Russian Machine Never Breaks

Alex Ovechkin Goes on Parade, Receives Gold Medal For Dynamo Moscow Championship (Photos)

On May 21, 2013, In KHL, Photos, By Ian Oland

Ovi wears his boot on stage. This man is clearly devoted to getting healthy. (Photos via the KHL’s Facebook page)

Alex Ovechkin played 31 games for his hometown KHL team, Dynamo Moscow, before the NHL lockout ended in January. During that time, Ovechkin scored 19 goals and had 40 points. Even without Ovi and Nicklas Backstrom, Dynamo went on to beat Evgeny Kuznetsov’s Traktor Chelyabinsk in the finals and repeat as champions. And because of his teammates’ hard work, his role as an advisor, and early season stint with the team, Ovechkin got some pretty sweet hardware for his trouble.

Ovechkin will receive the team’s championship ring, his name has been written on the Gagarin Cup, and now, Ovi has joined his Dynamo teammates on a parade through Moscow and received a gold medal. It’s not a World Championships gold medal, but hey, this will do.

Brooks Laich Throws Out First Pitch at Baltimore Orioles Game (Photos)

On May 20, 2013, In Exclusive, Photos, Video, By Chris Gordon

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.”

Tagged with: Baltimore Orioles • Brooks Laich • Brooks Robinson • First Pitch

Braden Holtby Drives For Three Days Straight to See Saskatoon Play in Memorial Cup, Has Ponytail

On May 20, 2013, In Photos, Transcription, 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 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.

Tagged with: Braden Holtby • Ponytail

Country Music Enthusiasts Karl Alzner and Matt Hendricks Go To Luke Bryan Concert (Photos)

On May 19, 2013, In Photos, By Ian Oland

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.

Tagged with: Karl Alzner • Luke Bryan • Matt Hendricks • WMZQ Fest

Nicklas Backstrom on His Early Season Injury: “I Have No Excuses — I Will Never Have Them”

On May 17, 2013, In Interview, News, By Chris Gordon

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott

The day after Christmas, Nicklas Backstrom was skating in a KHL game for Dynamo Moscow. Midway through the second period of a 1-1 game, Nick took a pass in the far corner. He attempted to spin around and take the puck behind the net. Instead, Backstrom was slammed into the boards by Milan Kytnár; his face hitting the dashers. Backstrom got up, clearly shaken. He left the game after one more shift.

Given Backstrom missed 40 games last year after being concussed by Rene Bourque, this was a scary blow. Dynamo, however, insisted that his brain didn’t take the beating. It was, they said, a bruised neck. Backstrom’s agent reiterated that. But then Alex Ovechkin said something funny when asked about his teammate’s injury: “Sometimes it’s not hard hit, you just feel a little dizzy.” Dizziness, of course, does not usually go along with bruises.

Tagged with: George McPhee • Nicklas Backstrom

Alex Ovechkin’s Walking Boot (Photo)

On May 17, 2013, In Photos, By Ian Oland

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!

Tagged with: Alex Ovechkin • Injury • Walking Boot

Will Matt Hendricks Be Back With the Capitals Next Year?

On May 16, 2013, In Interview, News, By Chris Gordon

Hendy high-fives fans as he walks down the tunnel to the Capitals locker room. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

Matt Hendricks is a beloved player in Washington, but by no means is he an essential one. The Caps know that, and he knows that. With his two-year, $1.65 million contract expiring on July 5, he may have played his last game as a Cap. Hendricks, though, hopes that’s not true.

“I hope I don’t get to that date in July,” he said Wednesday at Kettler Capitals Iceplex as the team cleared out their lockers. “I hope I’m back here in Washington.”

“We’ve been in the negotiating process over the course of the season,” Hendricks added. “It’s a business. It’s a big part of the business. You want to get what you feel you deserve and what you feel is right.”

Tagged with: Matt Hendricks

Alex Ovechkin Played With a Fractured Foot in Games Six and Seven

On May 16, 2013, In News, By Peter Hassett

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.

Tagged with: Alex Ovechkin • Blocked Shot • GIF

Sad Ovi: Despite Goal and Assist, Alex Ovechkin’s Season Ends After Russia’s 8-3 WC Loss to USA

On May 16, 2013, In Photos, Video, World Championship, By Ian Oland

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.

Tagged with: 2013 World Championships • Alex Ovechkin • GIF

Fake Exclusive: Alex Ovechkin and Adam Oates’ Late-Night Text Messages

On May 15, 2013, In Exclusive, Photos, By Peter Hassett

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.

Tagged with: Adam Oates • Alex Ovechkin • Text Messages

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Russian Machine Never Breaks

Alex Ovechkin Goes on Parade, Receives Gold Medal For Dynamo Moscow Championship (Photos)

Brooks Laich Throws Out First Pitch at Baltimore Orioles Game (Photos)

Braden Holtby Drives For Three Days Straight to See Saskatoon Play in Memorial Cup, Has Ponytail

Country Music Enthusiasts Karl Alzner and Matt Hendricks Go To Luke Bryan Concert (Photos)

Nicklas Backstrom on His Early Season Injury: “I Have No Excuses — I Will Never Have Them”

Alex Ovechkin’s Walking Boot (Photo)

Will Matt Hendricks Be Back With the Capitals Next Year?

Alex Ovechkin Played With a Fractured Foot in Games Six and Seven

Sad Ovi: Despite Goal and Assist, Alex Ovechkin’s Season Ends After Russia’s 8-3 WC Loss to USA

Fake Exclusive: Alex Ovechkin and Adam Oates’ Late-Night Text Messages

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