Opinion

The Mighty Ducks Turns 20: Then And Now

On October 2, 2012, In Opinion, By Peter Hassett

Gangsta rap, this is all your fault. Criminy, it’s like headwear bingo up there.

It’s been twenty years since we learned to quack. In that span of time, our Ducks have flown far and wide. Now we have this opportunity to check in on Gordon, Charlie, Hans, Jack, Averman, Goldberg, Jesse, the other one, the short one, the guy from that other movie, and all those other unforgettable characters.

The career trajectories varied as much as their crazy hats in that picture above (Guy Germaine, what the hell is on your head?). Some actors rose to fame making out with Tom Cruise’s ex-wife, and others had to settle for making out with Paula Abdul. Follow me past the jump for a trip in the wayback machine.

The Mighty Ducks Turns 20 This Week!

On October 1, 2012, In Opinion, By Peter Hassett

A few months ago I was on Up the Pucks, a podcast that mixes up punk rock and hockey. They asked me what got me into hockey and I blurted out The Mighty Ducks! After some thought, that answer rang true for me and I imagine for lots of other fans my age as well.

This week, that seminal movie celebrates its 20th anniversary. And as much as I am petrified by time’s march, the thought that The Mighty Ducks is twenty fills me more with nougaty nostalgia than existential dread. Yeah, it’s a craven exploitation flick starring an aged brat packer and liking it instantly brands you Too Old To Hit On College Girls, but it’s still an important part of our shared culture. So let’s take a moment, nay, an entire week, to revel in this Hockey Cinema Classic.

Tagged with: Emilio Estevez • The Mighty Ducks

Proposal: Let’s Ditch Plus-Minus …and Introducing Ice Tilt!

On September 19, 2012, In Opinion, By Peter Hassett

Photo credit: Flickr / catrinamariee

[Editor's note: Over the next however long, we'll be pondering a few ways to brighten up the hockey world. Sometimes silly, sometimes not: here are our proposals for the 2012-2013 season... whenever that may happen.]

Goals, assists, plus-minus. That’s supposed to be how you tell how good a hockey player is. When a skater’s name pops up on the CSN-Washington chyron, they show goals, assists, and plus-minus. ESPN, Yahoo, and NHL.com place plus-minus among their marquee stats for ranking players. But the more we learn about hockey and statistics, the more we know that plus-minus kind of sucks at measuring talent.

Proposal: This season, let’s throw out the plus-minus stat. In this article I’m gonna tell you why I think plus-minus has gotta go, and I’m gonna pitch a stat to replace it.

Tagged with: #fancystats • Alex Semin • ice tilt • Jeff Schultz • Manny Malhotra • plus-minus

Locked Out: My Life Will Go On Without Hockey

On September 16, 2012, In Opinion, By Ian Oland

Photo credit: @Jeffler

There’s going to be a lot of shortsighted posts from angry bloggers over the next few weeks about how greedy NHL players and owners are. How this lockout is going to forever hurt the game. How fans will never come back like they used to.

As much as I want to be able to write that post, I can’t. It might take some time, but the game will come back stronger than ever and the fans will come back too.

I love this sport with all my heart, but my life will go on without hockey. Yours should too.

RMNB’s SB Nation Sports Blog Blog Name Ranking Index

On August 28, 2012, In Opinion, By Peter Hassett

SB Nation’s blog for the Buffaslugs takes on all comers. Photo by the great Clydeorama.

Like fantasy teams, sports blogs tend to have boldly silly names. Onomasticians fill their hours dissecting the tribalism and secret etymology of blogs with names like Russian Machine Never Breaks and the late, great, way too punny Kings of Leonsis.

Fun fact: here are some names we didn’t pick for RMNB: Red Line to Stanleytown, Laing’s Gang, various names with a bongo theme. Meanwhile, across the net at SB Nation (a blog network of which our colleagues at Japers’ Rink are members and Caps owner Ted Leonsis is an investor), there’s a blog for every team in the league. It’s a panoply of fun, imaginative names.

To pass the time on this long and languid summer, we decided to pick our favorites. Behold: the RMNB’s SB Nation Sports Blog Blog Name Ranking Index Presented by RMNB.

