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.

Friday was rainy. I woke up the earliest I had since high school. It was also the day that the Maya had predicted would be the end of the world (a little disappointed I’m not going all Walking Dead on zombies right now, but I digress). I thought about chucking my alarm clock across the room and returning to my comforter cave. But then the guilt hit me. What kind of fan would I be if I slept away a rare glimpse at my boys back in action? Ugh, I’m so dedicated, I swear I should get some sort of award. But whatever.

There was something comforting about being back against the glass watching part of the team, even if they were preparing to toss a puck around with a couple kids instead of getting ready to face a division rival. Jerseys dotted the stands, little kids climbed over each other in oversized Caps t-shirts, pre-teen female fans primped their hair in their front-facing iPhone cameras in anticipation of the autograph signing that was to come. It had all the makings of a great day at Kettler, but, something was off. There wasn’t the buzz that comes from regular season practice. There’s just something missing from the air with guys like Ovi and Backstrom on the other side of the planet. As the scrimmage progressed, the already dull crowd began to thin out. The kids got bored and quieted down. The cameras stopped clicking and flashing as there wasn’t much to photograph. The greatest Kodak moment was when Jason Chimera tripped and fell to the ice. He just kind of gave up and laid there. I know that feeling, Chimmer.

Credit has to be given on the boys on the ice, though. At this point, they’re technically unemployed. They pay for their own parking, rent out the ice with their own money. They’re not allowed in the private locker rooms they’ve been using for years. They get their own skates sharpened, their own equipment replaced; THEY WASH THEIR OWN HAIR. THE MADNESS. They don’t have to do things like this for the fans, but they do, because they care about giving us the hockey we miss. Their jerseys sport the NHLPA logo, with #THEPLAYERS on the back where their last names used to be. They’re not playing for the name on the back, or the name on the front (yes that was a cliché Miracle reference, sue me), but in the name of hockey; in the name of the game and the fans that are suffering without a season.

It’s obvious that fans’ patience with league negotiations is wearing thin. It’s getting harder to find interest in anything hockey related when we feel so betrayed by the league itself. We can, though, rely on our boys to try to give us a little something to hold on to. They’re still on the ice, and even if we find ourselves daydreaming about goal horns and the roar of the Verizon Center that we once had, we’re still watching.

Photos via Kate Hudson

Kate’s signed iPhone.

Peter Bondra holds up the 2002 World Championships’ trophy.

By beating the Czech Republic 3-1 in the second semifinal of the World Champs, Slovakia earned the right to play Russia, who defeated Finland earlier Saturday, for the gold medal. The Slovakians have won the Worlds once, in 2002, when they upset Russia in the final. Capitals legend Peter Bondra scored twice in that game, including the game winner with less than two minutes left in the third period of play.

Video is below the jump.

Peter Bondra scores the late game-winning goal to give Slovakia its only World Championship… so far. Check out full highlights, including another Bondra goal.

With that last goal, Bondra also won the goal-scoring race. Also in top-10 were then-Caps Ulf Dahlen (fourth) and Jaromir Jagr (tenth). Six Capitals who played in the World Championships that year, including Steve Konowalchuk, Joe Sacco, and Todd Rohloff, who played for Team USA.

Tuesday night is a big deal. For the first time since February 10, 2008, Jaromir Jagr will play hockey at Verizon Center. Since he is perhaps the most reviled person in Washington Capitals history, there’s no way this doesn’t get ugly.

As a Pittsburgh Penguin, Jaromir Jagr finished eight seasons with more than 90 points, ran flak for Mario Lemieux, and beat the hell out of the Caps in five of six playoff series. Then something even worse happened: he became a Washington Capital.

Fans can have honest disagreement about what the dark days of the Washington Capitals actually were. No wait; they can’t. That first season going a pathetic 8-67-5 doesn’t come close to unbridled misery of the Jaromir Jagr era (October 6, 2001 – January 21, 2004). It began like this: Acquired from a broke Pittsburgh team, Jagr would earn eleven million dollars a  year as a Capital.

