Testify!

Today's Puck Daddy preview of the Washington Capitals includes a testimonial from yours truly:

Saying the Caps revolve around Alex Ovechkin is like saying Germans love David Hasselhoff; it's too easy. The real key is whether Alex Semin can put forth maximum effort in all 82 games. If he does, the Stanley Cup's trip to the White House will be a short jaunt across town.

If you haven't read all 30 previews, it's worth the effort as they are highly-entertaining and accurate.

Note: Chris Bourque was claimed today -- by the Pittsburgh Penguins no less. That's not to say he'll become a star, but it's still hard to say goodbye the Hall of Famer's son.

McPhee Addresses Nylander Situation

GM George McPhee was a guest on NHL Home Ice this afternoon and, among other things, addressed the Michael Nylander sitution. GMGM stated that the Caps had a deal with another NHL club last season (and Nylander agreed to it) but the deal fell through at the last second. He also stated the Caps are still trying to send Nylander overseas, but if they fail, Nyls will play for the Caps (something he didn't do during the preseason).

In the meantime, Chris Bourque -- who was set to suit up for the Caps in Boston Thursday night -- has been waived to make room under the salary cap (presumably because of Nylander).

GMGM also stated that the Caps have three good goalies and that Jose Theodore looks better now than he did most of last season.

Now the Fun Begins

As if a preseason finale win over the Rangers or a packed inaugural convention wasn't enough, now the Caps have this to ponder: a regular-season date Thursday in Boston along with some roster trimmings.

Chris Bourque, who is fighting for a spot, had a pretty good outing today and now has to hope that limited action (due to an injury) has convinced the powers that be that he should make the team (which I would endorse).

"He looks like he plays with energy all the time," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He scored a goal. Other than one play up the middle, I thought he competed pretty hard."

Those roster decisions must be made by 3 p.m. Wednesday -- as does the fate of Michael Nylander, who did not see action in any preseason contest.

"We'll meet tomorrow with the coaches. We have an idea where we're going with this. It's not an exact science," Boudreau said. "We're going to try to see what the best fit for our team is. It might not be necessarily that the best players stay, but it might be what the best fit is for our team."

Here would be my opening day line-up (keeping in mind that Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann are hurt):

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Semin-B. Morrison-Laich
Bourque-Aucoin-Clark
Bradley-Steckel-Laing

Green-S. Morrisonn
Pothier-Alzner
Poti-Erskine

Varlamov
Theodore

Some other great convention recaps:

* Dump and Chase
* Ted's Take
* Versus
* Musings of a Hockey Mom
* Cap Centre
* A View from the Cheap Seats
* Rock the Red
* On Frozen Blog

One More Before They Count

The Caps lost to the New York Rangers, 3-2, last night in the penultimate preseason game. The teams will face each other again on Sunday afternoon at Verizon Center before the Caps get some time to prepare for the Oct. 1 opener in Boston. Of course, tomorrow also is the sold-out Caps Convention -- so the team still will be busy.

The most notable things to come out of last night's game: Keith Aucoin cementing a spot on the team as the third-line center (a role he should have earned last season over Michael Nylander, by the way) and Brian Pothier finally healthy enough to show why the Caps signed him a few summers back. (He's quickly jolted up to the team's second- or third-best blueliner.)

Jose Theodore didn't have the best night in net -- but he'll still make the team. At least for now.

New York, New York

The Caps, fresh off a great win last night at Verizon Center against the Chicago Blackhawks, head to the Big Apple for their penultimate preseason game. Mike Knuble was a stud, as was the ever-reliable Alex Ovechkin.

"I think as a player, you're never happy with your overall game. You always feel like you can do better -- practice better and be a better all-around player," Knuble said. "I can't sit back now and say, 'I got a couple of goals and figure everything is okay. I can just cruise now.' You always want to work harder to never let the other guys down."

Talk about getting it. If only his work ethic could transfer over to Alex Semin, who continues to play a high-risk game. Yes, he had three assists but he also disappeared for the other time he was on the ice.

The team sent Oskar Osala and two others to Hershey today as they get closer to finalizing their line-up. There's still got to be some trades/changes in the works. It's becoming more and more apparently that Michael Nylander has played his final game in a Caps' jersey. Yes, he's still on the payroll but I wouldn't be suprised if he's been told of something like that behind closed doors and is trying to find somebody to let him play.

