In Glacialis Blog

Meus three astrum of seasons’ primoris vicus es:

(3) Pascal Leclaire — backstopper of BlueJackets, disbelievingly in lascivio litis, per a .940 servo percentage, 1.59 calx- obviam ( secundus- optimus in league) quodquinque shutouts. Hes’ meus Vezina Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus;

(2) Henrik Zetterberg — antea a magnificabiliter ustulo porro, iam a superstar, quod videlicet a magis dynamic talentum sursum frons pro Pennae quam Interfixus Datsyuk. Nunc futurus pensus sic?;

(1) Vincent Lecavalier — simplex having suus optimus season ut a pro, leagues’ plumbum ustulo per 32 pts.; dominion suus contradictio quod condita quis eram puto futurus a caput capitis- gravis somes of Telum’ porro in a primoris versus ut’ sic bonus is res parum quis contributions, si ullus, insisto. Hes’ meus Hart Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus.

Recolitus profero: Jarome Iginla (26 cuspis in 19 venatus) est having an MVP species season, tamen hes’ laboriosus in a nixor Flamma stipes. Quod Comcast, pro coming per per NHL CenterIce, NHL Network, quod Lisa Tumulosus.

Cado astrum:

(3) Lavatio Caput

(2) Proficiscor Andre Fleury

(1) Reebok

Midwest Mojo: Redivivus in Pullus quod St. Louis es ahead of passus quod infigo. Pium Kane est meus Calder Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus. Robert Lingua, per 19 cuspis in 20 venatus, quod skating a +7, est giving Hawks subtilis quidam quaedam quedam quidam uber, veteran gubernatio theyd’ spes pro in caput capitis versus. Etiam, Hawks have proventus — in suum tergum terminus. Theyve’ trado 61 calx, quod utriusque Khabibulin quod Lalime lusum sub-.900 servo percentages. Tamen secundum a decade of dreariness, Hawks es fun ut vigilo iterum. plumbum ustulo pro Puteulanus es greybeards Paul Kariya quod Keith Tkachuk. Exinde, suus’ a lunchpail outfit ut’ outworking suus inimicus. Illic’ multus of juvenis illius roster, sic is may fulcio ut season progrsses. Quod quis of Rudis, vindicatum of Jiri Novotny quod Kris Beech? They es duodeviginti obvius Occasus, quod 6-2-1 domi.

In Oriens, Montreal quod Insula have been attonitus prosperitas repono. Suus’ a pondera tentatio in Montreal: Habs iam have duodeviginti ludio ludius in geminus digits in ustulo. Quod memor quam everybody in hockey eram misericordia Isles secundum oris hora of solvo procurator, ut guys amo Jason Blake, Tom Venenum, quod Viktor Kozlov telum? Ted Nolan est opus suus secundus consecutive miracle in Isle.

Vires in Michaels. Mike Richards quod Mike Cammalleri have talea sicco take- is- ut--bank Totus Astrum venatus lectio. Richards (23 cuspis in 19 venatus) est Philadelphias’ plurimus convenienter quod dynamic tractare, a cuspis-per- venatus ludio ludius quisnam is season has transitioned ex spondeo youngster ut elite, caput- species talentum. Suus three shorthanded procerus plumbum league. Cammalleri (12 calx, 7 succurro) est orsa ut vultus multus amo Occasus placitum’ poema poematis of Bellicus St. Louis.

Jolly Ole Uber St. Nik. Nik Antropov est sanus quod lascivio virtually a cuspis-a- venatus hockey pro Folium, quod skating a +9. Quisnam knew is could? Is had 33 cuspis permaneo season, quod a altus of 16 calx quod 29 succurro in 2002-03. Obviously hes’ in passus parumper tutela annus. Alex Kovalev est in passus pro 40 calx. Meanwhile, Jonathon Cheeechoo has iustus 3 calx in 21 venatus pro Partis. Jaromir Jagr, Im’ tristis ut opinio, est in passus pro 16 calx is season, quod Sarcalogos Drury (3 calx!) vel minor. Etiam, suum Rangers have serio fervens sursum in Atlantic.

Jeremy Roenick — memor him? — est outscoring Mike Modano, Brendan Shanahan, Thomas Vanek, Drury, Sarcalogos Higgins, Vepres Gionta, quod Pium Mara. Unus of causa Tampa eram validus supersto damnum of Dan Boyle pro ultum of seasons’ primoris vicus eram lascivio of Paul Ranger: 4 calx, a +11, quod an validus pensator in vox lascivio cuspis.

Is certus videor tanquam Peter Forsberg has ludio ludius suus permaneo venatus in NHL, quod forsitan in pro hockey period. Tunc subsisto, Aula of Laus. Minor liberaliter sidelined, in meus ratio, es Scott Niedermayer quod Teamu Selanne, quisnam videor ut volo permitto suum Ducks teammates ut umerus humerus mane ordinarius seasons’ bumps quod livor pro forsitan rejoining lemma pro tendo run quod postseason. Im’ rumex, tamen hockey ludio ludius lascivio hockey ut hockey satus, non perfectus. Vacuus lemma, vallo champion Ducks es tenura is una quinymo puteus.

Guy Carbonneau quod Ted Nolan partis Jack Insuadibilis Trophy pro seasons’ primoris vicus, ex meus vantage. Recolitus profero: Ken Hitchcock.

