Knuble in the Sasha Box.

On Saturday, if you were lucky enough to catch the Carolina Hurricanes game against the Philadelphia Flyers, you got to see two former Washington Capitals players compete against each other: Alex Semin and Mike Knuble.

During the second period, both players were on the ice, and whattaya know: Semin drew a penalty on Knuble. After some work in the corners by Semin, Knuble put his stick under Semin’s hands, and Semin dropped to the ice as if an imaginary piano had fallen on top of him.

Video below the jump.

Video via welshhockeyfan.

Yes, Kanoobs, that just happened. Your old teammate just went Greg Louganis on you, and and now you’re headed to the box.

The Flyers would go on to win the game 4-3. Knuble, who has four points in eight games for the Flyers, grabbed an assist. Semin, who has two goals and five assists so far this season for the Canes, picked up a tripping minor as well.

While we’re talking about other teams, I’d like to give a shoutout to Colton Orr for this one-punch knockout of Rene Bourque.

Rene, karma never forgets.

The Caps stink right now, so we’re gonna find our joy wherever we can. Today we find it in ex-Cap Mike Knuble, who scored his first goal as a Philadelphia Flyer over the weekend. You’ll never guess how he did it.

Crash the net.

Knuble is playing on the fourth line, or at least he will until Laviolette realizes how good he’d be for Giroux. Here Knuble is on the forecheck, grinding it out. All of a sudden: turnover. Kanoobs grabs the puck and heads right for the net for the wraparound.

Knuble has one goal and one assist in five games. He’s averaging 14 minutes of ice. His line has some awful PDO, too, so I’d expect some big things from them before long.

Happy trails, Mike. Thanks for blowing up the Canes for us.

“Kanooblian” illustration by Mark Burrier

Mike Knuble scored 65 goals in three seasons for the Washington Capitals. For a big chunk of that time, Knuble was an integral part of DC’s dynamic top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom. But in 2011-12 Knuble’s ice time was cut drastically and he was relegated to grinding on the fourth line. Knuble still excelled in the postseason, but some considered him over the hill (erroneously methinks). If Knuble had retired then, it would have been a disappointing end to a great career, but he persevered– moving to Michigan, training with the Red Wings, and finally signing with the Hartnell-down Philadelphia Flyers.

On Friday night, Knuble returns to Verizon Center, but he’ll be crashing the wrong net.

Since we started RMNB, Mike Knuble has been my favorite player to write about. I like the way he plays: hard-nosed and honest. I like the way he talks about the game: direct and free of cliché. I like how he gets better in the springtime. The only reason we started shouting “Crash the net!” is because we want every player to be like Mike.  I bet I’m not alone in thinking that way.

And now he’s wearing pylon orange. Flerm.

It’s like running to your ex. You were kind of a crummy boyfriend at the end there, and now it’s over. A few months later you bump into her in Chinatown, and she looks great and happy, and now you’re filled with Heavy Thoughts: What could you have done differently? Was she The One? What does Philadelphia have that you don’t have?

Okay, let’s talk about whooping. It’s a practice reserved for only the dearest ex-Caps. Guys like Witt and Gonchar, defenders who made their names in Washington before moving on. Whenever one of those guys touches the puck, the Verizon Center is supposed to whoop as a sign of both respect and irreverence (or something, I dunno).

I propose that Mike Knuble deserves that recognition on Friday night. Let’s whoop his ass. Err.

The legalists among you will say Mike is not eligible for whooping. I’ll defer to the wisdom of crowds on this, but Kanoobs deserve some kind of props tonight If not whooping, how about a standing ovation? At some  point, Knuble’s big ass (as Elliot often put it) is going to be up on the jumbotron, and we should use that opportunity to let him know how we feel.

And then let’s watch our boys follow his example and crash the damn net.

To commemorate the night, Ian has made this lovely sign for Kanoobs. If you’re going to the game tonight, make a stop at Kinko’s beforehand and print this bad boy out.

