We are just one day away from RMNB Party 5: Skate or Die!  Go check out our original post or our Facebook event.

Thanks to some well timed henriquing, there will in fact be a game to watch on Saturday night, and there is a decent chance we’ll even be together to watch somebody hoist the Stanley Cup. Not gonna lie: I will get emotional.

The game is supposed to start at 8, but who knows what kind of nonsensical padding and human interest story fluff NBC will air beforehand. If Costas shows up, you know it’s gonna be bad.

Seriously: you’re coming, right?

Frankly we’re quite relieved that there will actually be hockey on Saturday. Our contingency plan involved a series of Oxford style debates on the following topics: For whom should the Capitals inevitably trade Alex Ovechkin? When the Capitals acquire Zach Parise in July, should he serve on the penalty kill? Should Rick Nash get the A when he is definitely signed to the Caps? and Alex Semin: is he enigma, a puzzle, or just a dude who doesn’t speak English? Thank goodness we don’t have to do that. Anyone caught discussing the above will be flogged.

Before the party, we’ll be skating at KCI– right across the street from Front Page. The public skate is from 6-7. It’s first-come, first-serve, and if you act like a goon we’ll disavow you and tell everyone you’re from Japers Rink or something. KCI’s rules for the public skate are at the bottom of this post.

(By the way: don’t worry about missing the horse race. I’ll Have Another is scratched. Poor baby, but don’t feel too bad: he’s got a lifetime of horse love-making to look forward to.)

Back to the party: Front Page is kind enough to offer $2 Bud Light drafts on special. If you’re doing the public skate, you can take your skate pass (and a front-facing photo ID) to the Sports Page deli at KCI for a free beer before coming over.

Ian's outfit

Obviously, our team’s season is over, so please don’t feel obligated to wear your Caps red. In truth, a Russian Machine t-shirt may make you our instant BFF, but please feel free to dress however you like. For example, Ian will be wearing crocs, zubaz, and a Devils jersey from the mid-90s.

If you’re making any social media noise about the party, the hashtag we are futilely asking you to use is #RMNBParty5.

Here are those lightly paraphrased guidelines from KCI that I promised you above. You can read the whole public session tips PDF here.

• The rink is chilly—don’t forget your sweatshirt or coat. Helmets are recommended for young skaters. Gloves are encouraged. Wear long pants and socks that come above the ankle.
• All public sessions are subject to a capacity limit. Passes are sold beginning 30 minutes before the session starts. Winter weekends are very busy; please plan accordingly.
• All ages and ability levels are welcome on public sessions.
• Please skate with the flow of traffic.
• Skates must be worn on the ice for public session. No shoes on the ice!
• Both hockey and figure skates are available for rent.
• No cameras, cell phones, or headphones on the ice.
• Please do not skate through the center of the rink. The center of the ice is for private skating lessons and for skaters to work on maneuvers.
• No cones, buckets, or walkers are allowed on the ice to assist skaters. These create a danger for other skaters.
• No hockey sticks or pucks permitted on public sessions. KYLE. 
• Lockers are available for $.50. KCI is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Consider leaving extraneous items at home or in the car.

Finally, here’s the new song from Silversun Pickups, who are kinda/sorta from L.A.

Illustration by Ian Oland.

It’s only been the offseason for a couple weeks, and we already miss you guys. So we had a thought: why don’t we all get together, share some laughs, and watch maybe the last hockey game  of the year?

So. Saturday, June 9, 7 PM. Come to Front Page VA to watch Game Five* of the Stanley Cup Finals with us. Front Page will have some TVs tuned to the game, specials for the hungry and thirsty among us, and a small army of service staff waiting at your beck and call.

If you’re up for some fun before the game, we’ll be crashing the public skate at Kettler Capitals Iceplex from 6 PM to 7 PM. Seeing as I haven’t laced up skates in almost a decade, that should be sufficiently mortifying. Here are tips and guidelines for public skate at KCI (PDF).

Go check out the Facebook Event. Invite your friends!

The party will be laid-back affair, as befitting the summertime vibe. Everyone is welcome. Ample parking is available at the Ballston Mall. The party hashtag is #RMNBParty5.

So… will we see you there?

The public skate will be exactly nothing like this:

* NOTE: Yeah, if the Kings sweep the Devils (or the other way around… ha yeah right) there won’t be any hockey to watch at the party, but get real.

