Photo credit: Bruce Bennett

I appreciate the gesture, but I’d really rather not have my team’s $10-million superstar throwing his body in front of ballistic vulcanized rubber. – RMNB game 6 recap

Washington’s one surviving newspaper beat writer, Katie Carrera, dropped this bomb on Thursday afternoon:

Alex Ovechkin played the final two games of the Capitals’ first-round series against New York with a hairline fracture in his left foot, according to a league source with direct knowledge of the winger’s injury.

Ovechkin reportedly sustained the injury blocking shots during the first period of game six. We wrote about it at the time.

GIF by welshhockeyfan

In games six and seven, Ovechkin scored no points and recorded just six shots on goal.

Despite the injury, which will require only rest to heal, Alex Ovechkin played for his country at the World Championship in Helsinki. Despite scoring an goal and an assist in his only game with Team Russia, Ovechkin was eliminated from the tournament.

The injury reveals a sometimes-hidden truth. Shot-blocking, while considered a sign of commitment, is often dangerous or reckless move.  In order to stop a low-risk shot by Ryan McDonagh (whose lifetime shooting percentage is a lowly 5.2%), Ovechkin actually hurt his team by impairing the skating ability of its best player.

Not a good trade.

Photo credit: AP

Adam Oates had lots to say during his breakdown-day interview at Ketler Capitals Iceplex on Wednesday, but the most interesting revelation was that he and star player Alex Ovechkin had an extended text-message chat after the team’s heartbreaking defeat in game seven of the quarterfinal round.

Upon hearing that, RMNB immediately sprung into action, contacting our sister publication across the pond, News of the World. Our brother-from-another-mother Jimmy Murdoch put us in touch with some folks, and voila!– we have recovered this conversation between Oates and Ovechkin.

Related: Adam Oates on Nickelodeon’s GUTS while wearing really high-waisted jeans

Image by Cook the Chef

Welp, this is less than fun now, but we’re freaking obligated. The thing about making public predictions is that when you (and by you, I mean me) get ‘em wrong, it’s really embarrassing. I picked just 3 winners out of 8, so basically I’m worse than a coin-toss. I’m having self-worth issues right now. Meanwhile, Ian, used some blind freaking luck to get 5 out of 8. And we’re both emotionally unstable right now.

Let’s do it!

First a look back at our predictions from the last round.

Peter: 37.5% (Peter picked the following losers: VAN, NYI, MTL, WSH, TOR)
Ian: 62.5% (Ian picked the following losers: ANA, VAN, WSH)

(But if you count number of games, I was totally closer than Ian, so there take that, nyah nyah.)

Chicago Blackhawks (#1) vs Detroit Red Wings (#7)

Peter: Ooh baby, I’m looking forward to this one. It seems to me that no matters who is on the Red Wings roster, they’re still somehow imbued by the spirit of Detroit hockey. Lidstrom is nowhere in sight, and they’re still a responsible team that does whatever they need to do to be strong on the puck. But the Blackhawks are the same team that ran away with regular season while the Caps still had a hard time lacing their skates. Chicago is the probably the most fun to watch, and I’m going to enjoy watching the Hawks win it in 6.

Ian: Let me first preface this with I hate hockey. Like utterly, completely, entirely. I just frigging hate hockey right now. Gary can go kick rocks for paying the officials off to let the Rangers win. Whew. Okay that’s out of my system, let’s roll some more NHL playoff dice! First of all, I think the Chicago Blackhawks are easily the better team in this series. That’s why I’m picking the Red Wings to win it. They’re old. They’re crafty. And like that old fisherman guy with the one-dollar bill hooked on his fishing rod, you can’t take the puck from them.

Wings in 6.

LA Kings (#5) vs San Jose Sharks (#6)

Peter: San Jose is a team unfairly maligned for being past their peak. I didn’t think they’d make the second round, but I don’t think they’re a slouch either. But still, the Kings are my pick to take the Cup, and they’re gonna bombard the Sharks into oblivion. In the Battle of California, I predict a slaughter: Kings in 4. It’s a Peter Hassett Sweep Special! Take it to #thebank!

