Some odds and ends

Dan Steinberg's got the drop on Caps news today:

1. No ice girls for the 07-08 season, but dont rule it out yet for 08-09

2. One lucky fan (and junior hockey player) got to practice with the Caps

3. Caps love = wedded bliss. If you dont know what the hell that means, click on the link

I'll try to update if anything crazy breaks (Ovie signs with Caps, gives them home team discount: Crosby holds presser to say "I did it first!") but otherwise, consider me out till Labor Day. Hope everyone has a great holiday, and returns ready for rookie camp!

NOTE: Training and Rookie Camp schedule has been released and is here. HLOG ladies on the East Coast -- I cant wait to see you there!

Reason 93,654 why I like Karl Alzner

Listen up NHL marketing departments!

Sherry from Scarlett Ice and HLOG fame has a great piece (with lots of good dialogue) about the new pink shirts that the Sens have put out for female fans. Sherry very eloquently hits the mark about why female hockey fans hate this shit (I am a little less eloquent). Her piece is a must read for any hockey fan, especially when you consider that females make up a big part of the game -- whether as a fan, blogger, player, or as the Mom who drives her kids to practice.

The thing is, you can't pigeon-hole the female fanbase and say you're catering to their needs when all you offer them in their sizes and cuts are jerseys that completely eliminate the point of offering team merchandise in the first place. What's the point of shelling out for a team's jersey when they're all the same colour?

There is a pretty healthy discussion going in the comments as well. The common thread? Not one of the hockey bloggers who commented would ever buy a pink, "Sens Girl" t-shirt. It would kind of be like wearing a Hooters outfit to your first day at Harvard.

I will definitely post more on this later (as its a source of unending annoyance for me), but for now Sherry speaks for a lot of us.

And note to the Caps: How about some female sizes in the jerseys? This doesnt quite do it for me.

Holy Olie!

Tarik has a couple pieces in the WaPo today with Olie, a Q&A as well as an article. Here are some hits:

Q: Are you concerned at all about Alex Ovechkin's contract situation? Crosby's got his extension. Is this something that could become a distraction for Alex if it's not done soon?

A: That's something Alex is going to have to get through. It's going to get done. Whether it's tomorrow, a month from now or at the end of the year. It's going to get done. There's no question. I just hope it doesn't affect Alex. If he shows signs that it is affecting him, there's enough of us here who have been through it who can pull him aside and say, 'Look, just play hockey and let your agent and GM worry about it.'

And on continuing to play in the NHL:

Kolzig also said he would like to play at least three more seasons, preferably in Washington. His contract expires next July and he acknowledged that negotiations on an extension have not begun.

News from Hershey

Tim Leone has some news on Hershey's Louis Robitaille, who was just signed to a new one year deal. You might remember Robitaille as the guy who got into it with Rory Fitzpatrick during his first shift in his first pre-season game with the Caps in '06. Robitaille is a spark plug for the Hershey team, and the star of one of my favorite Hershey videos. And many congrats to Robitaille, as he and his significant other are expecting.

Thus, the left winger, a fan favorite in his instigator role the past two seasons, agreed to a one-way AHL contract that will return him to the Bears for a third straight season.

"Obviously, we were looking for an NHL two-way contract," Robitaille said Tuesday. "I was only interested in moving my family if there was an NHL opportunity. Otherwise, I wanted to come back here."

Pothier and Gordon on the 07-08 Caps

Tarik caught a couple of the Caps at Kettler this week, check out the full interviews here:

From Brian Pothier:

Q: What's the feeling among the veterans, like yourself, Chris Clark and Olie Kolzig?

A: Rebuilding is a process. We all knew what this organization was trying to do. They wanted a ton of young kids growing up together, which was absolutely the right way to build a team. Now we've added some pieces to the puzzle. I'm next summer could be the same thing as we get ready to make that push. We're all really excited about have the chance this year to make something happen.

And from Boyd Gordon:

Q: Given all of the new talent coming in, there would appear to be only a few jobs up for grabs. Do you expect camp to be more competitive as a result?

A: There's a lot of guys for not so many positions. It's going to be a battle. Nothing is guaranteed, so you want go in there in shape, work hard and prove yourself. Everyone's going to have to give it all they have and see what happens.