Notes:

* Wayne Gretzky stepped down today as Coyotes' coach. No huge surprise there.

* ESPN.com's preview of the Caps is up -- nothing newsworthy there too. But there is a great comment on Semin, something I've said before:

There are questions about his durability and compete level, but Semin was a point-a-game player for the Caps in the postseason. Sure, he took a handful of foolish penalties against the Penguins; but if Semin grows up a little, that's a pretty deadly one-two punch with Ovechkin, a one-two punch that might rival the one we're familiar with over in Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin).

I couldn't agree more and still wouldn't be surprised if he's not back after this season.

Preseason Special: Caps-Hawks Live

Welcome to Verizon Center for some preseason action between the Caps and the Chicago Blackhawks. Semyon Varlamov will oppose Corey Crawford in goal as expected. Looks like the Hawks brought a pretty decent line-up to town. The Caps will go with the group that was announced earlier in the day.

First Period
Mike Knuble has made a strong and immediate impact. At just 2:36, he parked himself in front of the net and knocked in a rebound (with a little lucky bounce off his shin) off a nice pass from Brian Pothier, who has looked great so far this preseason. Brooks Laich got the secondary assist.

Then, on a power play not too much later, Knuble showed off some nice stick work in the slot and unleashed a nice slap shot to give the Caps a 2-0 lead.

By the way, the new referee threads are pretty nice. Let's hope their calls follow suit.

The Caps then reverted to their penalty monger ways, and it cost them. On the Hawks' third PP of the night, Troy Brouwer knocked in the puck from point-blank range after getting a feed from Andrew Ladd and some help from John Madden. The team didn't look so hot in the final 10 minutes of the period, something they need to correct for the middle stanza.

After one: Caps 2, Hawks 1.

Second Period
It's safe to say the Caps answered the call in the middle frame. They got off to a fast start at 1:45 when Alex Ovechkin netted his first tally of the preseason. Ovie was wide open in front of the net after receiving a beautiful pass from Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Semin.

Moments later, the Caps struck again with Ovie picking up another goal from the point off a sweet from Semin.

Knuble continued to park himself in front of the net and his hard work paid off for the Caps' fifth goal. Semin tried a cross-ice pass from the corner, which Knuble redirected to Backstrom for his first tally of the preseason.

The Hawks then pulled a little closer. Patrick Sharp, who took a scary spill in the corner earlier, showed he was OK when he deflected the puck past Varlamov, who had no shot at seeing the puck.

The Caps regained their four-goal bulge after Tyler Sloan poked in a puck with a scrum in front of Crawford. The goal was reviewed, but stayed.

Needless to say, the middle 20 minutes was some of the best hockey the Caps have played all preseason.

After two: Caps 6, Hawks 2.

Third Period
You could tell the Caps were winning a blowout in a preseason game because the effort really wasn't there to start the third. Fortunately for the Caps, the Hawks' meager line-up didn't put up much of a fight.

None of the Caps on the cusp really stood out today, except for Tyler Sloan. He showed a bunch last season too, so that's not a surprise. But Oskar Osala doesn't look ready and nobody else really made an impression. Everybody who had a good game already has a definite spot on the roster and showed that they're nearing regular-season form.

But that also has negative connotations too. For example, Semin doesn't seem like he's changed his mindset: he'll play well for stretches but then disappear for half the game. Yes, he might still be injured but he doesn't put forth the effort of his teammates.

The Caps pretty much gave the vets a rest for most of the period.

Varlamov played very well and is showing that he deserves a full-time spot on the NHL roster.

The crowd wasn't in form by attendance stands, but they certainly were screaming as much as possible. Also, the Caps' banners are being revamped (or so it seems) as they are noticeably absent in advance of the Southeast Division banner raising on opening night.

Final: Caps 6, Hawks 2.

ESPN Poses Realignment Question

As part of its 2009-10 season preview, ESPN poses a realignment question with experts weighing in with their proposals. My reaction: are you serious? It's almost like their ideas should be on the Onion or part of an April Fool's Day joke.

Yes, a few have merit, but as a whole, it's disappointing.

The best part was the recreation of an altered Patrick Division: Caps, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins (the only non-original member in the bunch). Another intriguing idea includes the Caps with the same Southeast Division, with Nashville replacing the annexed Florida Panthers.

The worst was pretty much everything else.

The next question, then, is whether the NHL actually needs realigning. The answer, quite frankly, is not really. Granted, it would great for the Patrick Division (or a new version of it) to be reconvened.

