The Hockey Stop

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin today followed Wayne Gretzky as the second NHL hockey player ever to be immortalized in wax. The unveiling took place this afternoon at Madame Tussauds in downtown Washington, D.C. as a swarm of media from as far away as Canada and Russia captured the moment from every possible camera angle.

The atmosphere in the room was electric in anticipation of seeing the Great Eight pose next to his wax likeness. Finally the wall slid open and there was Ovechkin posing beside Ovechkin. A surreal and hilarious scene indeed. Ovie was asked if there was anything missing from the wax figure, and he joked that the cut on his forehead from this morning's practice was not there.

Ovechkin was joined by children from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey club. The kids sported blacked-out-tooth smiles in front of Ovie's real gap tooth. Many of these inner city children come from troubled homes and the Fort Dupont Ice Rink in Southeast D.C. provides them a positive place that teaches respect, discipline and self-esteem and the importance of academic success.

Also joining Ovie on stage was his father Mikhail, who was a former professional soccer player in Russia.

And the most important question of the day was of course what Ovechkin was going to dress up as for Halloween. "Dumb and Dumber with Nicholas Backstrom" was the reply. "We look like them," said Ovechkin to lots of laughs.

Here is video of today's unveiling.



And here are more photos.

It's been 37 years since the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts joined the National Hockey League. The Scouts became the Colorado Rockies and then the New Jersey Devils. The Caps are still going strong in the nation's capital, but the team has only been to the Stanley Cup finals once -- in 1998 Washington was swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings.

Is this the year the Caps capture the Cup?

That question will be definitely answered next spring. But the hopes were high and the energy was positive at the third annual Caps Convention last Saturday, which took place for the second straight year downtown at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation was holding their annual gathering there at the same time, so it was an interesting assortment of well-dressed men and women and red-clad Caps fans in Ovechkin and Backstrom jerseys).

New additions in the offseason have brought optimism to a beaten down fan base that has been disappointed by heartbreaking early playoff exits the past three years. The hope is that the new teammates will push the core group of Caps over the edge when it counts in the postseason. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Semin and Mike Green are now in the prime of their careers and have been through the battles and crushing defeats and are learning how to win the big games. Now they have help from former Caps Captain and Potomac, Maryland native center Jeff Halpern, Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks right wing Troy Brouwer, veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik, gritty right wing Joel Ward and veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun.

Have the Caps learned how to win? Will a Cup winner like Brouwer stand up in the locker room the next time the Caps face adversity and the "here we go again" negativity creeps in? Will he tell his teammates that "no, it doesn't have to be like this. We can do this!"? Did General Manager George McPhee make the right moves? Will Head Coach Bruce Boudreau prove his critics wrong?

Many questions. Few answers. But it is a new season and the Caps and 29 other teams all have a shot at glory.

There were some interesting panel discussions at the Caps Convention, including "20 Questions with Ted," with former Washington Redskins linebacker and current local TV and radio personality LaVar Arrington interviewing Capitals Majority Owner Ted Leonsis, pictured below left, about subjects ranging from changing the name of the Wizards back to the Bullets ("I don't comment on NBA matters") to offseason speculation about Ovechkin's weight ("pinch his stomach at the autograph session").

At the panel discussion "Embracing Your New Teammates," new Caps Halpern, pictured below left, and Brouwer talked about the difficult transition of changing teams and cities, especially when there is family involved. Brouwer was asked if there are any hard feelings with new teammates because of past experiences as the opponent. He said not with a team like Washington that Chicago only plays once a year, but that it would have been difficult if he went to a divisional rival like the Vancouver Canucks.

Perhaps the most anticipated and interesting discussion took place on the main stage. "24/7 Behind the Scenes" took a look back at what it was like filming the highly acclaimed Emmy-nominated HBO reality series "24/7 Caps-Pens: Road to the Winter Classic." Ovechkin, Boudreau and WashingtonCaps.com Senior Writer and panel moderator Mike Vogel were joined on the stage by HBO Producers Scott Boggins and Michael Oliver (pictured below left to right).

Boudreau said he was looking forward to watching the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers on this season's "24/7," which will culminate in the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philly.

Here are more photos from the Caps Convention.

As I write this the No. 1 seed Washington Capitals were just swept by the No. 5 seed Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Something must drastically change in this organization for this team to stop underachieving when it matters most -- in the playoffs.

