Photo credit: Marianne Helm

FREDERICK, MD – On the eve of a pivotal game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, fans of the eliminated Washington Capitals finally chose their allegiance. ”If Bylsma doesn’t play Marc-Andre Fleury, he’ll be squandering the Pens’ chance at the Cup,” said 24-year-old die-hard Caps fan Steve Neuschwander of Monrovia, MD. “I mean, I know his playoff save percentage has been under 90% for the last few years, but that just means he’s due.”

Neuschwander, wearing a custom-embroidered KOLZILLA Caps jersey and smelling vaguely of stale Keystone, continued, “You put your trust in Flower; he won’t let you down.” Holding one hand to his chest and the other to the sky, Neuschwander proclaimed, “I want the Penguins to win this as much as anyone, and they’re not gonna do it without MAF.”

Fleury has struggled of late, allowing many deemed “soft” goals before being relieved in favor of former Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun in the first round, a point not lost on Caps stat-fanatic Dale Greenblatt. “Trust me, Vokoun is a fraud. I want nothing but the best for the Penguins of Pittsburgh, and the best goes by the initials M, A, and F.” Greenblatt, whose Caps blog Bring Back Bradley features advanced statistical analysis and frequent misspellings of Swedish player names, produced several bubble charts illustrating the superiority of Fleury over Vokoun.

“Vokoun is the médiocre choice. He lacks flow.” – Anonymous Capitals supporter

Pittsburgh, who could take a 3-1 series lead with a win on Wednesday night, is expected to keep Tomas Vokoun in net. That, according to a Caps fan who preferred to remain anonymous, would be tantamount to unconditional surrender. “Oui, Vokoun has beaucoup experience and a proven record of supérieure goalkeeping,” said the Caps fan, who chose to go by the name Matt Perot, “but he’s got no heart. The Pens will need heart to close out this series over a team with defense as stiff as a Quebecois toonie.” The anonymous fan continued between nibbles of a croissant, “And when you think heart, when you think cœur, you think Marc-Andre Fleury. When has he ever let anyone down?”

Caps fans are not alone in their advocacy for Fleury, as noted hockey experts Stephen A. Smith and @hockeyyinsiderr also voiced support for the goalie switch.

Head coach Dan Bylsma remained mum as of press time, although the Penguins did eschew pucks at Wednesday’s morning skate in favor of beach balls.

Hockey is brutal. Mike Green has missed 83 games due to injury over the past two seasons. He’s missed time because of groin, ankle, and concussion issues. Caps fans have called him soft over the years, but Sunday against the Penguins, Green showed how tough he really is.

After taking a big check from Kris Letang and crashing shoulder-first into the boards, Green picked himself up off the ice. He skated towards the bench to get looked over by the trainer, but then Green saw his teammates gain possession of the puck in the corner and instead stopped at the slot. Wojtek Wolski hit him with a beautiful cross-ice pass and Green scored on his former teammate Tomas Vokoun.

Video below the jump.

After the goal, Green — grimacing on the bench — got checked out by the trainer. He did not miss a single shift. He skated 8:41 in the first period, second among all Caps skaters.

And this is why hockey is the greatest.

Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth spoke to the Czech website iSport.Cz on Monday, and boy oh boy did he have some fascinating opinions to share. Talking with František Suchan, Neuvirth departed from the meek personality he’s cultivated since joining the Capitals in ’08-’09 and spoke with remarkable candor about a wide range of topics. We’d like to direct your attention to his quotes on the goalie situation in D.C.— both last season and in the future. Neuvy says he considers Braden Holtby his “weakest competition” since he’s been in D.C., expresses his frustration over always being the “bridesmaid” in net, and admits that he urged Tomas Vokoun to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Get ready to have your mind blown.

UPDATE: Read our statement on interpretation and translation.

Related: Read Part II of the interview.

From iSport.Cz:

On his position as starting goalie on the club

It’s true that until now, I have never been an official number one. But I have played just over a hundred games in NHL. That’s nothing. I’m starting the season sure that I want to play forty/fifty games and I am really sure that I have the weakest competition (Braden Holtby) I’ve ever had. I will try to be number one goalie this season. Finally!

They say you’ve always been a bridesmaid in the crease, not the bride. You are always the second. How do you see it?

But it’s important to look at which players always were in tandem with me. At first – the Russian [Semyon Varlamov] who was always in front of me because he was drafted higher and played in the NHL sooner. It was hard to get in front of him. But in the end I played much more than he did. Last year, I had Voky (Tomáš Vokoun) next to me and I guessed in advance that he would probably get more space in the goal than I would. I came to camp ready, but it the end the season was as it was… I left it behind and I’m starting the new one ready to fight for my spot. This is the turning-point year in my life; it will decide where will I go on with my career.