Ian: I’m still really confused on how the Kings finished their season as only the #5 seed. They are a better team than that. A dominant one in fact. While the Sharks easily handled the Canucks in the first round, they will struggle big time in this series. And why? Because like the Capitals, they are physically and mentally unable to get over the proverbial hump, or I guess unbeaching themselves or something. Kings win in 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins (#1) vs Ottawa Senators (#7)

Peter: The league’s most exciting offense versus the regular season’s best goaltender. I really thought the Islanders could have skated the Pens into oblivion, but I failed to predict the rescue run of the Vokeswagon. Tomas Vokoun descended on Long Island like a grumpy old bald guy who sometimes plays goalie, and wouldn’t-ya-just-know-it, he did just that! I think the Penguins will wisely stick with Vokes, rendering MAF an eternal escape goat, and they’ll pull ahead of a frugal Ottawa team. Penguins in 6.

Ian: As much as I hate everything about the city, the people, and the players on this team, the Penguins — even despite Fleury’s current struggle with Jim Carey syndrome — managed to win in the first round. Like I said in my first set up picks, I love the Senators as a team. While they play some great hockey, these throwback warriors will have nothing against these ugly flightless birds. Pens in 6.

Boston Bruins (#4) vs New York Rangers (#6)

Peter: I’m not watching this series. I’ve watched 21 gull-darn playoff hockey games between these teams and the Capitals in the last year, and I’ve enjoyed very little of them. I hope they grind themselves into actual hell. I hope it’s pest vs. pest. I hope Lundqvist stands next to Rask at some point so we can marvel at the entire attractiveness spectrum of human males. I don’t care who wins so long as everyone does a good bit of suffering. Neither of these teams is a winner according to the definition of winner I made up just now. Bruins in 7. But in a parallel universe, the Caps are about to beat the Maple Leafs in 5 games of wide-open, dynamic hockey that has every fan in both countries’ smiling. Ugh.

Ian: I wish nothing but the worst for both of these teams. Like I hope both teams get the stomach flu and spend all game projectile vomiting at each other. That’s how I feel. My one key match-up is between Pierre McGuire’s favorite player in the NHL, All-American American Ryan Callahan, and free-style diver Brad Marchand. Who will out-pest the other? Who will flop more than Shane Battier? I’m not really sure who will — it’s impossible to predict — but I do know one thing for a fact. If these guys skate towards each at full speed and crash into each other at center ice, all bad things that have happened in life will become good, kinda like this Coldplay video.

Bruins in 4. Because it makes no sense at all.

Please share your predictions or just mock us for ours below.

Photo was touched up to remove the NHL executive handshake-passing the ref a 100-dollar bill. (Photo credit: Greg Fiume)

With their 5-0 loss to the New York Rangers in game seven, the Washington Capitals have been ungently booted from the postseason again. A period of healing and reconciliation now begins (also probably some suntans), but first we need to take a look at the sadness. The infinite, infinite sadness.

Let’s just take it all in, mope around for the next day or two like red-rocking Eeyores, and wallow in the wah wah wah (that’s what a sad trombone sounds like). It’s not fun; no, but we need to give the grieving process time to do its thing.

A rare moment in which Ribeiro stank both literally and figuratively? (Photo credit: Greg Fiume)

Clockwise, starting from Ovi: Stunned, annoyed, yawning, guffawing, free agent-y, and totally over this crap. (Photo credit: USA Today)

Oh great, next time you wanna be super-depressed, you don’t have to watch Requiem For a Dream. You can just pop open this GIF and save yourself two hours. (GIF by SBNation.com)

“Boredom is the root of all evil, the despairing refusal to be oneself”. – Kierkegaard (Photo credit: @dcsportsbog)

Sad dad. Sad dad. Sad dad. (Photo credit: @recordsANDradio)

Oh criminy, now we are zooming in on sad dad? Have you no decency, cameraman? (Photo credit: @dcsportsbog)

“I know it was you, Henrik. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!” (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

