20 April, 2008

Mensis Archives: April 2008

“… nostrum blogosphere est maior quod melior quam suum blogosphere …”

Per Gustafsson
Sunday, April 20, 2008

Vos lego OFB, Off Pennae, Iocus’ Rink, Incomparabilis, quod magis. Es vos lectio blog per Ted Leonsis? Im’ non sermo superTeds’ Take… Im’ sermo super suus blog inUSA Hodie, Inside Proprietas’ Arca archa. Illic have been nonnullus absolute gems. Hic es pauci:

Dies 3: Imbuo, April 12 ( caput 5, Flyers 4)

EGO nimirum quoque had a Jesuit priest procul venatus [ permaneo nox noctis] nobis per per a lepus quod a Cupiditas priest opus in background. EGO occulto meus substructio per a superus dico. EGO wore exigo idem eadem idem induviae ( tenus underwear quod socks) utpote nos have won duodeviginti venatus in a row dum Ive’ been taedium is outfit.

Inside Erus Arca archa USA Hodie
Inside Erus Arca archa USA Hodie
dies 5: Monday, April 14

EGO sum disputatio utrum ut gero Rutilus in a obnoxius aedificium edificium. Is ero a venatus- vicis sententia.

Dies 6: Tuesday, April 15

Nos es sessio in a consentaneus EGO sit foris in patesco sessio quod vox tunc ut nonnullus Flyers fans; is est a fun usus insquequo unus of fans has pauci quoque plures beers —and screams in meus visio — ” Es vos non entertained!”. EGO summisse narro, ‘”OK Maximus —sit down quod take is securus —it est a porro serius” EGO complexo occasus; is est NHL lascivio hockey secundum totus.

Dies 10: Imbuo, April 19

EGO sum satus impetro spammed per Flyers fans iam. Pauci of lemma es pulchellus funny quod have vinco professio of purgamentum sermo — nonnullus have super-- caput capitis keyboard virtus quoque. Totus est mediocris in diligo quod bellum, EGO coniecto. Hic est a res EGO operor teneo — nostrum blogosphere est maior quod melior quam suum blogosphere, gratias ago vos summopere. Gratiae Flyers fans pro charisma adeo — EGO utor tergus quod continuo.

Nos devenio pulvis quod meus filius quod EGO vado infirmo manuum per nostrum coaching baculus. Nos animadverto Sergei Fedorov in aula. Is subsisto suus prolix quod adveho video vidi visum mihi, infirmo meus manus manus quod says “ gratias ago vos — is est adeo fun.” Inquam “ haud, gratias ago vos — EGO appreciate totus vos have perfectus quod mos operor pro nostrum team.” Nos hug quod is has a micans in suus oculus. Inquit, “ nos have valde fans — quod EGO diligo lascivio huic aedificium edificium”.

permaneo quattuor minutes of venatus es a blur — lots of sonitus, lots of offa in calx, lots of hitting quod nos traho is sicco! Nos lucror 3-2. EGO sum lenio … Nos vado tenus obfirmo cella quod team est totus res — haud celebrating a lucror, venatus visio etiam in quod they es iam meditatio quod preparing pro Monday nox noctis’ pugna in Philadelphia.

Dico mihi nos dont’ have frigus erus in totus of lusum. Operor vestri a ventus. Carpo alius vas of joe, click is link, quod utor.

Lima inBlogs, Interventus, Lavatio Caput, USA Hodie, Ted Leonsis, Philadelphia Flyers, Sto Vas Playoffs, Sergei Fedorov| Permalink| Ineo (0)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Lavatio Copiae copie Venatus 6: Caps 3 Flyers 2

Per OFB Team
Imbuo, April 19, 2008
Lima inLavatio Caput, Philadelphia Flyers, 2 Cuspis, Sto Vas Playoffs| Permalink| Ineo (3)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Patefacio Lima: Superstes Imbuo in Populus’ Caput

Per pucksandbooks
Imbuo, April 19, 2008

Backstrom Venatus 5 Calx Photo per Kate McGovern /OffWing.com/
Backstrom Venatus 5 Calx Photo per Kate McGovern/OffWing.com
Captus Metro ut a ago hockey venatus downtown ut suus cars es aer- valetudo est a novus usus huic novus interventus vir. Nimirum, inadvertently, Metro aer valetudo suus cars interdum in January quod February, tamen vos adepto meus cuspis.