In the end, neither of you (he and Voky) started in the playoffs, although you were supposed to be the Czech tandem going for the Stanley Cup…

It ended the worst it could have. But they say everything bad is good for something, and that’s how I take it. At least I had great fun with Voky. I got to know him as a person, I got to see how he gets ready, how he practices, what he does before the game and that helped me a lot. Besides we got really close, we are still in touch, I and my girlfriend visited him on Florida for a few days. We became great friends.

In the end you both got replaced by Holtby thanks to injuries…

[Vokoun and I] were both really sorry about that. We were angry that neither of us started in the playoffs, there’s no doubt in that. But that’s the life, things like that happen in sports, and we can’t do anything else than to forget about that last season. Voky is going to fight in Pittsburgh and I in Washington.

You mentioned that Holtby is the weakest competition, but he was awesome in playoffs, don’t you think?

He sure is a great goalie. But I can’t compare him to Voky or Varlamov, that’s what I meant. In comparison to those two, he played nothing in the NHL and that’s why I take him as the weakest of them three. I’m definitely not saying that he is bad, not at all. I actually like the way he plays. But he is the worst of them three, that’s all.

I’m not afraid because of how he did in the playoffs. I think that a year ago I played in the playoffs the same as he did now. They always say that the second season is the turning point, I’m curious how he will do…

He is a friend, too, of course. I actually always try to be friends with the other goalie, I don’t like to start a fight. We get along with Holtby pretty well, we played together for two years on the farm club. He was my number two there, when we won the Calder Cup twice, so we have known each other for a long time, over four years. We are not such friends to go out for dinner with each other, but we sit next to each other in the locker room and we always chat. But we don’t do “dates.”

On injuries

I’m definitely doing things not to get injured again. That’s what I focused on during the summer, I’m trying to make stronger those parts of my body that hurt me before when there was a hard moment during the season. But last year it was different, I was well prepared the whole time and then a player fell on me when I was in a split. You can practice all you want, but you can’t stop getting injured in such a situation.

On Vokoun

I was the one who advised him to leave for Pittsburgh. I know he had many offers from Russia [Editor's note: Vokoun had been rumored to be considering joining the reformed Lokomotiv team], but I told him not to go there especially. Just when I was at his place, a few teams contacted him and I told him to go with the Pens. He has a big chance to win the Stanley Cup there. Besides, they told [Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury] he will play less, because his last playoffs didn’t really work out as well. Anyway, what’s written on paper in the summer doesn’t mean much, anything can happen during the season. That’s why I am glad Voky signed with Pittsburgh, I think he did the best thing he could. I’m sure his wife and other guys advised him as well, but maybe my opinion helped him decide as well.

That is some straight talk from the goalie who really has carried this team’s water for the past two seasons. You may not agree with his assessment of Braden Holtby, and you almost certainly find his tolerance of Pittsburgh detestable, but the kid has earned the right to speak.

Now stay tuned, ’cause the next part of this interview is even wilder.

Translated by the inestimable Karolina Martinková of hockey-on.blogspot.cz. Ian Oland contributed to this report.

Tomas Vokoun got all dressed up for 2011 summer free agency, put on his glittering career numbers and his solid veteran history and waited for a dancing partner. It didn’t go as planned.

He watched his old team hook up with a new French Canadian flame, watched the Philadelphia Flyers fall all over themselves for Ilya Bryzgalov and the Phoenix Coyotes chase a tall dark unknown. Somehow, at the end of all the frenzy, Vokoun was left without an offer.

Left with few options, Vokoun agreed to a mercenary marriage of convenience with the Caps, an embarrassingly cheap, $1.5 M one-year deal. The Czech veteran got to play on what should have been a contending team and get his name back out there; the Caps got an apparent upgrade in goal. Everyone wins, right?

Wrong. The loveless arranged marriage quickly went sour, and abruptly came to an end today as the Caps traded Vokoun’s rights to bitter rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he promptly signed a two-year deal. How could things have gone so wrong with a goaltender who could been the MVP? Let’s take a look.

October 8, 2011 – Opening Night

Photo credit: Toni L. Sandys

Fast forward to Tomas Vokoun’s first game in a Caps uniform. While the Caps appeared to have a very talented tandem of equally matched goalies, as the unofficial 1A goaltender Vokoun was within reason to expect that he would be playing that game. Which was why he flew his kids in, from Florida.

To watch him sit on a bench.

His family did not make the move with Tomas, he left them back in Florida for the year, and while $1.5 million is certainly enough money to fly them in again, the situation seemed mishandled and quickly took on a life of its own. Vokoun’s agent Allan Walsh told the Washington Times:

“He was told he was coming into Washington as the No. 1 goalie. They were very public in their comments about that. … There’s a certain symbolism attached to who starts the first game of the season at home. It doesn’t mean he’s not a No. 1 goalie. But this can certainly be perceived as a slap in the face.”

