GIF by welshhockeyfan
Two days after Steve Oleksy took a wrist shot to the cheek, he absorbed even more facial violence in game two, this time getting high-sticked in the mouth by Derek Dorsett. Dorsett was whistled for a minor penalty, and Binky, just like on Thursday, didn’t miss a shift. But his poor face.
Steve Oleksy has never been considered a top prospect. In fact, before he made his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals in March, Oleksy played for seven different minor league teams in five years. It’s been a long and often painful road Oleksy has traveled, one that was made even longer because of Braden Holtby.
You see, earlier in the season when Holtby and Oleksy played together in AHL Hershey, the sassy goaltender from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan decided to play a prank on the new Bears defenseman.
Photo credit: Chris Gordon
Steve Oleksy played in 14 playoff games in professional hockey before tonight: with the Idaho Steelheads, the Lake Erie Monsters, and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He had never played in an NHL postseason game, because, until March of this year, he was little more than an AHL role player.
Thursday though, he set up the game-winning goal in the Washington’s 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers to open up the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. And it was awesome.
By Chris Gordon 10 years ago
Photo credit: Alex Brandon
In the second period of game one, the Washington Capitals looked wobbly, in a one-goal hole and entirely without momentum. Then Aaron Asham checked one of the Caps in the head and Washington went on its fourth power play of the game. That’s when Alex Ovechkin channeled his inner-MVP-ness, scoring his 31st career postseason goal on the power play. It seized back momentum for the Caps, who went on to score two more goals before the period was done. The Caps held on to win 3-1.
With that goal, the Great Eight is Washington’s franchise leader in playoff goals, passing one of my childhood hereos, Peter Bondra.
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Braden Holtby ended New York’s second period shooting flurry in a huff as he snatched the puck away with mucho sass. Srsly, somewhere Beyonce is like, “white boy has got attitude.” Holtby has 23 saves through 40 minutes.
Brad Marchand is a great hockey player. He has a big heart too. His gutless diving, however, has to stop.
In the third period of the Capitals’ 3-2 overtime win over Boston on Saturday, Marchand dropped to the ice like a piano falling off the top story of the Empire State Building after Alex Ovechkin gave him a friendly slash in the ribs.
It’s becoming a tradition — one that I truly enjoy. When the Caps win in overtime, Mathieu Perreault freaks out like a 5-year-old who has inhaled one of those giant pixie stick straws and starts flailing around erratically. Perry started the celebration thing after a shootout win over Winnipeg, and he did it again after the Caps beat the Islanders. When Eric Fehr scored in OT to give Washington a win in their final game of the regular season, Perreault delivered.
GIF by welshhockeyfan
Like DC101’s Roche and his Doo Doo Time Spectacular, we’re apparently taking requests now. Because you demanded it in the comments, we’re happy to present the Steve Oleksy sucker punch of an Ottawa Senators player: because sometimes marking your man requires more than just tying up his stick– particularly when you don’t have a stick of your own. For Binky, that meant dropping a defenseless player like a bag of hammers with a gloved haymaker to the mush.
No penalty on the play. Hockey, folks!
Photo credit: Rob Carr
Alex Ovechkin is in the zone. I’m not completely sure what that means but think Peter Parker just after he got his superpowers in Spider-Man. Ovi is scoring at will every night. Thursday was no exception.
Photo credit: Greg Fiume
With the Washington Capitals securing the division title on Tuesday night, Thursday’s game against Ottawa started off predictably slow. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any fireworks. For example: in the first period, when Matt Hendricks did some heavy-lifting and power-cleaned Erik Condra into the net.
