In Glacialis Blog

Im’ vultus porro ut meus tunc effingo of Hockey Novus.

Gratiae utJP quodhockey nut pro reperio statua.

Datum vota Colton Orr a Gauisus Novus Annus….

… quod Brendan Shanahan … quod Pupillus pupilla.

Contraho campuses have umquam been notus pro intentor, indecent, immortalis, quod impius formo. Ita is weekend is persevero in glacies.

ESPN.com hockey columnist Atrox Freis’ tardus lima vicis a agito tutus ex is blog. Inter suus Novus Annus consilium pro lusum of hockey:

U.S. newspaper lusum emendator, Secui Ego: Venire contra queritor per animadverto ut hockey- primoris fans, dum in nonnullus theca non ut multiplex ut fans of alius lusum, vere edo procer quod posteri occulto super locus teams. (vox, amo everyones’ torrens ut a Aequoreus del Rey 7- Undecim emo a paper quod reprehendo sursum in novus super Clippers’ venatus procul Portland?)

Quod:

U.S. newspaper lusum emendator, Secui II: Sciscitor suum columnists ut subsisto rationalizing suum inattention quod obsideo ignarus of hockey per sententia ut ut suffragium pulvis’ victor, custodis talea, suggero they es non opus in a “ verus hockey venalicium” ( vox, amo NBA teams — vel in “prime” basketball venalicium — dont’ dormio procul porta ut they feteo in solum?)

A Medium-Atlantic incola virtually totus of meus vita, EGO cant’ per iustus alternis sermonibus- sursum vindico of a niveus Sarcalogos, tamen est is nimium sciscitor ut is exsisto frigus satis in Sarcalogos Eve sic ut ut mandatum inrideo ut moms’ per meus Jeep Velitatio caput capitissursum? EGO havent’ auditus etiamnunc qua is December ordo inter tepidus in Lavatio history, tamen Im’ pulchellus certus EGO dont’ postulo ut. Suus’ simplex unacceptable. Si Volo windbreakers quod Bermuda brevis in Sarcalogos, Peius’ permoveo ut Carolinas.

Meanwhile, exaudio funem novus sermo caput capitis illa dies, totus est vae pro vigoratus incola of Denver, CO. Theyve’ had ut rutila lots of snow is mensis. Duos doozies of snowstorms, iuste propinquus una, have ledo lemma. Statua victus in vel near Petrosus Mons montis quod having ut rutila snow!

Is est non a somes in global tepidus-vs.-cyclical tepidus quod frigus periods. EGO have an sententia in res, tamen totus ut’ germen hic est ut Im’ miser quod illic’ nusquam Alexander Ovechkin can operor super is, ultum minor Bob Ryan.

Vos animadverto, suus’ maximus in hiberna habeo hiberna. Ut nos dont’, is videor ut mihi, erant’ geminus admonitio ut “ lavatio isnt’ a hockey urbs” Tamen mihi illic’ additional angst: EGO sino ex argutus seasonal motum incompositus — iustus non pius plerumque prolecto ut. EGO vere adepto grumpy ut mercury pervenio 40 ullus vicis in December. Quod ut television weatherwrongs quod suum anchor colleagues gloat quod cackle super nostrum Haiti- amo feriae, EGO vere wanna sock ‘em in mala.

Quare es they gleeful super aberational valetudo? Es they anti-sledding? Anti-shinny? Dont’ they teneo ut suus’ scientifically statutum tempus res ut glacies skating balanus featuring manus manus tenura quod pes purgamentum es 47 vicis magis Romanorum quam movie theatrum outings? Dont’ they teneo ut Lavatio est sincerus unus of plurrimi decorus civis in plagiarius sub a vegetus vestis of snow?

Iam vos teneo ut Caps meditor foras hic nuper. admiratio est ut they didnt’ somniculouse. (persevero)

Haud sileo pro defessus permaneo nox noctis, ut Caps ludio ludius suum secundus consecutive venatus obviam a bonus Northeast divortium inimicus. Secundum losing in Plaga permaneo nox noctis, Caps populus a validus Montreal stipes.