However, the biggest thing the NHL needs to do is make sure every team plays each other every season -- and they're moving in that direction.

That's not to say the league doesn't have its problems, but as far as divisional alignment, don't fix what isn't broken.

Memories of Olie's Career

As you probably have heard, Olie Kolzig officially retired today. For all intents and purposes, "Olie the Goalie" was a career-long Cap. Yes, he also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs (an organization he may spend more time with, by the way) and even the Tampa Bay Lightning.

All but eight of his 719 appearances in an NHL game came with the Caps. He was a two-time NHL all-star (1998, 2000) and winner of the 2000 Vezina Trophy (one of only two winners of that award in franchise history). His 303 career wins rank him 21st all-time and first in Caps' history, more than doubling the 128 amassed by Don Beaupre. Kolzig also posted a career 2.71 GAA along with a .906 save percentage and 35 shutouts.

He is the only Cap to wear every uniform style and played a franchise-record 16 seasons in Washington. Basically, Kolzig was the best goalie ever to wear a Caps' sweater.

But it was more than that. He was a pillar of the community. He was classy. He spoke to everybody as if you were his friend. And he never badmouthed anybody. Yes, he was bitter about how his tenure ended. But he also acted appropriately.

I had the good fortune of interviewing Olie many times and also witnessing nearly all of his games with the Caps. He truly is one of the best to ever play in town and now there is one more honor that needs to be bestowed upon him: retiring No. 37.

Hawks Visit DC

The Caps will host the Chicago Blackhawks tonight before jetting to the Big Apple to visit the New York Rangers tomorrow night. Not much is known about the lineup yet, other than the fact that Semyon Varlamov will be starting between the pipes.

If Bruce Boudreau sticks to the promise he made earlier in the week, many of the Caps' stars should be on display tonight. And, if Alex Semin is healthy enough, that could mean the top two lines will be unveiled:

Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Mike Knuble
Alex Semin-Brendan Morrison-Brooks Laich

Those six could and should rival any top-two lines in the league. But for now, it's still about learning to play together and hammering out any rust in the final three preseason contests.

Look for live coverage from Verizon Center tonight.

Update: Tonight's player list has been announced. Still no Michael Nylander and no Morrison either.

Caps' Survey Includes STC

The Caps are currently conducting an online fan survey. And when the subject turns to sources of online information, guess who is included?


STC certainly thanks for the Caps for being included on such a prominent list and applauds Japers' Rink, OFB, Peerless and Ed for their spotlight as well.

(A longer blog list appears on the Caps' Web site.)

Carlson Sent to Hershey

Super prospect John Carlson was sent to Hershey today, confirming he'll most likely need a full year in the AHL to hone his game. He was impressive with the Bears during their run to the Calder Cup -- and the Caps have been consistent in their requirement of AHL seasoning (see: Mike Green and Karl Alzner).

Others sent down include goaltender Jason Bacashihua, defenseman Patrick McNeill and forwards Francois Bouchard, Andrew Joudrey and Steve Pinizzotto.

Polishing Off the Rust

The Caps dropped the third preseason game, 2-1, to the Buffalo Sabres last night. But, more importantly, it was the first chance for Alex Ovechkin and gang to start getting ready for games. And, by the looks of things, they need some more action.

"It's sort of expected. I mean you have seen all three games. It's their first game, and that's the way they played it as," Coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game. "I thought, you know, their timing was off and... that's the reason you have preseason games; that's why they'll be playing most of the games here on in."

Everything was off, but unlike during the regular season, it's expected during the preseason. The good news is that they get another shot tomorrow night when the Chicago Blackhawks come to Verizon Center.

One of the stars of the game as Mike Knuble, who has definitely impressed so far. And even though the Caps failed to score with the man advantage, they have not given up a power-play goal in the preseason (13-for-13 penalty killing, 3-for-3 last night).

On the other side of the coin, Michael Nylander hasn't played in a postseason game yet and it doesn't seem like that'll happen any time soon. Meanwhile, Jeff Schultz is among those fighting for a roster spot -- adding to the likelihood that Karl Alzner is playing his way onto the Caps' roster.

Preseason Setting New Tone

The Caps' brass have sent a message from moment one of the 2009-2010 season: work harder than last year. It started with the acquisitions of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison and continued throughout training camp.

