Yardbarker: Washington Capitals

OFB Correspondent Saturday Night-Seated in a Hockey Cathedral

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:18:48 -0500

Alexandre Giroux apparently purchased 14 tickets for tonight’s game in Montreal. Mathieu Perreault was on the hook for 17. Our own Gary Kriebel purchased just two, for his wife and himself in a one-night getaway fit of fun from the far-reaching demands of domesticity. His aim is to provide updates about a wide range of Saturday night atmospherics not only on OFB’s Twitter account but directly here using his iPhone and a pretty cool Wordpress application. That’s the intent, a...

Perreault coming up big for Caps

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:45:00 -0500

When Mathieu Perreault found out he was going to join the Washington Capitals, he was told it might be only for two games but - just in case - to pack for a week. Well, that was more than three weeks ago, and Perreault is still here. The Caps have shuffled young forwards to and from Hershey to combat injuries since, but Perreault has become a fixture with his surprising play. "He's played well, and he doesn't have to go to waivers like Keith Aucoin did," coach Bruce Boudre...

It's looking like Ted Leonsis will be the next Wizards owner

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:30:19 -0500

None of this is official, of course, but both the Washington Post and Washington Times are reminding everyone that, in the wake of Abe Pollin's death, Ted Leonsis' group has dibs on the franchise and will likely exercise their first right to buy it. From the Times: The man who led a turnaround of the Washington Capitals likely will become owner of the city's NBA franchise now that Wizards owner Abe Pollin has died. As part of an agreement granting him the right of first re...

Our holiday hockey shirt guide, inspired by surging Ovi love

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:52:36 -0500

A few of these T-shirts were spotted after a recent Washington Capitals home game, as fans are obviously swelling with pride over Alex Ovechkin(notes)."Do you have a strange, pseudo-sexual devotion to a Russian professional athlete playing in your town or are you just happy to see me?"Well, never let it be said the Capitals fans are ashamed to stand up and be counted, although clearly this "Rock the Red" thing has been taken to new heights. Perhaps the most surprising thin...

Capitals Recall Alexandre Giroux

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:30:00 -0500

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled left wing Alexandre Giroux from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. Giroux (jhi-ROO), 28, wa...

Snapshot of Sacrifice

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:18:14 -0500

Imagine going on live TV with your jaw broken in two places and wired shut! That’s what Quintin Laing did with Comcast Sportsnet’s Lisa Hillary during the second intermission of last night’s 2-0 victory over Buffalo. I don’t know how much discomfort Lainger was in, but he managed to smile pretty much throughout the exchange. Hillary asked Lainger about the projected 4-6 week timeframe for his being sidelined, and in customary Lainger fashion he expressed the intent to ...

Jay Beagle Has Yet to Be ‘Hazed’

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:37:45 -0500

With eight NHL games under his belt, Capitals rookie Jay Beagle is well aware of what will be coming to him soon. No, he won’t be getting his head shaved, or getting tied to the goal post as teammates take shots. Instead, he’ll have to do what the Capitals have replaced with traditional hazing: Pick up [...]

Alzner Back in DC

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:43:58 -0500

The Washington Capitals have recalled Karl Alzner from the Hershey Bears today. With Tom Poti, Shaone Morrisonn, and Milan Jurcian all still day-to-day, Alzner may make his 09-10 season debut on the blueline tonight when the Caps host the Buffalo Sabres. ©2009 On Frozen Blog. All Rights Reserved..

The Legacy of a Favored Child: Abe Pollin’s Basketball and Hockey Teams

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:15 -0500

Parents take pains to shower — equally — their children with love. Children must be so loved. Woe is the child who feels slighted with respect to the love of mom and dad. An owner of two professional sports teams — say in professional basketball and hockey — could be said to preside over his sports assets as if they were his children. Lodging in the same arena, the same home, competing in the same calendar, the teams certainly shouldn’t be accorded any status o...

Ted Leonsis Statement on Abe Pollin

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:03:03 -0500

Here is Ted Leonsis’ statement on the passing of Abe Pollin, released by the Washington Capitals. Nov. 24, 2009 Ted Leonsis Majority Owner Lincoln Holdings Statement on the passing of Abe Pollin We are all saddened by the news of Mr. Pollin’s passing. We extend our deepest sympathies to Irene, Robert, Jimmy, the rest of the Pollin family and his many friends and join them, and all of Washington, in mourning a great man. Mr. Pollin was a model philanthropist, an icon in the sports...

Abe Pollin, RIP

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:43:00 -0500

There are a lot of RIP blog posts and columns this sad evening in the Nation's Capital regarding the passing of a great owner, the man who brought hockey and basketball to Washington and put us on the national sports map, and the man who singlehandedly revitalized a large swath of Northwest Washington and supported our great city in so many other ways, Abe Pollin.

I am a child of the 80s and 90s. I never saw the Caps or Bullets win a championship. Hell, I considered it fortunate when they made the playoffs. But I know for damn sure how high of esteem EVERYONE in DC held Abe Pollin.

