Hershey's special "New Year's Eve" jersey, modeled front & back by Ryan Potulny. Note the fireworks, clock set to midnight, and party hat on the mascot. (All Photos Credit: M. Richter)

When Hershey goes the novelty route, it’s always worth a peek.  Tonight, the Bears debuted yet another speciality jersey in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,735 at the Giant Center.  This December entry upholds the fine tradition of wince-worthy holiday jerseys (#12), with the one benefit of actually complimenting the maroon pants worn with the standard home uniform.

Below the jump, you’ll find a collection of pictures of the uniforms in action, along with a few snippets about the game.  Further recap of tonight’s entirely absurd 3-2 Shoot-Out victory over the Norfolk Admirals will be going up a bit later, possibly tomorrow morning.

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Hershey Specialty Jerseys: The New Year’s Eve Edition - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

Photos by Alicia Krawitz

According to one of our spies, there were a number of Caps fans in attendance at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on New Year’s Eve as the Capitals played the Blue Jackets. But one of the most interesting nuggets came when we found out about the hat-trick bin, where they put all the hats after someone scores three goals. They even list who scored one (and when) on the glass. (Of course, Wyshynski has written about this before but it was a while ago.)

A couple of questions: Considering hats are sitting on the heads of hockey fans from Columbus, isn’t this a health hazard? It’s basically a gigantic trash heap of lice-infested Blue Jackets headgear. And what will happen when the tank gets full? Will they build a new one, or get rid of the old hats and start over? When an opposing player scores a hat-trick, and the opposing fans throw their hats, do they go in the bin? Alex Ovechkin was one short tonight of making that a possibility, especially with so many Caps fans in attendance.

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Columbus’s Hat-Trick Bin - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

From HockeyFights.com : Troy Brouwer … [visit site to read more]

Troy Brouwer vs. Christian Ehrhoff - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

From HockeyFights.com : Jason Chimera … [visit site to read more]

Jason Chimera vs. Mike Weber - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

Alex Ovechkin battles with Jordan Leopold in front of the Buffalo net (All Photos Credit: M. Richter)

The Capitals who hit the ice tonight in the first period were everything that fans love about the franchise.  Feisty, puck-handling fiends who have plenty of fight in them and a healthy dose of good fortune.  Things may have flagged a bit in the second, but the Capitals have earned the right to enter 2012 with a note of confidence at home.  A 3-1 win over the Sabres will do that for you.

So what lit the sparkler under the hometown redshirts?  It all boils down to the ABCs.

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Caps Rely on their ABCs to Defeat Buffalo - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

Last year, Capitals Outsider started a tradition to stroke the egos of colleagues on the Caps blogosphere, including ourselves, by giving out awards for Excellence in Capitals Blogging.

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It’s the Second Annual Cappie Awards! - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

Absurdity

• Make believe game stories of Caps’ miraculous comeback and fake recap of the Caps winning the Stanley Cup
• Want to go back to school? Then get your Capitalsology degree
• Top ten reasons why Ovechkin is slumping, and nicknames for his seasons
• If Olaf Kolzig had a sitcom, it would be called Olie’s family
• Rejected Caps fan t-shirts
• Ten things Caps fans yell
• Ten reasons Varly would’ve picked KHL
• Horn guy uses horn as goalie stick
• Poetry break: “If I Ran The Caps”
• Cody Eakin and other NHL gingers
• What to do if bitten by a hockey player
• High fives with Rod Langway
• Madison Square Garden IS horrible
• DJ Pauly D hangs with the Caps
• Bromantic Caps
• With teammates like these…
• Adventures in filming the OvechTrick commercial

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Best Caps Outsider Blog Posts of 2011 - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

Photos by Ben Sumner and Alena Schwarz

Caps forward Jay Beagle played for the first time since Oct. 13 in Wednesday’s 4-1 win against the Rangers. The 26-year-old had been sidelined with a concussion after being knocked out in a fight against Pittsburgh’s Arron Asham, 31 games ago.

“I’m going to go out, have fun, play my game, and just enjoy being on the ice,” Beagle told the media before the game. He said his head felt fine, but trainers were extra cautious with him.

As for the game itself, Beagle played his typical role, maybe a bit less, with nine shifts for 5:55 total ice time. He got a tripping penalty in the second period, got a shot on net, was credited with two hits, and was 3/4 in the faceoff circle.

“He was good tonight. It was his first game in a long time. He skated, he had some energy, and he played hard,” coach Dale Hunter said after the game.

Now here is Capitals Outsider’s exclusive pre-game Beagle comeback photo gallery. You’re welcome, ladies.

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Welcome Back, Jay Beagle! - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog

Happy Birthday, Tomas Kundratek! - Capitals Outsider - Capitals Outsider - A Washington Capitals blog