington Capitals. I have a deeply personal connection with this team because they changed my entire life.<br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
This team and their wonderful media
relations department is how I got to have my very first interview be
with Philipp Grubauer during his first development camp. My first
in-season roster-player interview was with Matt Hendricks. I regularly got to hold my
recorder in front of guys like Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, and Nick
Backstrom.<br />
<br />
I take it personally when they lose. I know how much these guys care. I've never personally been there for a clean-out day, but I've seen plenty of their interviews.<br />
<br />
They're the reason for so much good in my life, so
much direction. So yeah, they're a little bit important to me. And it's
devastating to see them get knocked out of the playoffs, especially when
they were the odds-on favorites, to see them continue to be mocked and
made fun of.<br />
<br />
This group of guys this year was really the best I have seen. It wasn't like years before when they added people like Jason Arnott or Martin Erat (I don't want to talk about it) expecting that they would make a big difference. In the past few years, the Caps have brought guys like Justin Williams, T.J. Oshie, Daniel Winnik and Kevin Shattenkirk into the mix. Guys that have improved the lineup during the regular season.<br />
<br />
As a fan, obviously I want my team to win. But of course, at the same time, I don't want to see this team get blown up.<br />
<br />
I wish I didn't care so much. And people might say
I'm stupid for caring so much. But if this team had never come into my
life, my life would be a very different thing.<br />
<br />
Sports fandom is stupid but there is a reason.<br />
<br />
And frankly, this team changed my entire life. I went back to school for a master's in sports administration. My dream job became one with a sports team. If I had never cared about the Capitals, my life would have been so much different. </div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-38968445831627036282017-03-27T19:43:00.000-05:002017-03-27T19:53:27.737-05:00Throwback: Five American players to watch at the 2012 World Junior Championships<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i>Originally written by Erika Schnure for Red Light District, 12/7/2011</i><br />
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<br /></div>
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On Monday, USA Hockey announced their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_World_Junior_Ice_Hockey_Championships_rosters" target="_blank">preliminary roster</a> for the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships in Alberta. 29 players are
on the preliminary roster, and by December 22, they will be trimmed to a final
22. There are eight players returning from 2011's team, but it's some of the
newer players that could be the biggest surprises. Here are five new guys on
Team USA to watch in this year's tournament.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1. John Gibson, Goaltender</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last year, Jack Campbell and Andy Iles shared goaltending
duties on the roster, but Campbell was the main man in net, as Iles spent just
over nine minutes on the ice in total. Campbell's high draft selection (11th
overall by the Dallas Stars in 2010) could be attributed to his impressive
first appearance on the international stage, playing for USA in 2010's
tournament. He followed it up with another amazing performance in 2011, hence
Iles' limited ice time.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But if there's anyone that could challenge Campbell for the
primary spot in the net for the tournament, it's John Gibson. A second round
(39th overall) selection by the Anaheim Ducks in 2011, Gibson cut his teeth
with the U.S. National Development Team starting in 2009. This fall, he headed
to Kitchener, Ontario to become the starting goaltender for the Kitchener
Rangers. Through 19 games played with the Rangers, he has 12 wins, a 2.58 goals
against average, and .931 save percentage -- better statistics than Campbell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Pittsburgh native also has international experience. He
was the starting goaltender for Team USA in the 2010 World U-17 Hockey
Challenge, and recorded the best GAA and save percentage of any goaltender in
the tournament. Though Gibson admits he didn't even know the World Juniors
tournament existed until last year, any opportunity to represent the USA is
something he takes seriously. "It's important to me," Gibson told The
Record (Kitchener). "Any time I can represent my country, I want to do
that."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kitchener coach Steve Spott agrees that Gibson could very
well end up the starter come tournament time. "I believe he’ll push Jack
Campbell for the starting position," Spott said. "I believe he's
going to give USA Hockey's coaching staff a lot to think about. He's just a money
goaltender and will be a tremendous asset for them in that tournament."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2. Seth Jones, Defenseman</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The youngest player on the preliminary roster (born Oct. 3,
1994), Jones comes from pro athlete stock. His father is "Popeye"
Jones, who played in the NBA for 12 years and now serves as the assistant coach
for the New Jersey Nets. Seth was born in Texas during Jones' three-season
stint with the Dallas Mavericks. Seth definitely takes after his father in
terms of size -- at 17 years old, he is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Jones, a two-way defenseman who spent last season playing
with the U.S. National Development Team, caught the eye of Team USA general
manager Jim Johannson in the team's summer evaluation camp. At the time, Jones
was just 16 years old, and was already drawing comparisons to NHL All-Stars.
"He reminds of me of Erik Johnson to a degree," Johannson said.
"He is just an all-around solid player. He's the real deal. Good instincts
in all areas and he plays the game in all zones."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jones isn't even eligible for the NHL Draft until 2013, but
he could earn himself a spot on the final roster for Team USA. NHL general
managers are already champing at the bit to get Jones drafted to their team,
and if he survives the cuts, his play in the tournament could catapult him to
the top of the rankings for the 2013 draft.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3. Jarred Tinordi, Defenseman</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though two years older, Tinordi is much like Jones in
several personal aspects. He is another product of the U.S. National
Development Team, and his father too was a professional athlete. But hockey
insiders are much more familiar with Tinordi's father -- former NHL tough guy
Mark Tinordi. Like his father, Tinordi is a gritty, physical -- and huge
(6-foot-7) -- defenseman.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (22nd
overall) of the 2010 draft, Tinordi had originally committed to play at Notre
Dame, but opted to go the junior route and signed with the London Knights. Last
season with the Knights, he had 14 points and 140 penalty minutes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tinordi was part of Team USA in the 2010 Under-18 World
Juniors, and won a gold medal in the tournament with the team. In addition to
his skill, his leadership qualities are highly-touted. He captained the USA
U-18 team, and currently serves as captain of the Knights. His size and work
ethic could make him a valuable presence on the blue line.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4. Brandon Saad, Left Wing</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chicago Blackhawks fans are already very familiar with
Saad's name -- the 2011 second-round (43rd overall) pick was a pleasant
surprise in this fall's training camp, earning him the opportunity to play in
two regular season games with the Blackhawks in October. After his two game
appearances, he was sent back to his junior team (Saginaw Spirit), but he had
already made a big impression on USA general manager Jim Johannson.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because of the draft and commitments with the Blackhawks,
Saad was not able to attend the summer's World Juniors evaluation camp, but
Johannson had no issue with including him on the preliminary roster. "The
bottom line with him is being able to show us that he wanted to be a part of
the program and that his level of play was going to be what we were looking
for," Johannson said. "He got off to a great start with Chicago and
played a couple games with the 'Hawks. But more importantly for us, when he
went (back) to Saginaw, he performed well, he's competing in all aspects of the
game that we saw in him as a younger player and what he needed to improve on.
He's shown that."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since returning to Saginaw, Saad has 19 points in 11 games.
Though he and Tinordi are rivals in the Ontario Hockey League, they were
teammates on the American U-18 team that won gold in 2010. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5. Austin Watson, Center</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Watson is one of the rarer players on the preliminary roster
that have never been involved in the U.S. National Development Team, but don't
count him out based on that. He made a name for himself in his first season in
the Ontario Hockey League as a member of the 2009 Memorial Cup-winning Windsor
Spitfires. Watson began his sophomore season with the Spitfires, and could have
won a second Memorial Cup, but he was traded to the Peterborough Petes to close
out the 2009-2010 OHL season.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Watson was drafted in the first round (18th overall) of the
2010 draft by the Nashville Predators. He's praised by scouts for his offensive
ability while being able to play a grinder-style role, blocking shots and
sacrificing his body to make plays. So far this season with the Petes, Watson
has 28 points in 28 games.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this deep pool of possible players, Watson could be a
long shot to make the final roster, but his positive, team-first attitude may
be his X factor.</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-18584691592210030362017-03-25T20:03:00.001-05:002017-03-25T20:03:55.880-05:00Throwback: Caps power play resurges
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Originally written by Erika Schnure for Red Light District, 10/25/2011</i> </div>
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<br /></div>
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In the second half of the 2010-2011 NHL season, the
Washington Capitals' power play went from one of the best in the league to
practically non-existent. From February 2011 through the end of the regular
season, the Capitals' power play went 16-for-88, just 18.1%. In the playoffs,
it got even worse, ending in a 14.2% over nine games.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Coach Bruce Boudreau said that once the power play started
to tank, it just got worse from there. "Last half of last year was a lot
of 'panic-ville.' I think guys were holding their sticks too tight, trying to
make the pretty plays all the time," Boudreau said. "When you're an
offensive player, and you don't have the numbers that you're accustomed to, and
every day people are asking you, 'How come your scoring's down?' Your confidence
is down and you're not comfortable, and then you're trying harder. It may not
look like you're trying harder, but you're trying to put square pegs into round
holes, and you're doing things that you shouldn't be doing."</div>
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The poor power play of last season was a true departure from
previous years. The Capitals finished second in the NHL in 2008-2009, and first
in the league 2009-2010, with both seasons at 25.2% success on the power play. After
the substandard success rate of the latter half of the 2010-2011 season, the Capitals
finished the year in 16th place with 17.5%.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now, seven games into the current season, the Capitals'
power play is singing another tune. They're current first in the NHL on the
power play, going 8-for-27, good for a 29.6% success rate while allowing zero
shorthanded goals. That includes a 30.0% success rate at home.</div>
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What's so different about this year that is leading to an
effective power play? Boudreau says that the players have stopped trying too
hard and have returned to simple plays that work. "We're just getting back
to what we're doing," Boudreau said. "I think with them seeing some
success at doing what they're doing, they're going, 'Wow, let's just continue
what we're doing.' Hopefully, it stays the same."</div>
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If you ask winger Mike Knuble, he attributes the success to
the structure of the power play units. With Mike Green and Dennis Wideman
healthy (both struggled with long injuries last season), the two offensive
defensemen set up on the point, while fellow first unit components Alex Ovechkin,
Nicklas Backstrom, and Troy Brouwer to cycle down low. Troy Brouwer was camped
in front of the net while Mike Green scored two power play goals in Saturday's
win against the Detroit Red Wings, and Knuble says crashing the net as Brouwer
did is the key.</div>
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<br /></div>
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"There's times when we've gotten away from the net and
you wonder why the power play is struggling. Then you look at the film, it's
because you're not around the net enough," Knuble said. "So it's good
to see that we have a net presence, it's the way to do things. It's the way
that a power play should be executed. The skilled guys on the outside then you
have somebody around the net that can finish and get in the way. It's a part of
our success."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Boudreau and Knuble agree that last year's poor power play
could have also been attributed to the separate lengthy losses of Mike Green
and Dennis Wideman. "I think (Green's injury) had something to do with
it," Boudreau said. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Knuble heaped praise on his teammates, saying, "It's
great to have healthy Mike (Green), he's very sharp with the puck, and makes a
lot of things happen. And Wideman I think, when he arrived last year (at the
trade deadline) after Mike went down (hurt), he was tremendous, really was
quarterbacking everything. When he went out of our lineup (injured) that was a
big hole, too."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While it could be that Green and Wideman are healthy, the
renewed power play success is more likely attributed to the fact that that the
team isn't trying too hard, staying away from the pretty passes that go nowhere.
