Wiz vs. Caps on TV

Still winning, but just barely. D.C. Sports are obviously one big happy family, as evidenced by the following logic ladder: Clyde Simms goes to Caps games, from where Alex Ovechkin goes to Wizards games, from where Roger Mason goes to Redskins games, from where Jason Campbell goes to Georgetown...

By Dan Steinberg | May 7, 2008; 10:14 AM ET | Comments (12)

Mike Wise Reconsiders Flyers Fans

In exchange for providing me with a recap of yesterday's EITM-Mystics hoops game, I promised Mike Wise I'd provide him with a forum for some extra thoughts on the Flyers and their fans. His controversial Game 3 column about both of the above prompted 354 comments and untold e-mails....

By Dan Steinberg | April 25, 2008; 11:53 AM ET | Comments (25)

Today's Top Five: Soulja Boy Reps LeBron

Photo yanked from Ohio.com. 1) Soulja Boy is actually a LeBron fan? Sigh. That's not so great. Well, he has a plane ticket here for tomorrow, anyhow. (Brian Windhorst) 2) A cartoon summary of Game 2. Hint: it doesn't end well. (Waiting for Next Year) 3) Gilbert Arenas "needs...

By Dan Steinberg | April 23, 2008; 05:18 PM ET | Comments (9)

Caps TV Ratings Finish on Top

I wrote a sidebar press release this morning about some of the numerical markers of the Caps' popularity surge this month, and here comes another one. Last night's game on Comcast SportsyNet earned a 5.6 rating in the D.C. market, crushing the previous mark, which was all of 24...

By Dan Steinberg | April 23, 2008; 04:29 PM ET | Comments (12)

Caps Fans With Real Style

Lest I be accused of not highlighting the good in Caps fans, here are the images of some previously mentioned good. Mul-hawk = Very good. Red Dress Man = Very good. Young men in love = Very good....

By Dan Steinberg | April 23, 2008; 12:53 PM ET | Comments (5)

Caps Reflect on Loss: The Video

Some notes from a very, very, very, very, very non-happy dressing room. Backstrom saying "I'm just empty?" We're talking existential despair here. If you'da asked typical Caps fans whether they'd be satisfied with an overtime Game 7 first-round loss back in those worst-in-the-league days, I think the answer woulda been...

By Dan Steinberg | April 23, 2008; 12:01 PM ET | Comments (5)

Olaf Kolzig's Locker

Olaf Kolzig's locker was the only one in the dressing room missing a nameplate last night. His locker also was pretty dang empty by the time the media were allowed into the room. Kolzig declined to speak to reporters. Does this mean anything in particular? Let me refer to...

By Dan Steinberg | April 23, 2008; 10:17 AM ET | Comments (9)

Caps Fans Go Out in Style

Since a lot of words have been said about Philly fans in recent days, it's probably worth mentioning that, despite Ted Leonsis's comment about how proud he was of the Caps fans in defeat, the post-game scene in the arena last night wasn't necessarily a shining beacon of classiness....

By Dan Steinberg | April 23, 2008; 10:04 AM ET | Comments (46)

Running out of Red Jokes

Highlights from the Capitals fifth consecutive entreaty for fans to slather their bodies in all manner of strange red garments. * Red mullets? Well, sure, there were dozens if not hundreds of those. More rare was the prized red mul-hawk: half mullet, half Mohawk, all Capital Centre. It was sported...

By Dan Steinberg | April 22, 2008; 08:01 PM ET | Comments (5)

Ted's Son Gets Beer Shower

Well, all my wandering and I missed Ted Leonsis's son and his friends getting a beer shower. From today's Inside the Owner's Box: Now there are six minutes left in the game. There is a TV timeout, and Raul Fernandez -- one of my partners -- says to me, "Look,...

By Dan Steinberg | April 22, 2008; 02:01 PM ET | Comments (12)

Playoff Week on (Game) 7th Street

Do it for this guy. There have been five occasions in which the Caps and Wizards/Bullets made the postseason in the same season: those wondrous springs of 1988, '87, '86, '85 and '84, when I was in like elementary school or something. There have been zero occasions in which...

By Dan Steinberg | April 22, 2008; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (5)

Caps Way-Back Machine: Dale Huntered

Dale Hunter. (File photo) Remember April 16, 1988? Here's a WaPo game-day headline to jog the memory: CAPITALS TRY TO LAY IMAGE TO REST AGAINST FLYERS TONIGHT; Series Victory Would Go a Long Way Toward Erasing Bad Playoff Memories Huh. Probably could have recycled that one today in a...

By Dan Steinberg | April 22, 2008; 12:29 PM ET | Comments (1)

Now That's a Playoff Mohawk

Wandering through the concourse during first intermission. Didn't look all that great for the Caps at the time. Saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye. 'Twas brothers Richie and Donny Early of Towson, rocking as much red as I've ever seen rocked. Richie's mohawk-with-shaved-in-initials...

By Dan Steinberg | April 22, 2008; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (10)

Caps Talk Game 7: The Video

Some video comments from the Caps dressing room about playing in Game Sevens. A few introductory remarks: 1) This video does not lie; it was quiet, reserved, bordering on morose in the Caps room last night. I suppose that's because Bruce Boudreau told the boys they had five minutes to...

By Dan Steinberg | April 22, 2008; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (1)

Flyers Fans Were Not Happy

I should point out that, for all the hints of Philly fan malevolence, I saw not one trace following the loss, and I circled the entire concourse twice. Not even a hint of a trace. Which is not to say that nothing happened; that's just what I saw. I...

By Dan Steinberg | April 21, 2008; 10:52 PM ET | Comments (12)

Caps Fans Brave Philly

This is what the escalator emptying onto the second level of the Wachovia Center looked like 20 minutes before the puck was dropped: orange, orange, orange, black, pink (with Flyers logo), black, orange, black, orange, orange, orange (repeat, and then repeat again, and again), orange, orange, orange, black, navy...

By Dan Steinberg | April 21, 2008; 07:56 PM ET | Comments (6)

The Caps Are Excited

Snippets from a fairly loose post-skate Caps dressing room this morning.......

By Dan Steinberg | April 21, 2008; 03:16 PM ET | Comments (2)

Caps Don't Stop Believing

Another place where belief wasn't stopped. Not sure that I've previously mentioned this, but the Caps have been regularly playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" in the dressing room after wins. This is, of course, a highly appropriate anthem that has also become highly non-original since the White Sox's World...

By Dan Steinberg | April 21, 2008; 03:09 PM ET | Comments (2)

Flyers Fans Drink Vengeance

So I rode up to Philly this morning with Mike Wise, choosing Caps and the possible bodily harm inflicted on Mike Wise over Wizards and the possible bodily harm inflicted on DeShawn Stevenson. Wise makes for better copy. Haven't seen any Flyers fans just yet, but we did listen...

By Dan Steinberg | April 21, 2008; 01:13 PM ET | Comments (12)

Flyers Fans Say Bad Words

Bad word warning. And give this to Flyers fans; they're not subtle. Any fan base that can mobilize more than 10 supporters to chant profanities in unison can't be too bad, right?...