December 5, 2011 – The Return of Vokoun

(Photo credit: panthers.nhl.com)

Then there was the Panthers game on December 5th. Another one of those rare opportunities — Vokoun got tickets for his family so that they could come to see him play. It was expected that he would, even the Panthers’ website had a splash page with his face plastered across it — but once again Vokoun sat on the bench. Once again his family watched someone else in net.

February 1, 2012 – Seriously is Someone Doing This On Purpose Now or What

Then came the second away game against the Panthers in Sunshine, Florida. Surely now Vokoun would get that start, right? Nope. Michal Neuvirth was in net, and while using both your goaltenders for back-to-back games is almost a must, it was puzzling to see Neuvirth play in Florida and Vokoun the night before.

Vokoun’s family has had plenty of chances to see him play over his 14-year career, and I’d bet he is not sensitive enough that this kind of decision would have sent him sulking to his room. Still.

February 22, 2012 – Drama

Photo credit: Andre Ringuette

Vokoun had a bad slide at the end of February, getting pulled two games in a row. Things came to a head after a game against the Senators in which Vokoun let in four goals on eleven shots. “They jumped on us, (Tomas) would like a few of them back,” Hunter admitted, when asked about Vokoun’s game. “He wasn’t as sharp as he should have been, and it’s in the back of our net. We need some big stops early, that’s part of the game.”

Allan Walsh fired back, releasing a statement about Hunter’s comments:

I’m not going to comment directly on what someone may have said after a game. I will point out though that hockey’s great coaches throughout history never resorted to publicly singling out a particular player, blaming him for a loss. Where I come from, you win as a team and lose as a team. The oldest, most tired excuse in the book is to blame the goalie.

No effort was made not to fight in front of the kids.

March 3, 2012 – Attack of the Groin

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott

Tomas Vokoun first went down with a lower body injury in late February, which was later revealed to be a groin strain. As if the romance weren’t already dying.

He appeared to recover from the strain enough to make it back onto the ice six games later, but it was enough for Michal Neuvirth to get his foot in the door again — and by the end of March, Vokoun was out of the lineup again, having re-aggravated the groin injury with two attempts to return before it was entirely healed. This time the injury seemed to be worse, characterized as a “groin tear” and requiring a lot more rest. The regular season closed with Vokoun on the bench, with his goaltending partner Neuvirth also injured and the team rallying around rookie goaltender Braden Holtby.

For the first time in five years, Tomas Vokoun’s team was in the playoffs. He did not play a single game.

There were a few common themes to the Capitals’ last postseason interviews, before they went their separate ways for summer. The first question posed was always about Dale Hunter, who has made the decision to return to the London Knights franchise in Ontario rather than stay on to coach the Caps. The team expressed universal admiration and gratitude for what he brought to the Capitals in his short tenure, often focusing less on his system than on the character and sense of accountability he was able to instill.

There was clear disappointment at the early ending to the season, but a different tone to the team’s assessment of their year than the year before — many of the Caps mentioned that they thought they were able to go out in a way that they feel better about this year, though of course they’d all still rather be playing hockey.

Read on for the details of Jay Beagle‘s injury, Brooks Laich standing outside Hunter’s window holding a boombox, and Hunter’s odd career model for Alexander Ovechkin.

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin had 9 points in 14 games, but it was his shot-blocking and his willingness dump the puck into the offensive zone that got him national attention this postseason. Ovi, dressed in casual Nike leisurewear, spoke mostly about Hunter, mentioning that he reminded him of an old coach.

He said that moving forward, the leaders in the room will have to continue to be cohesive, as he felt they were near the end of the year. “I think at last, we were a team in the playoffs. I don’t know if you guys see that or not, but I was in the locker room, I was on the bus, I was playing, and it was a team. You lose like a team and you win like a team.”

“I think he just bring a system right away, when he came to the locker room,” said Ovechkin of Hunter. “It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, I have to play it because he’s my coach. Again how he said, you have to be a plumber, so I was a plumber.”

Ovechkin will now travel to Stockholm to play for the Russian National Team in the World Championships.

Braden Holtby

Braden Holtby, dressed in some kind of strangely cowl-necked sweatshirt, said it has been a season where he had to “grow up fast,” but denied the pressure was ever really on him.

“This has been the place that I’ve wanted to be forever. Obviously it’s not the result that we wanted, what I wanted, but it shows that we do have the capabilities in this dressing room and as an organization to give ourselves a chance every year to win a Cup.”

