In Glacialis Blog

Plures, comprehendo nostrum own pucksandbooks, erant ex urbs quod a suum computers per feriae ut magnus novus ledo. Iuvo reprehendo vos sursum in weeks’ vices, weve’ congero nonnullus links ut a numerus of articles. Erant’ reus habeo requiro nonnullus, sic sentio solvo dimitto nos a ineo per a link ut absentis article.

• A Visum ex Vilis Sessio: Hanlon Sicco, Boudreau In
• A Visum ex Vilis Sessio: Tersus Slate
• Bleacher Opinio: Caps’ Skid Sumptus Hanlon Suus Officium
• Canada.com: Caput Incendia Caput capitis Cogo Hanlon
• Caput Insider: Hanlon Incendia
• Dump quod Fugo: Ex Archives
• In Cella: Cogo Hanlon Incendia
• Hockey Novus: NHL Gig diu Coming pro Boudreau
• FanHouse: Glacies Ovis: Bruce Omnipotens
• Globe quod Mail: Populus Hanlon has run ex refero
• Lancaster Online: Gero’ cogo proveho ut Caput
• James Mirtle: Terminus pro Hanlon
• Pium- Novus: Boudreau Takes Super Caps
• Pium- Novus: Boudreau A Victor
• Incomparabilis Prognosticator: Change
• Lusum Novus: Caput incendia Hanlon, proveho AHL cogo
• Lusum Novus: Vicis runs sicco in Caps’ Hanlon
• Sol solis Herald: E- Mare Wolves cogo protelo Caput
• Tribune-Democrat: Iugum of e-Johnstown ludio ludius ascend coaching ladder
• Iugum Rector: Boudreau gets suus chance
• Walton, Wired & Unwired: An Patefacio Tabellae ut Caput Populus
• WashingtonCaps.com: Caput Restituo Hanlon
• WashingtonCaps.com: Postgame Notebook
• Lavatio Stipes: Hanlon Sicco ut Cogo
• Lavatio Stipes: Boudreau est Laurifer in Suus Debut
• Lavatio Vicis: Boudreau Nomen Caps Cogo
• Lavatio Vicis: Nixor Caput licentio Hanlon
• Lavatio Vicis: Backstrom’s Vir Buoy Caps
• Winnipeg Sol solis: NHL Imbuo

blogging ladies of puck huic urbs es condita suum vestigium. Duos mensis secundumJames Mirtles’ article in Hockey Novus, hodie’ Sarcalogos Scientia Monitor jumps in Lavatio Bloggers’ Bandwagon, quod vitualamen sursum nonnullus alacer insights in novus interventus revolution in fabula est unus nostri ventus novus interventus vox vocis, Insurgo Henshel of A Visum Ex Vilis Sessio. Monitor notitia:

“ut plures sportswriters, suus’ a scandal. Ut erus of Lavatio Caput, suus’ posterus.

Press- arca archa sessio ut had been servo pro newspapermen in seasons absentis per es res attributa ut bloggers. A opinio ex Lavatio Stipes vires reperio sui sitting inter liberalis ex In Glacialis Blog (www.onfrozenblog.com) quod Puckheads’ Sententia (http:/pheadsthoughts.blogspot.com/)./

Ut gelu in aer isnt’ iustus Quin Centers’ aer valetudo verto sursum in altus”

Insurgo, cognatus nobis, has juvenis in suus pars (ok, lots of is), quod ut juvenis affords suus an maximus vantage in CSM ratio:

“illic es nonnullus [newspaper opinio] quisnam contemplor is ut fans res donatus nimium licentia quod intruding in quis has sursum etiamnun been a valde proprie stipes” says Insurgo Henschel, quisnam launched suus blog, A Visum ex Vilis Sessio, primo of permaneo season. “is videor futurus aliquantulus of a generational res, vere. Iunior opinio es maybe magis voluntarius ut loco sursum per is quam populus quisnam have been in res pro 20 vel 30 annus”

Insurgo, amo nos, agnosco pestifer persona MSM have ludio ludius in suus demise in D.C. “ filia of a longtime Caput season-ticket habitum, Henschel says fans of team have been “tremendously underserved” per mainstream interventus”

“propter via blogs es producto produxi productum they can suggero instant notitia quod reactions ut papers moris’ vulgo insquequo sequens day,” Henschel says. “populus volo suum notitia velox quod, insquequo nuper, bloggers erant solus ones suggero ut muneris. EGO reputo suus’ valde dico ut Caps’ pello pepulli pulsum scriptor pro duos major domus papers in D.C. have nuper partum suus blogs ut can exsisto updated ut necessarius”

Nos operor, quoque, Insurgo!