Adjö Eddie!

We all knew that something this good couldn't stay with us forever. Ed, I know there are a whole bunch of hockey players waiting to step into your sweaty, stinky, partying, resisting arrest shoes, but no one will ever live up to you. Amen.

(CP) - Having failed to land a job with an NHL team, veteran goaltender Ed Belfour is reportedly ready to continue his career overseas.

According to a report in Swedish sports publication Expressen, Belfour is "very close" to signing a contract with second-division Leksand of the Swedish League. Belfour became an unrestricted free agent in July after spending last season with the Florida Panthers.

Belfour, 42, went 27-17-10 with a 2.77 goals-against average for the Panthers last season. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has 484 career wins in 17 seasons with Chicago, San Jose, Dallas, Toronto and Florida.

And just because we are going to miss him so, here are some of Eddie's greatest hits:

Has anyone noticed...

Leonsis v. Czaban? Eric McErlain sums it up:

Time was a town needed at least two tabloid newspapers to get embroiled in a full blown media war. But these days the weapons of choice are far less expensive and the barriers to entry a whole heck of a lot lower.

Such is the case this past week as Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis hit the blog warpath against SportsTalk 980, the local AM sports talk radio outfit in Washington, D.C. And irony of all ironies, the fight didn't start about hockey, it started over David Beckham's MLS debut in the nation's capital just a little over a week ago.

Good for Ted Leonsis. I am so SICK of hearing hockey maligned by people who know nothing about it and bash it because its easy. I got a little heated the other day when an acquaintance said that soccer has taken over hockey in America. Give me a break (and I am part season ticket holder for DC United). Lets all remember, hockey's TV numbers have been historically low. A much better indicator of how hockey is doing is ticket and merchandise sales, and those have been steadily on the rise.

Reason 79,852 why you shouldnt drink and drive

Mark Bell is going to have to do some time in the Big House:

Forward Mark Bell, acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs last spring in a trade with the San Jose Sharks, will spend six months in jail following the NHL season for a drunk-driving incident last September, Sportsnet.ca reported Tuesday night.

Bell, acquired in the June 22 deal that brought goalie Vesa Toskala to Toronto, pleaded guilty Tuesday in a San Jose, Calif., court to charges of drunk driving causing injury and hit and run.

The Leafs forward is expected to be sentenced to six months in a Santa Clara, Calif., county jail, the website reported, beginning his sentence after the 2007-08 NHL season. Official sentencing will take place in October.

I believe the medical term is "scraping the bottom of the barrel"

Its August, there is a nasty heat wave going on and off, all I can think about is the beach, and my off season depression is at an all time high. In other words, I am scraping the bottom of the hockey blogging barrel. I need some help, faithful readers (I'm looking at you, Mom). You can reach me at capitaladdiction@gmail.com

However, I do have a few things coming up on Cap Addiction during the season, and here is a little preview:

-expect some guest bloggers this season (I'll try my best to get Steve Eminger to pontificate on his use of hair product, or Ovie on the proper way to maintain your red leather pants, but it will most likely be me, pretending to be them)

-blogger profiles! I love reading these, so in one of the most time honored literary traditions, I have decided to steal this idea and pretend its my own

-prizes. I havent really worked this out yet, but there will be prizes. Probably something to do with me buying beers at Clydes after the game

You are going to have to wait for the rest of the goodies, but they will be great.

Cap re-up with Sting Rays

I didnt get to road trip it down to South Carolina in '06, but I definitely planning a trip down there this season.

“We are excited to have extended our affiliation with South Carolina as the Stingrays prepare to celebrate their 15th season,” McPhee said. “Our prospects have had a terrific experience with the Stingrays, and we look forward to continue working together.”

Six Capitals prospects spent at least some time with South Carolina in 2006-07, the third year of the affiliation, as the Stingrays finished 36-27-4-5. Six players who have played for the Stingrays are currently under contract with Washington: Viktor Dovgan, Daren Machesney, Travis Morin, Sasha Pokulok, Steve Werner and Kyle Wilson.