Aside from a return to simplicity, Knuble also points to a more intangible,
psychological reason for the power play progress.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">"Guys are hungry right now on the power
play," Knuble said. "Everyone who's moving the puck around is hungry
and not just killing time and trying to look for the pretty play. Work hard and
if you get an open shot, take it."</span>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-33264612177844772752017-03-25T00:22:00.001-05:002017-03-25T00:37:11.296-05:00Throwback: Jose Theodore starts strong in Florida<style>
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</style><i>Originally written by Erika Schnure for Hockey Primetime, 10/21/2011</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFVpOCsWML8UC3IL4x0mwicRRkVuT-SkgyD61Lh2hmZe8Icx4If-Y_UJEXvpDKmLWD0jxgp8ClXyfq00eCY1r7d_CN4vYYAq5kBDkfII4tNs-tVPTebu2IvQvNYGpwazmFTScHf_rpVAz/s1600/163055446.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFVpOCsWML8UC3IL4x0mwicRRkVuT-SkgyD61Lh2hmZe8Icx4If-Y_UJEXvpDKmLWD0jxgp8ClXyfq00eCY1r7d_CN4vYYAq5kBDkfII4tNs-tVPTebu2IvQvNYGpwazmFTScHf_rpVAz/s320/163055446.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo by Getty images</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Florida Panthers made arguably the greatest amount of
moves during the 2011 off-season, most notably in goal. After Tomas Vokoun
walked to take $1.5 million in Washington, the Panthers brought in former
Capital Jose Theodore, who spent the last year backing up Niklas Backstrom in
Minnesota.</div>
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<br /></div>
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With a rebuild in full swing, it was difficult to tell how
the new hodgepodge team would work together, but five games into the Panthers'
season, the team is 3-2-0, largely thanks to the heroics of Jose Theodore. Theodore is standing
tall with a .920 save percentage, 2.47 goals against average, and one shutout
in four games played.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It hasn't been an easy road for Theodore. During two seasons
in Washington, beginning in 2008, he was pushed aside in the playoffs in favor
of Semyon Varlamov. Theodore called the situation "a stinger," as he told the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He was officially relegated to backup status in
2010-2011 with the Wild, playing 32 games with a record of 15-11-3.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Theodore is turning over a new leaf in Florida, signing a
two-year deal with the Panthers over the summer. "You look at where the
team's going, especially I'm not 20 anymore, I want some changes now,"
Theodore told the Miami Herald in July. "I think this was the best
fit." </div>
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<br /></div>
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He's been designated as the starter after goaltender Scott
Clemmensen underwent minor knee surgery near the end of training camp. He's
ready to rise up to that starting role. "Last year was a little step back,
but I've got to show my teammates that I still play well at 35," Theodore
told the Sun-Sentinel.</div>
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<br /></div>
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He made that impact early, flying out of the gate to begin
the season and making 27 saves on the New York Islanders for a 2-0 shutout in
the Panthers' season opener. It was the 31st shutout of Theodore's career.
"(Theodore is) a competitor,'' C Stephen Weiss told the Sun-Sentinel after
the game. "We knew he was going to be there for us."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though he's the starting goaltender now, Theodore isn't
resting on his laurels - he knows that once Clemmensen returns, the fight for
the starting goaltender position continues. After a lackluster training camp
and preseason, during which he allowed 12 goals in two exhibition games,
Theodore is working hard to show that he should remain the go-to guy in net. </div>
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<br /></div>
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"Let's not forget, Jose Theodore is a good
player," Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen told reporters after last week's
shootout win over Tampa Bay. "He's proven that over the length of a
career. We felt that he was a No. 1 goalie, but for me he really had to earn
it. He had a pretty stinky training camp, but since then he’s been pretty
solid."</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thus far in the regular season, the team has been working
well together, particularly with Theodore providing the support in net. In
Theodore's eyes, the future looks bright for the Panthers. "I think we're
working well together right now," Theodore told reporters Saturday.
"We've been working hard in practices and we're starting to figure out
what we got to do to win some games."</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Notes</b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After a stellar preseason, Jets C Mark Scheifele
scored his first NHL regular season goal Wednesday against the Toronto Maple
Leafs. The Winnipeg Jets have four more games to decide whether or not to keep
Scheifele in Winnipeg or return him to his junior team. ... Jets C Alexander
Burmistrov, in his second year in the NHL, has shown a vast improvement from
his rookie year. The 19-year-old is turning the heads of his linemates,
including C Nik Antropov. "Definitely he's improved from last year,"
Antropov told the Winnipeg Free Press. "I can see that in reading the game
and the patience he has shown on the ice, especially in the last couple of
games." ... Florida Panthers G Jacob Markstrom made his first NHL start in
a 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. Despite the score, Panthers coach Kevin
Dineen blamed the defense for the loss. "(Markstrom) had a good solid game
for us and gave us a chance to win,'' Dineen told reporters. "He can play
in this league and it showed early on when he had that pressure on him. I'm
proud of him under tough circumstances." Markstrom made 29 saves. ... The
Washington Capitals are 5-0, their strongest start in franchise history.
However, coach Bruce Boudreau knows that's no reason to get too excited.
"When it comes to April and May I'm not going to be able to sit here and
say: 'Hey, we were 5-0 and we got that record. Isn't that great?'"
Boudreau told reporters. "It's not really going to hold a lot of weight.
It's just the process of getting to where we want to get." ... The
Carolina Hurricanes sent D Justin Faulk to AHL Charlotte on Wednesday. Faulk
saw action in three regular season games after an impressive preseason. ...
Six games into the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a 1-3-2 record. General
manager Steve Yzerman says the team has to be better. But he's not panicking
quite yet. "The urgency in the guys' play is there," Yzerman said to
media. "I like the effort of our team in every game. All teams go through
stretches in a season where they struggle. Ours is just right off the
bat."</span>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-47035810946938431702013-11-21T23:13:00.001-06:002014-05-25T20:56:55.446-05:00Epic Windsor Hockey Road Trip 2: Electric BoogalooLast December, I took advantage of a long weekend to drive up to the illustrious Windsor, Ontario to see my Windsor Spitfires play at home for the first time. I only attended one game, but it was such a great weekend that I decided to make it an annual event.<br />
<br />
I planned the most strategic weekend: two days off work, and a weekend schedule that included a bit of a doubleheader. On Thursday night, it was Plymouth at Windsor. On Saturday night, it was Windsor at Plymouth (just a quick 30 minute drive across the border in Michigan).<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLc8htX-izD52YvY_Pqt8Rg7_xK1eqqscd-_oFWU4r5vdYhILAg9dhZjU6zZuZFcYtsaSmH1ZqBRXnsYFDmi_UMC-vSKeIOKH0bnX9eUL-EssAJFULRkH29yYpx0acyHHcSG1wItOrzztm/s1600/IMG_1429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLc8htX-izD52YvY_Pqt8Rg7_xK1eqqscd-_oFWU4r5vdYhILAg9dhZjU6zZuZFcYtsaSmH1ZqBRXnsYFDmi_UMC-vSKeIOKH0bnX9eUL-EssAJFULRkH29yYpx0acyHHcSG1wItOrzztm/s320/IMG_1429.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crossing the Ambassador Bridge</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So on November 7, I got in the car and began the less-than-five-hour drive to Windsor, Spitfires jersey tucked away in my suitcase. It was an uneventful drive, but once again, for the second time, I caught heat at the Canadian border after crossing the Ambassador Bridge. The border patrol agents, as they confusedly searched my car, told me "we're just trying to understand how you're from Chicago and a Spits fan." My thoughts: "I just am, let me in!"<br />
<br />
But let's rewind and go back to why I'm a Spitfires fan, just as I explained to the Canadian customs agent that day at the border crossing. As we know, I became an NHL fan in February 2008, which was the time of the first NHL game I ever attended. I soaked up a lot of knowledge in that first year of fandom, and by May 2009, I was discovering and watching junior hockey for the first time in my life on the NHL Network: the Memorial Cup. It was then that I saw the Windsor Spitfires for the very first time.<br />
<br />
Of course, that year, they were the dominant team in the tournament and eventually won it all, but I was attracted to them immediately. Their jersey colors were the same as the Capitals, and in fact, they reminded me a little bit of the Capitals' playing style. Consider Taylor Hall the Spitfires' Alex Ovechkin; Adam Henrique was Nicklas Backstrom, Ryan Ellis was Mike Green, Zack Kassian was Matt Bradley -- if Matt Bradley scored a whole lot more goals than he did as a Capital.<br />
<br />
I did manage to get across the Canadian border after they deemed that I was really only bringing clothes with me into Canada and I found my dumpy motel on the west side of town. There are several restaurants and bars in the area that offer free shuttles to the Spitfires' games, so after settling in at the hotel, I made my way to one of them that I had not tried on my previous journey: <a href="http://johnnyshotzbar.com/" target="_blank">Johnny Shotz</a>, in Tecumseh.<br />
<br />
I had dinner and a few beers there, and when my waitress asked me if I wanted gravy with the fries that came with my sandwich, I said, "um, YES." O, Canada indeed.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhj_j_7Vt-xkcuLJ6brdhnfrBLDKZ89WuIGz__QkoA01yoOsMSOBNyhjr4UBD-pXMydkyET0dCXs9Fzpnd4zypbQDjUf9OOBIBSv7dGNPYpfH9Igo_NkVLjIWzT9rPK7o0ZzcBkZAi5Pw/s1600/IMG_1462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhj_j_7Vt-xkcuLJ6brdhnfrBLDKZ89WuIGz__QkoA01yoOsMSOBNyhjr4UBD-pXMydkyET0dCXs9Fzpnd4zypbQDjUf9OOBIBSv7dGNPYpfH9Igo_NkVLjIWzT9rPK7o0ZzcBkZAi5Pw/s320/IMG_1462.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sitting directly behind the penalty box was fun</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I took the shuttle to the game, and took my seat in the row directly behind the visitors' penalty box (which was very well-attended that night).<br />
<br />
The first period was... not pretty. The defense was still asleep, and goaltender Dalen Kuchmey was the casualty. At the end of the first period, the Plymouth Whalers were leading the Spitfires 4-1. It wasn't looking so promising.<br />
<br />
Then, in the second period, the Spits apparently woke up. I'm not sure what Coach Bob Boughner said to them in the locker room, but it worked. By the end of the second period, the Whalers were only leading by one, with a 4-3 score.<br />
<br />
In the third period, Plymouth scored fairly early on to take a 5-3 lead, but things really got kicked off nearly halfway through when Slater Koekkek scored a gorgeous shorthanded goal to make it 5-4. Then, with less than five minutes left, Cristiano DiGiacinto scored to tie it up. It was starting to get interesting.<br />
<br />
It was a tense final five minutes. Particularly when Kerby Rychel scored to take a 6-5 lead with barely a minute left. The last goal, by the way, netted Rychel a hat trick. A few hats floated onto the ice, but moods were too tense to really overcelebrate. The Spitfires managed to hold onto the lead and notched a 6-5 win over the Whalers.<br />
<br />
On the shuttle back to Johnny Shotz is when my entire weekend changed. Throughout the game and on my drive, I'd been tweeting about the Spitfires and the official Spitfires Twitter account had been retweeting my comments about driving from Chicago for some games. On the way back, I was talking with a few patrons on the Johnny Shotz shuttle, mentioning that I drove from Chicago for the weekend. One of the men I was talking to turned to the couple in front of him and told them "this girl drove all the way from Chicago to see the Spitfires!"<br />
<br />
The couple turned around and said, "Wait, I saw you on Twitter!" Turns out that the couple had seen what the Spitfires had retweeted and were shocked that I was an actual person who actually was from Chicago for the games, and I was sitting there on the shuttle with them.<br />
<br />
Then, the plot thickens. I introduced myself, and they did the same. They also told me that they were the billet family of one of the Spitfires players. That player was recent acquisition <a href="http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/roster/show/id/8884" target="_blank">Eric Diodati</a>.<br />
<br />
And then my brain exploded. They invited me to dinner before the game in Plymouth on Saturday with them, the player's mother, and his grandfather. I accepted.<br />
<br />
Friday was spent touring several southern Ontario wineries (seriously, there are like 15 vineyards along the coast of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario, who knew? -- I went to about five) and had a nice dinner at a hip restaurant in downtown Windsor. On Saturday morning, I went for a lovely run in the park near my motel.<br />
<br />
I then got ready to head to Plymouth very early. Though it was an evening, 7:05 game, I was totally unsure of how busy/strict customs would be, and I was to meet Diodati's billets, mother and grandfather for dinner at 4:30, so I left Windsor around 3:00. The customs line was long at border patrol, but I blew through customs once I finally reached them, and so I arrived very early at the Plymouth arena.<br />
<br />
