On Sunday, the Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, ending their first-round series in six games. While the result was thrilling, there was a sad side effect for Caps fans. All remaining Capitals playoff games will be broadcast on national television, meaning that CSN’s play-by-play man Joe Beninati and analyst Craig Laughlin will no longer be calling games.
Beninati and Laughlin are a vital part of Caps culture. They bring professionalism and personality to telecasts. Their chemistry is second to none.
Beninati’s preparation and erudition make him a perennial award-winner, but his personality is revealed through his fashion.
“We’ve always been impressed by how much style and fashion he brings to the job,” said Russian Machine’s Ian Oland, whose friend and site co-founder Peter Hassett conceived of the idea. “If you think about it, what he wears every night is his artistic statement. It’s always in front of us but it’s largely ignored for everything else going on.”
(Yes, I just quoted myself.)
Though their social media presence and roles on CSN Mid-Atlantic’s pre and post-game shows will increase, Laughlin’s and Beninati’s voices will be missed during the rest of the postseason.
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsHabs – and they’re calling it from inside CSN studios pic.twitter.com/ilfJfVgujs
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) September 27, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsBlues pic.twitter.com/cZzaQ3KkOU
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 3, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsCanes pic.twitter.com/qv3Wtf9Hfs
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 7, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight Check out @Laughlin18‘s pocket square for the Home Opener. #CapsIsles pic.twitter.com/Qsy7vOFYsN
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 15, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsAvs pic.twitter.com/vvzIVL8QOi
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 18, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight A tan, checker pattern #CapsPanthers pic.twitter.com/YB7Tfjv2mD
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 20, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight A sky blue tie and gold pocket square for the Rangers #CapsRangers pic.twitter.com/QtPCpSGiPA
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 22, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsOilers pic.twitter.com/wUGscBy3WS
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 27, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsNucks pic.twitter.com/XhwzqVntTi
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 30, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsFlames A bold blue tie! pic.twitter.com/kJG1fgWFKV
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 31, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsJets pic.twitter.com/cHNaEnjJoC
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 2, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsJets A+ tie, jacket, dress shirt combo here pic.twitter.com/vNYtIfvsLj
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 3, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight Hockey Fights Cancer night! Bid for @JoeBpXp @Laughlin18 @WaltonCaps @MayHockeyCSN’s ties here: https://t.co/4sRmresMC3 pic.twitter.com/gK5NwYXPH0
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 5, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSharks Blue for Election Night pic.twitter.com/WMQ56RnrPM
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 9, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsHawks Brown for Veteran’s Day pic.twitter.com/jhvm1ssQXu
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 12, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsCanes Tan! pic.twitter.com/nNOQ5mVEy4
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 13, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsJackets It’s a violet, purple, and fuschia night pic.twitter.com/VhlnVFO9D7
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 16, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsWings pic.twitter.com/g8HnGkuPGg
— RMNB (@russianmachine) November 19, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight (er afternoon) #CapsJackets Black suit coat with grey stripes along with a light violet dress shirt and violet/black tie pic.twitter.com/7HgdOGMFGK
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 20, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsBlues Brown! Also, what’s @Laughlin18 looking at? pic.twitter.com/3Cm1pgtpKg
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 24, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSabres Light blue dress shirt for Black Friday pic.twitter.com/kf0lhdpnMg
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 25, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs a fancy red number pic.twitter.com/7goY8VNV4s
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 27, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsIsles We’ve got a purple tie in the house pic.twitter.com/EndVwi946J
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 2, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSabres A midnight blue number with a gold tie pic.twitter.com/1jO1FGl3bA
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 6, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSabres Navy blue and bronze pic.twitter.com/FLOetMoRrq
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 10, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsNucks Star Wars Night suits pic.twitter.com/4qpqM8n88H
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 11, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsIsles A classy light grey number 👍 pic.twitter.com/0e57siwxlU
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 14, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsCanes We’ve got a black suit with violet stripes along with a beautiful pastel purple tie and pocket square #A1 pic.twitter.com/w5wtRgMl43
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 17, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsHabs We got some lime green in the house, y’all pic.twitter.com/VljPKm3Ry8
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 18, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsBolts Blue and gold on the eve of Christmas Eve pic.twitter.com/u6eqRJtsJA
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 24, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsIsles Checker suit and flower-pattern tie for the Caps’ first game back from break pic.twitter.com/OWzGx5t9FQ
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 28, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsDevils pic.twitter.com/FCaYxPbcpp
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 30, 2016
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsDevils Joe’s New Year’s Eve suit: dark tan suit with a plum checkered dress shirt and an eggplant colored tie 💯 pic.twitter.com/x3G3lQ6ZRQ