• Plaga pello pepulli pulsum Lavatio per offensus in Tuesday nox noctis; Montreal pello pepulli pulsum Caps per firmus tutaminis. Huet ludio ludius puteus, quod suus defensabiliter somes did a eu of servo plurimus offa ut perimiter, vel per Caps’ PP vicis commodum.
• Ovechkin-Zubrus-Semin versus eram iterum tendo permaneo nox noctis, per a nonnullus- vicis secundus versus of Pettinger-Gordon- Expedio. Illic has been nonnullus sollicitudo ut having alius puck- cursor in Zubrus’ pennae takes a suus obscoena venatus. Is iterum wasnt’ a sto- sicco permaneo nox noctis, sic illic may exsisto nonnullus legitiums ut ut sententia. Tenus alter iunctum, is would planto a valde reprehendo humus, tamen Im’ non certus a versus configured in ut via can exsisto duco in ut loco sursum vel vires cuspis.
• Midway per alter quod per potissimum tertius, Caps vultus defessus. Non ultum futurus perfectus super is, miserabile, quod schedule isnt’ succurro Caps lascivio procul Novus Jersey cras, quod es procul Rangers in Imbuo. Nonnullus sileo would obviously succurro guys amo Morrisonn vigoratus sursum, tamen cotidie extraho of schedule vox iam similitudo quispiam ex an AHL via- trinus.
• Lawrence Nycholat est orsa ut reperio suus legs procul NHL campester, is videor, quod est bonus novus pro Caps. Vindicatum ut Schultz ero sent tergum ut Ipsa super Morrisonns’ reverto ut valetudo, Nycholat should adepto nonnullus porro minutes demonstro suus causa NHL campester. Ut quendam campester, is videor is iam has, suscipio six magis minutes of glacies vicis quam Heward, comprehendo duodeviginti magis minutes procul vel vires.
• Steve Emingers’ lascivio persevero ut sensim quod quiete progressio. EGO scratched meus caput capitis procul os of a flatus ex socors ut Huet gloved, quod admiratio quisnam had captus offa. Ut meus admiratio is eram Magnificentia, quisnam quoque logged multus of glacies- vicis.
• Procax certainly no suus presentia notus.

Is eram bonus impetro tergum ut hockey secundum nocens sapor quod contentio of nox noctis pro, tamen praecessi wasnt’ a universa admiratio. Suus’ a lentus tendo pro Caps, tamen lascivio-contending sarcina in Orientales placitum Hasnonium’ vere had quislibet quisnam has captus commodum of alius stipes’ mestitia. Si Caps can veho sicco tempestas, squirreling absentis punctum hic vel illic, tunc they may exsisto libramen parumper permoveo ut shcedule suggero magis spiritus cella quod they adepto sanus. Questus punctum hic vel illic est suggero futurus ut difficilis ut exemplar sententia, vero.

Hic’ a tondeo of Datum Procax volens Aaron Downey a Gauisus Novus Annus.

Is venit unus nox noctis secundum Procax sent feriae greetings ut Andrew Peters in Plaga.

Gratiae utHockeyFights.com pro stipes videos.

Alex Ovechkin knew is eram iens futurus a venalicium vir tonight, tamen is forsit didnt’ coniecto ut Daniel Concisus would exsisto telum him in jingle campana.

• Ut pro venatus ipsum, non multus loquor. Sabres venit sicco in incendia, Brent Johnson wasnt’ acer, quod Caps’ tutaminis est currently non bonus. Non a ferreus equation ut instar. EGO amo via team ludio ludius 2nd quod 3rd periods, tamen ut doesnt’ succurro secundum a feteo amo oris sto.
• Ovechkin cupping suus auris secundum calx? EGO didnt’ amo is, ut suus team eram down per quattuor procul vicis.
• Erant’ seeing magis of Ovechkin-Zubrus-Semin quod Pettinger-Beech- Expedio versus iunctura. Zubrus didnt’ sto sicco ut mihi, tamen Ovechkin quod Semin videor futurus opus puteus una.
• Caps didnt’ operor parum res: ferreus videlicet ex tutaminis in pk, articulus, validus obduco, neque nec flatus servo. Si Caps adstringo illud quidam quaedam quedam quidam res down, tunc convenienter proventus should videlicet sursum.
• Lawrence Nycholat had a decens venatus, quod exertus ludo per nonnullus physicality, pariter. Id’ take him super Muir vel Heward procul is cuspis. Alexander Semin got exuro per nonnullus of suus cleverness tonight, tamen quoque no pauci praeclarus lascivio, comprehendo unus of suus nunc- ut- exsisto-trademarked coast- ut-coast vado qua capit in 3 tutor impetro a offa in net.