By Dan Steinberg | April 16, 2008; 05:51 PM ET | Comments (37)

The Fans Were Phenomenal

While I'm off talking to rowers and badminton players, and playoff invitations are being officially extended to Soulja Boy, the D.C. fans have been phenomenal. 1) These Ovechkin Rock the Red tees would seem to be the best hockey tee I've ever seen. Go buy them at the Concrete...

By Dan Steinberg | April 15, 2008; 10:37 AM ET | Comments (15)

Caps Way-Back Machine: The Elation

Can't go too much way further back, I guess. In the final installment of today's three-part series of Caps memories, we're heading back to April 10, 1983, 25 years ago from yesterday, when the franchise played its first-ever home playoff game. The fan zeitgeist was captured on page D4...

By Dan Steinberg | April 11, 2008; 12:44 PM ET | Comments (3)

Playoff Beards: The Video

Some pre-playoff Caps thoughts on the upcoming onslaught of facial hair. Obviously we will continue to follow this important story. Don't forget to watch Washington Post Live on Comcast SportsyNet at 5 tonight, in order to relive these two minutes of your life, and also to get yet another blissfully...

By Dan Steinberg | April 11, 2008; 11:14 AM ET | Comments (2)

Caps Way-Back Machine: Tony's Zamboni

Craig Berube dances with Viacheslav Fetisov. If you can't tell, I'm sort of phoning it in today. But jeez, it used to be nice when Kornheiser would write for the paper, huh? Love him or write snarky blog items to leech off his name, you have to admit that...

By Dan Steinberg | April 11, 2008; 10:14 AM ET | Comments (11)

Caps Way-Back Machine: The Depression

With the hours counting down and me running out of ideas, let's take a spin back to April of 2003 to read Tom Boswell's column from the day the team's last playoff run ended. You know, actually, this is bloody depressing. And one of the greatest things about this...

By Dan Steinberg | April 11, 2008; 09:14 AM ET | Comments (8)

Mike Green's Haircut: The Video

Two points: 1) No disrespect was intended toward Courtney, Mike's stylist, who cuts a very fashionable mohawk and did great work in tight quarters and with limited time this morning. With a bit more time and communication, I'm sure she would have gotten exactly the 'hawk Caps fans desired. 2)...

By Dan Steinberg | April 10, 2008; 02:01 PM ET | Comments (6)

Pat Sajak Loves the Caps

Pat Sajak at the division-clinching win. (By Toni L. Sandys - TWP) The Stanley Cup playoffs require a wide-ranging level of civic commitment. For Mike Green, that commitment was on display this morning, in the form of an early-morning mohawk. Dozens of fans will be receiving similar 'hawks tomorrow....

By Dan Steinberg | April 10, 2008; 01:10 PM ET | Comments (16)

Mike Green's Playoff Hawk

Here's the cut, as performed by traveling stylist Courtney at the DC101 studio this morning. Fans who accept the station's gratis mohawks tomorrow, or the similar option at the Verizon Center tomorrow night, will likely have a more straightforward shaved-sides look. This, though, is what Courtney called a "fashionable"...

By Dan Steinberg | April 10, 2008; 09:59 AM ET | Comments (9)

Caps Go Culture

Amazing photoshop from All Things Go. (Adapted from previous items for purposes of newspaper excerpting.) The residents of the Verizon Center are undergoing some sort of musical moment this spring. Indie rocker Stephen Malkmus has played a tune called the Caron Butler Blues, telling the Village Voice he has...

By Dan Steinberg | April 9, 2008; 05:31 PM ET | Comments (4)

League-Wide Red Rocking

Question: What would happen if the Capitals and Devils were to meet in the Eastern Conference finals? Answer: Mass chaos. Rioting in the streets. An utter inability to tell which fans were rooting for which team. Potential inter-fanbase mating. And lots and lots of rawking. Why? Because the teams...

By Dan Steinberg | April 9, 2008; 11:53 AM ET | Comments (4)

Thrash-Death-Metal and the Caps

Courtesy of Express. Full disclosure: I've been a bit out of the loop on the local thrash-death-metal band scene. Luckily, our corporate underlings cousins at Express and its snazzy-if-non-Metro-friendly Web site are well on the case, bringing to full and glorious light darkness the story of Darkest Hour (the...

By Dan Steinberg | April 9, 2008; 10:31 AM ET | Comments (3)

Donald Brashear Has a Blog

Brash and friends. (Toni L. Sandys - TWP) Wow, two in a week. First Chris Cooley, now Donald Brashear. Dmitri Young simply has to be next. Anyhow, this is called a soft launch or something, but DonBrashear.com is up and running, complete with some sort of cartoon image of...

By Dan Steinberg | April 8, 2008; 03:23 PM ET | Comments (4)

Caps Playoff Beard Preview

Pre-playoff beard. (A video version of this entry will run on Washington Post Live Thursday afternoon, between 5 and 6, on Comcast SportsyNet.) (Also, by watching the video below, you'll note that I might have agreed to grow a playoff beard. If any of you are doing so and...

By Dan Steinberg | April 8, 2008; 03:03 PM ET | Comments (3)

Caps Mohawk Talk

This kid was spied by a Caps employee at Saturday's game. The letters are actually shaved in. And yeah, in the dark one, that's actually Ovechkin's signature on his head. Very nice. And very appropriate, given Mike Green's history with the 'hawk. I know the Green mohawk talk appeared...

By Dan Steinberg | April 8, 2008; 11:03 AM ET | Comments (6)

Video from the Caps' Clincher

Some video moments of the scene at Verizon on Saturday night, courtesy of Comcast SportsyNet, Washington Post Live (airing 5-6 pm daily) and super producer Adam Littlefield. By the way, if you want to engage in more Caps vs. Flyers fan banter, you can check out The 700 Level's rejoinder...

By Dan Steinberg | April 8, 2008; 10:13 AM ET | Comments (5)

Is D.C. Now a Hockey Town?

Matt Cooke wanted into the dressing room this afternoon, looked at the masses of media persons, and smiled. "Back in a Canadian city, eh?" he said. Now I've never been in a Canadian city for the playoffs (although I did take my Honeymoon in Canada) and I would have...

By Dan Steinberg | April 7, 2008; 03:38 PM ET | Comments (22)

Caps Fans vs. Philly Fans

So let's see, the Flyers. They play in Philly, right? Home of the 17-on-one crowd fight? The Tie Domi vs. fan in the penalty box fight? The "Most Intimidating Fans in Hockey" official team promos? The dozens of signs taunting Crosby? The message board tales, like so? There was...

By Dan Steinberg | April 7, 2008; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (36)

By the Numbers at Verizon

A few numbers to remember from last week's glut of local games. 1988: Last time the Caps and Wizards made the playoffs in the same season. Twenty-four hours: Amount of time it took the Caps and Wizards to clinch playoff berths at home this weekend. 5-1: Caps and Wizards...

