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The End of an Era: Kolzig Quits
2009-09-23 22:30:00
After a long and storied career, Olie Kolzig retired today.  From the NHL press release After 14 seasons, veteran goaltender Olaf Kolzig announced his retirement today from the National Hockey League . Kolzig, 39, a two-time NHL All-Star (1998, 2000) and former Vezina Trophy winner (2000), appeared in a total of 719 NHL games, 711 of those with the Washington Capitals . His 303 career wins rank him 21st all-time among goaltending wins leaders. Olaf also posted a career 2.71 GAA along with a .906 save percentage and 35 shutouts. "I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to play the game of hockey at the NHL level for many seasons and I am grateful for everything the game has given me," said Kolzig. "I would like to thank my family, all my teammates and the fans for making my time in the NHL so special." Ted Leonsis said about Olie: "Olie was the face of the Capitals franchise for years, on the ice, in the locker room and around Washington, D.C. He was a great Capit...

A Blogger Keeps a Camera Eye on John Carlson
2009-09-23 04:30:00
It seems to me that people who attend a season's very first home exhibition game, on a Monday night, necessarily rank among those who most missed hockey over the summer. I was struck not only by the overall volume attending Monday night's 2-1 Caps' loss to Buffalo -- the crowd was demonstrably larger than those of a good many regular season games in 2005-06 -- but how many on a warm muggy night wore their red sweaters. Yes the Caps are the hot sports ticket in town these days, but it seemed to me that last night there was a palpable urgency on the part of a hungry fan base to be seen on Metro and in Chinatown reaffirming, showcasing an allegiance of which they're distinctly proud.* * * * *I'm not sure this should pass without comment: the Washington Times on Tuesday ran a front-page color photo of the Caps'-Sabres' game in a box announcing the score . . . of an exhibition game . . .on the front page. I mean, that's the stuff you'd expect of a print daily in T...
More About: Blogger , Camera , Washington Capitals , John

Fresh Reassignments
2009-09-22 22:14:00
The Caps today sent six more packing, most notable among them defenseman John Carlson, who skated a little under 17 minutes last night against Buffalo perhaps without "Wow-ing" the head coach as he suggested his young blueline candidates needed to to displace incumbents. Joining Carlson on the moving van: Jason Bacashihua, Andrew Joudrey, Francois Bouchard, Patrick McNeill, and Steve Pinizzotto.   
More About: Washington Capitals , Hershey Bears , Fresh

"If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It!"
2009-09-22 19:00:00
I'm not much of a fan of reality shows, especially shows like "American Idol" and "Dancing With The Stars."  However, there's one reality show that I would love to watch- if only I could.  [Bob] Probert and [Tie] Domi are two of eight former National Hockey League players paired with a collection of Canada's best female figure skaters for CBC's new reality show, Battle of the Blades. They will take to the ice at Maple Leaf Gardens for seven weeks and 14 episodes of choreographed routines on Sunday and Monday nights. Who wouldn't want to see Tie Domi in sparkly costumes?  No figure skates, though; he couldn't handle them.  Former New York Ranger Ron Duguay (pictured at right, and best known by this blogger for his participation in the Sassoon commercial), however, switches between hockey skates and figure skates.  Now that's a man's man!  The logical next step for the show is for a Blades of Glory-style spinoff.  Probert and Domi skating ...
More About: Dream

An Open Letter to the Communications Pros with the Caps
2009-09-22 12:45:00
To: Nate Ewell     Paul Rovak     Kelly Murray     Mike Vogel     Brett Leonhardt     CC: Kurt KehlMonday brought me back to the real world of laboring for the Man, instead of reporting to Kettler again for more of my favorite vacation: Capitals' training camp. Like the late Jack Falla, I don't believe there's such a thing as a bad day at the rink, and last week, being welcomed and so helpfully assisted by you as I was, well reminded me of why this was so.  This was easily the largest Capitals' training camp in its number of skaters that I'd ever covered, and you have 70 quality human being hockey players who wore your crest last week. I talked to almost every one of them. In the middle of my vacation at the rink I thought about those middle-aged men who fork over vast sums of money to participate in pro sports fantasy camps, for limited access to their ballfield heroes. Last week at ...
More About: Open , Letter , Communications , Open Letter