Quispiam valde frigus est venio procul Honda Center in Aneheim. FSN Occasus vescor NHL Center Glacies est ostendo LA Rex rgis Anaheim Ducks venatus. Ut’ Northmanni. Quis isnt’ est ut illic es haudrenuntio Iustus sanus of venatus quod plebis. Oh, quod totus venit Angli es ex glacies campester per quis they dico “Rinkside Visum”

Eatenus, solus narro per ullus renuntio est typical velox spatium per a ludio ludius procul terminus of period quod a inviso decorus labor lapsus of Zamboni per FSN personality Bill MacDonald inrideo per. FSN has quoque captus vos visum ut vantage ex broadcast tabernus quod organist.

2nd intermission quoque brought nos a brevis video accersitus “ lusum Scientia” sermo super cattus- amo pondero of a hockey calx. Is eram membrana procul Kettler Caput Iceplex per Olaf Kolzig quod Alex Ovechkin. An Ovechkin slapshot ex 25 feet pervenio Kolzig in .22 secundus. Cepit .11 secundus pro Kolzig ut locus puck, tamen commotus suus glove in positus in .10 secundus, quod probo ut Kolzig does vero have cattus- amo celeritas.

Iam pro satus of 3rd ex glacies campester vacuus renuntio.

Had EGO notus is eram venio, EGO would have coepi vigilo primo of venatus neque nec 3 minutes left in 2nd. Forsitan Comcast SportsNet vires amo experior is sicco quondam. Secundum totus, they broadcasted a venatus per renuntio inter scamnum.

Update[: A highlight video ex Rinkside Visum broadcast can exsisto seen hic.]

Lavatio Caput iustus privatus sequens editio contemplor Comcast SportsNet Plus quod Cox Communications.

Nos desiderium quod apologize pro inopportunitas. Nos volo quot populus ut possible habeo obvius ut Caps hockey. Caput es spes a consilium inter Comcast corpus, Comcast SportsNets’ parentis vexillum, quod Cox Communications ero pervenio in upcoming dies.

Si vos es ut preoccupo ut nos es, vero, tunc Hortamur vos voco Cox cable ( mediocris 703-378-8422, Fredericksburg 540-373-6343 vel Hampton Via 757-224-1111), dico lemma vos es a Cox subscriber quod scisco lemma gero CSN+ occulto of Caput hockey.

Tantum Cox Communications subscribers es impacted; sulum alius major domus cable quod satellite suggero in Lavatio, D.C., tellus, per eximius of Cox, mos veho venatus in CSN+. Fans can reperio vox channel pro venatus per vultus sursum suum television suggero quod CSN+ channel online: stipes in utcomcastsportsnet.com, sumo “Baltimore- Lavatio, D.C.” quod utor zip code reperio.

EGO sum opus is proventus totus dies hodie per Comcast, Cox quod locus habenae. Subsisto tuned.

- Ted

An rudimentum ut suggero a voluntas of aer EGO congressus in quod super Quin Center orsa tardus Imbuo meridianus:

445: p.m.: Nos operor non have quisquam appositus hockey tempestas. Verum, pedes down 6th St. sub a aestuo sol solis, Im’ incommoditas in mereo bluejeans quod a res shirt. Tamen Im’ melior off quam six fans EGO obduco quisnam es outfitted in novus rutilus Reebok Caps’ sudo; they es collapsed quod obduco sicco obviam Quin Center moenia, sudo fluo off suum templum. Plaga Excolo recro lemma per amotio novus sudo quod restituo lemma per vetus CCMs. Fere instantly fans revoco.

Serio, EGO saw a mediocris numerus of fans in illa rib-huggers sicco in estus, quod nullus of lemma videor ut exsisto moving 9 sentio ocius quam mihi.

Caps have a numerus of tener, venustas baculus scurrying super 6th quod RESURRECTIO Vicus in Segways dispensatio sinus schedules.

505:: Ille Forma’ Caps’ quod Veneficus’ apparatus repono, quod nemo videor scio est nomen quis iam, facile has 60 vel 70 shoppers in is duos hora pro venatus. Suus’ vere per difficilis moveo inter in, suus’ sic congested. Illic est torqueo secundum torqueo of novus colo colui cultum quod logo caps, quod they es evanidus velox. versus procul duos subcriptio es convenienter six vel septem populus profundus. teams’ novus vultus has been fabrica in a vulgus array of formo huic shop, quod suus’ videlicet populus per fans in oris nox noctis domi.

Tergum foris en iter itineris ut press porta, EGO occupo super an prodigiosus os: a manus manus of super 25 vel 30 men quod women — plerumque men — congregated in 7th St. taedium fervens rutilus wigs, rutilusindutus, quod rutilus athletic shoes. Is est haud vulgaris oris nox noctis of hockey domi, EGO reputo.

520:: Predictably, suus’ novitas- nox noctis turba in press lounge. Comcast inter alius broadcast exitus est effectus a longinquus foris rink, tractus multus of interventus alio whod’ secus exsisto in lounge. EGO supervenio in lounge per a absentis lustro varius interventus pro suum veneratio slottings of Caps in Oriens is season. Hic’ quis EGO perficio:

Mike Vogel: 3rd (obviously, is has Caps victor Inferus)

Ron Weber: 10th (ouch!)

Eric McErlain: 7th

Corey Masisak: 7th

Dmitry Chesnokov: 6th

600:: In press arca archa Im’ sessio inter Eric McErlain quod Dmitry Chesnokov. Voluntas, meus hockey erudio ero provectus tonight, quod Peius’ quoque have statim vexillum of bonus amicitia. Ut vox of Eric est a Vox vocis of America opinio exemplar ex Czech Res publica. A iugo of opinio in nostrum row profero ut Caps have reservo a press arca archa opus tractus — totus season porro — pro mortuus Dave Fay. EGO profero ut VOA guy ut meus recordatio eram ut Mr. Leonsis statutum tempus ut excolo intus a dies vel duos Daves’ decessio nos. Incidentally, solum of page 1 of Caps’ 2007 Interventus Rector portatus a dedication ut Fay.