By Dan Steinberg | April 7, 2008; 12:01 PM ET | Comments (9)

Caps Fans Are Excited, Weird

Trevor White, saying hi to the Caps. This blog post adapted from this article in Sunday's paper. Highlights from Saturday's "Rock the Red" party downtown: * Two woman who admitted to me that they were intentionally wearing red panties. * Trevor White from Silver Spring, in his traditional garb...

By Dan Steinberg | April 7, 2008; 11:08 AM ET | Comments (6)

Boudreau on the Big Screen

Absent any fan photos....(By John McDonnell - TWP) I wasn't at Tuesday's Caps game, but I was told the following thing happened: late in the game, Ovechkin's image was shown on the big screen. He attempted to rile up the fans, who, suitably riled, responded with boisterous cheers. Soon...

By Dan Steinberg | April 3, 2008; 03:31 PM ET | Comments (11)

The Caps and Scoreboard Watching

Won't be watching the Bruins or Canes tonight. (By Preston Keres - TWP) There are four NHL games tonight. Three of them have massive implications for the Caps' playoff future. Entering the night, the Caps do not control their own destiny, as the saying goes, although at least they...

By Dan Steinberg | April 2, 2008; 05:31 PM ET | Comments (4)

These Caps Are Loose

Unshaven Ovechkin. So the night after scoring his 63rd goal in front of the craziest hockey crowd D.C. has seen since Alex Ovechkin was in high school, the MVP did his off-day interviews today looking a bit, well, unkempt I guess. Unshaven. Unfrozen. Unsomething. "We win, I don't want...

By Dan Steinberg | April 2, 2008; 04:51 PM ET | Comments (3)

Cristobal Huet on Cheese

Endorsed by 100 percent of D.C.-based French professional hockey goalies. Because we couldn't let the regular season end without asking the Caps' new(ish) French goalie about cheese....I'm taking journalistic license here by moving the quotes around chronologically to make this into a sensible first-person cheese tale. "Cheese is definitely...

By Dan Steinberg | April 2, 2008; 02:11 PM ET | Comments (9)

Boudreau Takes Shots

Bruce Boudreau taking shots on his son Brady. To all you female Caps fans who've been e-mailing me asking for more tales of hilarity from the Caps locker room, today's the best you're gonna get, and none of it is particularly hilarious. Like, here's an example, when Alex Ovechkin...

By Dan Steinberg | April 2, 2008; 01:03 PM ET | Comments (0)

Caps Host Red Out

This " color out" business can occasionally get confusing. In honor of tonight's meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes--easily the biggest home game involving any pro D.C. team in calendar year 2008--Caps fans are being asked to wear red, which the team is calling a "Red Out." It's the second...

By Dan Steinberg | April 1, 2008; 01:34 PM ET | Comments (13)

The Best Sports Weekend in D.C. History*

This photo sums up the past weekend perfectly. (Courtsey of Under the Shell). Due to daddy day care demands, I did not post a word between Thursday late afternoon and Monday late morning. The three days I skipped just happened to form one of the most amazing three-day periods...

By Dan Steinberg | March 31, 2008; 12:46 PM ET | Comments (18)

Let's Go Craps!

Video quality might not be too swell, but the audio works just fine. And clearly, this doesn't even begin to compare to Brooke White's start-stop-start on American Idol last night. Man, I'm sick of her. Brooke, I mean, not Lindsay....

By Dan Steinberg | March 26, 2008; 11:58 AM ET | Comments (9)

Ovechkin Lands Hair Cuttery Endorsement

The hair cut that launched an ad campaign. Not college basketball, but definitely March Madness. From the release: Vienna, VA - Hair Cuttery, the largest privately-owned chain of hair salons in the country, announced today that it has signed NHL Washington Capitals' hockey star Alex Ovechkin to a 6-month...

By Dan Steinberg | March 18, 2008; 12:14 PM ET | Comments (21)

OvechKam

Ccomcast SportsyNet is breaking out the OvechKam for next Wednesday's game against the Flames. From the release: This unique broadcast, which will be available on CSN+ and replayed on Comcast On Demand, will feature a dedicated view that follows Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin throughout the entire game, providing viewers...

By Dan Steinberg | March 5, 2008; 03:47 PM ET | Comments (4)

Caps Fans Devour Wings

Austin Grill wings. Local restaurants: give local fans free food, get free pub. (Robert Severi, courtesy Austin Grill) Mike Holden grew up in the D.C. area, lived here basically his whole life, and has cheered for the Caps that entire time. Heck, his parents' first date was at a...

By Dan Steinberg | March 5, 2008; 12:44 PM ET | Comments (7)

Ovechkin is Good

BETHESDA--I'm watching the Washington Capitals hockey game from the Comcast SportsyNet newsroom, and there are five minutes left in the first period and the Caps are winning 5-0. Alex Ovechkin has scored his 50th, 51st and 52nd goals, and a lot of people in the stands have lost their...

By Dan Steinberg | March 3, 2008; 07:40 PM ET | Comments (4)

The Caps' New Goalie

Making a save. No, not the Frenchman. I'll go ask him about Saint Nectaire and Pont l'Eveque next week, but before there was Huet, there was Brett Leonhardt, a Caps Web producer for all of two months, who earned a one-day stint in goal during Tuesday's morning skate. Tarik...

By Dan Steinberg | February 28, 2008; 12:42 PM ET | Comments (5)

Caps Trades: The Blogging Implications

Tara Reid, in Siberia or Sundance or something. (AP Photo). I hate to immediately rush to the gutter, but that's what the medium requires. And so what, from a prototypical blogging standpoint, was the most important development from yesterday's flurry of trades? Duh. From an old Sergei Fedorov profile:...

By Dan Steinberg | February 27, 2008; 11:31 AM ET | Comments (6)

Three-Foot Ovechkins

Three-foot tall Ovechkins. Obviously these three-foot tall bobbleheads are not entirely unique, but two Ovechkin three-footers side by side still seems worth posting, especially when the photo came from beat writer Tarik El-Bashir's iPhone. Would I take a three-foot full-toothed Ovie over a Donald Bonvie bobblefists doll, sponsored by...

By Dan Steinberg | February 21, 2008; 02:21 PM ET | Comments (11)

Love in the Verizon Center Stands

For the second time this year, I'm posting something about two lovebirds kissing in the stands at the Verizon Center. Here was the first. The people in the second kiss were slightly more famous. This one is courtesy of my absolute favorite Mid-Atlantic based sports network in the world, Comcast...

By Dan Steinberg | February 20, 2008; 04:22 PM ET | Comments (3)

Another Entertaining Boudreau

Brady interviews Flash. Here's all you need to know about 9-year-old Brady Boudreau: when he was younger, his parents gave him blocks as a present. "And he painted faces and uniforms on them and made them into hockey players," his mom, Crystal, told me this week. That wooden tilt...

By Dan Steinberg | February 20, 2008; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (18)

Caps Movie Quotes

This video appeared last week, but I only just got around to watching it. I think the Caps are certainly competing for best non-Redskins story in D.C. of 2008, and I've found them all to be pleasant-enough fellows, and if my bosses wanted to put me on full-time Caps blogging...

