Inside the Press Box: Mike Vogel

To help readers get their hockey fix over the summer, STC is publishing a series of interviews with people who interact with (or work for) the Caps. Today’s fifth installment: Caps Senior Writer Mike Vogel.

1. You've been working with and for the Caps for a long time. How has your job evolved over the years?

I'd say the biggest difference relates to how the medium has evolved, or how the concept of what a sports team Web site should be has evolved. When I first started, the job was all writing. But it wasn't long before we started branching out into video and podcasts, postgame press conferences, locker room interviews, video features and all sorts of things of that nature.

Now, writing is just a fraction of what I do rather than the whole of the gig. What people want has changed, and you have to stay ahead of that curve and keep delivering. Hopefully, we're doing that.

2. Before working for the Caps, were you a huge hockey fan? If so, what teams did you follow?

I was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Boston and Chicago. My dad played hockey in high school and after, and he used to freeze our backyard so we'd have a place to skate and play. So I was a huge fan from a young age. My favorite team was always the Bruins, even after I moved to Chicago as a kid.

I never really latched onto the Hawks because I was never a fan of their ownership. I did go to many games at the old Chicago Stadium and shared a season ticket plan for a while. I'm loving what has been going on hockey-wise in Chicago over the last year, though. It's a great hockey city and it's great to see some wise minds making some smart and savvy moves on and off the ice to reinvigorate that long stagnant market. My dream is to see the Caps and Hawks in the Cup finals in the next couple of years.

3. What's the most memorable moment from your Caps tenure?

There are so many. It probably starts with the four-OT heartbreaker against Pittsburgh in 1996. The Cup finals run in 1998. The Jagr trade in 2001. The Ovechkin draft in 2004. World Junior championship in 2005. The lockout finally ending. Moscow for the World Championship in 2007. Ovechkin's four-goal game against Montreal in January. The mentors' trip in February. The stretch run to the playoffs, and the 2008 playoffs at Verizon.

Until I'm there for the hoisting of the Cup, it's kind of hard for me to separate any of the above.

4. How is your travel schedule determined and do you attend every game?

I generally go to about half the road games. I'll travel to the West Coast games, because local media often does not; those late games are past their deadlines. Other than that, my travel planning is sometimes done in advance and sometimes on the spur of the moment, depending on how the team is doing and how much interest there seems to be. I try to get on one trip a month.

When I took the current job in 1999, I was told it would likely evolve into a scenario where I'd travel full time. That day may not be far away.

5. How do you spend your downtime?

There's not much downtime even in the summer, but I love listening to music, watching movies with my wife and kids, playing cards with my buddies, cooking (believe it or not), and noodling around with my guitar. Or playing Rock Band with the kids.