Illic videor ubertas of diluo quod phasmatis inter Rutilus Populus in Chinatown hodie mane is meridianus. Forsitan suum phasmatis erant levo per quoque- in-- addo Anaheims’ effectus permaneo nox noctis.

Thursday meridianus EGO subsisto per Fangear shop inside Quin Center ut rutilus-shop pro prosapia, quod repono had been picked tersus fere ut patesco moenia of iunctum colo colui cultum. A procurator persolvo ut mihi ut is had suus fingers crux crucis pro reinforcement inventor in vicis pro hodie. EGO iustus subsisto down illic quod torqueo es teeming per “2008 Inferus Divortium Champions” t-shirts pariter ut Silicis Rutilus quod ludio ludius-personalized ones.

Illic es nonnullus in orange wigs quod Flyers colo colui cultum hic, tamen non prope quot ut EGO specto in lux lucis of quod suum team est in proverbial coegi’ sessio quod they had a sanus fragor procul venatus 5 tickets, quod ut venatus 1 quod 2 sessio went in venditio Philly didnt’ teneo quisnam suus primoris- rotundus inimicus would exsisto.

EGO ran in George McPhee iustus articulus abhinc quod asked him super Caps forsitan questus Magnus Joe Finley subcribo is ver. Is told mihi ut Caps ero sermo ut him quod ut theyre’ interested in questus him inked, tamen nusquam’ newsworthy procul is cuspis.

Ted volo a Rutilus domus, quod hes’ got is totus vox. Is may exsisto plurrimi infigo ostendo ut balanus per Rutilus Populus. Mike Milbury quod Pierre McGuire erant forte down procul glacies campester pro NBCs’ plumbum- in, per McGuire EGO volo detailing a sanus plurality of orange in aedificium edificium. (illic est basically nullus)

sublimis Semin est tergum procul is, transporto a ingurgito crux crucis- glacies obduco ut Nicklas Backstrom laniatus domus altus in 5- in-3 vox lascivio. Im’ iens ut exsisto interested video vidi visum quantus glacies vicis Loquax dat #28, causa hesbeen’ optimus ludio ludius in rutilus is serius.

Ut celebratory rutilus thundersticks erigo raucousness, EGO scisco Eric McErlain, sessio tunc ut mihi, si is aedificium edificium hodie est louder quam per ‘98 Vas denique.

“utique ut loud,” is restituo. “ attonbitus eram iustus a mico in nostrum oculus tunc” is added per a frendo.

EGO reputo per prothoplastus period nos saw forsitan Caps’ optimus period of serius — proprie dum skating 5- in-5. Flyers’ pressure in Caps’ plaga eram angustus ut suum lone vox lascivio quod a concisus flurry in periods’ denique iugo of minutes. In cella, EGO gotta reputo Loquax est prex a revolvo effectus in alter sto. Persevero lectio›

Lima inLavatio Caput, Populus Hockey League, Prospicio, Orientales Placitum, Philadelphia Flyers, Sto Vas Playoffs, Joe Finley| Permalink| Ineo (6)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Positus Press pro Perreault

Per pucksandbooks
Imbuo, April 19, 2008

Mane is week Telegraph- Iter itineris of Sanctus John, Novus Brunswick, chronicled universa Q-League lascivio serius inter profundum Dogs quod Acadie Bathurst Titan, quod eliminted Titan quod sent Mathieu Perreault sarcina pro Ipsa. Take a inviso Testis Klinkenbergs’ genus of Perreault:

“ Titans’ Mathieu Perreault, meanwhile, eram fantastic, iustus ut is has been per serius quod universus season. Vultus tanquam sit promptus ut skate praeter Alex Ovechkin in Lavatio, Perrault flew sursum quod down glacies ut velociter ut currus Via Cursor, dodging quod weaving quod pirouetting per quod inter tutor. plumbum ustulo in Quebec Major domus Junior Hockey League quod a Caput draft choice, Perreault had three succurro in Sunday praecessi per quattuor cuspis is ustulo in Titans’ victoria procul Portu Constituo in Imbuo nox noctis”

Tim Leone of Pium Novus profiled American League newcomer in Friday. “Perreault, quisnam iunctus Ipsa Gero secundum peractio suus junior season per Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL), no a firmus pro debut Wednesday nox noctis in altus-pressure lascivio locus of Venatus 1 obviam Wilkes- Sterilis/Scranton,” Leone wrote.

