2008 World Junior Quarter & Semi Finals Schedule

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The Preliminary Round is over for the U-20 Pool A teams. Now the Quarter and Semi Final Rounds are about to be played. Team Sweden of Group A has won all four of it's games so far, sending them to the Semi Finals. Team USA of Group B has also won all four of their games, putting them into the Semi Finals as well. The Quarter Final game between Group B's Russia (3W, 1L) and the Czech Republic (2W, 2L) of Group A will decide who plays Sweden, while USA will face the winner of Group A's Canada (3W, 1L) vs Group B's Finland (1W, 1OTW, 2L). Both Quarter Final games will be played at the Cez Arena in Pardubice, Czech Republic on Wednesday Jan. 2, 2008.

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The teams that didn't do as well in the Preliminary Round will have to play in the Relegation games at Tipsport Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic on Wednesday Jan. 2 and Thursday Jan. 3, 2008. Yes, Relegation can be as bad as it sounds, as the teams with the worst records drop down from Pool A to the lesser Division I for the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship games. The worst teams of the lesser Divisions also drop one level. Of course, the teams who have won the Finals of the Divisions I, II and III this year, move up one level for next year. .

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Capitals Vs Senators 12/29/2007 Review

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Capitals 8 - Senators 6

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Like previous games in Canada so far this season, it was a high scoring contest. Really high. Thankfully, it ended up in favor of the Washington Capitals once again. The Ottawa Senators must be totally bewildered as to how the Caps seem to have their number.

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Just 1:01 into the games' first period, Alexander Semin put Washington on the board. He picked off the puck as Ottawa's Martin Gerber misplayed it. Semin quickly wrapped around the net and backhanded the puck in for the first goal. About three minutes later Alexander Ovechkin, with several stitches in one thigh after getting slashed with a skate in Thursday's game vs Pittsburgh, gets his first goal of the game, putting the Caps in front 2-0. Daniel Alfredsson put the Sens within one when he got his first, beating Olie Kolzig. However, Alfie had to wait for confirmation as the goal was reviewed before being awarded. The puck had deflected off one of the Caps on the way in. The period ended 2-1, with the Capitals outshooting the Senators 11-2.

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Less than four minutes into the second period, Washington's Nicklas Backstrom took the puck at the wall in the Capitals end, and sent a long outlet pass up the ice. Ovechkin and Tom Poti did a little give and go, which ended with Ovie putting in his second goal of the game. Soon after play resumed, the referee somehow missed Washington's Tomas Fleischmann being hooked. But, immediately after that, the ref was "Johnny On The Spot", and called Flash for hooking when he returned the favor. Soon after that, the Senators' Mike Fisher took his team off the Power Play by doing a little fishing (hooking) of his own. Time for some four on four hockey. Ovechkin, hopping onto the ice for a shift, immediately took the puck right to the net. But, it wasn't quite time for a "Hat Trick" yet. Less than 30 seconds later, the Capitals' Michael Nylander got his first goal of the month off another nice pass from Nick Backstrom. Caps were now ahead of the Sens 4-1. At this point, the Senators only had five shots on net. The Capitals were dominating in just about every facet possible.

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At about the mid point of the game, the Sens' Alfredsson got a breakaway and hightailed it up the ice. Ovechkin caught up with him and took him down in order to keep him from scoring. However, Alfie got his 24th goal of the season, scoring on the penalty shot. Washington still in the lead 4-2, were still looking good. They spent a lot of time in possession of the puck, with some good cycling. Brian Pothier, who has really been playing well lately, sent a hard slapper toward the net, knocking the stick out of the hands of a defender. His broken thumb doesn't seem to be holding him back any. With less than three minutes left, the Capitals' Mike Green had a hard time getting around Gerber to grab the puck that was squirting away from the netminder. He bumped his knee against Gerber's mask on the way by. Gerber, who had already been bumped by Donald Brashear earlier, was joined by Sens fans in complaining to the ref about the love taps. Seconds later, Ottawa's Chris Neil crushed Backstrom against the side wall. Then, Ovechkin dashed up the ice with the puck and passed it to Viktor Kozlov, who shot it toward the net. Backstrom picked up the rebound and deposited the puck into the net as he skated by with only 2.6 seconds left in the period. Backstrom kept a serious looking expression on his face, while waiting out a fairly long goal review. A great big smile busted through though, as soon as the goal was confirmed. It was rather hilarious watching the replay from above and in slow motion. The goaltender Gerber and two Ottawa defenders swatted at the puck several times in vain as it made it's way across the goal line. I couldn't help but laugh at their pathetic attempts to stop the puck. Just enough time left for a faceoff. Right off the draw, in an attempt to fire up his team and fans, Neal picked a fight with Brashear. Big mistake. Though Donald lost his balance at the end, it was only after getting in several hard unanswered lefts. At the end of two, Capitals still dominating 5-2.