Crash the net.*

(* Not you, Mike)

UPDATE: I have neglected to credit the Brouwer Rangers (née Knuble’s Knights). The knuuuuuuuuuble sign was their idea. My bust.

Photo credit: Jim McIsaac

Thursday night, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced that star winger Scott Hartnell would be out four to eight weeks with a broken foot. Needing an extra forward, the Flyers signed Capitals fan favorite Mike Knuble to a one-year deal. This news comes as a bitter pill to Caps fans who want the best for the veteran winger, but miss his leadership. At least it’s not the Pens.

Corey Masisak remembers a pivotal Knuble story below the fold.

Story time for #Caps fans. Try to cheer some people up (note: probably won’t work). Will try to tell the Knuble in TB story in a few tweets.

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

1. #Caps lose, now down 3-0 in stunning fashion. Media enters room postgame. It is empty. Now, not all #NHL dressing rooms are created equal

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

2. TB visiting room/area is constructed as such that if you’re not in the main room, media can still tell where guys are to an extent.

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

3. Media waits several minutes, still no players. Several are in the treatment room. Media are getting restless. Space is tight.

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

4. Knuble, from in treatment room, yells “Sergey (@sergeykocharov), do you need someone out there?” Sergey says, “Yeah, Mike.”

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

5. Knuble comes out to room full of media, authors one of the best postgame scrums I’ve ever witnessed. Insightful, passionate, etc.

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

6. Knuble answered Qs for what seemed like 10 minutes. Didn’t duck anything or try to cover for anyone/the team. It was incredible.

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

In conclusion, that is a snippet of why Mike Knuble is a great human. #Flyers will be lucky to have him. #Caps need a new Knuble right now.

— Corey Masisak(@cmasisak22) January 25, 2013

Good luck, Kanoobs!

[Editor's note: When Mike Knuble was let go by the Capitals over the offseason, Knuble's Knights were temporarily without a player to worship. After some careful thought, they re-formed as a fan club dedicated to power forward Troy Brouwer and dubbed themselves the Brouwer Rangers. Nathan Burchfiel, the group's fearless leader, is now here to reveal the group's new spandex'd uniform and signs for the Caps home opener. The floor is all yours, Nathan.]

After the Caps lost their season opener to the Tampa Bay Lighting on Saturday, many Caps fans were weeping and gnashing their teeth about this Schultz or that Ovechkin. We, on the other hand, were busy experiencing something of an existential crisis.

As we struggled to squeeze into lycra suits and freshly painted motorcycle helmets during our first and only Brouwer Rangers “dress rehearsal,” the existential question wasn’t, Who are we and what are we doing with our lives? It was more, How are we going to pull this off without being arrested for indecent exposure?

As you may know, for the past three years, we’ve attended Caps games decked in plastic armor, shields and swords, and armed with an array mildly controversial but mostly silly signs in support of fan-favorite Mike Knuble. With Knuble’s departure – and at his encouragement – we knew we had to continue the tradition with a new victim muse player to cheer for.

There’s plenty floating around about why we picked Brouwer (and why we do this at all in the first place) so we won’t rehash it here. With the lockout still fresh in our minds, who really wants to dwell in the past anyway? Instead, the fine folks at RMNB asked us to provide a preview of what’s in store for the Brouwer Rangers during this shortened season. Our existential crisis has become, Can this possibly live up to the antics and adventures of Knuble’s Knights?

We hope so. Here are the Top 11 (because 20 (Brouwer’s number) divided by 2 (number of Brouwer Rangers) equals 10, plus one for good luck – don’t overthink it) reasons we’re hopeful this season will be the best yet, in no particular order.