When asked about what he would take away from Dale Hunter’s coaching, Holtby emphasized his patience, and his willingness to let the team find its own identity. “There’s usually a lot of pressure on guys put on through coaches and whatnot to figure things out quick, I think he was very patient. That was what we needed as a group.”

Holtby said he looks forward to competing with Michal Neuvirth for the starting position, and with Tomas Vokoun leaving Washington, it seems that he will get a chance to do so.

Brooks Laich

Brooks Laich, still defiantly unshaven and looking like a handsome extra in a period drama, seemed perhaps most visibly affected by Dale Hunter’s departure. He repeatedly expressed admiration and respect for the coach, saying that he is still trying to talk him into staying.

Though he expressed disappointment at the way the season ending, he only had good things to say about the chemistry in the room near the end of the year. “It was the tightest-knit group and the hardest-working group that has been here, I believe. The team that played two nights ago was the hardest-working team I’ve ever been a part of, and the closest. The atmosphere and the culture has really changed, and everyone is of equal importance.”

“It’s a different feeling going home this year than it was last year.”

Dennis Wideman

Dennis Wideman, dressed in cowboy flannel, said he understands Dale Hunter’s decision to return to London, having played there in the past. “It’s a great city,” he said. “I still try to get back there as much as possible. All his family is there, his kids are there [...] I think it’s just where home is for him.”

He said he has not yet talked to his agent about his impending UFA status, but confirmed that he’d like to be back. “Why not,” he said. “Yeah, I’d love to be back.”

George McPhee

George McPhee was dressed incredibly sharply, of course, and broke the news about Dale Hunter stepping down. “I thought he did a great job of coming in and helping us out,” he said, explaining that the front office has known that his stay could be a temporary one. “Trying to hire a coach in the middle of the season is a difficult process, the vetting process there is a long one, and so to have Dale to be able to come in, even if on a temporary basis, was something we liked a lot.”

He said that he plans to take his time and be deliberate in choosing a new coach, and that the process may go into July or August if necessary. He also gave an update on Evgeny Kuznetsov, saying that they’ve talked to his agent, and he is not going to make it over to the NHL this season. “He’s a young guy, he’s only twenty years old. We understand why he may not want to leave yet, but at some point, he’ll want to come to this league, it’s the best league in the world, and he’s a heck of a player.

Jason Chimera

Jason Chimera, wearing a gray V-neck shirt of mourning, admitted that the Game Seven loss was very painful, saying “I’d be lying to you if I said it doesn’t hurt. It hurts, it hurts quite a bit.”

He talked about the difference between the road to the playoffs this year than in other years. “I think this year we kind of battled our way to get in, we kind of went through a lot of stuff during the year, kind of of ups and downs, we got ourselves in, we gave ourselves a chance.”

He called previous seasons “easy” compared to this season’s struggles. “This year it was kind of — a lot of guys had down years offensively, we struggled as a team to get in. Once we did, I think we kind of came together. That says a lot about us. That’s what I’ll take away.”

Jay Beagle

(Here he is really, though.)

Jay Beagle, wearing a cotton shirt in a lovely shade of sky blue, revealed that he broke his foot blocking an Anton Stralman shot in Game Five, though he still continued to play the rest of the game. He said that he felt “useless” on the ice, taking fifteen and twenty-second shifts by the end of Game Five, but that he didn’t want to leave his team a man short.

Though he’d had his foot X-rayed by Game Six and was aware it was broken, Beagle says he tried so hard to play through it that he was dressed and walking down the tunnel before Hunter and the team trainers pulled him aside. “It was better for the team not to play,” he said, “although it was hard obviously to get undressed while your team is about to go to an elimination game.”

It was almost even more difficult for him to watch Game Seven from home, after having surgery on his foot that ended his season for good. “It was tough to be a spectator, it was tough to watch,” he said. “You hurt for the team, and in the other aspect, you kind of hurt for yourself that it’s over.”

Jeff Halpern

Jeff Halpern, looking like somebody who has barely dragged themselves out of bed to go to the grocery store after a bad breakup, said he does plan on playing next year, and will prepare the same way during the summer regardless of his USA status. “It wasn’t the finish to the season I personally would have liked,” he admitted. “The team was doing well, but as far as for my own personal career and future, you hope that there’s a lot of other opinions out there.”

He said he was happy to get back into the lineup in the last few games, and said he felt very good by the second game that he played. “I was unhappy,” he said of the long stretch he spent in the press box. “I wouldn’t expect anyone to not be in the lineup to be happy about that. You try to come to the rink, you try to have a smile on your face and support the guys as much as you can. I tried to do that as best as I could.”

He said the biggest change in returning to the area after many years was the difference in expectation for hockey in Washington, saying he was surprised at “how much hockey has grown to be not just a fun sport to be a part of, but an important team in this area.”