But he never hit 40 goals, he never hit 90 points, and he never hit other skaters (okay, maybe a few times). Like an incompetent cowboy wrangling through the wilderness, Jagr went his own way. Even paired with the esteemed Robert Lang and given oodles of ice, Jagr was a catastrophic waste of time and resources. He set off a chain of disastrous events that escalated until the Fire Sale and the coming of Alex Ovechkin.

But at the time, owner Ted Leonsis touted the acquisition as if it were the Caps’ entrance to the big time:

This puts us on the national scene, because we now have a really, really great hockey team. I hope this knocks the chip off people’s shoulders in Washington and they come out and buy tickets. Now’s the time to prove this is a hockey town, that it loves sports, and we’re as good a team as any others. [Washington Post, July 12, 2001]

Jagr had been poison to D.C. through the 1990s, but the organization (including GM George McPhee) considered him the missing puzzle piece. This consideration somehow overlooked the declining speed of a once-gifted skater; his dependence on the 90′s biggest playmaker, Mario Dagnabbit Lemieux; and his diminishing constitution and increasing weight.

The Caps never won the Southeast Division with Jagr. They saw only one playoff series, winning only two games in it. Jagr played hurt. Also: poorly.

Two and a half years later, Leonsis and McPhee agreed to eat $20M of Jagr’s bill and ship his ass up to Manhattan… where the bastard started producing again, putting up 123 points in 05-06.

Jaromir Jagr set back the Washington Capitals by half a decade. Jaromir Jagr rendered unto dust a plucky Capitals fanbase. Jaromir Jagr frittered away tens of millions of dollars. Jaromir Jagr tainted the autumn of Peter Bondra’s career. Jaromir Jagr skulked and dissembled throughout his time in Washington and never embraced the fans.

But now Jaromir Jagr is forgotten. We found scoring in Alex Ovechkin, fortitude in Nick Backstrom, leadership in Chris Clark and Sergei Fedorov and Brooks Laich and Mike Knuble and a half dozen other guys.

Whatshisname with the mullet shadow and bad attitude? Who cares.

After a few years getting paid truckloads of money in the KHL, word circulated that Jagr was interested in finishing his career back in America. The rumors washed over us like Omsk rainwater off the hood a freshly waxed Ferrari. Somebody else’s problem, we thought. We’ve already got our team.

Jagr flirted with Pittsburgh, but he ultimately flaked out and spurned them in favor of the Philadelphia Flyers, who were willing to pay more and had fractionally fewer disabled superstars. Jagr is now making $3.3 million dollars to play hockey in that putrid orange sweater. He’s already got 10 goals on the season without getting much time on ice.

Jagr has now played on four of the seven teams in what must inevitably become known as The Jagr Conference. Because that’s the kind of sick world in which we live.

And on Tuesday night, Jaromir Jagr comes home. Not his real home. Not even his fake home. D.C. is just some place from which Jagr took $40 million dollars and change; the pride of hockey faithful; and one huge, steaming, metaphorical dump of hockey.

Welcome back, 68.

Photo credit: Robert Beck/SI

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

Over the summer, General Manager George McPhee started snatching players like a rabid mom snatching groceries on Supermarket Sweeps. In are gritty NHL veterans like Joel Ward, Roman Hamrlik, and Jeff Halpern. Out are fan-favorites like Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon.

Beyond the discounted signing of Tomas Vokoun, there may have been no better addition to the line-up than the Draft-night trade McPhee swung with the Chicago Blackhawks in which he landed Troy Brouwer for a first-round pick. Brouwer, who signed an affordable two-year deal worth $2,350,000 per year on July 6, was part of the Blackhawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup Champion squad and is known in part for his physical, hard-hitting game. The 26-year-old right wing has also been a proven scorer at every level he’s played, tallying 20 goals in the NHL, 40-plus goals in the AHL, and 100-plus points in Juniors.

So with Opening Night only a few days away, what can Caps fans reasonably expect offensively from Brouwer? Also, how about some bizarre facts about Troy that only RMNB can dig up? Follow me past the jump to find out.

How do you pronounce Troy’s last name?

Brow-er, not Brew-er. And I’m talking with experience here because I’ve actually been guilty of butchering his last name for the last three months or so. Peter seems committed to re-naming the Capitals’ man-advantage “the Brouwer Play”, so I’ll learn.

What number will he be wearing in Washington?