615:: Im’ in levamen area of press arca archa, quod est partially vas in, quod questio quietis illic quoniam Tim Lemke of Lavatio Vicis est interviewing mihi super blogging quod suus labefactum in Caps. Is emailed mihi a week vel sic abhinc quod edoctus mihi ut hed’ iam orator per Eric McErlain ( bonus informatio, ut) quod Jon Press.

spatium permaneo diutius quam EGO sententia is would simplex quoniam Tim quod EGO have a verus interesting quod securus verto, quod is asks bonus questions. Quoque, quoniam EGO diligo sermo super is thema. Lemke profero suus infigo ut quattuor nostrum loco multus of opus in OFB. EGO dont’ per teneo quam ut respondeo; objectively vos could positus ut nos devoveo a sanus numerus of hora sulum week ut site, tamen vel ut Im’ stilus procul 200: vel 300: in oriens, gnarus Peius’ exsisto dragging in muneris tunc dies per mane meridianus, EGO nunquam visum nisus ut opus.

Plenus promptum ( quasi): three vicis EGO scisco Lemke verto off suus recorder ut nos can chat off record. Volo ut suggero him ut plenus a voluntas ut possible of quis has venio nobis super preteritus annus, quod varius members of hockey defero have partis me, per aliquantum of libertas, quis they sentio civitas of res interventus in D.C. futurus. Mike Vogel quondam told mihi ut 80 sentio of quis audit in suus hockey eo necesse has ut terminus sursum in talea cella solum. “suus’ a bonus via servo amicitia” is told mihi. (persevero)

Gustafsson quod EGO famulor Tuesdays’ 2007 Caput Interventus Dies procul Quin Center. Secundum oris ingens per erus Ted Leonsis, an patefacio session secuutus. Hic es pauci highlights:

Bacca of Sapientia ex Ron Weber

EGO pulsatus sursum a sermo per Caput radio valde Ron Weber. Nos erant utriusque gazing sicco procul cassus glacies superficies ut capitale super hockey history parumper, talis ut quod unus team, Montreal Canadiens, adsuesco assuesco have puteulanus versus per solum of tabula quinymo quam vexillum crocus. Is quoque ( vacuus meus promptus) ineo in penuria of sicco-of- urbs scoreboards quod verus- vicis clock; nos erant utriusque spes ut tela- pallium ends of summitto ribbon propono ero unveiled ut scoreboards in oris nox noctis.

Plurrimi interesting tidbit is partis me eram in vultus of a question. “animadverto rutilus versus?” is asked. “operor vos teneo quare suus’ non a firmus versus, tamen has illud niveus tractus per versus?” EGO profiteor ut EGO did non. “puteus” is persolvo, “ tergum ut they coepi broadcasting hockey venatus, they couldnt’ dico in propinquus- sursum venit offa utrum ludio ludius eram skating super puteulanus versus vel rutilus versus. . . quoniam in niger- quod- niveus televisions they vultus idem eadem idem. Sic NHL no a sceptrum ut rutilus versus had habeo illud niveus vestigium, sic visum could dico distinctus inter versus. Non ut quisquam est vigilo in a niger- quod- niveus TV hodie, tamen theyve’ etiam kept is ut way.”

Anhelo Profundus DC Aer

Inter plures interventus folks procul vicis eramComcast SportsNet’s prodigialiter familiarisLisa Tumulosus. Ted Leonsis, Tumulosus, Gustafsson quod EGO erant capitale super upcoming season secundum Leonsis quod Tumulosus candela an spatium pro Comcast. Leonsis apologized pro suus scabrosus vox vocis. “suus’ mold,” is persolvo — quod EGO sympathized, ut pauci dies abhinc EGO awoke per quis EGO sententia eram a nocens gelu tamen eram verum a vomica per causa per incredibilis altus duco of mold allergens in aer. Tumulosus ingens in tersus Northern aer, “ nos nunquam had ut fatigo super mold in Ottawa!” Exspectata ut DC, Ms. Tumulosus, quod bonus fortuna in humilitas, capitagium-ridden, debilito- stomachata- suffoco DC aer is ver. Addo Expedio!

Procul vox, a photo of Lisa Tumulosus quod Dave Steckel. Steckels’ infigo castra quod preseason have meritus him a macula in Caput’ oris nox noctis roster.

Q & A per Tomas Fleischmann

OFB: Vos had a curtus season quam potissimum Caps per vestri Calder Vas lascivio run permaneo annus. Vultus tergum, could vos statua tunc ut quattuor mensis laxus youd’ non tantum planto team, tamen exsisto skating per Alex Ovechkin?

Fleischmann: Vos nunquam teneo, is est hockey! EGO didnt’ reputo super is, EGO iustus went ut estas workouts quod opus ferreus in palaestra castra facio caput capitis duos versus . . . Vos have laboro cotidie, exsisto melior cotidie. Im’ iustus fervidus quod cant’ exspecto nostrum primoris venatus.

OFB: Quam erant illud Calder Vas runs, quod quam operor vos reputo ut mos instruo vos pro an 82- venatus schedule in NHL, quod hopefully playoffs?