I met up with my group at the restaurant in the Plymouth arena, and despite being among strangers, I had a great dinner. Diodati's billet parents are great, and I absolutely adored his mother and grandfather. I was so grateful for the dinner we had together, not only because I met new friends, but also because (as a giant prospect nerd) I got fantastic insight into the life of a junior hockey player. As Diodati was traded to Windsor only in October, there was a fair amount of talk about his fitting in with the new team, including direct comments from coaches and how he behaves at home. For reference, all very good.<br />
<br />
According to Diodati's mother, Coach Boughner thinks Diodati has clicked immediately with defensive pair Trevor Murphy (which, watching the games, is completely true) and I also heard about scouts checking out Diodati at Spitfires games, so I got a little inside information there. Being as Diodati is an overager who wasn't drafted, seems a few teams are interested in picking him up as a free agent. I heard a little bit about the inside process of scouting, and I found the conversation very interesting.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzhwZ333_DPwJFyN_uFcaDIf6qdN35L1aM7LMX907togVdRELtIgp-DbeV1NKhURNnQGf1oNK5RxrTv8BN_NHAgVTZgS9-_kcs54jKcx9EO-Y5NKKvYFXrTfnY4fOGDUnnNJQceQ7KWiv/s1600/IMG_1553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzhwZ333_DPwJFyN_uFcaDIf6qdN35L1aM7LMX907togVdRELtIgp-DbeV1NKhURNnQGf1oNK5RxrTv8BN_NHAgVTZgS9-_kcs54jKcx9EO-Y5NKKvYFXrTfnY4fOGDUnnNJQceQ7KWiv/s200/IMG_1553.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adam Bateman and other scratches</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We then watched warmups and posited ourselves over the Spitfires tunnel. Diodati came out as we were standing there, and I nudged his mother and she shouted out to him, and he looked up and smiled (probably wondering who this woman in a Spitfires jersey was with his mother, grandfather and billet parents).<br />
<br />
The game in Plymouth was no less exciting than the one in Windsor. Teams traded goals, and at the end of two periods, Plymouth led 3-2. In the third period, with barely five minutes left, <a href="http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/roster/show/id/10425" target="_blank">Josh Ho-Sang</a> scored basically the most disgustingly beautiful dangle goal I have ever seen and tied it up at 3 (I wish I could find it online).<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40V_ynDBalLzLMpJbafNDv70NByUKZtx5_2CRKXoKNf7UulZnEiX34BkdwY1EGVpaBOEB64oRRug9LQ4AsYZtjLRH9daaJeJ-BJjJIU6Jz9E1-FO-Aez-xxJUjTia5BpMNck3TrJPGNzk/s1600/IMG_1530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40V_ynDBalLzLMpJbafNDv70NByUKZtx5_2CRKXoKNf7UulZnEiX34BkdwY1EGVpaBOEB64oRRug9LQ4AsYZtjLRH9daaJeJ-BJjJIU6Jz9E1-FO-Aez-xxJUjTia5BpMNck3TrJPGNzk/s320/IMG_1530.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kuchmey in the tunnel before the game Saturday</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That put them into overtime, which produced no goals, and so they progressed to a shootout. Plymouth's first shooter didn't score. Windsor's first shooter, rookie Nick Foss, scored. Kuchmey staved off two more Plymouth shots, and the Spitfires won the shootout with Foss' goal standing alone.<br />
<br />
During the game, I'd gone from my third row seat to hang out with the Windsor section, which was essentially all players' parents (Ty Bilcke, by the way, looks just like his dad). I met the Spitfires' arena PA announcer, and he invited me to attend the Sunday matinee game. I was further persuaded by Diodati's billet parents, who had an extra ticket to the 2:00 game on Sunday in Windsor. Against London. I hopelessly relented. How could I resist?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMt18xBT2pef07Bjp2cjdjcmB9ED6fasznn14fKt-ioznXVgTvy7IenNzB0p6im24VVGTUP1tdfxSzQvDsYemxp2DvOGX9BPGQaWy6C3i5kfa4nagkAZObsJ86Gm89qUJ6wfsjae_4uyJO/s1600/IMG_1575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMt18xBT2pef07Bjp2cjdjcmB9ED6fasznn14fKt-ioznXVgTvy7IenNzB0p6im24VVGTUP1tdfxSzQvDsYemxp2DvOGX9BPGQaWy6C3i5kfa4nagkAZObsJ86Gm89qUJ6wfsjae_4uyJO/s320/IMG_1575.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>During the Sunday game against London</i></td></tr>
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So I delayed my departure from Windsor. I'd been planning to leave Windsor in the morning and arrive back home in Chicago in the early afternoon. But with the PA announcer, billet parents, and actual parents pressuring me, plus the prospect of seeing Dale Hunter and an elite team like London, I gave in, essentially said, "screw it, why not" and accepted the ticket. I planned to leave immediately after the game, putting me home in Chicago around 9pm.<br />
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I met Diodati's billet parents, his mother and grandfather at Johnny Shotz on Sunday morning to have breakfast before the game. We took the shuttle over and I found my (free) seat, five rows behind the net, after helping Diodati's mother purchase Spitfires player t-shirts with her son's (and her) name on the back (did I mention I absolutely love her?)<br />
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I'll be honest, for this game against London, I did not have high hopes. After all it is London, with Dale Hunter furiously chewing gum behind the bench, and I knew the game would be a battle. However, I highly respected how well the Spitfires played against them. The Knights won, yes, but Kuchmey saved the defense's butts <u>a lot</u>, and once the defense warmed up a bit, it was a big battle.<br />
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After a very tense game and the first two periods being scoreless, London unfortunately ended up victorious with a 3-1 win (though I must mention that one of those goals was an empty netter, but Kuchmey came out with 33 saves -- quite respectable for basically a rookie).<br />
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I was two for three on the weekend, but being in the Windsor area, my personal attendance record is three for four. I met some fantastic new people, including some billet parents who are fantastic, and I got some real insight on junior hockey players, directly from the player's mother and grandfather.<br />
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I got home around, as predicted, 9pm on Sunday night, but it was worth every second. Even though the game against London was lost, it was a very good and exciting game that I'm glad I stayed for. <br />
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All in all, this was basically the best weekend ever. Yes, it ended on a bit of a low note with the loss to the Knights and an unfortunate discovery of bedbugs in my motel, but I am so grateful to have met Eric Diodati's billet family, mother, and grandfather and gotten their insight on the whole "CHL experience," not to mention I liked all of them so much I basically spent the entire weekend with them.<br />
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I went into Windsor expecting to see two games and remain largely on my own. I ended up attending three games and spending basically an entire weekend with a player's billet and blood families.<br />
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I'm so grateful for my experiences over the weekend and all the crazy happenstance that led up to all of it. I absolutely cannot wait until next year's trip to Windsor, especially since I have friends there now that will ease border patrol questions! I feel that WFCU Centre is now my home, and I'm so glad that I have friends who populate it.Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-37515944339500158072013-06-30T20:03:00.000-05:002014-12-02T02:01:31.320-06:00Focus on Prospects: Andre Burakovsky<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
It's draft time again! This is like Christmas in June to me personally. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>photo by eliteprospects.com</i></span></div>
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Name: Andre Burakovsky</div>
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Position: LW</div>
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Shoots: Left</div>
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Height: 6'2"</div>
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Weight: 179 lbs</div>
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Birthdate: 1995-02-09</div>
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Hometown: Klagenfurt, Austria</div>
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With the Washington Capitals' first pick of the 2013 draft (23rd overall), the Capitals followed a trend of recent years and again went Swedish. Well, sort of. Andre Burakovsky, though Austrian-born, plays for <a href="http://www.malmoredhawks.com/" target="_blank">Malmö</a> of the Allsvenskan league (the Swedish Hockey League's minor league).<br />
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Dedicated NHL fans may remember Andre's father, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burakovsky" target="_blank">Robert Burakovsky</a>, who played 23 games with the Ottawa Senators in the 1993-1994 season. Though that short time was the only NHL ice Robert Burakovsky ever saw, he spent a total of 27 seasons in professional hockey, mostly in the Swedish Elite League. Andre was born during Robert's season with Klagenfurt AC in Austria.<br />
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Something that was discussed a lot by commentators during the draft was the recent influx of Swedish players coming to North America to play in the CHL and in the NCAA, due to many 16- and 17-year-old Swedish players being "too good for junior but don't play any minutes in the big league."<br />
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Burakovsky has been a casualty of precisely that situation, and as a result, his statistics last season are very underwhelming. In 43 games with Malmö's "big" club last season, Burakovsky had just 11 points (4g, 7a). He also played 13 games with Malmö's junior teams, and fared a little better there, scoring seven points (3g, 4a).<br />
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However, Burakovsky has had international tournament success, playing in the 2013 U18 World Junior Championships for Sweden in April (he did not make the U20 club, but had five points in five games at U18) and the Five Nations tournament this past February. The Five Nations tournament was really his coming out party, as he scored one goal and two assists in four games.<br />
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He's known as a very talented skater, with good agility and speed. But his real strength is his nose for the puck. He's a guy that always wants the puck, shoots often, and shoots to score. His shot and his shot placement are major positives that scouts have seen. Even though he seems to prefer to have the puck himself (which may be just fine considering his great puck possession skills), he's still a great playmaker, has excellent vision, and skilled hands. He is the kind of player who has the ability to be a total gamechanger.<br />
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Major criticisms of his game involve his play when he doesn't have the puck, namely, in his own end. Scouts point out that his defensive skills are lacking, and need work. However, being that he still does not have a lot of weight on his 6'2" frame, the defensive side of the game may come once he puts a bit of weight on his frame. Once that happens, he may be a little more willing to throw the body and muscle his way into puck battles. Being 6'2", one can only hope that he'll use his size appropriately once he gains that extra strength.<br />
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That's not to say that once he gains weight, he should suddenly become Chris Pronger, but if Burakovsky can round out his game by adding the defensive element, he'll be a very dangerous player that will cause major problems for opponents.</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-60553581765636772452013-01-11T21:46:00.001-06:002013-01-11T21:46:34.407-06:00Explaining the 2005 CBA and the 2012 LockoutBeing a grad student means that I have to write my fair share of papers. Being a grad student in a Sports Administration program means that I sometimes get to write my papers on hockey.<br />
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Such was the case last quarter, when I had to write a final paper for my Sports Finance and Accounting class. The assignment our professor gave us was ridiculously broad. Basically, the assignment was "write a 6-8 page paper on a subject having some small relation to sports finance and accounting." As this was mid-December, I of course opted to write an assessment of the NHL lockout, what each side was asking for, and how the lockout might be resolved.<br />
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With the topic, I bit off way more than I could chew. I realized that in order to write the paper, I had to read several portions of the actual CBA, which is like reading a very complicated book of laws and statutes in terms of ridiculously mind-numbing jargon.<br />
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Even though the lockout is now over, I figured my paper might make a nice post for the blog for people who are still confused over what the whole fight was actually about.<br />
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Full text appears after the jump. It's not Shakespeare, as I was panicking and majorly scrambling to finish this on time. I should hope this would go without saying, but this is my own work and research and you cannot reproduce or use it for your own purposes without my express permission. Bibliography is available but too much of a pain to reproduce on Blogger.<br />
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<u>The 2012 NHL Lockout: How the Fight over Revenue Sharing is Killing the Season</u></div>
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Many sports arenas in North America have yet to lay ice on their floors this winter due to the fact that any team in the National Hockey League (NHL) has yet to play a game in the scheduled 2012-2013 season, which was to have begun on October 11, 2012. To this point, over 400 games have been cancelled due to the lockout that continues to keep NHL players off the ice. The disagreements between the NHL and its players' association has resulted in over 500 NHL players currently being out of work.<br />
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Following the September 15, 2012 expiration date of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was put into place in July 2005 as a result of the lockout of the 2004-2005 NHL season, the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) and the league (represented by the team owners and the league's commissioner) have been unable to reach a consensus on terms of a new CBA. Because the players cannot play in the NHL without a CBA in place, the season is on hold until an agreement on a new CBA can be reached.<br />