#20. Troy will be the first player to wear the number full-time for the Capitals since Rico Fata did in 2005-06. Other notables who wear the #20 include Gary Rissling (1979-80), Michal Pivonka (1986-99) and Robert Lang (2002-04).

What interesting fact about Brouwer is going to blow my mind?

In Troy’s first NHL game with the Blackhawks on December 23, 2006, a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, he was put on the same line with a former Caps great. “I’d like to see him and say hi to him. I don’t know if he’ll remember me because it was six or seven years ago. But it’d be cool to see him again.” The player he’s referring to? None other than Peter Bondra.

So he’s won a Stanley Cup?

Yeah, dude. In 2010. Troy had four goals and four assists in 19 games during that fateful playoff run, his only goal in the Finals coming in Chicago’s 6-5 win over the Flyers in Game 1.

What did he do on his day with the Stanley Cup?

I’ll let Troy explain: “We had a full day with it. For me, I had it at my house early in the morning and ate some cereal out of it – Fruit Loops. My wife’s sister wanted to do that so we did. My dad was in the hospital throughout the playoff run so we took it to the hospital that he was staying at to say thank you to all the nurses and doctors. Hopefully, it brought some cheer and happiness to everyone else that was in his ward. Then I brought it to the Minor Hockey League rink for the minor hockey league kids to see just because their numbers have been spiraling downwards a little bit lately. So hopefully it brought some enthusiasm to hockey there. And then afterwards, I had it at my Parents’ house. A nice big yard, we had a barbecue and partied with about 200 people.”

Does Troy own a pet?

Yes. Troy has two dogs. Above, Brouwer introduces the world to Ari, a beagle mix (we think). We find out that “some of Ari’s favorite things to do are chase squirrels and cats” and that she has “designer clothes,” like any good princess would. The video’s worth watching just to see her play dead.

Was Troy Brouwer cuter than me as a child?

Yes. Though that Sharks jersey gots to go.

Is Troy Brouwer better than me at Poker?

I wouldn’t bet your wife’s wedding ring on a good hand with him. Brouwer was the last Chicago Blackhawk standing at teammate Brian Campbell’s charity poker tournament two years running.

Any injuries I need to know about?

Brouwer had to have surgery this past May to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that he suffered sometime in 2009-10. “It was pretty ugly,” Brouwer said of his shoulder. Troy avoided the surgery two summers ago, because the recovery time would be four months, four months that he didn’t have because of the Blackhawks Stanely Cup win in June. So he played through the pain last season and reaggravated the injury in April after flying into the Montreal boards on a missed check. Troy’s first pre-season game came against his former team two Monday’s ago.

Does Brouwer fight?

Ask Mike Richards how that right hand tastes and you’ll get your answer. Hockeyfights.com has credited Brouwer with 43 career bouts, 13 of them at the NHL level.

Why did Chicago trade him in the first place if he’s so good?

Brouwer was a restricted free agent and due a hefty raise from the $1.025 mil he was making in the final year of his two-year contract with Chicago. Plus, he also struggled to find consistency last season and wasn’t a factor in the playoffs, where he went pointless in seven games against the Vancouver Canucks. In the Blackhawk’s final 22 regular season games, Troy failed to tally a goal and had only three points. How much that can be blamed on his wonky shoulder we’ll never know.

Where does Brouwer score most of his goals?

In the bakery. 10 of Brouwer’s 17 goals last year were scored within 15 feet of the net, mostly off rebounds and deflections.

But 20 Goals is a lock right?

Not so fast. Neil wrote a great piece about this for Capitals Insider. Here’s a sampling.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound forward scored 22 goals during the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup-winning season in 2009-10, and he potted 17 goals last year.

But those numbers came in some of the most optimal conditions possible.

[. . . ]

Brouwer’s even-strength shifts started in the offensive zone almost two thirds of the time, and a third of those were with Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, three of the league’s best players.

Is Brouwer going to play on the first line?

Yes, at least for the season opener. Brouwer will play with Marcus Johansson and Alex Ovechkin, while Nicklas Backstrom will most likely center Alex Semin and Mike Knuble on line two.

Where can I see every goal Brouwer scored last year?

Right here, just step over my passed out body and its cramped and worn-down typing hands.