Fleischmann: Ut eram a valde usus. . . prothoplastus res vos have efficio in playoffs est have a bonus humus of guys quisnam volo ut lucror, quod lascivio pro Vas. Sulum has efficio suus officium, quod ut’ quis capit. Quod si panton officina amo ut, is officina sulum vicis in glacies.

OFB: Quod vos sentio ut’ quis Caput have is annus?

Fleischmann: Oh, exigo, ut’ via EGO sentio.

Ut operor nos, Tomas, ut operor nos.

Paro vestri VCRs/DVRs: Comcast SportsNets’ Lisa Tumulosus iustus edoctus nos ut suus proprius hospes in Thursdays’ Lavatio Stipes Ago est nullus alius TSNs’ Bob McKenzie. McKenzie ero videor ago ex Toronto, sermo Caput quod hockey universe. segment mos quoque comprehendo Al Koken quod Russ Thaler. ostendo airs ex 500: PM – 600: PM in October 4.

“McKenzie has been vestis hockey pro preteritus 26 annus quod est unus of plurrimi celebrus analysts in res. Suus unus contactus in hockey universitas, combined per an ubertas of hockey scientia quod a sincerus diligo pro venatus, planto McKenzie plurrimi puteus- edoctus, inquisitor, quod iunctus vir in res”[1]

A nice addition ut Comcasts’ ongoing Caps Week.

Apprised of Comcasts’ commitment ut Caps is week, EGO verto in Comcast SportsNet moment EGO supervenio domus ex opus Monday nox noctis, quod left is illic. Quis EGO vigilo super tunc quattuor hora attonitus mihi.

EGO saw novus Comcast Caps’ pello pepulli pulsum opinio Lisa Tumulosus bulla populus a season praevius alongside Joe Nidor. EGO saw iustus super totus of Alexander Ovechkins’ primoris- umquam NHL venatus (Id’ forgotten ut is eram a flubbed breakaway ex a hat furta ut nox noctis). Tunc EGO saw JoeB quod Craig populus alius bulla dimidium hora, “Caps Speak,” for another team preview. Promos for Comcast’s “SportsNight” that followed promised even more Caps’ coverage.

It was “Monday Night Hockey in Washington,” of course.

Head Coach Glen Hanlon was interviewed in depth by Hillary. GMGM was thoughtfully interviewed, at length, and he provided his customary thoughtful replies. Key personnel — Chris Clark, Olie Kolzig, Tom Poti, Nicklas Backstrom, Michael Nylander — all took turns before Comcast’s cameras. Tarik El Bashir’s segment with Joe and Craig I thought was a highlight of the entire night. (Tarik, true to form, offered a sober and fair assessment amid the rampant optimism engulfing the organization early this autumn. The Caps, he said, could finish anywhere “from sixth to tenth” in the Eastern conference.)

Broadcast Buzz about pro hockey in D.C. these days? Umm, yes — only if you regard all-consuming, single-topic devotion by the local sports television outlet to the city’s red-headed stepchild of pro teams “buzz”-indicating. Apparently it’s going to be like this the remainder of the week each evening on Comcast.

At one point during the prime time proceedings I saw Joe and Craig flash on the screen multiple-screen listings of Caps’ prospects. I saw the names Michal Neuvirth, Simeon Varlamov, Karl Alzner, Joe Finley, Mathieu Perreault, Francois Bouchard, Dave Steckel, and Chris Bourque, all broadcast on an outlet that never in its life held an office fantasy hockey pool. Briefly, it was like a breakout from hockeysfuture, and two DraftGeeks renting out the Comcast studio and making like Wayne and Garth on local cable access.

Wayne, er, JoeB: “Look at all this talent in the pipeline, Dude!”

Garth, er, Craig (head cocked): “Excellent!”

This is what importing one Canuck can do to an outlet!

More seriously, Hillary was hired to bring her NHL coverage experience to Comcast. The in-house hockey talent was significant, if under-appreciated and grossly under-utilized, but had the outlet ever boasted a dedicated reporter on the beat? Next I’m going to allege that coverage decisions like Comcast’s for this week haven’t occurred in a vacuum, and that they’re a harbinger of better coverage to come, print and broadcast, traditional and alternative. To an extent, it’s fashionable, of course: the Caps may not make it to the postseason this year, but they will not be dull.

But of course I’m a subscriber to the theory that a media revolution for this team and its sport is well underway these days, in these parts.

I’m also, at week’s end, when this trial run on Comcast terminates, planning on becoming a subscriber to CapsTV.

Fire up the DVRs, Caps fans, and get the easy chair prepped, because it’s Caps Week on Comcast Sports net. The hockey-heavy programming will feature season previews, several round-table discussions on the team and the league, classic moments, and brings it all home with the Caps starting off the regular season in Atlanta on Friday night, and then making their home debut against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Saturday’s home opener also features the debut of the Caps’ new home red sweaters.

This bounty of televised Caps’ coverage starts tonight, and you can find the nightly schedule on Comcast’s site.

It’s a day of rest not only for Washington Capitals’ players and coaches — well, the players at least — but for the team’s frenzied communications staff as well. Being out at Kettler as much as I have been the past 10 days, I gained a deep appreciation for the commitment of Nate Ewell, Julie Petri, Paul Rovnak, and Mike Vogel, among others. Their days during camp begin early and end late, and at this time of year they’re not only facilitating one of the heavier media flows following camp in years but also putting together the in-season communications products, such as the Media Guide. It’s forecast to be a stunning late September Sunday today, and I hope they’re all out having fun in the fun and recharging their batteries.