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Backstrom took a hooking penalty as soon as the third period got underway. But, for the third time in the game, Ottawa quickly killed off their own PP, this time by getting caught with too many men on the ice. However, this is about the time where Washington's dominance started to fade just a bit. At about four minutes into the third, Ottawa's Jason Spezza stole the puck from an unsuspecting Backstrom, as the Caps were starting to do a line change. He sent a long range shot in past Olie's stick and outstretched right leg, making it Capitals 5 - Senators 3. About one minute later, it was like watching a replay as Kolzig found himself stopping a similar shot with exactly the same move. At 6:19 the Senators' Wade Redden was caught tripping Semin, putting the Caps on the PP. Just seconds later, Fisher took the puck around Green and sent in a shorthanded goal top shelf. The goal put the Sens within one. A couple minutes later, it didn't go unnoticed when the Caps came very close to having too many men on the ice themselves. Right after that, Nylander got his second goal of the game off a pass from Semin during a two on one. The boos from the Sens fans got much louder then. But then Fisher deflected in a Redden slapper, and the crowd switched from booing to cheering, as the Senators were back within one goal again.

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Still in the third period, at 13:46 Alex Ovechkin sent a hard slapshot in, getting his third career "Hat Trick". That put the Caps in front 7-5. A couple minutes later, the ref couldn't get his skates out of the way of the puck. I guess he was tired from all that pointing at the net. No bother. Then, one of the poor tired refs whistled rather late on an Ottawa offside call, drawing more boos and dirty looks. About a minute later, Fischer got his "Hat Trick" by deflecting a long range shot. With about 1:30 left in regulation, Gerber was pulled from the net for the extra skater. Ovechkin, not quite across the center line, sent in a long shot which barely missed. The puck bounced off the goal mouth edge, and the Caps were called for icing. With 27.6 seconds left in the game, and Gerber still out for the extra skater, Ovechkin got off another long range shot. Bulls eye! Goal number four of the evening for Alex Ovechkin. It's the first four goal game in Alex's career. Final score, Capitals 8 - Senators 6.

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When asked about Ovechkin after the game, Head Coach Bruce Boudreau said, "He played OK. I might give him the day off tomorrow". Then he added, "I was looking for his skate to cut his other thigh, if that's what he's going to do". That's OK coach. I think Alex will do just fine without further injury.

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Lightning Vs Capitals 12/26/2007 Review

Lightning 2 - Capitals 3

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This game was a joy to watch. The Washington Capitals were a lively bunch tonight. And the Tampa Bay Lightning were hopping as well. Washington's defenceman Brian Pothier was back in the lineup, broken thumb in splint and all. The Capitals management gave Coach Bruce Boudreau a late Christmas present by officially naming him Head Coach today, removing the Interim tag. Then the team gave him another by beating Tampa Bay at Verizon Centre.

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Washington had a good first period, firing off 12 shots. A large improvement over their last outing, where their total for the whole game was only 16. However, it was Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier who started the scoring by knocking in his own rebound. The Caps had some nice scoring chances, including good efforts by Alexander Ovechkin and Tomas Fleischmann. But, it was David Steckel who got the Caps on the board first at 16:11, tying the game 1-1. It was his third NHL goal, all of which have been against Tampa Bay. Later on, Steckel made a nice play in Washington's end, stealing the puck and sending it back into Lightning territory. With less than a minute to go, Steckel barely missed on a bid for a second goal.

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At 5:33 into the second period, Tampa Bay's Brad Richards was called for holding on Pothier. During this Power Play, the Caps didn't score, but they had some nice chances. And an interference call was missed, as the Lightning's young goaltender Karri Ramo's stick blocked a shot or two while laying on the ice. He had somehow lost it, and was using Martin StLouis' at the time. A couple minutes later, a wild scrum was making things exciting in front of Washington's goal. There was lots of puck kicking by Tampa Bay and some really good flashy saves by netminder Olie Kolzig and other Caps players. About mid way through the period, Mike Green failed to dump the puck in deep, causing a breakaway for Lecavalier. Vincent's wrister sent the puck past Olie, putting Tampa Bay back ahead by one. With 2:18 left in the second period, after some excellent puck movement by the Caps, a wide open Pothier sent the puck whistling into the net via a very hard slapshot. The period ended all tied up 2-2.

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The third period was full of exciting play as well. At one point, the Caps won two draws in a row, with the puck going directly to Ovechkin both times. The first time, Ovie's hard slapshot was denied. Unfortunately, the second time he fanned on his attempt. Later on during a Lightning PP, Steckel and Flash (Fleischmann) worked well together, clearing the puck out of the Cap's end a few times. With about six minutes left, Green took the puck coast to coast. Alexander Semin then made some amazing moves, only to have his effort denied. Finally, with about three minutes left in regulation, the Capital's Matt Bradley got the game winning goal. The goal had to be reviewed, as there was a lot of activity going on at the time, including the net being knocked from it's moorings. The original shot was from Steckel, but the puck went off Ramo's glove, then pinballed to Bradley, then StLouis, then Filip Kuba and then into the net. Then, in one of those rare instances for Washington, the review ended with the correct call - game winning goal for Bradley and the Caps.