John Carlson

John Carlson, wearing a “74″ Caps hoodie, didn’t seem concerned about his upcoming RFA status, saying “I think that hockey makes it pretty simple, the way things happen when you’re young. I certainly can’t complain, I’ve been given a great situation since I’ve been here. I like the city and I like playing here.”

It was clear his mind was still on the season just behind them, saying that the loss “sucked a little more” because of how hard the team had been playing. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how you lose, I think everyone is just as disappointed, but maybe you take a little more out of it than say, last year.”

Karl Alzner

Karl Alzner, wearing a baseball sleeve tee and new stubble in place of his glorious beard, used three “very”s to get across just how well-liked Dale Hunter was by the players, saying he “transformed” the team into a team that “works extremely hard, is very honest, one that I think that other teams don’t like playing against.”

He said he never had trouble adapting to Hunter’s defensive style of play, pointing out that he never sees the puck carrier anyway unless he’s trying to check them. He acknowledged the overall growing pains the team went through this year, though, saying there were “meetings and shouting matches”.

“When you have that and get that out in the open, things usually gets better after that,” Alzner said. “Kind of a stupid saying, but someone said it and it was perfect — you got to crack a couple eggs to make an omelet. That’s exactly what’s happened, we kind of broke things down and slowly start to build it up. It’s going to be exciting to see how everything pans out.”

Matt Hendricks

Matt Hendricks, in a blue cotton t-shirt, said it was going to be a tough couple of weeks watching the rest of the postseason play out. “It doesn’t get any easier.”

He said Dale Hunter’s most significant impact on him was giving him confidence, and the opportunity to play a significant role on a team. He said he does not expect that’s something he will lose, and that he now knows he can contribute on an NHL level.

“He gave me that chance, and he worked with me until I did exactly what he wanted me to do, night in and night out. Once I achieved that, he started giving me more and more opportunity, more minutes, to prove to him, and myself, and the team that I can do that. Without him giving me that chance, I’d still be looking at myself as a fourth-line guy that fights, and scores a little bit. Now I feel like I have a better role, and a bigger year.”

Michal Neuvirth

Michal Neuvirth, wearing a gray shirt and a distracting silver chain, confirmed that his injury was to his hip flexor. He said that he was disappointed that things happened the way that they did, but that he understands he has no control over that kind of accident. “These things happen.”

He said that he was able to get close with Tomas Vokoun in his time here, and that he picked up a great deal from the veteran goalie, both in conversation with him and simply observing him in practice and in the games. “He gave me a lot of his thoughts about the game,” Neuvirth said. “I can’t say one bad thing against him.”

He said that he does expect to compete with Braden Holtby for the starting position next year, but pointed out that it doesn’t matter who starts the first game of the year, and said that was one of the biggest lessons he has learned in his NHL career so far.

Mike Green

Mike Green, very matchy-matchy in a red Reebok shirt and red hat, acknowledged that it was a difficult season for him, missing games with injury early in the year and seeming to struggle to find his scoring touch when he began playing regularly again.

He seemed confident that he’d found his groove again, though, later in the season and into the postseason. “I felt mentally the best I’ve ever felt, and physically — you get your bumps and bruises. I feel great, I feel like I did four or five years ago on the ice, and that’s comforting for me.”

He wasn’t willing to get into specifics regarding his upcoming UFA status, but like Carlson, expressed a desire to stay in Washington. “I’m excited to come back if that’s the game plan,” said Green, “and that’s what I want, so we’ll see. I love it here, it’s a great organization, a great city, I believe we’re going to win a Cup here, and I want to be part of it.”

Mike Knuble

Mike Knuble, in a brownish-beige polo shirt, says he’s open to playing next year and that he feels healthy, with no nagging injuries. “Mentally too,” he emphasized. “I still enjoy playing the game, I still enjoy coming out to the rink every day, I enjoy being around the other players. I think that’s half the battle, is wanting to be there as you get older.”

He also lent a veteran voice to the search for the Stanley Cup, saying that he does think the Caps are very close. “Everybody’s got that microscope out at the end, trying to figure out what separated this champion from everybody else this year. Some people kind of chase that, try to build their team that way, and then that flavor of the year changes the next year. I think the personnel in there, the guys in the room are good players who care about the game and want to win. I think this year got a little more of a taste. A bounce there, or two, and we could be playing hockey right now. But we’re not.”

Tomas Vokoun

Tomas Vokoun, wearing a black athletic shirt, says he feels healthy as this point and is prepared to test the UFA market. He said he did not plan on being back in Washington, and that it was never his intention to be in Washington for more than one year.

He did express disappointment at not being able to play in the postseason. “I waited for a chance like this for a very long time,” he said, “and you get hurt — that’s life. Worse things happen to people. It just didn’t work out.”

