In Atlanta - Probably Won't See Much of Tonight's Hockey Game But ...

Well today it is very likely "the day job" will get in the way of me seeing much of tonight's "Game 3 in Pittsburgh" since my flight back to DC is at 4:20PM and from my window at the hotel it already looks like we'll have thunderstorms later. Travel this time of year is always subject to delays up & down the East Coast and cross country because of storms. On a more sober note, my heart and prayers are with the crew and passengers of that Air France plane that is lost, that doesn't look like it will have any happy endings. Things like that sure keep missing watching a hockey game in perspective pretty easy, eh?

Any regrets I have about missing any of tonight's game will also be shortly overtaken by the fact I really like my "day job" here at ICx Technologies and today we'll be doing a few aspects of it that I also really enjoy as well. My boss and I are here in Atlanta meeting with the folks who lead Surveillance Team and make our integrated platforms (Cerberus(tm) and SkyWatch(tm)) and exploring and planning how we can better help them in their growth and strategic business capture efforts as well as making sure we also better understand their capabilities and business so we can do that effectively. It's a quick trip, basically a day. However, given the fact they are such a great team themselves and they have a lot of targets that are right in the sweet spot of what we do, I know it will be a productive, rewarding and interesting day and that in the end we'll be able to find ways we can help each other and accelerate our mutual effort to grow our business. Not as whimsical or fun as watching a hockey game but a lot more directly related to making sure I keep a roof over my head and also actually fun for me as well.

My prediction for tonight: 4-3 OT win by Penguins. That's my thought, unless Chris Osgood keeps his amazing string of excellent (better than 0.950 SV% games) going. If that happens, the Penguins will not score 4 or more goals in a game and if they don't do that it's hard to see how they win since right now it's hard to see Detroit scoring less than 3 goals a game. And ... once again I hope I'm wrong since when it comes to Pro Hockey Teams, I'm kind of pretty "anti-flightless bird."

Off on Business Once Again ... Blog Suffering

Well I was on business travel from Tuesday Morning through this evening. I had to go to Fort Lauderdale on business ... really! ... Tuesday and Wednesday, and then spend today in Philadelphia meeting with a customer. So I missed the Flyers game - I swapped tonight's game with Tom and then figured out I couldn't make tonight either. Now I'm on the coach in Bristow watching the game against the Thrashers on Comcast and Jason, a fine young man from our J2 team at ICx Technologies is at the game with a friend and/or date. I'll do a recap after the game and take a good look at the remaining schedule. Hopefully there is no "going up by two goals curse" we don't know about. As business trips go, this week's was pretty good, though I really do hate missing hockey games at this time of year. So far tonight both Neuvirth and Kovalchuk look good as do Semin and Laich of course.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!

Well I'll Be Watching The Game On TV Tonight...

Call this evening learning as we age, every year for the last five we have host a Christmas party, this year we'll be hosting it tomorrow. Since there is so much left to do, I'll be watching the game while trimming our tree in the den here in Bristow. Earlier in my life, I might have still attempted to attend the game, especially knowing that in addition to Alexander Semin and Tom Poti, I might get to see Mike Green and Sergei Federov return to the line up. However instead I've given my tickets another person from ICx Technologies. A fine young guy from our office - Jason will be in our seats with a friend watching the Senators and the Caps. Jason is the kind of guy that makes me glad we are building a good company. He has his degree and came to DC from Pittsburgh to make his mark in the world, he started in our headquarters as a temp, then basically became our office manager and now with our JNBCRS program win, he has been promoted to a position in the program office. He is a great person to work with, one of the many I get a chance to work with every day. However, knowing that we are building a great place where hopefully a young guy like him can grow and learn for a long period of time makes it even more fun to work in a entrepreneurial, vibrant, exciting, growing company. The fact that Jason loves Ice Hockey is a plus, although you know because of his misspent youth in Pittsburgh, he's really a Penguins fan, though he's pretty quick on the uptake and I figure a few more games of watching Semin and Ovie and we'll convert him. In retrospect, i should have told him I'd give him the tickets but he needs to really "Rock the Red" during the game, oh well ... next time.

Coming into tonight's game the Caps are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games and the Senators are 4-3-3. The Senators started the season off poorly but have picked up some momentum lately. They will be looking to improve their road record of 3-6-2 but the Caps have been awesome at home so far this season at 11-1-1. Per Tarik: it looks like Brent Johnson will get the start in goal again tonight and that both Sergei Federov and Mike Green will be back in the lineup tonight. That probably means that whether or not Karl Alzner is in the lineup or not is a function of the salary cap calculations for another several weeks - don't look here for anything that sheds light on that since this blogger can't even begin to figure out that aspect of things.

