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

The story behind the Hershey Bears’ epic ROAR celebration

HERSHEY, PA — The 2022-23 Hershey Bears found their inner grizzly this season and are fully embracing their nickname both on and off the ice. After goals, some courageous and bold Hershey players do their best standing bear pose, raising their arms (and one leg) while showing their teeth. Then they let out a big roar as they approach the bench for fist bumps.

But, why?

“I don’t know really the story behind it but it’s definitely contagious,” Bears forward Sam Anas, the AHL’s 2019-20 scoring leader, said laughing when I asked how it all began. “It fires the boys up on the bench. It’s just a fun thing.”

When I asked around, a majority of players and staff pointed me toward one guy: Mike Vecchione.

Vecchione is a first-line forward on the Bears, making up one of the most dangerous trios in the AHL along with Michael Sgarbossa and Ethen Frank. During the 2022-23 campaign, Vecchione finished second on the team in points. His 23 goals, 32 assists, and 55 points were all career highs. He also is a part of the team’s leadership group and an alternate captain.

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By Ian Oland 1 month ago

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Capitals legend Reid Cooper signs amateur tryout with Boston Bruins’ ECHL team

Reid Cooper recently got his dream call to the NHL while sitting on his couch watching The Bourne Supremacy.

Now, he’s taking his talents to the ECHL.

The Maine Mariners announced that they signed the college goaltender to an amateur tryout. Cooper inked the deal before Game Three of the Mariners’ first-round playoff series against the Reading Royals.

The Mariners are the ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins.

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By Ian Oland 1 month ago

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Dmitry Orlov on playing with the Bruins: ‘I am happy that now I get great pleasure from hockey’

Since being traded by the Capitals, Dmitry Orlov has gone to another level with his play as a member of the Boston Bruins. Though he appeared in nearly twice as many games with Washington this season, the Russian blueliner had one more goal (4 to 3) and tallied just two fewer points with the Bruins (17 to 19). Orlov also earned NHL First Star of the Week honors during his first full week with his new team, earning the nickname Bobby Orr-lov from Bruins fans and media.

In a Russian language interview with TASS’s Rustam Sharafutdinov, Orlov admitted that being traded by the organization that drafted him and spent his first 11 seasons with was difficult, but playing with the Bruins, the greatest team in modern-day regular-season history, made the transition as smooth as possible.

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By Ian Oland 1 month ago

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Because you deserve it, here’s Tom Wilson with a tiny kitten in his shirt pocket

Tom Wilson is more than a hockey player. He’s skilled in the art of commercial cinema, an investor in a local boxing studio, an amateur volleyball player, and a doggy dad.

One of his other side hustles is is volunteering at Wolf Trap Animal Rescue where he sometimes fosters puppies in need of a temporary home. Saturday, the Wilsons and Lindgrens participated in an intake where WTAR brought in 70-plus animals. Volunteers assist with veterinary exams, taking bio photos, and fitting the animals for harnesses/collars.

It also allows the opportunity for adorable photos such as when Tom put a tiny kitten in his shirt pocket.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Ryan Ellis turns tweet into incredible sponsorship with fast food chicken tenders chain, Raising Cane’s

With the Washington Capitals’ season over, now is a great time to check in on NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ryan Ellis – an avid RMNB reader and Caps fan.

Ellis is in the throes of his most successful season to date. He’s run in every Xfinity Series race and — if he can close a couple of open ones later in the year — could end up with the first full season of his career.

Ellis has done it with a lot of hard work, from himself and an incredibly dedicated team around him. He’s also utilized non-traditional ways to land sponsorship such as tweeting at one of his favorite brands.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Capitals lose money toward 2023-24 salary cap

The NHL’s salary cap number is not expected to rise more than one million for the 2023-24 season, pushing the maximum amount a team can spend to $83.5 million.

If that ends up being the number, the Washington Capitals will only get to use $980,000 of that new money due to an obscure CBA penalty called an overage. Overages are salary cap charges that carry over to the next season due to performance bonuses.

Fifteen NHL teams, including six teams that missed the playoffs, were busted for one reason or another – a new league record.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Tom Wilson and wife Taylor attend Nationals game day after Alex Ovechkin

Tom Wilson is the latest Capitals star to stop by Nationals Park.

A night after Alex Ovechkin and Jakub Vrana were in the house, Wilson and his wife Taylor were spotted on the field by local media during batting practice.

The Nationals are playing their second of two games against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday. The night before they lost 1-0.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Ted Leonsis reportedly offered over $2 billion for Nationals, expressed interest to buy MASN

Ted Leonsis owns the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and Washington Mystics. And he made his best effort to land the Washington Nationals late last year, too.

According to reporting by the Washington Post, Leonsis offered over $2 billion to buy the Nationals from the Lerner family toward the end of 2022. The Post says it’s unclear whether the Lerners turned down the offer or simply did not respond. However, they report that the two sides are still in touch.

The Nationals paused the sale process shortly before Opening Day; it will remain on hold through the entire 2023 MLB season. Sports Business Journal reports that the auction is expected to pick up again over the offseason.

Forbes says the Nationals are worth $2 billion. The Lerners hoped to get the same price the New York Mets fetched: $2.4 billion.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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‘I played like s&*t tonight’: Ilya Samsonov drops multiple expletives, says there are no excuses after giving up six goals

Ilya Samsonov was a combination of fiery, quiet, and matter-of-fact in the locker room after a less-than-stellar outing in his Toronto Maple Leafs postseason debut.

The former Capital was pulled at the end of the second intermission and gave up six goals on 29 shots. Natural Stat Trick said he gave up 2.6 more goals than expected. The Tampa Bay Lightning went on to win 7-3 and took a 1-0 lead in the first-round series. The Leafs have not won a playoff series in 19 years.

Postgame, Samsonov dropped multiple expletives in his postgame remarks.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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