Alex Ovechkin is 35-years-old. There are 26 fewer games this season than usual (69 percent of a normal season). Granted I was an art major, but that simple math and logic suggest that Ovi, who averages .61 goals per game during his career, is unlikely to score 50 goals this season.
Do not tell this to Evgeny Kuznetsov.
After the day off on Friday, the Capitals have reconvened this morning at Medstar Capitals Iceplex with some changes.
For starters, Hershey stud Daniel Sprong has joined Group A to take shifts on the third line. Also, Ovechkin and Backstrom are reunited.
By Peter Hassett 3 months ago
There weren’t many highlights from the Washinton Capitals’ first scrimmage of training camp on Thursday as players grappled with a new system, new linemates/defense partners, and an awkward offseason of training due to the pandemic.
The best play of the scrimmage came late in the second (and final) period by the team’s second line: Jakub Vrana, Nicklas Backstrom, and TJ Oshie.
Backstrom and Oshie combined to force a turnover at the blue line by prospect defenseman Lucas Johansen. Oshie then carried the biscuit down the ice on an odd-man break and the three skill players got down to business.
Nicklas Backstrom is willing to help a friend in need, but he won’t do it for free.
Monday, after the Capitals’ first session of training camp, the Capitals’ star center talked to reporters and revealed that he offered his services as an agent to help Alex Ovechkin negotiate his new contract with the Capitals.
Ovechkin ultimately declined and will represent himself, which is unfortunate because we’re deprived of Backstrom’s Wikipedia page having this passage in the future: Not only was Backstrom Ovechkin’s best setup man on the ice, but he also delivered pen to paper on Ovechkin’s final deal, a five-year, $69 million contract, off of it.
The Washington Capitals held their first day of training camp on Sunday. Nearly every player on the team’s roster was present except for the quarantining Zdeno Chara, who the Capitals signed to a one-year contract on Thursday.
The Capitals conducted physicals with players and also fulfilled obligations for media, including taking bio photos and gathering b roll footage for next season.
It gave us a first look at our boys in Capitals uniforms for the first time in the new year.
Henrik Lundqvist was one of the Capitals’ prized signings over the offseason, but weeks later, Hank had sad news to share. On Thursday, the future Hall of Famer announced he would be unable to play next season due to a heart condition.
“Today is a pretty tough and emotional day for me,” Lundqvist said. “For several weeks now, I’ve been undergoing several different tests related to a heart condition and after lots of discussions with doctors around the country and finally receiving the last results this week, I, unfortunately, won’t be unable to join the team this year and [will] continue the process to fix these issues.”
Two Capitals’ players particularly shaken by the news were Nicklas Backstrom and Carl Hagelin, who both were looking forward to going into battle with Hank next year. Backstrom has played with Lundqvist on the Swedish National Team, but never in the NHL, while Hagelin was a teammate and one of Hank’s best friends on the Rangers.
Nicklas Backstrom is usually a setup man, but six years ago to the day, he was the finisher.
During the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 13, 2014. Backstrom scored his first career regular-season hat trick, tallying twice in the second period and once in the third. Because the even-strength goals were scored consecutively, it was considered a natural hat trick – the first time a Capitals player had done so since Alex Semin in 2010.
Over the last few years, Funko – a popular toymaker – has created five different Pops of Alex Ovechkin including a Chase figurine with the Stanley Cup. Three Of Ovechkin’s teammates have been immortalized in vinyl too, but none of them have been his longtime running mate, Nicklas Backstrom.
So Katherine (@JessamyGriffin), a Capitals fan living in Tokyo, decided to take matters literally into her own hands.
Let’s flashback to 2006. The Washington Capitals delegation was sitting at its table on the floor of General Motors Place. George McPhee whispered a name into Alexander Ovechkin’s ear. “The guy you ran into at the World Juniors,” McPhee said. The Caps GM then fielded a trade offer from the Boston Bruins who dangled their number five and 37 overall picks to jump up to four and select “the Swede.” In the end, the Capitals passed on the deal and Ovechkin walked to the lectern on stage.
“Washington Capitals select Nicklas Backstrom,” Ovechkin, wearing the team’s black Capitol Dome jersey, said sheepishly into the mic.
Capitals stars Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and TJ Oshie returned to MedStar Capitals Iceplex for optional workouts on Thursday, but they weren’t the only new three stars in the building.
Carl Hagelin was spotted skating in new hockey equipment that appears to be new for the 2020-21 season.
The intrigue!