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

Thank you to everyone who attended RMNB Party 4: Judgment Day at Front Page Arlington. Thank you to Front Page for being such terrific hosts and putting up with our crowd. Thank you to Wes Johnson for rocking the microphone. Thank you to Mathieu Perreault for scoring the game-winner.

The turnout was terrific, the game was great, and it scarcely could have gone better. Our own paparazzo, Chris Gordon, was snapping pics all night long; here’s a sampling behind the jump. If you’ve got more pics to share, please link ‘em up in the comments or share ‘em on Twitter on the #RMNBParty4 hashtag. If you’ve got a story to tell about the party (love connections, anyone?), let us know that as well. Thanks again!

Sam the Horn Guy pumping up the crowd.

Adam from King of Leonsis was the only person not wearing red.

Arian, who is a Bruins fan, is an exceptional photobomber.

Chris was dedicated to getting awkward photos of me last night. Mission accomplished.

Ian wears Chris’ Yankees hat. The Orioles won 8-2 last night, in case you were wondering.

Wes Johnson makes everything funnier.

Our only fatality of the night. It was nice knowing you, Suzanne.

Ted Starkey and Dave Nichols taking what I’m told is a candid photo, but I’m starting to doubt it.

Happy moment or angry moment? Not sure.

GOAT leads a “Let’s go Caps!” cheer.

Wes delivers his St. Crispin’s Day speech.

Giving away swag during a rousing game of So You’re An Expert!?

Alan May rookie card.

Perturbation on the face of Mr. Sam Wolk.

Perturbation gone from the face of Mr. Sam Wolk.

The cheesy RMNB magnet is not worth that smile.

Our ultimate prize, a signed Pierre McGuire card. At right, Ana cannot believe it.

Superfan fight.

Craig and Doug with Chris.

Craig and Doug with Adam.

The traditional RMNB shooter, shared by Dave, Suzanne, and Ian.

Mike Knuble’s head will never be scratched from an RMNB party. Thanks, Knuble’s Knights!

Caps Basketball is hilarious.

We’re apparently not on the same page about how to pose here.

Neil and Nicci are adorbs.

The end.

Starting at 5:30 at Front Page Arlington, it’s finally time for #RMNBParty4! Ostensibly it is a viewing party for Game 82, the Caps at the Rangers, but it’s really so much more. We already know the Caps are in the playoffs, but tonight we find out who they’ll face in the first round. It’ll be a good time.

Everyone is welcome. No dress code (but you can’t go wrong in red). The game starts at 6:30, but we’ll be partying as of 5:30. Immediately after the game, we’ll be playing SO YOU’RE AN EXPERT!?, which might be a total trainwreck.

If you’re gonna be making social media noise at or about the party, please do so using the #RMNBParty4 hashtag. We’ll be broadcasting all those tweets behind the jump and collecting them for a post-mortem. See you at the party!

Welp. We’re here. The end of the season is scant days away, and we don’t yet know the Washington Capitals’ future. We could be looking at the first Caps year without a playoff since 2007– or we could be looking at kind of decent seeding. Every day narrows that spectrum, but the final result will be revealed on April 7th, the final day of the regular season. On that day, the Capitals will play a road game against the New York Rangers, current occupants of the #1 spot in the conference.

It’s a huge deal, so we’re throwing a party.

Come to Front Page Arlington on Saturday, April 7, for the Russian Machine viewing party and so much more. We’re calling it RMNB 4: Judgment Day. Details after the jump.

When? Saturday, April 7,  5:30 PM until whenever. Game starts at 6:30.

Where? Front Page Arlington, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203. Right next to Ballston Mall and Kettler Capitals Iceplex

What? RMNB Party 4: Judgment Day. Viewing party for game 82, WSH @ NYR.

Who? You. Us. Any hockey people we can guilt into showing up with the promise of a free drink.

Why? To end the regular season, learn the future, and do it together.

RSVP now. It’s not mandatory, but it’s fun.

This is Peter’s “poster” for the party. He’s proud.

Our previous parties at Front Page have been the stuff of legend. We have made love out of nothing at all, turned lifelong friends into bitter enemies, and generated enough social-media activity to annoy the people who didn’t show up.

And the Front Page is a terrific establishment. They were recently voted best place to watch a Caps game. They’ve got a great beer selection an awesome staff, a good location, and a French dip sandwich that is so good it will make you reevaluate your life decisions. They’ll be bringing back their Ovi Burger (we’ve had it; it’s scrumptious) and busting out some specials for the game.

