Washington Capitals Summer Review: June Through August Of 2012

Photo via ULoop blog.

Summer, both the temperate season (Northern Hemisphere) and the NHL hockey offseason, are coming to a close (hopefully) in a couple weeks. There may not have been as much activity during the last three months as many fans would have liked, but a few events and newsworthy stories did take place.

In June, after the playoffs, we had the 2012 Entry Draft. July 1, free agency started. Intermittently, there have been trades and various transactions throughout the summer.

Washington Capitals fans said goodbye to a few newly minted free agents, including veteran crease invader Mike Knuble, and enigmatic winger Alexander Semin. We also said hello to new acquisitions, like the consistent forward Mike Ribeiro.

For those Caps fans who work and live locally, I'm sure watching the prospects play at development camp was exciting. Currently, we're all tracking the new CBA negotiations.

More detailed information, and related feature stories, are available via the archives of the following popular sites.

TSN - The Sports Network

NHL - Official League Site


Washington Capitals Coverage:

Comcast SportsNet - Washington, DC

Capitals Insider at The Washington Post

WashingtonCaps.com - Official Team Site

Mike Vogel (Caps' Senior Writer / Media Host) via Twitter

Dump 'N Chase - Mike Vogel (Caps' Sr Writer / Media Host)

Japers' Rink (Popular Caps Blog)

2012 WRC Rally Finland Review

Sébastien Loeb at shady section during 2012 Rally Finland.
Photo via Citroen-WRC.com.

The eighth event of the 2012 World Rally Championship calendar, 2012 Rally Finland, was run August 2 through August 4, 2012. This rally was based in Jyväskylä, Finland, and was another great gravel surface contest.

The drivers who earned the top three spots in the final results were: Sébastien Loeb (France) from Citroën Total World Rally Team in first place, Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) of Citroën Total World Rally Team was second, and in third was Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) of factory Ford World Rally Team.

WRC.com rally recaps, and four highlights videos are included below.


Saturday wrap: Loeb strikes thrice in Finland
Posted at WRC.com on August 4, 2012

Sebastien Loeb's incredible run success in the FIA World Rally Championship continued today when he won ... Rally Finland for a third time alongside co-driver Daniel Elena...


The wrc.com review: ... Rally Finland
Posted at WRC.com on August 6, 2012

This one was a genuinely intriguing ... Rally Finland: a high-speed chess game that was seemingly decided by seconds, but underpinned by a wider strategic picture that reflected the entire season. So who said that chess was boring?...

WRC 2012 | Neste Oil Rally Finland_Rally Review (Part 1/4)
Uploaded to YouTube by sergioafonso21WRC

WRC 2012 | Neste Oil Rally Finland_Rally Review (Part 2/4)
Uploaded to YouTube by sergioafonso21WRC




WRC 2012 | Neste Oil Rally Finland_Rally Review (Part 3/4)
Uploaded to YouTube by sergioafonso21WRC




WRC 2012 | Neste Oil Rally Finland_Rally Review (Part 4/4)
Uploaded to YouTube by sergioafonso21WRC

2012 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Review

Lotus drivers flank 2012 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix winner on July 29, 2012.
Photo from Formula1.com via All My Friends Travel.

The last of three races in one month before the August break, the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix was held on July 29, 2012. For the eleventh event of this season, Formula One drivers and their crews worked Hungaroring Circuit in Mogyoród, Hungary, near Budapest.

After being the only retiree in Germany the previous week, McLaren-Mercedes team's Lewis Hamilton (England) finished first. The two drivers earning podium spots behind Hamilton were Kimi_Räikkönen (Finland), and then Romain Grosjean (France), both of Lotus-Renault.

Below are links from Formula1.com writers' posts and video reviews.


Race - Hamilton soaks up Lotus pressure for Hungary win
Posted at Formula1.com on July 29, 2012

It may have been a slow-burning affair, but Sunday's Hungarian race didn’t lack drama with Mclaren’s Lewis Hamilton expertly resisting pressure throughout from the Lotuses of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to win from the front...


Hungary analysis - Hamilton back in the title hunt
Posted at Formula1.com on July 30, 2012

After being shrouded by the changeable conditions of Hockenheim, McLaren’s updated MP4-27 finally got to stretch its legs in Hungary on Sunday as Lewis Hamilton secured his second win of the season. Dominant throughout the weekend, not even the swift Lotuses of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean could halt Hamilton’s charge and the Briton left Budapest with his - and McLaren’s - title challenge well and truly revitalised. As the paddock heads off for a four-week summer break, we take a team-by-team look at the race...

Formula 1 2012 Hungarian Official Race Edit
Uploaded to YouTube by TheVivek33




F1: Hungarian GP Results - 2012
Posted at SpeedTV.com

F1: Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett take a look at the results from Hungary. Lewis Hamilton leads from pole position and takes his second win of the year.

2012 F1 German Grand Prix Review

2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Germany top three cars on July 22, 2012.
Photo © Ercole Colombo / Ferrari via Biser3a.

Formula One drivers battled it out at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (in Baden-Württemberg), near Hockenheim, Germany, in the 2012 German Grand Prix on July 22, 2012.

The tenth race of the 2012 season featured a few gearbox and impediment penalties, as well as pre-race driver changes.

Having started the race at pole posistion, Fernando Alonso (Spain) of Scuderia Ferrari went on to win this race. In second place, was McLaren-Mercedes driver Jenson Button (England). Kimi Räikkönen (Finland), of Lotus-Renault, was on the podium again, with third place.

