A few minutes past noon, word surfaced that defenseman Steve Oleksy cleared waivers. Binky, who scored 19 points in 61 games with the Washington Capitals over the last two seasons, reported to the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears. But not before tweeting out a special thank you message to fans.

I wish I had more than 140 characters and could personally thank everyone individually but this is the best I could do. I just want to give everyone a shout out that has shown their support not just in the last 24 hours but at any point in time. The people in my life and fans are truly the most underrated and most rewarding part of this business. Just know for me you are a driving force and inspiration behind it all and make smiling easy even on the cloudiest days. Thank you all.
Cheers

Like we said last night, Oleksy is especially good with social media. This note is both gracious and an admission of how difficult being waived has been for him. It really humanizes the business aspect of the league, which is usually cast only in dollar signs.

Puck-moving defenseman Nate Schmidt, who had an earlier stint with the team, took Oleksy’s roster spot in Washington and skated with the team in the afternoon.