“Well son, since you haven’t learned to respect your elders, it’s time you learn to respect your betters.” (Photo credit: Alex Brandon)

This handshake nearly caused a goals-versus-threshold singularity that would have swallowed Marc-Andre Fleury whole. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

The Building of America’s Hockey Capital is running a bit late and over-budget. (Photo credit: Alex Brandon)

ARE YOU KIDDING. DUDE, THIS IS THE SADDEST THING EVER. CANNOT EVEN CAPTION THIS. WOW. WOW. (Photo credit: Alex Brandon)

Someone in the press corps just told Oates that Sun-In Hair Lightener is no longer in fashion. And that punk is dead. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

How this guy got no points in seven games is a puzzle for the ages. (Screengrab via Monumental Network)

Karl Alzner forced to stand by silently while his beard conducts a lengthy interview. (Screengrab via Monumental Network)

Green looks like a tougher and only slightly sadder version of the singer from Brand New. Who sucks by the way. (Screengrab via Monumental Network)

Mama Backstrom is disappointed in her son’s play, sure. But his facial hair is an outright disgrace to the family name. (Screengrab via Monumental Network)

No snarky caption. This guy is boss. Plus: hands-down best neckbeard on the team. (Screengrab via Monumental Network)

The sadness will pass soon. Try to put a smile on your face. And keep your head up. <3 RMNB.

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott

The 2012-2013 Washington Capitals are no more. Felled in seven games by Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers, the Caps have done the thinkable: an early-round exit from the playoffs for the fifth straight year. Some will call that a pattern, some will call it a curse. Some will call it karmic justice or the inevitable victory of a superior team over a bunch of preening Eurotrash, but those guys are dicks. Screw them. This is our goodbye, and we’re doing it our way.

Goodnight, sweet Caps. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

Maybe this game could have gone differently. If Arron Asham didn’t get that end-to-end slapshot past Holtby’s short side, we might’ve been in for a fun one.  But he did, and we weren’t.

Some other goals followed, but my rage blackouts came in waves and I might have actually passed out for a short portion of the second period. I do have vague remembrances of John Erskine doing some amoebic version of defense at some point– perhaps deciding to solve a 2-on-1 rush by turning himself into a pylon or engaging the rare “here, you take the puck” technique against Zuccarello early in the third period. After overperforming for most the season, Erskine eventually did what I feared he’d do: crash back to earth. And then he opened up a freaking sinkhole in front of Braden Holtby, who after a number of lovely games this series looked significantly less studly in game seven.

Sad dad.

Alex Ovechkin had a couple bad games in Madison Square Garden, but I reject the notion that he was the big problem in this series. Ovi generated a bunch of shots– even on the road in game six, and was clearly (at least, clearly to this writer) playing through an lower-body injury since game three. He’s the team’s all-time best playoff performer. Ovi rules, and I’m eager to see if he can keep it up next season. I don’t know if he can, but that’s hockey I want to see.

But sticking it to the Caps players isn’t what is called for here. The Rangers did some brilliant strategic stuff– choking the Caps in neutral (whose system under Oates should’ve been capable between the blues) and keeping shots far away of Lundqvist’s cage. Oates got out-coached. He’s new; he’ll improve.

Though it’s time to make an observation. For all of the manifest improvements to the Caps this year, particularly the phoenix-ish rise of Alex Ovechkin, they’re not much better than the Dale Hunter team. Is that roster, coaching, luck, or something else?

One excuse I don’t enjoy very much is personality-based. Starting with the fact that so few of the Caps players have been that first playoff disappointment in 2009, I have a hard time swallowing that there’s some kinda attitudinal cancer that waits until May to metastasize.

The New York Rangers win the privilege of playing the Boston Bruins in the second round. I don’t envy them that. The idea of the Capitals going another 4 (but probably 7) games with the Bruins is wearying. The last 21 Capitals playoff games have been buttoned-up affairs that have done much in the way of hypertension, but they’ve haven’t been fun in my opinion. The hockey the Caps were playing at the end of the season was fun, but it seems to me that the Caps let the Rangers dictate the pace of this series.