1. New hashtags and sign. Not only is #brouwerpouwer fun to say, it’s also applicable to goals, hits, penalties (ironically, natch), funny quotes and basically anything that makes Troy Brouwer cooler than your favorite player. Use it liberally. And it’s already a handy-dandy printable sign. And remember #knublefacts? #brouwerfacts is like that, but more Brouwery. Follow us on Twitter @brouwerrangers to get your game-day #brouwerfacts. Also, #ConstellationEnergyBrouwerPlay. (That one might not stick.)
2. More games, in “better” “seats.” Though it’s a shortened season, it’s our first as full season-ticket holders. For us, this means more chances to finally catch one of those “burritos.” (Spoiler alert: it’s really a t-shirt wrapped in foil.) And who needs the 100s, with its wide sets, vertigo-free inclines and easy access to bathrooms? Bring a Sherpa and come say hit at the very top of Section 402. We picked these seats because they’re directly across the ice from Horn Guy, so we’ve got optimal sound-wave directionalization. It’s science.
3. Cooler shirts. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t want one of these? (100% of our proceeds from these shirts will go to Caps charities, just as soon as you people buy enough stuff to warrant Spreadshirt cutting a check. So, order some.)
4. BROOOOOUUUUUWEEERRRRR Sign. Will #knublesign be revived as #brouwersign? Who knows? Maybe. [coy smile]
5. Adam Oates. We hereby promise not to create, distribute or display any signs that may be deemed critical of head coach Adam Oates or any other member of team management. Unless Brouwer is ever healthy-scratched, bought out, or traded — then all bets are off.
6. Spandex!, which brings us to our next point:
7. Mandatory Fanny Packs! We were going to go “full Ranger.” Our wives … did not want us to do that. Awkward fanny packs were the compromise. You’re welcome, everyone. (We promise Ranger Ryan will have his by Tuesday’s home-opener.)
8. Brouwer for President. Brouwer’s contract expires at the end of the 2015-2016 season. There is a presidential election in 2016. Coincidence? We think not. We’re already working on very realistic Hawaiian birth certificate for Troy.
9. Cornhole Tournament. It’s a certifiable traveshamockery that we have these sick unbelievable hand-painted Caps cornhole boards and no parking lot to tailgate in. We hereby challenge the team of Ted Leonsis and George McPhee to a cornhole match at center ice. Winner sits in the owners box for a game; losers sit in our seats. But seriously, who has the hookup for setting up a pre-game cornhole tournament in the arena or nearby? Tweet us.
10. Oppan Brouwer Style. Go ahead and get all up on your high horse about the dystopian future pop music is dragging us toward. We’re right there with you. But don’t pretend you’re not going to love it when Brouwer scores his first goal of the season and busts this out.
11. Fun. In all seriousness, this should be a ton of fun. We go crazy like this because it’s fun, and we like to think it helps other people have some fun as well.

We’re so glad that (NHL) hockey is back, and we know you all are too. See you at the games, and Go Go Brouwer Rangers!

[Editor's note: After the Washington Capitals extended Troy Brouwer's contract for another three years on Wednesday, Nathan Burchfiel, fearless leader of Knuble Knight's, had his own announcement to make. The floor is all yours, Nathan.]

When the 2011-2012 NHL season ended, the questions about the future were only just beginning. The zeitgeist was buzzing about whether there would even be a 2012-2013 season, but moreso about what would become of Knuble’s Knights, that magnificent armor-clad duo who won the hearts of many a Caps fan with their often strange and occasionally ill-advised antics in support of their one true liege. Could the Knights continue on with their fearless leader in limbo? Would they carry their swords into battle for another worthy team member? Would they fade into the masses of normal Caps fans? Would they finally get upgraded to full season tickets? (YES!)

The new Brouwer Ranger helmet.

Well, the future is now, good people. And the news of the extension of Troy Brouwer’s contract by three years provides as good a news hook as any to announce that the armor has been polished and locked away in museum-quality display cases and shipped off to the NHL Hall of Fame, for the Knights have mightily morphed into something, dare we say, bigger, better, and more badass. Ladies and gentleman, the fans formerly known as Knuble’s Knights, in conjunction with the fine upstanding journalists at Russian Machine Never Breaks, proudly introduce … the Brouwer Rangers. (See what we did there with the mightily morphed thing?)

