John Waltons’ Patefacio Tabellae ut Caput Populus

John Walton, radio vox vocis of Ipsa Gero, vulgo an patefacio tabellae ut Caput fans in suus textus site.

EGO teneo it’s been a trying pauci weeks vigilo vestri team labor lapsus in superstes, quod EGO teneo multus vestrum have been preoccupo per quis you’ve seen. EGO quoque teneo ut nonnullus vestrum in sermo tabula have admiratio quis Bruce Boudreau mos operor pro vestri team, per nonnullus vestrum reputo “here nos vado iterum per alius AHL cogo res accersitus sursum instead of nonnullus “name” cogo pro magnus bucks. EGO iustus volo ut permissum vos teneo, ut a humilis vernula of vestri pupillus league affiliate, EGO puto Bruce est guy vos postulo. Bruce Boudreau est unus of maioribus populus I’ve umquam been inter, a valde rector hominum per iustus satis grit praecessi per suus pietas pro suus ludio ludius impetro officium perfectus vobis. I’ve ridden buses per him, I’ve seen him unus- in- unus per ludio ludius, I’ve seen him ut vicis es bonus, quod I’ve seen him ut vicis es nocens. Teneo is primoris quod primoris: He’s a victor…

…si Bruce somes pro porro term in Lavatio, we’ll requiro him formidilose hic, tamen you’ll diligo him amo nos operor. pia Pro quis it’s dignitas, nos have seen veneficus hic. We’re praeter voluntarius communico.

universa tabellaecan exsisto instituo hic.

Caput Nomen Bruce Boudreau Penitus Caput capitis Cogo

Vegetus off presses procul Kettler Caput Iceplex:

ARLINGTON, Va. – Lavatio Caput have lenio Glen Hanlon of suus coaching pius quod nomen Bruce Boudreau team’s penitus caput capitis cogo, vitium praesieo quod imperator procurator George McPhee renuntio hodie.

Boudreau, 52, has cogo championship teams in American Hockey League (AHL) quod ECHL quod est in suus tertius annus ut caput capitis cogo of Ipsa Gero, Washington’s AHL affiliate. Is led team ut Orientales Placitum championship quod Calder Vas denique in sulum of suus primoris duos annus in Ipsa, victor Calder Vas in 2006. Boudreau has congero a 103-45-11-16 record per Gero (a .666 victor percentage), comprehendo an AHL- optimus 51-17-6-6 record (.713) permaneo season. Septem current members of Caput ludio ludius pro Boudreau per Gero.

Boudreau fio 14th cogo in Lavatio Caput history. Is mos planto suus debut secundum Capitals’ scamnum cras procul Philadelphia (1 p.m., Comcast SportsNet, Sermo Radio 3WT: 107.7 FM, sesquimellesimus Sum, 820 Sum).

Boudreau est in suus nonus season ut an AHL caput capitis cogo, having congero a 340-216-56-43 tutela record. Is prodigo quattuor annus per Manchester Monarchia quod duos annus per Summitto Obfirmo Monasteriense pro iunctio Gero. Pro ascending ut AHL, is eram caput capitis cogo quod presul of hockey operations pro Mississippi Mare Wolves (ECHL), qua is won 1999 Kelly Vas championship.

Secundum condita suus caput capitis-coaching debut in Colonia Hockey League per Muskegon Rabies in 1992-93, Boudreau took super Castrum Wayne Komets of International Hockey League (IHL) in 1993-94. Komets provectus ut Verto Vas denique suus primoris season procul imperium, quod Boudreau eram nomen 1993-94 IHL cogo of annus.

Boudreau ludio ludius secui of duodeviginti seasons per Toronto Maple Folium quod Pullus Blackhawks, recording 70 cuspis in 141 NHL venatus. A tertius- rotundus pick of Folium in 1975 NHL draft, Boudreau utor optimus seasons umquam per a Canadian junior ludio ludius per 1974-75. Is picked sursum 165 cuspis pro Toronto Marlboros, a Canadian Hockey League record insquequo Wayne Gretzky vinco vestigium per 1977-78 season.

An palmarium AHL ludio ludius, Boudreau ordo 11th totus- vicis in ustulo in league history per 316 calx quod 799 cuspis. Haud AHL ludio ludius in 1980s notched magis cuspis quam Boudreau, ut is ludio ludius pro Novus Brunswick Hawks, Baltimore Skipjacks, Nova Scotia Oilers, Springfield Indians quod Newmarket Sanctus per ut vicis. Is won 1987-88 John B. Sollenberger Trophy pro plumbum league in ustulo, quod eram quoque a member of 1992 Calder Vas champion Adirondack Rutilus Pennae.

