NHL Lockout

Protest Jerseys: Caps Fans Wear International Gear to Express Disgust with NHL, Capitals

James and Shannon show off their jerseys at Front Page Arlington. (Photo credit: Ian iPad)

On Sunday, the Washington Capitals officially opened training camp at Kettler Capitals IcePlex in front of about 1,000 raucous Caps fans. There wasn’t an empty seat in the bleachers, and rows of red-clad fans, four to five people deep, surrounded the rink. It was as if the lockout never happened.

But there were some fans not in red. They stood out from the pack, and that was intentional.

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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Why Ted Leonsis Should Give Away His Suite and Sit in the Upper Bowl

Photo credit: Len Redkoles

Over the past eight years, there have been too many games lost to lockout, especially for a “fringe” sport that once had lower TV ratings than poker. In 2004-05, the NHL scrapped a whole season to cram a salary cap down the players’ throats. If that weren’t enough, in 2012-13, fans lost 34 games because the owners and players played chicken with record-high revenues, finding compromise only when the drop-dead date drew near. It’s friggin’ stupid.

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom Are Coming Home

Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin earlier this year at Dynamo's practice facility

Photo credit: dynamo.ru

No duh. Alex and Nicky have left Dynamo Moscow to return to North America.

From the Dynamo Moscow press release:

Today our team departed for Ufa without three forwards: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Leo Komarov. Due to the end of the NHL lockout, these players departed for North America in accordance with their contracts.

Translated by Igor Kleyner.

By Peter Hassett 10 years ago

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When Lockout Ended, Marcus Johansson Kicked Off Team Bus and Dropped Off at Swedish Gas Station

Marcus Johansson at a Karlskoga gas station

“Uhhh, can somebody pick me up?” (Photo credit: VF-Sport)

After sixteen straight hours of negotiations, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to the framework of a new CBA at 5:45AM Sunday morning, effectively ending the lockout. Across the globe in Sweden, Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson, who had been playing for BIK Karlskoga of the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan league, was on the bus heading towards Skåne for his team’s game against Malmö on Monday.

As Johansson and the team received word the lockout was over, the bus immediately pulled over at a Karlskoga gas station and dropped Johansson off. “It all happened very quickly,” cracked Johansson to the Swedish website VF-Sport (Värmlands Folkblad) an hour later.

Below, the jump, Jacob Ware (@JacobWare95) translates Johan Eriksson’s full conversation with Mojo, as the Capital travels home to Karlstad.

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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The NHL Lockout’s Over!!Q!!E!~AFDSAFLKJAS

Our long national nightmare is over! Everyone is reporting that a shortened NHL season will finally begin this month .

We have weathered the storm. We have emerged from the long, dark tunnel that is a hockeyless autumn. We have been sometimes patient and sometimes irascible. We have lobbed verbal grenades and made empty threats. We have considered watching basketball and then thought better of it.

In front of us: hockey. Ovechkin, Backstrom, Green, Holtby, and the rest. We’re filled with excitement, relief, and a sense of unity with the city of Pittsburgh that we desperately hope is fleeting.

There’s a lot to do, but for now let’s celebrate! QOEWUWFBIQWUWUF *&@IR@#B#RI QWD
CRASH THE NET!

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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Barack Obama: Do NHL Fans Right, End The Lockout

BO: Don’t forget, you promised to come to a game!

As President Barack Obama tries to gain more public support for his plan to avoid the fiscal cliff, he did an interview Thursday with Minneapolis’s Frank Vascellaro of WCCO-TV. Vascellaro, who traveled to Washington DC to meet up with POTUS, was given permission to ask five questions. So Frank asked about the fiscal cliff negotiations, spending cuts, trust on Capitol Hill, the medical devices tax (?), and… hockey!

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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Caps Fans Chant “Fire Bettman” at AHL Showcase

During the third period of the AHL Showcase between the Hershey Bears and Norfolk Admirals, Caps fans broke into several “Fire Bettman” chants. It’s especially clear at the 4 second mark above.

Full disclosure: that noise at the 2 second mark is my ferret sneezing.

By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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NHL Lockout Protests at the Hershey Bears Game in DC

Photo credit: Rachel B.

We shoulda made some PUNCH THIS FACE signs with Gary Bettman’s face on ’em.

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin Tallies Assist Against Lokomotiv, Speaks Out About New Developments with NHL Lockout

Photo credit: dynamo.ru

In Dynamo’s 3-1 win over Lokomotiv Wednesday, Alex Ovechkin extended his KHL point-streak to nine games with a first period assist on a Leo Komarov goal. But it was Ovechkin’s comments after the game with Sport-Express, where the real fireworks happened.

When asked about his recent interview with the Russian newspaper Vechernyaya Moskva (Evening Moscow) where he said that his “soul was still with Washington,” the Capitals captain revealed that he never said such words.

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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Report: Gary Bettman Wants NHL Lockout Ended on Friday

Photo credit: Bruce Bennett

The last few days, there have been a number of positive signs that the NHL lockout may be near an end. In a Russian interview, Ovechkin revealed that his soul was still in DC and in two seperate reports from The Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Rob Rossi and WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton, sources have revealed that the two sides are finally working together constructively.

Now, former NHL player and current Sportsnet broadcaster Nick Kypreos has gone a bit further, saying that Bettman, behind-the-scenes, wants a new CBA completed in a matter of days.

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By Ian Oland 10 years ago

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