The Hockey Stop

Hoquei sobre gel means ice hockey in Catalan. I recently visited the hockey hotbed of Barcelona in northeastern Spain and was surprised to see that the most popular football club in the world (that would be FC Barcelona and their fearless leader Lionel Messi) does not just dominate the game of soccer like no other club in history, but that other sports -- from basketball to hockey -- have teams bearing the FCB crest as well.

A trip to Camp Nou this summer, the storied home field of Barca since 1957, revealed a sporting empire. Next door to the nearly 100,000 seat stadium, the largest in Europe, sits Palau Blaugrana, an indoor arena that is home to the FC Barcelona basketball, handball, roller hockey and futsal (indoor soccer) teams. They all wear Barca's famous blue and red uniforms.

But it was the Pista de Gel (Ice Rink in Catalan) that was the most interesting, simply because Barcelona seems like one of the unlikeliest places for professional ice hockey to flourish. But there it is. Since 1972 the FC Barcelona ice hockey team has been playing its home games at Pista de Gel in the shadow of Camp Nou. They play in the Spanish league and the roster is made up of mostly Spanish players. They have won five Spanish League championships, four Spanish ice hockey cups and most recently were the European champions in 2009-2010.

Compared to the renovated basketball arena and soccer stadium and the bustling FC Barcelona team mega store, the ice rink is a bit run down with a very small seating capacity. But the mere fact that there actually is an ice hockey team with the name FC Barcelona and that they have been in operation for nearly forty years, is simply amazing.

Mes que un club. More than a club. That is Barca's motto. It generally refers to the football team as a symbol for Catalan culture and the independence movement of Catalonia. But it could also apply to all the other sports teams under the FC Barcelona banner.

Here are more photos from Camp Nou and Pista de Gel.

Forget football. Spring is the best season for sports fans. We just wrapped up the most exciting March Madness in recent memory (thanks VCU and Butler) and now we have the NHL and NBA playoffs to look forward to. Plus, MLB baseball and MLS soccer have started up.

So, while the NFL heads to court tomorrow, there are so many reminders of how blessed we are as Americans to be able to enjoy so many other professional sports that aren't currently going through a labor dispute. Here in Washington, the city is buzzing about the Capitals' chance at playoff redemption. In Baltimore they are going batty over the undefeated Orioles. In Denver they love their defending MLS champion Colorado Rapids. And in Los Angeles they are dreaming of another NBA championship for their Lakers.

The trees are blooming. The weather is warmer. The grass is greener. And we have hockey, basketball, baseball and soccer all at the same time. Sorry, football, but we are moving on.

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