After the game (which we SHALL NOT jinx), we’ll be shifting to party mode. We’ll be running a few activities, including the debut of our trivia quiz, SO YOU’RE AN EXPERT? with Peter and Ian. More details about that will be coming, but for now rest easy knowing there is schwag to be had.

It’ll be a laid-back vibe, so please feel no pressure. Wear your Caps red or top hat ‘n’ tails. Show up early. Show up late. Come in alone and make some friends. It’ll be fun. Promise.

Literally everyone everywhere is invited. If you’re thinking, “Well, that doesn’t include me; I’m [under 21/over 50/a Rangers fan/the person who keeps commenting about Enrique Iglesias].” Wrong. You belong. You are wanted. You are invited.

See you guys at the party.

Huh? Dude, read above. It’s a party at Front Page VA after all the development camp shenanigans are over.

Why? Why not, man? It’s summer time. We miss you guys. The prospects are in town. Tons of changes in the Caps org. Peter got a new bulldog. Pick a reason; they’re all good.

Where? The Front Page. 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22203. Just across from KCI. A stone’s throw from Cold Stone. You can’t miss it.  We’ll be hanging out at the front bar and the outdoor patio.

When? Well, again, we told you this already. It’s like you’re not paying attention. Saturday, July 16, 2011. Right after the scrimmage (which starts at 10am). Let’s say 1 PM, but it could be anytime around then. Party goes on til 5-ish. Then you can go crash Michael Jenkins’ party.

Who? You, hopefully. Of course we’ll be there, and that includes RMNB-, WaPo-, and ESPN-published sports maven slash Twitter personality Neil Greenberg.

3.5? We’re doing half-parties now. Since the eventual RMNB Party 4 will be so massive that house plants will be knocked over by its gravitational pull, we thought giving this one a modest point five was the right thing to do.

Anything else? Happy hour specials from 3 to 5 if your whistle needs wetting.

So will we see you there?

We’ll see you guys tonight. Also, special thanks to 105.7 The Fan’s Sky Kerstein for promoting the party earlier today on his talk show “Morning Skate!” If you guys need any more information, you can find it here.

If there was one photo to sum up the night, this would be it.

On Saturday night, we hosted our second RMNB par-taaaaay at The Front Page in Arlington, Virginia. The event was all for charity, raising an astounding $2,500.08 for the Brian and Emily St. Louis Family Fund. We held a silent auction featuring some lovely pieces of Caps memorabilia and held a raffle for those of you who couldn’t drop the big bucks. As promised, some quasi-famous people showed up including Caps P.A. announcer Wes Johnson, CSN anchor Michael Jenkins, Caps beat reporter for 106.7 The FAN Sky Kerstein, Japers’ Rink blogger J.P., Mike Vogel of the Capitals, Brian Murphy of Hail! Magazine and Homer McFanboy, the Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg plus super-fans Goat and The Horn Guy! Teen heartthrob Fedor Fedin was also there, though he didn’t seem to move much. All things considered, it was a pretty awesome night. But hey, you already knew that! If you want to relive the party (or for some reason need convincing on why you should come to our next one which is tentatively titled RMNB Party 3: Let’s All Drink Out Of This Big Silver Cup Thingee) check out the pictures from the night below!

Hands down, the most valued item on this table was the signed puck from Nate Ewell. And yes, the hugs were for free. You’ll see.

So many people!

So yeah, the rumors were true: Marcus Johansson did show up… but with the intention of having a peaceful dinner with his family. Instead, when he arrived, Front Page was jammed pack with hundreds of people in Caps jerseys. Poor guy. Mojo was a great sport and even posed for this photo. Props are also extended to all our party-goers for actually leaving him alone during dinner. Family time does not equal sign autographs time. And you guys showed mad respect. Really, it’s no shock that the very next day he had the game-winning assist in overtime. Whatta guy!

Above Goat and Horn Guy enjoy a drink or three in the back bar. The horn later failed a breathalyzer test.

Kim is hiding her face in shame here because she didn’t bring Peanut, RMNB’s cutest reader, to the party. FOR SHAME, KIM!

Toni, an active member of the Caps Fan Club, hangs out around the Silent Auction table. She graciously donated a signed Alex Ovechkin Winter Classic puck, which was part of a package that made $291 for the STL Fund!  Someone please get her something even cooler to replace it with ASAP.

Laura, in a KHL Dmitry Orlov jersey, and Mike, in a KHL Semyon Varlamov jersey, pose for a photo. Yes, they were the people responsible for my party ensemble: an Evgeny Kuznetsov Traktor jersey. I probably shouldn’t have just blown their cover. Dang it!