Vokoun has been rumored to be headed to Russia to join the new Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the KHL.

Troy Brouwer

Troy Brouwer, surprisingly looking as if he has actually seen a hairdresser in the past month, said he thinks the team will be able to maintain the things they learned from Dale Hunter in his short time coaching. “I know it’s a long summer here, but hopefully guys remember that to win in the playoffs, you have to sacrifice, block shots, do the right things, and that’s just what he tried to instill in us the entire time he was here.”

He had praise for Jay Beagle and his attempt to play in Game Six, saying he was an ideal teammate. “The way he was walking, the way he was feeling it, it was kind of clear to the guys how it would turn out, but we love the guy for trying like he did.”

Nicklas Backstrom

Nicklas Backstrom, wearing a white cotton shirt and at least two chains, said the team really came together when the playoffs began, starting with the first game of the Boston series and feeling stronger in the system as the postseason went on.

“For me personally it’s been a little up and down, with my concussion,” said Backstrom, who missed 40 games this season with a head injury. “I think I’ve been doing all right, when I’ve been playing. But as a team, I think we’ve actually been better than people thought, and we’ve been changing a lot of things a lot of people didn’t think could happen.”

“I think everyone worked hard,” he said, when asked what lasting impression Hunter would have on the team. “That’s something I’m always going to remember. Work hard, and good things happen to you.”

Dale Hunter

Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times

Tomas Vokoun, who was sidelined with an injury during the playoffs, announced at Kettler Monday that he will not be back next season. The Veteran Czech netminder, who signed with the Capitals last July to a one-year deal at the surprisingly low rate of $1.5 million, is rumored to join the new Lokomotiv squad.

As per the Czech website iSport.cz:

Behind the hockey scenes, there are talks that he [Vokoun] will be a goaltender for the Yaroslavl [Lokomotiv] in Russia!

[...]

Sport talked to a few scouts and players in Russia, and all of them confirmed: “We heard about it”. Some even added: “That’s a sure thing”.

If Vokoun joins Lokomotiv, that will make a lot of sense. He lost one of his best friends, former Hurricane Josef Vasicek, in the Yaroslavl tragedy last September. There were three Czechs on the team: Vasicek, Jan Marek and Karel Rachunek.

Vokoun told Washinton Times’ Stephen Whyno in October:

“I consider Josef’s family like my family. It was so hard to see his parents and obviously his girlfriend and everybody,” Vokoun said, speaking about the crash publicly for the first time. “Such a tragedy when somebody dies like that and they’re 30 years old, full of life. He was supposed to be getting married and all that, so it’s not an easy thing to understand.”

Lokomotiv is putting together quite a roster. Among the players who have signed with them are Latvian star forward Mikelis Redlihs; one of the KHL’s best defensemen, former Caps prospect Staffan Kronwall; former Cap Viktor Kozlov as well as another player with NHL pedigree: defenseman Vitaly Vishnevsky.

Tomas Vokoun will be backed up by another veteran goalie, Vitaly Kolesnik. Despite both Kolesnik and Vokoun being considered foreign players (foreign goalie can’t play more than 2/3 of the playing time), Lokomotiv, who has a discount when it comes to the total number of the foreign players, will probably get an exception here as well.

Photo credit: Paul Bereswill

Hey you: thanks for reading RMNB. Crazy season, right?

We started the year with our Winter is Coming promotional series. We documented a crazy winning streak, and then its astonishing decline. We said goodbye to one coach and hello to another. We saw gruesome injuries. We analyzed the Caps’ struggles at and before the trade deadline in our Capitals During Wartime series. We made posters and signs to pump up the fans and the team both. And we tracked the Caps as they made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.

Yeah, we had exhaustive coverage this season, but there are so many questions left unanswered. Here are few we’d like to address this summer.

Collective Bargaining

The NHL Players Association and the league have to find common ground this summer lest they risk another lockout. No one wants a repeat of the lost season, but with hockey’s popularity on the rise the stakes are pretty high. Many decisions hinge on the outcome of these negotiations.

Free Agency

The following Caps players will be unrestricted free agents this summer: Alex Semin, Mike Knuble, Jeff Halpern, Keith Aucoin, Dennis Wideman, and Tomas Vokoun. If McPhee doesn’t re-sign him, Semin will command a lot of attention on free agency day. Mike Knuble is getting older but wants to keep playing. Jeff Halpern is a hometown boy with fantastic talent on the faceoff dot. Dennis Wideman is an all-star/playoff goat who might want a big pay day. Tomas Vokoun’s crummy goaltending is mostly responsible for Bruce Boudreau getting fired. Anyone wanna take bets?

On the RFA side, Mathieu Perreault, Jay Beagle, John Carlson, and Mike Green are all on the docket. Will the Caps risk a qualifying offer on Mike Green? Perreault didn’t play in the postseason, but Jay Beagle was a star– who gets paid?

