Ian Oland

About Ian Oland (@ianoland)

Oland, a 2006 graduate of UMBC's art school, is a co-founder of RMNB and serves as an editor, publisher, and author. During his time with RMNB, he has done features for the Caps' TV show CRL, written a story for the print edition of the Washington Post, and helped first-report the Chelyabinsk meteor in the English language. Oland's favorite blog memories include raising enough money to get reader Ryan Ellis into a NASCAR race with a RMNB sponsored car and holding the Stanley Cup for the first time. Follow Ian: Twitter | Instagram

This photo-realism tattoo of Alex Ovechkin holding up the Stanley Cup is incredible

We first learned of Washington Capitals superfan Eric Brooks several years ago during a Colorado Avalanche game. Molding his hair follicles into the shape of an eight, Brooks became a viral sensation for his gr8 beard and was nicknamed the Ovechkin Beard Guy.

But last week, Brooks managed to find a way to go even more next level with his fandom and got an ultra-realistic tattoo of Alex Ovechkin holding up the Stanley Cup on his leg.

It’s incredible.

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By Ian Oland 19 hours ago

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Nastya Ovechkina asks frustrated Russian hockey fans to chill after team’s 1-0 loss to Finland

Nikita Kucherov is a virtual lock to be the NHL MVP this season while Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are likely Hall of Fame players when their hockey careers are over. Yet Team Russia, with all that individual firepower, can struggle to play together on the big stage against teams considered to be lesser opponents – at least on paper. And on Saturday, the Russian national team was upset by Finland 1-0 in the semifinals of the IIHF World Championship. Since 2009, Team Russia is 5-6 in the semis, and that frustration has started to boil over among fans and reporters.

But Nastya Ovechkina was not having any of it. Nastya took to Instagram after the game to encourage Team Russia fans to get a grip. It appears she used Caps fans as a positive example.

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By Ian Oland 21 hours ago

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Caps fan chooses Alex Ovechkin’s Stanley Cup mantra as senior quote

For many dedicated fans, the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup season was one of the best moments of their lives. For Kate A., that year was so epic it inspired her senior quote.

Kate chose Alex Ovechkin’s “not going to be suck” mantra to fall under her senior photo in Battlefield High School’s 2019 yearbook.

Kate’s mom Brooke sent us the picture on Twitter.

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By Ian Oland 23 hours ago

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Dmitry Orlov named one of top three players for Russia in crushing 1-0 semifinals loss to Finland

Team Russia has a roster of full of NHL All-Stars, MVPs, and future Hall of Famers. But on Saturday, the Red Machine, in a tightly checked game, fell to Finland 1-0 in the semifinals of the World Championship. Finland will go on to compete for gold while Russia will play for bronze on Sunday.

Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov was named one of the top three players for Russia on the day, though he was on the ice for Finland’s only goal of the game by Marko Anttila.

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By Ian Oland 1 day ago

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On this day a year ago, Alex Ovechkin fell in love with the Prince of Wales Trophy 😍

A year and one day ago, the Washington Capitals defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in two decades. Here is all of RMNB’s amazing coverage of that faithful day.

But I want to celebrate the anniversary of what happened after midnight: A brief love affair began between two historic NHL hockey figures, Alex Ovechkin and the three-foot tall Prince of Wales Trophy.

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By Ian Oland 2 days ago

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This huge Alex Ovechkin hit sent Brady Skjei upside down into Russia’s bench

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin delivered one of the biggest hits of his career Thursday against the United States.

Ovechkin deposited Brady Skjei into Russia’s bench with a monster check.

A Russian YouTube of the bodycheck has gone viral, garnering over one million views in just a little over 24 hours.

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By Ian Oland 2 days ago

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Jakub Vrana scratched in quarterfinals after criticism from former Czech national team head coach

Jakub Vrana is involved in some World Championship drama similar to an ordeal Evgeny Kuznetsov endured involving Hockey Night In Canada analyst Don Cherry during the regular season. Cherry called Kuzy a “jerk” for his bird celebration.

Marek Sykora, an expert for iSport.cz, said in an interview after the World Championship preliminary round ended that Jakub Vrana “doesn’t work enough.” He added, “I can see [his] celebrity manners.” Vrana had 5 points in 7 group stage games, including 4 goals.

Thursday, in the World Championship quarterfinals, Vrana was inexplicably scratched ahead of the Czech Republic’s game against Germany. An anonymous member of the Czech media explained the benching saying that Vrana is a “dick” – a personal insult that may leave many Caps fans scratching their heads.

Vrana, of course, has shown class during the spat.

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By Ian Oland 3 days ago

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Evgeny Kuznetsov says he helped a ‘nervous’ Italian center beat him on faceoffs ‘a couple of times’

Evgeny Kuznetsov is a character and he’s going viral again for something honest he said after Russia beat Italy 10-0.

Last Wednesday, Kuzy had his biggest game of the tournament so far, tallying two goals and two assists on an overwhelmed Italian team. After the game, Sport Express’s Alexei Shevchenko asked Kuznetsov if it was “interesting at all to play the Italian team?”

Here’s what Kuznetsov said in response.

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By Ian Oland 3 days ago

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IIHF says Dmitry Orlov had hardest shot, Caps prospect Martin Fehervary fastest freshman of World Championship preliminary round

The World Championship’s preliminary round ended on Tuesday. The IIHF released a bunch of fun facts on their social media to tide fans over until Thursday’s quarterfinal games. For those of you who are fans of speed and power, you will be happy to see the result.

The IIHF reported that Dmitry Orlov recorded the fastest shot on a goal, recording 152.5 KM/H on a tally against Latvia. Converting to miles per hour, Orlov’s blistering shot went 94.8 MPH.

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By Ian Oland 4 days ago

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On this day a year ago, the Capitals forced a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final

Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since the 1969-70 season where they were swept in four games by… the Boston Bruins.

But I want to focus on happier times. I want to re-remember what happened a year ago today.

On May 21, 2018, the Washington Capitals forced a Game Seven in the Eastern Conference Final after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0.

In front of one of the loudest crowds in Capital One Arena history, TJ Oshie scored twice, Devante Smith-Pelly scored once, and Braden Holtby stopped all 24 shots he faced in the Capitals’ first potential elimination game of the 2018 postseason.

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By Ian Oland 5 days ago

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