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Lockouts in professional sports leagues are becoming more commonplace in the era of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Each major sports league in America (Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Basketball Association) has had at least two labor disputes since 1981. Before the 2012 NHL lockout, the most recent major sports league lockout occurred in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in late 2011, shortening the 2011-2012 season from 82 to 66 games.<br />
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The 2011 NBA lockout, the fourth in that league's history, occurred as a result of disagreements between the league and the players' association over revenue sharing. Specifically, to end the lockout, the players finally had to agree to take a revenue sharing cut that would decrease their 57% revenue share to 50%, resulting in pay cuts for most players. <br />
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The 2012 NHL lockout draws strong parallels to the 2011 NBA lockout, both in lockout frequency and core issues. The NHL has locked out its players four times in the last 20 years. Three lockouts have occurred since 1994 while the league has been under the direction of current NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.<br />
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The last NHL lockout, spanning the entirety of the 2004-2005 season, lasted 310 days and cancelled 1,230 games. It was the first time any major sports league in North America cancelled an entire season due to a lockout. Teams lost approximately $2.1 billion in hockey-related revenue (ticket sales, broadcasts, sponsorships, and arena concessions) during the season. The economic impact was so severe that the Canadian government estimated a $170 million drop in the country's gross domestic product in 2004 and 2005 as a result of the lockout. <br />
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The issues at the heart of the current dispute are nearly all related to money and player contracts. Specifically, the league wants to limit the maximum contract length to five years (though the league's most recent proposal has increased that number to seven years, but only to re-sign a team's own unrestricted free agent), the length of the next CBA, player pensions, player contract buyouts and escrow limits, and perhaps the largest point of contention, revenue sharing. <br />
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In the 2005 CBA, revenue sharing between owners and players had players earning 57% of hockey-related revenues (HRR) to the owners' 43%. The 57% share was based on the condition that one season's HRR total $2.7 billion or more, an amount the NHL has met or exceeded in recent years. Hockey-related revenues, as defined by the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/cba/2005-CBA.pdf" target="_blank">2005 CBA</a>, include preseason, regular season and postseason game ticket sales, premium seating (box/suite) sales, revenues from television and radio game broadcasts and NHL networks, fan novelty sales, arena concessions, and some team and arena sponsorships. <br />
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The 2005 NHL CBA put into place for the first time in the NHL the salary cap, which limits the amount of money a team can allot to player contracts. According to the provisions of the 2005 CBA, the players' share of HRR determined the league's salary cap (and floor). The total salary cap varied by year, and was calculated at the beginning of each season based on projected HRR (for example, the <a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8310835/nhl-issues-second-proposal-players-association-lockout-looms" target="_blank">2011-2012 season's salary cap totaled $64.3 million</a>). The 2005 CBA outlines the formula for calculating a Midpoint Value as follows:<br />
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[Preliminary HRR for Year Prior × Player Share % (if HRR > $2.7B, 57%) - Preliminary Benefits (which includes player pensions and insurance)] ÷ Number of teams (30) = Midpoint Value<br />
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After the Midpoint Value was determined, $8 million was added to it to determine the salary cap, and $8 million was subtracted from it to determine the salary floor (the minimum amount of money a team can spend on contracts). The CBA stipulated a revenue growth of up to 5% to adjust the Midpoint Value in each season. <br />
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Because the players' HRR share is directly tied to the amount that teams can spend on players, any adjustment in the player share would drastically change the kind of contracts teams could offer players, and by extension, change the players' salaries themselves. The 2011-2012 season's HRR totaled approximately $3.3 billion. Under the 2005 CBA, the players 57% share of HRR earned them $1.883 billion of that total amount.<br />
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However, in the current CBA dispute, the NHL favors an immediate 50-50 split of all HRR, which, if it had in place for the 2011-2012 season, would have given the players $1.65 billion. $23 million may not seem like much of a difference when both amounts are in the billions, but a very abrupt and immediate 7% decrease in the amount of money allotted to player salaries would certainly be felt by the players. Due to the fact that the the salary cap is linked to the players' share of HRR, the players would see a dramatic decrease in their salaries due to a sizable drop in the salary cap.<br />
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The owners argue that a 50-50 share makes the league fairer. Forbes reported that in the 2010-2011 season, 18 of the 30 NHL teams lost money. Of those, 13 teams each lost more than $5 million. Stu Siegel, former owner of the Florida Panthers, believes that for those unprofitable, typically small-market teams, the 2005 CBA's 43% owner share hurts the entirety of the club, down to its minor league team. While the players on the NHL team roster receive through salary and benefits 57% of the money the team makes, the 43% owner share must be used to pay the salaries of the team's general manager, coaches, front office employees, and the entirety of the minor league system, as well as covering the arena lease and other related expenses.<br />
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The owners have not helped their case in recent years, however, by signing players to massive, long-term, front-loaded contracts that serve to circumvent the salary cap so that they can secure the most coveted free agents. Frequently pointed to during this lockout as examples are the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, just signed in July 2012. The Minnesota Wild wooed Suter from the Nashville Predators and Parise from the New Jersey Devils with identical 13-year, $98 million contracts. Each player would earn $12 million in each of the first two years of the contracts, but yet each contract would count approximately $7.5 million against the salary cap for each year of their length.<br />
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This is precisely what Siegel means when he refers to cap circumvention, as for the first few years, the players are actually being paid considerably more than their salary cap hit. Suter and Parise are not special cases; a special salary cap amendment had to be written for the 2005 CBA in September 2010 when the New Jersey Devils attempted to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a 17-year, $102 million contract, which the league deemed illegal under the "Circumvention" clause of the CBA. After the NHL added the relevant amendments to the CBA, they eventually approved the distribution schedule of an edited 15-year, $100 million contract for Kovalchuk.<br />
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In light of these high-profile, front-loaded deals perceived to circumvent the salary cap, the fans, and certainly the players, are finding it difficult to muster sympathy for the owners, even the owners of losing markets. Therefore, if the players are going to agree to immediately shift to a 50-50 share, the owners would have to come up with a way to lessen the burden on players. In order to potentially appease the players, the league has attempted to negotiate a "make whole" proposition, in which the amount of revenue lost in the immediate 7% decrease would be paid back to players who are currently under contract.<br />
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The conditions of "make whole" provision stipulate that players who signed contracts under the 2005 CBA would be paid the difference between 50% of the actual 2012-2013 HRR and 57% of 2011-2012 HRR. The "make whole" provision is based on a steady 5% increase in HRR each season, and based on that projection, the players' 50% share in 2013-2014 would equal the $1.883 billion that players received under the 57% share in 2011-2012. Therefore, under the league proposal, the "make whole" provision <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=643572" target="_blank">would only be paid through the 2013-2014 season</a>.<br />
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The "make whole" provision is certainly an improvement over the blunt 14% revenue share cut (from 57% to 43%) that the owners had initially proposed for players in July, but it could still amount to a noticeable difference in player take-home pay. If forced to take a revenue share cut, the players would likely favor a more gradual, subtle change than what "make whole" proposes.<br />
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In response, sports economist <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl-lockout/2012/09/13/nhl_lockout_cba_betmann_bad_for_business" target="_blank">Andrew Zimbalist offers</a> a slightly different plan that would efficiently lessen the players' pain of a sudden decrease. Zimbalist proposes keeping the players at a 57% HRR share for the 2012-2013 season, then very slowly phasing to a 50-50 split between the league and players, perhaps by a one-percent margin per year over a proposed seven-year CBA. The NHL has experienced revenue growth every year since 2005, and if the trends of growth were to continue, the players would possibly not even see a change in their salaries over those seven years due to the small shifts. They may not see much of an increase from year to year, but at least they would not see a perceptible salary cut.<br />
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Zimbalist's plan seems optimal for resolving the current conflict, as players would be more likely to accept a small, gradual cut, and the owners would still eventually arrive at their desired 50-50 share. However, it's a suggestion that does not seem to have been part of any offer yet from either side, and so the battle lingers as the clock to save the season is winding down.<br />
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To this point, all NHL games have been cancelled at least through December 30, and the annual Winter Classic (played on New Year's Day) and All-Star Game and Skills Competition (scheduled for February 2013) were already cancelled in November 2012. Hope is starting to fade, not only for the fans, but also the players.<br />
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As each negotiation has broken down, more NHL players have opted to play in Europe. League superstars like Alex Ovechkin (Washington) and Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) have gone home to their native Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), but even North American-born players like the Boston Bruins' Tyler Seguin and the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane have signed contracts to play in a European league.<br />
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After the most recent negotiations failed in the week of December 3, Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain and the face of the NHL since his rookie year in 2005-2006 (which, coincidentally, was the first season after the last lockout), <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/penguins/sidney-crosby-frustrated-by-lockout-inching-towards-playing-in-europe-665448/" target="_blank">expressed his growing desire</a> to play in Europe as the hope of playing any games in the NHL this year diminishes. As league and players' offers continue to be rejected, players will continue to move to Europe to earn their salary this season.<br />
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The NHL was able to bounce back after the lockout of 2004-2005, but the recent actions of both the owners and players have soured the perceptions of some fans. It's difficult to tell if this particular lockout will have a negative impact on the league, but for their own sakes, both the players and the league should hope it won't hurt revenues.Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-26468701040192192372012-01-02T13:58:00.002-06:002012-01-12T19:53:34.555-06:00Happy Caps Year in Columbus<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I'd previously blogged about my other hockey trips, so I thought I'd do the same for my little trip to Columbus for New Year's Eve.</div>
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I moved away from DC on November 2, 2011, the day after an <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2011020161">overtime win</a> against the Anaheim Ducks, a win that was almost a singlehanded effort from Nicklas Backstrom (scoring the game-tying goal in the last 30 seconds, and then the overtime winner). It was also the beginning of the end for Bruce Boudreau -- the game that stirred controversy when he did not put Alex Ovechkin out on the ice in the last minute of the third period to try to tie the game.</div>
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It was my last Capitals game at Verizon Center, at least for the foreseeable future. I went to every single game of the season until my move, preseason included, and the Capitals were still undefeated at home at that time.</div>
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After I left is when the team spiraled downhill, and it was difficult to watch from so far away. And I thought the next time I would see the team is when they come to Chicago to play the Blackhawks in March. After attending about 30 games in 2010-2011 and every game until November 1 in 2011-2012, four months without seeing my team in person was going to be tough.</div>