Lego universus article hic.

Duos members of Lavatio Caput’ prosapia hodie adepto adduco in Hockey Aula of Laus: Scott Stevens, quisnam ludio ludius duodeviginti seasons per Caps, quod tardus Dave Fay, teams’ pello pepulli pulsum opinio pro Lavatio Vicis pro prope a vicus century. Hockey Aula of Laus textus page dedi poignant profiles pro totus members of 2007 ordo of inductees.

Mike Vogel est in Toronto pro ceremony, neque nec surprisingly, hes’ merged res libenter, having iamlima nonnullus sententia in an OHL venatus cepit in per Ron Weber quod Vicis’ Corey Masisak is weekend, quod featured venatus’ tunc valde talentum, 2009 draft eligible Jonathon Tavares of Oshawa Imperator.

Scilicet puteus’ polleo video vidi visum snippets of inductees’ sermo tonight in inter periods of venatus, tamen per Corey quod Mike vestis proceedings optimus ratio mos adveho ex Lavatio scriptor is week.

Update[: NHL Network ero televising 2007 Hockey Aula of Laus Induction Ceremony tonight ex 730pm: 930pm:]

voting est super tuncvictor has been renuntio. In Glacialis Blog nisus sursum in a honestus 4th locus perago.

Gratiae ut totus quisnam suffragium nobis.

Puteus, EGO iustus venio ut offendo in a page via Goggle Erectus ut expiscor ut In Glacialis Blog has been nomen a denique in optimus Lusum Blog numerus of 2007 Weblog Awards.

Im’ certus EGO can narro pro sulum procul OFB in sententia ut nos es veneratio futurus lego a denique, ut illic esTot bonus blogs sicco illic. Nos operor animadverto ut nos es underdogs huic numerus quod ut vel exsisto audio per nonnullus of lemma est a valde veneratio. Iustus reprehendo sicco denique album:

• In DL
• Basium Susy Kolber
• Effor & Astrum
• In Glacialis Blog
• FanHouse
• Cotidie Should Exsisto Imbuo
• Deadspin
• F1 Fanatic
• Hardball Vicis
• SB Populus

Gravis competition vero. Plures gratiae goes sicco illis quisnam monstro nos. Forsitan puteus’ exsisto felicis statuo superus quam 10th. In ullus theca, commodo click in ballot subter supter ut navigo ut persona page jacio vestri suffragium. Vos es validus ut suffragium quondam sulum 24 hora per capitagium propinquus in November 8th.

In February, Caps populus a “Hockey ‘n Heels” nox noctis pro female fans. (vos can lego meus repeto hic.) Permaneo Imbuo, Rex rgis populus suus “Hockey & Altus Heels” vicis. CKim quod kms2 exPuniceus Frendo Velvet famulor vicis, quod CKim had is loquor super is:

“Hockey & Altus Heels eram vicis ut brought nos sicco quod is couldnt’ have been melior. Etiam flyer apparatus vicis ut women volo scio magis super venatus, tamen is evolved in quispiam melior. 24 vel sic women ut no is sicco totus iam had a diligo pro venatus sic is eram a valde via accerso is unique humus of ladies una”

Laetus audire talis fanaticus pro vicis; Rex rgis had futurus commodo per fan reaction, si nusquam alius. vicis eram iuste similis ut Caps vicis, praeter ut women had significant glacies vicis in plenus apparatus quod swag they suscipio sanus melior quam planto pera quod sacculus speculum ex Caps’ Hockey ‘n Heels.

Donatus ut Caps erant validus delecto 250 women in a weeknight, suus’ leviter admiratio video vidi visum ut tantum super duos dozen women famulor Rex rgis’ vicis super weekend. Tunc EGO saw pretium tag: $centum, plus $52 pro sulum additional ticket. same vicis ero held pro female Penguins fans in November 7 pro $130 sulum, quod Penguins specto vicis vendo sicco. Unus res Caps did vox eram ut pretium suum vicis tickets procul $65. Dum is may have videor amo multus procul vicis, is eram cognatus bargain foedus ut pretium ut Hockey & Altus Heels vices es to order. Illic es magis perks ( talis ut a effingo of Lisa Fornax’ libri,Hockey & Altus Heels), tamen fortuitus fan may non postulo vel votum ut. Quispiam pro stipes recolo est ut superus pretium may subsequens devoveo fan ero magis promptus famulor, ut econtra ut quispiam quisnam teneo parum ut nusquam super hockey.

kms2 oratio proventushac:

“If Hockey quod Altus Heels est coming ut an pulvis near vos, EGO would altus suadeo sequax. Si vestri’ incertus super iens, EGO innutum emailing contactus alio in tutela of vicis quod scisco qualis of female fans theyre’ trying ut target. Volo is vicis had been vendo in a melior via, magis versus, expers confero female hockey fans quinymo quam erudio females super decens fans. Regardless, EGO had talis a valde vicis quod EGO vere spes Rex rgis quod alius teams persevero ut confero similis vices, non vel iustus pro females, tamen pro totus fans.”

