Meet the New Washington Capitals posted by Jeff Ponder

About halfway through the third period of the Capitals and Rangers series opener, Capitals fans started feeling the same disappointment that they have felt for the past few post-seasons.  But things changed in a hurry.

Alexander Ovechkin found the back of the net at 13:44, finally solving Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist for the Capitals’ first goal of the game.  The Capitals continued pressing for the winner in the third, but the dazzling play of Lundqvist and his defense would not allow any more goals in regulation. 

Alexander Semin struck at 18:24 of overtime, after teammate Jason Arnott batted down a Marc Staal clearing-attempt and slid the puck to Semin who one-timed the shot from beyond the hashmarks.  It was Semin’s first goal in 14 playoff games.

The most amazing part of Washington’s victory is that it was not won by swarms of offense by Ovechkin and company.  Rangers defenseman Matt Gilroy stunned the Capitals crowd early in the third to take a 1-0 lead, but after that the Capitals settled down and won this game by a well-balanced attack and commendable defensive play.

Washington goaltender Michal Neuvirth only had to make 25 saves on the night, earning the 2-1 victory.  Rangers sniper Marian Gaborik was stopped on four shots, and Gilroy’s attempt for the game-winning goal early in overtime resulted in a point-blank save by Neuvirth. 

The Washington defense limited Gaborik’s shots to jam-away chances in front of Neuvirth.  Capitals defensemen Scott Hannan and Jeff Schultz kept Gaborik from setting up in the slot most of the game, which will be key if the Capitals plan to win this series.

Washington Acquires Milan Jurcina from Columbus and Joe Corvo from Carolina posted by Jeff Ponder

Rumors swirled that the Capitals were looking for another defenseman to make a serious playoff run; how about two of them?

Reports stated Tuesday night that the Capitals were in discussions with many teams about bringing in a defenseman.  The number one rumor (found on NHL.com) was that Capitals GM Mike McPhee was talking with Blues' GM Larry Pleau about bruiser Barret Jackman.  A deal seemed imminent until it was announced that Jurcina was brought in from Columbus for a sixth-round pick approximately ten minutes before the deadline.  It was announced a half hour later that the club also brought in Joe Corvo from the Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Brian Pothier and an undisclosed draft pick.

Jurcina adds size (6'4” 236 lbs.) and grit to the Capitals blue line.  The 2010 Slovakian Olympian has just one goal and two assists in 17 games this season for Columbus, but his ability to stay in the play and take the body is probably the most impressive skill that Jurcina adds to the team.

Corvo is more of the offensive defenseman acquired today, scoring 212 points in 468 career games played.  His offensive numbers are not impressive this season (4-8—12) but has proven in the past that his passing ability and puck control can more than benefit five-on-five or on the power-play.

The Capitals came out ahead in both deals.  Acquiring two quality defensemen for just two draft picks and a number four defensemen is not too shabby.  This doesn't mean that Columbus and Carolina didn't get a goodContinue reading "Washington Acquires Milan Jurcina ..."

Washington Trades Seventh-Round Draft Pick in 2010 for Scott Walker posted by Jeff Ponder

If you would have told Scott Walker four years ago that he would be traded for a seventh-round pick, he may ask you how many you have had to drink.

Walker, the gritty 37-year old winger, will be joining his fourth NHL team.  Just three seasons ago, Walker accumulated 51 points in 81 games.  But how the veteran has fallen.  He has added just three goals and two assists in 33 games this season.  While he is not adding the scoring that he used to, he still adds a physical presence that makes the opposing defenses shake in their skates. 

The Capitals have added yet another piece to their 2010 playoff drive, and get the nod in this trade.  While Walker may not add the points to the score-sheet, he does address a team toughness and depth issue.  Plus, only giving up a seventh-round pick can't hurt too badly.Continue reading "Washington Trades Seventh-Round Draft ..."

Ovechkin Drops Gloves with Downie, But Bradley Does Dirty Work posted by Frederick Barry

There was no shortage of excitement last night when the Washington Capitals took on the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The best moment came late in the game when the gloves were dropped by Alex Ovechkin and Steve Downie.  Interestingly enough, Ovechkin and Downie never got down to business.

