8-ball, side pocket. What the actual f#$&.
Primary assist went to Nick Backstrom, but Verizon Center stanchion #08764 is appealing the ruling on the ice.
On February 3, 2013, In Video, By Ian Oland
On January 27, 2013, In Game Recap, By Peter Hassett
Photo credit: Patrick McDermott
Although hockey has been back for over a week now, the lockout seemed longer to the Washington Capitals and their fans. Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres put a definitive end to that. The Caps were poised, aggressive, and — most importantly– victorious for the first time this season.
And oh yeah, Ovi scored.
John Carlson allowed a bad breakaway that became a goal for Tyler Ennis, but Joel Ward occupied the slot a few minutes later to restore the tie. John Erskine scored a sneaky goal from outside to give the Caps their first lead since the season home opener vs. Winnipeg. Then, Alex Ovechkin scored a glorious powerplay goal with a one-timer that went top shelf on Ryan Miller. Marcus Foligno got one back for Buffalo, feeding at Neuvirth’s trough to make it 3-2.
Caps beat Sabres 3-2!
Photo credit: Rob Carr
Nothing is going right for the Washington Capitals right now. But one of the biggest problems is clear: the misfortunes of Karl Alzner and John Carlson. Of the 14 goals the Caps have allowed this season, Carlson has been on the ice for nine of them and Alzner for eight. Until they were broken up at the start of third period, this was the team’s number one defensive pairing. That’s not how you win hockey games, something Washington has demonstrated.
“I have no idea,” Alzner said when asked what was going wrong for the two.
“We’re not getting the bounces, plays that I normally would do, an easy poke check — it’s happening for the both of us,” he added. “We weren’t contributing anything good to the team.”
On January 8, 2013, In Video, By Ian Oland
Miss the media? “Not really,” says Ovechkin. (Photo credit: @SWhyno)
This morning, a bunch of Washington Capitals players jumped back on the ice for an informal practice. Those who skated include Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Mike Green, Mike Ribeiro, John Carlson, Michal Neuvirth, Matt Hendricks, Jason Chimera, Jay Beagle, Jack Hillen, and John Erskine.
At 11am, Caps general manager George McPhee then spoke to the press for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the earth. GMGM revealed that injured defenseman Dmitry Orlov is “improving” but questionable for opening night (but you already knew that), and side-stepped questions on Nicklas Backstrom’s health, acknowledging that the team can’t examine him until a new CBA is ratified. Hershey Bears defense prospect Cameron Schilling will also be given a shot to make the team out of training camp. McPhee’s full comments are below.
On January 7, 2013, In News, By Ian Oland
John Carlson’s hair at the Redskins game. (Via @DCSportsBog)
At 5:45 on Sunday morning, we learned that the NHL and NHLPA had reached an agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement. Washington Capitals players took to Twitter, and yes, they were happy.
On December 22, 2012, In Guest Post, Photos, By Russian Machine Never Breaks
On Saturday, several Washington Capitals players rented out Kettler Capitals IcePlex to scrimmage against local college kids. Two readers who attended, Lexi Martinez and Kate Hudson, share their experience below. Lexi did the write-up, and Kate snapped the photos. Enjoy!
Caps fans got a surprise Thursday night, when John Carlson took to Twitter to announce that he’d be joining a few teammates back on the ice at Kettler the following morning for something special. Along with Brooks Laich, Jason Chimera, Jay Beagle, Jeff Halpern, and former Capital Peter Bondra, John would be scrimmaging a team of college players from around the area. It was thrown together late and all for fun, but for me, it meant a little taste of the Caps hockey we’ve all been missing so much. Naturally, I was freaking out.
On September 14, 2012, In News, By Peter Hassett
Photo credit: John Carlson
Ticking off the last item on his summer to-do list, George McPhee has signed defenseman John Carlson to a six-year contract on Friday. Carlson will earn about four million dollars a year over a pretty long term. He will be the second highest paid D-man on the team next season (behind Mike Green).
Press release, ahoy!
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.
On June 2, 2012, In Photos, By Ian Oland
Photo via hockeyplayersaskids.tumblr.com
When you were little, someone must have asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. Some of us wanted to be lawyers. Others, the president. When I was six, I told my parents I was going to be an astronaut. That did not work out, so yay for hockey blogging.
When Capitals defenseman John Carlson was asked what he wanted to be while he was a youngster, he nailed it. He wanted to be a hockey player– a famous one at that.
Bingo.
On May 28, 2012, In Year-End Review, By Ana Hansen
Photo credit: Elise Amendola
The real question is, which is the real John Carlson? Was it the John Carlson who stumbled through the regular season, seemingly unfamiliar with the concept of ice hockey? Or was it the solid young defenseman that showed up in time for the playoffs, once again becoming one of the mainstays of the Capitals’ blueline?
For all our sakes, we are hoping it is the second. Sophomore year is over; it’s time for John Carlson to come out of the slump.
Got A Hockey Tip?
RMNB depends on reader participation. If you’ve got news, photos, or a cool story, send it our way.