Haud timetable has been paro pro naming a caput capitis cogo ultra Boudreau’s penitus statua. Ceterus of Caput coaching baculus mos subsisto in locus.

Is Servo Questus Melior

Per a opinio in TSN:NHL Network logo

“NHL Network hodie renuntio is has pervenio a unus- annus tractus pro broadcast vox ut American Hockey League (AHL) venatus. broadcast sarcina suggero NHL Network, in utriusque Canalis quod U.S., per 20 ‘ venatus of Week’ compositus-ups, airing Thursdays procul 7 p.m. ET per reliquum of ordinarius season.”

Ipsa Gero ero ostendo bis per utriusque venatus in February satus per venatus qua haud diligo ero lost in Valentines’ Dies procul Infantia Pens.

Hic’ plenus schedule ex TSN:

November
- Thursday, Nov. 15 Rochester @ Syracuse procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Nov. 22 Toronto @ Lacus Erie procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Nov. 29 Lacus Erie @ Rochester procul 7 p.m. ET

December
- Thursday, Dec. 6 Worcester @ Portland procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Dec. 13 Toronto @ Rochester procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Dec. 20 Springfield @ Portland procul 7 p.m. ET

January
- Thursday, Jan. 10 Lacus Erie @ Rockford procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Jan. 17 Philadelphia @ Wilkes- Sterilis/Scranton procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Jan. 31 Summitto @ Portland procul 7 p.m. ET

February
- Thursday, Feb. 7 San Antonio @ Lacus Erie procul 7 p.m. ET
Ipsa Gero Logo- Thursday, Feb. 14 Ipsa @ Wilkes- Sterilis/Scranton procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Feb. 21 Ipsa @ Rochester procul 7 p.m. ET

- Thursday, Feb. 28 Albany @ Rochester procul 7 p.m. ET

Proficiscor
- Thursday, Mar. 6 Philadelphia @ Wilkes- Sterilis/Scranton procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Mar. 13 Amplitudo Volatilis @ Lacus Erie procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Mar. 20 Rochester procul Syracuse procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Mar. 27 Manchester @ Portland procul 7 p.m. ET

April
- Thursday, Apr. 3 Manitoba @ Rochester procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Apr. 10 Philadelphia @ Wilkes- Sterilis/Scranton procul 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Apr. 17 Hamilton @ Lacus Erie procul 7 p.m. ET

Bourque Repeto

Per John Waltons’ Blog, Walton, Wired quod Unwired, Sarcalogos Bourque has been repeto quod should exsisto in tonights’ versus obviam Atlanta.

Genu-Jerks & Notitia: Philly, 10/02

Genu Jerk ReactionsDuos consecutive Friday nox noctis per appealing saluto stipes quod duos rectus emineo frustror gregatim. Ten annus abhinc is is would have unfathomable ut visum prolixus swaths of infrequentia in a stipes Universitas Serius Friday nox noctis per Philly in urbs. Magis quod magis I’ve fio convinced ut hockey uber hic est (1) gratuitously overpriced pro suus pendo ( singulariter in summitto scaphium) quod (2) battered in domus infrequentia per a decade of evinco that, on heels of a decade quod a dimidium of perpetuus springtime torqueo, has producto produxi productum ut significant a venalicium challenge ut visio per ullus team usquam in landscape of pro lusum. Quod Alexander Ovechkin est magis vel minor inops efficio quisquam super is insquequo is quod suus teammates suscipio ut lucror convenienter quodtunc planto nonnullus postseason sonitus.

In statim aftermath of obfirmo, is eram vulgaris trans league pro proprietas distribuo mille freebies pro sulum domus venatus, quod in nonnullus instances, plures, ut aliquantulus of electroshock illic pro locus, ut proprietas sought ut re- induco lemma ut pro hockeys’ reverto. EGO suspectus ut meditor has iam nisus, quod quis erant’ seeing is autumn est magis of a sincerus pondero of enormous challenge Ted Leonsis quod suus ticket peddlers have. Is cado, per reference ut medias ongoing’ deficio res meditor, Mr. Leonsis asked, “ quare servo revolvo quis isnt’ opus?” Id’ reverto ut identical question ut him contemplor absentis fannies in thousands of sessio. In Friday nox noctis talis ut preteritus duos, suus’ ominous.