Button, coming in second, obviously did very well for McLaren. His teammate however, Lewis Hamilton (England), was the only driver to retire early. It seems a tire puncture led to suspension damage sufficient to eventually take him out of his 100th grand prix.

Post-race links from Formula1.com, and related videos, wrap up this review.


Race - masterful Alonso triumphs at Hockenheim
Posted at Formula1.com on July 22, 2012

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso drove an absolutely faultless race in Germany on Sunday afternoon to become the first three-time winner of 2012. Alonso was under consistent pressure, first from Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and later from McLaren’s Jenson Button, both of whom got within less than a second of the Ferrari at times. But the Spaniard never put a wheel wrong nor lost his nerve and pulled away in the closing stages as Button faded and was repassed by Vettel...


Germany analysis - Alonso hits his stride
Posted at Formula1.com on July 23, 2012

No one is any longer kidding themselves that Ferrari don’t have a good car, but it’s still far from being the best car. What Ferrari do have is a double world champion seemingly at the very peak of his driving powers. Fernando Alonso displayed that to full effect at Hockenheim on Sunday as he kept the hard-charging Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button at bay to clinch his third win of 2012 and go 34 points clear at the top of the standings. We look back, team by team, on a fascinating German Grand Prix...

Formula 1 2012 German Grand Prix Official Race Edit
Uploaded to YouTube by TheVivek33




F1: German GP Results - 2012
Posted at SpeedTV.com

F1: Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett take a look at the results from Germany, where Fernando Alonso dominates at the Hockenheimring.

2012 F1 British Grand Prix Review

Webber ahead of Alonso in 2012 Formula 1 British Grand Prix on July 8, 2012.
Photo by Clive Mason / Getty Images via Zimbio.com.

It was on July 8, 2012, when Formula One race drivers lapped around the Silverstone Circuit of Northamptonshire, England, for the 2012 British Grand Prix. The ninth race of the season, which involved more movement in the drivers and the constructors points order positions, showed that 2012 has become one of the more exciting seasons in a long time.

Mark Webber (Australia), of Red Bull Renault, won the race. He was followed by Scuderia Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso (Spain) in second, and third place finisher Sebastian Vettel (Germany), of Red Bull Renault.

Below are related links from Formula1.com and some video, so we can review this race.


Race - Webber beats Alonso to Silverstone win
Posted at Formula1.com on July 8, 2012

For so many laps on Sunday at Silverstone it seemed that Fernando Alonso was set to repeat his historic 2011 British victory for Ferrari, until Red Bull’s Mark Webber was able to turn the tables dramatically with just five laps remaining...


Great Britain analysis - Webber plays it to perfection
Posted at Formula1.com on July 8, 2012

The sun finally shone on Silverstone on Sunday, as it served up a highly entertaining Grand Prix. Pre-race predictions of a Ferrari-Red Bull showdown proved correct, but it was the latter’s Mark Webber who made all the right moves. The Australian hunted down and passed polesitter Fernando Alonso in the closing laps, narrowing the gap between them at the top of the driver standings to just 13 points, as the season nears its halfway point. We look back, team-by-team, on an enthralling 52 laps...

Formula 1 2012 British Grand Prix Official Race Edit
Uploaded to YouTube by TheVivek33




F1: British GP Results - 2012
Posted at SpeedTV.com


F1: Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett take
a look at the results from Silverstone. Mark Webber
makes a late pass on Fernando Alonso to take the win.

2012 F1 European Grand Prix Review

Poolside view at 2012 European Grand Prix on June 24, 2012.
Photo from gallery posted by Joe Baaklini at Biser3a.

The Valencia Street Circuit, in Valencia, Spain, was the site for Formula One's 2012 European Grand Prix race on June 24, 2012. It was the eighth race on the 2012 calendar.

Fernando Alonso (Spain), driving for Scuderia Ferrari, passed the checkered flag first. He became the first Formula One driver to claim a second win this season, and regained the championship points lead. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland), driving for Lotus Renault, took second place. Räikkönen had two seconds and one third place finish, at this point. Making it three former champions on the podium, Michael Schumacher (Germany) of Mercedes AMG Petronas came in third for this race.

Below are the links for two Formula1.com race reviews. Also included, are a few videos.


Race - Alonso triumphs in Valencia thriller
Posted at Formula1.com on June 24, 2012

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso scored a sensational victory for Ferrari - and Spain - in an action-packed 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia on Sunday afternoon, despite starting only 11th. And on a day when neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel finished, Alonso went back into a healthy world championship lead...


Europe analysis - experience conquers youth in Valencia
Posted at Formula1.com on June 25, 2012

There are no guarantees in life - and even fewer in Formula One racing - as Sunday’s remarkable European Grand Prix proved. Only the wiliest fan would have bet on Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso winning from 11th on the grid. But in a rollercoaster race experience really counted, and as the sport’s younger contingent fell by the wayside thanks to issues and incidents, it was comeback veterans Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher who joined Alonso on the podium. We take a team-by-team look back at a captivating afternoon in Valencia...

F1 2012 European GP Valencia Race Highlights(HD) 720p
Uploaded to YouTube by VUDUYF1




F1 2012 European Grand Prix Official Race Edit (HD)
Uploaded to YouTube by VUDUYF1




F1: European GP Results - 2012
Posted at SpeedTV.com



Leigh Diffey, Dave Hobbs & Steve Matchett take a look at the results
from Valencia. Fernando Alonso wins in his home country after both
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have issues towards the end.