The three jerseys up for grabs in the silent auction. In the corner is the signed Kolzig puck.

Sweetest Hockey On Earth lead writer Kathryn Hedrick (bottom right) poses with her lovely friends.

Chris and myself with two of our blogging idols: J.P. and Dan.

Gregg Mace, the lead sports anchor for ABC27 in Harrisburg, and Michael Gordon, a writer for The New York Times, have intelligent conversation. Meanwhile, Kyle looks at them bewildered.

Victoria was incredibly gracious and donated one of her bottles of Winter Classic Wine. Rachel also brilliantly inked that Russian Machine illustration.#Teamwork

HAI Lindsey!

CUTE.

Amanda hangs out in the atrium.

Fedor asked Kyle if he would shoot some pucks. Kyle happily obliged.

No surprise, Fedor’s the life of the party.

Anything I say here will be NSFW.

Angie, AKA @LadyHatTrick, rocking out during hockeyoke.

Honestly, the Alan Maydens shirt is incredible. Thank you for donating it for a good cause, Manda!

The joy in his face!

Michael Jenkins poses for a photo with Wes.

Capitals Capman and Wes flex for the camera.

BAM! Hug #1.

Hug #2′s a bit more sensual.

Nick Blackstrom in the house.

WINNING!

Group shot of some of my favorite people!

Hockey Night in Canada was on so we could make fun of Don Cherry’s horrendous St. Patrick’s Day themed suit and tie.

Jack Anderson and Adam Vingan of Kings of Leonsis.

Ohh, Holly.

RMNB group shot!

Ben Sumner of Capitals Outsider captures Wes Johnson announcing all of the raffle winners. The jokes are SO hilarious.

Floor hockey! What a great touch with the organ music!

The story behind this video is as Sam was leaving, I asked him if he would go out to the atrium and blow his horn as loud as he could to see how long it would echo. The atrium area goes up about 10 floors and is only about 100 feet wide. Above is the result.

A Special Thanks to the St. Louis Family

Thank you to Brian St. Louis’s sister, Lisa, and her awesome husband Justin for coming out and having a good time with us. Hopefully, the money we made for Emily will pay for Brayden’s diapers for at least a month or two!

Liz Elkind. Check out all her photos from the night here. >>

Greta Arnold. Check out all her photos from the night here. >>

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

So in a few short hours, RMNB Party 2: Electric Boogaloo is set to begin. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• If you are talking about the party tonight on Twitter, please use the hashtag #rmnbparty2 in your tweets so it’ll pop up in our nifty Twitter widget above. Feel free to tweet photos, videos, happiness, and weird drunk messages above. Maybe it’ll even convince a few more people to come out!
• Please bring money with you to the party (so you can tip CSN’s Michael Jenkins after his Karaoke performance). There will be no cover charge, but we’ll be offering a $10 wristband at the door which will include these specials: 1/2 price burgers, $4 shooter special, $2 miller lite and bud light bottles, and the kicker – you’ll be entered into our raffle for a chance to win an assortment of goodies including signed pucks from Matt Bradley, Jeff Schultz, Braden Holtby, Andrew Gordon, and Nate Ewell(!!!). All money from these wristbands will be donated to the Brian and Emily St. Louis Family Fund. So please consider purchasing one.
• If you’re looking to bid on any of our items in the silent auction tonight, we’ll be accepting cash or check. The checks will need to be made out to the Brian and Emily St. Louis Fund. Items in the silent auction will include: a signed Nicklas Backstrom jersey, a signed Mike Green jersey, a signed Alex Ovechkin Winter Classic puck with a framed Russian Machine illustration by Rachel Cohen, a collection of signed merchandise from Semyon Varlamov, a signed Olaf Kolzig puck, a Brooks Laich jersey, and finally a Hershey Bears package which includes two tickets to an upcoming Bears game with parking pass, a framed signed Andrew Gordon Championship photo with special personalization, a signed Jay Beagle Winter Classic puck, and a signed Braden Holtby puck.
• One big thing we just found out about yesterday is that former Capital Kevin Kaminski will be attending the party tonight, courtesy of the lovely people at On Frozen Blog. His birthday is tomorrow, so let’s celebrate it right. Others to be in attendance include Caps PA Announcer Wes Johnson, Horn Guy (we’re still awaiting word back if his horn will actually be there), Goat, and as stated before, CSN’s incredible anchor/dancer/singer/rapper Michael Jenkins. Also, we’re expecting almost all of the Caps bloggers to be there.
• Though Fedor’s stuck in Moscow, he’ll be here with us in spirit. We’ll be reading another one of his letters.
• The floor hockey will be in the back of the bar. It might get a little cramped. Please don’t slash or maim anyone with your hockey stick. That might put a damper on tonight’s festivities.
• Please don’t use Shamrockfest as an excuse not to come. It ends at 8pm and is a short metro ride away from Ballston. Don’t be lame.
• Remember, this is for a really good cause. Behave. Be respectful. Donate lots of monies.