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On Friday night, I still didn't have any plans for New Year's Eve. Sam (Caps fans may know him as <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/thehornguy">The Horn Guy</a>) mentioned to me the <a href="http://www.capsroadcrew.com/">Caps Road Crew</a> trip to Columbus, but I thought the Road Crew seats were sold out. But another friend, Karen, also had a group going, and had a last-minute cancellation, and thus a ticket.</div>
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So I made the decision. Just 8 hours before I got in the car, I paid for a ticket, got a hotel in Columbus, and packed up my Nicklas Backstrom jersey to be worn to a game for the first time in two months.</div>
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It's only about six hours from Chicago to Columbus, and it was smooth sailing through Indiana and Ohio. My hotel was about four blocks from the Arena, and after a quick change, I went to meet up with the Road Crew near the arena. At the bar, I met Caps fans from London (Ontario), Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and obviously DC. Caps fans really came from all over.</div>
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After getting into the arena, it was almost like being at a Verizon Center game -- Caps fans were absolutely everywhere. Nationwide Arena is beautiful. Being one of the newer arenas in the NHL, I enjoyed the design and features. The concourses are wide, and the seating arrangement is unique and also functional.</div>
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We headed down to rinkside for warm-ups, and I practically started crying when the Caps hit the ice. It was so great to see them, and it just made me incredibly happy. Dmitri Orlov was called up after I'd left DC, and as I was at his first-ever AHL game, I was so proud to see him in an NHL jersey in person for the first time.</div>
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As for the game, it wasn't looking so good after the first two periods. But thankfully, the Caps picked it up in the third period and scored four goals in less than seven minutes, including two Ovechkin markers. After a New Year's Eve fireworks display on the ice, we left the arena happy and went back to a nearby bar to watch the ball drop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgfuYsSHs8pvmJW6AZciwDB25mAm-Ix-xxAxnScqqsoon9c5clheB0xtUVCm-5RxiAECu0BwCvdBKH3LxXaJHrpiRdbZv2i9OjfYzvtRDS2kWGfjGg2g4W0rfhOK9BsMlfz5LZGdERCDw/s1600/P1020339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgfuYsSHs8pvmJW6AZciwDB25mAm-Ix-xxAxnScqqsoon9c5clheB0xtUVCm-5RxiAECu0BwCvdBKH3LxXaJHrpiRdbZv2i9OjfYzvtRDS2kWGfjGg2g4W0rfhOK9BsMlfz5LZGdERCDw/s400/P1020339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was no Verizon Center, but it was absolutely worth the trip and there's no other way I would rather have spent New Year's Eve. And the experience will at least hold me over until two months from now, when the Caps come into my hometown of Chicago.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pictures from the trip (including a bunch of warm-up photos) are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikas66/sets/72157628684686475/">here</a>.</i></span></div>Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-80461212045759347622011-12-14T23:28:00.000-06:002011-12-16T00:43:36.211-06:00Second period mistakes cost Express<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAWVZVDBU9qaru4zWrnpxDg1uCcrqY9IGb2UJ19j78KzqR1JkkTLk3dq5-pcqlk9kZbmy6Ey42ReDPgXmegfKK3hG94VyggsMElgO2rEWJvg5TZZ2et-6hUxEcbISNDni9rlFzEsHZzZ3/s1600/6514173959_62dd76e116_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAWVZVDBU9qaru4zWrnpxDg1uCcrqY9IGb2UJ19j78KzqR1JkkTLk3dq5-pcqlk9kZbmy6Ey42ReDPgXmegfKK3hG94VyggsMElgO2rEWJvg5TZZ2et-6hUxEcbISNDni9rlFzEsHZzZ3/s400/6514173959_62dd76e116_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Players look on as Devin DiDiomete (28) and Phil Rauch (20) fight at the end of the second period (photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagoexpresshockey/6514173959/in/photostream/">Chicago Express</a>)</span></i></div>
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Coming into Wednesday night's game, the Toledo Walleye (DET/CHI) and the Chicago Express (CBJ) had already met six times this season, splitting wins evenly between them at three a piece. Chicago took the first three decisions, and the Walleye took the last three. After Wednesday's final decision, the Walleye have now won four, claiming a 4-3 victory over the Express.</div>
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The game didn't start out so bad for the Express. <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3682">Mike Embach</a> scored a beauty in the first period, taking advantage of a turnover at the opposite blue line to fly through the neutral zone, deke around three defenders, and put the puck top shelf. The goal sent the Express into the locker room with a 1-0 lead at the first intermission. But when the team stepped onto the ice in the second, things turned disastrous.</div>
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Walleye forward <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3494">Christopher DiDomenico</a> scored twice less than four minutes into the second period, first on a power play, then at even strength, making it 2-1 in favor of Toledo. After the Express began trailing for the first time in the game, everything went wrong. Pucks were continuously turned over, the defense was sloppy, and Express had significant trouble putting passes on their teammates' tape.</div>
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The Walleye took advantage, and struck again. <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3964">Allen York</a> misplayed the puck 10 feet in front of his own net, and suddenly <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3412">Kyle Rogers</a> had his sixth goal of the year. Just seconds later, <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3735">Joey Martin</a> got another puck past York, and it was 4-1 Walleye.</div>
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Instead of getting inspired, the Express got angry. A lot of chirping began. During a faceoff, <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=1395">Bobby Robins</a> clearly asked <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3835">Nick Oslund</a> if he wanted to fight. Oslund shook his head no. Net mouth scrums got more and more frequent as the Express tried to get some kind of spark going. After putting only five shots on goal in the second period, the Express' frustration finally <a href="http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/107866">spilled into a full-fledged fight</a> just after the horn indicating the end of the period.</div>
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<a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3927">Devin DiDiomete</a>, fresh off injured reserve, went up against <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3675">Phil Rauch</a>. Though smaller, DiDiomete looked to get the better of Rauch, knocking Rauch's helmet off and eventually taking him down to the ice. The only punches Rauch landed were right on DiDiomete's helmet, resulting in a bloody hand for Rauch. DiDiomete was assessed a two-minute roughing minor, a five-minute fighting major, and a ten-minute misconduct, and as a result, missed most of the third period. Rauch received just a five-minute major.</div>
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But the fight appeared to serve its purpose. The Express came out in the third period ready to battle for goals. Five minutes in, several Express players crashed the net and ended up scoring, with <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3683">Kyle Ostrow</a> getting credit for the marker. Ten minutes later, <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=1354">Chaz Johnson</a> scored a rocket of a one-timer from the dot on a power play.</div>
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It was 4-3 Walleye with five minutes to go, and the Express were not going to give up. With one minute remaining, Allen York sprinted to the bench to get an extra man on to try for an equalizer. Walleye goaltender <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=2977">Thomas McCollum</a> faced a flurry of shots, but nothing got through, and the Express fell short in their comeback.<br />
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Though there were at least two goals that Allen York would no doubt like to have back, he made 29 saves on 33 shots as the Walleye outshot the Express 33-20. </div>
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Just after the final horn, there was an altercation between Chaz Johnson and <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=2588">Matt Krug</a> of the Walleye. Something Krug said or did very obviously set Johnson off, sending him into hysterics as a referee struggled to hold him back. Johnson smashed his stick on the ice before finally heading down the tunnel, leaving the Walleye to celebrate their victory.</div>
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Given the nature of the scene, I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson faces any supplemental discipline from the league for unsportsmanlike conduct. It's fitting, as that capped off a game in which Johnson surpassed his 1,000th pro career penalty minute (he had four penalty minutes in total on the night).</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Friday night, the Express face the Elmira Jackals (OTT/ANA). <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=1785">Tyler Donati</a>, named the second star of the game with two assists, said the game plan against the Jackals is pretty obvious: "Play like we played in the third."</span>Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-7095105232406986902011-12-09T22:20:00.001-06:002012-01-12T19:32:36.774-06:00Express down Wings in a shootout thriller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOZkD5oZtG0CdBQCXd2Sc7fOjnn2qoltijYUHjBa2ErZfyNMYGyvT-clawePBcjAIoDyTw1fjrLahuJ5c-bIcXztZtyhbDU88MmcrM00VZzW8sMNyM2jOR3ykaXxyD-ulm8v3pHeKIoJm/s1600/6485261825_34f03da6c7_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOZkD5oZtG0CdBQCXd2Sc7fOjnn2qoltijYUHjBa2ErZfyNMYGyvT-clawePBcjAIoDyTw1fjrLahuJ5c-bIcXztZtyhbDU88MmcrM00VZzW8sMNyM2jOR3ykaXxyD-ulm8v3pHeKIoJm/s400/6485261825_34f03da6c7_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Kyle Ostrow scores the game-winning shootout goal (photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagoexpresshockey/6485261825/in/photostream">Chicago Express</a>)</i></span></div>
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It wasn't looking so good for the <a href="http://www.chicagoexpresshockey.com/">Chicago Express</a> as they headed into the third period Friday night, down 4-2 to the <a href="http://www.kwings.com/">Kalamazoo Wings</a>. A few minutes into the third period, <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3514">Eric Kattelus</a> made it 5-2. The clock was ticking.</div>
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After two power play goals in the first 20 minutes, the Express looked to have stalled out in the latter half of the second period. They were finding it tough to carry pucks through the offensive zone, and shots from the blue line were immediately blocked by Wings players on the defensive. Worst of all, Express goaltender <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3964">Allen York</a> wasn't getting a lot of help.</div>
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But the crowd of 3,090 in the Sears Centre Arena got loud in the third, and the Express seemed to respond in turn. "Nothing out of the ordinary was said during the second intermission, we
just knew that we had to step it up for the final 20," Express defenseman <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3615">Scott Wietecha</a> said after the game. "We were confident
that if we went out, played hard and stuck to our style of play, we'd
have a chance to climb back into it." <br />
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Wietecha (a Capitals development and rookie camp attendee) started it off for the Express in the third, getting a fluky goal from nearly center ice. He blasted the puck to the net, and goaltender Maxime Clermont got just a piece of it, sending the puck tipping off the top of his glove and into the net.<br />
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It was Wietecha's first professional goal, and judging by his delayed jubilant reaction, he didn't immediately know that he'd scored. "I didn't know it went in at first, but was pretty pumped when I realized I finally got my first one out of the way," Wietecha said.<br />
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The goal also set off the Express comeback.</div>
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By the time Wietecha scored, the Express had been down 5-2, and with Wietecha making it 5-3, the Express had about 16 minutes to make it a game.</div>
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They did. Wietecha's goal included, the Express scored three unanswered goals to tie the game and send it to overtime. Two goals were against starter <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3907">Maxime Clermont</a>, but just after <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3682">Mike Embach</a> made the score 5-4, Clermont lost his mask in a scrum and appeared to be cut in the face. Bleeding from his forehead, Clermont left the game and watched the rest of the action from the bench while back-up <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3069">Riley Gill</a> took over in the Kalamazoo crease.</div>
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Gill surrendered a goal to <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=517">Chad Painchaud</a>, his second of the night, and the Express had the game tied at 5-5, sending it to overtime.</div>
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Overtime was largely uneventful until 1:46 to go, when Painchaud took a costly hooking penalty to put the Express shorthanded for the remainder of overtime.</div>
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Your best penalty killer is often your goaltender, and Allen York was brilliant while the Wings had several quality scoring chances during their power play.</div>