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This really was an exciting game to watch. Everybody pitched in. It wasn't a high scoring game. But, the entire team put forth a great effort. Much better than the last couple games. The guys should be proud of themselves.

2008 World Junior Championship

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The 2008 World Junior Championship got under way for the Elite group U-20's in the Czech Republic today with the preliminary round. Team USA opened with a 5-1 win over Kazakhstan. Both Kyle Okposo and James Van Riemsdyk each had a goal and an assist. Later on, defending champs Team Canada shut out the Czech Republic 3-0 in front of a sell out crowd at the arena in Pardubice. Canada started off by getting into penalty trouble. Eventually, they straightened up and got two goals from John Tavares and another from Matthew Halischuck. The Washington Capitals' goaltending prospect Michal Neuvirth of the Czech Republic lost with a respectable .900 save percentage. Capitals' prospect Josh Godfrey playing for Canada, had one assist in the game. Meanwhile Russia clobbered Finland 7-4.

Boss Man Bruce

The Washington Capitals removed the Interim label today. Bruce Boudreau is now officially the team's Head Coach. I think that's great. He deserves it. He has been successful coaching at every other level. Finally, he is getting his chance at proving he's capable of doing it at the NHL level. I'm sure the change in title will not change the way Bruce does things. He's always been a no nonsense guy, and I'm sure he will continue to be so. By all accounts, the players respect him and think he's the right person for the job. Now, management has shown they have confidence in Boudreau as well.

Happy Rockin' Christmas!

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Young Ones Christmas

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Canadiens Vs Capitals 12/20/2007 Review

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Canadiens 5 - Capitals 2

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After going 5-2-1 so far this month , the Washington Capitals seemed ready to claim a couple more points before the Christmas break. Tonight, they hosted the Montreal Canadiens in their first meeting this season.

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The Capitals' forward Donald Brashear had the first scoring chance of the game, but didn't get it past goaltender Cristobal Huet. Although, he may have been trying to pass at the time. No luck either way. At the 10:00 mark, Alexander Semin got hooked, putting the Caps on the Power Play. Less than a minute and a half later, Semin was called for hooking. So we had a little 4 on 4 hockey. Throughout the period, Washington had plenty of chances, but were unable to score. At 18:15, Montreal's Guillaume Latendresse took a pass from Saku Koivu and put the puck in the net. The Capital's had pretty much dominated the period. But at the end of the first, the Habs were ahead 1-0.

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At about six minutes into the second period, Tomas Plekanec bounced the puck off Olie Kolzig and into the net for his eleventh of the season. The Canadiens had a two goal lead. About three minutes later, Washington was on the PP when Nicklas Backstrom backhanded his sixth goal past Huet from a sharp angle. With less than three minutes left, Latendresse got his second of the game when he took a pass from Mathieu Dandenault who received the puck directly from a faceoff in Washington's end. Before the period was over, Christopher Higgins drove to the net and rolled over Kolzig. While they were still down on the ice, Olie gave Higgins a little whack on the helmet. At the end of two, Montreal led 3-1.

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About three or four minutes into the third period, the camera found Condaliza Rice in Ted Leonsis' suite, eating popcorn. What an ugly woman. Does she ever smile? Back on the ice, Cap's Alexander Ovechkin whiffed on a layup. Then Viktor Kozlov had Huet beat, but hit the inside of a post with his shot. With a hook by Shaone Morrisonn and Tom Poti sending the puck over the glass, the Canadiens had a 5 on 3 PP. About one minute later, Montreal's Sergei Kostitsyn deflected a Alex Kovalev shot for his first NHL goal. The Habs were ahead 4-1. Thirty-four seconds later, Semin got his fourth goal of the season, when he sent the puck in top shelf from the faceoff circle. All four of his goals have been scored in the third period. Shortly after, Huet made a nice save on an Ovechkin shot, keeping it at 4-2. Later on, Cap's David Steckel and Canadien's Francis Bouillon did a little pushing and shoving, but didn't get around to dropping the gloves. Near the end of the period, Washington defenceman Mike Green drove through the crease with the puck and ended up on top of the net. This really seemed to excite Green's fans, who were wearing their Gang Green t-shirts. However, Huet wasn't happy about it. With just over a minute left in the third, Montreal's Mark Streit put a Kyle Chipchura rebound past Olie. The Canadiens won 5-2.

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The Capitals outshot the Canadiens 37-21. They had plenty of good chances. But, they couldn't stay out of the penalty box and they just couldn't capitalise on their scoring chances. Another two points left behind.

Capitals Vs Red Wings 12/17/2007 Review

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Capitals 3 - Red Wings 3 Tie Plus SC

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I offer the following random thoughts, as I didn't have time for a full review.