By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 01:09 PM ET | Comments (6)

Ovechkin Saluted by Hair Cuttery

The dangers of leaving town for a week....you just never know when a hair cutting chain will stop by Caps practice with a cake for the best-paid athlete in D.C. history, an athlete so rich that he still pays $14 for his haircuts. From the e-mail I received from a...

By Dan Steinberg | January 30, 2008; 11:29 AM ET | Comments (11)

Caps and Gluttony

The champion, afterwards. (By Toni Sandys -- The Washington Post) Tim McDermott had his first hot dog for lunch this afternoon. "Like a pre-game meal," the Caps; chief marketing officer said. Kevin Kenney had his first dog about an hour before the Caps and Maple Leafs dropped the puck;...

By Dan Steinberg | January 24, 2008; 09:23 PM ET | Comments (15)

Brooks Laich = Ladies Man

I'd heard about this video, which appeared on the big screen in the last week or two during a Caps game. Now, I watched it. Various members of the Washington hockey club are asked to identify the biggest ladies man in their midst. Almost unanimously, they seize upon Brooks Laich....

By Dan Steinberg | January 23, 2008; 12:08 PM ET | Comments (13)

Ovechkin-Green Price is Right

So everything that went wrong with this segment was entirely my fault. I spent upwards of $35 on various household supplies, intent on pitting Alex Ovechkin against 12-year-old Marshall Cartwright in a Price is Right battle hosted by Mike Green. The filming process lasted, near as I can remember, about...

By Dan Steinberg | January 22, 2008; 03:39 PM ET | Comments (6)

Kanye, the Pink Helmet and Barbeque

The pink helmet. For more, keep reading. Caps answers no one will remember to Caps questions no one really asked.... What song have the Caps been playing after just about every win of the Boudreau era? Kanye West's "The Good Life," off of Shaone Morrisonn's iPod. No particular reason....

By Dan Steinberg | January 16, 2008; 05:31 PM ET | Comments (19)

Ovechkin, His Hair and Floor Hockey

$124 million contract, $14 haircut. Note the shirt, featuring the dollar sign. So say you just signed a nine-figure contract to play professional hockey, and then you decided that maybe you wanted to get a trim up top, you know, clean up a little. Where would you go for...

By Dan Steinberg | January 16, 2008; 03:54 PM ET | Comments (27)

Welch Ruggers Sign French Ex-Redskin Bobsledder

Best French linebacker-turned-rugger ever. In a move that seems designed primarily to appeal to obscure Washington D.C.-based bloggers, Welsh rugby club Celtic Crusaders are, as one newspaper put it, "hoping an American footballer-cum-bobsleigh international can help them." The man in question is Philippe Gardent, the ex-Redskins linebacker and ex...

By Dan Steinberg | January 16, 2008; 12:07 PM ET | Comments (6)

52 Hours at Verizon

It's very easy to make historical claims about the greatness of recent events, because people have poor memories, and everyone likes to get caught up in the moment, and no one cares enough to go to the facts or the history. That being the case, I'm going to make a...

By Dan Steinberg | January 14, 2008; 08:56 AM ET | Comments (7)

D.C. Cheerleaders Party

For as long as I can remember, I've been writing about the ties between local athletes from different teams: D.C. United players going to Caps games, the Caps taking batting practice with the Nats, prominent Nats being spotted at Wizards games along with members of the Redskins, Redskins reserves...

By Dan Steinberg | January 7, 2008; 11:31 AM ET | Comments (10)

Top 11 D.C. Sports Moments of 2007

Sadly, this is what we'll all remember first from 2007. (By Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post) One year ago tomorrow, I published the Top 11 D.C. Sports Moments of 2006. This year, I had hoped to actually publish my list in 2007, which seems to be the...

By Dan Steinberg | January 2, 2008; 11:46 AM ET | Comments (23)

Bruce Boudreau's Daughter's an Ice Girl?

I believe this is Kasey. Sorry to break away from the Redskins for a minute, but good goalie, Bruce Boudreau's daughter is an ice girl? Check this out, from the Ottawa Sun: Former Toronto Maple Leaf and now the Caps coach, Bruce Boudreau had the pleasure of working the...

By Dan Steinberg | December 31, 2007; 01:10 PM ET | Comments (8)

Caps on Segways Video

Bear in mind that I was attempting to shoot this video while riding a Segway, so I certainly missed many good moments. But I think this gives the general idea. With thanks to video editor Jonathan Forsythe, who likely got motion sickness from watching the outtakes....

By Dan Steinberg | December 20, 2007; 02:29 PM ET | Comments (25)

Ovechkin on a Segway

"Hey Segway guy," the Park Police officer was shouting at Alex Ovechkin. "You can't ride in there." Ovechkin, wearing his red Caps jersey and yes, riding a Segway, scooted out of the tourist-dotted maze that encircles the National Christmas tree, smiling his gap-toothed smile. "I'm sorry officer, he got...

By Dan Steinberg | December 19, 2007; 05:05 PM ET | Comments (62)

Bruce Boudreau and Inches

AP Photo. The Capitals were 6-14-1 when Bruce Boudreau was hired as their interim coach. They had the worst record in the NHL, and were off to their worst start in 26 years. Here's another way to put it: We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And we...

By Dan Steinberg | December 18, 2007; 05:37 PM ET | Comments (14)

The Caps: Things Are Looking Up

I've pledged not to write about the Caps until things start looking up. Luckily, today is that day!!!! Here's the beginning of today's Caps media release: After beginning the season 3-0 and enduring a challenging stretch of games in recent weeks, Washington's 6-13-1 record is not what it intended...

By Dan Steinberg | November 21, 2007; 10:37 AM ET | Comments (7)

Caps Visit Springsteen, Embassy

Daniella Nylander, 11 mos. but already walking like a champ, on the Swedish Embassy's rooftop terrace. So the Caps lost again last night. The Caps always lose. Luckily, they also do fun things, like go to the Swedish Embassy, and to the Springsteen show. In fact, the team's Swedish...

By Dan Steinberg | November 16, 2007; 03:29 PM ET | Comments (6)

Hanlon vs. Jordan

Why do coaches always look so serious? Oh, because the Internets keep calling for their jobs? (Joel Richardson - TWP) For the record, I am never ever ever going to call for anyone's job based on a brief slump, because if that were the only criteria for losing one's...

By Dan Steinberg | November 7, 2007; 11:17 AM ET | Comments (7)

D.C. Sports Hit Rock Bottom*

Shazam Shazam Shazam. * Almost. If Jerrico Cotchery catches that overtime pass--a football that was virtually begging to nestle in his arms--the Jets have a first down, are in field goal range, and very likely win the game. And then I'd have no problem declaring the past fortnight the...

By Dan Steinberg | November 5, 2007; 08:36 AM ET | Comments (11)

Caps Use the Right Bin

The big blue recycling bin in the middle of the Caps' dressing room has a piece of masking tape across its mid-section. "CANS + BOTTLES ONLY!" it reads. Matt Bradley wrote that. "You know, some of the Russians and Swedes have trouble understanding English," joked the winger and team...