Quod ut, in a lamnia lammina lamna, est forsit: suus’ difficilis condeco everyones’ postulo. primary calx illorum typus of vices videor futurus engaging fortuitus female fans, ut econtra ut foveo female hockey fans. Illic’ nusquam nefas per ut, obviously; suus’ valde video vidi visum magis fans procul hockey venatus. Suus’ miseratio versus ambulo: is would exsisto specimen si illic eram a via annecto utriusque humus vacuus alienatio aut unus. Regardless, vices amo illa es a valde satus versus ingenero novus fans quod engaging current ones.

Is preteritus Mondays’ Novus York Vicis censeo Adveho Centrals’ Stephen Colbert quod suus oculus- oris vultus permaneo Sunday in ‘ opportunus Press.’ Colbert, ludio ludius, comedian, incentivus, fledgling candide promptus pro Niveus Domus, videor ut Tim Russerts’ hospes, quod Russert eram in in iocus. Praeter, obviusVicis’ insightful visum, is wasnt’ adeo a iocus. Quoque in Lavatio is week, Lavatio Vicis vindico a contemporary overview of persona ut hockey bloggers incrementabiliter es lascivio in interventus universe. duos novus vices, Id’ oro, dedi vegetus vicis ut perseco ongoing evolution of interventus.

Colbert est a faux presidential candide. Atqui validus ferrum in suus ‘ opportunus Press’ vultus eram ut in plures veneratio is eram magis auctorizo quam quis typically est portatus off in ut progressio vel suus in- pius Sunday oriens competition. Ut eram subtilis Colberts’ cuspis; hes’ res publica habeo said, “ ego sum recedentia verus quam [Kansas Orchestra quod insquequo nuper presidential candide] Sam Brownback.” Sit. magis hes’ sulum frenum ut speciosus a presidential candide ut Brownback vel Sarcalogos Dodd vel Joe Biden.

Colbert volo ut moneo nos of inherent phoniness of contemporary American politics quod interventus Quod qui consurgo in tutaminis of Vetus Interventus vis a vis novus interventus’ challenge ut is dont’ copiose appreciate, is videor ut mihi, aut ambitus of longstanding, widespread dissatisfaction per interventus statua quo — chronicled iam super decades — vel versatility quod verus- vicis labefactum brought super per novus competition.

Ut a humanitas, didnt’ nos abicio mythology of press “ libertas” super a ingenero abhinc? Utrum vestri target est Katie Virtus vel Dan Quinymo vel Bob Novak, delusional quaint animadverto ut an universus workforce of notitia gatekeepers est quomodo filterless, dispensing developments per ideology- solvo lenses, videor iam of universitas- est- campester sensibility. upshot quorum est: in chronicling altus, lows, quod imperator operor- nusquam of utriusque Inhaero quod Frutex administrations of preteritus 15 annus, cuius’ had a maioribus labefactum in nostrum humanitas, Res Drudge vel Pullus Tribus? Ut significant legislation est induco quod disputatio in Caput Tumulosus, quot Americans puto network vel magnus urbs paper Tumulosus cohaereo quod suus vel suus 900- vox lima vel 120- secundus-segment-soundbite excipio major domus of bills’ labefactum? (vel vel a sliver.) Quis venio ut a bill — amo narro is preteritus ver’ Orchestra’ immigration sarcina (800 pages) — ut an exercitus of bloggers, nonnullus per lex inhonestus, goes per is per a teres- dentis certamen? refero: K Vicus — quod Vetus Interventus conventional sapientia — fio confusus.

tunc question est, quare would vos have ultum si ullus deference ut mortalitas medium? Excolo veneratio forsitan, tamen deference? Alius question est unus of philosophical pragmatism: in lux lucis of velociter developing technology quod democratizing species of interventus is progenero, quare would vos reputo ut a lone paro of eyes quod fingers in a keypad ought futurus certus responsal of a novus vicis? Quod dum per magnus novus items in versus illic’ usquequaque coepi multus of estus quod sonitus, quinymo velociter siligoinis gets singulus ex chaff.

gelu ferreus animadverto pro magnus- urbs emendator quod bureau proceres est ut per sulum obduco week magis quod magis Americans senex 15-40 es verto ut alternative interventus impetro suum ferreus, mollis, quod pulchellus ultum panton in inter quidam quaedam quedam quidam novus. Pro melior vel pro peior, suus’ been a constans diet of Jon Vilicus, Res Drudge, Stephen Colbert, Cotidie Kos . . . quodBasium Suzy Kolber.