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1: I felt like I was watching a Playoff game.

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2: I wish the Washington Capitals had signed Pavel Datsyuk instead of Viktor Kozlov.

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3: Alexander Ovechkin is on pace for 58 goals and 94 points for the season.

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4: The Capitals out shot the Detroit Red Wings through regulation.

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5: Nicklas Backstrom is freakin' awesome.

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6: The roughing penalty on Donald Brashear in the second period was pretty lame.

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7: All three stars going to Red Wings players was just as lame.

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*Extra: The Red Wings won the Skills Competition, which was held immediately after the game.

Capitals Vs Lightning 12/15/2007 Review

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Capitals 3 - Lightning 2

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Last night, the Washington Capitals responded to losing the night before by beating their divisional rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brian Pothier, with the game winning goal as well as an assist, also seemed to be responding to being a healthy scratch for the previous two games.

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The Lightning got on the board first with a goal by Paul Ranger less than five minutes into the first period. Goaltender Brent Johnson tried for a glove save, but the puck bounced off his glove, sailing over him & into the net. At 6:16, Tampa Bay's Martin StLouis was called for tripping. Just 32 seconds later, Lightning's Mathieu Darche was invited to keep StLouis company in the penalty box for knocking down Johnson in the crease. But, the Capitals failed to score in 65 seconds of 5 on 3 hockey. It was nice to see Pothier actually get physical a little bit later, when Tampa Bay's Filip Kuba knocked his stick out of his hands. Pothier promptly put Kuba down on the ice. This went unnoticed by the ref's amidst all the traffic in front of Washington's net. With 5:34 left in the first, Tomas Fleischmann got his fifth goal of the season when he put Alexander Semin's rebound past Johan Holmqvist. The period ended tied 1-1.

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Just eight seconds into the second period, the Cap's David Steckel bounced one in off the far post, putting Washington ahead by one. A couple minutes later, Tampa Bay's Vinny Prospal was rudely encouraged to leave Johnson's crease by Mike Green & a few other Capitals' players. Shortly after that, it was Vincent Lecavalier who took a drop pass from Prospal at the blue line, and sent a wrister five hole to even it back up. At 13:20, Washington's Alexander Ovechkin received an intentional two handed slash to his face from the Lightning's Kuba. The official gave Kuba two minutes for "high sticking". Tampa Bay's head coach John Tortorella made it clear he was unhappy that the obviously injured Ovechkin was allowed to stay on the ice when play resumed. Soon after play started, Ovechkin put a great hit on Lecavalier at the side wall. Then, Green was clotheslined in the Lightning end by Brad Lukowich with no call by the "ref's. The second period ended tied at 2-2 with the Cap's defence not allowing Tampa Bay to get a single shot off in the last ten minutes.

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About three & a half minutes into the third period, the Cap's got another Power Play opportunity with a high sticking call on Tampa Bay's Shane O'Brien. The Capitals spent almost the entire two minutes in the Lightning's end. With 17 seconds left on the PP, Pothier sent the puck in top shelf for the game winner.

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Sorry for posting this review so late. The laptop went down just before the game started, and I had to enter this post from a computer at work's office today. This was a great game for the Cap's. Although he has had some good games as a Cap, it was the first time I thought Pothier was impressive for an entire game. Let's keep it going guys.

Sabres Vs Capitals 12/14/2007 Review

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Sabres 5 - Capitals 3

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This was another important game for the Washington Capitals. It was a chance for the Caps to get a fourth straight win for the first time this season. They desperately needed to keep their good fortune going. But, they ultimately failed to do so.

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Early in the first period, the Capitals got their first Power Play when Brian Pothier was cross checked by the Buffalo Sabres' Thomas Vanek who got two minutes for interference. Vanek is currently enjoying the richest contract in Sabres history. As if being cross checked in the back wasn't bad enough, Pothier also got hit with the puck. Thankfully, he wasn't injured. However, the Caps were unable to score during the two minute man advantage. At 12:32 the Sabres were caught with too many men on the ice. Washington had been caught for the same infraction earlier in the period. Standing beside the net, Nicklas Backstom passed the puck from the Buffalo goal line to Alexander Ovechkin, who then tipped in his own rebound for the first goal of the game. It was Ovechkin's 23rd of the season. He now has points in seven straight games. With just over a minute left in the first period, Capitals' goaltender Olie Kolzig came well out of his crease to clear the puck. He fumbled the attempt, and two seconds later Buffalo's Derek Roy deposited the puck in the empty net. Roy's goal was unassisted, at least not by one of his own teammates. The period ended tied 1-1.