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Scoreless through five minutes of extra time, the game went to a shootout. <a href="http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3683">Kyle Ostrow</a> scored in the fifth round of the shootout to finally get the Express the 6-5 victory.</div>
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<b><i>One to watch: Mike Embach</i></b></div>
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I could barely take my eyes off Embach whenever he got on the ice. He had very fancy footwork and deked like Datsyuk, but a lot of times when he was carrying the puck, his moves were too fancy for his own teammates, and he'd end up sending a blind pass to no one. While he was busy dancing into the offensive zone, it seemed like he lost track of where his teammates were, and even where he was, and several times, he'd turn it over to the opposing defense by the time he got to the top of the circles.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even so, watching his moves through two periods, I knew it was a matter of time before Embach put one in the net, and he did about seven minutes into the third. Embach needs some time in the pro leagues (he comes from four years at <a href="http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mice/index">Ferris State</a>) to really get his hockey sense under control while he's weaving around the D so that his passes can be on point and he can get farther into the zone. But the 23-year-old undrafted forward is a fun player to watch and might end up getting somewhere, even if it's only as far as the AHL.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b>Development camps and preparing for a pro career</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since I got to ask Scott Wietecha some questions, I had to ask about his experience at Capitals camps this summer and how they helped him start his pro career. He had very positive things to say about his time in Washington.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"I definitely think that being at the Caps camps better prepared me for
my first year pro. It has given me confidence coming into the season. I
learned a lot from the coaches and the players that were there. Skating
with Caps players and seeing how they prepared for the season was
definitely beneficial. In Washington, I better learned from the coaches
and staff what it takes to make a professional hockey player and picked
up things on the ice too. It was a great experience."</span></div>
</blockquote>Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-57067218132075408772011-10-04T17:29:00.000-05:002011-10-04T23:40:20.795-05:00Graham Mink comes home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVl_eCk7gN4nDLOCIkP7F6kCMX2Nq8Ov7EV7TqwrXSWv5djE6RS8jU3WMRU0l7jGV852cuD6SBdQ90Df3r7ohqhs1r8oV2P-MJC3upiH5LL_wuqmjBGolNKpLn0VbcTogCthr5o_qZ7d_4/s1600/mink_graham110713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVl_eCk7gN4nDLOCIkP7F6kCMX2Nq8Ov7EV7TqwrXSWv5djE6RS8jU3WMRU0l7jGV852cuD6SBdQ90Df3r7ohqhs1r8oV2P-MJC3upiH5LL_wuqmjBGolNKpLn0VbcTogCthr5o_qZ7d_4/s1600/mink_graham110713.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>He's already got the playoff beard down (photo by JustSports Photography)</i></span></div>
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Early in training camp, I was watching Group B practice. A friend asked me, "Is <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=41437">Graham Mink</a> a career AHLer?" Without even thinking, I said, "Yes." Then I paused for a minute and said, "But he's the kind of guy that knows it and accepts it. Like, 'This is my role, so I'm going to be damn good at it.'"</div>
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Even in interviews, he refers to Washington as "they," not "we." </div>
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It's an attitude that is evident just talking to Mink about his return to the Washington organization. He's played just seven NHL games (all with the Capitals), but consistently puts up big numbers with his AHL clubs. The 32-year-old winger has had only one season scoring under 40 points since 2005-2006, and he's won two Calder Cups with Hershey (2006 and 2009).</div>
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It's Mink's first time back in Hershey since that 2009 Calder Cup win (and third time back overall), and he's ecstatic to return. "It kind of feels like family here. I missed being part of Washington," he said during training camp. "I'm going to be in Hershey, and I'm excited to be back there, I love playing there, it's a great city."</div>
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Mink doesn't put on airs about his role with the organization. He knows that with all the young talent joining the Bears this year, he may not enjoy any call-ups at all. But at this point in his career, Mink knows exactly what he's supposed to be doing in Hershey: be a mentor.</div>
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"There's going to be a lot of players that are in Hershey this year that are going to come up and help the Caps. My goal is to help teach them and have them learn the game, learn what it's like to be on a successful team and what's expected to be a professional," Mink said.</div>
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"I kind of look at it as an extension of the coaching staff as the veteran player. I think most veterans do. You want to bring these 22-, 23-, 24-year-olds and make their learning curve as steep as possible to get to the next level as quickly as possible."</div>
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As for the new kids in Hershey like <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475236">Cody Eakin</a> and <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475200">Dmitri Orlov</a>, Mink is looking forward to being a leader for them. "They're very smart kids, they're very mature for their age and they pick up fast," Mink said. "It'll be good for Orlov to learn some more English and grow. It's got to be tough being as young as you are and all that ways from home, so you want to make them feel as comfortable as you can and allow them a coming out process of growing up, maturing a little bit."</div>
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With Mink's work ethic and drive, he's the perfect candidate to teach the new blood. He thrives on the pressure of being with a winning organization, and brings a good attitude to the locker room. "(The pressure environment) meshes well with my personality," he said. "I want to win every game, every night."</div>
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Hopefully that attitude will rub off on the Hershey rookies. It's why Mink is returning to Hershey for what he hopes is a long stay. "Hopefully I can stay for a while this time. It's something I'm looking forward to."</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-46449419999203633352011-10-04T15:58:00.000-05:002017-04-22T22:10:26.596-05:00Joel Ward, Teacher?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Ward with the UPEI Panthers (photo by <a href="http://news.upei.ca/media/2011/05/09/star-predator-plays-panther">UPEI.ca</a>)</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8468208">Joel Ward</a> definitely has not taken the conventional path to the NHL. Undrafted, he spent four seasons in the OHL before then going to college in Canada, completing four years at University of Prince Edward Island and earning his BA in sociology.</div>
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His choice of a sociology major is interesting in itself. Most college hockey players opt to major in business, coaching, or sports management. Very few choose to go the social science route, but Ward did. After practice one day, I asked him about it.</div>
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"I just liked (sociology) from day one. I had a good (professor) my first couple of years. I just liked it, just kind of kept going with it, and enjoying the classes. Sure enough, I was close to graduating with my major in it," Ward said. "Now after hockey I can maybe finish up and see if I want to do something with it."</div>
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If Ward ended up going back to school for another degree after hockey, what would he do?</div>
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"I was going to minor in teaching and become a teacher," Ward said. "Something to do with kids I'll be in the field of."</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But for now, Ward uses what he learned in sociology classes to interact with his teammates in the locker room. "I can bring it into this room and dissect this room a little bit."</span>Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-87529871404216658762011-09-29T19:56:00.000-05:002011-09-29T20:01:49.147-05:00How the Caps can reach out to women<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxOoZHXJJoZYGHloSK9B7Qpu_q5-gm43demNCByiHIi4ABpuVLGcYHFGP_7tPNHQvrpIfJJzXGYQWthd-aX_lBNe9iiwrmCwajaVw1raglDH1lTyKiFUPxDADoqKtdqvyqEueO8D4xQuh/s1600/fillies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxOoZHXJJoZYGHloSK9B7Qpu_q5-gm43demNCByiHIi4ABpuVLGcYHFGP_7tPNHQvrpIfJJzXGYQWthd-aX_lBNe9iiwrmCwajaVw1raglDH1lTyKiFUPxDADoqKtdqvyqEueO8D4xQuh/s400/fillies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Some of my high school girls' hockey team during a practice. I'm 7th from right.</span></i></div>
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As we all know, I'm on Twitter quite often. Earlier this evening, I saw a tweet from the <a href="http://ducks.nhl.com/index.html">Anaheim Ducks</a> <a href="http://ducks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=590285">advertising a girls' hockey clinic</a> in partnership with USA Hockey.</div>
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After I had a little rant Wednesday night about the still-controversial <a href="http://scarlet.capitals.nhl.com/">Scarlet Caps</a>, the wheels started turning.</div>
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Why don't the Scarlet Caps take a page from the Ducks and host a hockey clinic?</div>
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I know that some women enjoy the Hockey 'N Heels event, and that's just fine, but personally, it's not for me. As someone who played hockey for my high school girls' team, I don't need to pay money to stand on a carpet in the middle of Kettler's ice having a current Capital teaching me how to shoot a puck. I already know how to shoot a puck. I did it several times a week in high school.</div>
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What Scarlet Caps needs to do is reach out to the women who already know how to play hockey, or even participate in local women's leagues. This is an area of the market that Scarlet Caps has missed out on while focusing on women who are just beginning to learn about hockey and want to learn the basics.</div>
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So why not host clinics for women and girls? I, for one, would enjoy that type of event. Sweeten the deal by having clinics led by Capitals/Bears coaches (players would be great but not necessary), and I'd be willing to shill out money to be learning from some of the best coaches in the world while actually playing the game on my skates and learning how to become a better player.</div>
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After I retweeted the link from Anaheim and brought up the idea of having women's and girls' clinics sponsored by the Capitals and Scarlet Caps, I got a lot of responses from women who thought it was a great idea. A selection of the responses appear below:</div>
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<i>"That would be so much fun."</i></div>
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<i>"Completely agree. A clinic for the girls, a clinic for the ladies who DO play, and one for the wannabes. There's some perspective."</i></div>
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<i>"Get a bunch of people and email Ted about it."</i></div>
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Well, the last response is sort of what I'm doing by bringing attention to it. I think it would be a great outreach for the Capitals, and a smart way to market to women. The idea of a clinic treats women as equals, as opposed to the sort of mentality that says, "Here, put on some heels, and stand on this carpet in the middle of the ice while a man teaches you to shoot a puck into a net, because you wouldn't know how to do it otherwise." </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A women's hockey clinic would truly bring women into the action instead of sitting on the sidelines. It's an approach with which I hope the Capitals would agree.</span>Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-76634560976112892042011-09-19T17:21:00.000-05:002018-04-10T22:50:38.713-05:00Miskovic ready to take on new role<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhana2MQqLHBHI0t7dL4OBi5ALXNB7CXI45fnC7SdHZ3WUXFE6HtH2GKuP_nlIc1XdaqHj0E6ayti6qazaU5-6jaiUBR5-1ESLDmvmVmlKD0lxqtg27nEGzvuibCdvbXBUuwG5CI-KTRyEL/s1600/DSC_0157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhana2MQqLHBHI0t7dL4OBi5ALXNB7CXI45fnC7SdHZ3WUXFE6HtH2GKuP_nlIc1XdaqHj0E6ayti6qazaU5-6jaiUBR5-1ESLDmvmVmlKD0lxqtg27nEGzvuibCdvbXBUuwG5CI-KTRyEL/s400/DSC_0157.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>photo by Caps in Pictures</i></span></td></tr>
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At this time last summer, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475077">Zach Miskovic</a>
wasn't having such a great training camp in Washington. In fact, he
wasn't having one at all. In last year's July development camp, Miskovic
sustained a hit by the massive <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=81039">Joe Finley</a> during an intersquad scrimmage, and Miskovic injured his left knee.<br />
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The injury didn't require surgery, but it meant that Miskovic didn't even set foot on the ice again until he'd already been sent down to Hershey's training camp in late September 2010. He played in 58 games with the Bears last season (missing some time due to a different, unrelated injury mid-season).<br />
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After a healthy summer this year and a new one-year contract to extend him through the 2011-2012 season, Miskovic has renewed focus. Finally getting in a normal off-season training routine during the summer was "really exciting" for Miskovic. He says he feels good and is ready for the season, and is looking forward to see how Hershey's recent changes pan out.</div>