Now that the preseason slate is here, the plan's next step has arrived: win every game. So far, so good with a 2-0 record. Game three is tonight, when Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom join Knuble in the debut of the new top line.

Jose Theodore will start in goal tonight against Buffalo and he's got something to prove too: Not only is he fighting off Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth, but he's playing for a new contract next season (presumably in another city).

Notes:

* Chris Bourque is the subject of trade rumors (go figure), while trying to find a job here with the Caps. Although he's mostly a center in the AHL, he's been playing on the wing with the big club.

* The Hershey Bears start training camp today with new coach Mark French.

* Nobody wants Michael Nylander. I wonder why.

Wings Shine in Buffalo

Although it was the preseason, it's hard not to get excited about Mike Knuble. Even without Alex Ovechkin, Knuble and Nicklas Backstrom enjoyed their first official game together in what could be a preview for a dynamite first line.

The third Alex, Alexandre Giroux, also notched a goal and could get a shot at the final roster. But last night's hero was Brian Pothier, who scored the game winner in OT and also registered an assist in a 4-3 win. Talk about a feel good story on a team full of them.

(We now pause to pass along a great Brooks Laich feature in today's Washington Times. Then again, every story about Brooksy is worth reading.)

Semyon Varlamov concurrently showed his awesome potential (two shutout periods) and age (three goals allowed in the final stanza), but got the win.

Finally, the Caps continued to narrow down the roster by sending six players back to juniors. The tough decisions won't come for a while, but you gotta start somewhere.

First Preseason Gameday

The Caps shuffle off to Buffalo for their preseason opener tonight. As one blogger mentioned to me yesterday, NHL preseason games are only somewhat more meaningful than the NFL version. However, there are still players to watch:

* Michal Neuvirth, who will be starting at least one of the upcoming preseason games. In all likehood, he's got another year in Hershey (unless Jose Theodore is traded during the season) before coming up to the NHL full-time.

* Karl Alzner, who is probably more talented than many of the Caps' defensemen but still is battling for a roster spot.

* Keith Aucoin, who boasts a one-way contract this season but still isn't sure of his status. (I fully endorse his spot on the Caps' roster.)

Notes:

* Happy 24th birthday to Alex Ovechkin.

* The Caps' 2009-2010 media guide is out and STC is proud to be listed as one of 11 independent blogs (s/t to Peerless, another fine entry).

More Questions than Answers

As the scrimmages persist, we're just two days away from the Caps' preseason opener in Buffalo. While the lineup for that game remains a mystery, there definitely are some players who need to make a positive impression to gain one of very few spots on the team -- one of many questions surrounding the Caps.

One, Chris Bourque, is an STC favorite. He's been through this drill the last two Septembers and even played a few games with the Caps last season before winning his second Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears.

Another, Alexandre Giroux, scored 75 goals last year for the Bears (playoffs included) but hasn't been able to stick with the Caps.

While Chris Clark is guaranteed a spot on the team and, at this point, will remain captain -- he's got his own army of questions surrounding him. Can he stay healthy? Will he regain his 30-goal form again?

And then there's the age-old defense and goalie questions, which will continue to dominate the spotlight until the Caps prove otherwise.

Finally, there's the question of the next off-season. The Caps have two pending restricted free agents in Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Backstrom almost-assuredly will be signed to a long-term deal. Semin, however, could stay in town or could price himself out of a contract.

So here's the ultimate question: would the Caps trade Semin at the deadline if it would yield a pending unrestricted free agent superstar such as Ilya Kovalchuk (who doesn't seem to be destined to remain in Atlanta)? Semin's name has been mentioned in trade rumors before, but generally GM George McPhee stays mum about these things.

That's a question that won't be answered until next year.

Note: Props to Puck Daddy for finding a way to squeeze a "Princess Bride" reference into a Minnesota Wild season preview. Only you, Greg.

Camp's Underway

Although the beginning of training camp hasn't been overly newsworthy, there are a few things to report:

* Tomas Fleischmann has a blood clot in his leg and could be out for the better part of a month. It's a big loss for the Caps, as Flash is one of the more promising young scorers on the team. But hopefully he'll get back to full strength in short order.

* Michael Nylander will be a distraction this year. Unlike last season, when he was mostly invisible, he's already been part of discussions to ship him out of town and still maintains that he wants to play in the NHL this season. The bottom line is that the Caps are stuck with him and his inflated, no-movement-clause-infested contract and GM George McPhee is doing everything in his power to rid the team of the only problem in the dressing room. It's really not drama this team needs right now.