Is preteritus Friday nox noctis, in meus plurimus repens saluto ut Quin Center, EGO no duos notitia super dynamics of contemporary lusum press arca archa. Illic est in propono illic, nox noctis, a attonitus dichotomy. Sive, vos have unique pello pepulli pulsum opinio ex unique Vetus Interventus exitus modius absentis in suum apparatus an hora pro venatus, vere molior infrasctructure of repono theyll’ lima in pauci hora. Theyll’ pause quod planto vegrandis- sermo aliquando per suum incomparabilis, tamen universe suus’ a angustus scripted environment affording precious parum significant pondero vicis. Potissimum illa opinio es vere stilus dum venatus factum est captus locus — quod necesse non vigilo is.

Procul alius terminus of press row licet plerumque reperio a cadre of bloggers, totus cuius technically es inconcessus ex blogging in “ verus vicis” Instead, they es rapturously engaged in in- glacies proceedings . . . quod per unus alius. Illic est gravis traffic of verus- vicis visual nota- captus quod socius, analysis quod theoricus. Sepius EGO mos devenio Quin Center per a singulus lima informatio quod recedo per quattuor, per rectum of savvy blogger verto EGO sum seputus in, proprie inter periods.

Tamen illic est magis: amo totus alius Friday nox noctis, EGO facis sursum meus apparatus procul venatus’ infero cornu quod no meus via tenus ludio ludius’ cella. Caput’ caput had videor ut exsisto vulnero per pessime. EGO volo impetro persona vox of Expedio’ valetudo ut velox ut possible, quod adepto is sursum in ‘Net intus minutes. Dmitry Chesnokov quod EGO exspecto in a aula pro Nate Ewell per vox. Cepit nonnullus minutes, tamen nos got is: vieo neque nec quisquam verum awful. Meus computer eram facis sursum, quod erant EGO a lone blogger hic Id’ have had praestolor a opus constituo quod an exitus of nonnullus genus ut typus sursum meus reperio. Instead EGO commemoro novus via cell phone ut an OFB colleague, quisnam eram sessio near suus computer domi.

Tamen illic est magis: illic est an archetype ut filings of Vetus Interventus (” venatus lima”) procul venatus. Oftentimes EGO decerno mei six vel septem minutes in a venatus. Interdum EGO lascivio is rectus, interdum EGO veer off in partum tangents. Quod huic veneratio Im’ pulchellus ultum amo sulum alius hockey blogger in urbs.

Friday nox noctis EGO had haud emendator praestolor super pro promulgatio clearance tergum in ullus novus cella. cuspis hic isnt’ ut dentis nostrum cornu tamen instead ut delineate aliquantulus technology ut est coegi interventus revolution. In Imbuo novus quod vetus interventus pariter simultaneously suscipio vox of Alexander Semins’ novus pactum. Quisnam operor vos volo had vox of is sursum primoris? refero blogger Mike Vogel.)

Ultum amo Colberts’ jarring committo in Tim Russerts’ paro permaneo Sunday hockey bloggers in D.C. have uprooted conventions of hockey occulto in urbs. Quod EGO dont’ reputo weve’ vel gotten ut fun effercio etiamnunc.

Puteus, hi illic! It’s bonus futurus tergum.

Ut EGO nisus meus blog permaneo mensis, EGO had haud intention of recidivus ut blogging ullus vicis nunc. Repens vita changes mihi quod meus maritus, Chanuck– comprehendo a DC Lusum Pullus obvius– no mihi animadverto ut EGO couldn’t suscipio meus own blog in a ordinarius basis vacuus vitualamen species. Plus, EGO necessarius effrego. Tunc OFB venit dico, quod EGO couldn’t resist; the guys are awesome and I didn’t want to pass up a chance to collaborate with them.

I know that there’s no way I could ever take EmptyMaybe’s place, not that anyone expects that, though that’s not my goal. Rather, I hope to provide a point of view that was previously missing from OFB (save for MrsGustafsson’s excellent post about Hockey in Heels). For the readers who don’t know me, I’m not the type to go all puckbunny and drool over the players. On the other hand, someone has to counter the boys’ official Lindsay Czarniak love on behalf of some of the female readers of the site. (It gets a little out of control at times, though I know they would disagree.)