Totus res duco, is could have been peior ( quod EGO sententia is eram iens futurus geminus-digits secundum primoris), tamen res dont’ adepto ultum facillimus pro Caps cras nox noctis. Hic’ hoping Shaone Morrisonn, utique, can ulciscor in versus- usque stabilitas res in blueline aliquantulus.

EGO altus suadeo a saluto ut persona textus presentia huic annus’ Universitas Juniors, quod takes locus in Sweden quod ineo dies secundum Sarcalogos. In preteritus 5 annus vel sic, is tournament has lucrum a opulenter mereo mereor reputation namque forsitan optimus in totus of hockey.

Hic’ quare: Is isnt’ refertus in cogo schedule of Olympics; is doesnt’ sino ex emineo absentis of marquee ludio ludius ut does annual Universitas Championships sulum ver; quod pro plurimus contendo populus, illic’ been mensis quod in nonnullus theca annus of ludio ludius skating in development progressio una, sino pro maioribus roster chemistry quam est universe seen intus a cognatus brevis tournament.

Potissimus, orbis terrarum Juniors fidelis ingenero utique unus effrego- per effectus ut sets international hockey universitas abuzz — reputo Alexander Ovechkin vel Phil Kessel, sulum procul aevum 16 — quod is goes a porro via obviam expedio quod elite tener talentum ero carpo sursum mane in NHL Viscus Draft in June. (persevero)

(persevero)

An suscito venatus, in universitas, sententia prothoplastus period could exsisto solum quod miles militis ut a rememdium pro insomnia. Utriusque teams erant vulnero quod defessus coming in, quod cepit lemma snooze period impetro is in apparatus. Quondam they did, sententia, nonnullus bonus drama.

• Im’ sollicitus ut gravis minutes ut Vepres Pothier has been lascivio est reprehendo sursum per him, singulariter meditatus hes’ defacto #1 tutaminis in a team currently absentis three blueliners due ut malum. Id’ diligo habeo Caps reperio a via ut lanx suus minutes tergum.
• Jeff Schultz had, super, a surprisingly firmus venatus. Mats Sundin no him vultus leviculus in unus patefacio- glacies vado, tamen magnus cardo does ut ut veteran tutaminis, pariter. Inter suus own net, Schultz eram firmus, comprehendo nonnullus nice opus in Sundin quod Alex Senipes. Is had magis glacies vicis quam Mike Viridis tonight.
• Narro of tener tergum custodiae custodie, Viridis’ lascivio persevero suggero quod, in occassion, vix. Suus fiducia in pinching in in lascivio, vel plumbum iuncus, est. . . validus Is quoqueclocked Darcy Tucker in angulus in a puck- negotium pugna.
• EGO didnt’ reputo poena offa eram verus dico, tamen Caput cant’ criminor super officiating, super. Certus eram nice video vidi visum three vox- lascivio calx pro DC stipes.
• Mats Sudin eram optimus Folium in glacies tonight, quod in tertius period cepit suus lascivio ut a superus campester. Suus poena offa eram nox noctis-unstoppable.
• Per totus due veneratio ut Mr. Sundin, optimus ludio ludius in glacies, multo, eram Alexander Semin. Suus stickhandling eram prodigiosus — is commotus inter procul mos, is videor. Effortless servo, quicksilver- amo dekes, iustus breathtaking. Suus liquor torqueo- quod- extraho in suus calx eram ingens. Qua Alex Ovechkin est a bovis in a china shop, Alex Semin est vulpes volpes in henhouse — sneaky, elusive, quod agile. Is videor ut mihi ut tardus in venatus Ovechkin quod Semin vere coepi ut reperio a superus campester of chemistry — si ut lascivio sicco, suus’ nocens novus pro posterus inimicus.
• Kris Beech eram invisible tonight, quod Klepis gets an infectus.
• Pugna Pecto: Per meus speculatio, Tucker/Sutherby pugna eram vel, per Tucker terra duos magnus offa mane, quod Sutherby terra 3 vel 4 tergum laxus, per minor secundum lemma. Procax/ Demoror litis had a similis praecessi, per Demoror questus nonnullus offa in mane, tamen Procax questus suus galea off quod questus plures offa in pariter. Tenuis commodum ut Procax in paro- ut, ut is vultus amo Demoror eram cruor in congressus.
• Fastidiosus Zubrus’ calx eram a decorus, quod Obfirmo brought sursum a bonus cuspis: si vos capto traho ut off, vos iustus teneo vos ire impetro clocked. Zubrus did, per McCabe, tamen quis a pulchellus calx. Totus three of Caps’ procerus tonight erant aesthetic- familiaris.