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After only 38 seconds into the second period, on a give & go play with Victor Kozlov, Backstrom got the puck past the Sabres' goaltender Ryan Miller. At 3:32 the Caps were caught with too many men on the ice again. That made the third time in less than twenty-four minutes of play that one of these teams got busted for playing an extra skater. Washington killed off the penalty, keeping the score at Sabres 1 - Capitals 2. With about nine & a half minutes left in the period, the Sabres' visorless Tim Connolly was hit just under one eye with the puck. He was not severely injured. Then, with just over a minute left, Maxim Afinogenov tied it up for the Sabres by scoring his fifth goal of the season. Unfortunately, the puck was actually knocked in by the Capitals' Mike Green, who was trying to stick check. All of Max's goals this season have been in the second period. So, the second period ended tied 2-2.

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Just 19 seconds into the third period, Buffalo's Drew Stafford put the Sabres ahead with a wrap around goal. Less than five minutes later, Washinton's Brooks Laich evened it back up. He sent the puck, not playable by the goaltender Miller because of an odd bounce off the boards behind the net, into the net with a lay up wrist shot. Later on, Connolly backhanded one in for the Sabres' fourth. With 1:14 left in the game & Kolzig pulled for the extra skater, Jochen Hecht made it 5-3 with the empty net wrister.

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While being interviewed after the game, Capitals' Coach Bruce Boudreau had plenty to say. Not much of it was positive. Boudreau, referring to whether the loss would make his players more determined in tomorrow night's game, said he was going to "find out about a lot of guys tomorrow". He also said "I'm not going to accept any excuses". Boudreau said, referring to mistakes made & lack of focus in the third period...."You keep doing that, and you're not going to play". Hopefully, the Capitals can regain the form of the last three games, & get another win streak started tomorrow night, when they travel to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning.

Three Capitals Prospects To Play In World Junior Championship

This afternoon, the Washington Capitals web site included an article on the three Caps prospects who are scheduled to play in the 2008 World Junior Championship which will be held in the Czech Republic December 26, 2007 to January 5, 2008.

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Karl Alzner of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen has been chosen to be the Captain for Team Canada. Alzner, a 19 year old defenseman from Burnaby, British Columbia, was the Capitals' first pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, number 5 overall. He is currently Captain of the Calgary Hitmen. Among other awards, Alzner also won Gold with Team Canada at the last World Junior Championship.

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Josh Godfrey of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds has also been chosen to play for Team Canada. Godfrey, also 19 years old, is from Kingston, ON. He was born in Collingwood, ON. He is currently the top defensive scorer for the Greyhounds. Godfrey was chosen by the Capitals in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 34th overall.

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Michal Neuvirth, also 19, was chosen as goaltender for the Czech Republic. Neuvirth is from Usi Labem of the Czech Republic. He played for the Plymoth Whalers last season & the start of this season. He now plays for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. With combined totals of a .924 save percentage & being fifth in goals against with a 2.39 average, he currently ranks third in the league. Last season, with the Whalers, he led his team to the OHL championship & a berth in the Memorial Cup, along with winning other awards for himself. Neuvirth was the Capitals second round choice, 34th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Team Canada & Team Czech Republic will open the tournament playing against each other in a preliminary round game on December 26, 2007 at the CEZ Pardubice Arena.

Rangers Vs Capitals 12/12/2007 Review

Rangers 4 - Capitals 5 OT

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Tonight's "Eighties Night" game started off festive & ended very festive for Washington Capitals fans. I wonder if the New York Rangers knew they'd be traveling back in time before the red mulleted fans started pouring into the arena for this evening's contest. Maybe Henrick Lundqvist's save percentage was damaged while he was distracted by what was going on in the stands around him. The goal lights got a workout at both ends of the ice in this one.

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At 2:14 into the first period Protector Of The Realm Donald Brashear and Ranger's #1 Thug Colton Orr were awarded matching five minute majors for fighting. It was a beauty. Colton got in a few good rights, before Donald used his left to colorize Colton's face & blacken another eye as the Ranger went down hard. About a minute later, Olie Kolzig moving quickly from one side of the goal to the other, made a highlight reel save on a very good attempt by Martin Straka. And even though the final score doesn't reflect it, there would be a few more like that throughout the evening. At 12:10 though, it was the Rangers' Scott Gomez who scored the first goal off a Paul Mara pass. Less than two minutes later, Straka got that goal he was looking for earlier. It was a tic-tac-toe play that started with Brandon Dubinsky behind the net who sent the puck to Jaromir Jagr, who got it to the front of the net, where Straka was ready to launch it toward the net. The Rangers led 2-0. Shortly after that, play was stopped for a bit when Lundqvist stopped a hard Alexander Ovechkin shot with his nether regions. That slapping noise you heard at the time of impact, was every man in the arena slamming his "pads" together.

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Still in the first, Brashear pushed Dan Girardi off the puck & got it over to Brooks Laich, who passed it along to Joe Motzko. Motzko then sent it into the back of the net for his first goal as a Cap. At 18:12 Matt Pettinger thought he had tied it up. But, video review showed the puck riding along the goal line, never completely crossing it. The odd thing was that even though Referee Dan O'Rourke waived off the goal during play, he also blew his whistle, stopping play. If he could see the puck & it wasn't across the line, then there was no reason to stop play.