Abe put DC on the major sports map. Before Abe, we had the Redskins and the Senators (two incarnations of which had left town). Abe brought the NBA Baltimore Bullets to town in the arena that he built entirely with his own funds, the Capital Centre. Abe was also awarded ownership of the expansion Washington Capitals. The highlight of his ownership of the Bullets was their 1979 NBA Championship; of his ownership of the Capitals was their 1998 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Later, Abe spent $200 million of his own money to build the MCI Center (now Verizon Center) on 7th Street in Northwest Washington. Contrary to popular belief, Verizon Center is not a publicly-funded arena. While the site of the arena is just a few blocks north of Pennsylvania Avenue and only about 12 blocks from the Capitol building, in the early 90s, prior to the building of the arena, the area was largely decrepit. It was Washington's Chinatown, and consisted of seedy restaurants and bars and wasn't all that safe after dark. Nowadays, the area is called "Penn Quarter," and is home to some of the priciest rents and arguably the most vibrant entertainment district in the City. Throngs of people line the streets, restaurants, and bars on game nights and concert nights. Verizon Center serves as the very model that many cities rely upon to justify the massive public expenditure on an arena in the hopes of revitalizing a portion of a city. I'll say it right here... the next owner of the arena and Wizards should return Verizon's naming rights money to them and rechristen the arena "Abe Pollin Arena."

Abe didn't just revitalize a section of Northwest Washington by building an entertainment home for the wealthy to come spend their dollars and sit in luxury boxes. Abe spent millions of his own dollars on supporting various charities in the DC area. He did so in a very quiet manner and nothing bore the Pollin name.

And let me take a moment of this rambling post to clarify one of the greatest myths about Abe's ownership of the Wizards. While I personally hate that the team's name was changed from Bullets to Wizards, the name change was not in response to gun violence in Washington, D.C. Rather, Abe was so moved by the assasination of his close personal friend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, that Abe changed the name to Wizards in the hopes of inspiring world peace and making one less popularized connotation to violence. As I read stories tonight, even the story on ESPN.com, it continues to spread the myth that the reason for the name change was gun violence in D.C. It was not the reason.

Abe, we DC sports fans will miss you. You da' man, you da' man. Or, as a caller to Sportstalk 980 put it so aptly tonight, you are a "mensch" of the truest form (Google it non-Jews).

Head to 1:58 for Abe's awkward white man rap dance

Caps Fans Light the Lamp

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:34:13 -0500

While the Washington Capitals have had a bad stretch of injuries and late-game collapses, Capitals fans have come up huge in this holiday season. Kudos to Caps fans who dug deep and gave to those less fortunate—something for which we can all be thankful. The Washington Capitals, Tires Plus, Bridgestone Tires, Comcast SportsNet, Mix 107.3 and the Edge 105.9 hosted a canned food drive at the Caps game against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 20 to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank. Caps fans d...

Trevor Bruess on the Board; Andrew Gordon Headed to HNIC

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:46:37 -0500

Late last night Hershey Bears’ General Manager Doug Yingst rang Andrew Gordon and ordered him to the airport, destination YYZ. He’ll be joining the Capitals for their Saturday night date with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Andrew has a penchant for being called up for big stages — his first NHL game, last season, took place in Madison Square Garden. But back in the American League, it was also a memorable night for first-year center Trevor Bruess, signed by t...

Hockey ‘n Heels: The Next Generation

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:45 -0500

Last night, I attended Hockey ‘N Heels at Kettler Capitals Iceplex with my partner-in-crime, Hockey Mom. The event, by all accounts, was a huge success. When tickets went on sale in October, they were gone in half an hour. Over 300 women were in attendance. Fehr's past meets his present Gabby signs a copy of his book Jay Beagle, Mathieu Perreault, Eric Fehr, and Tyler Sloan were there to assist with the on-ice demonstrations, but Peter Bondra was the guy everyone wanted to see...

Chris Clark: The Long Road to an Important Return

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:05:35 -0500

His return has been long in the making. After a career-year three years ago, Capitals’ Captain Chris Clark fairly faded into obscurity. Two groin pulls, a wrist injury, and a demotion to the third line later, the captain has finally made his return from the abyss to become a critical part of Washington’s team yet again. Three seasons ago, in just the second year of his tenure with the Capitals, Clark had been placed on the same line as the league’s brightest young star, Al...

Green’s Favorite Book: Jimi Hendrix

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:31:04 -0500

According to a recent newsletter sent out by the Washington Capitals, Mike Green’s favorite book is “Jimi Hendrix.” At first I thought they transposed the questions, but the next one was: Favorite music group? Answer: Jay-Z and Seether. Eager to find this book called “Jimi Hendrix,” I went to Amazon.com. With these results, I still wasn’t clear [...]

Capitals Call Carlson to the Bigs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:52 -0500

The Washington Capitals have recalled 6’3”, 208-pound defenseman John Carlson from Hershey. No word yet on whether Carlson will suit up when the Caps host the Montreal Canadiens Friday night, though with Milan Jurcina and Shaone Morrisonn both listed as day-to-day it seems Big John has a fair shot at hitting the ice. For more on our early impressions of Carlson, read our assessment of his performance in the Caps’ first exhibition game this season.

Knuble Out 3-4 Weeks

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:53:41 -0500

Capitals forward Mike Knuble won’t be making the trip to Jersey as he broke his finger Friday night in a 3-1 win against Minnesota. It happened in the first period during the power play as he crashed into the Wild net. The Capitals wouldn’t say which finger or which hand.

‘Tell Quintin Laing He’s My Favorite Player’

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:39:02 -0500

If you were to meet a professional hockey player, would your parting words be “Tell Quintin Laing he’s my favorite player”? That’s what I heard someone tell Matt Bradley the other night, and Bradley responded kindly, “I will.” Now, Quintin Laing is certainly a fan favorite, a gritty, shot-blocking, hard nosed player who deserves accolades, and my [...]

Matt Bradley Talks With Beer Leaguers

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:22:54 -0500

Gritty forward Matt Bradley stopped by The Gardens Ice House in Laurel on Nov. 9 to skate around with kids learning how to play, to sign autographs, and most importantly, to hang out with the captains of the beer league teams. Representing the Screaming Squirrels ice team, I had the opportunity to meet Matt and [...]