Goal #1 – 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, October 30, 2010

Troy corrals the rebound and scores on the backhand.

Goal #2 – 7-2 loss to the Calgary Flames November, 19 2010

Brouwer knocks in a rebound from the waist area past Mikka Kiprusoff.

Goal #3 – GWG, 7-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, November, 20 2010

Brouwer puts his shoulder down, takes the puck strong to the net, and puts one past Roberto Luongo. Goals in back-to-back games.

Goal #4 – 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, November, 26 2010

A big hit by Brouwer starts the Blackhawks on an odd man break. Brouwer takes a pass from the boards and rifles a slapshot from the middle of the circles past Jonas Hiller.

Goal #5 – PPG, 7-5 win over the St. Louis Blues, November 30, 2010

Joe B.’s commentating! The goal is a gimme. Puck takes weird bounce off the boards on a dump-in. Brouwer collects and rifles it into a yawning net. This marks four goals in six games for Troy.

Goal #6 – GWG, 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars, December 8, 2010

Brouwer takes a slick pass from Bolland on a 2-on-1 who then takes the puck in, dekes to the backhand, and roofs it past Andrew Raycroft.

Goals #7 and #8 – 2 PPG, 7-5 loss to Colorado, December 13, 2010

A fortunate bounce finds Troy in front of the net on the Brouwer play.

This goal gives the Blackhawks a 5-4 lead. Brouwer tips a shot from the point into the net from about waist-high.

Goal #9 – 4-3 loss to Colorado, December 15, 2010

Brouwer scores a meaningless goal in front of the net with a second left on the clock. Props for the reserved goal celebration. He currently is enjoying 8 goals in 12 games at this point.

Goal #10 – PPG, 5-3 loss to San Jose, December 30, 2010

Brouwer’s centering pass on the powerplay redirects off of Niemi into the net.

Goal #11 – GWG, 4-0 win over Colorado, January 12, 2011

Brouwer jams the puck towards the net and in after a good battle along the boards.

Goals #12 and #13 – PPG, GWG, 6-3 win over the Preds, January 16, 2011

Brouwer scores on the powerplay after taking a rebound and jamming it home.

Brouwer scores 40 seconds later. Takes the puck from the corner, uses his speed to curl to the middle of the ice and wrists a shot past a helpless Anders Lindbeck. It ends up standing up as the game-winning goal and is potentially Brouwer’s most impressive individual play on the year.

Goal #14 – 4-1 win over the Red Wings, January 22, 2011

Jonathan Toews sets Brouwer up in front of the net, and Troy snaps her home.

Goal #15 – 4-2 loss to the Wild, January 25, 2011

Puck finds Brouwer in the crease. Five goals in six games streak.

Goal #16 – PPG, 3-2 (OT) loss to Phoenix, February 12, 2011

Brouwer takes a pass from Marian Hossa and one-times the puck past Ilya Bryzgalov.

Goal #17 – GWPPG, 3-1 win over the Wild, February 16, 2011

Hawks keep the puck in at the blue line. Play breaks down and Brouwer ends up having a 2-on-1 with Hossa from close range. Brouwer tries to send the puck to Marian Hossa but instead the biscuit deflects in past Jose Theodore. Goals in back-to-back games.

In the end, Troy scored his goals from 6ft, 15ft, 7ft, 31ft, 14ft, 7ft, 12ft, 11ft, 11ft, 10ft, 20ft, 16ft, 21ft, 23ft, 10ft, 22ft, and 11ft away from the net. The more you know.

Photo by Chris Gordon

Olaf Kolzig is announced to the Hershey crowd as the Eastern Conference's Honorary Captain. (Photo by Laura G.)

On Monday, the AHL formally inducted four new members into its American Hockey League Hall of Fame: Maurice Podoloff, Larry Wilson, Harry Pidhirny, and Mitch Lamourex. Foster Hewitt Award-winning broadcaster Mike Emrick was the master of ceremonies, while Caps’ head coach Bruce Boudreau served as the keynote speaker.

Among the honorees at the event was former Capitals great Olaf Kolzig. Kolzig, in Hershey to serve as the Eastern Conference’s Honorary Captain at the All-Star Game, was recognized for his six stellar seasons in the AHL. Olie backstopped the Rochester Americans to the Calder Cup Finals in 1993 and won the championship with the Portland Pirates in 1994, where he was also named playoffs MVP.