The pause in on-ice action is a good time to take stock of what the Caps have achieved thus far in what I believe is the most important training camp in the organization’s history. I made a point during my visits to survey the hockey-savvy heads also taking in the daily doings at Kettler, from print and broadcast reporters to fellow bloggers to fans in the stands, and herewith I’m blending their leading storylines of camp to date with my own.

• Proud Papa. I’ve regularly seen Owner Leonsis as training camp spectator during the past 10 days, and while it’s true he’s no longer involved with the day-to-day operations of AOL, he remains a busy communications man. I think what’s happened with his training camp interest level mirrors that of the rest of us: the quality and depth of the organization on display is so impressive you are fairly compelled to make the trip out there and simply revel in the turned corner of the team’s competitiveness.

• Nylander to line 2. Two years ago Michael Nylander left Washington as a very good hockey player. This fall he’s returned but done so appearing to be more a star. He’s a dynamic playmaker, in supreme condition. And while almost everyone in hockey this summer forecasted an Ovechkin-Nylander top-line pairing, way back in July Head Coach Glen Hanlon very publicly stated his intention of experimenting with top-6 forward combinations, and thus far in camp, the conspicuous chemistry appears to have melded among Alexander Semin, Michael Nylander, and Nicklas Backstrom as Hanlon’s second unit.

• Slick Swede Part II. Speaking of Backstrom, he is irrefutably gaining comfort on the North American-sized sheet of ice — making progress “on a daily basis,” to quote my friend Mike Vogel. At the World Championships in Moscow in May, former Cap and Swedish National Team Head Coach Bengt Gustafsson told us that Backstrom would make that transition successfully and reasonably swiftly, and he was right. Tim Leone up in Hershey thinks it in Backstrom’s, and the Caps’, best interest for him to have a cup of coffee with the Bears this season. Ain’t happening.

• It’s my puck, and I’m keeping it. The Caps don’t (yet) have a dominant shut-down defenseman, so Glen Hanlon’s strategy for improved defensive play this season rests with his club maintaining possession of the puck more often than in the past two seasons, when often they chased it around the rink in futile fashion. If you have the puck more often than your opposition, your goalie isn’t get apt to face 40 or 50 shots each night, and surrender five or six goals most nights. So far, this strategy appears to be taking hold. In training camp’s scrimmages and through the Caps’ first three preseason games, you can see more puck possession and fewer netminders collapsing from fatigue.

• Captain, My Captain/Son of Kono-Dahlen-Halpern. I’ve changed my views on cloning, because of Chris Clark. Meaning no disrespect to Dale and his retired sweater, but should Clark captain the Caps to a Stanley Cup title in one of the next three seasons, he will have to be regarded as the best and most important captain in team history, having guided the team from the barrens of an unprecedented bottoming out to the promised land. And sitting here in September 2007, I wouldn’t stand in line to wager against it. (See Carolina ‘05-06, Tampa ‘03-04.)

It is Chris Clark’s team-first, two-way versatility that has Glen Hanlon fantasizing about a two-way, impact third line along the lines of the great Steve Konowalchuk, Jeff Halpern, Ulf Dahlen trio of a few years ago. That line, you’ll recall, was so dominant that Ron Wilson opened just about every game with it. It was also one that was a lynchpin to the Caps’ postseason participation. The coach has told the media that he’s looking for 60 goals from his third line this season, and given the defensive acumen of Clark and Boyd Gordon, and Matt Pettinger’s offensive pop, it’s natural to invoke the KDH comparison.

I’m also not wagering on Clark’s offensive production diminishing, dramatically, by virtue of his dropping down to line 3. As he noted himself on Media Day, he’s spent the past two seasons taking shifts against the likes of Zdeno Chara and top defensive pairings. Less so, it would appear, beginning this season.

• Deep Depth. The Caps this weekend have 35 players battling for spots on the opening night roster. It’s reasonably easy to forecast another five cuts, but the leap from about 30 to 23 is another matter. To put it charitably, the Caps’ are in uncharted territory, post-lockout, in terms of the skater quality they’ll be showcasing out at Kettler in week two of camp. This is the most basic and encouraging sign of the overall success of the rebuild.

• Three games, three leads. Through three exhibition games, the Caps have only once fielded a fairly veteran lineup — last Thursday night in Ottawa. They opened in Carolina, against a comparatively veteran Hurricanes’ lineup, dressing only John Erskine and Mike Green on the blueline as guys with significant NHL experience from last season (and with BJ in net). In all three games the Caps have played significant stretches with a lead (twice with two-goal leads). There remain mistakes (penalties) and concerns (penalties) aplenty, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Coach Hanlon’s strategy of playing a more puck possession game is abundantly evident. In order to win more often, a team must first establish competitiveness, then achieve leads in games. The Caps have accomplished both early in this preseason.

The next step is to close the deal once you have the lead.

• When did Toronto’s print media come to work in Washington? For the first time in my hockey life, I wake each day knowing that with my morning coffee I need to visit the web sites for both of Washington’s big newspapers in order to follow coverage there of Caps’ training camp. There are files there basically every day. And good ones. Additionally, blog files there. This is as it should be, but to our print guys — and most especially the Times’ Corey Masisak, who’s only taking on the beat of a departed legend — good on you.

• Sharp-dressed men. It’s not anywhere near as important as the talent upgrade, but in this the autumn of uniform mischief, the Caps have showcased the best-looking new threads in the entire league. And it’s not even close. I’ll be particularly grateful when those snazzy white uniform system tops are rightfully returned to wearing on home ice.