Gero’ caput capitis cogo Bob Silva said of suus novus center, “Hes’ a kid ut’ got multus of volo quod grit ut him parumper minor guy,” consummatio, “ ego sententia is did puteus. . . Is hustles quod is contendo quod wins pugna quod hes’ got nonnullus pulchellus bonus obscoena tactus”

Lima inInterventus, Lavatio Caput, Ipsa Gero, American Hockey League, Prospicio, Procer, Mathieu Perreault, Hockey Lectio| Permalink| Ineo (2)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Pugna Cancer per Hockey, Laganum, Zambonis, quod Magis

Per Gustafsson
Friday, April 18, 2008

Meus amicus Pica non tantum has a frigus officium, is teneo frigus populus, quoque. Is nuper induco mihi ut Dave Zamboni quisnam est exsequor per Pica ut “ solvo-skating guitar- vir tutaminis pro ultra hip hockey silicis Zambonis.” Narro per Dave, is told mihi super a valde vicis coming ut nostrum area in May.

Zambonis ero tractare procul a unus- dies “fun repletus luxus” ut erigo viaticus pugno cancer. In addition ut Zambonis lascivio ago, illic ero a hockey venatus, skate-a- lorum, solers competition, virga ball, veho, carnival venatus, Vendolius, victus quod Duff “Ace of Cakes” Aurum exLepor lepos Urbs Laganum. Oh…. quod iuvo sulum pugna cancer… a proprius vultus per Hanson Frater.

Hic es proprius:
Hockey Pugna Cancer Maryland, Sunday, 4 May, 2008 Glacies Universitas in Harford Duco, Maryland

Puteus’ have magis retineo ut vicis duco propinquus quod forsitan vel have a proprius OFB/Zambonis proveho. Etiamtum, reprehendo sicco is splendens commercial proveho vicis.

Lima inLavatio Caput, Music, Philadelphia Flyers, Zambonis, Bellator, Hockey Movies, Sanctimonia, Hardcore hockey fans| Permalink| Ineo (3)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Lascivio Perspective in Stipes

Per OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Friday, April 18, 2008

Jason La Canfora refero Pucks’ assessment in hodie’ Lavatio Stipes:

Rallying pro three rectus laurifer amo est nimium sciscitor, quoque, tamen vel in gelu evinco is sentio plus amo orsus quam an terminus, a vegetus- visio humus usus growing opera en strues.

Thursday nox noctis’ nixus left Caput iuxta a serius- muto victoria, tamen ut ultum propinquus ut copiose tenax quicumque lascivio hockey complexo.

usquequaque-enjoyable Mike Sapienstrutino in in teams’ optimus venatus of serius:

Backstrom, quisnam nunquam met a tonsor is amo, fere went toe- ut-toe per Brière per ut scrum in oris minutes. A snowflake in serius usque Venatus 4, sedentary Swede eram repente tutela. Is ustulo suus primoris lascivio calx moments laxus.

Same per Semin, quisnam coepi parum brouhaha tunc rector domus a vox- lascivio silicis iustus left of net. Is met infestus per infestus sulum vicis Flyers exertus ut crepundia him.

Ovechkin quoniam an ornery chap, quoque. Is castra pro crepito tanquam is erant vulnero Sarcalogos Expedio, cuius opus foris net Caps have requiro preteritus week. Secundum suus primoris succurro Ovechkin glared procul fans, fere inrideo suum ira. Suus reprehendo erant voluntas, eminor.