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About four minutes into the second, Ovechkin drove in toward the net & was taken down from behind in the crease, keeping him from scoring. Apparently, I was the only one who saw the take down. There was no call from the referee or announcers Joe Beninati & Craig Laughlin. Then, with about four minutes left in the period, Motzko got his second goal of the game. The middle stanza ended with the game tied 2-2.

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During the second intermission, as in the first, Comcast SportsNet presented some nice features in addition to the usual player interview. They have started showing a lot of old Caps game video footage between periods. Probably more so tonight, since it was Eighties Night. They also included some more Hershey Bears footage, which I really enjoyed.

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About four & a half minutes into the third period, Ovechkin redirected a Mike Green shot for his 22nd goal of the season. That put the Caps ahead by one & had a very excited Ovechkin jumping in the air. Right at the end of a Matt Bradley holding penalty, Straka took a pass from Brendan Shanahan & put it past Olie to tie it back up again. Then, at 9:31 Jeff Schultz got one in from between the blue line & the top of the face off circle. Caps ahead by one....at least for a little while. During a lot of traffic in Kolzig's crease, Olie thought he had the puck trapped with a leg pad. But, the puck squirted out. Instead of getting it back under Kolzig to freeze the puck & stop play, Nicklas Backstrom tried to clear the puck. The puck ended up on Shanahan's stick & he sent it behind a very surprised Olie Kolzig. There was no way he could have stopped that one. Olie was furious, none the less. Washington's Mike Green put on a puck contol clinic shortly before the third ended. He zig-zagged past a diving Shanahan & Gomez while driving to the net, but couldn't get the puck through Lundqvist. So at the end of regulation, all tied up at four apiece.

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In overtime, the Ranger's Chris Drury got his only real chance of the game. But once again, Olie mad a nice save. Then, future Hall Of Famer Brendon Shanahan stumbled while skating with the puck. Brooks Laich grabbed the puck with his stick & raced toward the other end of the ice. Mike Green caught up & Brooks passed the puck over to him. Green waisted no time & shot the puck into the net for the overtime game winner!

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That's three wins in a row now. The hopes & dreams of many Caps fans have no doubt been reignited. But they have not won three straight since they started off the season by winning their first three. They are going to have to have many more winning streaks of three or hopefully more to make it to the playoffs this season.

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Devils Vs Capitals 12/10/2007 Review

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Devils 2 - Capitals 3

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That makes two wins in a row for the Washington Capitals. How many times has that happened this season? Yeah, I know. Sorry I brought that up. It also happens to be their first time with back to back wins at home. So, they officially have a win streak going for only the third time this season. With only one of those being for more than two games. And, after winning nine straight, the New Jersey Devils now also have a new streak of two losses. Washington's Brian Pothier has a two game streak of his own, as a healthy scratch. That's what those little flip it into direct danger passes get you, I guess.

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The first period scoring started off with the Devil's Brian Gionta passing from behind the net to John Madden, who shot the puck into the net while using Caps' John Erskine as a screen. A few minutes later, Nicklas Backstom answered back by taking the puck around two defenders & scoring a PP goal. Right at the end of the period, Tomas Fleischmann thought he had another goal for the Capitals, but it was waived off. The puck did cross the goal line, but the official apparently had already blown the whistle. To be honest, I think Kevin Weekes might have had a good case for goalie interference anyway. Period ends with the game tied at 1-1.

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Just 53 seconds into the second period, Jeff Schultz sent a wrist shot from just inside the blue line past two Devils & into the net. It was his second consecutive game with a goal. At 8:08, Quintin Laing banged home a rebound for his first NHL goal during his eighth game played. It turned out to be the game winner. Caps ahead by two at the end of period two.

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At 52 seconds into the third, another non goal. This time it was the Devils' Mike Mottau who was denied. The puck definitely went in off his skate. Although, I'm not so sure there was any kicking motion. As a Cap fan though, I'm not going to complain. Less than two minutes later New Jersey's David Clarkson snuck one past Olie Kolzig with a wrap around. So, after a game with a couple non goals & several non calls on Devils tripping & crosschecking Caps, final score Devils 2 - Capitals 3.

"Who Wants To Live Forever?" Video Rated #1 All Time

According to an Argentine article - the Queen video from Horacio Camberio, blogger for "El Clan De La Nostalgia", hit #1 All Time Rated You Tube Video last Friday.

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Here's a screen shot from when it reached the top "rated" You Tube video.

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The rating has probably changed since then, but for "....one brief moment...".

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Note: I got this info via brianmay.com where a visiter named Mariana had sent in the article. See Queen News section - Dec. 9, 2007.