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 31, 2016
It’s the New Year’s Day edition of the #JoeBSuitOfTheNight for the #CapsSens. Joe B somehow makes this color combination look good. pic.twitter.com/6Jd8M4I3CE
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 2, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs Joe B’s suit for #CapsCanadianNight pic.twitter.com/uVme3aG9wU
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 4, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsJackets Fuchsia for a streak-breaking night pic.twitter.com/SrujoQqItL
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 6, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSens pic.twitter.com/ZTT0hS4K9n
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 8, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsHabs A blue checker pattern which is 💯 pic.twitter.com/TFd7Ic3JDN
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 10, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsHawks Plum! pic.twitter.com/hK2n4FLScP
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 14, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsFlyers pic.twitter.com/JmUOOvPRNB
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 15, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsBlues Purple pic.twitter.com/D2nfDiQsOd
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 20, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsStars Joe is really pushing the limits of male fashion tonight by wearing a Slurpee hat pic.twitter.com/Mjr9x8uDjw
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 22, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsCanes pic.twitter.com/o4UDyOSBGj
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 24, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSens Matching purple for Joe B and Locker! pic.twitter.com/AJqsfEOTUh
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 25, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsDevils I <3 this. A tan suit coat w/ checker pattern. Locker rocks a chocolate colored suit that matches Joe’s tie. pic.twitter.com/TP3f0lTVNu
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 27, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsIsles pic.twitter.com/6TCFCHWFc3
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 1, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsCanes Grey suit coat with a canary yellow dress shirt pic.twitter.com/YWpcfT2Ty8
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 8, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsWings Joe B rocking some olive flair while @Laughlin18 is bringing the heat with an A+ pocket squre pic.twitter.com/RyMxrMtNJ1
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 10, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsWings pic.twitter.com/z0BotNGyCg
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 18, 2017
#joebsuitofthenight Looking snazzy tonight. pic.twitter.com/TFPjTCmTPU
— carrie (@carabahniuk) February 25, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsPreds pic.twitter.com/eAxFNYoVJX
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 25, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsRags Blue for Shattenkirk’s debut pic.twitter.com/goQyoxAbyD
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 1, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsDevils pic.twitter.com/FP5rPzmGCR
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 3, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsFlyers pic.twitter.com/2zbAZZfSnh
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 5, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsStars pic.twitter.com/IgEVVyskkS
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 7, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsSharks #RMNBAfterDark pic.twitter.com/wVcXiD2GxM
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 10, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsKings pic.twitter.com/RrJSIt5Stf
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 12, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsDucks Even Joe B and Locker are feeling the three-game losing streak pic.twitter.com/GkR8LT9g24
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 13, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsWild Joe B’s sporting navy blue and flourishes of purple the day of #WinterStormStella. What a tie. pic.twitter.com/2PWg93sIl1
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 14, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsPreds Joe B’s rocking St. Patrick’s Day attire, featuring a green tie and green dress shirt. pic.twitter.com/81ZU24YOjs
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 16, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsJackets pic.twitter.com/JQUkWGIB10
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 23, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsYotes pic.twitter.com/ZexVFsNQiX
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 25, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight Looking sharp in Minnesota! pic.twitter.com/XJUd51kCq2
— carrie (@carabahniuk) March 29, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsAvs Lots of blue! pic.twitter.com/b2HLWjvo8A
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 30, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsYotes Tonight I learned that tan and pink can work together pic.twitter.com/1pGltleQRs
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 1, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsJackets pic.twitter.com/cPfOQjxTnT
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 2, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs pic.twitter.com/DGsQO9OTDX
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 4, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsPanthers The regular-season final suit! pic.twitter.com/qvWWc7XGqQ
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 9, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs The Caps pocket squares are A+++++ pic.twitter.com/V6PqcaGiKY
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 13, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs Game 2! pic.twitter.com/xR6iiGF1zO
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 15, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs All red everything for Game 3 pic.twitter.com/m5hEQDpB9V
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 17, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs Game 4 pic.twitter.com/9VuoRRU4YZ
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 19, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs Game 5 suit, y’all. This checkered blue suit is 👌 pic.twitter.com/asqgzDsFM2
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 21, 2017
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsLeafs Game Six. I say this with great sadness: This may be the last suit of the season if the Caps win pic.twitter.com/g6sHOTCflT
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 23, 2017
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