Blogger's Roundtable on the New Season
2009-09-22 01:31:00
Last week the DC Pro Sports Report asked us to join an impressive consortium of local hockey bloggers and answer seven key questions about the Capitals and the new hockey season, and we happily obliged. Here were the questions:Will the Caps three-peat as SE Division Champs?Do you foresee a Washington Capitals Stanley Cup appearance this season?If and when will Semyon Varlamov wrestle the starting goalie job from Jose Theodore?Each year there seems to be a surprise offensive player.  Who will it be this year?What player or type of player does the Washington Capitals need to make that final push to win the Cup?What impact will 2008 1st rounder John Carlson will make on the Caps this season?Rank the SE Divison standingsIt's always fun (and flattering) to keep company with the likes of Japer's, Off Wing Opinion, Peerless, John Walton, the Examiner's Brian McNally, and Rebecca from A View from the Cheap Seats, among others. The virtue of having the divergent views of so many qual...
More About: National Hockey League , Season

Smaller Skater Carrying a Mighty Magical Stick
2009-09-21 13:25:00
Hockey needs, and greatly benefits from, stories like Mathieu Perreault's. He's the undersized, way-late-in-the-draft, uber-skilled kid who soaks up instruction, commits himself to bettering his weaker areas, and steadily gets better and better, season after season. You could make the case that around this time next season Mathieu Perreault will be a prime candidate to center the Capitals' second line, and in so doing give the Caps two dynamic playmaking pivots under the age of 24.   Caps' management began getting seriously excited about Perreault during the 2006-07 hockey season, when he built upon a breakout postseason performance with Acadie Bathurst the previous spring, one which led Washington to draft him in the sixth round that summer. In 67 games with the Q League Titan Perreault scored 119 points and was named league MVP. Capitals' scouts in Eastern Canada that season were checking in on him more frequently than normal and offering exciting reports to Caps' ...
More About: Washington Capitals , Skater , Stick , Carrying

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
2009-09-21 02:52:00
We have two OFB contest winners to announce! MWEIMER won the Duchesne Cup Cup-a-joe contest for an OFB mug. The actual Duchesne Cup final saw Team A win 9-5... MWeimer's guess of Team A winning 7-3 was the closest. Second, thanks to all the OFB readers who submitted photos and stories about their favorite hockey sweaters. It was a tough choice, but our winner is TEKA and her Andrew Gordon Hershey Bears jersey. Gordon's been having a terrific camp/preseason, and we wonder if Teka has been diligently wearing Gordon's sweater; Teka's sweater may be Andrew Gordon's lucky charm:[Gordon's] first pro hat trick? I was wearing the jersey unpersonalized and wavering as to whether I was going to get Beagle or Gordon on the back (that night pretty much sealed it). First game after personalization? His second hat trick as a pro. Ridiculous comeback from behind by the Bears, GWG scored by Gordon? Jersey was inside out, leading the rally. Gordo getting the AHL Player of the Month award? Yup,...
More About: Dinner , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Chicken

Roster Trimming
2009-09-20 21:08:00
The Capitals today trimmed their training camp roster relatively significantly -- down to 42. Among those reassigned: Boyd KaneMichael DubucJoel BrodaPatrick WellarZach MiskovicJoe FinleyAnton GustafssonTrevor BruessJake HausworthDylan YeoVladimir DenisovJosh GodfreyRyan JasinskyTodd FordBraden HoltbyDefensemen Brian Helmer and Greg Amadio were reassigned to Hershey earlier in the weekend. Three training groups have now been reduced to two. The Caps will have a fresh opportunity to evaluate the remaining youngsters tomorrow night when the Sabres visit Verizon Center. 
More About: Washington Capitals , Hershey Bears , National Hockey League , Roster