There was a lot of optimism in Washington when owner Ted Leonsis and General Manager George McPhee decided to blow up the team and rebuild through the draft. The team lucked out by drafting Alex Ovechkin -- a sensational player they could build their team around. They added young, dynamic players like Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green into the mix, creating an offensive powerhouse --- in the regular season that is.

The problem is that the core of the team they built is geared toward offense, which unfortunately doesn't work in the playoffs. So the decision was made in the middle of this season to change the system to a defense-first style. McPhee added some veteran depth in the likes of Scott Hannan, Dennis Wideman, Marco Sturm, and of course Stanley Cup winner Jason Arnott.

It wasn't enough.

It has been three straight years of epic playoff collapses (not including the Game 7 loss to the Flyers four years ago).

• A 6-2 Game 7 blowout loss at home against the Penguins two years ago in round two.

• An historic Game 7 loss to No. 8 seeded Montreal after having a 3-1 series lead last year in round one. The Caps became the first No. 1 seed in NHL history to blow a 3-1 series lead to a No. 8 seed.

• And now getting outsmarted, outplayed and outclassed by the Lightning in a four-game sweep in round two. The Caps became the first No. 1 seed in NHL history to be swept before making it to the Conference Finals.

Now it is time for some serious introspection from top to bottom in the organization. The first, and perhaps most important, step is to fire head coach Bruce Boudreau. While I thank him for his service in Washington, having propelled the last-place Caps to an historic late season march to the playoffs four years ago after taking over for Glen Hanlon, the bottom line is that he is not the leader to take the Caps to the Promised Land. During his playing and coaching career he was known as an offense-first type guy, which like the Caps players themselves, is suited perfectly for coasting through the regular season.

But at playoffs time it doesn't work.

Plus his off-the-ice theatrics, with all the car and carpet commercials, and his laughable coaching techniques, which were on full display on HBO's "24/7" series, were reasons I believe he lost the locker room a long time ago and thus the Caps lacked the mental strength, focus and discipline to play a full 60 minutes every game.

So Gabby has to go and a no-nonsense, disciplined coach who displays quiet but effective leadership -- sort of like Tampa coach Guy Boucher -- is who should replace him.

If McPhee doesn't have the guts to fire Boudreau, then Leonsis must fire McPhee.

Then the really tough decisions need to be made. The "Young Guns" -- Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin and Green must be split up. That means trading one of them. I don't know who but one of them must go. And it won't be Ovechkin, although he should be stripped of his captaincy and the C should be worn on Arnott's sweater. It is evident any chemistry the "Young Guns" have developed over the years has not translated into playoff success. So a change is in order.

Next, do everything possible to draft, trade for and pick up in free agency more tough, gritty defensive-type players in the forward and blue line positions. The Caps need more workhorses if they are going to get to the Promised Land. More Matt Hendricks-type guys and less Alex Semin-type guys.

Also, while Michal Neuvirth played great and can't be faulted, and Braden Holtby will be our goalie of the future, the Caps must pick up a proven veteran to mind the net -- much like the Lightning did in picking up 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson. Youth is not the answer in goal for making a long playoff run. A Stanley Cup-winning goalie who has been through the battles is preferable as a calming presence in the grind of a long playoff series.

Finally, the Caps need a new marketing strategy. Tone down the whole "Rock the Red" and "Unleash the Fury" themes and tone down hyping up all the "Young Guns" to fans. That strategy doesn't work anymore after four straight years of early playoff exits. I don't know what the new marketing scheme will be, but I'm sure Leonsis and his brain trust will think of something.

These are just the humble thoughts of one disappointed Caps fan. I don't know if these are the right answers, but one thing I am absolutely sure of -- Change must come to Washington!

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is an easy target for criticism.

"Optional," cries out the self-annointed experts on the Washington Post comment boards (because he skips the optional practices occasionally.) "Tries too hard," says former NHL player and TV announcer Jeremy Roenick on Versus. "Most entertaining," but not the greatest player in the world and doesn't make his team better, said ESPN analyst Matthew Barnaby earlier this year when Ovechkin and the Caps were in the depths of their season-long scoring struggles and losing streak. Not a leader. No heart. Overweight. Parties too much. Not focused. Chokes in the playoffs. The list goes on.