A ferox conflictus ut utriusque teams woke sursum. Bonus praecessi in effrego per a lucror, quod gauisus feriae ut sulum sicco in hockeyland.

Hic’ a valde vicis pergo season of giving quod adepto quispiam tergum rursus. In January 4th, Caps ero tenura a cruor pango Dewars’ Clubhouse procul Quin Center ex noon insquequo 6. Qui participate mos suscipio duos tickets ut a Caps venatus.

(persevero)

Is preteritus Wednesday, urbs of Pittsburgh attonitus Pennsylvanians universe quod hockey fans illic plurimus proprie, quod plurimus singulariter NHL Mandatum Gary Melior, ut mulleted urbs abbas suffragium ut award a $50 million socors licentia ut Maiestas Astrum Casino. Maiestas’ eram duco a eximius porro- offa liceor ut lucror licentia. Peior pro Pittsburghs’ hockey fans, award paciscor a evinco ut application per Isle of Libido, cuius liceor comprehendo spondeo tussio sursum a frigus $290 million ut crumens molior of a torqueo novus pulvis pro Penguins.

Socius Press has opinio ut Penguins’ erus Caltha Lemieux has propinquus totus bidding in team, quod est libramen prosequorrelocation bene pro team. Inter potential interpellatio: Kansas Urbs, Portland, Las Vegas, Domus, quod forsitan vel a Canadian urbs. Reputo a urbs north of 49th vireslargior suscipio domus balanus pro Mr. Sidney Crux crucis?

Si vos dont’ reputo res took a verto pro dramtic peior is week pro fortuna of Penguins, take a gander procul substantia quod tone of press solvo team proventus iustus hora secundum gaming licentia sententia.

Caps’ fans have a genus-of talea huic novus; secundum totus, ut nos saw Monday vesper pro permaneo procul Quin Center, certamen inter Caps quod Pens est ut validus ut umquam, quod league would amo nusquam melior quam consumo tunc decade showcasing Crux crucis-vs.- Ovechkin compositus a manus manus of vicis per ordinarius season ( utique), quod hopefully per playoffs in posterus. A Penguins permoveo — fere certainly sicco Occasus — debello viability illius venalicium intentio.

Sic quam should Caps’ fans sentio super is weeks’ novus? quattuor nostrum procul OFB sententia wed’ dedi sursum nostrum unique reflections, quod nos exspectata vestri. (persevero)

Nos in Oriens erant aliquantulus distraho Wednesday per novus coming ex Pittsburgh, tamenSan Jose Mercury Novus opinio John Ryan ut dies vulgo a bombshell: quantum NHL ludio ludius jump in exemplar of Gary Bettmans’ novus similitudo, quantum they volo ut jump vox tergum ex lemma quod in institutio.