Things got heavy between Downie and Ovechkin early in the third period.  As Downie swept in to make a move, Ovie made a move of his own by cruising in to crush the right wing with a hard hit.  However, Downie's teammates contend that the hit was dirty because Ovechkin may have used his knee in the collision.

Tampa's Center Jeff Halpern said of the hit, "Downs makes a move. [Ovechkin] sticks his knee out, leaves his knee out there...it's not the cheapest hit in the world, but it's still a dirty hit."

That said, it was not a penalty and some players never even noticed the controversial knee.  Even though Downie didn't comment after the game regarding whether or not Ovechkin stuck his knee out, he certainly behaved in-game as if that was the case.  After the collision, Downie took a swing at Ovechkin who swung back, clearly ready for a fight to ensue.  At this juncture a fight was not to happen, though, as the ref quickly stepped in and sent both men to the box for roughing - a two minute penalty.

After spending time in the box the penalty was in the past,  but the mens' agitation stayed high.  Ovechkin and Downie shared some words and the intent of the men became clear as Downie threw his gloves to the ice.  Answering the call, Ovechkin followed suit and even removed his helment in preparation for the throw-down. Little did Ovie know he wouldn't have to throw a single punch.

Ovechkin won’t change his ways posted by Andy Charles

You do just have to wonder how long a career Alex Ovechkin is going to have in the NHL if he carries on behaving the way he has over the last few weeks.

Ovechkin is about to return this week after a knee-on-knee clash with Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason in an incident that earned him a game misconduct, a two-game suspension and a knee injury at the same time.

The game’s most exciting player says the ban could only act to make him even angrier, and while that might be a worry for his opponents who fear him scoring at a quicker pace than he already does, it could be a bigger worry for his coach Bruce Boudreau and fans in the capital.

Boudreau has already had his say on Ovechkin’s style of play, claiming him to be reckless, and it’s hard not to agree with the veteran coach who continually has to worry about him being available on a nightly basis.

It’s not just the worry of injury as well, because the NHL’s powers that be will not look lightly on a player who could be seen to be going out on the ice with the intention to harm opponents – we know what has happened to players like that in the past and it has not always been pleasant to watch.

But while some worry, NHL Betting Predictions have Ovechkin down as easily the biggest draw in the game, regularly bringing out the rare attendees to games just to see what he is going to do next – he already has 18 goals and 30 points in 21 games this season.

But how long can he go on without an injury that is going to cost him significant playing time while he continues to throw himself all over the ice? And would Capitals fans be as interested in him if he was to calm his ways?

Legend Of The Goon Squad pt.2 posted by Goon Squad

Violence has been a part of hockey since at least the early 1900's. According to the book Hockey: A People's History, in 1904 alone, four players were killed during hockey games from the frequent brawls and violent stickwork. 

Early hockey in particular was noted for its extreme violence, to the point where two players were killed in three years during brawls.
In both cases, the accused assailants were acquitted, but these and other bloody incidents led to calls for the sport to clean up its act or be banned with the likes of cock fighting.

The worst of the violence waned, particularly with regulations for quasi-legal fisticuffs, though incidents continue to occur from time to time.

Billy Coutu was the first player banned from the NHL for life when, in 1927, he attacked referee Jerry Laflamme in a Stanley Cup game between the Bruins and Senators - in which several players complained about the officiating, supposedly at the request of Bruins coach Art Ross before starting an all-in brawl.
NHL president Frank Calder, the League's first president, expelled Coutu from the NHL for life on March 29th, 1929; the ban was lifted after five years, but Coutu never played again in the NHL.
Billy Coutu - an OG Supreme! (Original Goon)

Other incidents include the December 12th, 1933 event when Eddie Shore hit Leafs player Ace Bailey from behind.
Bailey never played hockey again.
Another OG.

Somewhat recently, controversy and criminal charges have resulted from violent attacks by Marty McSorley, Todd Bertuzzi, and Chris Simon.