Yesterday my stress was not related to wedding planning (I’m getting married in November), but rather provided courtesy of Comcast. I took the day off work to be home for the switch to Comcast’s Triple Play digital television-Internet-phone package — partly because it’s cheaper than what I had with RCN, partly to get a DVR, and partly because Comcast carries Versus & NHL Center Ice.

Friday, 8:00 AM—The phone rings; I awaken and fumble for the receiver. I muzzily hear someone talking about Comcast, so I press “9” to buzz them in, impressed they showed up so early. Doesn’t work. I press “9” again, to no avail. Finally I’m awake enough to understand what the caller is saying: it’s Comcast HQ calling to make sure I’ll be home in the 8-11 AM installation window—not someone downstairs waiting to be let in. D’oh. I sheepishly apologize and say yes, I will be here.

Friday, 10:45 AM—The installation technician arrives within the originally scheduled time window, which was a nice surprise. However, while my name and phone number are on the work order, everything else is wrong: the address is a different unit in my building; the order is for a Comcast service upgrade rather than a whole new installation; and they didn’t start the process to port my existing phone number to the new account.

As I type this he’s been here over an hour and a half, mostly on the phone to his headquarters. From what I can gather it seems they’ll be able to install everything, but they won’t be able to port my phone number today. So for a few days I’ll have a new phone number with Comcast, yet I’ll have to continue paying RCN to keep the other phone line active otherwise I risk losing the phone number I’ve had for eleven years. Wonderful.

Friday, 1:30 PM—After three long hours, the technician has finally gone. Most of a day wasted, but at least my high-speed Internet is back up (as evidenced by this post). The tech was very polite, and installed my DVR, cable box, and cable modem successfully . . . well, for the most part he did—I had to configure my own wireless router, as he was stumped by my pretty typical LINKSYS router. He did stay until it was working though.

This cable installation play-by-play is on OFB for two reasons. First, venting makes me feel a little better. Second, I was unable to get to the Kettler rinks today as I planned, so I apologize for being unable to provide coverage of the day’s events as I’d hoped.

So my cable service installation is only 2/3 complete, yet it consumed most of a day. Now all I have to do is wait five days for the number port to be complete, then schedule another technician visit to switch my phone lines. In the meantime, I have to continue paying RCN to keep my existing phone number active.

Thank you, Comcast, for perpetuating the well-deserved stereotype of disorganized and indifferent cable company service.

OFB has learned of a new reporter assigned to the Washington Capitals. Lisa Hillary has joined Comcast SportsNet as an anchor/reporter. Lisa will serve as the primary reporter for the network’s Washington Capitals coverage. Along with her duties with the Capitals, she will be anchoring the network’s live daily news shows, SportsRise and SportsNite.

Lisa was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario and began her career in broadcasting as a general assignment reporter for CHUM Television in Pembroke, Ontario. She then moved to Calgary, Alberta, working for TSN anchoring the weekend edition of SportsCentre and covering the Flames along with the NFL and CFL. Her most recent assignment before Comcast SportsNet found her back at CHUM in 2005 as an anchor/reporter for A-Channel Ottawa.

A sports enthusiast who loves tennis and swimming, Lisa said this about her job in broadcasting.

“I love the interaction of broadcasting. The highlight of every day is being given the opportunity to get up close with people in the community.”

In adding to their coverage of an underserved beat, Comcast SportsNet has rewarded the Captials’ faithful with a seasoned hockey reporter. OFB welcomes Lisa to her second nation’s capital and it is our hope that she brings to her new beat a Canadian sensibility for covering hockey in this burgundy and gold town.

Confession: prior to Monday, I’d never watched ‘Washington Post Live.’ I don’t have a friend or acquaintance who’d admit to the act. I never heard any “must-see” buzz surrounding it, or even any “see it while you’re ironing” buzz, and I’ve been busy this spring doing the work those associated with that program should have been regarding one of the region’s pro sports teams. But Monday brought us a significant photo-op/presser at Kettler Capitals, and I was curious to inventory the MSM coverage of it and dutifully report my findings to OFB readers. So I tuned in.

A knee-jerk reflection about ‘WaPost Live’s’ production values: three guys sitting around a non-descript studio bloviating for 90 minutes about sports. How avant garde . . . how cutting edge.

Sorry I missed its first three months. Anybody Tivo’d them?

The program is recorded and aired initially at some point in the afternoon, for 90 minutes, every day, and then subsequently re-aired seven or nine times on Comcast, and the cumulative tally of viewers then is alleged to exceed the tailgating population of Hershey Bears’ fans in the Giant Center Center parking lot on a May Sunday afternoon. Anyway, I watched the 8:30 p.m. re-airing Monday, and was shocked, shocked, to see the opening roundtable discussion focus the program’s opening 10 minutes on Michael Vick’s breeding of fighting dogs.

Vick, after all, is QB for the Atlanta Falcons.

For all I know, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is really upset with Michael Vick these days. But ‘WaPost Live’ is really, really upset with him. Ten minutes, uninterrupted, worth of upset.

Fighting dogs.

Just so I’m not misinterpreted: the daily television program on sports for the newspaper ‘of record’ in town opened Monday with a prolonged discussion of a running (and ever armed) QB’s penchant for breeding fighting dogs.

(The irony of former WaPost Caps’ beat guy Jason LaCanfora adding to the Comcast kennel chat wasn’t lost on me.)