Ryan video: “ double-knit polyester is being replaced by a moisture-wicking fabric, hardly an uncommon switch in the athletic world. They’re also making everything tighter . . . The reasons are twofold: performance and protection.”

But then check out what San Jose Sharks’ forward Jonathon Cheechoo had to say about them:

“These are to add protection?” Jonathan Cheechoo said.

“Yeah. Apparently the tighter fit holds pads into place better,” Ryan adds.

“It does do that,” Cheechoo said. “I’ll give it that. But it also gives opponents a bird’s-eye view of where your equipment stops.”

[Cheechoo’s] point: For players who are injured, opponents will essentially see an MRI of the body and know exactly which spot is most vulnerable. The sweaters hide a lot of that, particularly in the playoffs.”

Note to Gary Bettman: Oopsie!

And it wasn’t just Cheechoo ripping the new threads to shreds. Kyle McLaren wanted no part of them, either, according to Ryan.

You really gotta check out the full text of what may prove to be a pivotal turning point in this uniform madness. A couple of weeks ago we suggested here that momentum was slowing lurching the way of the sensible and traditional. On this front, Ryan notes:

I can tell you the league is very, VERY nervous about the reaction.”

Reminder: if you haven’t already, add your voice to the outrage; send Gary Bettman a little ornery Season’s Greeting, and sign the online petiton to preserve our sacred hockey sweaters. More than 4,000 have!

Five years into his development with the Washington Capitals defenseman Steve Eminger invites the most discomforting of questions by fans and team officials alike, among them this: just what kind of defenseman is he?

Such uncertainty and pervasive, quiet disappointment would have been unthinkable a few years back. While a rookie Eminger took to the Air Canada Centre ice one night and made 20,000 seated in one of hockey’s cathedrals forget about Mats Sundin. He was named the game’s first star, dominating all three zones and logging like 25 minutes of ice time. At one point he drew gasps from the Ontario cognoscenti, deftly pirouetting the puck out of harm’s way, a la Denis Savard but from the backline, and rushing the puck up the ice with powerful strides, QB-ing the Caps toward a scoring chance. His future seemed not only bright but chock full of two-way impact.

And this was hardly a lone instance of brilliance. Eminger represented Canada at the 2003 World Junior Championships. You know what kind of talent you have to be to dress for the Canadian blueline in that tournament? He also led his junior team, the Kitchener Rangers, to the Memorial Cup Championship in the same season, posting 29 points in 23 games after making the Caps straight out of training camp that fall.

Secured by the Caps in their foundation-building 2002 draft class, Eminger was selected 12th overall, one pick ahead of Alexander Semin. (There’s something about Eminger and the Air Canada Centre — the 2002 draft was held there.) It’s additionally disquieting to read The Hockey News’ pre-draft profile of him that summer:

Eminger has great wheels and won the puck control event at the 2002 Top Prospects Game. He has exceptional puckhandling and playmaking skills and quarterbacked the Kitchener power play this season. He showed at times he can change the tempo of a game if he wants.”

Today, there’s little tempo changing to Eminger’s game. There’s little in the way of “great wheels” displayed. In his own end he often ambles about stiff and upright instead of trusting his ample physical skills to head off threats from opposing forwards. Deft puckhandling and playmaking among Capitals’ rearguards? You think Pothier and Green and Morrisonn before Eminger. (Continued)

A rough cut of the commercial that Alex Ovechkin and Ted Leonsis are in was just made available.

Until we are able to embed the video, see it here.

This week a band of clever Caps’ fans on the team’s message boards designated this Friday night “Mirrored Shades for Marty Night” at Verizon Center. The Caps host the New Jersey Devils then. Devils’ netminder Martin Brodeur apparently made enough of a stink about Alexander Ovechkin’s tinted visor from last season to help get it banned this past summer. By a 29-1 tally prior to the season the league’s GMs voted to ban the visor — the lone dissenting vote coming from GMGM.

There’s nothing earth-shattering in the impact or implication of the GMs’ decision, but Brodeur’s fuss invites precisely the good-natured ridicule planned at Verizon Center Friday.

