The Washington Capitals were the best team of the 2010s. It’s a story told across hundreds of games with dozens of players. But now, at the end of one decade and the dawn of another, here are eight days that shaped this team and forged their destiny.
By Peter Hassett 4 years ago
The Official NHL Shop is currently running a bunch of sales. That’s good news if you’re looking for good gifts for your friends and loved ones, but that’s not me. I’m terrible at buying gifts, plus I’m inconsiderate, and also I’m incapable of being sincere about anything. So, instead, here are the dumbest gifts I found on the NHL store.
You can save a lot of money on these horrible gifts that everyone will hate if you use the code NHLSAVE30 on checkout.
By Peter Hassett 4 years ago
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended three times this season, including a three-game ban during the second round of the playoffs for checking Zack Aston-Reese in the head.
Tuesday night during Game Three, Wilson absorbed a painful hit of his own after being boarded by Anton Stralman. Stralman leaped into the hit, driving Wilson’s head into the bards. The Lightning defenseman received a two-minute minor penalty for boarding on the play.
In the locker room after the game, Wilson shared his thoughts on the hit and believed that Stralman deserves supplemental discipline. He even encouraged reporters to “feel the goose egg” on the side of his head and said “If I’m wearing a helmet from five years ago, I’m probably unconscious.”
“He sees numbers for a good amount of time and he elevates through the back of my shoulder and head,” Wilson said. “If I make that hit, 100 percent, I’m probably sitting out.”
His full comments about the hit are below.
With the NHL trade deadline only five weeks away (February 26), NHL analysts are going into overdrive to predict which teams will do what.
Earlier in the week, Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned in his 31 Thoughts column that the Capitals were looking for a defenseman. The analyst elaborated somewhat in his 31 Thoughts podcast on Wednesday.
Hockey fossil Jaromir Jagr is 45-years-old and potentially playing his final NHL season with the Calgary Flames. How has the ageless Jagr, the NHL’s second leading point getter of all-time, lasted this long?
Jagr has committed to a healthy lifestyle that includes no smoking or drinking alcohol. He also has dedicated himself to a rigid workout routine that sometimes extends late into the night and after games.
Monday, after receiving 14:43 time on ice from head coach Glen Gulutzan, Jagr took questions postgame while pedaling on an exercise bike outside the locker room.
Barry Trotz took a stand against Jakub Vrana‘s “participation” on Thursday, scratching Vrana from a disastrous game in Colorado.
On Saturday, the 21-year-old rookie, whose underlying numbers this season have been sterling, spoke briefly with Isabelle Khurshudyan about his return to active duty after a high-profile benching and criticism from his head coach.
In the Sunday edition of the Frederick News Post, there’s a front-page feature on RMNB written by longtime local sports writer John Cannon. Cannon spoke to Peter Hassett and myself about how the blog first got created, our site’s biggest successes, and our link to Frederick, Maryland.
On Wednesday, I did a national interview with David Green, which aired during NPR’s Morning Edition.
Our talk focused on the paralyzing anxiety that comes with being a Capitals fan in the playoffs.
Take a listen.
Peter, Ian, and Keith, a coin, will reveal their predictions for the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs soon, but Ian provided a preview of one of his picks to ESPN 980’s Bram Weinstein on Monday.
Defying his usual self-proclaimed pessimism, Ian’s picking the Caps in a sweep.
By Nathan Burchfiel 6 years ago
Sunday night the Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs for the last time this season, winning 2-1 in the fifth overtime of the series. All six games were won by one goal. Even though it would’ve been arrogant to completely dismiss the Leafs prior to this series, almost nobody thought it would be quite this tough (Peter and Ian excepted). Props to the Leafs, who showed that they can be a deep, tough, and structured opponent.
The heroics last night came mainly from Marcus Johansson, who got the OT winner and the late third period game-tying goal. Nate Schmidt was nearly injured by Leo Komarov (who we won’t miss), but hopefully he’ll be okay for the Caps’ upcoming matchup with the flightless birds.
Once again, shot attempts were nearly even at 63 to 62 in favor of the Caps at five-on-five, and scoring chances were 31-27. The Caps seized the “big moment” of OT and managed to put five shots on net to just one by the Leafs.
By Nathan Sick 6 years ago