Alright, we’re all looking forward to seeing you guys down there. It should be a blast. Until then!!

This signed Mike Green jersey will be up for auction.

Logo and illustration by Ian Oland

Eight months ago, we celebrated our first year anniversary with a party hosted by Front Page Arlington. It was a huge success, as over 150 lovely readers came out to hang with us. That night we even did some good by raising $1,000 for Love146, a charity near and dear to the heart of friend-of-the-blog Samantha Casey.

Since that party went so well, we decided, “Ah, what the heck! Let’s have another one.” So next Saturday, March 12, our blog will be hosting our second shindig wondrously titled RMNB Party 2: Electric Boogaloo. (You can thank Neil for the name.) This year’s celebration will once again be held at the Front Page restaurant in Arlington, VA and we’ll be there meeting and greeting with our readers from 6pm until midnight.

Because some of you have already asked, RMNB Party 2 will be an all ages event and anyone and everyone is welcome to attend (well, not everybody). You can RSVP on our Facebook page here.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the evening’s festivities:

• We’ll be having a silent auction where a few awesome pieces of Caps memorabilia will be available. One of the items, as seen above, is a signed Mike Green jersey.
• There will also be floor hockey set up in the atrium. Grab your best stick and get ready to Unleash the floor-hockey Fury. Ovechtricks are always welcome, and very encouraged.
• Warm up those vocal chords and prepare your best rendition of “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” because there will be Hockeyoke (karaoke) to sing throughout the night! There are sure to be countless embarrassing moments that will haunt us forever on youtube. We can’t wait!
• Front Page Arlington will be having several food & drink specials going on that evening including: $3 draft beer, $2.75 rail drinks, $3.25 glasses of house wine, and $3 off non-shrimp appetizers.
• For our party, Happy Hour specials will be extended until 9pm.
• And finally: a twist. We’ll be offering a $10 wristband at the door which will include these additional specials: 1/2 price burgers, $4 shooter special, $2 miller lite and bud light bottles, and the kicker – you’ll be entered into our raffle for a chance to win an assortment of other Caps signed goodies.

Things to keep in mind:

• I am still a very huggy person.
• We have quasi-famous friends.
• We’re looking for one of our readers who is a talented photographer, to document the night for us in photos. Please email us if you are interested in doing so.
• The dress code is whatever you want it to be. Some ladies want to wear dresses. Some dudes want to wear a Caps hat and a jersey. That’s fine by us. Though wearing one of these will always get you some special attention.
• Directions to Front Page Arlington can be found here.
• We really freakin’ can’t wait to hang out with you guys again. Have we said that already?
• Specially signed Caps items or gift certificates will be accepted ahead of the silent auction, if anyone wants to help us out. Please email us if you have anything you’d like to donate.
• The Caps Fan Club will have a table set-up and will be selling Capitals Calendars, where all the photos have been taken by Caps Fans. They’re pretty sweet.
• Please spread the word. We really want a lot of people to come out!

Finally, while RMNB Party 2: Electric Boogaloo is funny in name, it is serious in purpose. Proceeds from the silent auction and raffle are going to benefit The Brian & Emily St. Louis Family Fund.

Way back in September, Brian St. Louis, a youth hockey coach and hockey director at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, passed away suddenly at the Ballston rink. Brian was a beloved member of the Washington Little Capitals, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, and the DC area hockey community. His widow Emily is currently expecting their first child this month.

This story deeply resonated with us, and we hope you’ll join us on the 12th to not only have some fun, but also help make a difference for a local family who could use our love and support.

If you can’t make it to the party, but are still interested in contributing to the fund, we highly urge you to send a donation to:

The Brian & Emily St. Louis Family Fund
In care of CRP Management Group
P.O. Box 1548
Ashburn, VA 20146

In closing, if any of you have any questions or would like to help out or volunteer, please shoot us an email or leave us a note in the comments below and we’ll get back to you. See you next week!