Washington isn’t a sports town, you know, because of the transient quality of the region’s residents; certainly not because its MSM have warped news values.

A quarter of an an hour into the program host Russ Thaler paused for oxygen and in a cutaway to commercial alluded to a breaking roster development out at Kettler. At OFB we call that progress for puckheads.

I was able to survery the rush-hour sports segments for both WJLA and WRC. Tim Brandt’s coverage was predictably pedestrian. I can’t get worked up about the old linebacker’s middling musings about hockey. And it’s just WJLA, after all.

But Lindsay Czarniak’s 6:00 sportscast, my readers will be shocked to learn, garnered my admiration. She opened her sports report with the 24 hours-old highlights of Sunday’s Nats-O’s game, but then she used Sunday RFK to transition into Capsdom. Backstrom threw out Sunday’s first pitch there, and she was impressed by the Swede’s courage and control in the endeavor.

Her coverage of Monday at Kettler included interviews with Mr. Leonsis, the team’s general manager, Backstrom’s new coach, and the star goalie. And we saw snippets from all of them. I felt almost as if I were watching an evening sportscast in Winnipeg.

WRC grade: A

I also was able to catch Comcast Sportnight’s coverage of the Backstrom presser. It lasted all of about 40 seconds. Same outlet covering the frothing canines caper. Ten minutes on the four-leggers, 40 seconds on the two-legged SuperSwede.

Grade: F

WaPost this morning bumped hockey all the way up to E3, out of its usual perch below the obits. Tarik’s account is fine I suppose. No pic of the newest Cap, which struck me as odd, from an event designed mostly for photo ops. But smack in the middle of E1 Washingtonians are confronted by Steve Goff’s account (with accompanying color photo) of a Maryland pro soccer team no one in the history of the world has ever heard about.

Grade: D+

OFB attended the Capitals’ Meet the Team Party on Wednesday. Here’s a review, knee-jerk style:

• Sparse attendance, maybe half as many people as last year’s. The weather is partly to blame — people in DC react to snow flurries as if it were a nuclear winter (duck and cover!). But hosting the event late in the season for the first time was an odd choice by the team. Then consider the recent trades and the Caps’ precipitous drop in competitiveness, and I understand why some fans chose to stay home.
• Despite the low turnout, plenty of star-struck children still excitedly queued up to meet their favorite players. So in that regard the event was a definite success.
• The autograph lines were lengthy but not outrageous; in fact, the lines for free hot dogs & sodas seemed as long as most autograph lines. Olie Kolzig was personable as usual (which I’m sure slowed his line a bit, but no complaints) and seemed in good spirits.
• Matt Pettinger is wearing a clear cast/brace on his broken finger, which did not make autograph-signing much fun for him.
• Freddie Cassivi’s name is now above Olie’s usual locker, with the understanding that Olie will reclaim it when he returns to the roster. Olie skated this week for the first time since the MCL tear, albeit in sweatpants rather than goalie pads, so the team assigned him a temporary locker until he’s off the IR.
• At 8:15 PM, the lights dimmed and Joe Beninati took the stage. He gave a brief speech thanking the fans, then introduced each player in numerical order. When he jumped directly from #8 to #10, it felt like he forgot someone… the gap in number sequence mirrored the hole in the lineup left by Zubrus’ departure. This observation is not meant as an indictment of the trade, but rather as the gut reaction of a Caps’ fan grown accustomed to seeing #9 in a Capitals sweater.
• Ted Leonsis was not in attendance due to numerous prior commitments (see Ted’s blog for details). They did not screen the video he mentions on his blog — not sure why. [admin edit: check the comments for the explanation from Ted why the video was not shown. Many thanks to Ted for the update.]
• Anyone who towers over Kolzig is tall. Welcome to DC, Jeff Schultz.
• The final Cap to take the stage — #87, Donald Brashear — hammed it up, sashaying down the stage and doing a spin-turn at the edge of the stage to great applause.

  Terrific moment; perhaps a tip of the hat to the classic Slap Shot fashion show scene? That would be appropriate for the Capital closest to being a Hanson Brother.
  

• Chris Clark stepped up to give a brief speech. A few words in, he paused… “I have to remove my teeth, I’m not used to talking with them in yet.” So he popped his recently-installed false teeth into his hand and continued his speech. High comedy.

An enjoyable evening, though the energy level was admittedly lower than prior seasons’. The Capitals displayed a real stand-up quality by making the entirety of the organization accessibile during a rough time and on the heels of a dispiriting bit of roster upheaval.

Memo to the team: move the party to preseason (or October) next season — and sign a few key free agents to fill out the roster — and next year’s Meet the Caps party will be a hot ticket.

General Manager George McPhee appeared on the PreCap Podcast with Mike Vogel this afternoon. He shared a number of notable assessments related to players in the Capitals’ development pipeline.