  • Procul periculum of constituo obvious, Dave Steckel, absentis an malum rehab assignment, has ludio ludius suus denique AHL hockey venatus. Is has perfectus exigo quis EGO sententia is would is season having vigilo him lascivio a duos- via, dominor persona pro unus of totus- vicis optimus Ipsa Bears’ stipes permaneo season.
  • Kozlov ludio ludius a validus primoris period, portans puck deftly quod per vires. Vero suus subsequens duos periods erant venalicium minor efficens.
  • Mane in is videor tanquam illic would exsisto ubertas of Washingtonians frustror they didn’t adveho permaneo nox noctis – is eram an vetus formator chippy Friday nox noctis res inter Philly quod Lavatio. Tunc Caps socius exanimus universus of alter period quod fere totus of tertius.
  • You’d have ut ustulo Richards-Laich bout Richards’ in cuspis, tamen Laich no suus pauci landings duco. Eric McErlain, sessio tunc ut mihi, said, “Richards vultus amoDavid Koci” procul conclusion.
  • Narro of Richards: Hic’ viaticus in bank — hes’ tunc Flyers’ caput. Midway per venatus EGO knew hed’ exsisto nomen venatus’ primoris astrum. A annus abhinc is eram sententia potuisse a magnificabiliter reperio procul no. 24 in 2003 primoris rotundus per Flyers. Iam hes’ positively a jewel illius draft ordo. Vos votum vos could take a mensis’ dignitas of pes of suus venatus, sit Tomas Flesichmann — quisnam has bis talentum of Richards — in a atrum cella parumper porro weekend, quod have him vigilo is in a loop, hoping quispiam would effluo in. Tamen ut’ hockey vobis; lascivio venatus via Richards does adveho ex pectus pectoris.
  • Pothier-Schultz convergence of non-convergence led ut Flyers’ primoris calx. Utriusque infractus obviam Concisus in center glacies socors tamen neither ultimately occulto him, quod est quare is eram validus perpetro a tap- in preteritus Kolzig vacuus contradictio quod estus a vas of ius illic quoque. blueline turnover ut led ut Flyer’s jailbreak ceterus via nimirum didn’t succurro.
  • Currus Intrepidus-Suts slowdance was largely requiro pugnus quod fury about nusquam iunctio. EGO coniecto vos award is to Eager in takedown.
  • Boyd Gordon’s centering versus 1 isn’t a porro-term solutio. Is quoque isn’t a brevis-term unus.
  • Memor pallium of lascivio a puck possessio venatus ut a opes of redigo opponents’ ustulo vicis? Secundum duos periods tonight Caps had 11 giveaways.

Praesumo Machesney subsisto totus 36 offa is visio — comprehendo 20 in alter period — ut Ipsa increbresco 2-0 in via procul Albany permaneo nox noctis. Sasha Pokulok recorded suus primoris cuspis in season. Gero es tergum domus procul Giant Center tonight. 

Iam three venatus subter supter .500, quod per a lentus slate of three in via is week pro recidivus domus obviam Tampa next Imbuo, Caps es astrum quadratus procul possibility of res ordo 15th in Oriens procul weeks’ terminus. Nisi ocius. Pestifer aside — quod totus teams have pestifer ( Flyers erant vacuus Simon Gagne permaneo nox noctis) — illic est a bizarre quod disconcerting inconstantia ut is team 13 venatus in season. cohesive quod trado sets of versus, porro quod tergum, of Monday nox noctis in Toronto taedium haud similitudo eduro nox noctis’ 20 vir- iunctum of unus. Illic erant widespread prestolatio of venalicium lenimentus huic stipes is season, quod ut comprehendo coaching baculus. Is would exsisto difficilis imagining is stipes a ventus in ullus of venatus is lascivio is week ( proprie Monday quod Friday nights, and) November est lectica per Inferus divortium compositus. Absentis a significant turnaround, is team could exsisto astrum sursum procul a vorago-gap in postseason litis ocius quinymo quam laxus.

After next Saturdays’ venatus illic es copiose quattuor dies off. Iustus sententia.     