Otherwise, the camp battles continue while Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison make themselves at home.

Friday Notebook

As the Caps' veterans get ready to report tomorrow for full-fledged training camp, the rookies are prepping to face the Philadelphia Flyers' youngsters today. Some notes:

* All 82 Caps' games are going to be televised this year (presuming, of course, that Versus is available on DirecTV).

* Ted Leonsis, echoing what others (including STC) said about it, thinks Alex Ovechkin's commitment to play in the 2014 Sochi games is "much to do about nothing." Amen.

* Semyon Varlamov finally got his Caps-only mask in and it is sweet.

* Finally, President Barack Obama took a nice shot at Sidney Crosby yesterday, saying "Can I just make one more point? Sidney must be really fast because there are some big hockey players -- and he's not one of them." I don't think he'd say the same thing about Ovechkin.

I Wanna Drive the Zamboni

As only he can, Alex Ovechkin got to fulfill the dream of so many hockey fans out there: driving a Zamboni. And he did it in style.

Of course, it would be great if it could have happened on Pennsylvania Avenue -- but we'll save that one for a Stanley Cup parade.

Veterans Itching to Start

No words needed to be spoken for the message to be heard loud and clear: the veterans are ready for the 2009-10 season to begin.

Before the Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine could even finish one go around the ice, Brooks Laich had taken the ice. Not too much longer later, Shaone Morrisonn and Boyd Gordon had joined him. Then Chris Clark and Jose Theodore took the ice.

More joined after the ice had been resurfaced (and I'm sure Alex Ovechkin would have joined them had he not been in New York) and, while everybody was having fun, it was poignant that the red, white and blue wanted to erase the memory of the last two springs.

Fortunately, the official start to training camp will begin that journey.

Let's Get Ready to Practice

Rookie camp is underway and the veterans are in town for "informal" practices in advance of Saturday's training camp commencement. So if you're around Kettler, be sure to stop in and watch.

Also, Caps Convention is sold out.

Camps Start Tomorrow

Rookie Camp will begin at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow and continue all week. Veterans will report on Saturday, Sept. 12 and hold the first practice on Sunday, Sept. 13. Training camp officially ends on Sunday, Sept. 27 with the final preseason game against the New York Rangers.

The rosters for both camps are out with no real surprises. Get ready for some hockey!

Last Hockeyless Weekday

Today marks the last work day that will not have hockey -- because, starting Monday, Sept. 7 (a U.S. holiday, but you get the point), rookie camp starts the journey through the 2009-10 NHL season.

To get you ready, don't forget that single-game tickets (or what's left of them) go on sale tomorrow and you also can read up on the promotions this season. Hopefully Caps Today will return next week as well.

Finally, for the really precocious, you can read about the 2010 UFA Class.

Unlikely Source of Defense

JP does a good job of converting the Alex Semin non-believers by extolling his defensive prowess. However, the number that jumps out from JP's chart is 62 -- as in games played.

Yes, injuries happen, but Semin played fewer games last season than all but four regulars (not including Chris Clark or Brian Pothier, who seem to suffer from injuries every season).

Semin only played 63 games in 2007-08 and 52 in 2003-04, when times were much different. And yes, Semin set a career high last season in points.

But in order for the Caps to go far this season, and for Semin to get his coveted contract extension, he needs to play in most of the games this season -- just like his occasional linemate (and follow seeker of a new deal) Nicklas Backstrom.

No More Versus on DirecTV, for Now

Versus is no longer part of DirecTV's line-up because, according to the network, "they regularly try to charge us amounts well in excess of what is fair and reasonable to carry the programming they own." That means that, if the two sides don't mend fences soon, the Caps-Bruins game on Oct. 1 will not be shown locally (at least as of now).

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Comcast has been involved in this kind of dispute. Not too long ago, Comcast wasn't airing the NFL Network -- a long dispute that finally ended earlier this year. This situation is worse for the NHL, because it needs fans more than the NFL and is committed to Versus through the 2010-11 season. If a large number of fans can't watch nationally-televised NHL games, then it certainly does not help the NHL increase its fan base.

Granted, Versus isn't the best network around and certainly this does not impact nor bring any judgement upon Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, the Caps' TV rights holders. But it's a headache the NHL doesn't need with a company that doesn't seem to have a problem with these kind of stand-offs.