In his exit interview with Elliot Segal on DC101 in June, Knuble said of us, “they’ve got to take somebody else under their wing.” We knew we wanted to carry on the tradition we’d started, and Knuble’s parting words sealed the deal. After much soul-searching, and considering literally every combination of player name and character we could think of (Chimera’s Chimeras, Wolski’s Warriors, the King Crabbs, Neuvy’s Ninjas, Hendy’s Henchmen … the list goes on and on), we realized the first idea we had was, in fact, the best. And not just because the costumes are going to be fantastic (and trust us, they’re … awe-inspiring), but because Troy Brouwer is truly worthy of the recognition, no matter what Neil Greenberg says.* A solid on-ice contributor and locker-room leader whose name happens to adorn Lord Stanley’s Cup but isn’t considered one of the team’s “superstars,” Brouwer embodies the characteristics that make us respect and appreciate a player. Plus it’s really fun to pretend you’re Wes Johnson and growl-yell, “Goal scored by #20, Troooyyyyyyy BRRRRRRRROOOOOUUUUUUWEERRRRRRRR!”

As you may have already noticed (but let’s be honest, you probably haven’t noticed), the Twitter handle has been changed. The logo is set. The final touches are being put on the new costumes (including the new helmet previewed in the picture). The rest will come with time – hopefully sooner rather than later. Will there be a Big Head Brouwer? Probably, yes. The cheering and signs and (reasonably tempered) antics will continue from our new permanent perch atop section 402. We’ll be rocking the Red Ranger suits just as soon as Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr hug it out. (That’s assuming the season is delayed by at least one game. You see, someone planned his wedding and honeymoon before the schedule was announced, and happens to return the day after the scheduled home opener against the Devils. What a dinkus.) We’re excited for this new adventure, and hope you guys have some fun along the way as well!

Go Go Brouwer Rangers!

*To be fair to Neil, his pre-season prediction on Brouwer’s contributions last year was spot on. He said Brouwer would have to up his shooting percentage to 15 to hit 20 goals. His shooting percentage was 13.5, and he scored 18 goals.

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.

How much cap space do the Caps have?

from capgeek.com

The Caps have $20,805,428 to spend this offseason, but they also have a good part of their own roster to re-sign. Expect most of the unrestricted free agents to walk; expect most of the restricted free agents to sign. The Caps have made qualifying offers to Jay Beagle, Mathieu Perreault, Mike Green, and John Carlson, and though Perreault and Green may warrant some thought, they will likely be signed.

Once the Capitals have taken care of their own free agents, expect them to have anywhere from $10-15 M to spend. With that, they could buy this beautiful home in McLean, Virginia! Alternately, they could sign some hockey players.

Who is likely leaving?

Photo credit: Clydeorama

Mike Knuble:  Shut up. We’re not crying, it’s raining on our faces.

Jeff Halpern:  We bear no ill feelings for the former Caps captain as he gets set to leave Washington. Quite the opposite, in fact, Halpern filled the role that he was brought in to fill admirably, and was good-natured about adversity when things weren’t going his way. Jay Beagle seems set to step into his shoes, but we have no issues recommending Halpern’s services to a good home. Four stars, would acquire again.

Dennis Wideman:  Already traded and signed with the Calgary Flames, to a 5-year, $5.25 M/year contract with a no-movement clause. Well okay. You do whatever you feel is good, Calgary.

Where will Semin go?

Photo credit: Greg Flume

Sadly, probably not here. For the first time in his NHL career, Semin will explore the possibility of signing with a team other than the Washington Capitals, maybe even in the KHL. We love him, but that’s why we’re letting him go. We heard that in a country song one time.

What are the Caps’ needs?

Photo credit: Kathy Kmonicek

The Caps have gone a long way towards replacing Semin’s production with the acquisition of Mike Ribeiro, who scores 20 goals like clockwork and will be a capable 2C. However, as far as positional depth goes, we still have big hole on wing that will need to be filled. There aren’t many top-six quality wingers on the free agency market, and the Caps probably won’t be in on any of the big names. Nonetheless, here’s who’s available.