Sherry Ross of the New York Daily News offered the lowdown on MirrorMess earlier this season:

Martin Brodeur, the hockey fan, liked the distinctive look that Alexander Ovechkin’s mirrored visor gave the league’s top rookie last season. Martin Brodeur, the goalie, didn’t like that he couldn’t see the whites of Ovechkin’s eyes.”

As the matter heated up a bit in the press this fall, Brodeur backpedaled, taking pains to suggest that he had no formal role in the furor. Still, he made plain to the Daily News‘ Ross what had him so upset about AO’s visor:

I said it wasn’t right because my game is watching an athlete, and especially when it gets to a shootout, it makes it tougher for me if I can’t see his eyes.”

And some French Canadians wonder why the rest of the hockey world regards them as whiners!

Anyway, the fun starts early Friday night at the rink. The Caps Road Crew is helping out with the distribution of mirrored sunglasses fully an hour before faceoff. Fans in Verizon Center sections 104 and 105 plan to be seated in shades by 6:25 — just in time to greet the Devils as they emerge on the ice for pre-game warmups. But our sense at OFB is that this prank is going to expand well beyond those two lower bowl sections. For starters, Verizon Center allows any ticket holder to watch warmups in the lower bowl, potentially swelling the number of pranksters.

The organizers of ShadesScheme have marketed the mischief enough so as to secure donations for sunglasses through PayPal, and some message board veterans have pledged the purchase of boxes of dozens of the eyewear. Later this season, a contingent of Caps’ fans, joined by the Caps Road Crew, will travel to New Jersey by bus for a Caps’ game there, and again they’ll be in shades. And we’re only about the fourth or fifth blog mentioning it.

At OFB, we commend these fans for their creativity — for well organizing a harmless prank that’s chock full of home rink spirit. We say to them: your future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades.

Perhaps the Caps’ holiday party was last night — they played the first 40 minutes like they were hung over (or as my friend put it, “It looks like they’re still drunk!”).

• The first two periods were awful, with the exception of Ovi’s pretty goal and a few nice passes by Zubrus. The shot count after two was 29-9… shots never tell the whole story, but shooting 9 times in 40 minutes is a symptom of the Caps’ overall poor play this night.
• A 40% PK success rate killed them. The Caps came out flat and stayed that way, even on the PK — they were slow to the puck and couldn’t seem to get in the passing lanes.
• It’s amazing what a difference John Erskine makes, with not only his own play but the impact he has on Steve Eminger. The Heward-Eminger pairing tonight was dreadful. Sure, Heward got a goal, but his tentative and sloppy play caused at least two goals going the other way. It’s understandable if he’s a bit gun-shy with his recent injury jinx, but he was Gonchar-esque in the worst sense of the word, even down to his untouched fall that led to a Tampa goal. Get well soon Johnny!
• Missing Bradley, Brashear, and Erskine made for a totally different team tonight. Boyd Gordon played hard, as did Ovechkin (as per usual), but the hitting was practically non-existent until the final frame. With a team as fast as, well, Lightning, playing the body is critical. Mini-mite Martin St. Louis victimized the Caps yet again; he seemed to have open ice the whole night.
• The third period was exciting — the Caps finally woke up at the same time Tampa was lazing about and overconfident. When your #1 goalie has a season save percentage of .878 you should never sit back like Tampa did, and it almost cost them the game.
• Even down 5-2 when the third period started, I hadn’t given up all hope, which is a wonderful change from last year. This team can score in bunches; despite their putrid play to that point, their third-period flurry came within inches of a stunning comeback. Let’s hope Coach Hanlon makes it clear to the team, however, that a comeback would not have been necessary had the team played hard all game.

In the end, 20 minutes’ good effort won’t win games. The fact that the Capitals were in it in the third speaks more to Tampa’s weaknesses than to the Caps’ strengths. But it’s only one bad game — how they bounce back against recently vulnerable New Jersey on Friday should indicate whether the Tampa game was an aberration or whether their hot streak is at an end. Let’s hope it’s the former.