After publishing a list of the NHL’s top 20 centers and top 20 wingers, the NHL Network has released its top defenseman ranking. The Capitals’ John Carlson was ranked sixth on the list, behind Brent Burns, Victor Hedman, Mark Giordano, Erik Karlsson, and Seth Jones.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 hours ago
It has been over seven years since Alex Semin shared the Capitals locker room with Alex Ovechkin, but the two Sashas proved they are still fast friends when, on Sunday, Semin attended the birthday party of Ovechkin’s one-year-old son, Sergei.
Ovechkin, holding Sergei, stood next to Semin, who appeared to be holding his young son, Danil. The pair watched as a troop of six dyed poodles performed tricks at the elaborate birthday party being thrown in Sergei’s honor.
By Elizabeth Kong 1 day ago
On Sunday, Sergei Ovechkin turned one-year-old, and his parents Alex Ovechkin and Nastya Ovechkina celebrated by throwing him a lavish “Boss Baby” themed birthday party, complete with baby Sergei dressed in a suit and tie like the eponymous Boss Baby.
The couple started the day sharing a more regal photo, the first public photo of Sergei’s face.
Then the real party animals came out, including alpacas, bears, and seals.
By Brennin Weiswerda 1 day ago
One year ago, Alex Ovechkin and wife Nastya Ovechkina welcomed their son Sergei into the world.
On Sunday, the Ovechkin family celebrated Sergei’s first birthday, posting the first-ever public photo of the smiling baby Sergei. Previously, the Ovechkins had guarded their son’s privacy on social media by only posting photos and videos that did not show their son’s face.
“Happy birthday, our baby!” Alex wrote in his Instagram caption. “Mom and I love you very much, you are our happiness! Be the happiest, healthiest! And Mummy and I will always be there!”
By Elizabeth Kong 1 day ago
Former Capitals prospect Chase Priskie has signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team announced on Saturday. The deal has an average annual annual value of $925,000.
In April, Priskie informed the Capitals that he would not sign with Washington, electing instead to test the free agency waters.
By Elizabeth Kong 2 days ago
The Colorado Avalanche have yet to re-sign Mikko Rantanen who is currently a restricted free agent. Things are heating up on that front now that Finnish floorball team Nousiaisten Ryhti has offer-sheeted the right wing forward, offering some very compelling–and ridiculous–compensation in return.
The players Colorado would receive in compensation are Joel, who’s very skilled at collecting “balls/pucks from the rink/ice after practice,” although he is “without any brain activity,” and Tommi, their oldest player who has a “quite cute daddy-belly.”
Nousiaisten Ryhti play in Rantanen’s hometown of Nousiai. The team is also throwing in a bag of floorballs for general manager Joe Sakic. How can Sakic and the Avs refuse all of that?
By Brennin Weiswerda 2 days ago
Last April, the NHL community mourned after the Humboldt Broncos got in a traffic accident. The bus full of young teenaged players was on its way to a game against the Nipawin Hawks when it was T-boned by a transport truck. 16 people, most of whom were players, died.
Broncos player Layne Matechuk was one of 13 lucky souls to survive the crash but suffered a severe brain injury. During Layne’s rehabilitation that continues to this day, the Pittsburgh Penguins, his favorite team, gave the Saskatoon native the opportunity to go to any Pens game he wanted to meet his favorite player, Sidney Crosby. Layne ultimately picked the March 12 game against the Washington Capitals so that his sister Carley, who he is very close with, could also see the Caps and her favorite player, Alex Ovechkin, play. The game was a dream come true for the siblings. Ovechkin scored his 1200th point that night.
Six months later, Carley revealed that she got Ovechkin’s signature from that day tattooed on her ankle in a stunning tribute.
Quinton Dunbar arrived to Thursday’s Redskins-Bengals preseason game looking very champion-y if you ask us.
The Redskins cornerback rocked a Capitals home jersey, which was customized with his former number, 47, and his last name.
The Redskins and NBC 4 Washington had video of him arriving to the game.
Alex Ovechkin continued his busy summer on Thursday with a charity basketball game. He and other professional Russian athletes participated to raise money for the Kirilenko Fund, which supports children in need, including funding for orphanages, hospitals, and sports facilities. The fund is named after Ovechkin’s friend Andrei Kirilenko, a retired basketball player and the current commissioner of the Russian Basketball Federation.
Ovechkin has played in charity basketball games before. In 2016, it was for a team coached by his mother Tatyana. Ovechkin wears number 8 because of her. She won two Olympic golds with the Russian women’s basketball team, one world championship, and six European championships.
Although her son mostly displays his athletic skills on the ice, he’s not so bad on the court.
By Brennin Weiswerda 4 days ago
Nicklas Backstrom took part in the ‘Black and White’ annual game on Thursday with his former club Brynas IF. He and Capitals teammate Christian Djoos put up a valiant effort for Team Black, who lost by a score of 7-5. Backstrom certainly did his part, scoring on a penalty shot which tied up the game at 4-4.
After scoring, he celebrated like we’ve never seen him celebrate before.
By Brennin Weiswerda 4 days ago