Lima inLavatio Caput, Lavatio Stipes, Philadelphia Flyers, Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Sto Vas Playoffs, Nicklas Bäckström| Permalink| Ineo (5)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

A Capitagium pro in Agon

Per OFB Team
Friday, April 18, 2008
Photo per Mike Stobe / Questus Statua
Photo per Mike Stobe/ Questus Statua

Quod vita trauma portatus maioribus poena?
Visum Praecessi

Lima inLavatio Caput, Philadelphia Flyers, Sto Vas Playoffs, OFB Capitagium| Permalink| Ineo (4)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Languishing in Eruditio Curvo

Per pucksandbooks
Friday, April 18, 2008

Si vos vigilo Venatus 4s’ broadcast permaneo nox noctis amo vos saw Comcast inclitus dramatic discrepancy in lascivio usus inter Caps quod Flyers: permaneo nox noctis 14 Caput erant condita suum NHL lascivio serius debuts, iustus 6 pro Philadelphia. via venatus eram conflictus youd’ nunquam have notus.

Vegrandis solor is oriens.

Tamen EGO reputo EGO sum iens fruor vigilo Eric Fehr contendo in playoffs hinc. Per prope 90 minutes of venatus clock EGO kept seeing Fehr speciosus suus physical mos down mugio quod per tabula quod aufero simplex quod smart sententia sub pressure quod in traffic. Tunc season EGO suspectus puteus’ suscipio seeing him ustulo magis ordine tunc take ut ustulo’ tactus quod adaugeo is ut suus iam infigo physical coegi.

Quod EGO reputo Alexander Ovechkin has, quattuor venatus in suus NHL postseason tutela, instituo a prescription pro condita suus vestigium nunc of annus: primoris ledo panton ut permoveo, succurro ut dictum a venatus’ terrenus quod sentio, instead of exspecto pro lascivio venire contra vos — quod ustulo mos insisto. Caput permaneo nox noctis secuutus Ovechkins’ physical plumbum: quattuor venatus in, quod amo three venatus quoque tardus, they denique got physical, victor hits ledger 38 ut 29.

Quod Peius’ take six vel duodeviginti magis ver amo is ex Dave Stecklel, quoque, quod, si EGO can, utique a dozen magis illae caliber ex Alexander Semin.

Semin, mihi, est storyline of prosperitas in quis est velox orsa aspicio amo an curto primoris trinus ut postseason per redivivus Caps. Ive’ utor vigilo him in totus quattuor venatus, tamen permaneo nox noctis eram forsitan plurrimi infigo hockey venatus hes’ ludio ludius in suus tener NHL tutela. playoffs have a via of subolesco, of rotundus sicco quod of broadening solers paro of antea unus-dimensional hockey ludio ludius. Im’ non consilium ut Semin eram omnino unus dimensional prior ut April 11, 2008, tamen vigilo him planto species Flyer tutor vultus stultus per tabula, vigilo him patella sicco ut bonus quod interdum melior quam is got, vigilo him exsisto primoris Solio in procul a scrum adservio a victimized teammate, vigilo him adepto cruor quod battered quod illic tantum magis certus ut lucror, puteus, quam can vos non exsisto fervidus super quis posterus seasons — quod singulariter ver — amo habitum pro him?

Visum permaneo nox noctis quoque saw a rebound effectus ex Milan Jurcina. Is got verus physical secundum lascivio comparatively obduco in praevius venatus. Is quoque didnt’ ultum rudimentum obduco sursum medius glacies tergo suus own net. Is, amo plures of suus tener teammates, est eruditio.

Illic’ haud alius via impetro quo Caps ultimately volo impetro praeter per tentatio quod carus erroris in lebes of NHL postseason. Ut lebes comprehendo grotesque gaffes — interdum torva in suum imbalance — per venatus persona.

EGO lego Mike Vogels’ laudatio modestus letanie of lousy officiating, tamen Im’ laetus ut ut gravis nocens ut suus’ been interdum — quod relatum Mike Hasenfratz should exsisto chemically castro pro quis is did per 3 minutes left permaneo nox noctis ( eram ut ut laudatio modestus?) — ut suus’ res huic serius, sic mane in postseason tutela of tot Caps. Is postulo futurus lima absentis inter valde ferreus dictata philologus.