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Thinking of new players on the Bears roster like <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475087">Christian Hanson</a>, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8470680">Ryan Potulny</a>, and <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473939">Jacob Micflikier</a>, Miskovic said, "I think the team's looking great. Obviously Washington and Hershey want to put together the best team there that they can and I think they brought in a lot of skilled players that can bring a lot to the table. I'm looking forward to start."</div>
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Last year, Miskovic had said that his sophomore season greatly benefited from having defensive veterans like <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=49466">Brian Fahey</a>, <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=14090">Sheldon Souray</a>, and <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=29290">Lawrence Nycholat</a> as mentors. Now with those players leaving Hershey, Miskovic, 26, has to become somewhat of a veteran himself.</div>
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"I've talked with [Hershey head coach] Mark French and [assistant coach] Troy Mann about [taking a mentorship role] and they expect me to step in and be more of a leader on the back end and help some of the younger guys that are coming up, since I know the system. I think I can be that," Miskovic said. "I'm excited for that potential role and we'll see how it plays out. We've got a lot of good defensemen that have come in and I'll work hard to be in that [leadership] position."</div>
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In particular, Miskovic may serve as a mentor to <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475200">Dmitri Orlov</a>, with whom Miskovic was paired during Sunday's drills. It's a pairing that has the potential to be a real game situation for the Bears. Already Miskovic has chemistry with the Russian rookie, despite the obvious language barrier. </div>
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"It's fun to play with him," Miskovic laughed. "Obviously communication's a little difficult at times, but he knows how to play the game. It's just reading off one another and see what happens."</div>
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Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-44254342133738062602011-09-17T20:06:00.000-05:002011-09-17T20:06:47.815-05:00Invitee Frazee Intent on Earning a Contract<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOBpxS3aA_2lLPYcRFtuJoGSVoeZczWNCZ2CbWSObMJ4LCskw6Wo7RlqpiZZqWY7LRCKHFFq_fSSO6G0YiAWXCb1ZnBB7Dvc1ZcIzOEYTCrANuC9KXF_HY8k7gxfQ8LvE01stpkoGV8J9/s1600/5937442429_eec8fe9110_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOBpxS3aA_2lLPYcRFtuJoGSVoeZczWNCZ2CbWSObMJ4LCskw6Wo7RlqpiZZqWY7LRCKHFFq_fSSO6G0YiAWXCb1ZnBB7Dvc1ZcIzOEYTCrANuC9KXF_HY8k7gxfQ8LvE01stpkoGV8J9/s400/5937442429_eec8fe9110_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>photo by Bridget Samuels/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bridgetds/">bridgetds</a></i></span></div>
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I did a little research on invitee Thomas Frazee <a href="http://ravingsofarinkrebel.blogspot.com/2011/07/get-to-know-invitees-thomas-frazee.html">back in development camp</a>. After his exit meeting in July, Frazee knew he was coming back for rookie camp. Development camp wasn't a walk in the park for any player in attendance - Washington is notorious for having one of the most difficult camps in the league - but Frazee was happy to get an invite back to Washington in September.</div>
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The big, high-scoring forward compares himself to San Jose's <a href="http://sharks.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8466138">Joe Thornton</a>. "I like to set up my linemates and try to make everyone around me a little bit better. I think I'm a bigger guy who can skate and make plays," says Frazee. "I always looked up to Joe Thornton when I was little." </div>
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But even Joe Thornton was probably intimidated in his first NHL camp, and it was no different for Frazee. "[Development camp] was pretty nerve-wracking," Frazee said Wednesday. "I think as I settled in, it got a lot better." </div>
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His quick adaptation to camp could have been a result of having Caps coaches and management directly in the mix with the prospects. "It was really cool to see Bruce [Boudreau] and George [McPhee] right in there with us, talking to us all the time, telling us what we need to do to get better," he said.</div>
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Frazee has had to adapt quickly many times in his career. He spent his WHL career with five different teams: Portland, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Regina, and Kamloops. Playing so many different systems may have helped him to pick up the Capitals' systems more quickly.</div>
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"When you come to an NHL camp, the tempo is so much faster and the guys are so much better. It's different everywhere you go, but it does help that you've learned a bunch of different systems along the way," Frazee said.</div>
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Frazee does admit to being a little starstruck in his first training camp experience, expressing his excitement to go to Philadelphia and play in the rookie game at Wells Fargo Center. "It's gonna be really exciting, especially playing where the Flyers actually do play regular season games."</div>
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That excitement extended to the Capitals facility as well. "It's really cool seeing everything here on <a href="http://www.hbo.com/sports/24-7-penguins-capitals-road-to-the-nhl-winter-classic/index.html">24/7 on HBO</a> and being here, it's a really cool experience," he said.</div>
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Frazee has been recruited to the <a href="http://www.godinos.com/index.aspx?tab=hockey-men&path=mhockey">University of Calgary Dinos</a>, but if all goes according to plan, he won't be heading there come Fall. "I have every intention on playing pro, wherever that is,
wherever they tell me to go," he said. "I'm just kind of being told what
to do here and hopefully everything turns out for the best."</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-63628771924565008272011-09-12T17:46:00.000-05:002018-04-10T22:57:22.187-05:00Capitals' Eakin Making Strides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AU6SPm7EUU1uIsamGTfaBaoyBT9Mmg8bgpbFYx2yOZy769gQ9s5AjtJsXKqcSPTwompQVLQ2BCqY5eOopCIdH1cKvZSKITMvfuPcWaveoZNodW0AXnl8QcgVzg6mXv8czx29UlYD5X8l/s1600/5935207017_3229b45bc2_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AU6SPm7EUU1uIsamGTfaBaoyBT9Mmg8bgpbFYx2yOZy769gQ9s5AjtJsXKqcSPTwompQVLQ2BCqY5eOopCIdH1cKvZSKITMvfuPcWaveoZNodW0AXnl8QcgVzg6mXv8czx29UlYD5X8l/s400/5935207017_3229b45bc2_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Bridget Samuels/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bridgetds/">bridgetds</a></span></i></div>
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At the conclusion of this summer's Capitals development camp, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475236">Cody Eakin</a> wasn't sugarcoating how he felt about his performance at the week-long camp. "I’m not in the best shape; there’s no excuse for it," Eakin said.</div>
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Though he did have a bit of an excuse: his season had just finished five weeks prior. While other players were in the gym doing their offseason training, Eakin was still on the ice, competing for a Memorial Cup.</div>
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Even though Eakin didn't stand out as much as he had in previous development camps, Coach Bruce Boudreau stood behind the rookie. "I’m not at all disappointed in Cody," Boudreau said. "Sometimes we forget he just finished playing five weeks ago. I thought he competed hard, but I think he’ll be better in September."</div>
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Boudreau explained how Eakin could look so out of shape after finishing up his last year of junior hockey. "Hockey is such a draining sport to keep going at the same level that you’ve been at, for 12 months is difficult," he said. "I'm not making an excuse for [Eakin], because he didn’t have a bad camp at all, but at the same time, maybe the expectations from everybody else around him are so great that I think he’s going to come and tear it up."</div>
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"Tear it up" he didn't, but coming into this week's rookie camp, Eakin was more prepared to compete for a roster spot. As Boudreau said Monday, "His goal, being a graduate of junior hockey, was not the [development] camp, his goal was <i>this</i> camp." </div>
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After development camp, Eakin was happy to get into a more consistent offseason routine, spending five days a week in the gym, instead of just resting as he had in the weeks between the Memorial Cup and development camp. He arrived a few days early and joined informal skates with some of the team's veterans ahead of official camp.</div>
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Sunday, Eakin spoke about how his own disappointment in development camp propelled his offseason training routine. "I think development camp scared me the most, obviously not having a lot of time before that and coming in not in the best shape," Eakin said. "The whole summer, that was in the back of my head giving me the extra motivation."</div>
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His improved conditioning and focus has been immediately noticeable at rookie camp. "He's in great shape. You can tell he's determined. He's here to fight for a job, and he's putting his best foot forward," Coach Boudreau said. "You can see a little bit more determination on his face."</div>
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While Eakin looks good so far in practices, Boudreau knows that it will probably take a few preseason games to tell if he's ready for the NHL.</div>
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"He's going to be a good one," Boudreau said. "It's just a matter of is it going to take a little time, or is it now?"</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-85856891370625596642011-09-07T12:28:00.002-05:002018-04-10T22:25:12.686-05:00A Tragic Day<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I don't know if he was fan or friend, but shortly after the Capitals took the ice to skate this morning, a man in the stands waved and yelled Alex Ovechkin over to the tunnel that splits the Kettler bleachers. </div>
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At first I thought he was asking for an autograph. But the two briefly exchanged words, and Ovechkin leaped back onto the ice and shouted over to Stanislav Galiev and Dmitri Orlov, who had just gotten onto the bench.</div>
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Ovechkin spoke with them for a moment, and Galiev, who had been standing, immediately sat down on the bench. Ovechkin left the ice and went back to the dressing room. A few seconds later, Orlov and Galiev followed him to the dressing room.</div>
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The news of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/europe/08russia.html" target="_blank">plane crash that killed most of the KHL team Yaroslavl Lokomotiv</a>, coaches, and of course flight crew had just hit Twitter about 10 minutes before the Capitals began their morning skate. The man had been telling Ovechkin about the tragic accident.</div>
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The Russians took a few minutes in the dressing room to collect their thoughts, perhaps make some phone calls back home, and they returned to the ice about five minutes later.</div>
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Ovechkin, I think, put on a brave face for the two young Russian rookies. During a scrimmage, he was his usual self, hollering after scoring a goal. Galiev was visibly upset throughout the skate, but seemed to be comforted by the recent arrival of friend Cody Eakin, who joined practice for the first time today. Orlov was reserved, but focused his attention on the task at hand.</div>
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Ovechkin did leave the ice much earlier than his teammates. He returned to the bench in regular clothing while the skate was still going on, and spoke some more with Galiev and Orlov, as well as Jeff Halpern. While he was talking with them, Halpern was shaking his head in disbelief.</div>
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All three Russians had friends or national teammates on the flight. Nicklas Backstrom and Tomas Vokoun also had friends on board the plane.</div>
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Right now, it shouldn't matter if these players ever made it to the NHL or not. These men were fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, and friends. In a truly horrific offseason, we mourn the lives of those lost today.</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-83186896653873988792011-09-03T13:21:00.001-05:002011-09-03T13:25:40.616-05:00Focus on Prospects: Patrick Wey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3Bh2iUKCNjwS3mXC3EFZSyJi6d6cRvVHXB9aKgaufXrAh3sDWd8XMtF_uKhe7eJfN57WRhqL6Xr99lJ3PepOzseUkzToX5ez2xbjIvMgutCjEpFAwEHYidztE_HQeoRZxvPST_HgOZZx/s1600/WeyWeb_2011WJC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3Bh2iUKCNjwS3mXC3EFZSyJi6d6cRvVHXB9aKgaufXrAh3sDWd8XMtF_uKhe7eJfN57WRhqL6Xr99lJ3PepOzseUkzToX5ez2xbjIvMgutCjEpFAwEHYidztE_HQeoRZxvPST_HgOZZx/s320/WeyWeb_2011WJC.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">photo by <a href="http://www.usahockey.com/world_junior_championship_2011/default.aspx?id=296142&DetailedNews=yes">USA Hockey</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Name: Patrick Wey</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Position: D</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Shoots: Right</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Height: 6'2"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Weight: 210 lbs</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Birthdate: 1991-03-21</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hometown: </span><span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">Mt. Lebanon, PA</span></div>