There seems to be a movement that has Penguin and Caps fans working together. The goal - to get the Eastern Conference NHL All Star starting line up of forwards to be: Ovechkin - Crosby - Malkin. Mark's Musing - hey why not? It makes a lot more sense then what the current likely lineup is - the Montreal Canadeans....

Well now it's time to do a few more "chores" before watching the Caps...

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!

Catching Up - The Last 86 Hours, 2 Caps Victories & 2 Movies - 1 Awesome

Well fellow bloggers and folks who for some reason or another find my musings worth reading, this past week was one spent mainly with family either traveling to and from meeting with other family members in Myrtle Beach, SC or being together with them there.

This week's adventures started when I spent this past Tuesday morning at the local middle school as a Prince William County Department of Education "Resource Speaker" for Career Day. It's something I've participated in three years running and always interesting. Over the course of the morning six groups of middle school students come to a table and "interview" me. As in the past they start with a prepared list of 10-15 questions (this year it was 15) that they later have to turn in for a classroom assignment or extra credit I assume. The 15 questions are ones you'd expect - 1) How did I get into the field? (I do "Engineer"). 2) What special training or education do you need to get into the field? 3) Are there opportunities for advancement? 4) What's a typical day like? 5)How much do people in the field usually make? 6) What do you have to wear to work? 7)Do you have to travel outside the area? 8)Do you commute to work? Etc. If you keep them on track you also have time to let them ask other questions that they really want to ask and this is where the real fun begins. Besides the usual one that you get at least every other group - Do I have a son or daughter that goes to their school or a nearby middle school? (No our only son graduated from Battlefield High last year and is in college.) there are a couple that they usually ask like "What kind of engineer are you and how is that different from other engineers or the type of engineer i think I want to become? (From those really into it.) This year the first 5 groups I had were filled with 6 in each group except the last group in which I had 4, so that's 34 8th graders with some interest in possibly becoming engineers, not bad my understanding is that's about 15% of the class. That was the good news, the bad news only one of the 34 was female. The woman at the other end of the gym for "modeling" sold out - all females. I guess I'm wondering what things would have been like for me if I had been in spot at the middle of the gym and at the end opposite the "modeling lady" had been a guy with a sign "professional athlete"? I'm betting he'd have been a lot bigger draw then the Prince William County Prosecutor who was there. Oh well, we in the technology industries just need a LOT more shows like CSI and NUMBERS on prime time and those that fell like me need to do a better job of explaining why we enjoy our careers and find them rewarding. It's something that companies like ours at ICx Technologies need to do more of and I'm thankful that ours is an enlightened company that encourages us to do this time of outreach and community service. My last question to them - What are you doing for Thanksgiving? - anecdotally, over 80% traveling locally or regionally to spend it with family, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Tuesday night I picked my son up at Union Station and Wednesday we spent the majority of the day driving down to Myrtle Beach. I did enjoy watching the last 1/2 of the third period of the Hurricanes 3-1 home loss to the Flyers before calling it a relatively early night. Of course I was very pleased to see the Caps beat Atlanta on the Hurricane's post game show. Thanksgiving Day our family has a number of customs and traditions that are related to going out to an early dinner and then spending the afternoon together doing something. This year we went to a movie together - "The Four Christmases" - apropos and funny - at Broadway On The Beach, I'd go again but that's not the awesome one. Later that evening my son and I returned to Broadway At the Beach's IMAX theater and saw "The Dark Knight" in an IMAX (2D) Theater with a great sound system. It was as they say, totally worth the $16.00 price of admission and I wish they'd make more real movies like this in IMAX and show them in the few IMAX Theaters around DC. How about a "Miracle" or "Slapshot" remake in IMAX - that'd get the hockey crowd out I'd bet. Then yesterday, once again the day spent traveling back home. As much as I hate to admit it, now that we don't see our son much since he's at school most of the time, being locked up together in the car for 5-8 hours isn't so bad. We always seem to have plenty to catch up on.

