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

Peter Laviolette on Trevor van Riemsdyk’s extension: ‘That contract for me is well deserved and well earned’

The Washington Capitals re-signed Trevor van Riemsdyk to a three-year, $9 million contract extension on Saturday that will keep the veteran defenseman in DC through his age-34 season.

Plucked out of relative obscurity after six seasons with the Blackhawks and Hurricanes, TVR saw his role grow with the Capitals from a frequent healthy scratch to, as of recently, top-pairing responsibilities with John Carlson out due to injury.

One person who was particularly excited about the new deal was Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette. Combined with longtime assistant coach Kevin McCarthy, Laviolette helped turn TVR into one of his biggest success stories.

Laviolette spoke about TVR after the Capitals’ practice at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

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By Ian Oland 7 days ago

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Vincent Iorio leaves Hershey Bears game against Providence Bruins with injury

Vincent Iorio has had a whirlwind week.

The Capitals’ top defense prospect made his NHL debut on March 4 against the San Jose Sharks and tallied his first point the same night, a beautiful primary assist on an Alex Ovechkin goal. After playing two more NHL games, Iorio was sent back to the minors with the Hershey Bears.

Two AHL games into Iorio’s return to the Bears, the rearguard was injured early against the Providence Bruins on Sunday, March 12.

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By Ian Oland 7 days ago

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What the Capitals would need to do to make the playoffs

Coming into Saturday’s matchup against the New York Islanders, the Washington Capitals, specifically embattled head coach Peter Laviolette, called the game huge due to its possible playoff implications. The Islanders are one of seven teams that are vying for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots.

“It’s a big one,” Laviolette said. “It’s a big game tonight. If we want to move up the standings, this is clearly one of the teams we have to catch and beat.”

Going into that night, MoneyPuck had the Capitals’ chances of making the playoffs at 2.7 percent. After destroying the Isles’ 5-1, the Capitals’ chances improved to (a very nice) 6.9 percent as of Monday morning.

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By Ian Oland 1 week ago

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Capitals hold morning skate in New York as annual Dads’ Trip begins

The Washington Capitals took to the ice at UBS Arena in Belmont, New York, Saturday for their morning skate. Later, they will take on the New York Islanders for their 67th game of the season.

The Islanders sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings and hold the first wild card spot while the Capitals are in 11th and trail the Isles by seven standings points. The Caps play the Islanders three times over the next month.

“It’s a big one,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. “It’s a big game tonight. If we want to move up the standings, this is clearly one of the teams we have to catch and beat.”

MoneyPuck has the Caps’ playoff chances at 2.7 percent.

Laviolette iced the same forward lines as he did for the team’s 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

Notably, Martin Fehervary and Nick Jensen skated on the second pairing and are officially game-time decisions.

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By Ian Oland 1 week ago

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Capitals re-sign Trevor van Riemsdyk to three-year extension worth $3 million per season

The Washington Capitals announced that they re-signed pending unrestricted free agent, Trevor van Riemsdyk to a three-year, $9 million extension on Saturday.

TVR has been a critical depth defenseman for the team serving on the team’s second and third pairings throughout the year.

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By Ian Oland 1 week ago

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Vitek Vanecek honored by Capitals during return game to Capital One Arena

Former Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek was honored by the team during his return game to Capital One Arena on Thursday night.

The Capitals saluted Vanecek during the first TV timeout in the first period.

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By Ian Oland 1 week ago

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Tatyana Ovechkina attends Capitals game, sees son Alex Ovechkin play in person for first time in years

The Washington Capitals had a very special guest in the house during their 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin’s beloved mother and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Tatyana Ovechkina, was spotted at Capital One Arena. Ovi wears the number eight in honor of his mom.

It’s the first live Capitals game Tatyana has attended in years. While Ovi was held off the scoresheet, she got to watch her son sweetly grant the wish of 14-year-old Nate Wessel.

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By Ian Oland 1 week ago

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A first look at the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom salt & pepper shakers

The Washington Capitals had an incredible giveaway for season ticket holders and fans who purchased special promotional tickets for the November 23 Capsgiving game against the Philadelphia Flyers. In the past, the Caps have created several special gifts for the holiday game, including the viral ice resurfacer gravy boat.

This season’s brilliant giveaway item was Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom salt & pepper shakers.

But it took a while for fans to actually get their hands on them.

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By Ian Oland 2 weeks ago

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Capitals vs Devils live analysis and updates (March 9, 2023)

This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils game on March 9, 2023.

Days after their failed attempt for their first three-game winning streak since 2022, the Washington Capitals are back at home and will take on one of the best teams in the National Hockey League – the New Jersey Devils – whom they kinda sorta helped become a super power for years to come.

If we go straight to brass tacks, the Capitals are sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference, five points out of a wild card spot. MoneyPuck has their playoff chances at 5.7 percent. They need to win this game and virtually their remaining 16 games after to make the playoffs, which obviously they will, duh.

From a blog point of view, we are already feeling the waning interest from fans in our analytics (please come back). It’s like preseason numbers here, which I guess makes sense. We’ll try to make this fun, though!

Tonight’s game is on NBC Sports Washington. Puck drop is a little after 7 pm. The Caps will be wearing their cursed W jerseys.

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By Ian Oland 2 weeks ago

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Brian MacLellan on if he talks to Peter Laviolette about playing young players more: ‘To a certain extent’

The Washington Capitals have the oldest roster in the NHL this season with an average age of 31 and they’ve also been the most injured. Before the trade deadline, seemingly every time the team could go older it would, playing veterans over prospects like Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, and Alex Alexeyev despite how good at times the kids have looked.

Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette has faced criticism from fans for his decision-making with his lineups and some have wondered if that has partially contributed to the team’s poor season.

During an interview on Monday with 106.7 The Fan’s Grant and Danny, general manager Brian MacLellan was asked a difficult question by Grant Paulsen: Is there a disconnect between him and Laviolette in terms of playing the kids?

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By Ian Oland 2 weeks ago

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