By Dan Steinberg | October 17, 2007; 04:47 PM ET | Comments (11)

Brent Johnson's New Helmet

The white one has been used the past month. The red one is new. Brent Johnson was asking media members which one should be the home helmet and which should be the away helmet. Johnson decided it should be white on the road and red at home, blatantly contradicting...

By Dan Steinberg | October 17, 2007; 03:29 PM ET | Comments (5)

New Blogger: Donald Brashear?

If I hear one more "living in your parents' basement joke".... So a few weeks ago, Donald Brashear was on the Junkies and the topic of online poker came up. (I swear, when I started down this path, I had no idea it would involve the Junkies yet again....

By Dan Steinberg | October 17, 2007; 02:45 PM ET | Comments (13)

Look at Ovechkin's Tooth

Or rather, his lack of a tooth. This photo taken from practice today. You'll recall that Ovechkin lost a front tooth against the Thrashers a couple weeks ago. Here's some feedback at the time, according to the AP: [Ovechkin] seemed to delight in the empty space between his teeth...

By Dan Steinberg | October 17, 2007; 12:54 PM ET | Comments (8)

The Ol' Capitals Game

I thought I had linked to this earlier, but I hadn't. And since it's still in my head.... The video was posted on the fan land of the Caps' site, and On Frozen Blog has more about the initiative. And speaking of Caps bloggers, writing at FanHouse Eric McErlain explains...

By Dan Steinberg | October 11, 2007; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (4)

D.C. Attendance Rankings

Metro columnist/blogger Marc Fisher and I have had a running dialogue about the attendance for local sports teams over many months. The latest skirmish came when Fisher included this line in a recent column: The Washington Diplomats of the North American Soccer League -- their cheerleaders were the Honeydips --...

By Dan Steinberg | October 3, 2007; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (37)

Donald Brashear Builds Houses

Those who create also destroy. (Getty Images). It's a great time to be a local athlete in business. LaVar's starting his sports bar in P.G. Gilbert's got his cartoon series. Caron Butler's wife, Andrea, is considering opening a salon/spa; yesterday she was downtown for a business meeting at Clyde's....

By Dan Steinberg | October 2, 2007; 05:01 PM ET | Comments (8)

Ovie's Look

At today's media luncheon. You're welcome, WTOP.. Alex Ovechkin has long hair. Hasn't been cut for about two months. "It's the longest hair in my life," Ovechkin said. "Doesn't mean anything. Teammates say go with hair cut. They don't like it." "Terrible," Donald Brashear said. Alex Ovechkin has scraggly...

By Dan Steinberg | October 2, 2007; 03:15 PM ET | Comments (10)

Pettinger's Beach Workouts

A few weeks ago, I talked to ex-Redskins D-linemen Renaldo Wynn and Joe Salave'a about their offseason strongman workouts in Las Vegas. And while that story turned into a bit of a dud after both players were released, it turns out a couple Caps also engaged in some alternative training...

By Dan Steinberg | September 12, 2007; 05:15 PM ET | Comments (3)

Craig Laughlin Coaches the Caps

Here are some things I would like to see before I die: 1) Phil Chenier and Steve Buckhantz coaching the Wizards, with Buck feeling a strange compulsion to yell "Daggggerrrrrr!" four or five hundred times during layup lines while Chenier dispenses folksy advice to the equipment managers. 2) Sam and...

By Dan Steinberg | September 11, 2007; 11:14 AM ET | Comments (13)

Caps Get New Underwear

Color appropriate clocks! Don't say ownership isn't willing to spend money on this team. Spoke with Brock Myles the other day. Brock is the Capitals equipment manager, entering his first full season with the club. He started telling me all the things that needed to be changed to accomodate...

By Dan Steinberg | September 4, 2007; 03:16 PM ET | Comments (5)

My Big Fat Caps Wedding, Illustrated

Love is aiming for the five hole. (By Steve Strawn) Last week I presented the story of Flipper and capscrazy, two, um, crazy young Caps fans who decided they'd augment the most solemn and holy moment of their lives with a little hockey, in the form of Caps photos,...

By Dan Steinberg | September 4, 2007; 12:34 PM ET | Comments (3)

A Caps Wedding

They met on the message boards. He was Flipper. She was capscrazy. Soon they were introduced in person, as so many of us are, at a Caps message board happy hour. Their friendship was platonic for three years, but eventually it became something more, just as young hockey prospects change...

By Dan Steinberg | August 29, 2007; 06:52 PM ET | Comments (20)

No Ice Girls

This is, apparently, not breaking news, but regardless, I'm here to tell you that there will be no ice-based cheer persons at Caps games this season. From PR guy Nate Ewell: "It's something that we've looked at and we're still looking at. Obviously it's something that creates strong feelings,...

By Dan Steinberg | August 29, 2007; 12:44 PM ET | Comments (7)

New Cap Wears Fur

(CP Photo.) I knew I liked that Karl Alzner chap from every interview I've ever read. This photo, along with his award-winning chocolate-chip cookies, pretty much clinches it. Get him to D.C., right away, please....

By Dan Steinberg | August 27, 2007; 04:26 PM ET | Comments (8)

Ted Leonsis vs. Steve Czaban, Part XVIIVIXVIX

I'm going to summarize this fight for those who haven't been paying attention. It's an awesome, awesome fight, a fight made for the Interwebnetebays, a fight that has left me feeling much more enlightened, and happy once again to make my living writing about sports. Ted Leonsis: I went to...

By Dan Steinberg | August 17, 2007; 01:44 PM ET | Comments (69)

Ted Leonsis Takes On SportsTalk 980

I've previously noted how Ted Leonsis has come to the defense of his fellow put-upon local sports team owners, but this one is better, because now he's taking on Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban, scourges to fans of all things non-Redskins or -Wizards. Hey, I listen to 980 as much...

By Dan Steinberg | August 13, 2007; 09:04 AM ET | Comments (14)

Bobby Boswell's Famous Friends

Dan Steinberg is on vacation. Despite his massive photo above, this was not written by him. It was written by professional soccer player Bobby Boswell, the author of the cleverly named BobbyBoswell.com. Other guest bloggers will check in later today. Dan will theoretically be back tomorrow. Anyhow, BB writes below,...

By Dan Steinberg | July 24, 2007; 09:54 AM ET | Comments (9)

Are Washington Sports Pitiful?

Because I was off counting daisies last week, I never managed to reply to this CBS SportsLine column claiming D.C. to be "the most pitiful sports town in the country." Now, there are three ways to measure something like this: results, fandom and enfo'tainment. 1) Our results have been undoubtedly...

By Dan Steinberg | June 25, 2007; 09:16 AM ET | Comments (29)

D.C.'s Top Six Athletes

Someone asked me the other day to name the Top Five Big-Name Athletes in D.C. No qualifications for judging were given. The point of the exercise was to determine where exactly Caron Butler fits into such a list. Because I can't post much today, I figured this would be the...

By Dan Steinberg | June 14, 2007; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (57)

The News From Hershey

For my money, the best part of Official Caps Beat Writer Tarik El-Bashir's story on the Hershey Bears this morning was the fact that Ted Leonsis takes his private jet to Hershey for AHL games. That's 130 miles from D.C. I've gotta start taking a helicopter downtown when I go...

