Photos by Chris Gordon

Now that the Washington Capitals have been eliminated, it’s time to move on to other things: country music concerts, junior hockey games, and, tonight, baseball!

Caps players seem to love America’s pastime. Some of them prefer a game of catch over the traditional pregame soccer kickaround. Some of them are filthy Blue Jays fans. Brooks Laich is a fan as well, and on Monday he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Laich also got an extensive tour of the O’s clubhouse from All Star closer Jim Johnson, a noted New York Rangers fan.

Laich, a righty, managed to throw (sort of) a strike, just like Alex Ovechkin did a year ago. His pitch to outfielder Chris Dickerson was a little outside, but he gunned it in there.

“He said ‘Just don’t bounce it,’ which is what everybody said,” Laich recalled Dickerson as saying. “I said ‘I’m gonna bring it in there’ and he goes ‘YES! Finally somebody’s gonna throw it! Bring the heat!’”

“It was awesome!” added Laich. “A lot of people asked me ‘Are you gonna be nervous?’ You’re used to preforming in front of people — maybe not in this environment but it was more exciting.”

Laich, who recently divulged that he was named after Orioles legend Brooks Robinson, got a nice cheer out of crowd, a number of them Yankees fans.

The Washington forward’s father was a big fan of the Hall of Fame third baseman– in fact, he gave his son the middle name Brooks (Laich’s first name is Evan) in honor of the Human Vacuum Cleaner. The younger Laich also idolized Robinson, before finally meeting him in April.

Laich, though, still had some regrets.

“I should have thrown it harder,” he said. “I really wanted to be on the top of the mound and bring it way back.”

Video

Photos

Additional reporting by Ian Oland.

On Wednesday, Braden Holtby spoke to the media for the last time this season at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. The next day he went to his DC-area home, packed up his things, and got in his car and drove. And drove. And then drove some more.

Three days later, after making a couple of pit stops along the way (including one in St. Cloud, Minnesota where Matt Hendricks played college hockey), Holtby arrived in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Google estimates the Holtbeast had to travel 31 hours and 2,006 miles in his car to make it back home. Here’s what it looks like on a map.

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Holtby was in a hurry to get back home because he wanted to cheer on his former junior team, the Saskatoon Blades, who are hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup. On Sunday night, the Blades played the Halifax Mooseheads, and Holtby’s presence proved to be good luck as Saskatoon won 5-2. Earlier in the tournament, the Blades lost to Dale Hunter’s London Knights, 3-2.

During the first period, Holtby — wearing a leather jacket and sporting a ponytail and beard — gave a televised interview. Here’s what was said.

Welcome back. So we’re joined by Braden Holtby. This guy’s used to being down there [points to the ice] during his three full seasons with the Saskatoon Blades and now he’s up here watching junior hockey. What do you remember about your time in the Western Hockey League.

It’s the best time of your life. I think every player says that. Juniors — just the camaraderie with your teammates and what not — we had an outstanding coaching staff and training staff. It was an absolutely perfect three years.

So the best part of an NHL player’s life is the playoffs and I know Washington got there and looked good. What do you make of losing to New York in the opening round?

Yeah. [Audibly sighs] I mean obviously we would have liked a different outcome, but nowadays every NHL team is so close. We got beat by a very good team, but we’ll learn from it and bounce back next year.

What can you tell us about your drive? You drove here. You know there are flights to Saskatoon? How’d you get here?

Yeah. I just wanted some of my stuff and my vehicle back here so I hurried up and knew there was a chance to come here and watch a game and made sure to make the drive as quick as I could to get here.

Braden, thanks for the visit.

Thank you.

Took him three days by the way guys, if you’re counting at home.

Braden also walked around the arena, checking out the CCM booth.

Photo credit: @toddduffin

Holtby also posed to take pictures with fans.

Photo credit: @mikepaziuk

It’s nice to see Braden — just like Matt Hendricks and Karl Alzner — having some fun after a tough first round loss against New York. Getting some love from his hometown fans had to help.