P.A. Parenteau: The 29-year-old winger is a relative unknown, which is a side effect of playing with the New York Islanders. Caps fans should know him, however, as the pain in the neck who seemed to score against us at every opportunity.  We recognize this as the cry for help that it is, and would be happy to rescue him from Long Island Purgatory if the price is right.

Ray Whitney:  Another underrated winger playing some of the best hockey of his life at the age of 40. The Caps haven’t been too kind to their senior citizens in recent years, but maybe new coach Adam Oates can tempt a fellow playmaker into our ranks. Of course, the rumor is that he wants to go back to Carolina where he still owns a home — which leads us to wonder, why does everyone always want to go to Carolina? Do they know something we don’t? Is it the weather, what is it?

Dustin Penner:  Penner hasn’t played up to expectations for awhile now, but this last season with the L.A. Kings was a disaster, with the left winger scoring only seven goals in 65 games, not to mention his unfortunate run-in with a stack of pancakes. Still, L.A. fans weren’t complaining when he scored the OT goal to send the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals. He can’t hear you, he’s got his two Stanley Cup Rings plugging his ears.

What about defense?

Photo credit: Jim McIsaac

Dmitry Orlov stepped up as a surprisingly NHL-ready defenseman last year, which means we have one less hole to fill, but with with Dennis Wideman’s absence the Caps are in need of one more solid D.

Jason Garrisson: Garrison is coming off a career year with the Panthers, scoring 16 goals and 33 points as a defenseman. He’s recently been credited as a player who “does everything Wideman does and more”, a power play quarterback who can actually defend as well. A defenseman who can defend? Sign us up!

Matt Carle: The Caps would do well to stay away from this one. Wideman’s signing made the market for an offensive defenseman look awfully scary, and there will be many teams who will be interested in the former Flyer’s services. That said, he’s a heck of a player, and we wouldn’t be upset about acquiring him as long as we didn’t have to sell any limbs to do it.

Bryan Allen: A much more reasonable option. Canes’ GM Jim Rutherford made Allen an offer, but Allen wasn’t interested, choosing to go to free agency instead. Allen won’t get the kind of paydays that some of his more offensive counterparts will, a defensive defenseman who logs tons of minutes and regularly kills penalties, who also led the Canes with 188 blocked shots. That sounds fine by us.

Who should the Caps avoid like the plague?

Jaromir Jagr: NOPE.

Martin Brodeur:  Brodeur is a legend, and one of the best who ever played. He can go be a legend somewhere else, we prefer hot-blooded up-and-coming goalies to elder statesmen.

Andrei Kostitsyn: Unless we plan on trading a problem for a problem, avoid like the plague. Kostitsyn is a poor man’s Alex Semin with bonus coaching issues and mob connections. Nope.

Wishful thinking

Zach Parise: Regular 30-goal scorer Parise is a prize in a shallow field, and we estimate he will sign a 20-year deal for 500 gold bricks a year. It’s unlikely that the Caps will make a play for Parise — in fact, the most likely suitors seems to be the Minnesota Wild and the Pittsburgh Penguins, so we should probably be preparing ourselves to hate his guts instead.

Don’t do it, Zach. Make good choices.

Bobby Ryan:  Now this one is a little more likely. Once Parise finds a home, Ryan will be the next biggest prize on the market, and one that the Caps are a little more likely to take a shot at. He’s one of the best deals in the league when it comes to salary versus production, having scored at least 30 goals for the last four season at a cap hit of $5.1 million. We’ve love to see him in a Capitals uniform, but the asking price is still steep. Put in a good word for us, Bruce?

Ryan Suter: What Zach Parise is to the forward market, Suter is to the defenseman market. In the Caps’ case, that means he’s an elaborate distraction meant to draw all eyes and offers so we can quietly slip in and talk to the others. We’ve got little to no chance at landing him. We will probably survive.