By Dan Steinberg | June 4, 2007; 10:12 AM ET | Comments (3)

Hockey's Ron Artest Gets Suspended

Like everyone else who follows the Caps, I'm trying to figure out a way to get to Hershey for the Calder Cup Finals. Well, everyone except Kip Brennan, the Hershey forward, who won't be permitted to punch fans in the face for at least the next coupla weeks. Proving yet...

By Dan Steinberg | May 29, 2007; 08:57 AM ET | Comments (2)

Nicklas Backstrom Likes Swedish Meatballs

Nicklas Backstrom was introduced to the Washington media today, as part of his three-sports-in-three-days tour. Saturday was the Mystics game. Sunday was the Nats game, where he threw out the first pitch--"a strike on the outside corner, split-fingered slider, very fine pitch," Ted Leonsis said. Today was hockey, I guess,...

By Dan Steinberg | May 21, 2007; 01:21 PM ET | Comments (18)

Punching Bagginess Continues

Baltimore Sun columnist Rick Maese, throwing haymaker after haymaker in our direction this AM. I mean, at least our badness is now a topic of regional discussion. Like I've said many times, better to be truly wretched than merely mediocre. Truly wretched will yield national coverage. Mediocre will be quickly...

By Dan Steinberg | April 13, 2007; 10:47 AM ET | Comments (26)

The Quiz of Desperation

I mean, what am I supposed to say? Every team I could conceivably write about today is soul shreddingly terrible. So instead of some vain effort to be happy, I will present The Washington D.C. Quiz of Desperation. The first two people to respond correctly in the comments will get...

By Dan Steinberg | April 12, 2007; 02:19 PM ET | Comments (24)

Hockey 'n Heels

[Edit: At the end of this item, I talk about the Caps' wives. Well, Jamie Heward's wife could not have been happier about being in Washington. She kept talking about how great the group is, and how much they like living here. Then Heward gets traded the following day. Seeing...

By Dan Steinberg | February 27, 2007; 05:33 PM ET | Comments (15)

On Caps and Snow

As I listened to school closures on the radio and dutifully shoveled about an inch of snow off my front steps this morning, it occurred to me that this massive winter weather onslaught was, perhaps, a topic worthy of Capital discussion. After all, the current roster has more than a...

By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2007; 05:01 PM ET | Comments (11)

Ovie's Drawings, etc.

After Japers Rink and others alerted me to the little No. 8 drawings on Alex Ovechkin's game sticks, I figured I should ask him for their meaning. You're gonna have to go to that link to understand his comments. And we're working from left to right: "It's Drinking Man, Fat...

By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2007; 04:01 PM ET | Comments (19)

Goat on Video

Sorry, that took longer than expected. Anyhow, since I've written like 17,000 words about Goat, the Caps super fan who doesn't show up 'round here too much now that my Caps output has diminished (and sorry 'bout that, they've been on the road a lot), I figured I should post...

By Dan Steinberg | February 6, 2007; 01:44 PM ET | Comments (3)

Caps Recruiting Lady Fans

Caps press release. Noted without comment: WASHINGTON , D.C. - The Washington Capitals have teamed up with Comcast SportsNet and MIX 107.3 to host a special evening for female fans at Verizon Center. Hockey 'n Heels, slated to take place on Monday, Feb. 26 from 6-10 p.m., will give women...

By Dan Steinberg | February 1, 2007; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (31)

Chris Young: Caps Fan, Hoyas Fan

When my good friend Pete Wilk, the head coach of Georgetown's baseball team, asked me to publicize his team's upcoming fundraising dinner (Saturday night, 7 pm, headlined by Johnny Bench, $150 per person, all proceeds benefit G'town baseball), I was initially leery. Free publicity, and all that. But then he...

By Dan Steinberg | February 1, 2007; 11:43 AM ET | Comments (11)

The World Hates Us and Our Athletic Superstars

Jeez, Detroit Bad Boys flailing away at Gilbert, and now we have some L.A. Kings bloggers taking aim at Ovie? What gives? Tickles McGinty claims Alex Ovechkin looks like Pan from Pan's Labyrinth. Which, if nothing else, is sorta funny. (Which reminds me, longtime Bog reader Becker insists that Onix...

By Dan Steinberg | January 31, 2007; 04:44 PM ET | Comments (16)

Caps Fans Hate Orioles, Love DCU

Balt Sun blogger Roch Kubatko was obviously miffed by the treatment a few O's received at the Caps-Canes game over the weekend. Roch writes: If it's boos you want, this is your guy. (File Photo) Yes, it's true: Nick Markakis and Adam Loewen were roundly booed at last night's Capitals...

By Dan Steinberg | January 29, 2007; 11:22 AM ET | Comments (12)

Alex Ovechkin Drinks Five Beers Before Games

So says Alex Ovechkin in this interview with former Miss Florida contestant Tiffany Simons, who hopes to "peak your curiosity" by linking to Poll Voter Clay Travis's SEC Ladies Rankings in her blog. Sigh. But you will recall that I gave you all a sneak pique at Clay's rankings last...

By Dan Steinberg | January 17, 2007; 12:44 PM ET | Comments (5)

Mystics: Red White and Blue in 2008? Caps Too?

Big day for local press conferences: Wizards press availability this morning (in which I got the explanation for A.D.'s sensei bow, which I'll reveal in a minute), then the Mystics 2007 All-Star game press conference (featuring, among others, Swin Cash of the Detroit Shock, Mayor Adrian Fenty, Mystics Prez Sheila...

By Dan Steinberg | January 16, 2007; 02:21 PM ET | Comments (8)

You the Man: Someone Call the Academy

I think someone I work with once expressed the opinion that there might not be enough weirdness to support a local sports Bog. Well, in the last, say, 18 hours, the following things have happened. 1) The Wizznutzz have turned up photos of world championship video gamers, sponsored by an...

By Dan Steinberg | January 11, 2007; 08:59 AM ET | Comments (15)

Brash Talks, Rimando Watches

Last month the Donald Brashear news was five fights in five games. This month, he's a goal-scoring phenom. I mean, if my math is right, after last night he's averaging a goal every three games in 2007. Plus he was the second star last night. Plus, fans love him. In...

By Dan Steinberg | January 10, 2007; 04:59 PM ET | Comments (14)

Paper Bag Head at Caps Game

So I was peacefully watching last night's Caps game with former DCU goalkeep Nick Rimando and wife Jacqui, who were there with United MF Clyde Simms and friend, when I noticed a guy in a Flyers jersey sitting directly behind one goal, with a paper bag directly over his head....

By Dan Steinberg | January 10, 2007; 01:11 PM ET | Comments (13)

Ovie a First-Team All-Star

So this all-star news was tightly embargoed, but I sort of guessed this afternoon, when Ovie asked Caps PR guy Nate Ewell (who I hope gets paid every time his name is in the Bog) if he had any good news, and Ewell refused to talk to Ovie in front...