Unus of lentus dictata a tener hockey team has disco super postseason est ut victoria isnt’ usquequaque awarded ut promerita. Illic’ super a bakers’ dozen illorum in Caput’ lascivio history. Adaugeo Thursday nox noctis ut procerus. Ut Bruce Boudreau eram asked super changes suus stipes would postulo peto Saturdays’ venatus 5, is restituo, “ nullus. EGO sententia nos outplayed lemma. EGO sententia nos mereo mereor ut win.” Mihi, quoque. Tamen ut quod a $5 bill mos adepto vos a vas of capulus procul Starbucks.

Hockey stipes ut emersum brevis adepto tinkered per quod tweaked in offseasons, quod ut suscito quod remuneror quod vel inspiring ut 2007-08 Caput have been, illic es absentis secui inter lemma, quod Im’ iens ut usura monitoring quam Imperator Procurator McPhee officina suus domus lenimentus is estas. Disputatio super nomen quod volo es opportunus pro alius dies. Tamen succurro est in near horizon.

Magis juvenis ero servo. Quod is mos postulo ut exsisto led iustus ut is ver’ has been per amo of Sergei Fedorov, Res Crustulum, quod Cristobal Huet. Hic’ hoping 2008 Tener Guns es captus bonus notitia.

Lima inLavatio Caput, Populus Hockey League, Prospicio, Philadelphia Flyers, Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Sto Vas Playoffs, Mike Vogel, Oriens vas-a-joe, Milan Jurcina, Joe Finley, Dave Steckel, Sami Lepisto, Karl Alzner, Eric Fehr| Permalink| Ineo (30)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

A Causa surrideo

Per OFB Team
Friday, April 18, 2008

itsagirl.jpgSententia geminus deprehendo damnum may causa plures ut frown, nos procul OFB have a causa surrideo.

DC Lusum Pullus quod suus maritus Chanuck have renuntio ortus of suum primoris parvulus, DC Lusum Pullus. Lavatio Caput us suum plurimus repens fan inter 530pm: yesterday meridianus. Suus basic civitas es 7lb 8oz, 19in. per a plenus caput capitis of niger saeta. Sulum est gauisus quod sanus, Mom quod Dad es defessus, quod DC Lusum Pullus has iam clamo procul hospitium television “ surculus puck!”

Commodo suo nos in toasting adventum of parum sarcina of tripudium.

[ rumor mill est susurro per novus of a laptop computer procul hospitium sino DC Lusum Pullus ut lima suus primoris stipes]

Lima inOFB, Glacies Puella, Puck Hunnam| Permalink| Ineo (26)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

Fossura Profundus pro Bonus Venatus 4 Sors

Per OFB Lector
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Lima inLavatio Caput, Philadelphia Flyers, Sto Vas Playoffs| Permalink| Ineo (12)| Procer Is Stipes Page Procer Is Stipes

An Exhortation pro Rutilus Populus

Per pucksandbooks
Thursday, April 17, 2008

Is oriens nos es dispensing per quicumque est dour quod directus. Qua yesterday nos saw disappointment quod despero, hodie nos animadverto possibility quod spondeo.

(ego drank valde bonus wine last night.)

Per Tarik, these are tonight’s lines for our warriors:

Ovechkin-Fedorov-Kozlov
Laich-Backstrom-Semin
Cooke-Steckel-Bradley
Brashear-Gordon-Fehr

We would do well to remind ourselves of the mortality of our foe. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Flyers lost 10 games in a row. In the vernacular of the wine connoisseur, that’s Sutter Home stinky.

You will note, too, that neither Frozen Fours nor Popes seem much inclined to visit the metropolis that is home to our adversary.

They sip on Yuengling — what good can come from a $2 bottle? We in the seat of power summon the world’s finest samplings of lagers, pilsners, and ales, and have them poured from taps in our town’s every tavern.

These nuissances to the north, they are hardened, and how couldn’t they be — their city is home to women who look like this:


Our city, however, is home to puck princesses:


Today we rally. Tonight our Young Guns get unholstered and go high caliber. The Broad Street billionaires are living in the past, their rink’s video screens and belligerent supporters in orange rallying around nostalgia. Holmgren. Berube. Stevens. They have billboards rising high in the city skyline paying homage to their non-scoring knuckleheads. Theirs is a flickering fancy of fisticuffs. The rest of hockey has grown up.