Shane Doan:  Doan bleeds Coyotes red and it would be tough to pry him out of Phoenix, but July 1st has rolled around and he is still unsigned. This guy plays like a prototype for a Canadian supersoldier, tough, gritty, productive, and would be a dream in the Caps’ lineup. Has he had enough of the constant ownership issues? Is he looking to go to a contender? Do we ask the same leading questions about Shane Doan every year?

Don’t expect too much of a splash tomorrow. George McPhee has never been inclined to throw money around in free agency, because he’s not stupid because he prefers to build through the draft and through trade instead. But a serious rebuild of the core has been threatening for some time now, and perhaps this is the year that core finally splits up.

At least one of the former Young Guns seems set to leave town tomorrow. Will it be more than one? Will we be shocked and angry, or underwhelmed? Will our favorite players still be in Caps red at the end of the day? We’ll have to wait and see.

This is unfortunate alphabetical timing, as we’ve just learned that Mike Knuble will not be returning to the Capitals next year. We’re not really over that yet, and the tear-jerking farewell post from Knuble’s Knights didn’t help. Go read it, take a minute to compose yourself, and then come back here again. We’ll wait.

Ready? Okay. Let’s review Knuble’s last year in a Caps uniform.

Cap Hit for 2011-12: $2 M. Knuble will be UFA on July 1st.

Milestones: Mike Knuble played his 1,000th game in the NHL this season, and received a very fancy but impractical silver hockey stick from the organization.

Best Moment: Crashing the net for Joel Ward’s series-winning Game Seven goal, doing what he always does in the biggest possible moment.

Things We Said About Mike Knuble: “#FREEKNUBLE”

Alignment: Chaotic Good

First Irrelevant Google Images Result:

Seems about right.

Media Consensus: “Mike Knuble could potentially contribute more to the team from the ice than from the press box.”

Alternate Universe Superhero Identity: Kanoobs

Spirit Animal: Wolf.

Photo credit: newspaper.li

Team Role: Mike Knuble has generally played top minutes with the Capitals, but this year he was asked to take a backseat, playing on the bottom six and sitting for long stretches, and getting less ice time than at any point in his last ten seasons.

Execution of that Role: Mike Knuble persevered beautifully through all his trials and injustices this season, and for that alone we think he should be elected to hockey sainthood. Despite starting the season hot, as the season went on he seemed to be snakebitten, hitting more posts than twine. He finally snapped the curse down the stretch, starting to score more regularly near the end of the year.

Postseason Performance: In a reflection of his regular season, Knuble began the playoffs on the bench. By the fourth game of the Boston series, however, he had made it back into the lineup again, and played a pivotal role in several huge postseason moments, such as making Joel Ward’s Game Seven OT winner possible, and scoring two goals of his own. Though Knuble has historically played best with top-six talent, the gritty winger developed some real chemistry with linemates Keith Aucoin and Joel Ward.

Beard Rating:

Glorious. Nine out of ten.

Likeliness to Return: [Space reserved for prolonged crying jag.]

Usefulness in a Post-Apocalyptic Setting: Nine out of ten. We would trust Knuble with our safety in an apocalyptic wasteland any day.

Overall Year-End Rating: Twenty-two Good Sashas.

Photo credit: Paul Bereswill

[Editor's note: We asked Nathan and Ryan of Knuble's Knights to bid a fond farewell to Mike Knuble as he departs the Washington Capitals. Here's what they gave us.]

Sir Michael of the House Knuble, First of Your Name, Man of 1000 Games, Crasher of Nets, Breacher of Creases, Abuser of Goalies and Grandpa of Slippers:

Thank you.

When the RMNB guys invited us to write a farewell post, they suggested that we provide some highlights of your time in D.C., defend your performance this year, or re-tell some stories about the Knights’ antics. To be honest, the stories have already been told, and there are people much more qualified who will write the reviews and summaries and analyses. As fans, all we’re really qualified to do is say Thank You.