The boys told me that they would pick up their dirty clothes, put the toilet seat down, and generally keep the blog in good order. If I could only get my own husband to do that…but just like in marriage, I know it doesn’t work that way. I don’t expect anything here to change. It will be business as usual, with perhaps a few subtle nuances. No worries!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled hockey blog…

When Liz, aka the DC Sports Chick, left blogging to tend to more weighty matters (a.k.a real life) a couple of months ago, many of us who blogged exclusively about hockey thought our community had lost a significant, entertaining, and insightful talent.

Today, we have very good news: she’s back blogging. Even better: she’s blogging for us.

Today we welcome Liz into the OFB zoo. She’s been a longtime supporter and friend. Now, she’s a colleague. Obviously, we’re thrilled.

Here’s what really drew us to her: she loves hockey, loves D.C., loves beer, and she can write. We’re not sure what drew her interest in us. We do know that she has missed blogging.

From July 2005 through September 2007, Liz was author of DCSportsChick.com, a D.C. sports fan blog — “with the exception of the Redskins,” she forcefully notes (see how perfect a fit she is here!). Her blogging focus was on the Capitals and Nationals.

She’s been featured on WRC NBC 4’s “Meet the Bloggers” series (May 2006); an on-air radio talent/blogger for the “Sports Journey Radio Show” from October 2006 through March 2007; one of Ted Leonsis’ recommended blogs; a writer for Femmefan.com; the subject of SportsFan Magazine’s 2006 Capitals’ preview; and generally, rightfully treated by old and new media the past couple of years as the e-Diva designee she’s rightfully earned.

We’re totally psyched that Liz has joined us. She’ll contribute in fits and bursts as life allows, blogging from home and blogging from the road. We’re four again in our revved up cruiser, and we’re looking forward to the ride.

Washington Times’ sports business reporter Tim Lemke spent a number of weeks interviewing a number of the region’s hockey bloggers, his interest piqued by their prevalence in the Verizon Center press box for Caps’ games. “No team in professional sports offers as much unfettered access to bloggers as the Caps,” Lemke writes in this morning’s Times.

“Writers from a half-dozen other blogs, including Japers’ Rink, DC Optimist and A View from the Cheap Seats, are on the premises, cranking out posts that analyze everything from the Caps’ new uniforms to the Hurricanes’ power-play defense. They are affectionately called “blogger nation” and are part of a growing — and unique — strategy by the Caps to embrace new media outlets rather than keep them at an arms’ length.

We were particularly appreciative that Lemke credited Off Wing Opinion’s Eric McErlain for his role in establishing protocols for bloggers wishing to cover the team.

“McErlain worked with Leonsis and the Caps’ public relations staff on crafting a “Bloggers Bill of Rights” that would grant access to the most active bloggers while outlining rules of etiquette and professionalism.”

Lemke concludes by capturing Ted Leonsis’ commitment to new media covering his team and its sport:

“What happens if the Caps make a deep playoff run?”

“Then they can come sit in the owners box,” Leonsis said. “I’ll find them a place to sit. I hope we have that issue. I’d like to be looked at as the most new media-savvy, blog-centric of the teams. If we win, that network just helps you to keep that momentum going.”

You can read Lemke’s piece here.

Our own Empty Maybe gave us a real jolt last week — informing us of his need to part ways with OFB for the foreseeable future — and he shared this news with readers over the weekend. Truthfully, the remaining three of us were shellshocked. We’ve never known anything but the four of us in this venture.

Over the weekend I gave some thought to EM’s lasting contributions and to how we’ll carry forward without him. There can be renewal and healthy evolution in change, but I wish it weren’t happening in this instance. I’ve said it to print reporters, on radio, and in casual conversations about rinks: the most striking and rewarding feature about being involved in a hockey blog in this town is developing the friendships we have. I’m biased, but I believe that has something (everything) to do with the nature of the game we cover and the people who make livelihoods in it and are drawn toward it.

I greatly enjoyed reading readers’ appreciation for Empty that amassed in the comments to his final Knee-Jerk file. He made as large an impression on many of you as he did us. We just had the added good fortune of being able to empty a few cold ones with him in and out of season. And of calling him friend — which his departing of course doesn’t change.

As for that legacy . . . one of the things I told Empty last week was that in storyboarding for our trip to Moscow to cover the Worlds last spring the Caps’ communications team very quickly adopted his knee-jerk focus and format for its coverage plan. It was also a format increasingly imitated in other blogs. What I enjoyed most about his files was their maturation. Like the rest of us, last autumn he just started bloviating a bit about puck, but it was impossible not to detect Empty’s gaining a unique and endearing voice in them as the season progressed. You could approach his Knee-Jerks merely for the purpose of obtaining a well-delineated recap of a Caps’ game, but I found fondness in many of them for their containing his inimitable drollness. Few in hockey were spared from it.