Dale Hunter

Word leaked that Hunter’s contract as head coach of the Capitals was for one year only. George McPhee and Brooks Laich each have said they want him back next year, but Hunter has a very comfortable gig as demigod of the London Knights association. We’ve been very critical of Hunter hockey here, but his postseason results were attractive. Will Hunter give it another shot?

Hershey Bears

The Capitals’ current AHL farm team, the Hershey Bears, do not have contract for next season yet. They signed a one-year extension over a year ago. Both teams struggled this season, and the Caps pretty much depleted Hershey’s talent in the spring– so what will happen during the offseason? And will the Norfolk Admirals, who were freaking amazing this year but who have a similarly frayed relationship with Tampa Bay, be involved?

And why do we keep hearing about Baltimore whenever this topic pops up?

Alex Ovechkin

Ovi is probably going home to Russia this summer. There’s no real drama here; we just wanna know what kind of wacky hijinx he’ll get in to. No way he can beat the wookiee suit. I mean: no way, right?

Evgeny Kuznetsov

The KHL superstar has been playing games with our heart all year. Will he come to the Caps this year or not? We don’t know. We’re gonna keep on translating and covering anything we can get our hands on– but at this point we trust nothing until there is ink on paper one way or the other. We’d love to have another Russian on the team for selfish reasons, so we’re firmly in the “C’mover, Kuzya!” camp.

Braden Holtby

For a span of 16 hours last year, Braden Holtby was the presumptive #2 netminder for the Washington Capitals. Then the Caps acquired Tomas Vokoun for a song, and Holtby had to toil in Hershey all year. He had a disappointing season until the Caps called him up for some late-season heroics. Holtby became a star, besting one future hall of fame goalie and nearly felling another. But goalies are passed around like sriracha in the offseason, and you know he’s an object of desire for many teams (Brian Burke, what up.) So is Holtby our future franchise goalie? If not, will the Caps use him to acquire what they truly need…

Second-line Center

Aside from deadline acquisitions that didn’t last, the Capitals have been without a strong second line pivot for the past few years. Whereas many other teams are supposedly built from the middle out, Washington has treated its 2C as a swappable part. Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson, and Mathieu Perreault have all given it a shot, but it hasn’t worked out. Having a talented top-six guy backing up the top line can give the Capitals options on offense that they’ve never had before.

That’s all I’ve got. What did I miss? What other questions will be plaguing you between now and September? Whatever happens, we’ll be here writing and cracking jokes. Don’t be a stranger.

Photos by Chris Gordon. Click to enlarge.

A day after their thrilling 3-2 victory over the Rangers to even the series, Washington took to the ice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex Sunday morning. As they prepared to head to New York for a pivotal Game 5 Monday, the team’s sprits were high and the beards long. Below, check out some of my photos from the skate.

Dmitry Orlov playoff “beard” update.

Karl Alzner playoff beard update.

Old Man Knuble intense even during practice.

Old Man Knuble also sometimes confused even during practice.

The world must know what Alex Ovechkin is staring at.

Braden Holtby wants to learn from, kill Dave Prior.

I know it’s Dany Sabourin, but I thought the photo looked cool.

Jason Chimera  freaking loves the indoors.

Czech backup goalie confab.

Now for the main event.

Apparently that was enough joy for the day.

Dale Hunter drops knowledge on CSN’s Chuck Gormley.

Fin.

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

Remember that possible goalie controversy? Well now there’s a new problem in the crease — and it isn’t pretty. After Tomas Vokoun re-injured his groin last week in Boston, the Caps have been forced to rely on Michal Neuvirth and call-up Braden Holtby. That’s not so bad considering Vokoun’s play before the setback. It’s Neuvy who’s hurt now, suffering a possibly devastating leg injury a quarter of the way into the second period Thursday night.

With the puck in the Capitals defensive zone, the Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov fired a slapper on net. Twisting to get out from the way from the point blast, former Cap Marco Sturm fell onto Neuvirth, causing the young Czech netminder to bend backwards awkwardly. Replays appear to indicate Neuvirth’s left knee endured the damage, but our fake medical degrees are from eBay so we can’t be sure. Neuvy had already taken some hits lately, most notably two pucks to the noggin his last time out, but this one looks far more serious.

The Caps are so far keeping mum — Dale Hunter termed it a day-to-day lower-body injury and said the team will know more later Friday– but it’s hard not to fear the worst. So where do we go from here?