After the induction ceremony concluded, I caught up with Kolzig downstairs at the media luncheon in the Hershey Theatre. With the rare opportunity to speak to a childhood hero, I asked Kolzig about the Capitals’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998, the playoffs meltdown last year, and why he reunited with the team after their messy divorce three seasons ago.

Q. What does it mean to you to be named one of the Honorary Captains of the AHL All-Star Game?

A. Well for me personally, when you get asked to do something like that it’s a special honor because people recognize what you did. And I’ve never been a player that boasts about myself or pats myself on the back. When other people recognize that and invite me to an event like this, it’s very special. And to have it in Hershey, where it’s such a historic city– not only obviously with the chocolate but with the franchise itself– it’s probably one of the most prominent franchises in all of hockey.

Q. How did you first find out about the honor?

A. You know what, I was actually invited to last year’s event in Portland. Byron Dafoe and myself were both invited. But I had committed to a Disney cruise with my family, and my kids would have probably disowned me if I would have blown that off. So I was really thankful that [AHL President] Dave [Andrews] called me again and invited me. And It’s almost more special that it is in Hershey. I won a championship in Portland. But when you talk about the AHL, you talk about the Hershey organization.

Q. I wanted to ask you also about the fact that this year we’ve noticed that you’ve been around more Capitals events. What was the catalyst for that?

A. I was asked by [Capitals Team Services' Manager] Ian Anderson, way back in – I want to say – July or August to attend the Capitals Convention. Whatever differences I had [with the Capitals] wasn’t going to keep me away from the fans. The fans always treated me well there. And I thought: “You know what? Time heals all wounds. Let’s move on.” At the end of the day, you know, I’m going to be known as a Capital, not a Tampa Bay Lightning or a Toronto Maple Leaf. I’m a Washington Capital. Like I said, it’s unfortunate that things happened the way they did, but we’ve moved on. I went to the convention. I saw the team at the Winter Classic. So hopefully I’ll be more and more involved with the alumni stuff.

Q. Was it nice to see guys like Bonzai again [at the Convention]?

A. It was fantastic. Anytime you see your old teammates like Bonzai– I saw Michal Pivonka, I saw Sylvain Cote, I saw all those guys, and I actually had dinner with Joe Reekie that night– it’s great. Those are the guys you played with. Those are the guys you went to the final with. And you have such great memories. It’s just good to sit down and talk about the old days.

Q. The Capitals haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since you backstopped the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. What was the magic with that team?

A. You know what: I don’t know. I just think anytime in the playoffs, everything just has to go right for you. Ask the Capitals last year. They just didn’t have that killer instinct. Game five they could have snuffed out Montreal’s hopes, but they allowed them to get a 2-0 lead, they allowed them to feel good about themselves, and they allowed Halak to get back into it. Next thing you know, they lose in seven. It’s just– it’s a fine line. And for us that year, we were pretty much healthy. All the top teams that finished ahead of us, had all gotten eliminated, and you know what… Ron Wilson being our coach really made a big difference that year. Because in the past, in past years, the team would be up 3 to 1 in a series, and find a way to lose. I remember us being up 3 to 1 against Boston– and nobody wanted to admit it– but everybody in the back of their mind was going, “Well, here we go again.” And Wilsie found a way for us to think differently. And even though we lost game five, we came out and won game six and we thought, “this is our time.” We finally got the monkey off our back. We beat Ottawa. We had a great series against Buffalo– especially the Joe Juneau goal in Overtime– which was probably my most memorable goal as a Capital. It’s unfortunate that we lost four straight to Detroit, because I thought we were a better team than them. But I think deep down we maybe as a team didn’t believe that we could beat them. Just that little bit of doubt I think might have been the difference in the series.

Q. After you spoke, [the AHL] put up a video presentation of you, and they showed a fight between you and Dafoe.

A. The Dance.

Q. Yeah, the dance! Were you aware that that was going to happen?

A. I had a little bit of a feeling. I know they aired it last year when Byron was there in hopes that I was going to be there, too. But I’m glad they allowed me my chance to give my side of the story. So it’s just one of the comedic times of my career and it was just an odd thing to see two goalies go at it, but not really go at it. Two best friends… it’s just a great story of mine.