This morning I’m not prepared to discuss the future of OFB without Empty. Suffice to say we’ll move forward in some iteration, and perhaps manage somehow to carry off a collective set of Knee-Jerks in the months ahead. But we’d necessarily do so in a rough voice.

Washington Capital Donald Brashear is dropping the gloves… because it’s hard to type while wearing hockey gloves. Read more about his upcoming blog at the DC Sports Bog.

I’ll be joining Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion this Saturday night at 6:00, right before the Caps-Sabres’ game, on talk radio 3WT, with studio host Jonathan Warner. We’ll be discussing the Caps’ quick start and the state of the Nation’s Capital of Hockey Blogging. 3WT is found on 107.7 FM, 1500 AM, and 820 AM on your radio dial and streaming online at 3WTRadio.com.

An attempt to provide a sense of the atmosphere I encountered in and about Verizon Center beginning late Saturday afternoon:

4:45 p.m.: We do not have anything approaching hockey weather. In fact, walking down 6th St. under a blazing sun, I’m uncomfortable in merely bluejeans and a business shirt. But I’m better off than six fans I pass who are outfitted in new red Reebok Caps’ sweaters; they are collapsed and passed out against Verizon Center walls, sweat pouring off their temples. District Police revive them by removing the new sweaters and replacing them with old CCMs. Almost instantly the fans recover.

Seriously, I saw a fair number of fans in these rib-huggers out in the heat, and none of them seemed to be moving 9 percent faster than me.

The Caps have a number of young, attractive staffers scurrying about 6th and F Streets on Segways distributing pocket schedules.

5:05: The former Modell’s Caps’ and Wizards’ gear store, which nobody seems to know is named what now, easily has 60 or 70 shoppers in it two hours before the game. It’s actually quite difficult to move around in, it’s so congested. There is rack after rack of new color and logo caps, and they are disappearing fast. The lines at the two registers are consistently six or seven people deep. The team’s new look has been manufactured in a massive array of fashion in this shop, and it’s clearly popular with fans on opening night at home.

Back outside en route to the press entrance, I seize upon an amazing sight: a band of about 25 or 30 men and women — mostly men — congregated on 7th St. wearing hot red wigs, red dresses, and red athletic shoes. This is no ordinary opening night of hockey at home, I think.

5:20: Predictably, it’s novelty-night crowded in the press lounge. Comcast among other broadcast outlets is doing a remote outside the rink, drawing a lot of media personnel who’d otherwise be in the lounge. I arrive in the lounge with a mission to survey various media for their respective slottings of the Caps in the East this season. Here’s what I achieve:

Mike Vogel: 3rd (obviously, he has the Caps winning the Southeast)

Ron Weber: 10th (ouch!)

Eric McErlain: 7th

Corey Masisak: 7th

Dmitry Chesnokov: 6th

6:00: In the press box I’m seated between Eric McErlain and Dmitry Chesnokov. Meaning, my hockey education will be advanced tonight, and I’ll also have the immediate company of good friends. To the right of Eric is a Voice of America reporter originally from the Czech Republic. A couple of reporters in our row mention that the Caps have preserved a press box working space — all season long — for the departed Dave Fay. I mention to the VOA guy that my recollection was that Mr. Leonsis established that policy within a day or two Dave’s leaving us. Incidentally, the bottom of page 1 of the Caps’ 2007 Media Guide carries a dedication to Fay.

6:15: I’m in the refreshment area of the press box, which is partially glassed in, and seeking quiet there because Tim Lemke of the Washington Times is interviewing me about blogging and its impact on the Caps. He emailed me a week or so ago and informed me that he’d already spoken with Eric McErlain (good idea, that) and Jon Press.

The interview lasts longer than I thought it would simply because Tim and I have a real interesting and easy exchange, and he asks good questions. Also, because I love talking about this topic. Lemke mentions his impression that the four of us put a lot of work into OFB. I don’t quite know how to respond; objectively you could posit that we devote a healthy number of hours each week to the site, but even when I’m writing at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, knowing I’ll be dragging in the office the next day by early afternoon, I never view the endeavor as labor.

Full disclosure (sort of): three times I ask Lemke to turn off his recorder so that we can chat off the record. I want to provide him as full a sense as possible of what has happened to us over the past year, and various members of the hockey community have shared with me, with a good deal of candor, what they perceive the state of things media in D.C. to be. Mike Vogel once told me that 80 percent of what he hears in his hockey travels necessarily has to end up on the cutting room floor. “It’s a good way to preserve friendships,” he told me. (Continued)

We’ve blogged for the past 365 days because we’ve found it a fun outlet for our passion for puck — and specifically, for our passion for puck in these parts. We acknowledge the perception that Washington isn’t a hockey town. But right now Washington is very much a hockey blogging town, and as of today we have been but one small voice within that vibrant e-community for one year. It’s astounding to us to ponder how far media in general has matured and evolved and yes even improved in its coverage of the Caps and the sport in the past year.