Bringing a Chocolate Flavor to the Capitals' Convention
2009-09-19 20:35:00
A week from today the Capitals will host the team's first-ever convention, at the National Gaylord Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. If you don't already have a ticket to the convention, I've got bad news: it's completely sold out, and the team is expecting more than 5,000 people for it.The good news for those of you who cannot attend is that we plan on trying to bring as much of the convention sights and sounds to OFB as possible. We will have cameras there clicking.In a most pleasant surprise, I've been asked to serve as moderator for a convention breakout panel titled, "The Bear Facts," which will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in National Harbor Room 2-3.  The panel will include new Capitals' assistant coach Bob Woods, Karl Alzner, Michal Neuvirth and Alexander Giroux, and it will take a look at the Caps' affiliation with the reigning Calder Cup champion Bears, one hockey's most storied franchises. We'll devote particular...
More About: Washington Capitals , Hershey Bears , National Hockey League , Chocolate

Signing in These Times
2009-09-19 07:25:00
This week a colleague of mine, knowing I was going to be out at Kettler all week, informed me of her intention of swinging by the rink and grabbing an Alexander Ovechkin signature on an authentic Caps' sweater she'd recently purchased for her significant other. Over the course of some email exchanges I attempted to explain to her why this wasn't so easily done, and how it really had nothing to do with any ingratitude or dismissiveness Ovi harbored for Capitals' fans. Many, many Capitals' players meander over to the daily congregation of fans at Kettler at the end of practice, every day, and patiently sign and pose for pictures. Hockey players, I'd argue, are as good about this engagement with fans as any athletes. Bobby Hull, for instance, often incurred the wrath of his Blackhawks' teammates for the extent to which he'd make the team bus idle in frigid environs while he signed. AO maintains this tradition, but the demands placed upon truly elite professional athletes today ...
More About: Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Times

Hockey Jersey Contest: 24 Hours Remain
2009-09-19 00:40:00
We've gotten some terrific entries so far, but our winner will not be chosen until Saturday . . . so you still have time to email us about your favorite hockey sweater. As mentioned in the original Hanson-themed post, we're giving away a pair of tickets to the Caps preseason home opening this Monday, September 21, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. The seats are in Row A of the upper deck -- so no be-hatted or large-headed patrons will block your view of the action. So tell us why that special jersey in your collection is your favorite by emailing us at email@onfrozenblog.com. We will feature a few contributions in the upcoming week, and will announce the winner Saturday night. Good luck!
More About: Contest , Hockey , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Jersey

A Warrior of Sacrifice May Be about To Get His Due
2009-09-18 14:05:00
For the wagerers among our readership, a real good bet for the lone available forward spot on the Capitals' roster this season is winger Quintin Laing. You could say that he's paid his dues with the organization -- and then some.  A 4th round draft pick of Detroit in 1997, Laing broke into pro hockey with the Jackson Bandits of the ECHL in 2000, and it's been mostly bus rides for him ever since. But that's hardly a measure of his present value to the Capitals' organization. Tomas Fleischman's leg injury will briefly open a second roster spot up front, but the opening created by Donald Brashear's departure is for the entire season. That is the one Laing is targeting.  Laing first distinguished himself in the Capitals' organization in the 2007 Calder Cup finals with Hershey. It was abundantly clear after game 4 -- a 6-2 win by Hamilton  -- that the Cup would be dominated, and won, by Carey Price's remarkable netminding. After game 4 Laing was left with a royall...
More About: Washington Capitals , Hershey Bears , Sacrifice , Bruce Boudreau

A Pest and an Exterminator, Sharing an Outdoor Hockey Heritage
2009-09-17 20:15:00
Two Minnesotans, Joe Finley and Trevor Bruess, are camping with the Capitals this week, and they skated on a line together in Wednesday's Duchesne Cup concluding scrimmage. Minneapolis native Bruess was signed by the Caps last spring after completing his junior season at Minnesota State; he's a modest 6 '0, 209, but he plays bigger than his size, and can he skate! It'd be downright scary to imagine Edina native Joe Finley playing bigger than his 6 '7, 245 frame. As I watched them antagonize the opposition on just about every shift in their scrimmages this week I thought of Bruess as the Pest and Finley as the Exterminator. They're about the same age, and I don't think it's inconceivable to imagine them as part of a Capitals' antagonism outfit in a couple of years.As Minnesota-raised hockey players, Bruess and Finley share a profound appreciation for playing hockey outdoors, on the State of Hockey 's abundant frozen playgrounds for puck.    "That's where it all st...
More About: Heritage , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League