Shake it off, Philipp. It's not that hard to play in a sling. (Photo credit: @WashCapsRock)

We’re inclined to believe — barring a magical, Newt Gingrich-esqe recovery for Mike — it’ll be Holtby and Hershey backup Dany Sabourin in net when Washington begins the playoffs next week against New York… or Boston… or New Jersey with the former not being let anywhere near the crease in the postseason. Prospect Philipp Grubauer was having a nice year down in South Carolina, but he’s on the mend after wrist surgery. We don’t even want to mention the Bears goalie situation if Sabourin does in fact get called up, but Darren Machesney looks to be the man.

Despite Holtby’s raw abilities — he’s 3-2-1 with a 2.79 goals against average and a .910 save percentage this season but has shown flashes of brilliance since Vokoun went down — the 22-year-old is untested in the playoffs. While Holtby was part of the Calder Cup-winning Bears squad in 2010, Neuvirth was the one who got nearly all the minutes. The Lloymindster, Saskatchewan native started for Hershey during their run for the Cup last year, but he was less than impressive as the Bears bowed out in six games. But now Holtby’s got his shot.

“We know that’s he’s a good goalie,” forward Troy Brouwer told reporters after the game. “He’s proven himself time and time again that he can play here.”

Still, Holtby doesn’t look to be relishing his newfound opportunity, not surprising given the circumstances around it.

“Vokey, Neuvy, Grubauer in South Carolina — it’s not a good thing,” said Holtby. “That’s how the cards are dealt and we’ve got to deal with what we have.”

Holtby acquitted himself pretty well after taking over after the starter hobbled to the bench in a painful scene, making some nice saves right off the bat while the Caps seemed to play with a new fire scoring two quick goals. He ended the night with 12 saves and two goals allowed.

“I don’t really ever feel 100 percent comfortable like you do when you play when you know you’re starting,” Holtby explained. “You basically just run off adrenaline and just battle as hard as you can. Your mindset of the technique and everything kind of go out the window. You just try and stop the puck, even if it’s not pretty.”

Said coach Dale Hunter: “We’ve got one goalie down already, then another one goes down. It’s one of those things, sports, something stupid happens like that. But Holtby came in and played great for us.”

Get well soon, Neuvy.

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

In March of 2011, a 22-year-old Saskatchewan native got called up to the Capitals after one of their netminders suffered an injury. Unproven and raw, he seemed at ease as he created a three-way goalie controversy on one of the league’s top teams. In March of 2012, a 23-year-old Saskatchewan native may be doing the same thing.

In his three games up with Washington after Tomas Vokoun went out with a groin injury, Braden Holtby has been stellar and ever improving as he turned a .889 save percentage in the first two months of the year in the AHL into a sparkling shutout performance in front of 18,506 fans (but who’s counting?) in one of his team’s biggest games of the year. With the Capitals fighting for every point as they try to squeak into the playoffs, head coach Dale Hunter may have no choice but to play the hot hand — even if the question was supposed to be settled when the Capitals traded away Michal Neuvirth’s competition before making the surprise signing of Vokoun in the summer.

“From my short stint in pro hockey you realize things change really quickly,” Holtby told reporters after the game. “I was ready, that’s what I’ve been working towards in Hershey all year. I’m trying to make good call-ups count.”

And Sunday he did that, making 28 stops on his way to being named the first star of the game. Particularly impressive was his series of flopping pad saves midway through an otherwise sleepy first period, prompting NBC’s Mike Emrick to burst a few eardrums.

Holtby’s play also earned him congratulatory visits in the locker room after the game from two hockey luminaries: Smokin’ Al Koken and Caps goalie coach Dave Prior.

As readers of this blog have read a mind-numbing number of times, Holtby is known for his idiosyncratic “Holtbyisms,” aggressive play, and slick — and sometimes frightening — puck-handling that stems from his days as a young forward (his dad thought goalie gear was too expensive).

“It’s great. Tomas goes down, it could be a big drop off, it could be all on Neuvy’s shoulders,” winger Mike Knuble said of Holtby’s recent play, which includes of a win against the Red Wings and a shootout loss to Flyers superstar goalie and noted tripper Ilya Bryzgalov.

“I can’t think of a soft goal,” Knuble added. “Every goal they’ve got on him as been legit. He’s played hard, he deserved what he got tonight.”

Still, Holtby was as humble as ever as he talked about his game afterwards, so much so you might think his defenseman were the ones in pads Sunday. Deep down he’s still the kid from the middle of nowhere (Canada), getting his shot in the heat of a NHL playoff race.

“If I get the opportunity, I want to play hard and win games” Holtby said. “Obviously this time of year, with the way the standings are, it doesn’t matter who is in goal, it doesn’t matter the reasons. We need wins and we got one tonight.”

Speaking to the media after the game, Hunter seemed to indicate he thought of Holtby merely as stopgap. With the playoffs right around the corner — if there is a corner — there doesn’t appear to be a goalie controversy. But perhaps there should be.