We would have blogged with passion aplenty absent any intervention from the Washington Capitals, but in reflecting on the past year, we’re overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from the team’s communications professionals, its athletes, and that filmmaker fella with the nice perch at Verizon Center. The very first comment left at OFB one year ago today was from Mike Vogel. The second came from Ted Leonsis. The next thing we knew we were being invited into Verizon Center’s press box and players’ rooms. What’s excited us most about that remarkable hospitality is its visionary democracy: the Caps have led the entire professional sports industry in laying out the welcome mat to committed bloggers, and there were times last season when a press box row was populated entirely by bloggers.

Bloggers are a byproduct of new media, but many of the hockey bloggers in Washington we’ve met the past year were the byproduct of old media: locally, a malignant one. Bloggers swooped in to fill a vicious vacuum, a dereliction of duty to provide the most basic coverage of the pro hockey team in town. A sense of “We’re fed up and we’re gonna do something about it” fueled OFB’s formation. One year later we’re pleased to report progress by the old guard, but we’re mindful of the too many years of sneering neglect, and By George (Michael), we’re gonna keep our guard up!

Many of our readers shared our frustration with old media while others at times thought our critique too shrill. We might all agree on this: a great sport deserves great media coverage. If you don’t believe that hockey is the greatest sport on the planet you’re in the wrong forum.

Maybe in year two we’ll set the goal of getting Kornheiser and Wilbon attired in new Caps’ sweaters on the set of PTI. Would that be any more ludicrous than the new bloggers on the block blogging from Moscow?

If the Caps were first in impact upon us in year one our readers were a close second. The four of us believe we have some of the most loyal readers in hockey’s online community. Just yesterday we received a note from a reader recently moved to France informing us of his devotion to the Caps and his intentions of following them this season via this site. All we can do with a sentiment like that is say we’re honored by the patronage, but remember that from our vantage we’re merely new-age pool reporters whose voices represent the underserved.

In form we are identified as four in this forum, but we prattle, prod, and publish in a voice we feel is echoed all over the hockey continent. We’ve heard your echoes here often, and chorused with ours they form a fine harmony.

There is pleasant, engaging office water cooler chat — (none of us really gather around water coolers anymore, do we? It’s just that we haven’t found the appropriately updated workplace referent) — and then there’s what I have gained in breaktime communications by virtue of changing careers this autumn. Two doors down from my brand new office in Northwest D.C. is that of Eric McErlain, he of Off Wing Opinion, he the trailblazer of hockey bloggers, he the author of the blogger credentialing guidelines requested by Ted Leonsis and the Washington Capitals, he the Maestro of New Media, he who puts the “multi” in e-multi-tasking, and, as of this week, he the best of all hockey bloggers. Sports Business Media this week named Eric’s Off Wing Opinion the best hockey blog out of the universe of all hockey blogs.

Ten such hockey blogs were acknowledged for distinction by Sports Business Media, and Jon Press’ Japers’ Rink made the list as well. So D.C. bloggers comprised 20 percent of the e-dignitaries. Not bad for non-hockey town. The list of the 10 best:

1. Off Wing Opinion
2. James Mirtle
3. The Pensblog
4. The Battle of California
5. Barry Melrose Rocks
6. BfloBlog.com
7. Waiting For Stanley
8. The Battle of Alberta
9. Japers’ Rink
10. Behind the Jersey

I first met Eric early last hockey season. I was (and remain) a very novice blogger, while he was in year six or so of breaking down traditional media coverage barriers. I was keeping my head low and my mouth shut in the hour of so before Caps’ home games down in the press mess. Eric was the first person to sit down next to me and make me feel welcome in the strange environs. It’s a favor I aim to return this Saturday night at Verizon Center if I see a fresh face among the Opening Night press pack.

Anyway, by about our third pre-game meal together Eric felt like a real good friend to me. Perhaps you can imagine my feelings for him when, in the middle of this summer, he took my CV and shepherded it into a spectacular new communications gig for me — and as his colleague. We have plans for a lavish steak dinner out together on my dime to acknowledge his life-altering intervention on my behalf, but his myriad e-moonlighting missions keep robbing him of free time.