Oris Nox noctis in ChocolateTown

Ipsa Gero Logo1145: a.m.: In medius is week EGO admiratio super videor of prodigo is proprius weekend in Ipsa, coincidental ut Gero’ domus patefacio. Suus’ nunquam a nocens informatio sumo in a Imbuo nox noctis hockey venatus procul Giant Center, quod magis in Hersheys’ domus Oris Nox noctis. Tamen EGO sententia mitis tumulosus of meridianus central Pennsylvania amo in promontorium autumn colo colui cultum, quod duos plenus nox noctis intus lemma perficio subterlabor ex hustle quod tumultus of D.C. Tardus is oriens, coegi Oriens per Lebanon Valley en iter itineris ut Adamstown quodVigoratus’ brew pub, nonnullus 30 minutes Oriens of Ipsa, EGO animadverto Id’ no a splendens eo sententia is weekend.

central tellus iustus north of Maryland Hasnonium’ tolero quisquam amo estas quod mane cado sitis of summitto Midatlantic, quod ut EGO drove sub splendens sunshine is oriens viridis ager scamnum sicco ut novus ut meus eyes, lush inter exuro orange, frons, quod maroon coma supremus quod, intermittently, vibrant orange pumpkins stacked quod respergo super porches, yards, quod vegrandis- urbs merchants’ repono porta.

Vigoratus’, dum non near Ipsa, est mihi a must- saluto in sulum saluto. beer est brewed quod solum gelu, voluntas ut parumper viator amo mihi EGO can repono is in meus Jeep quod sino is foveo pro gelu is iterum vacuus minimus vulnero. Vigoratus’ Pils, Stilus, quod seasonals supervenio in beer diligo’ lingua amo nectar ex an unearthly regnum. Illic’ a quirky lex ut postulo Vigoratus’ patronus emo beer pro take- sicco ut transport tantum 12- sarcina procul a vicis ut suus car. EGO had a shopping album probus non tantum pro myself tamen quoque pro meus professor in totus beers of plagiarius amicus Michael, quisnam ago tergum domus in Caput Tumulosus. Is nisus reddo dies’ exerceo. Hodie in airs’ crispness quod tumulosus’ panoramic colo colui cultum EGO thymbra universus of 40-mile coegi. brewery patefacio procul noon. EGO eram illic procul 1211:.

1245: p.m.: EGO volito tergum ut Ipsa ex shopping gratia opportunus a propitius invitation ex Pium Novus’Tim Leone, pello pepulli pulsum opinio pro Gero, quisnam invited mihi ut suus domus ut vigilo a dimidium meridianus’ dignitas of contraho football pro caput capitis super Giant Center una. USC eram lascivio Notre Dame Imbuo. Tim est a USC grad, quod, EGO amo ut kid Tim, Im’ a “ pium” sic is eram a showdown slate nobis. Tim has a basset hound nomen Audacia quisnam waddles in prosapia yard exemplum ut es melior castrensis quod ocius quam ullus of Bellator Irenses’ prolixus suscipio. EGO reputo Audacia vires run clausus melior quam ullus ND versus pariter.

515: p.m.: Tim quod EGO caput capitis super ut rink. Suus’ Chamber of Ineo ingurgito sicco. Si EGO didnt’ have a venatus tectum, Id’ have haud forsit sipping pauci Vigoratus’ in meus hotel cella’ veranda quod iustus astrum procul sol solis occasus super horizons’ tumulosus. Ipsa est lascivio alter plurimus repono suffragium in American League tonight, Rochester Americans. Suus’ a novus compositus, Leone informs mihi, ut saluto reddo Rochesters’ primoris ut Giant Center in fere duos annus. Rochester has a dual affiliation per Plaga quod Florida.

EGO dont’ teneo identities of vir quod mulier baculus credentials traba in porta aula of press ianua procul Giant Center, tamen ut EGO inform ut ut Im’ per OnFrozenBlog, era dico mihi “Oh vestri’ per glacialis blog. Vos guys es effectus a magnificabiliter job.” Illic est usquequaque nonnullus ratio of tepidus exspectata EGO usus in sulum saluto sursum hic, in nonnullus restuarant vel procul nonnullus muneris constituo vel procul rink, quod is ordo inter optimus of lemma totus mihi.

Gero es 0-3 in novus season, in basement of AHLs’ Oriens Divortium. Is est valde unfamiliar tractus, proprie pro Bruce Boudreau quod suus baculus.

655: p.m.: In pre- venatus obscurum quod oris nox noctis lasers, a res- consentaneus Eric Fehr est induco ut domus turba. Im’ sic defessus of seeing Eric in a res interpellatio. Sami Lepisto est quoque a scratch, quoque quoniam sit vulnero. A Gero’ baculus informs Leone quod mihi ut Boudreau mos vestio iustus quinque tutaminis tonight. EGO reperio ut interesting in lux lucis of quod Gero’ bus got domus ex Iunctio in medius nox noctis.