Perhaps Tuesday night was the tipping point for Ovie. The Russian superstar is used to getting booed every time he touches the puck in opposing arenas. To me it is the ultimate sign of respect when an opposing player is feared enough that he is booed by the opposing team's fans. But the Caps have been struggling mightily at home of late, and the Verizon Center crowd has been getting restless. When the Caps again flamed out on their atrocious power play, I heard the loudest boos from the fans rocking the red since Ovie signed with the Caps. The boos were raining down on Ovechkin while he was carrying the puck out of his own zone.

Well, all the Great 8 did was turn all those boos into crazy cheers when he scored a vintage Ovie goal in overtime against the New York Islanders to send the Verizon Center into a frenzy.

Say what you want about Ovechkin. And the haters will continue to be critical of Ovie and the Caps until they win that elusive Stanley Cup. But no one can argue with Ovie's work ethic and passion for the game. Even when he is not scoring goals and things aren't going his way, he is always, and I mean always, the hardest working player on the ice. He always has a positive attitude, even when the team is slumping. And it is the other things he does to help his team when he is going through scoring droughts, like punishing every opposing player who gets in his way with bone-crushing body checks.

Anyways, here is Ovechkin's amazing OT goal tonight against the Isles. Enjoy.

Check out Mr. Personality Jeremy Roenick introducing Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby on "The Price is Right." All I have to say is Drew Carey should be worried about his job security because J.R. is a natural. As far as Sid and Ovie, well, to be kind, they are the two best hockey players in the world and that suits them just fine. And I've never seen someone so excited to possibly win a trip from sunny Southern California to icy Western Pennsylvania. Classic.

I'm one of the millions of unfortunate souls who missed last night's premiere of HBO reality series "24/7 Caps/Pens: Road to the Winter Classic."

Of course, seeing Ryan Getzlaf's big toothy grin after scoring the overtime goal for Anaheim to send Washington to their seventh straight loss didn't exactly put me in the mood to watch HBO chronicle the Caps' losing streak and Pens' winning streak.

But nearly 24 hours later and after reading one glowing review after another online, I can't wait to see this show and Caps coach Bruce Boudreau's cuss-filled tirades, which apparently put Jets coach Rex Ryan to shame. Thankfully, HBO is airing a bunch of repeats, and the first episode is available anytime to purchase On Demand.

Click here for the full HBO schedule with all the upcoming airings of "24/7."

At least the Pens lost to the Rangers last night for their second straight defeat. It would be nice if the tables were turned for the next episode this Wednesday night with the Pens going on a losing streak and the Caps hopefully starting to win some games again. With Atlanta and Tampa Bay only two points behind Washington with 38 points, they need every win they can possibly get. And the red-hot Flyers are leaving both the Caps, the Pens and the rest of the league behind. They are sitting pretty at the top of the league standings with 47 points.

I just witnessed the Washington Capitals suffer perhaps their worst loss in the Alex Ovechkin era with a 7-0 thrashing by the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on a cold, rainy December night in Manhattan. The defeat extended the Caps' losing streak to six games and will inevitably lead to hand wringing by the media and soul searching from the top to bottom in the organization. As a Caps fan, I have not felt this deflated since the Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens after blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round of last year's Stanley Cup playoffs.

Maybe the biggest question this organization has to answer is a structural one. When owner Ted Leonsis and General Manager George McPhee decided to blow up the team and rebuild, they drafted, picked up in free agency and traded for high-flying, offense-first players -- Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, just to name a few. And when the Caps are cruising through the regular season in the weak Southeast Division and goals are coming easy, then the offense first structure looks brilliant. But when the playoffs roll around and offense is at a premium and defense is emphasized, then the house of cards collapses and the Capitals are simply awful. That was evident the past three years in seven-game losses to the Flyers, Penguins and Canadiens. This season, McPhee acknowledged the defensive deficiency when he traded offensive-minded forward Tomas Fleischmann for stay-at-home defenseman Scott Hannan.

Even with Hannan however, the perhaps fatal flaw in the structure of the Capitals is being exposed by an improved Southeast Division. The Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning are now right on the tail of the Caps in the standings and are threatening to leave the Caps in the dust if the slump continues. And the game tonight against the Rangers exposed every weakness the Caps have been criticized for -- too young, too much offense, not enough defense, not mentally strong, no heart, no killer instinct, no identity, no discipline.

So as the Winter Classic date of January 1st quickly comes up, the Caps are a team in turmoil. It is gut check time to say the least for the team that won the Presidents Trophy last year and has received so much hype and given so much hope to long-suffering Caps fans who have poured their hard-earned money and their hearts out for this team by rocking the red at the Verizon Center every game night after years of disappointment.