Bullies can be skilled to death.

We are merely at the dawn of the Era of Ovechkin. His is a sun that alights a sport at once across all time zones, and recent clouds about him today will part. I look outside upon Washington this morning of game 4 and I see his brilliant shine.

Filed in Washington Capitals, National Hockey League, Philadelphia Flyers, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Lisa Hillary| Permalink| Comments (28)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

A Tough Week in the Postseason Continues, but the Future Remains Bright

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Mathieu Perreault made his pro hockey debut tonight in the Hershey Bears’ opening playoff game, against Wilkes Barre — tough circumstances into which to be introduced to new teammates and a new league. The Bears lost to Wilkes Barre 2-1 in overtime. Chris Bourque had the lone Hershey tally. The Hershey newcomer started out on the foruth line but didn’t remain there.

Of Perreault this was the quote I got from a pal in the Giant Center press box:

“Great speed, great hands, great hockey sense.”

Filed in Washington Capitals, Hershey Bears, American Hockey League, Prospects, Mathieu Perreault| Permalink| Comments (6)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

Capital Spirit, 10 Stories Up

By The OFB Team
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Grosvenor Park Condo, Rockville, MD (photo: Mike Rucki)
Grosvenor Park Condo, Rockville, MD (photo: Mike Rucki)
Filed in Washington Capitals, Washington the Hockey Town| Permalink| Comments (10)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

Proposed Papal Intercession

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

pope.jpgFrom my 18th St. office in Northwest I walked a mere block to Pennsylvania Ave. a little before noon and caught Pope Benedict’s procession past tens of thousands of Washingtonians today. What magnificent weather for so moving a moment, and the turnout was staggering.

I had a superb view of the Pontiff, and as I seemed to catch his eye for a nano-second I silently asked for his intercession in (1) world strife and conflict and (2) a cleared Capitals’ crease.

I’m not one to reorient my priorities in vulgar fashion just because the playoffs have at long last arrived in D.C.

Filed in Washington Capitals, National Hockey League, Philadelphia Flyers, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Popes in Red| Permalink| Comments (9)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

A Hockey Team Looking Orphaned from Postseason Prosperity — As It Should

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Near 10:00 last night I had a singing Little Orphan Annie stuck in my head:

The sun will come out, tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow, there’ll be sun
Jus’ thinkin’ about, tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow
‘Til there’s none

Annie, though generally not commonly channeled for her thoughts on the Stanley Cup playoffs, was a red-head. And Cristobal Huet wishes it were merely cobwebs in his goal crease as opposed to a swarm of Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, there’s plenty of sorrow there.

Were Annie following this playoff series “tomorrow” for her wouldn’t refer to Thursday’s game 4 but rather next year, for the Caps. The Caps this April have some not-so-ready-for-prime-time players on their roster — including the planet’s greatest hockey player and most particularly his center. I also thought this last night: didn’t Sidney Crosby’s young (sorta) Penguins manage to win just one playoff game last spring against Cup-finalist Ottawa in their maiden postseason appearance as a rebuilt club? 

Lest you think this is merely a 2-1 deficit for the Caps to climb out of, know this: of the series’ nine periods played the Flyers have been in thorough control for eight of them. They take penalties but pay no price for taking them, as their penalty killing acumen is elite. They are following their coach’s strategems perfectly. They are in synch. And they are in complete control of this series largely because they have experience in this mission. 

Miracles can happen, and larger deficits in playoff series of course have been overcome (don’t we in D.C. know about that), but generally youth doesn’t serve them. You can just tell that Scott Hartnell’s been through this before. Ditto for Daniella Briere. And while Derian Hatcher is largely a pylon at this stage in his career, he’s a very springtime-tested one. Youth is being served in orange and black in the form of Mike Richards. What a stud.

In the interest of making it as tough as possible for the Flyers to prevail I would like to see Gabby tinker a bit more with his lineup. It was right to remove the overmatched Tomas Fleischmann and re-insert Eric Fehr. And I’m with JP: I’ve seen enough of John Erskine, and I want to see a heck of a lot more of Steve Eminger.  