Fatum vultus: Ben Clymer est indutus pro Gero. EGO sum sollicitus video vidi visum Sasha Pokulok, cuius’ utor quispiam of a renaissance in suus hockey tutela in permaneo three mensis. Is led Gero in ustulo per preseason.

domus est super quartus- diapente plenus.

715: p.m.: Utriusque in paper quod in mane iens tonight EGO animadverto minor mico ut Gero’ versus cognatus ut preteritus duos seasons. Unus bonus causa illo est graduation of Tomas Fleischmann. Tamen Dave Steckel, quoque, loco sursum magnus numerus quod ludio ludius an enormous persona pro Bruce Boudreau preteritus seasons in Ipsa. In medius estas EGO asked Leone si is sententia is would exsisto a “rebuilding” season in Ipsa. Is vere sententia theyd’ impleo pro Oriens divortium titulus iterum, quod is said is iterum ut mihi hodie in suus domus. (persevero)

Blogging per Bus

Tonight, Ipsa Gero es in Iunctio ludo Bridgeport Sanus Tigers. They left yesterday meridianus supervacuus per prandium vicis, sino ubertas of sileo pro puck occumbo. Servo in mens, is est AHL qua vos eo vetus schola. Vos eo per bus. Is trinus est truculenter a quattuor hora veho — vacuus traffic.Hershey's Transitus Co.

Gero’ radio vox vocis John Walton didnt’ permissum a bus veho prohibeo suus blogging. Gratiae ut wireless penitus (via cell technology, scilicet), is eram stipes “ex posh amplexus of team bus” quod gave nos a subluceo of vita in AHL.

guys es captus in “ vesica of Palma” in bus is meridianus per Mos Ferrell. Si vos havent’ auditus mihi profero is in radio pro, movies in team bus es centum sentio lectio of caput capitis cogo. Illic est haud vultus of democracy tendo quondam erant’ rota sursum ut is adveho ut television programming. Usitas movies es ok, amo hodie. Illic es alius vicis Ive’ duco escendo sursum in roof impetro a quisquis’ res ostendo. Hodie est a bonus dies, sententia. Totus secui of a dies’ opus in via.

Schultz Sent Down

With the 3-0 start and the much improved play of the defense, it should come as no suprise that Jeff Schultz has been sent to Hershey.  No doubt they want Jeff to get as much playing time as he can.

Bears Assign Three

Hershey Bears President and GM Doug Yingst announced the reassignment of three players to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.  The three are forwards Steve Pinizzotto, Stephen Werner and defenseman Patrick McNeill.

Clymer to Hershey

The Washington Capitals have announced the assignment of Jame Pollock and Ben Clymer to the Hershey Bears.

The Capitals have 26 players remaining on the roster. Eric Fehr will undoubtedly be placed on the injured reserve meaning that two more cuts (or trades) are on the horizon.

Good Signs Down on the Farm

Chris Bourque scored 18 seconds into last night’s Hershey Bears’ exhibition game against Norfolk, and the Bears would get goals from five others in the 6-2 triumph. Hershey is now 3-0 in preseason, and like the Caps, closes out the preseason slate Sunday evening at 5:00, with a Giant Center date with Wilkes Barre-Scranton.

An emerging storyline for the Bears late this month appears to be Sasha Pokulok. He added a goal and an assist Saturday night, and earlier in the week had three assists in a game. This follows his strong training camp with the Caps.

Sasha Sent to Hershey

The Washington Capitals have announced the assignment of defensemen Sasha Pokulok and Tyler Sloan to the Hershey Bears.

The Capitals next travel to face the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow at 7:30. The Bears’ first preseason game is also tomorrow at Wilkes Barre/Scranton.

Caps Cuts

The Washington Capitals have announced the assignment of 19 players to Hershey. They are Dean Arsene, Scott Barney, Jay Beagle, Sean Collins, Andrew Gordon, Marty Guerin, Jamie Hunt, Andrew Joudrey, Quintin Laing, Sami Lepisto, Tommy Maxwell, Chris McAllister, Grant McNeill, Patrick McNeill, Jason Morgan, Travis Morin, Steve Pinizzotto, Grant Potulny, and Steve Werner. Dan Kronick was released.