We will soon find out the true character of this team at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

And the team they will face is red-hot, having won 12 straight games. And their Captain Sidney Crosby has an 18-game point streak. With their most recent win at Buffalo, the Pens matched a franchise-best by winning their seventh consecutive road game. And Pittsburgh is pulling away from the pack atop the standings with a record of 21-8-2 for 44 points.

It should also be noted that Crosby and the Penguins have already proven themselves by getting to the Stanley Cup Finals three years ago and winning the Cup two years ago. On that magical Cup run they also beat the Caps in a thrilling seven-game series which ended with a 6-2 blowout at Verizon Center (see above for all the reasons why that happened).

So needless to say, as these two proud franchises clash outdoors in front of 65,000 fans and millions watching around the world, it really shouldn't be a contest. The Pens should blow out the Caps. But then again, when these two teams get together you can just throw out win streaks or losing streaks and get ready for one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports.

NBC's Crosby-Ovechkin Winter Classic preview:

In case you missed it last Saturday night, here is the 12-minute preview of the upcoming HBO reality series "24/7 Caps-Pens: Road to the NHL Winter Classic."

Credit: Grant Burke at http://www.grantburkeart.com

Perhaps the NHL should change its name to the Dynamic Hockey League. While Major League Baseball made the mistake of placing too much weight on its All-Star Game by having it decide home field advantage in the playoffs, NHL Vice President of Hockey and Business Development Brendan Shanahan decided this year to shun any seriousness and instead turn the game on its head by transforming Raleigh, North Carolina's RBC Center into a pond hockey pickup game on the last weekend of January, 2011.

The Western vs. Eastern Conference format has been scrapped for a player draft in which the two captains will choose their teammates. Fans will still get to vote to send their favorite players to the game via an online ballot. Click here to vote for your favorite players. The voting started on Nov. 15 and goes until Jan. 3.

But this is where it gets interesting. Two captains will be chosen by the players. It will be fascinating to see who they select. Will it be Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin? Or maybe a surprise pick such as Zdeno Chara or Jonathan Toews or Joe Thornton?

And then comes the real fun. On the Friday before the game, a fantasy draft will take place with all 54 NHL players during which the captains will select the remainder of the team. Will they load up on defense or offense or try to find a combination of both? Will they play favorites by choosing their teammates or not choose their teammates because they don't want to appear to be playing favorites? Will they choose a young team or a veteran team or a combination of youth and experience?

Already this new format is creating buzz around hockey circles. It instantly creates excitement for an event that frankly was becoming a bit stale, what with the annual Winter Classic the past few years becoming the marquee event on the NHL schedule after the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Kudos to the NHL for not being afraid of change when it makes sense. And this change, as crazy as it sounds, make a whole lot of sense.

The Washington Capitals unveiled their Winter Classic uniforms on Saturday at their fan convention, which was held for the first time in downtown D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center just a few blocks from the Verizon Center.

The Caps will be sporting their red, white and blue throwback jerseys worn from 1974-1975 to 1994-1995. The players will be wearing the road white jerseys with red pants and red helmets. Former Capitals Yvon Labre and Rod Langway joined current Cap Alex Ovechkin (pictured above signing autographs with Caps forward Mathieu Perreault) on the stage to model the uniforms, which will go on sale in November.

The Winter Classic on January 1st against the Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and the HBO "24/7" reality series leading up to the big game were hot topics at the panel discussions throughout the day.

"When you have a big event like this you want to get the best matchup to drive the most attention and really create as much expectation as you possibly can," said NHL COO John Collins. "This was the matchup that everybody wanted. People had talked about why haven't the Capitals been in it before. So we're just happy we were able to pull it off. We're happy that the Capitals organization agreed to do it. And I think the fact that HBO "24/7" now is going to follow the Caps and Pens all the way into the Winter Classic I think is great for the sport and obviously great for the organization."

Caps General Manager George McPhee weighed in on the HBO series: "I think it's a great opportunity to expose this team and this game to not only hockey people but non-hockey people. Some people are going to watch it that have never seen hockey and go 'that is pretty cool.'"

More pictures from the Caps Convention:

























Caps owner Ted Leonsis signs autographs

Caps General Manager George McPhee answers questions

Left to right: Caps PA Announcer Wes Johnson, Caps forward Mike Knuble, NHL COO John Collins and Caps Head Equipment Manager Brock Myles discuss the upcoming Caps-Pens Winter Classic game in Pittsburgh.