The gift that keeps on giving

The little Dutch school boys are copping a plea:

PITTSBURGH -- Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal and his brother Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins have been offered plea deals stemming from their arrests at Eric Staal's bachelor party in Minnesota last month.

Paul Krepelka, the agent who represents both players, said the prosecutor in Cook County, Minn., offered to settle the case by having the Staals plead guilty to a petty misdemeanor for disorderly conduct. Charges of obstructing the legal process are to be dropped against both players, Krepelka said.

[...]

If they accept the deal, they will each be fined $587 for disorderly conduct. Jordan Staal, 18, will also pay a $150 fine for underage drinking, Krepelka said.

Hockey saves lives!

I have always wanted to use that line and I finally have a legitimate reason.

An Ottawa man helped save one of his neighbours from a fire yesterday by convincing the woman to jump from her second-storey window into a children's hockey net.

Read the whole thing here.

I never thought I would say this...

...but I feel bad for the 'Ning.

TAMPA, Fla. -- A group led by former Florida Panthers coach Doug MacLean has agreed to buy the Tampa Bay Lightning from Palace Sports and Entertainment.

The NHL team said Tuesday that Absolute Hockey Enterprises signed a purchase agreement that also includes the leasing rights to the St. Pete Times Forum and adjacent properties. The sale is subject to approval by the NHL's board of governors.

Absolute Hockey also includes Jeff Sherrin and Oren Koules. Team spokesman Jay Preble said Sherrin is a Coral Springs real estate developer and Koules is a TV and movie producer. Preble declined further comment until a news conference later Tuesday.

MacLean coached Florida to the Stanley Cup finals in 1996. He was fired in April as the Columbus Blue Jackets' president and general manager.

The Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

The knock on MacLean is that he is a nice guy, but a terrible manager. If he is inserted as GM of the Ning, I think the club is going to start going south very quickly. But then again, I really dont mind if the Caps division rivals start to unravel. I cant wait to see how management deals with Tortorella.

The Wild Siberian

Japers Rink has the link to a great interview with Alex Semin. A few of the quotes:

R: The team management does not forbid players to spend time in places (clubs) like that?

AS: There, its not how things are done, nobody monitors anybody. Not like in Russia. Like they say, NHL is a league of professionals, whose preparation is their own business. You can come out on the ice in any condition - lacking sleep, for example - but you have to do what is asked of you. And if you do it, nobody will say a word to you.

[...]

R: Did the parents take it hard (regarding expulsion from the Russian World Cup team)?

AS: Dad played hockey himself, he went through it all, so he understands everything. Mom worried a lot - women are women.

[...]

R: So what kind of lifestyle do you prefer?

AS: Ours, of course. There, at 8-9 pm, there isn't a soul on the streets, what is there to do? One practice a day - and that’s it. Thank god we have 82 games: practices, games, transportation - on account of this, the year passes very quickly. Otherwise, it’s the doldrums.

Hmm. I guess I could be a woman and worry about the content of this interview, but the truth is that I dont give a crap what Semin says or does as long as he gives 100% at the rink.

Sand + hockey players = training

Its not quite the Chris Chelios work out, but Matt Pettinger gets down and dirty staying in shape.

"It's good to mix things up and training never gets stagnant under Jeff's methods," said Pettinger, who went from role-playing NHL forward to a 20- and 16-goal scorer the past two seasons with Washington.

"Sand is an unstable surface and so the beach is excellent cross-training because hockey is a sport where your feet and ankles are always on edges."

Work it out boyfriend.

Sloooow offseason

Its been a couple of slow hockey days. So, I decided to make up my own news. These would be some good fake headlines to keep me entertained during the off season:

Staal Brothers jump bail: last seen headed toward Mexico, disguised as Amish Schoolgirls

Jeremy Roenick retiring from hockey to become couples therapist; "I'm really a sensitive guy"

Mike Comrie dating Dakota Fanning, "People dont understand that she is really mature for a 12 year-old"

Shane Doan legally adopts Lindsay Lohan, says "We are both misunderstood. I dont even speak French, and she hates coke. Only drinks Pepsi"

Gary Bettman stepping down as NHL head, will star in revival of "Annie, get your gun"