Our office is a lot like many other professional settings in a big city. Colleagues of distinction hunker down and labor hard and well, and when they seek a break and some personal engagement, they confide in their office neighbors and or project team members about family, recreation, travel plans, and the child custody drama of Ms. Spears. There are so many gifted and warm professionals on our staff, and these dialogues they have no doubt carry uncommon rewards. Yet I can’t help feeling a wee part of pity for them, for when Eric and I dialogue, we ruminate on the exotic, like junior hockey travel in Saskatoon or Moose Jaw or Rimouski, the best ways to get hockey hear dry between games of a weekend beer league tournament, and John Buccigross pithiness. In our prattlings we do break away from our immersion in big-league rosters and transactions; we discuss international monetary policy, too. Now that the Canadian dollar has achieved parity with the American, we wonder (at length) how much beer money we’d need on a roadtrip north of the 49th to take in a long weekend’s worth of Q League games.

It’s a foreign tongue to our colleagues that Eric and I traffic in over the day’s first cup of joe, during portions of the lunch hour, and in quick-hit comings and goings in hallways. A veteran of our trade association, Eric knows full well that when say Ben Clymer is dispatched to Hershey and I’m tied up in some technical meeting on another floor, he can relay the breaking news to me via our Blackberries. It’s at times like that that I’m of the opinion that ‘Brian’s Song’ has nothing on the nascent friendship between Eric and me.

Eric in his formidable online technical faculties of course is as clued in to our sport’s developments as anyone in North America, and so he genuinely doesn’t need me to pop my head in his office and blurt out the latest injured reserve designations. But I do that anyway, for he and I are kindred spirits about all things frozen, fast-paced, and fisticuffs, and needed levity and even some level of nourishing, sporting spirituality is secured in our office engagements. We have our own blogs, and both of us have material that ends up on the proverbial cutting room floor; these tidbits and trinkets too we share with one another. We speculate, debate, reminisce, and simply luxuriate in an immersion into an inner sanctum of our beloved sport.

Late Wednesday, just hours before the start of the new hockey season, Eric popped his head into my office, knowing that my new home had recently been wired for NHL CenterIce for the first time. He simply wanted to see the look of anticipation on my face, I think.

It was there alright.

Thursday morning I’ll begin my workday as usual, with coffee and quick check to see if Eric’s desk light is on yet. I’m eager to congratulate my friend on being named the best hockey blogger in all the bloggersphere.

Pete Kerzel’s preview of the Caps for the Hockey News’ 2007-08 Yearbook is rather dour — he sees them on the outside of the Eastern conference playoffs looking in, and emphasizes instead “incremental improvement is much more likely.” His file also has a ring of outdated-ness to it; he identified the Caps’ Tomas Fleischmann as fifth on the Caps’ depth chart of left wings, among other personnel oddities. And he claimed that the team’s third and fourth lines were weak points, when in fact, early this autumn, they appear to be pgraded over recent seasons (as in adding a 30-goal scorer to one of them).

But Kerzel’s concluding paragraph caught my eye in a more positive light:

“Majority owner Ted Leonsis, an AOL executive, gave players laptops upon taking over the team in 1999 and the coaching staff is among the most tech-savvy in the league, using specifically constructed computer programs for in-game strategizing. Leonsis blogs regularly on the team website, and his ruminations have spawned several dedicated fan blogs. They’re smart, sassy, irreverent must-reads, mainly because they keep the team honest and in touch with fans.”

     

Yes, the THN OFB mention this week is pretty cool, and yes, we’ll tip back a few self-congratulatory cold ones out at Bailey’s in Ballston this weekend, but training camp starts tomorrow! Moscow was a blast, but we’re thinking about the promise of the present this week.

With his feature on the dramatic impact that bloggers have had in altering coverage of hockey in this town, James Mirtle has given bloggers a nice bit of PR but more importantly done hockey a terrific and important service. James is a blogger himself; it’s clear that like Ted Leonsis he recognizes and champions the role that new media already is playing in the NHL and will continue to play in the years ahead.

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!

Before you moan about another entry in the crowded field of blogs, see who it is behind the keyboard. Yesterday, Dmitry Chesnokov sent us word that Alexander Ovechkin was about to launch his own blog. Today, after confirmation, he has provided the link.

Although it will be great to hear thoughts from Sasha himself, it’s in Russian. And therein lies the rub; if you are not lucky enough to have access to the translation powers of Dmitry, Babel Fish will be your friend.

From a Babel Fish translation:

“In more detail about everything you now will be able to read on my bloge. To me it will very pleasantly see you here girls, fellows and all fans of Russian sport. We will associate here as far as possible. I will answer your questions, and you will help me to learn news from Russia; ) I hope that this blog will leave on all a good impression.”

Without further ado, enjoy Alexander Ovechkin’s Blog. And welcome to the blogosphere, Alex.