By Dan Steinberg | January 9, 2007; 09:45 PM ET | Comments (5)

This Gilbert Party Will Never End

Well, I don't want it to anyhow. Some people here in Wizland feel differently. Official Wizards Beat Writer Ivan Carter was altogether outraged that I still wanted to talk about the birthday party today. Several team employees rolled their eyes at me. Can you imagine? Personally, I've only seen a...

By Dan Steinberg | January 9, 2007; 03:24 PM ET | Comments (11)

Caps Have No Rookies

(Matt Bradley says he's ready to go tonight. He said he was "on fire" this morning. "Feels good," he said of his broken finger. I asked if it had been tough sitting out. "Obviously," he said. "It'd be like...I don't know, do you like your job?" "It's ok," I said,...

By Dan Steinberg | January 9, 2007; 02:07 PM ET | Comments (10)

Eleven More Things From This Morning's United Event

1) After the event was over, new owner Will Chang began playing soccer with 5-year-old Brian Davis, the son of new owner Brian Davis. Lil' Brian booted the ball into a cocktail table. "Can you head? Show me a header?" Chang asked Lil' Brian. Then Chang kicked the ball way...

By Dan Steinberg | January 8, 2007; 04:41 PM ET | Comments (13)

On the Barra and the Eagles and the Caps

I guess another key question for D.C.'s owners was how they feel about the Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles and the team's fan culture. Of course, they all paid lip service to DCU's fans being the best in the league during the formal part of this morning's events, but...

By Dan Steinberg | January 8, 2007; 03:06 PM ET | Comments (13)

Birthday Bash Celebrity RSVP's

1) Alex Ovechkin. Planning to go to tonight's game. Planning to go to the birthday bash. Will have to be a short stay, b/c of tomorrow's game. But still, the party's wattage grows. 2) Walshy. One of Gil's sponsored video gamers. At least, the party is on the calendar on...

By Dan Steinberg | January 5, 2007; 04:45 PM ET | Comments (5)

Breaking Billiards News

So our lil' Wizards go 12-4 in December and now everybody loves 'em. The NY Times is here at practice today. So is Yahoo!!!!!!! Sports. So is the beret-wearing AP. But I'm guessing I have an exclusive here: [Pause for drama] The Wizards are right now, as I type, replacing...

By Dan Steinberg | January 2, 2007; 11:59 AM ET | Comments (6)

Notes From a Sort of Non-Moribund Verizon Center

You know how the Caps have been blah blah blahing all year about having fun and all that? And how that led to a recent Newark Star-Ledger column about how great this all was, to wit: George McPhee, the team's bright general manager, and coach Glen Hanlon are taking an...

By Dan Steinberg | January 2, 2007; 10:26 AM ET | Comments (10)

D.C. United Players On Tommy Soehn, and the Caps, and A.I.

So D.C. United alerted the gathered media this morning that if we hurried, we could catch several D.C. United players at Velocity Sports Performance in Alexandria, where they've been working out. So Comcast and Channel 4 and WTOP's dulcet-throated Byron Kerr and I showed up at Velocity, the same gym...

By Dan Steinberg | December 21, 2006; 03:09 PM ET | Comments (9)

The Caps Practice Outside

Now, in technicolor! Anyhow, if you prefer video to text, here ya go, from yesterday's outdoor practice at the Chevy Chase Club. var movieSrc = "http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/player/player2.swf?whichMode=normal&justify=center&playad=yes&mediatype=stream&postdir=sports&postvideo=122106-2v&cuesfile=none&autoplay=no&starttime=0&endtime=0&largerver=none&image=122106-2v_427&playlistxml=none" ; //URL OF WHERE .SWF MOVIE IS PUBLISHED var movieWidth = "427" ; //FLASH MOVIE AND BACK-UP GRAPHIC WIDTH var movieHeight = "300" ;...

By Dan Steinberg | December 21, 2006; 11:27 AM ET | Comments (3)

The Caps Flash Back

So, since the video won't be arriving until tomorrow AM, here's some more on the Caps' outdoor practice in the Chevy Chase area. Basically, the party line seemed to be that this was a flashback to hockey youth. Whether this was the party line because uncreative hacks like myself went...

By Dan Steinberg | December 20, 2006; 06:24 PM ET | Comments (10)

Ovechkin Signs Childrens' Wrists

So the Caps held an outdoor practice today. We were asked not to specify the location, and instead to say the practice was held at an outdoor rink in the Chevy Chase area. While my media cohorts seem likely to disobey that request, the utter bizarreness of it will lead...

By Dan Steinberg | December 20, 2006; 03:03 PM ET | Comments (16)

"I Was Blessed:" The Goat Story

"I was blessed," Caps Superfan Goat told me Monday night. "Some people were born rich. Some people were born good looking. Me, I was born loud." This has TV movie written all over it, right? So Goat is actually William Stilwell. He does graphic design for a gaming company in...

By Dan Steinberg | December 14, 2006; 08:28 AM ET | Comments (26)

Euro-Style Supporters at Caps Game

(Note the PC title.....no longer calling them Barra Brava, now calling them Euro-Style Supporters. And seriously, someone get that StikSav guy from the Caps message board to e-mail me. He's gotten in my head. I've been asking my boss about becoming a copy editor again.) Anyhow, this video is based...

By Dan Steinberg | December 13, 2006; 04:04 PM ET | Comments (23)

Caps Urinal Cakes and Caps Fan Celebrities

So after the Caps lost to the Pens in that shootout Monday night, I caught up with a group of local sports celebrities in the Verizon concourse. The group included Caps superfan Goat, Goat's sister Elenora, La Barra Brava's Duffman (the leader of the Caps' yet-to-be-named-but-still-very-much-alive European-style supporters group), fellow...

By Dan Steinberg | December 13, 2006; 12:03 PM ET | Comments (16)

Wizards Discuss Ovie and Crosby, Endorse Ginger Ale

(If you want to come see Crosby and Ovechkin tonight, there are about 3,000 seats still available. Remarkable.) So the Wizards conduct their post-practice interviews in a little hallway outside their locker room. The Caps often use that same hallway to exit the arena. They often walk past Wizards while...

By Dan Steinberg | December 11, 2006; 05:02 PM ET | Comments (5)

Barra Brava Come Downtown

Friday night, as incessantly promoted here, D.C. United fans came en masse to a Caps game. They stood and screamed and sang. Virtually non-stop. I left horribly depressed. Why? Fans didn't seem to appreciate the Barra. Because they were, you know, cheering. At a sporting event. Go figure. "They're screaming...

By Dan Steinberg | December 11, 2006; 12:08 PM ET | Comments (83)

All-Star Voting

So after reading that Roberto Luongo has voted five times for Rory, I figured I owed it to CapsNut to see whether the Caps were on-board with his Ovie ballot-stuffing plan. (Go here to vote, btw.) In other words, have the Caps voted yet? "I didn't know we were allowed...

By Dan Steinberg | December 8, 2006; 04:02 PM ET | Comments (5)

The Invasion Nears, Cont.

So anyhow, this whole thing started as an offseason whim for some D.C. United fans, who were also considering outings to go bowling or play darts or whatever. About five of these fans figured they'd do a Caps game. Other bored people joined in, and the group kept growing. They...