The last Joe B suit of the night

Whatever, I’m really proud of these Caps. Consider where we were in October: nowhere. Consider where we were in January: dead last. Then: .500 hockey. Then a division championship and a scoring title and bracing streak to finish the regular season.

And now here they are: going a full seven against a team that could make a Cup run. I didn’t even think they’d make the playoffs, but they kicked a fair bit of ass along the way.

The rollercoaster Caps are done. I don’t know what’s next, but it won’t be like this one again. Not sure if I’m grateful about that or not.

On a personal note, thanks for reading RMNB this year. It’s been our biggest year by a wide margin, and that’s due to you guys– a terrific and kind community of genuinely good people. We should probably party together sometime, right?

It’s been a privilege writing hockey for you. We’ll have a lot more coming soon, and the improvements and expansions we’ll be introducing next year will be. Uh. Huge.

Crash the net.

Peter Hassett
Frederick, MD

Photo credit: Scott Levy

We should have known better. We should have been more cynical. We should just have assumed this series was going to seven and enjoy Mother’s Day.

But nooooooo. We watched the Caps play an undisciplined-yet-solid game on enemy ice, giving up five power plays. No one’s saying the Caps are angels, but this is silly. The Rangers did nothing with their big chunk of man-advantage time, but one lucky bounce off Steve Oleksy’s arm made this a perfect afternoon for New York: a shutout without any penalties committed*.

Rangers beat Caps 1-0.  Game seven tomorrow night.

• Well, we kinda knew it would happen like this. Mathieu Perreault took a clean– but way late– hit by Michael Del Zotto. No whistle. Ryan Callahan lured Jack Hillen into roughing, and the Caps killed the penalty. Then, Eric Fehr put an elbow into Derek Brassard‘s shoulder, whose master thespian skills got the attention of the refs. The Caps killed all their first period penalties (including a long 5-on-3), but it was taxing. The whole bad-referee conspiracy theory thing is tiresome, but I don’t see how some of these calls are defensible. I really do think the Caps are doing more naughty things in this series, but not this many. And as the team who has had the puck most of the series, they’ve committed a curious number of offenses. That’s all I have to say about it.
• So I made a big deal last week about how articles slamming Alex Ovechkin’s defense are out of proportion. Alex probably didn’t read those articles, but he did feel like throwing me a bone, blocking two big shots in a first period shift. I appreciate the gesture, but I’d really rather not have my team’s $10-million superstar throwing his body in front of ballistic vulcanized rubber. If you disagree, I have two words that end the debate: Sidney Crosby.
• The Rangers came out of the first intermission motivated, tilting the ice for 10 minutes before Derek Brassard got a shot past Braden Holtby by way of Steve Oleksy‘s deflection. Rick Nash didn’t get a piece of it– no matter what the NHL scoresheet says.
• Alex Ovechkin‘s line got caught out in a long shift at the tail end of the second period. Most of that time was spent scrambling in their own zone, though Ovi did break out for a pretty chance on Henrik. That 96-second shift was just one portion of a fast-going second period, which the Rangers dominated.
• After a few days of chatter over possible injuries and defensive match-ups, Alex Ovechkin was electric on Sunday afternoon. 5 shots, 12 attempts– but nothing hitting the back of the net. He’s due.
• Remember that time in the third period when the Caps got away with a too-many-men penalty? That was nice for a second, until Joel Ward was whistled for a light crosscheck that sent Dorsett into the Rangers’ net. Ugh, I said I wouldn’t kvetch about penalties anymore, but here we are. At least New York is garbage on the power play– 2 for 20-something (and climbing) this series.
• 28 saves for Braden Holtby, plus the one behind his back. Beast.

Joe B suit of the night

*UPDATE: Stepan and Girardi were given roughing penalties for the scrum at the final buzzer. Carlson and Brouwer also got tagged for it. This is completely inconsequential, but putting an asterisk on NYR’s “perfect” game is the closest thing I have to joy right now.

