Training camps haven’t even started yet, but Connor Bedard is already making headlines.
Bedard won’t make his regular-season debut for Chicago until October 10th, but he joined fellow prospects in St. Paul, Minnesota for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. He notched a hat trick Saturday in his very first game in a Blackhawks uniform in Chicago’s 5-0 victory over St. Louis.
By Katie Adler 2 months ago
Mike Babcock’s tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets might end before he coaches a single game. After reports emerged of Babcock asking to see photos on his players’ phones, the NHL and NHLPA both launched an investigation into the matter.
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and assistant executive director Ron Hainsey took the next step in that investigation on Thursday with a trip to Columbus to speak to several Blue Jackets players. The PA is set to meet with league officials on Friday to discuss their findings, and Babcock’s job could be on the line.
By Katie Adler 2 months ago
The broadcast home of the Washington Capitals is about to debut a new look.
Monumental Sports Network will formally launch on Wednesday, completing a rebrand of NBC Sports Washington that was announced earlier this summer.
Besides broadcasting Capitals games, Monumental Sports Network also holds the TV rights for the Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, and various other local teams. Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) fully acquired NBCSWSH last September.
By Katie Adler 2 months ago
When Spencer Carbery gets behind the Washington Capitals bench this season, he will find a roster with a veteran core joined by a crew of young players early in their careers. Carbery emphasized incorporating those developing players in his introductory team press conference and continued to do so in a recent episode of the Capitals’ Mike Vogel’s Break the Ice podcast.
The rookie bench boss spoke with Vogel about the value of bringing that youth into the lineup, as well as his expectations for the still-developing players. With several familiar faces from earlier in Carbery’s career when he was the head coach of the Hershey Bears, many of those relationships have head starts.
By Katie Adler 2 months ago
As Spencer Carbery starts his first season in Washington, he’ll attempt to revitalize a team that failed to make the playoffs this spring for the first time in nine years. The Capitals’ bounce-back will depend in part on forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha, who both struggled last year. Though Kuznetsov and Mantha were apparently on the trade block this offseason, no trades have yet materialized.
Carbery spoke on the pair during a podcast interview on Mike Vogel’s Break the Ice, where he walked through his plan to help both players return to form.
By Katie Adler 3 months ago
Alex Ovechkin is one of the NHL’s greatest players. As he chases the record for most goals in league history, Ovechkin leaves another impact on his teammates around him. Former Capital Zach Fucale didn’t spend long playing behind the Great Eight, but the experience left an impact all the same.
Fucale, who served as the Hershey Bears’ backup goaltender during their Calder Cup run, signed with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk over the summer and made his KHL debut earlier this month.
He spoke on his time with Ovechkin during an interview with Russian outlet Metaratings.ru.
By Katie Adler 3 months ago
ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals’ practice facility played host to dozens of the NHL’s best prospects last week for the NHLPA Rookie Showcase. For Logan Cooley, the third overall pick in 2022, the event also meant a chance to skate on the ice where his childhood idol plies his trade.
Cooley grew up in Pittsburgh but was enamored by Alex Ovechkin’s play from a young age. Despite learning to skate through Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins youth program, he became a rare Caps fan deep in rival territory.
Now, he could soon face off against both Crosby and Ovechkin as a member of the Arizona Coyotes.
By Katie Adler 3 months ago
ARLINGTON, VA– This year may be Matthew Knies’ rookie campaign, but the Toronto Maple Leafs forward has already had a taste of NHL hockey.
After reaching the NCAA Championship in his sophomore year with the University of Minnesota, Knies joined the Leafs for the tail end of the regular season, suiting up in three games. He would record four points (1g, 3a) in seven playoff appearances — including an assist on John Tavares’ series-winning OT goal — before a collision with Florida’s Sam Bennett prematurely ended his season.
During his brief tenure with the Leafs, Knies got to know both then-assistant coach Spencer Carbery — now head coach of the Capitals — and superstar Auston Matthews.
Knies spoke on coach and player alike on Tuesday at the NHLPA/Upper Deck Rookie Showcase.
By Katie Adler 3 months ago
ARLINGTON, VA– 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard spent Tuesday at the Capitals’ practice facility as a participant in the NHLPA Rookie Showcase. Though he’ll be playing nearly 600 miles away in Chicago, Bedard has ties to DC through friends Alexander Suzdalev and Andrew Cristall.
Suzdalev shared a line with Bedard for much of the 2022-23 season with the Regina Pats, while Cristall and Bedard met as children while playing in Vancouver and now play in a roller-hockey league together.
Both players earned a shout-out during Bedard’s press conference Tuesday, where the Blackhawk-to-be highlighted the skills he’s gotten to see up close.
By Katie Adler 3 months ago
With his return to DC this weekend, Alex Ovechkin is back in Washington just in time for the start of another sport’s season: American football. He spoke on his growing love of the game in a recent interview with Artem Batrak and Alexei Shevchenko of the Russian outlet It’s Hockey, Bro!, explaining how he developed into a fan.
In the interview, later transcribed by Sports.ru, Ovechkin explains how he wasn’t familiar with either football or baseball until starting his NHL career in Washington. He’s become a big fan of the Washington Commanders, but admitted he still doesn’t care much for American’s National Pastime.
By Katie Adler 3 months ago