• With respect to collegiate upperclassmen such as Minnesota State’s Travis Morin and Wisconsin’s Andrew Joudrey, seniors both, as well as St. Cloud junior Andrew Gordon, the organization’s amateur scouts this week came to determinations for each of them for this spring. “Some” will be offered pro contracts and, if signed, join the Hershey Bears. It’s understandable at this point that McPhee wouldn’t identify specific individuals, as college hockey is just this week entering its postseason.
• Acadie Bathurst center and Caps’ ‘06 draftee Mathieu Perreault receives “the highest possible” score on a player’s hockey sense. Wow.
• Whereas previous summers’ Rookie Camps have been more orientation than evaluative in nature, the Caps are reconceptualizing it this year, and seem inclined to have it lengthened and lead into autumn’s full training camp. With two sheets of ice available at the new Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the team does hope to include a day or evening matching rookies with another NHL club. Vogel suggested potentially devising a Traverse City-style, four-team tournament camp, and McPhee seemed open to the idea.
• ‘06 draftee Oskar Osala, who dominated at the most recent World Juniors, has continued to impress the Caps with his play in 2007 with Mississauga.
• ‘05 draftee Viktor Dovgan, skating this season with South Carolina in the East Coast League, has enjoyed an “outstanding” season and is poised to join Hershey next season. He was assigned to South Carolina because of his age — the Caps do not like having teenagers in the American League, Chris Bourque being the rare exception.
• Queried on the access the team accorded Comcast at last summer’s NHL Entry Draft, and perhaps according to the team’s bloggers privileged access this summer, McPhee noted the broadcast outlet’s judicious use of footage but hinted that he was open to the idea of having bloggers participate in a comparable capacity. Free beer (maybe) for George!

Listen to the PreCap Podcast with GMGM here:

The Washington Capitals hosted the inaugural “Hockey ‘n Heels” event on Monday February 26, 2007. The event was intended to bring more female fans to the game by showcasing skills, rules and behind the scenes looks at the players. Over 250 women signed up and the event was a complete sell out.

When Gustaffson first encouraged me to attend, I was a little “iffy” on the whole thing. The idea of traipsing around the Verizon Center with a bunch of women for three hours did not sound like my idea of a good time. I had mental images of hundreds of women making mad dashes to the players that attended, similar to the scenes that you see on television for the big wedding gown sales. But Gustaffson is intent on making me a diehard hockey fan, so away I went.

I will be the first to admit that I had a great time and the event was very well planned. Everyone was split into smaller groups and rotated through the five different activities, so the chaos was kept to a minimum. There was a wide range of women there as well, from hockey moms to puck bunnies and everyone in between. Yes, there were plenty of ladies in attendance hoping to snag some quality time with the young, single players. However, there were just as many women asking thoughtful hockey related questions. Plus, we all got to shoot pucks on the ice with Jamie Heward, Shaone Morrisson and Coach Dean Evason. After initial reluctance to get out there (I did have on 2 inch heels) I can happily say I not only stayed on my feet, but also made contact with the puck and got it into the goal! So what if the goal was only ten feet away? (Continued)

Per Dan Steinberg’s Sports Bog, the Washington Post and ComcastSportsNet will . . .

“. . . collaborate on a new daily sports talk show, which will debut Monday, March 19. Washington Post Live will be a high-energy, interactive sports roundtable covering the stories, trends and topics in the news and on the minds of sports fans throughout the region. Washington Post Live will air live Monday-Friday from 5:00-6:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet and simultaneously on www.washingtonpost.com.”

OFB looks forward to the debut and hopes that this doesn’t become yet another media outlet that ignores the Capitals.

Comcast Sportsnight last night became a veritable rainbow of All-Star Game coverage. I thought their cameras would follow AO to his first-ever All Star appearance, of course, but this was fully two days before the show, and Comcast’s crew was on site in Dallas chit-chatting with players and coaches and sharing it all with viewers back in Washington. The Washington Post has even sent Tarik, and he, too, is already on site. This represents a welcome and fresh reconsideration by local sports media of its longstanding disdain of all things puck. Recall that just last June Tarik was barred by his editors from traveling to Vancouver to cover the NHL Draft, in which the rebuilding Caps owned two first-round picks and three more in the second . . . and which with each passing week begins to adopt the appearance of the team’s most successful and important draft in team history. Of course, the irony of local media abuzz this week about a meaningless hockey game isn’t lost on me.

And something about breaking fashion news reminiscent of New Coke’s success has something to do with the buzz emanating from Texas, certainly.

(Comcast, incidentally, and shockingly, dispatched Al Koken to the Vancouver Draft to guide the formation of a 30-minute, behind-the-scenes look at GMGM and the work of his scouting team throughout draft weekend. It’s a terrific piece that aired late last summer — parts of it are positively riveting, even for the non-DraftGeek. Anyway, that kind of coverage is the exception to the Washington mainstream sports media rule; and furthermore, it smashes any myth that the draft carries all the news value of a basement fantasy hockey league player selection party.)

Being the world’s loudest yawner at all things All Star, I find myself generally lamenting the 5-day shutdown of hockey that means something. Having said that, I can well imagine, I think, the present state of about 85 percent of the players’ bodies in late January; they surely deserve some R&R at this stage. The league’s selection of a southern climate site for the game, joined with our local media’s early arrival for it, makes me wonder if this annual event ought not follow the NFL’s far less defensible scheme of going warm for a big game and thereby more likely attracting national and international media.

Don’t get me started on the wussification and culture schlock of the Super Bowl. I get a lot of reading done in those nine hours. But for hockey reporters, even Sunbelt ones, by late January they’ve navigated enough slush and sleet to shut down D.C.-area schools for a month. So why not throw the media a bone and convene this event annually in warmer climates? (Being Mr. Freeze, I adopt Matt Bradley’s embrace of Mother Nature’s short-sun-season’s gifts: while many of his teammates head south for fun in the sun this week he’s heading up to his home near Ottawa for some snowmobiling in minus-20 temps. And so I’d only leave my full-time job to cover the game were it scheduled in Winnipeg.)

But here’s the rub: be imaginative about site selection — take this glitz and glamour to new and untapped warmer markets. (Did I just request the league’s brass to be creative . .