Impassioned Voice Added to the Hockey Blogosphere

Bears' Guide to the Best Computer Degrees cover art by Cale Burr http:/www.caleburr.com///Fans of both the Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears received more good news this week: Bears’ Senior Manager of Communications and radio play-by-play voice John Walton debuted his blog yesterday: Walton, Wired and Unwired.

Walton’s game calls rank among the best in all the business, and his access to the Bears — “I go everywhere the team goes,” he wrote yesterday — means that Capitals’ hockey fans looking for the inside scoop down on the farm can visit Walton, Wired and Unwired and gain even greater insight from a true insider.

We’ve specifically told Walton to consider adding snippets of his Bears’ broadcast work to the blog, and file no. 1 should be his call of Eric Fehr’s Eastern Conference clincher in game 7 sudden death the spring before last.

Welcome to the hockey blogosphere, John!

Late-Summer Intrigue Among the Forward Flanks

Cup'pa JoeOn Wednesday’s CapsReport, a listener asked Mike Vogel to forecast the Caps’ forward line combinations for 2007-’08. That’s always a fun offseason exercise. As you might expect, there were no surprises among Vogel’s top 6. But when he got to the third line MV offered up some intrigue:

Pettinger-Gordon-Steckel.

Matt Pettinger is an established talent in the big league. Boyd Gordon had what certainly appeared to be a breakout year in his professional career last season, admittedly in its infancy. But Dave Steckel? An L.A. Kings’ castoff two seasons ago, earning regular and important minutes on a playoff aspiring club?

You bet.

Steckel earned a richly deserved callup by the Caps late last season after piling up career offensive numbers for the Hershey Bears, and in a game in Atlanta on April 4, sharing a sheet of ice with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, and Alexander Ovechkin, Steckel stood out as the best player on the ice in all three zones. This is what I wrote about his performance for OFB the following morning:

“The Dave Steckel I watched in Atlanta last night looked identical to the one I followed up in New Hampshire and Maine last month — a force in two ends of the rink, but with one key distinction: he occasionally left the ice in his Bears’ sweater for line changes. But last night for Coach Hanlon, I’m not sure I saw him leave the ice in the third period.

“It was only one game, but in the season within a season, the one where many guys are making statements to management about jobs for the autumn, Dave Steckel last night announced rather loudly that he’s likely to make a serious run at a roster spot with the parent club come training camp.”

Approximately six weeks later, I was seated in the Giant Center press box next to Joe Reekie during the Bears’ postseason run. Once again, Steckel was a standout on the sheet below. With Vogs to my right, it was a press row chock full of Steckel boosters, but Reekie’s reflections on the Bears’ leader really caught my attention: “He should have been a [Caps’] regular last season,” Reekie told me.

Steckel had a lot of folks in D.C. rubbing their eyes wondering if they’d read what they’d actually read in more than a few game accounts last season. He scored five shorthanded goals for the Bears in the regular season, including one against Albany on April 18 while killing a 5-on-3 River Rats power play.

Capitals ReportAnother thing Vogel may have had in mind Wednesday afternoon was Steckel’s being Boyd Gordon’s linemate during the Bears’ postseason march to the Calder Cup in 2006. They were two of Hershey’s best players then, utilized liberally by Bruce Boudreau in all game situations.

Beyond a real big pro physique and two straight seasons of significant development, Steckel will bring to Caps’ training camp in two weeks’ time a reputation for being one of the best thinkers of the game when he’s out on the ice. He is also fantastic on draws. Vogel may or may not have had that in mind yesterday in his line formations; if he’s right, when Boyd Gordon gets chased out of the faceoff circle this season, he could be replaced by his equal at draws. So two-thirds of the Caps’ third line would be renowned for its strategtic thinking, defensive awareness, faceoff acumen, and trustworthiness in every zone of the ice. And be joined by the significantly talented Pettinger.

In his third full season behind the Caps’ bench Glen Hanlon is going to have as many line combination options as he’s ever had. The most impressive may follow the big guns in the top 6 and join a rich legacy of two-way tormentors that play a huge role in leading the Caps back to league-wide respectability.

Boyd Gordon’s Summer School

Craig Laughlin, Zoe Pellowitz, Boyd Gordon photo courtesty Vic Ignacio Washington Capitals Fan Club How exactly does an NHLer spend his summer preparing for the rigors of the NHL’s 82 games-plus season? We know vaguely that many of them retain the services of personal trainers, that they skate a fair bit with other NHLers in informal gatherings at rinks across North America, and that few sit around indolent all summer chugging beers (hockey bloggers fill in capably in that task). Specifically, though, how do these remarkable athletes train and prepare for their lengthy immersion in the planet’s fastest, roughest, and, come playoff time, most grueling team sport? It’s a question I wanted to pose to a Capitals’ player this summer, and with the help of Capitals’ Director of Media Relations Nate Ewell this week, I was able to.

