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Steve Oleksy Found Out about His Call-Up after Watching Jack the Giant Slayer
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Photo credit: Sweetest Hockey On Earth

Since leaving Lake Superior State (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan) after the 2008-09 season, gritty defenseman Steve Oleksy has been the epitome of a journeyman, playing for seven different minor league teams in five years. He’s played for the Port Huron Icehawks of the IHL; the Las Vegas Wranglers, the Toledo Walleye, and the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL; and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Hershey Bears of the AHL.

Monday night, with the Capitals needing a right-handed shooting defenseman in Mike Green’s absence (i.e. #brittlegroin), Oleksy got the call that young players dream about.

But he had his phone off.

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By Ian Oland 6 years ago

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Owl Gill: How Nashville Defenseman Hal Gill Saved A Life

I wrote an essay last summer that deserved a Peabody. It was titled Jonathan Quick Tweets Pics of Rabbit Giving Birth in his Backyard. The photo post was about a humble goaltender — a few weeks removed from winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe– observing the circle of life through the window of his LA home, live-tweeting all the while.

On Monday, I came across an even better NHL nature story on Tumblr (thanks to elqiao) with a less gnarly ending. Nashville Predators defenseman Hal Gill saved the life of an owl. Here is part 2 in the new RMNB series, NHL Players and Nature.

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By Ian Oland 6 years ago

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SHOE’s Perspective on New Capitals Signing Steve Oleksy
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Photo credit: Kyle Mace of SHOE

News broke on Monday night that the Caps have signed their second fighter in a week. This time it’s Hershey’s 27-year-old defender, Steve Oleksy.

Sweetest Hockey on Earth superstar Kyle Mace writes about Steve Oleksy all the time, so we’re giving him the floor to introduce us to the new Caps’ latest acquisition:

Steve Oleksy (pronounced OH-lexi) is one of the team leaders for the Hershey Bears. This call up is his first shot at the NHL. He leads the Bears in penalty minutes, mostly due to fights caused by sticking up for his teammates. Off the ice, Oleksy is one of the most down-to-earth players you will meet. Very involved on Twitter, Oleksy is the founder and president of Eastside Elite Hockey, a summer hockey league that helps players stay in shape.

The Chesterfield, Michigan native will be a good addition to the Caps blue line. Oates watched Oleksy earlier this season as an assistant to Mark French during the lockout. Don’t be surprised to see Steve throw his body around. Despite being only six feet tall and weighing just 190, he is still a big force on the ice.

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By Peter Hassett 6 years ago

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Boston Bruins Pregame: Chowderheads (PuckBuddys Preview)
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Doug Johnson is back to amuse and torment. You know him as one-half of the PuckBuddys. The first one to get them to 3K Twitter follows probably wins a car or something.

The Morning Skate: Gentle readers, before we [CENSORED] all over our Bruins friends,  let us pause a moment, as you scramble in blind panic preparing for snow that will never, ever come again, to consider the hazards of making predictions. Especially about the Caps.

For example, if I predict no snow Wednesday, it’s gonna get all crazy 20″ up in here. Conversely, I stone cold guarantee that if I dash to the store today to buy a terror shovel, we will be mopping our brows and sipping Mint Juleps on our verandas by Friday. The point is: predictions can go so wrong. Britain’s Lord Kelvin (he of Downton Abbey, we guess?) said heavier-than-air machines could never fly. Harry Warner said no-one would pay for talkies. The Skipper predicted a three-hour tour. Boom.

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By Doug Johnson 6 years ago

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Riley Barber Helps Miami Win CCHA Regular Season

Riley Barber attacks Buckeyes’ goal. (Miami University Athletics).

Caps sixth-round draft pick Riley Barber has continued the same strong play that earned him a spot on the 2013 USA WJC team. As part of Miami (OH) University, Barber beat intrastate rival Ohio State, securing victory in the CCHA regular season. In the last game of the season, Barber scored a goal and assisted another, endangering the Buckeyes’ net each time he and linemates Austin Czarnik and Curtis McKenzie hit the ice.

Take a look at Barber’s highlights and stats after the jump.

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By 6 years ago

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Washington Capitals Players Skate with Families of Fallen Soldiers
Courage Caps (14 of 14)

Photos by Chris Gordon

The past decade has seen the United States involved in two wars — one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. We’re all aware of them, we’ve seen the headlines. But for most Americans, the country’s battles are an abstraction. It’s something on the news, not part of the stories of other human beings.

Some Americans, though, can’t remove themselves from them — the wars have taken members of their family. Husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers: the all have loved ones who will never come home. This has unfolded thousands of times throughout the past 12 years.

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By Chris Gordon 6 years ago

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Braden Holtby’s Shutouts > Pekka Rinne’s Shutouts
Jonathan Kozub

Photo credit: Jonathan Kozub

Braden Holtby‘s 35-stop afternoon in Manitoba puts him in a three-way tie in shutouts (3) alongside Nashville’s Pekka Rinne and Phoenix’s Mike Smith.

I guess the first thing I should say is that shutouts, while awesome, are kind of a silly way to evaluate a goalie. Goalies don’t control the number of shots they face, just the percentage of that number they stop. That in mind, I thought we’d do a quick comparison of how these guys came to be the league’s shutout leaders.

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By Peter Hassett 6 years ago

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The Caps-Jets Line Brawl: Featuring Saucy Perry, Hendy Face, and Enforcer Karl Alzner
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Note: I’m writing this post heavily medicated and a day after right-leg surgery. Yes, I’m hockey-player tough.

While the Washington Capitals got outplayed in the first period of Saturday’s game against the Jets, they came out strong in the second , scoring some goals and getting a little cocky. I love it when my favorite team gets cocky. Particularly because it can lead to a line brawl, one started by five-foot, ten-inch (yeah right) French Canadian Mathieu Perreault.*

After absorbing a legal shoulder-check from tough guy defenseman Zach Bogosian, Perry decided to get a lil’ saucy and slash Bogosian in the legs. Bad idea.

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By Ian Oland 6 years ago

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Braden Freaking Holtby, Y’All! Caps beat Jets 3-0
John Woods

Photo credit: John Woods

The Washington Capitals looked like a troubled team before Saturday’s game at the Winnipeg Jets. With a grinder on their top line, a goal-scorer in Wojtek Wolski scratched in favor of a tough guy, and more injured players than you can shake a groin at, expectations were low for the early afternoon rumble in Manitoba. For twenty minutes, those expectations were met, and then the Capitals took control of their destiny and looked like a damn fine hockey club.

And oh yeah: Braden Holtby.

Caps beat Jets 3-0.

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By Peter Hassett 6 years ago

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Neil Greenberg on the Tony Kornheiser Show
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Washington Post and ESPN writer Neil Greenberg talked Caps hockey on the Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN 980 this morning. The RMNB alum killed it. I considered putting a bombastic quote in the subject of this post like “Greenberg: This is not a good team” or “Neil Says [Ovechkin]’s No Crosby”, but I really think you will be better served by reading or hearing the whole segment, which I freaking transcribed below instead of actually enjoying my lunch.

Tony and Neil cover a lot of topics in the 15-minute segment: Neil’s brush with the Cup in ’94, what has caused Alex Ovechkin’s decline and what we can expect from his future, Mike Milbury’s assessment of Ovi vs. reality, Adam Oates’ talent as a coach, and what the future holds for the Washington Capitals. I think this is essential reading/listening for Caps fans, so get to it.

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By Peter Hassett 6 years ago

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