Thrashers Vs Capitals 12/08/2007 Review

Thrashers 3 - Capitals 6

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Now, that's how it's done. After playing a game the night before in a way that even Coach Bruce Boudreau said was "unforgivable", the Caps returned to the dominant style of play they started the season with. Somehow, in between Friday night's embarrassment & Saturday's game, Bruce was able to bring back their confidence. This was their third game this season against the Atlanta Thrashers, the same team they got their first win against in the season opener. Neither team's Head Coach was the same though. Both had been replaced after it became obvious they weren't able to properly motivate their teams anymore. As a matter of fact, it was after the Thrashers pummeled the Caps 5 - 1 in their last match, that former Caps' Head Coach Glen Hanlon was relieved of his duties.

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Nicklas Backstom took advantage of a bad pass by Niclas Havelid, scoring one on one against Kari Lehtonen for the games first tally at 8:12 in the first period. Exactly one minute later at 9:12, Jeff Schultz slapped the puck to the back of the net for the games second goal.

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Less than five minutes into the second period, Matt Pettinger banged home a rebound from an Alexander Ovechkin shot. Shortly after that, Atlanta's Todd White got his team on the scoreboard with a Power Play Goal. White had received the puck from a pass that went under the splitting Olie Kolzig. But, with 5:45 left in the period Ovechkin tipped in another, making it 4-1 Caps. Less than a minute later Tomas Fleischmann passed the puck from behind the net to Mike Green who's rocketing slapshot zipped past Lehtonen for the Capitals' fith goal. Donald Brashear had a few words with Atlanta's Steve McCarthy just before the end of the period. I don't think it was anything too serious. Probably just exchanging their favorite Holiday recipies, right?

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In the third, Green got his seventh goal of the season & also his second of the game with a short side wrister. White, later also got his second of the game off his own rebound making it 6 - 2 . Then, half way through the period, Bobby Holik got around Tom Poti & sent the puck five hole for the Thrashers' & the game's final tally.

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In this game, Kolzig's unbelievably excellent goaltending (again!) wasn't wasted, as the whole team showed up. The Capitals put in a great effort throughout sixty minutes & just plain dominated. Yeah, that is how it's done!

Capitals Vs Devils 12/07/2007 Review

Capitals 2 - Devils 3 .

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The evening started off with a ceremony honouring retired New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens. The recent Hall of Fame inductee, who started his NHL career with the Washington Capitals & also spent some time with the St. Louis Blues received an artist's painting which included images of Stevens in all three teams' uniforms. It was nice to see him getting the much deserved respect. It was also nice that the ceremony was much shorter than a lot of times these days. Stevens number 4 was retired in another similarly brief ceremony 02/03/2006.

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The game itself wasn't quite as nice. For about the first 10 minutes, the Caps were looking decent enough. But after that, some of the players were as they say "phoning it in". You'd think that after a span of 5 days since their last game, they would have been well rested. Vitaly Vishnevski scored for the Devils first, on one of Brian Pothier's patented no look fling it up the middle giveaways. Vitaly himself, had committed a similar turnover shortly before that which turned out to be harmless for the Devils. Dainius Zubras also scored in the first period to give the Devils a 2 goal lead. Alexander Semin & Brooks Laich each had goals for the Caps. But, the Devils' Travis Zajac also scored in the third. His goal turned out to be the game winner.

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So, another loss & a major ass chewin' from Coach Broudreau are the rewards for a mediocre effort by the Capitals. Let's hope our guys show up with a little more energy tonight when they return home to Verizon Center for a match with the Atlanta Thrashers.

What's My (Hockey) Story?

I'm a huge Washington Capitals fan. But, it hasn't always been that way. As a matter of fact,.....well.....Hold on to your knickers Caps fans...But, less than 8 years ago I don't think I even knew DC had an NHL team! Wait a minute. Don't get too outraged. For a start, Hockey just isn't big here in Harford County, MD. Sure we have an ice rink in Abingdon(Ice World). But that's the only one I can think of off the top of my head. If I were to mention hockey to most from these parts, they'd likely ask...."So, your daughter plays Field Hockey for her school?" Yeah, I know it's hard to imagine, being this close to DC, Philly & New Jersey. Hockey just isn't advertised on any of the local TV channels other than Comcast SportsNet. Actually, all the MD & PA college hockey teams both Men's & Women's aren't advertised at all. The Baltimore Ravens & NASCAR are the only things drawing interest in this region.

I vaguely remember seeing hockey on TV when I was a young lad. Probably the Flyers or the Penguins on WGAL TV. Maybe the Baltimore Clippers. Just can't remember for sure. This may come as a great shock to you young'ns. There was no cable television in those ancient times. Yep! No ESPN. I repeat ....No ESPN. Our TV signals came into our homes via scrap metal looking contraptions referred to as antennas or aerials. It's true. I s#*t you not. I do remember playing hockey a couple times during visits to my cousins' house in Bel Air. On the Ice no less. I actually fell through the ice a couple times! Okay, so it was on a stream in their back yard. But, it still counts.