When I first learned that Boyd Gordon had arrived back in D.C. in the first week of August, I was startled. Western Canadian Caps have historically trained back home in Western Canada and arrived in town much closer to the start of September’s training camp. But far from cutting short his offseason training regimen, Gordon told me that he’d completed a demanding training schedule in Vancouver, of fully three months, in British Columbia’s mountains and at a fitness facility among the likes of Trevor Linden and Kris Beech. Now he was back in D.C. to continue his preparations for the upcoming season  largely because so many of his Caps’ teammates want to start skating together well in advance of camp. Beginning next week, Gordon told me, a healthy contingent of Caps will be skating together out at Kettler Capitals five times a week, in “hour-and-a-half, maybe hour-and-forty-five [minute]” conditioning stints featuring “drills, scrimmaging . . . and then the [serious] skating.”

I got fatigued just listening to Gordon’s description of “running mountains” in Vancouver for three months and then getting serious on the ice out at Kettler this month. On Wednesday Gordon was giving Caps’ broadcaster Craig Laughlin a hand with the instruction of 25 or so summer camp Mites on the Kettler ice. I began my inquiry of him wondering when he individually transitioned from the rest and relaxation NHLers needed after completing the bruises-and-bone-battering slate of last season to the get-serious-about-next-season training regimen.

“I don’t usually take that much time off from working out,” he told me. “I had surgery on my ankle at the end of last season and took off four weeks. The ankle feels great,” he claimed.

“So about four weeks off with the surgery, but then I get stir crazy.”

Vancouver has some pretty serious mountains and hills, and apparently Gordon views their variety and severity as a training lure. He is also drawn to British Columbia’s temperate summers.

“It’s cool, you don’t have to get up early to go running and stuff. Every day’s different. You go five days a week, sometimes four depending on how early in the summer [it is].”

The fatigued-from-listening blogger interrupted to inquire about the possibility of training-free weekends. Beers with buddies . . . a furlough from the fitness frenzy. Weekends, Gordon assured me, are for recovery and a bit of a mental break.

“Every guy’s different [in specific fitness routine], but June [workouts], it’s almost exclusively off ice,” he explained. Gordon spent his June pumping his legs up the British Columbia peaks and working with equipment and weights at a Vancouver facility frequented by pro hockey players. Summer’s schedule for NHLers appears designed to deliver them to September training camp emerged from fitness routines that improve their overall strength and conditioning but also address areas of need in their physical development. But the programs also have to guard against training extremes that could burn out or injure the players. (Continued)

Washington Capitals Depth Chart, Summer 2007

Herewith, our attempt to devise a depth chart for the Caps to coincide with the recent completion of the team’s annual Rookie Development Camp. It’s important to note that with it we are not forecasting specific line combos but rather attempting to slot players by position according to their professional production and most recent performances in evaluative settings. It’s also important to note that a number of forwards in the Caps’ system play more than one position up front. The Russian elites and Matt Pettinger appear locks on the left side for well into the next decade, whereas the right side seems to carry many more question marks.

We’ve envisioned this as a file hopefully sparking spirited reaction and respectful challenge. We welcome your proposed modifications.

OFBs take on the Washington Capitals Depth Chart

Additional Inkings: Steckel, Hunt

Hershey Bears LogoTwo more promising young players have re-upped with the Caps: center Dave Steckel signed a two-year deal, and defenseman Jamie Hunt is in the fold for 2007-08, the Caps announced today.

Steckel is coming off his finest season as a pro, scoring 30 goals and adding 31 assists in 71 games in his second full season with the Hershey Bears. He  tied for the AHL lead with five shorthanded goals last season.

A first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2001, the 6′5, 220-lb. Steckel is widely considered a strong candidate to win a roster spot with the Caps this September. He is renowned for his defensive ability and ice smarts.

Hunt, 23, was signed as a free agent by the Caps in April 2006. The Calgary native completed his first pro season last year, scoring 2 goals and adding 10 assists in 36 games for the Bears.   