Everyone’s been saying that the Caps have to stay out of the penalty box. It’s no less true now that it was then, but we haven’t really seen any effort to make that happen yet. We have seen an exemplary penalty kill unit, so there’s that at least.

Okay, game seven. We’re used to this by now, right?

Listen: no team has lost on home ice in this series. The Caps have outplayed the Rangers in probably five of these six games, and they can do it again. Dial down the passion, pull a couple power plays, and stay the course. No sweat.

Crash the net.

P.S. – Call your mom if you’re lucky enough to have one. Mine is great, and I’ll be bummed out that she won’t answer the phone tonight with a cheerful “happy hockey!”

See you guys tomorrow.

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott

Ack. I’m all jammed up like a Phish live record over here. This series is not good for people, plants, or other living things. The corrupted bastardization of hockey the Rangers have foisted upon the Capitals is some perverse thing not spoken of in polite circles. Where’s all the end-to-end action? The shot totals in excess of 40? The goalies giving up goals like Galileo dropped the orange? The Rangers forced the Caps into a constipated brand of hockey that is actually making my back seize up as if I were eating pancakes. Everything is all tensed up, and it goes on way too long. We’re supposed to enjoy it, but it’s really just survival.

The Rangers grabbed a lead in the game’s first minute, putting the entire DMV area’s bowels on red alert, but playoff hero Joel Ward tied it up in the second. The Caps leaned in during the third period, but we headed to overtime anyway– where Mike Ribeiro became a Capitals legend.

Caps beat Rangers 2-1 (Overtime). Caps lead the series 3-2. Sunday is an elimination game for New York.

• One minute in, Brian Boyle scored. I really don’t wanna talk about it, but if you MUST know, John Erskine and the top line were not doing their jobs — either in clearing the zone or taking defensive assignments. It was a pretty goal– a hard-around to behind-the-net to the open man in the slot. And it set a very bad precedent for the game.
• It wasn’t just that goal: John Erskine was a mess all around. He gave up a (soft?) elbowing penalty, had one nearly disastrous giveaway in the defensive zone, and was diagnosed with chronic anaphylaxis when exposed to opportunities to clear the zone. After a long season of overperforming, Erskine might be coming back down to Earth. He was a particularly stinky part of the malodorous palate that was the first period, in which the Caps– despite winning possession– failed to make a clean breakout or zone entry once.
• Mike Ribeiro (and we will come back to him) has been known for his hot head all season, but it worked tonight. He goaded Brian Boyle into a slashing penalty, which Joel Ward used to equalize just 11 seconds later. The power play was led by Marcus Johansson doing the Gretzky thing below the goal line. Really pretty stuff (Craig Laughlin called it “tic-tac-joel”), and not at all what New York was expecting. Joel Ward is a playoff rock and a credit to his team. Keep that stick low, Wardo!
• P.S. Ribeiro was a monster on the faceoff dot.
• The Caps were roughed up in the first period, but still got a narrow edge in possession. In the second period, the Caps turned that into a monster advantage during even strength that would lead to a blowout against  a team not so dedicated to shot-blocking (shot-blocking (n.) a way to lose, just less pathetically) and backstopped by the ‘Qvist.
• John Carlson post noooooooooooooooo. That’s all the “”analysis” I can muster right now. Dude beat the other dude, but the metal thing and then nooooooo. I should be upping my game for the playoffs, but this is really hard, you guys.
• The Capitals dominated the third period with mucho shot attempts, but we had to go to overtime anyway. Alright, let’s keep it short and sweet.
• The Caps kept piling on the icing penalties– indicating a weak breakout and neutral-zone play, but the defensive-zone faceoffs were solid.
• Mathieu Perreault had THE chance of overtime, seemingly beating Lundqvist until the Swede put a meaty leg out to kick the save.
• AND THEN: Mike Ribeiro, your player of the game by a country mile, won the game in overtime, scoring a point-blank slapshot. Ribeiro was the Caps’ best player tonight even before the OTGWG. He won 19 of 27 faceoffs and led forwards in possession (plus-16), but the goal clinched it. What a stud!

Joe B suit of the night

We always knew Sunday would be an elimination game, but yay it’s not for our team.