A big welcome to @holts170, who’s in the building tonight to support the boys in Blue at the #MCMemorialCup!

— Saskatoon Blades (@bladeshockey) May 19, 2013

Photo credit: @nickludeman

The Washington Capitals have long been divided when it comes to music. The Capitals captain, Alex Ovechkin, loves weird Russian techno and rap, most notably Drake. Nicklas Backstrom enjoys Tiesto and pop music. Brooks Laich digs classic rock. Mike Green dabbles between both rap and hard-rock, Jay-Z and Seether in particular.

Then there are some other Caps who jam to country music. That group includes Eric Fehr, who once detailed his love of the genre during his first go around with the Caps.

“When it comes to my music, you can tell I grew up on the farm,” Fehr was quoted by the DC Sports Bog as saying. “I really enjoy listening to country music. The guys on the team don’t let me put it on in the dressing room, but I’m pretty sure they’ll come around. Alex Ovechkin could be one of the biggest country music haters of them all.”

On Saturday night, Karl Alzner and Matt Hendricks showed they are country music aficionados too, going to WMZQ Fest held at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. The show was headlined by Luke Bryan, who recently won the Academy of Country Music Awards’ Entertainer of the Year award and is best known for his boom boom single Drunk On You.

Alzner wore an awesome Killian’s Red t-shirt and a Nats hat. Hendricks wore a blue plaid button down shirt and a 42 hat, which Joel Ward approved of on Twitter before the show. In fact, Hendricks and his teammates chatted a bunch Saturday.

@matthendy26 stopped in St.Cloud for the night and was greeted by a whole team of wagons in the making! #hallwayministicks

— Braden Holtby (@Holts170) May 18, 2013

@matthendy26 also can’t believe there isn’t a statue here of you with your long golden locks and the flaming stick! twitter.com/Holts170/statu…

— Braden Holtby (@Holts170) May 18, 2013

@holts170 what a town eh bud? They just don’t make #wagons like that anymore not to mention my sweet mullet!

— Matt Hendricks (@MattHendy26) May 18, 2013

@jrandalward42 sporting the old 42 tonight pal, hope you like it! #jackie42 twitter.com/MattHendy26/st…

— Matt Hendricks (@MattHendy26) May 18, 2013

@matthendy26 #jackie42 fits like a Rawlings!

— Joel Ward (@JRandalWard42) May 18, 2013

“@jrandalward42: @matthendy26 #jackie42 fits like a Rawlings!” Na I’m a Mizuno kind of fella! Atta Boy

— Matt Hendricks (@MattHendy26) May 18, 2013

Good to see the guys having fun despite a disappointing end to the season– and making a bunch of Caps fans happy in the process.

I’ll end this post with some lyrics from Luke Bryan’s song Rain Is A Good Thing, because this guy knows how to write. Rain makes corn, Corn makes whiskey. Whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky.

Full disclosure: I grew up on country music as a kid, though I love rock music now. Frederick, Maryland, mann.

After Russia was eliminated from the World Championships in Helsinki on Thursday, a league source told The Washington Post’s Katie Carrera that Alex Ovechkin suffered a hairline fracture in his foot after blocking a shot in game six. Late Thursday, as the Russian national team landed in Moscow, Ovi was photographed in the terminal by R-Sport with his luggage, including a walking boot. Poor guy.

If Maria wants to make wedding plans, this is the time to do it. He’s hobbled; he can’t run away!

11:30AM Update: Ovechkin has tweeted a photo with himself wearing the boot.

Thanks to the awesome tumbleblog varlysuperfan for first posting.