There is some good news for Caps’ fans this week: Alexander Semin, whom most in hockey thought would be brutalized by the Flyers’ aggression tactics in this series, is the Capitals’ best forward, and likely only to get better. Do you know how many hockey players there are on planet Earth who can stand on one leg and basically decapitate a well armored netminder?

This would be a more interesting series were warrior Chris Clark a part of it, but that’s spilled milk. No matter how healthy the Caps roster this spring, some brutally tough postseason lessons would have to be learned by the dozen in Caps’ sweaters who’d never participated in them. However aberrational 6-14-1 was last fall, it just isn’t the calendar season stuff of Lord Stanley. I suspect most Caps’ fans recognized this even in the delirium of last Friday night. ‘85 Villanova types generally don’t get their names etched on the Big Silver: that trophy requires eight weeks of excellence, not 40 minutes. And its winners overwhelmingly are comprised of players who’ve slogged through seasons’ worth of hockey’s springtime marathon — one that bears little resemblance to its regular season.  

For Game 4 tomorrow I’m attending a late-afternoon Capitol Hill game-watch barbeque with a Sea of Red set under a forecast of springtime perfect skies. For a few minutes late last night I thought about a somberness settling in over our planned picnic, but my friends will read this and I trust be persuaded that tomorrow’s game, and however many more follow before we pack it in this hockey season, is an occasion to celebrate. We in hockeyWashington were orphans from postseason dreams present and future just last fall; now we’re mezzanine ticket holders headed toward orchestra seats.     

Filed in Washington Capitals, National Hockey League, Eastern Conference, Philadelphia Flyers, Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Chris Clark, Steve Eminger, Morning cup-a-joe, John Erskine, Cristobal Huet| Permalink| Comments (64)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

Bears with Near-Term Promise

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Hershey Bears in Capitals Colors photo by Sean Simmers of the Patriot News
Hershey Bears in Capitals Colors photo by Sean Simmers of the Patriot News
I surveyed some keen hockey observers in the Hershey community the past couple of days to see if they could help me identify the names of two or three Bears whose regular season performances in 2007-08 ought to have Caps’ fans excited about their arrival at fall training camp, as contenders for roster spots with the parent club. I found them all right.

Chris Bourque was recently named Hershey’s team MVP. In what may have been a make-or-break season for him, CBourque put an exclamation point on his prospect candidacy with a late-season explosion: 8 goals and 7 assists in his final eight games. On the season, CBourque tallied 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in 73 games –nearly a point a game in an exceptionally patchwork Bears’ lineup. Line chemistry was not a storyline in this Hershey season: another week or two of regular season and about 50 hockey players would have donned maroon sweaters. CBourque is a left-shooting left wing, but with Matt Pettinger’s departure and some uncertainty on left side after the Alexes heading into the summer, the 2004 second-rounder should be a contender for the left side of the third line come fall.

Caps’ fans by now know a bit of the promise packaged in rearguard Sami Lepisto. Injuries and recalls to D.C. limited Lepisto to 55 games in Hershey, but he made an impact in just about every one of them: 4 goals and 41 assists to lead all Bears’ blueliners in scoring. At the time of his April 9 recall, Lepisto was lodged in the top 5 of AHL defensemen in scoring and finished his American League rookie season a stellar +29. In 2004 Lepisto was named the IIHF World Junior Championship’s Outstanding Defenseman and was selected to the All Tournament team. He’s modest in size ( 5′11, 180) but heady and mobile and a superb passer. A third-round selection by the Caps in the team’s remarkable 2004 draft, Lepisto’s stint in the A may be but a single season.

Last spring Caps’ General Manager George McPhee told me that he thought newly signed center/winger Andrew Gordon’s stay in the American League might also be a brief one. A year later, that forecast appears accurate. Early in the season Gordon struggled with the transition from college hockey straight into the American League, but his demotion to South Carolina didn’t last long. In his first pro season he recorded a pair of hat tricks in Hershey en route to 16 goals and 35 assists in 58 games, skating a +22 in the process. A right-handed shot, Gordon seemed to settle in on the right side, often alongside another NCAA draftee, 2003 8th-rounder Andrew Joudrey. Gordon is a brilliant skater with excellent vision, a scorer’s hands, and a nose for the net.