Let’s all just forget that first period. That sucked. Let’s linger on the convincing game the home team played in minutes 20 through whatever time it was when Ribeiro slapped in that one past Lundqvist. The Caps rule at five-on-five, and if they can– FINALLY– get their asses out of the box, they will mollywhomp-curbstomp the Rangers on Sunday afternoon (4:30).

I love this team. Have a great Friday night.

Let’s end this on Sunday.

Screengrab by NHL Beardsoffs

In a surprise to absolutely no one, unless you were to time-travel back to February– in case it would be a surprise to everyone, Alex Ovechkin has been named a finalist for the Hart Trophy, awarded each year to the player deemed most valuable to his team by a bunch of snooty professional hockey writers with their cocky strides and musky odors.

Ovechkin scored a league-high 32 goals in 2013 and added another 24 assists. His shot total (4.6 shots a game) was a bounce back from recent years. Plus he got to grow facial hair again.

The two other finalists are NYI’s John Tavares and Sidney Crosby.

The Hart Trophy winner will be announced in Las Vegas this summer.

Your press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / MAY 10, 2013
OVECHKIN, CROSBY AND TAVARES NAMED HART TROPHY FINALISTS
NEW YORK (May 10, 2013) – Center Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, right wing Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and center John Tavares of the New York Islanders are the three finalists for the
2012-13 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, with more detail on format to be released at a later date.

Following are the finalists for the Hart Trophy, in alphabetical
order:

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Although he missed the final 12 games of the regular season due to injury, Crosby still finished fourth in the League with 56 points and second with 41 assists to help the Penguins claim the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. He collected points in 28 of the 36 games he played in (77.8%), including 17 multi-point efforts, and recorded three point streaks of six games or more, including an eight-game stretch Feb. 24-March 10 (5-15—20). Crosby also finished fourth in the NHL with a +26 rating and posted his second career five-assist game March 10 vs. NY Islanders, becoming the only active NHLer with more than one such game in his career.
The 25-year-old Cole Harbour, N.S., native previously won the Hart Trophy in 2006-07 and also was a finalist for the award in 2009-10.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Ovechkin tallied 32 goals in 48 games, including 23 in his final 23 contests, to become the first three-time winner of the Maurice “Rocket”
Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader. He also finished third in the League in points (56), first in power-play goals (16), first in power-play points (27) and first in shots on goal (220), leading the Capitals to an 11-1-1 record in April and their fifth Southeast Division title in the last six years. Ovechkin recorded points in nine straight games March 17-April 2 (10-5—15), including a five-game goal streak March 17-24, and tallied his 30th goal of the year April 20, becoming the ninth player in League history to score 30 or more goals in each of his first eight seasons. The 27-year-old Moscow native is a two-time Hart Trophy winner (2007-08, 2008-09) and also was a finalist for the award in 2009-10.

John Tavares, New York Islanders

Tavares ranked third in the League with 28 goals and led the Islanders with 47 points in 48 games to propel the team to its first postseason berth since 2006-07. He scored 15 of his goals on the road (third in the NHL), helping the Islanders record their best road winning percentage in franchise history (.667). Tavares also ranked in the top 10 in the League in even-strength goals (19), power-play goals (nine) and game-winning goals (five). He scored in five straight games Feb. 7-16, including his fourth career hat trick Feb. 16 vs. New Jersey, and posted 13 multi-point games. The 22-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native is a first-time finalist for the Hart Trophy.

Photo credit: Scott Levy

Okay, the subject line is a joke, but some people are being silly about Derek Stepan‘s game-winning goal last night. They’re saying it was Alex Ovechkin‘s fault– that his laziness on defense is a problem.

Here’s how it really went down.

After a long shift in the defensive zone, Marcus Johansson failed to clear the zone and pass to Alex Ovechkin, who was skating toward Lundqvist at center ice. A scramble for the puck ensued, and Stepan scored from the weak side. Ovechkin skated lazily towards Stepan as it happened.

Bad visual, but that’s all.