Q. You were a fan favorite because of your intensity, so that was really great to see.

Q. What can we look forward to from you? We you know you did the Winter Classic stuff for NHL Live a few weeks ago.

A. You know what, I actually really enjoyed those two days doing that. People had always told me that I’d do a good job in television, and I really didn’t know that I would. And they invited me to do it because they didn’t really have anybody to give the Caps perspective. And there were a ton of people from Pittsburgh that were there and so they invited me to do it. And I really thought about it, and I went, “why not?” And I had a blast. So I don’t know if that’s going to be something that will happen more in the future, but I know they were happy with what I did. But right now I’m focused on my junior team. Right now we probably have the best Americans team, that the franchise has ever had right now. And we’re in a battle. We have another month and a half to the season to be there working with the goalies and then we’ll see what happens.

Q. Have you spent most of your time on the West Coast since?

A. Yeah. Pretty much all my time. We moved back up there from Florida, and I’ve been in Tri-cities full-time.

Above, are highlights from the Caps Pens Alumni Game where the two-period exhibition ended in a 5-5 tie. One of my favorite All-Time Capitals, Peter Bondra, tied the game in the final few minutes with a wicked slap shot from the middle of the circles. In Bonzai’s post-game scrum with the media, he revealed that the scrimmage actually got quite intense.

“Early in the game I know what to expect. When the game went on – the old guys actually brought [the intensity level] up. They started hooking, [playing] old-time hockey. There was chopping at the skates. One guy broke a stick on my leg.”

We’re still awaiting word for if that guy was Mario Lemieux. Paul Mulvey (2), Alan May, and Mark Lofthouse also scored for the Capitals, while Ron Francis, Jay Caufield, Rob Brown, Rod Buskas, and Craig Simpson tallied for the Pens.

For more coverage of the first real event on the Winter Classic ice (sorry, media guys), make sure to check out On Frozen Blog and Capitals Insider who’ll be there all weekend.

Photos

Alan May looks to score as Rick Tocchet smiles in the background.

Peter Bondra shows Paul Coffey that he still has some moves.

Lemieux looks to start the break-out.

Craig Simpson scores glove-side on Don Beaupre. Nothing new there!

Yvon Labre shares a laugh with the Pens bench.

Brooks Laich, err I mean Dennis Maruk, looks for a pass in the Neutral Zone.

Sylvain Cote defends Ron Francis. GET YER STICK UP, COTES!

Peter Bondra celebrates his GTG.

The players salute the 10,000 people in attendance at Heinz Field.

Of course. Mario has to be front and center.

On Sunday morning, the Washington Capitals and the Reston Town Center skating pavilion hosted the Mites on Ice Outdoor Classic. Some of Northern Virginia’s cutest youth hockey players from ages 4 to 7 donned Caps jerseys and played puck with some pros. There was a tournament of half-ice games, a full-ice championship game, and– from what we hear– some adorable goal celebrations.

As a bonus, the Caps also sent out alumni Alan May and Peter Bondra to give a skills demonstration, skate with fans, and sign autographs after the tournament.

I was sick with the flu and unwilling to spend the morning in the cold rain, so RMNB buds Nour H. and Lindsey N. pinched in to capture the event for me via photos. Thanks, ladies.

Alan May spaces out for a second, worrying about how much better Joe B’s ties are than his.

Bonzai signs a jersey while we desperately try not to caption the guy at right.

Bondra got along well with all of the kids except the one with an Adam Oates-style stick.

Immediately following this play, Chris Simon ended the season of that player in white.

Lindsey and Nour with the very classy Bondra butt shot.

Wow, that’s a really pretty place to play hockey.

Slashing clinic, apparently.

May and Bondra ponder orders at Panera. May got the Frontega, Bondra the chicken noodle soup in a sourdough bread bowl.

Goalie kid is way out the crease. Bondra and May are going to make him pay for that one.

NO COMMENT.

Alan May chats with Guerin Austin about his Frontega chicken sandwich and what the eighties were like.