Photo credit: championat.com

Alex Ovechkin flew for approximately ten hours to Helsinki with the intention of helping the Russian national team win the 2013 World Championships. Jet-lagged, he did what he could, scoring a goal and recording an assist against the United States during their quarterfinals game on Thursday. That help was not nearly enough, as the defending champions suffered their worst defeat ever in a World Championship game, a 8-3 loss to the United States. After half a year in the KHL, a shortened NHL season, a too-short playoff run, and a single game at Worlds, Ovechkin’s season is now officially over.

Ovechkin, who spoke to Sovetsky Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov after the game and had his words later translated by Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov, was disappointed.

“We lost due to egregious mistakes in the neutral zone, even though we talked about it [beforehand],” Ovechkin said to Lysenkov. “This is carelessness. We could have saved the game when it was 2-1, but we made even more mistakes. The Americans didn’t play super hockey. But we can’t make mistakes.”

“Don’t compare [the loss] to Vancouver,” Ovechkin said, referring to Russia’s collapse to Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics. “It’s different here. I do not regret coming [here], although it’s a shame how it turned out.”

Ilya Kovalchuk added, according to Chesnokov, that Russia “s&*$ their pants,” a reference Ovi used after the Capitals lost to the Rangers in game seven.

Ovechkin’s goal was predictably beautiful. As the Great Eight skated down the right wing, he sniped a shot past John Gibson’s left shoulder and the post.

Ovi’s goal is at the 1:05 mark.

But Russia’s breakdowns in the third period were too much to overcome. Ovechkin, disappointed, was named Russia’s best player after the game. In 20:31 of ice time, he had 8 shots on goal, and two near misses.

GIF by welshhockeyfan

Photos

All photos via championat.com

View the rest of championat.com’s slideshow.

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

Photo credit: championat.com

While the rest of his teammates conducted interviews on breakdown day, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin touched down in Finland for the 2013 World Championships. And we have some disappointing news: he only wore one pair of pants.

Ovi told Championat.com’s Igor Bragin that while he slept peacefully for most of the flight, the journey was not without challenges – all of the Great Eight’s gear was missing when the plane touched down.

“It’s hard to remember last time it happened. I think it was when I came home to Moscow once,” Ovechkin told Bragin, as translated by Fedor Fedin. “But it wasn’t hockey equipment and I got everything back on the next day.”

“Our equipment sponsor has all my sizes,” Ovi continued. “I think it won’t be a huge problem to deliver it. Of course, it’ll be some trouble for them to send it all, but we were assured that we’ll get everything at 9 am [Thursday].”

After getting a ride to Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena, Ovi was greeted by more reporters and conducted a ten minute press conference.

“The goal is to win the tournament again,” Ovechkin said, according to the IIHF website. “It’s very hard to do it two times in a row. We did it once, and I hope we can.”

Meanwhile, Evgeny Kuznetsov and the rest of the Russian national team were busy taking their team photo during the off day. It was weird.

Photos

All Photos via championat.com

Bryz = grumpy

Varly and third-string goaltender Vasily Koshechkin

Anisimov and Kuznetsov intrigued by Kovalchuk’s hand for whatever reason.

Everybody say cheeeeeeseeee (or stare menacingly at the camera)!

View the rest of Championat.com’s slideshow >>

Photo via @raedanda

If you’re looking for a symbol that articulates the Washington Capitals 2012-13 season, look no further than Mike Green‘s hair on breakdown day. Green, looking as if he just rolled out of bed, sported a massive mohawk, every hair follicle seemingly unsure which direction it wanted to point towards. The mohawk then flowed tidily into a well-kempt beard.

While the Caps came up short, Green deserves all literal and figurative hair awards ever invented. From his lockout-beard to whatever this thing is, he is the unanimous Hair MVP of hockey.

Lockout beard (Photo credit: whatsupyasieve.com)

Photo credit: ABC7′s @BrittMcHenry

Is Alex Ovechkin frustrated with how the season ended? I don’t know, you tell me. Ovi wore a pretty expressive Nike shirt today during his final meeting with the press.

“It’s just what I already pick from my closet,” Ovi said with a frown when asked about his attire.

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

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.