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">I've noticed that more attention is generally given to prospects that come out of Canadian major junior - think <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475236">Cody Eakin</a>, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475816">Stanislav Galiev</a>, even <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474590">John Carlson</a> several years ago as a member of the <a href="http://www.londonknights.com/">London Knights</a>. But the Capitals possess strong prospects that are currently playing college hockey. Like <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475275">Patrick Wey</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">Wey was selected by the Capitals in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in the 4th round at 115th overall. He enters his junior year at <a href="http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/mtt/wey_patrick00.html">Boston College</a> this fall. As a freshman at BC, he was part of the Eagles team that won the 2010 NCAA Division I championship. He was also part of the bronze medal-winning Team USA in the 2011 World Junior Championships.</span><br />
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">After being invited to WJC camp the previous year only to be sent home, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1792327934681">Wey said</a> that making the 2011 World Junior team was "unexpected." "Going into the camp, I didn't really expect to have a great shot at making the team," he said. "As it turned out, I made it, and it was a tremendous experience."</span><br />
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">Wey was held pointless in six games, but he is not the type of player to put up big points. A puck-moving defenseman, he's more stay-at-home than drive to the net to score. Though Wey was just +4 his freshman year, he only played 27 games, missing 15 due to illness and injury (a broken wrist and concussion topped off with mononucleosis before the Frozen Four tournament).</span></div>
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">He bounced back strong his sophomore year, ending up +20 in 37 games. He added a goal and 7 assists to his stats that year. He continues to get more comfortable with the speed typical of higher leagues. Going into college from the USHL, Wey indicated that the speed in college threw him for a loop as he adjusted from major junior. His experience at the 2011 World Juniors shows that he has even further adjusted to a faster-paced game, as he held his own playing against the best in the world in his age group.</span></div>
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: small;">Wey possesses ideal size and speed to play at a higher level, and it's not unreasonable to assume that the Capitals will sign Wey after he graduates in two years. Depending on how well he's developed, he could transition quite well to the Bears, and possibly the Capitals.</span></div>
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<span class="roster_bold" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Wey certainly has the motivation and energy to make it. After an afternoon scrimmage at this summer's development camp, Wey said that he couldn't even take a nap before the scrimmage, explaining, "I was so excited."</span></span></div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-5608561704962197852011-08-24T12:54:00.005-05:002011-08-26T22:56:12.378-05:00Pre-Camp Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnxrHI8CqhSo8oEWcaN-oGIOkDmub1dV_xdnoTIX5sd1xCbT-SKdZGzeJ2RbvDg9RVONbjBVQ4L4W3_t_yxmAzXEzQd1fn3IOJ3DaE-YYE3xpI0lUy9oNmegovilZ2lj0eUTHVe-0bumi/s1600/P1020054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnxrHI8CqhSo8oEWcaN-oGIOkDmub1dV_xdnoTIX5sd1xCbT-SKdZGzeJ2RbvDg9RVONbjBVQ4L4W3_t_yxmAzXEzQd1fn3IOJ3DaE-YYE3xpI0lUy9oNmegovilZ2lj0eUTHVe-0bumi/s400/P1020054.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Galiev signs his contract, Neuvy hits DC</span></i></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The QMJHL's preseason is already in swing, and Capitals prospect <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475912">Sam Carrier</a> has started with his new team, <a href="http://www.le-drakkar.com/main/index">Baie-Comeau Drakkar</a>. Drakkar played their first preaseason game on Friday, August 19, and Carrier made his debut in style - he scored one goal and two assists in a 6-2 win over Chicoutimi. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He also wore an A on his sweater for the game, which may or may not indicate that he will be an alternate captain for the coming season. Drakkar played another game against Chicoutimi on Sunday, but Carrier did not play in that game.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The OHL and the WHL do not begin their preseasons until next week.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Over the past few days, a group of players consisting of <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474590">John Carlson</a>, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8468611">Matt Hendricks</a>, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8467831">Jeff Halpern</a>, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475816">Stanislav Galiev</a>, <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475200">Dmitri Orlov</a>, and former Capitals goaltender <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8462161">Brent Johnson</a> have been practicing at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Today there was a new arrival at the rink: <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473607">Michal Neuvirth</a> joined the group (about halfway through the skate) for the first time this summer, flying in from the Czech Republic earlier this week.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hendricks led drills this morning, and they concluded their skate with a modified game of shinny, setting up goalposts on the opposite ends of one zone of the ice. Coach Bob Woods' son <a href="http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-hockey/mtt/woods_brendan00.html">Brendan</a>, who plays hockey at Wisconsin, also participated in the skate. Woods was a free agent invitee to Capitals development camp in 2010.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After the skate this morning, Stanislav Galiev tweeted that he had signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A few photos from today's skate are </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikas66/sets/72157627509520244/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.</span>Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-1891832029993384492011-07-15T18:33:00.002-05:002018-04-10T22:58:31.281-05:00T.J. Syner Makes Up for Size with Strength<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5931058325_06cc984c70_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5931058325_06cc984c70_o.jpg" height="266" width="400"> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>photo by Bridget Samuels/bridgetds</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=107559">T.J. Syner</a>, a free agent attending UMass-Amherst, is an interesting player in this year's development camp. He possesses staggering speed and is built like a football player, with one exception: he's 5'6".</div>
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Looking up to smaller players who succeed in the NHL like <a href="http://lightning.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8466378">Martin St. Louis</a> has given Syner the motivation to make himself the best hockey player he can. "The guy's done unbelievable as a career, especially for his size," Syner says of St. Louis. "Going out there and being able to battle like he does every night just amazes me. I definitely look up to him and the style he plays."</div>
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Syner has explosive speed, and works hard to keep it that way. Before coming to camp, he says he "did a few power skating lessons just to get back on the ice." He worked with a coach near his hometown who also coaches figure skating, which might explain Syner's smooth stride. He's also very strong, which is important for a smaller player, as it makes him that much more difficult to knock off the puck.</div>
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His speed is also valuable on special teams, and UMass head coach Don Cahoon feels comfortable putting him on the ice in all situations. Last year, Syner scored four power play goals and one shorthanded goal. </div>
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The one area where he's been trying to improve is his scoring. While his point total has increased each year at UMass-Amherst (27 points last season), Syner is looking for his upcoming senior year to be the best yet in a big way. His coach has urged him to shoot more so the scoring will come.</div>
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"I've been trying to make steps, hopefully a bigger step next year, [my scoring] only increased a little bit each year," Syner said. "I played a lot last year and hopefully I'm going to get that same opportunity this year. It will play a big factor, a little bit more confidence, and definitely shooting the puck more, and hopefully produce points."</div>
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Syner is also looking to remain a mentor for younger players coming into the UMass program. A co-captain last season, Syner hopes to have a captaincy role again. Even if not, he's happy to play the role of an older player leading by example. </div>
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"We had 13, 14 freshmen last year so I kind of played that [leadership] role all last year," Syner said. "Every freshman looks up to a senior coming in, so you definitely gotta play the role and hopefully being a captain again, they'll look up to you and you just got to set the example for them."</div>
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Syner will be heading into his senior year with an NHL development camp under his belt - another learning experience to impart on younger players. Not to mention a boost of confidence that may just help him score the goals he's looking for. With one day left to go, Syner has found camp difficult but rewarding.</div>
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"It's been awesome; it's tough. I'm going to be honest, it's a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. The skating's been really hard and challenging, but it's a great way to get in shape," Syner said. "This overall experience has been unbelievable."</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587595263107056948.post-65261201384337548422011-07-14T15:44:00.009-05:002018-12-08T20:32:22.780-06:00Observations from Scrimmage #2<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Just a couple of quick notes as today was the second scrimmage and also the shortest day of development camp. <br />
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<li><a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8476329">Travis Boyd</a> is <a href="http://ravingsofarinkrebel.blogspot.com/2011/06/focus-on-prospects-travis-boyd.html">unbelievable</a>. He has incredible hockey sense and vision way beyond his 17 years. He has the innate ability to see exactly how a play is forming, and set up several chances and goals.</li>
<li><a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475200">Dmitri Orlov</a> is very strong and makes great hits, but if he has the puck, he carries it way too far into the zone, nearly to the crease sometimes. It leaves just one defenseman back at the blue line, and if a breakaway forms the other way, Orlov is totally behind the play and in trouble. He has to learn how to reel in his excitement for contributing offensively and find a balance between contributing while remaining defensive-minded. I'm sure the coaches will try to get him to adjust that aspect of his game.</li>
<li>Someone I may try to talk to at some point is <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=107559">T.J. Syner</a>. He's very small (probably 5'6") but he's incredibly fast and very strong. I'm not sure if he's contributed any points in scrimmages (scoring is not being announced in the rink after goals), but he has an interesting skill set.</li>
<li><a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475291">Garrett Mitchell</a>'s shootout goal was <i>gorgeous</i>. A Twitter follower compared it to <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8468611">Matt Hendricks</a>' chosen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH-sZqkCz50">shootout move</a>, and I don't disagree. He scored the lone shootout goal to win the scrimmage for Group A.</li>
<li><a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475831">Philipp Grubauer</a> has been getting better every day. He was very sharp in the scrimmage. He stopped all shootout attempts, even boldly slapping away with his stick <a href="http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475816">Stanislav Galiev</a>'s attempt. (<a href="http://youtu.be/CE5dAh9psJw">a wonderful YouTube user got video</a> of the whole shootout, catching Mitchell's lovely goal at about 0:48 and Grubauer slapping the puck right out out Galiev's grasp at 1:19)</li>
<li>There were two fights in today's game, both involving <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=94054">Scott Wietecha</a>. He fought both Garrett Mitchell and later, <a href="http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=96341">Danick Paquette</a>. The fight with Mitchell was fairly tame, just a little bit of grappling, and the two were separated. The fight with Paquette was much more spirited. Paquette, in his area of expertise, was not hesitant to throw punches. Paquette got the take down, and Wietecha had to go to the dressing room for repairs. When he returned, his right eye was already massively swollen and it looked like he also had a cut above his eye.</li>
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Danick Paquette met the media after the scrimmage, and went to the main focus area in front of all the cameras and lights. As he approached the microphone, he was slightly awed that he was getting the attention, and said (my audio was not on at the time), "I feel like President!"<br />
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And now, presented without further comment: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/rinkrebel/danick-paquette" target="_blank">Danick Paquette</a>.</div>
Erika Schnurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13062846724641766548noreply@blogger.com0