Thank you for the three great years you gave Caps fans. Thank you for your grit, your leadership, and your passion for the game. Thank you for your funny quotes, your positive attitude, your goofy faces, and your general badassery.

On a more personal note, thank you for being so cool to two guys dressed in knight costumes cheering your name. When we decided three years ago to go crazy for a player that other people don’t go crazy for, we didn’t know how it would be received. As ridiculous as it was, you took it in stride. You were gracious toward us and as time went on (and things got progressively sillier), we like to think you even started playing along a little bit. Thanks to your brother Steve and wife Megan, who were both exceedingly kind to us.

It was truly an honor for us to do our own small part to cheer for you through thick and thin, to make sure other fans recognized your value to our team, and to, on one occasion, risk physical harm to bring attention to your plight. (About that: Sorry if the whole “Free Knuble” / “Scratch Hunter” thing caused you grief.)

We can’t speak for the Caps organization or for players on the team, but if you ask us, the reaction to the news that you’re leaving speaks volumes to what you’ve meant to Caps fans these last three years. We don’t think there are many role players whose departures, after just a few years on a team, caused so much anguish among the fans. You have earned respect and admiration from guys who knew you and fans who maybe never even met you. And there are lots of fans of other teams who’d love to have you. (Please, not the Penguins.)

As you said in the exit interviews, this separation wasn’t a surprise. That doesn’t make it any easier. We’re just glad it didn’t end in March, with healthy scratches, frustration among the fans (and, apparently, others affiliated with the team), and confusion for you. At least we had that Bruins series. And a lot of other great memories that at least two of your fans will fondly remember for a very long time to come.

Like when we showed up at “Caps on the Fly” in 2009 to introduce ourselves.

Or the two times we convinced entire rows of fans to participate in the KNUUUUUUUUBLE sign.

Photo credit: Clydeorama

Or that time Peter made your name an adjective, and Mark Burrier made it art.

Or when you spent time chatting with us at practice, and you actually thanked us for our support.

Or when we all celebrated your 1000^th game, or the first shootout goal of your career, or any of the other 58 goals you scored for the Caps, with a rousing KNUUUUUUUUUBLE yell.

Maybe the longest distance goal of 22′s career. (GIF by welshhockeyfan.tumblr.com)

And as things got awkward with your situation on the roster, thank you for being a class act – a term many have used in recent days to describe you. In a post-announcement interview, you talked with CSN’s Chuck Gormley about being a role model. “Even on your worst day, there’s always a kid who wants an autograph or that moment in time to shake your hand,” you explained. “You can’t ever forget that. Even on your worst day you still want to make sure you’re extremely nice to that kid because he’ll remember that. You hope they remember you in a good way.”

We will certainly remember you in a good way, Mike. We’d venture to guess the vast majority of Caps fans of all ages will remember you that way as well – yes, in part for your contributions on the ice, but also because of the man you strove to be off it. The Washington Capitals were lucky to have you. Even if the organization forgot it, the fans didn’t. You’ll be missed.

But all good things must come to an end, and we must part ways. We’ll still cheer on our Caps, and you’ll move on to the next stage of your career. We wish you the best and will root for you wherever you end up, whether it’s on the ice or off. (Unless it’s the Pens.) If it is on the ice, we hope you find a team that recognizes the value you add– not only in the stats, but also in the intangibles– and a coach who understands the right ways to use your skills. Their fans will be lucky to have you.

But seriously, please not the Pens.

Photo credit: @jlrpuck of capsbypuck.blogspot.com

Photo credit: Elise Amendola

This morning, Mike Knuble announced that he would not be returning to the Caps next season. Though we expected that this would be the case, that didn’t stop us from going through all the stages of grief simultaneously on hearing the news.

Here are our thoughts on this, as expressed in musical form.

Everyone gets to go home from work early today, this is a Metro-area tragedy.