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Later on, my sisters & I did play some Floor Hockey with disabled & special needs children at a rec centre in Bel Air through our church youth group. Floor Hockey was also played during Gym class at High School - At least, on rainy days. I do remember enjoying it. However, I was too busy with baseball, football & basketball in those days. We heard so little of hockey, we didn't think of it as real. just didn't take it seriously. When I think now of how we were so naive & deprived...Oh my God! All our sports attention was on the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Colts & Baltimore Bullets because they were winners. Those three teams were all champions. At least once, I believe at the same time. We had enough teams to keep track of.

Eventually, after the Colts & the Bullets were taken from us & the Orioles had gone from a stretch of several years as the best team in baseball to many years as the worst, I had almost given up on pro sports altogether. Then one night during the NHL's 2000-2001 season while surfing through channels, this old git finally came upon ESPN and NHL Hockey. After watching a couple games I was hooked. However, I still hadn't watched Comcast SportsNet or whatever it was called then. So, I became a fan of teams other than the Capitals. My favorite was the Colorado Avalanche.

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By the 2002-2003 season I had caught up with the Caps & grew very fond of them & their announcers. After really getting to know this team through watching games & listening to the Caps internet podcasts I was converted. As I suffered along with other Caps fans through losing some players that were fan favorites & of course the dreaded Lockout season, the Washington Capitals became my absolute favorite team. Even though the Caps had 2 pretty dismal seasons after the Lockout, I've come to love them even more. They've been such an exciting team to watch even through the hard times. But, I truly believe those hard times are about to end. With the players that are still here, together with the newcomers, I'm certain of it.

Go! Freak'n Go Caps!

Queen + Paul Rodgers' "Say It's Not True" (46664) Video

Well, here's the 46664 version of Queen + Paul Rodger's"Say It's Not True" video via You Tube.

A higher quality version can be viewed for free from the 46664 web site directly. That is, if you want to have a higher quality cry. Alternatively, you could just download the mp3 audio. Or, you can check out the tearless(?) version offered up by Raffles306 below.

"Say It's Not True"

Per QueenOnline.com ...

"Say It's Not True" - FREE

Queen and Paul Rodgers Announce Newly Recorded Free Download For Nelson Mandela’s 46664 On World Aids Day. Click HERE to download "Say It’s Not True".

It has not been that closely a guarded secret that rock legends Queen and Paul Rodgers have been in the recording studio for their first sessions together following their successful world tour of 2005/2006. Indeed, both singer/songwriter and founding member of Free/Bad Company Paul Rodgers and Brian May have been quoted on their websites as being “quietly excited” about the music that has been produced from this creative union.

Spurred on by their commitments as Ambassadors to Nelson Mandela’s 46664 HIV AIDS global campaign, on which the spotlight will fall December 1 with a World Aids Day awareness and fundraising concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers are rushing to finish a track specially written for 46664 by Roger Taylor and have it available as a free download in time for this coming Saturday’s AIDS HIV benefit concert.

The track, Taylor’s “Say It’s Not True” (see lyrics below), originally came to light for the launch of the 46664 campaign back in November 2003. Taylor wrote the song as a gift to Mandela and performed it live for him for the first time with Brian May and Dave Stewart at the inaugural 46664 concert in Cape Town that month. The song carries the message that HIV AIDS is something that can affect any one of us no matter our sexual or racial status. ...


... “By making the song available for free”, says Taylor, “we hope to help Nelson Mandela with his campaign to get across the message that no-one is safe from infection. We have to be aware, we have to protect ourselves and those we love. The song follows the line of Mr. Mandela’s personal message: it’s in our own hands to bring a stop to this.”


The rest of the anouncement includes song lyrics. “Say It’s Not True”, performed by Queen + Paul Rodgers, written by Roger Taylor, is available to download exclusively on:

http://www.queenonline.com/,
http://www.46664.com/,
http://www.46664global.com/,
http://www.paulrodgers.com/,

and

http://www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com/

as of Friday November 30th.

Every Picture Tells A Story Prt 2

The following are some more of my favorite pictures from the collection I mentioned in my last post. Thanks again Cherie, for sending them.

After looking for another win last night, the Caps players
found they were just pissing in the wind.



We gotta get out of this last place.



Coach Hanlon took Backstrom & other players to Hooters for Lunch.
OR
"Locker" (Craig Laughlin) hits the Clubs!



Fleischmann puts a hit on Martin StLouis, then can't find him.



New Head Coach Bruce Boudreau makes yet another
adjustment to the "system", trying to spark his team.



Daniella Spier downs another bowl of gruel before the Flyers
were completely destroyed by the Washington Capitals.



Commissioner Betty admits the Shootout
is just like watermelon - completely tasteless.



Commissioner Betty removes his head from a place
far up his ass & admits the old Jerseys were better!