Tagged with: Summer Content

Alex Ovechkin Breaks Standing No-Jagr Rule

On July 31, 2012, In Opinion, Photos, By Ana Hansen

Photo credit: Kyle Terada

Alex Ovechkin is no stranger to the Olympic games, but this summer in London he’s just along for the ride. He’s been watching his girlfriend Maria Kirlienko compete in tennis for Russia and soaking in the special atmosphere of the Olympics, watching events, meeting new people, forming new friensh –

Tagged with: Alex Ovechkin • Jaromir Jagr • Maria Kirilenko • Nadia Petrova

RMNB Platinum: John Carlson’s Autographed Rookie Draft Board Card Could Be Yours

On July 20, 2012, In Opinion, By Ian Oland

Attention: The following post is only available for RMNB Platinum readers who own two yachts, a dirigible, and several bidets installed in their gated-community mansions.

I spent draft night like I would any other. I had my personal sommelier open a bottle of fine wine, reclined on my settee, and tuned my 65″ Sharp Elite PRO-X5FD series television onto TSN.

My Capitals had two pics in the top 20, but I pondered how they’d handle it. Would they trade up for a top pick? Would GMGM infuriate the entire fan base and take more Russians? Would they work a deal for a veteran player? The possibilities are endless, I thought to myself as I fed my hairless sphynx some truffle shavings.

Tagged with: John Carlson • Washington Capitals

TSN Trashes Alex Semin, Calls Him a “Loser” and “Coach Killer”

On July 1, 2012, In Opinion, Transcription, By Ian Oland

“I have no idea what I’m talking about.”

The NHL Network was super awesome today. They aired TSN’s three-hour Free Agent Frenzy special, in which there was precious little frenzying. As a result, TSN’s panel of uh, experts– Pierre McGuire, Marc Crawford, Ray Ferraro, and host James Duthie– had nothing to talk about. So they dumped on former Capital Alex Semin.

Tagged with: Alex Semin • James Duthie • Marc Crawford • Pierre McGuire • Ray Ferraro • TSN

RMNB’s Guide To Free Agency

On June 30, 2012, In Opinion, By Ana Hansen

Photo illustration by Ian Oland.

Guess what tomorrow is? That’s right! Canada Day!

It also happens to be NHL Free Agency, the wildest and kookiest hockey day of the year. The Capitals aren’t expected to make any world-shaking moves this year, but you never know. The spirit of capitalism can possess even the most level-headed of GMs and make them act like crazy people, so stay tuned here tomorrow while we update you on what’s going down. The Caps have a few holes to fill, a few free agents who will find new homes — and who knows, maybe McPhee will trade Backstrom for Jeff Skinner or something, and we’ll all have to drink ourselves into oblivion.

Anything is possible! But luckily, not everything is likely, so follow us below the jump for your Guide to Free Agency 2012.

Tagged with: Andrei Kostitsyn • Bobby Ryan • Bryan Allen • Dennis Wideman • Dustin Penner • Jaromir Jagr • Jason Garrisson • Jeff Halpern • Martin Brodeur • Matt Carle • Mike Knuble • P.A. Parenteau • Ray Whitney • Ryan Suter • Shane Doan • Washington Capitals • Zach Parise

RMNB’s Favorite Memories of Alex Semin

On June 30, 2012, In Opinion, By Ian Oland

Photo credit: Nick Laham

We’re saying goodbye to Alex Semin this weekend. After seven seasons with the Washington Capitals, Sasha will become a free agent at noon on Sunday. Think of it as tribute to the man or maybe just as part of the grieving process, but we’ve rummaged through the archives and picked out our favorite Alex Semin moments on RMNB.

We hope that this little stroll through the recent history will help you say goodbye to Sasha Minor in the best way possible. Will you get misty-eyed? Maybe. Will you marvel at his preternatural hockey skills? It could happen. Will you shake your head incredulously? Yup, definitely that.

So pour yourself something with ice in it and let’s hop in the wayback machine.

Tagged with: Alex Semin • Washington Capitals

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Russian Machine Never Breaks

The Mighty Ducks Turns 20: Then And Now

The Mighty Ducks Turns 20 This Week!

Proposal: Let’s Ditch Plus-Minus …and Introducing Ice Tilt!

Locked Out: My Life Will Go On Without Hockey

RMNB’s SB Nation Sports Blog Blog Name Ranking Index

Alex Ovechkin Breaks Standing No-Jagr Rule

RMNB Platinum: John Carlson’s Autographed Rookie Draft Board Card Could Be Yours

TSN Trashes Alex Semin, Calls Him a “Loser” and “Coach Killer”

RMNB’s Guide To Free Agency

RMNB’s Favorite Memories of Alex Semin

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