So Sayeth This Blogger: First Line's Set
2009-09-17 12:35:00
If only Jim Zorn had this kind of offense. Coach Boudreau called out his top line of Ovi-Backstrom-Knuble, somewhat, after Tuesday's Duchesne Cup scrimmage, and on Wednesday the trio apparently got wind of the middling review. The line spent much of Wednesday's scrimmage toying with the opposition, playing keep-away with the puck and more or less humiliating a largely undefended Semyon Varlamov, to the tune of 9-5. The 'A'ces went up 3-0 in a dominant first frame, with tallies from Joel Broda, Kyle Wilson, and Brandon Sugden, the latter Hershey's designated enforcer this season who cleaned up a rebound off of Broda's pipe-pinging. (Broda had a strong scrimmage.)Team 'B' briefly made a rally of it in the second stanza, scoring the first two tallies: Patrick McNeill (a nice camp thus far) and Brendan Morrison. But he 'A'ces went wild thereafter -- Wilson and Oskar Osala (a real solid showing from the big Finn on Wednesday) made it 5-2, and the rout was on. Only an Alexander ...
More About: Blogger , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Alexander Ovechkin , Bruce Boudreau

Ovi's Aces Skate Away with the 2009 Duchesne Cup
2009-09-16 21:14:00
Not quite a pitcher's duel -- 9-5 for Team A, Ovi's Aces (that's my shorthand for them), in the Duchesne Cup final. 
More About: Skate , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Alexander Ovechkin

On Being Young, a Longshot, Unknown, and Taught by a Jack Adams Winner
2009-09-16 19:25:00
Very early in this training camp Capitals' general manager George McPhee made an observation about Bruce Boudreau I'd never heard before. The context was a question from a reporter seeking the GM to identify the core identity of his team, and McPhee noted that his head coach, during three weeks of training camp, would be on the ice every day, working with every player individually in virtually every session. That's not something your typical NHL coach does. The point McPhee aptly made was this: in Washington, we've a special head coach, one already distinguished as ranking among the very best in his profession, and when you choose to come to a Washington camp, he'll be committed to improving you as a hockey player. So I asked the coach -- given that so many of the guys at camp this week won't enjoy full-fledged NHL careers, why make so personal a commitment to each and every one?  "It's my job, to help make them better," he replied. He seemed to want to leave it at that,...
More About: Adams , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Young , Jack

A Shootout Determines Duchesne Cup Scrimmage 2
2009-09-16 13:35:00
Tuesday brought us "A" vs. "C" in the Duchesne Cup competition, and the first training camp scrimmage appearance by Alexander Ovechkin . He didn't take long to make his mark, scoring the game's first goal in the opening minutes on a deflection that fluttered over Jason Bacashihua's left shoulder like a changeup. In what may well have been foreshadowing of opening night in Beantown, Ovi skated alongside Nick Backstrom and Mike Knuble. But the line wasn't dominant in this scrimmage like you might imagine it ought to have been.  The Capitals seemed prepared for Tuesday's unusual mid-summer heat in mid-September: Kettler was as cold inside as I can ever remember it, even in the dead of winter. At one point Bruce Boudreau walked by a contingent of reporters on his way up to watch the scrimmage from on high, in only shorts and a golf shirt, and when asked about the rink climate he replied, "I'm frozen." The ice was hard and fast, but the 10:00 practice session which preceded the...
More About: Washington Capitals

Friday Skate at Kettler, With Trophies
2008-06-11 06:02:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - Take the day off on Friday and hit the ice: Washington Capitals fans are invited to beat the heat with a free public skate on Friday, June 13, at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and view major NHL trophies on display from the Hockey Hall of Fame. The ice will be available ...
More About: Skate , Alexander Ovechkin

A Facelift for Hockey in Portland, Maine
2008-06-10 23:10:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - The Buffalo Sabres today announced a brand new American League affiliation, in Portland , Maine , with the Pirates. Such news generally doesn’t catch the OFB eye, but in this instance, the affiliate happens to be in one of our favorite towns, one we’ve blogged from before. Portland of course was recently ...
More About: Hockey , Facelift