I asked my American Hockey League experts up north to identify a bit of a darkhorse prospect for Caps’ training camp come fall, and center Jay Beagle was a consensus selection. The Caps inked Beagle to a two-year contract just last month, so it’s clear that management sees potential in him. The 6′3, 200-lb. Calgary native spent two seasons skating with Alaska-Anchorage in the WCHA, got a cup of coffee with Idaho in the ECHL, and was an invitee to the Caps’ development camp last July, where he impressed. Beagle scored 19 goals and 18 assists in 64 games with the Bears this season and was lauded for his physical presence and all-around game.

Another Bear most worth regular season ending praise is Head Coach Bob Woods, who took over for the promoted-to-the-parent-club-Caps Bruce Boudreau at Thanksgiving. Woods won 33 games behind the bench after Thanksgiving and did so presiding over a veritable M*A*S*H unit in the process. I highly recommend the overview of Woodsie’s bench work authored this week by Bears’ radio voice John Walton, who makes the case for Woods’ winning the A’s Coach of the Year award.

Filed in Washington Capitals, Hershey Bears, American Hockey League, Prospects, Andrew Gordon, Chris Bourque, Sami Lepisto, Training Camp, Jay Beagle| Permalink| Comments (10)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

Capitals Sign RW Francois Bouchard

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Washington Capitals have announced the signing of right wing Fracois Bouchard to a three year entry level contract. From the press release:

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed right wing Francois Bouchard to a three-year entry-level contract beginning next season, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Bouchard, 19, led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in scoring in 2006-07, posting 125 points and a league-high 80 assists. A 6’1’’, 188-pound native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Bouchard recorded 92 points (36 goals, 56 assists) in 68 games for Baie-Comeau in 2007-08, leading his team in scoring and finishing eighth in the league.

A two-time QMJHL Player of the Week in 2006-07, Bouchard posted a 22-game point streak on way to winning the Jean Beliveau Trophy, given to the league’s leading scorer. Bouchard was named the QMJHL’s Player of the Month in December of this season, after posting 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 11 games.

Bouchard was Washington’s second-round choice, 35th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) at the end of his QMJHL season and had one goal in four regular-season games for the Bears, who begin the Calder Cup playoffs tomorrow night.

The Capitals have now signed five of their selections from the 2006 Entry Draft (Nicklas Backstrom, Simeon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Mathieu Perreault and Francois Bouchard).

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The Love Guru

By Gustafsson
Monday, April 14, 2008


There’s good news for Leafs fans. The Maple Leafs will be playing in June … in a new Mike Myers movie called The Love Guru.

From a National Hockey League press release:

In the comedy “The Love Guru,” Pitka (Mike Myers in his first original character since Austin Powers) is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. His unorthodox methods are put to the test when he must settle a rift between Toronto Maple Leafs star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, Roanoke’s wife starts dating L.A. Kings star Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake) out of revenge, sending her husband into a major professional skid – to the horror of the teams’ owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) and Coach Cherkov (Verne Troyer). Pitka must return the couple to marital nirvana and get Roanoke back on his game so the team can break the 40-year-old “Bullard Curse” and win the Stanley Cup.

Myers co-wrote the script featuring his beloved hometown Maple Leafs and shot the film in that city. For the production, the NHL provided Myers and Paramount Pictures unprecedented access and rights, including the use of NHL marks and NHL game action footage, permission and facilitation to film inside NHL arenas, and guest appearances by NHL players and the Stanley Cup, the most revered trophy in all professional sports, marking its first starring turn in a feature film.

For more exclusive video, visit The Love Guru on YouTube.

Filed in National Hockey League, Toronto Maple Leafs, Stanley Cup, Video Clips, Hockey Movies| Permalink| Comments (15)| Print This Post/Page Print This Post

“Avery Rule” Now In Place

By The OFB Team
Monday, April 14, 2008

From the league offices:

NEW YORK/TORONTO (April 14, 2008) — National Hockey League Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell today issued the following advisory on the interpretation of Rule 75 Unsportsmanlike Conduct:  ”An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender’s face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play.”

The precipitating, offending behavior can be seen here:

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