Deadspin’s headline for the play is Alexander Ovechkin Would Prefer Not To Play Defense because it fits cozily into a pernicious media narrative, but it’s not actually true. Recall if you will minutes earlier that same game when Ovechkin’s defensive backcheck was so enthusiastic it turns Martin Erat’s wrist into kindling.

Here’s the very first frame of the video of the play:

Ovechkin is hauling ass away from the play because he’s expecting a breakout pass so that he can enter the offensive zone on a rail and score the game-tying goal. He’s expecting competence from his linemates, which was the real tragic error here– not some dubious distaste for defense.

But that doesn’t stop media folks from using this an opportunity to lambast Alex Ovechkin for the same old thing. Media is a business– I get that, but let’s be honest: those writers and pundits are serving an agenda, not informing their audience.

The Hershey Bears ended their season last night. Martin Erat might have done that as well when he slammed his wrist into the net. As a result, the Capitals have recalled youngling Tom Wilson and former NHL player Joey Crabb from the Hershey Bears.

Are these our 2013 black aces, or will Wilson or Crabb see some play? Will Aaron Volpatti go from waiver wire to playoff hockey in the span of a few months? Will Wojtek Wolski ever play again?

P.S. Ovi for Lindsay.

From the Capitals:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2013

Capitals Recall Tom Wilson and Joey Crabb from the Hershey Bears
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled right wings Tom Wilson and Joey Crabb from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Wilson, 19, made his professional debut with Hershey in Game 3 of the AHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal vs. Providence and recorded one goal and six penalty minutes in three playoff games with the Bears. He recently completed his season with Plymouth after helping the Whalers reach the OHL Western Conference Championship Series where they fell to London in five games. Wilson earned OHL Player of the Week honors for the week ending April 21 and collected six goals, two assists and 12 penalty minutes in his last four games of the championship series. He and teammate (and fellow Capitals prospect) Connor Carrick both ranked in the top-10 in playoff scoring when Plymouth was eliminated as Wilson recorded 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) and 41 penalty minutes in his 12 playoff games.

The Toronto native, who was drafted in the first round (16th overall) by the Capitals in the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh, recorded 58 points (23 goals, 35 assists) and 104 penalty minutes in 48 regular season games with Plymouth this season. He ranked fifth on Plymouth in points, tied for sixth in goals and second in penalty minutes despite missing 20 games. The 6’4”, 210-pound forward was recalled on Jan. 12 to participate in the Capitals training camp.

In 2011-12 he collected 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) and 141 penalty minutes in 49 games with Plymouth and added 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 13 OHL playoff games. Wilson was voted as the ‘Best Body Checker’ in the OHL’s 2012 Western Conference Coaches Poll and was a runner up for the ‘Hardest Worker’ category.

Wilson won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, posting three goals in five games. He also won gold with Team Ontario at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording one assist and six penalty minutes in four games. The Capitals signed Wilson to a three-year, entry level contract on July 19, 2012.

Crabb, 30, collected two goals and eight penalty minutes in 26 games with Washington this season and six goals and six assists in 12 games with Hershey. He led the Bears with five goals in five games during the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Last season he recorded career highs in goals (11), assists (15), points (26) and games played (67) with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He finished the season ranked 11th on Toronto in points and eighth in goals while his plus-one rating finished tied for fifth on the team. In addition, Crabb recorded three assists in eight games with the United States at the 2012 World Championships.

The Anchorage, Alaska, native has appeared in 170 career NHL games with Atlanta, Toronto and Washington, compiling 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists) and 93 penalty minutes. He has collected 184 points (79 goals, 105 assists) in 311 career AHL games with Hershey, Chicago and Toronto. The 6’1”, 190-pound forward won a Calder Cup championship with the Chicago Wolves in 2007-08, posting one goal and five assists in 24 playoff games. Crabb was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the seventh round (226th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft after spending four seasons at Colorado College (NCAA).

Both Wilson and Crabb will participate in today’s 11:30 a.m. Capitals practice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Wilson wears No. 43 while Joey Crabb wears No. 15 for Washington.