Prepare to have your heart-strings tugged at. The Washington Capitals participated in a public skate at the D.C. Sculpture Garden this morning. Our hero Suzanne K. was on the scene and snapped some superb pictures. If you’ve been waiting for photos of Nicky Backstrom skating hand-in-hand with adorable little girls, your wait is now over.

Photos (Click on them to enlarge)

Videos

Meg, a staff member of the National Gallery of Art and a hockey player, races with Peter Bondra around the rink. Bonzai had a rough start.

Craig Laughlin asks the crowd what they want to see Peter do. They asked for him to skate on one leg, backwards. He gives us a little extra at the end.

Capitals Official Video of the Event

John Carlson Gets Behind the Camera

Elliot Segal glares as Alex Ovechkin high-fives an invisible child.

The second annual Caps Convention was held this past Saturday at the Washington Convention Center. Along with the entire Washington Capitals roster, a number of prominent alumni made appearances, including Olie Kolzig, Peter Bondra, Yvon Labre, and Rod Langway. Fans got to meet and greet their favorite players, get autographs, and demand “Happy Birthday” be sung to them.

The event was a tremendous success. RMNB’s own Neil Greenberg was there to document the day. Enjoy!

Alex Semin signs… is that a volleyball?

Sasha again, this time blowing a raspberry at a fan for no good reason.

Tom Poti, vouching for the quality of his dental work over the summer.

Doo-wop group, Semyon and the Varlamovettes, are playing Merriweather Post Pavillion on 10/18.

Matt Bradley didn’t say anything funny to make Ovechkin and Fehr laugh; they’re just astonished that someone asked him a question.

That 2D fan behind Ovechkin is about to commit sexual harassment.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the head of hair on Karl Alzner? He looks like a Von Trapp child.

“Living in America” by James Brown was playing in the background during this shot.

Rife with troubling sociological subtext.

This kid could beat Fleischmann on the faceoff 67% of the time.

Neil took this photo just to scare Peter and Ian. Nightmares.

Fake locker room. Real locker room smell.

Bonzai signs for people who WERE NOT ALIVE WHEN HE WAS PLAYING.

Looks like Ted Leonsis is wearing M.C. Hammer pants.

The jersey Ovechkin wore in the Turin Olympics. The Russians did not medal, so this is kind of a bummer.

GMGM’s pantomime telephone routine delights Nate Ewell and the audience alike. “Listen, Eric Belanger, I’ve got some bad news…”

GMGM pretends to listen to a question, but he’s actually thinking about the roster for his fantasy hockey team, McPheeling Groovy.

Wearing 21 in honor of his father?

Friday, June 4th the KHL held its second annual draft and Peter Bondra’s son David Bondra, was selected 21st overall by Metallurg Magnitogorsk (don’t confuse Magnitogorsk with Metallurg Novokuznetsk, where Dmitri Orlov plays). Bondra was available in last year’s draft but was never selected.

Bondra currently plays for the Washington Jr Nationals of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League (the 3rd level of US junior hockey). According to AJHL official site, current South Carolina Stingray Nikita Kashirsky (who’s also Ovi’s childhood friend) have played for the club. A few highlights of David’s season thus far include him being named an AJHL All-Star and netting a goal in the game. He finished 14th overall in scoring (22 G, 29 A in 40 GP) during the AJHL season and was named to the Slovakian U-18 National Team.

His father, the Capitals’ current franchise leader in points and goals, recently spoke about his son in an interview with the Russian newspaper «Sport Den Za Dnem» (Sports Daily):

Q: Your son David isn’t a leader of his age’s National Team.
A: He works hard, but sometimes his surname interferes with him [smiling]… And sometimes opponents give much more attention to him than to other players. But Jr. Bondra is still at an age where the most important games are still ahead of him. I believe in him and hope you’ll hear his name in the future.

Q: Will Jr. Bondra be able to break all his father’s NHL records?
A: I think if he continues to work hard, he’ll be a good player. We spend a lot of time personally with him talking about hockey, watching games together and analyzing the sport.

Special Notes: In today’s draft, Lokomotiv selected NHL Superstar John Tavares with the 184th overall pick in hopes that they could lure him to Russia. Moments after the selection, the KHL voided the pick in respect of Tavares’ pact with the New York Islanders. Uh, bizarre.