The Washington Capitals unveiled their Winter Classic uniforms on Saturday at their fan convention, which was held for the first time in downtown D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center just a few blocks from the Verizon Center.

The Caps will be sporting their red, white and blue throwback jerseys worn from 1974-1975 to 1994-1995. The players will be wearing the road white jerseys with red pants and red helmets. Former Capitals Yvon Labre and Rod Langway joined current Cap Alex Ovechkin (pictured above signing autographs with Caps forward Mathieu Perreault) on the stage to model the uniforms, which will go on sale in November.

The Winter Classic on January 1st against the Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and the HBO "24/7" reality series leading up to the big game were hot topics at the panel discussions throughout the day.

"When you have a big event like this you want to get the best matchup to drive the most attention and really create as much expectation as you possibly can," said NHL COO John Collins. "This was the matchup that everybody wanted. People had talked about why haven't the Capitals been in it before. So we're just happy we were able to pull it off. We're happy that the Capitals organization agreed to do it. And I think the fact that HBO "24/7" now is going to follow the Caps and Pens all the way into the Winter Classic I think is great for the sport and obviously great for the organization."

Caps General Manager George McPhee weighed in on the HBO series: "I think it's a great opportunity to expose this team and this game to not only hockey people but non-hockey people. Some people are going to watch it that have never seen hockey and go 'that is pretty cool.'"

More pictures from the Caps Convention:

























Caps owner Ted Leonsis signs autographs

Caps General Manager George McPhee answers questions

Left to right: Caps PA Announcer Wes Johnson, Caps forward Mike Knuble, NHL COO John Collins and Caps Head Equipment Manager Brock Myles discuss the upcoming Caps-Pens Winter Classic game in Pittsburgh.

Multiple sources have reported this morning that Home Box Office network is bringing "Hard Knocks" to the National Hockey League with "24/7 Penguins/Capitals Road to the Winter Classic" -- an in-depth reality series in the weeks leading up to the highly anticipated showdown on New Year's Day at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

This announcement is a real coup for the NHL and almost assuredly will bring in boffo ratings to the cabler (to use my former employer Variety's slanguage dictionary) and will also likely assure sky high ratings for the game pitting Alex Ovechkin's team against Sidney Crosby's team.

According to NHL.com, it marks the first time HBO will document two teams simultaneously and the first time teams will be filmed in the middle of a season.

The first episode will air on December 15th at 10 p.m. EST with an encore at 11 p.m. and subsequent episodes will air on the following Wednesdays at 10 p.m. with multiple replay dates and the ability to watch the shows anytime on HBO On Demand.

I was watching the Redskins game today and during a commercial break was surprised to see a Capital One Bank commercial with Skins QB Donovan McNabb and Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.

It is one of the cheesiest ads I've ever seen, but hey, at least Donovan and Ovie have a good sense of humor and don't take themselves too seriously.



And here is a previous Capital One Bank commercial with just Ovechkin:

Since moving back to Washington, D.C. this summer I've noticed something different in the air. No, it's not the stifling heat and humidity creating a natural sauna every time I step outside. Nor is it the pollen making me sneeze every five minutes.

There is a breeze beginning to blow into the Nation's Capital from places as far away as San Diego, Philadelphia and Kentucky. And it is refreshing the air in this city of perpetual losing sports franchises. There is a cautious optimism in the atmosphere. Some long-suffering D.C. sports fans are whispering that there could be a whole lot of winning right around the corner.

Is this what Boston felt like just before the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Revolution began to dominate?

I can only hope this city will savor some of the success that Boston achieved seemingly all at once.

Regardless, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin suddenly has some illustrious company stealing the local and national headlines in the form of Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg, new Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb and the Wizards' No. 1 draft pick John Wall.

The last time I visited D.C. was during the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and Ovechkin was still slightly behind President Barack Obama as the biggest star in D.C.

At the time the Capitals were the only winning franchise in town and even Washingtonians who mix up ice hockey with curling could get behind Ovi and the Caps. Dan Snyder was doing everything in his power to anger as many 'Skins fans as possible; Gilbert Arenas was waiting to serve his sentence in a halfway house for gun play in the Wizards locker room after the team's beloved anti-gun owner Abe Pollin had passed away; and the Nationals were coming off two 100-loss seasons in a row.