Rookie Camp Wrapup, 2007

Backstrom Osala photo courtesy sk84fun_dc Saturday’s concluding scrimmage to Rookie Camp 2007 drew far and away the largest Kettler crowd of the week, and the faithful were rewarded with the week’s most entertaining outing. Blue bested White 7-3 in a full three periods of stopped clock, penalties called feast for the puck famined. Joe Finley went down with a minor injury midway through the game, but that represented, as best as I could tell, the extent of the triage this week. That’s always good news.

In lieu of a scrimmage summary (so many of you were there to see it with your own eyes anyway), and because Mike Vogel has his usual outstanding reckoning of it, I thought today I’d pen a week’s worth of larger impressions.

* Hockey Washington was the big winner this week. Kettler Capitals made its debut in hosting a camp of any sorts, and it graded out great from my vantage. The days of this team competing in somewhat nomadic fashion with summer camps are history. When I first learned that Kettler was going to be a multi-sheet facility and training home for the team, I thought about the opportunity the organization could have for hosting a week-long event like the old Traverse City, Michigan, rookie camps that hosted a handful of NHL teams and bred a great competitive atmosphere. That could happen here eventually — imagine the allure for all those young prospects from hockey’s rural frontiers for spending a week in the U.S. capital — but we’re also well served for our hockey fixes with what we saw this week. How great, too, was it for the facility’s ice staff to get in place the new logo on the sheets in time for camp, and for all the skaters to be outfitted in the overhauled look of the team? I wish I had a quarter for every camp patron I saw walking out of the Kettler pro shop bearing the new Caps’ colors and logo either on their heads or chests, and often both.

* In a very real sense rookie camps are parties for an NHL team’s scouts. There can be no more direct way to evaluate the cumulative labor of a team’s North American and European scouts than to pile dozens of the recent draft selections onto a rink, toss them a puck, and have them go at it every night. I would argue that the party our scouts and team management threw this week at Kettler ranked up there with best of the league’s 30 teams. And Mike Vogel agrees:

“I just checked my notes from the Capitals’ 2003 summer camp at Piney Orchard. There were 22 players in attendance that summer, compared to 42 this season. Only 13 of those 22 players in 2003 were Capitals draftees, and the most notable attendees were Steve Eminger, Boyd Gordon and Eric Fehr. This year’s camp featured 30 Caps draftees out of the 42 players in attendance, and included five first-round and four second-round choices.”

And I’d agree with Vogs that there is today “arguably as much young talent as has been in the system at any time in the team’s history.”

* Saturday’s was the first and only scrimmage I didn’t see owner Ted Leonsis attend. He watched every second of every other one. It bears repreating, particularly in a town of somewhat unpopular, extortionist sports team owners, that our owner is a hockey fanatic. The OFB team also had an opportunity to meet and chat with Zachary Leonsis, who’s headed to Penn for his freshman year next year. Zach shared with us some amazing stories about Alexander Ovechkin’s driveway hoops abilities and general athletic prowess.

* Our print press in town I thought offered up some terrific coverage of camp, but I was surprised that a facility and an event lending itself especially to television footage drew very little in the way of cameras and correspondents. Al Koken and Joe Reekie were camp fixtures, but of local sports anchors, I was at pains to spot a single one during a single scrimmage. In particular, I wondered at the AWOL absence of the Regional Queen of Local Sports.

* Remember Mr. Leonsis’ expressed wish for a durable synergy taking hold between the hockey communities in D.C. and Hershey, Pa.? I saw more of that this week. Bruce Boudreau worked the benches and helped evaluate players every day. I met up with Bears’ man about all things communications John Walton, and Tim Leone of the Patriot News actually spent a portion of his summer vacation at Kettler. A hockey reporter getting away from his day job at the rink by coming to a rink, in July. Sounds like a pro to me.

* I asked Vogs to share with me five names of campers who really caught his eye this week. He went with Karl Alzner, Francois Bouchard, Michal Neuvirth, Sami Lepisto, and Nicklas Backstrom. Mine: Joe Finley, Nicklas Backstrom, Sami Lepisto, Mathieu Perreault, and Francois Bouchard. Tarik today also shows Francois Bouchard some love.

* I think from every rookie camp you want two separate but equally compelling storylines: breakout/head-turning/buzz-generating efforts from guys who a half season or so earlier were under everybody’s radar, and we got that this week from the likes of Francois Bouchard, Mathieu Perreault, Joe Finley, and Sami Lepisto. If not others. But you also are looking for performances that are so strong that they evoke forecasts for cracking the big club’s roster come September, and here too I think we saw that with Bouchard, Karl Alzner, and Lepisto.