Making Gretzky?s Head Bleed
2008-06-10 11:42:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - Ah the classic video game. More specifically, the classic hockey video game. Skinny guy, regular guy, or fat guy? Finding the right mix was a dilemma faced by players of Nintendo Ice Hockey . And this distorted yet iconic sound? Why it’s Blades of Steel, a game I spent ...
More About: Washington Capitals , Fighting , Head , Bleed

Hockey in Hawaii? Ae!
2008-06-10 06:37:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - No, that’s not a typo — Ae means Yes in Hawaii an. With DC currently sporting volcanic temperatures, read more about hockey in Hawaii at The Red Skate. Copyright © 2008 On Frozen Blog. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material ...
More About: Hockey , Washington Capitals

Rocking the Red on a Code Red Day
2008-06-09 18:42:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - It’s 1,000 degrees outside in the blast furnace known as the District of Columbia, the air practically unbreathable, the sun an unwelcome intruder. Well Dr. OFB prescribes that you cool down tonight by sipping a frosty beverage while watching the Capitals’ skates carve the ice. As we mentioned last ...
More About: Code , Alexander Ovechkin , Bruce Boudreau

It?s Time To Realign and Bring Back the Heat Among Hated Rivals
2008-06-09 11:55:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - I have six principles guiding a much-needed, rigorous realignment of NHL teams for the 2009-10 season. They are: (1) There is widespread support among general managers, owners, players, media, the presidential candidates, and hockey fans to have the Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby rivalry, such as ...
More About: Time , Washington Capitals , National Hockey League , Conferences , Heat

Wilson to Toronto a Done Deal?
2008-06-09 06:00:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - According to a CBC report, former Capitals coach Ron Wilson will be announced the next Toronto Maple Leafs coach on Tuesday, assuming there are no last minute issues. The contract is reported to be a four year deal for $5.6-million, plus incentives. In more than 1,000 ...
More About: Washington Capitals , San Jose Sharks , Anaheim Ducks

The End of an Era
2008-06-08 21:04:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - The Ubiquitous Logo It’s the end of the road for the Hockey Night in Canada theme song: After more than 13 months of negotiations, CBC is saddened to announce that a deal has not been reached with the rights holders for an extension of “The Hockey Theme” - CBC’S HOCKEY ...
More About: Media , Music

GM Brian Burke to Vancouver (in 2010)
2008-06-08 17:37:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - In 2010, Anaheim Ducks’ GM Brian Burke will be heading to Vancouver ? not to manage the Canucks, but as General Manager of Team USA’s Olympic squad. Former Washington Capitals GM David Poile will serve as the team’s Associate GM. ?I?m extremely honored to be asked,? said Burke. ?We?ll ...

A Hart-y Helping of Humble Pie at NHL.com
2008-06-07 20:10:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - In case you missed it, NHL.com briefly had an Alex Ovechkin Hart Trophy Winner t-shirt available for purchase on its site yesterday ? it was quickly removed. Plenty of digital ink has been spilled in the past 18 hours or so, with some hockey-heads north of the border ...
More About: Blogs , Alexander Ovechkin , Humble , Humble Pie

A Book Worth Saving for Your Reading List
2008-06-07 06:00:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - [Admin note: Frustrated with her husband's snail-pace reading speed, Mrs. Gustafsson stole the following book from him, read it, and provided the this review -- before Gustafsson would have made it past the second chapter.] The summer season is rapidly approaching and many travelers will be compiling a list ...
More About: Reading , Book , List , Worth , Saving

Ryan Malone, a Battered Face of Courage
2008-06-06 17:30:00
(c) OnFrozenBlog - http://www.onfrozenblog.com/ - I write today in praise of a Penguin. It’s true. Penguins’ right wing Ryan Malone redefined courage in these just completed Stanley Cup Finals - even by hockey’s heightened standards of beaten up bravado. He had his nose already broken and swollen before he absorbed a further face-disfiguring ...
More About: Pittsburgh Penguins , Face