STANLEY CUP posted by David B. Purvis

      Nova Scotia also claims to have had the first hockey game played at King's College near Windsor Nova Scotia. The game was popular there and spread to places like Kingston Ontario and Montreal Quebec, and every town and village in between and soon spread to the Western Provinces of Canada. Women also loved to play, and even the daughter of Lord Stanley Preston, Isobel, played for Government House as early as 1889. Another team was the Rideau Ladies Hockey Team while out west a prominant player was Annie McIntyre, well known across the Prairies as a star player. Soon special padding was developed for goaltenders and rules were fine tuned, with leagues like the NHA and PCHA. The very first Stanley Cup match was played between the Montreal AAAs and the Ottawa Capitals.

      Lord Stanley himself had been a British Member of Parliament, once Secretary of State for the British Colonies, and had become a respected and wealthy man. In 1888 he was appointed Governer General of Canada. In this position he sponsored the Dominion Challenge Cup, which became The Stanley Cup eventually. Stanley bought the bowl in London England for about fifty dollars, was given to an amateur team from any of the many leagues who challenged for it. By 1926 the trophy became the prize of the National Hockey League. Lord Stanley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945, but the sad part is, he returned to England before ever seeing his cup competed for,  and never knew what a long lasting and dreamed about team tropht he had invented!

Inbound link contest winner announced! posted by Earn Money Blogging

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

The whole purpose of this contest was to get our bloggers networking with other webmasters and to start to build up their inbound links which will help their traffic.  Even a few links can help you with the search engines as they will see you as more of an authority on your topic the more inbound links you have.

To learn more about marketing your blog check out this post: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html#my_faq_2971

Marija's blog can be found here.  If you're a Knicks fan, check it out: http://www.newyorkknicksnews.com/marijak

The original post announcing the contest can be found here: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

And if you're not already signed up with Google AdSense and making money from your blog, check out our Revenue Share FAQ page: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html

Inbound link contest - Win $100! posted by Earn Money Blogging

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

We're going to impose some restrictions on the types of links you can get so please see below for the full list of links that do NOT count.

To get started simply go to Google and find other websites and blog that are about the sports and teams that you write about. Email the website owner and ask them for a link by explaining that you think your blog would be a good resource for their readers. Or offer to write a guest post for them with your by-line and URL at the bottom of the article. Or offer to exchange links with them by writing a quick write up of their site and a reciprocal link back to them. Some webmasters will be happy to add you to their blog roll even if you don't give them a link back (which is ideal) but some may want you to link back to them - you can easily do this with a quick blog entry on your blog about their website.

To learn more about inbound links and marketing your blog in general check out this post:

Ovechkin, now king of the left wingers after 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay posted by Steven Clem

Alexander Ovechkin broke the record for most goals by a left winger by scoring his 64th and 65th goals of the season against the Tampa Bay lightning. He has surpassed Luc Robitaile for the most goals by a left winger in a season. On top of all of the Ovechkin talk, the Washington Capitals have putting the pedal to the metal and steamrolling their way to a playoff division. At one point this season the Caps were the worst team in the league, but now are tied for the lead with Carolina in the Southeast Division. As of right now, they are in the top 8 of the Eastern Conference, but need to win this last game, and if Carolina loses their last game, the Caps will win the division and secure home ice in the first round of the playoffs. The team has been playing with a passion for making the playoffs, and they have shown that they can win. Expect to see this team battling it out with the Pens for the Eastern Conference finals this spring.

Note: Ovechkin's 64,65th goals are the most by a player since Mario Lemieux did it in the 95-96 season. He scored 69 goals. Can Ovechkin catch 69 in one more game? He has scored 4 once this year already, it will be an exciting watch. If anyone has NHL center ice, tune in to the Caps next game against The Florida Panthers on Saturday April 5th.  

Hunter quits as coach of Capitals

For quite some time, Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee tried to persuade former player Dale Hunter to return to the team as its coach. This season, McPhee finally got his man - just not for very long. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Hunter steps down as Capitals coach

Dale Hunter is finished as coach of the Washington Capitals afterless than one full season, telling the team he wants to return tohis family in Canada. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Dale Hunter quits as coach of Washington Capitals (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Rangers hold off Caps 2-1 in Game 7 (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Caps, Rangers practice once more before Game 7 (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports