The captain of a hockey club obviously leads his teammates on the ice and in the dressing room, but his influence can extend outside an organization as well. During this afternoon's Caps' conference call to announce Chris Clark's contract extension, one that will keep him in D.C. through 2010-11, two things were readily apparent: (1) this captain feels very much at home in Washington -- "I love the area," he said; and (2) the moves Caps' management has made in the first half of the offseason played a determinative role in Clark's foregoing free agency next summer.

"We got what we needed," he told conference call participants, alluding to the team's free agent acquisitions. "I wanted to be a part of it, [of] where we're headed."

I especially liked this: "We're not a rebuilding team anymore."    

Earlier this offseason I wrote that we in D.C. were beginning to see a change not just in team logos and colors and roster names but in something more important: the Caps as less the perceived spinster seated in the dark at the dance and more the coveted cutiepie. (Kevin Lowe, for instance, might be more inclined to believe this this summer.)  

The 30-goal captain in the prime of his career was one year away from virtual Brinks Truck riches. He'll be very well paid as a hockey player here the next four years, but what was most important to him at this point in his career was remaining a Cap.