By Dan Steinberg | December 8, 2006; 02:19 PM ET | Comments (11)

The Invasion Nears

So, if you haven't been reading message boards religiously, you might have forgotten that tonight is the night of the Barra Brava Invasion in Capsland. I came to the morning skate this morning to spread the word. Here, for example, is my conversation with Ovechkin. Me: So there's this group...

By Dan Steinberg | December 8, 2006; 01:04 PM ET | Comments (28)

More Caps-United Synergy

In case you're tired of reading about D.C. United players, here's something new: D.C. United fans!!!! Yeah, I've been meaning to write more about the Barra Brava invasion, planned for next Friday night's Ducks game. But some Caps fans gave me the perfect excuse on a recent msgboard thread. Here's...

By Dan Steinberg | December 1, 2006; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (22)

Fledgling Caps Fan Needs Advice

Now granted, this is probably the time that a fledgling Caps fan should be exploring other, more promising and forward-thinking hobbies than following the Caps. (Examples: watching "Kidnapped," practicing penmanship, reading newspapers.) But still, I promised this fledgling Caps fan, who claims never to have been to a hockey game...

By Dan Steinberg | November 27, 2006; 01:44 PM ET | Comments (26)

A Caps Thanksgiving, Sans Chitlins

First of all, I realize you all know this, but Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. Have every year since 1931, except in 1935, with its great Oct. 24 controversy. The pulse of the Caps' dressing room indicated that hockey-playing Canadians don't feel particularly passionate about either...

By Dan Steinberg | November 22, 2006; 11:57 AM ET | Comments (8)

Curious How Many Caps Eat Chitlins for Thanksgiving?

I am, anyhow. The team has just five American-born players, including Donald Brashear, who was raised Canadian and doesn't really count. As of this writing, they have a practice scheduled for tomorrow, and no lavish team meal plans. So it would appear there might not be a whole lot of...

By Dan Steinberg | November 22, 2006; 10:35 AM ET | Comments (1)

Another Judging Controversy

Quite a night at the Improv on Tuesday. Although I left in a raging fury. It's taken me three days to get enough perspective to post a recap. I've been waiting for the D.C. DCRTV to follow up on its promised recap, but it never happened. FishbowlDC, disappointingly, gave us...

By Dan Steinberg | November 17, 2006; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (19)

The Caps Make Beautiful Music

When I entered the Caps dressing room yesterday morning, 50 Cent's "Just a Little Bit" was on the Magic iPod. Designated team DJ Matt Pettinger immediately took control of the situation, putting "Somebody's Watching Me" on the stereo. And just like that, we were back in a hockey dressing room....

By Dan Steinberg | November 16, 2006; 11:14 AM ET | Comments (12)

Brent Johnson's New Helmet, Take II

(Btw, Ovie fired his agent.) Bog friend Reuven sent me the following message last week about Caps goalie Brent Johnson: Johnson has a new goalie mask (or at least it has new stuff on it) Several people were asking me about it, and I sure as heck don't know. Looked...

By Dan Steinberg | November 15, 2006; 04:47 PM ET | Comments (6)

Brent Johnson's New Helmet

But first, the most exciting part of my trip to the phone booth this morning....three Caps employees riding around the building on Segways. They were in Official Segway Training. The team's new game day trick will be to send employees riding around the streets of D.C. on Segways promoting the...

By Dan Steinberg | November 15, 2006; 04:07 PM ET | Comments (4)

Sam Hollenbach = Frank Reich

That was the buzz today, in advance of the meeting with Miami, the team that made Frank Reich famous. Reich, who is now the senior pastor at Cornerstone Presbyterian in Charlotte, performed the devotional for the Terps before their win over Florida State, which apparently kicked off the Sam and...

By Dan Steinberg | November 7, 2006; 04:38 PM ET | Comments (1)

Caps By the Numbers

Seriously, if you could have gotten a prop bet in August that, at any point in the coming seasons, of the local pro teams, only the Caps would be above .500, what do you think the odds would have been? At least 15-1, I'd think. Aside from the 1-0 Maryland...

By Dan Steinberg | November 7, 2006; 12:01 PM ET | Comments (6)

Sewer Ball

So a commenter earlier suggested that all pro hockey teams warm up with a soccer ball, but I'm here to tell you it's not so. In the past, for instance, the Caps' most famous warm-up was conducted with a good old American football, provided by the Redskins, which Brian Muir,...

By Dan Steinberg | November 6, 2006; 03:28 PM ET | Comments (4)

Ovie Makes a Splash

So about a half-dozen members of the Ottawa media were gathered around Olie Kolzig this morning when Ovechkin entered the dressing room. The media didn't move. Ovie poked his head over the crowd to stare at Kolzig, and then slid over to Donald Brashear's locker and started whispering in Brashear's...

By Dan Steinberg | November 6, 2006; 02:11 PM ET | Comments (12)

More Soccer-Hockey Karma

While my much-hoped-for DCU team visit to a Caps game didn't exactly happen, hawk-eyed reader Todd spotted DCU midfielder Clyde Simms and a female companion at Friday's Thrashers game. "They stayed for the entire time and appeared to enjoy themselves," Todd writes. "And my wife and I are pretty sure...

By Dan Steinberg | November 6, 2006; 10:48 AM ET | Comments (5)

The Caps' Most Hated Rival

That's what I was curious about, anyhow. I guess the Penguins are supposed to be the Most Hated Rival, after all that playoff heartbreak, but the teams only play each other four times, and not until Dec. 11, and they're not in the same division, so it's all kind of...

By Dan Steinberg | November 3, 2006; 04:16 PM ET | Comments (10)

Ovechkin's iPod

The Wizards, Thrashers and Caps are all downtown as we type, and never let it be said that NBA and NHL guys don't have much in common. Brooks Laich, for instance, watched "Scarface" last night. Seriously. Ben Clymer, on the other hand, watched "Grey's Anatomy" and "The O.C." Despite the...

By Dan Steinberg | November 3, 2006; 12:08 PM ET | Comments (12)

A Washington Capitals Poem

Not quite sure how I forgot to post this yesterday. And, D.C. Sports Chick, many apologies if you've already posted this on your blog. Anyhow, here's the text of a Caps practice facility promotional poster that stands sentry next to a Ballston Common elevator: Don't be blue, The rumors are...

By Dan Steinberg | November 2, 2006; 11:42 AM ET | Comments (2)

Irrational Exuberance, Live from Panera

(Svrluga, have you noticed that I'm totally ripping off your schtick? But it's true, I've been blogging from Panera all afternoon. It seemed fated, somehow. For those who don't know what I'm talking about...ah, let's be honest, anyone who's reading my blog already knows about Barry Svrluga and Panera, with...

By Dan Steinberg | November 1, 2006; 05:59 PM ET | Comments (7)

Your Caps Questions Answered

1) In case anyone besides Kim was wondering why "Kettler Capitals Iceplex," Kettler is Robert C. Kettler, Chairman and CEO of what was formerly known as KSI, a