Archive for August, 2011

Two weeks ago, I posted a look at the eleven invitees who were part of Group A at this summer’s Development Camp.  Now attention turns to the victorious Group B, the red jerseys.  Of the 23 men who made up this temporary team, more than half were unaffiliated invitees (15, in fact – a higher percentage than their white-shirted competitors). Without further ado… Allen, Conor (#58, D) Age: 21.  Hometown: Chicago, Illinois. Repeat Offender – USHL Defensive Player of the Week. Competed for the USAH Tier 1 title with Team Illinois in 2008. Takes the college part of student-athlete just as [...]

On August 15th 2011, the hockey world mourned the loss of Rick Rypien, an enforcer who played several seasons with the Vancouver Canucks before signing a $700,000 contract this offseason to play with the Winnipeg Jets. Although the cause of death has yet to be announced and the toxicology reports have yet to be released, Rypien’s long battle with clinical depression have been linked to his passing. This is not the first piece of news this offesason to rock the hockey world as Derek Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment on May 13th. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner [...]

Generally speaking, I admire people who make Youtube videos of themselves talking, because they have the guts to put that up for the world to see. It’s how I met one of the writers for this site, and this kid who does entertaining reviews of the San Jose Sharks. Then I ran into youtube user ThePhiladelphiaPhart, some dude in his 40s with a WNBA poster in his room who uploaded his May, 2011 critique on August 21, 2011. Not exactly relevant. While no Caps fan is happy about how last season ended, I urge you to watch this video and [...]

Shortly after an earthquake struck the East Coast, people ran home to check on their possessions. Many found everything intact. But some weren’t so lucky. Caps fan Ashley Colassard found that her limited edition Inova Blood Drive John Carlson didn’t make it. Colassard tweeted a photo of the casualty, as first reported by Caps Overtime. He lost his arm, one of the rarest injuries in hockey. It’s unclear how Carlson will play one-handed in the coming season, but we’ll assume he’ll at least be demoted to the third line. But it got worse.

After Alex Ovechkin posted several career lows last season, it became obvious that Capitals Outsider needs to get out of the prediction business. We thought he’d have his best overall season in 2010-11, but all we got right was that Ovie would flash the HBO cameras (and that only sort of happened). As for the numbers? We were way off, except for short-handed goals which we nailed. Ovie had zero. Yeah, we’re the Amazing Kreskin of Caps bloggers. So instead of embarrassing ourselves at the end of the 2011-12 season when we revisit our predictions, we’ll ridicule and mock the [...]

After former Capital Matt Bradley recently verified what everyone in D.C. had already suspected, that Alex Semin ‘doesn’t care,’ the remaining folks in Semin’s cheering section grabbed their stuff and prepared to walk out. Sure, Semin still has the potential to put up a bunch of goals, and so long as he’s a Capital, fans will pull for him to help bring a Stanley Cup to Washington. But it’s not his potential that fans are concerned about. Even if he’s just misunderstood, Semin is widely perceived as not caring, and it’s hard to like a player who ‘doesn’t care.’

Today, the Caps Community Relations team (with a little help from Matt Hendricks, Wes Johnson, and more than 120 volunteers) lent their talents to the 2011 incarnation of DCPS Beautification Day.  Weeds were cleared, doors and a mural were painted, and a rather impressive garden was planted. But you know who wasn’t there?  Slapshot.

As August turns into September, we are once again reminded of a time honored tradition. No, I’m not talking about opening week of the NFL season, but returning back to school. Long lines in the bookstore for expensive textbooks, mediocre food in the cafeteria, and registering for pointless classes gives one a sense of accomplishment once someone receives that hard-earned degree. (Okay, seriously, can someone explain to me when in everyday life would one need to know what a sine, cosine, and a tangent is? I didn’t think so.) What if I told you that I came up with an [...]