But my how times have changed in The District. Now in addition to Ovechkin apparel there are Strasburg shirts, McNabb sweaters and Wall jerseys for sale at City Sports next to the Verizon Center in the Gallery Place-Chinatown neighborhood.

And the banners lining the VC proclaim "John Wall: Game Changer." Ovechkin had to win the Hart trophy to nab the keys to the city, but all Wall had to do was arrive in D.C. for Mayor Adrien Fenty to hand him the keys.

Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has said that when one local sports team wins it is a rising tide that lifts all boats.

The Capitals, Wizards, Redskins and Nationals all still have a lot to prove and many challenges ahead to get to that next level.

But having leaders like Ovechkin, Strasburg, McNabb and Wall creates a collective excitement that I've never seen in Washington, D.C. before.

The talent that has arrived or will soon be arriving could create a perfect storm that turns the Nation's Capital into the center of the sports universe. Time will tell if all this talent translates into winning. But either way Washington sports fans finally have a lot to cheer for a change.

HALAK TO BLUES

In the biggest trade of the offseason so far the Montreal Canadiens have dealt wunder goalie Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. This is one of the most baffling trades in recent memory. The Canadiens today almost gave away the goalie that single-handedly defeated the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins and was being compared to Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden by Montreal's media and fans.

The Habs will now go with 22-year-old Carey Price in net and after this move it looks like UFA Chris Mason will be playing between the pipes for another team next year.


MACLEAN TO COACH DEVILS

The New Jersey Devils named former player and assistant coach John MacLean to lead the team behind the bench next season. He replaces the retiring Jacques Lemaire. MacLean was a first-round pick and played 14 seasons with New Jersey and spent eight more seasons on the coaching staff.


DONOVAN'S HOCKEY ROOTS

World Cup fever is not only sweeping South Africa but is also starting to catch on here in the U.S. after the American team tied England 1-1 in the opener.

Why you ask am I writing about soccer on a hockey blog? Because star player Landon Donovan could have easily laced on skates instead of cleats when he was growing up in Ontario, California. Donovan's dad Tim is from Nova Scotia and was a semi-professional ice hockey player in Canada.


OVECHKIN'S NEW BOOK

A book on Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin will be released this fall. "The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-the Scenes Look at Hockeys Most Dangerous Player" tells the story of his meteoric rise from Russian athlete to NHL powerhouse. Writers Damien Cox and Gare Joyce reveal a side of the Great 8 most fans never see, including how the death of his older brother impacted him. It should be an interesting read.


LEONSIS REASSURES CAPS FANS

After officially taking over the Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis felt compelled to write an open letter to Caps fans who might be worried that Leonsis will devote more time to the Wiz and neglect the Caps. Here is the letter followed by a video of Leonsis speaking at the National Press Club in Washington. He talks about his "moment of reckoning" when he thought his plane was going to crash and how it changed his life and the way he does business. Fascinating.

Open Letter to Washington Capitals Fans

Thursday, 06.10.2010 / 1:00 PM / News

By now you have probably heard the news that my partners and I have completed our purchase of the Washington Wizards and Verizon Center and created a new company – Monumental Sports & Entertainment – that owns those entities as well as the Capitals and the Mystics. You’re likely to see and hear more from me on this news in the coming days – in the media, on my blog (tedstake.com), at the NBA Draft. It’s big news, and something my partners, my family and I are very excited about.

But I’m here to assure you that even if you hear me talking about the Wizards a lot, I haven’t – and never will – overlook the Capitals and our commitment to bring a Stanley Cup to Washington. I will continue to be focused on your well being and happiness.

A few people have asked how I expect to juggle these new responsibilities. I believe I’ve always been someone with great “bandwidth” to cover a variety of interests, including different companies, film projects and, foremost, my family. The Wizards will have a place in those interests, no bigger or smaller than the Caps – just as I don’t choose between my son and my daughter!

The creation of Monumental actually creates opportunities that I hope Capitals fans are excited about. We now program Verizon Center and we hope to be able to offer terrific new cross-marketing opportunities to our fans. We plan to continue to improve the fan experience at Verizon Center and will count on your feedback to do so. And we will over-index on scheduling and maintenance-oriented projects related to all of your teams.

Thanks as always for your support, and I will see you at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the Caps Convention and Verizon Center in the upcoming months. And I’m always available to you at washingtoncaps@aol.com.

Sincerely,

Ted Leonsis