Well now, "How about 'dem Caps?" What a difference a week makes. The call-ups have now played two home games and the Caps held there own. Tonight the Caps travel to Columbus, OH to take on the 9-10-3 Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets are led by their sharpshooter Rick Nash but have dropped three straight at home. The Caps have lost their last three road games though against teams that are all arguably (at least in Los Angeles' case) stronger then the Blue Jackets. The Caps will likely once again field a team that has at least 5 names on the ice that weren't part of the opening night roster due to injuries. The big questions in this blogger's mind are: 1) who will start in goal, will Jose Theodore who was "lights out" awesome last night want and get the start or will it be Brent "Johnnie" Johnson who has also been "pretty darn good" so far this season too? and 2) will either Mike Green, Tom Poti, Sergei Federov or Alexander Semin make it back to the lineup tonight, and if Federov makes it back will he play "D" or Center? Interestingly, if the Caps win tonight in Columbus, they will have captured 20 of 30 available standings points in the month of November. That's 0.667 hockey, in spite of being almost snake bitten on their most grueling road trip of the year and playing 8 of 15 games against teams that were playoff teams last season. They've also gone 7-1-2 against Eastern Conference Teams during the month. They remain on pace for a 104 point season, despite a spate of injuries that at least from this vantage point appears "second to none" in the NHL so far this season. Ending the month with a win in Columbus, especially if it's accompanied by Anaheim beating Carolina at RBC Center tonight, would be a great way to celebrate Bruce Boudreau's first "anniversary weekend" at the Caps' helm. Heck while we're at it let's root for the Devil's to win their sixth straight without Martin Brodeur when they face the Pens at the Igloo tonight as well.

Given that the injuries now will add some additional suspense to the December schedule as the Caps continue their quest for dominance in the Southeastern Division, and a run at potentially winning the Eastern Conference as well; starting the month tied with the Penguins for second in the Conference and 5 points ahead of the Hurricanes in the Division sounds great to me. Of course to make that happen, once again tonight the Caps have to stick to their system and get some solid play and secondary scoring from the third and fourth liners. The system and the relentless forechecking will be needed to tie up Rick Nash, "young gun" Derick Brassard, Jason Chimera, R.J. Umberger, and Kristian Huselius in the neutral zone, just like the Caps did last night to the Canadeans. Then to win the game the Caps should look for a team effort to put three or more pucks to the back of the net, again just like last night. I'll be "Rockin' the Red" from the settee in Bristow, VA. How about "y'all"?

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back "On the Beat" In Time for A Hockey Filled Weekend

Well after a hectic week that has kept me away from hockey and the blogsphere since Tuesday, it’s a home and home two-fer for your hockey weekend against the New Jersey Devils, and thanks to my friend Jim, we'll be at both games. Tonight, we'll be at the Phone Booth in my seats in section 103 and tomorrow we'll be in two of Jim's 4 seats up at "The Rock" in Newark. Please stop by and make fun of Jim's team if you'd like tonight, yes he is a Devils fan, and while it might not be that sporting to make fun of his team given future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur out, it is a relatively easy thing to do. As in addition to being a friend, Jim is also a customer of ours at ICx Technologies, I don't get to take as much advantage of this opportunity as I might, but that's no reason you shouldn't do so. If you follow our company you know we announced our quarterly numbers yesterday, and we achieved some really cool milestones in our young life. So while missing the occasional hockey game and spending a large part of my waking hours focused on ICx Technologies, can at times be less fun than watching the Capitals, it continues to be a really fun place to be and work and we're all starting to feel a sense of being part of something notable around these parts. That said it will be fun to put my professional brain predominantly on the shelve for the next 48 hours and immerse myself in watching some of the best, most exciting players in the NHL put on two great games.

In fact, this is the first home-and-home of the fall season, these types of things tend to pose special needs and fuel rivalries. Of course with both the Caps and the Devils at least a little bruised up this ought to be interesting. I'll try and post some original thoughts and observations from both these games each of the following two mornings. Until then -

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Busy Week @ ICx Topped Off By a Return to Capitals Hockey and a Resumption of a Personal Life

Well, last week other than Tuesday's blacked out 5-4 shootout victory against the Nashville Predators at the VC that was my ST partners game there was no other Caps hockey to watch or report on. Suffice it to say I was pretty darn busy, didn't listen to the game first hand and like the folks reading this blog, caught up on the results by studying the stats and reading other blogs. That was fine since for me it was a busy week at work and I was actually okay with the limited availability of access to the diversion that Caps hockey provides from life's pressures, since there just wasn't much time for it in my life last week. The week is over and I'm back to 2 1/2 "jobs"/concurrent focus items for ICx Technologies, a very manageable amount. The week also ended with our son Chris coming home from the USMMA, for his between trimesters' break. Now tonight, the Capitals 15 game November schedule kicks off at 7PM EDT, against the Buffallo Sabres at HSBC Arena. Of course, once again the Caps will be without the services of Alexander Ovechkin, 2007-2008 MVP, but it will still be a Rockin' Red game.


Over the course of this past week, a lot is starting to be made of Alexander Semin's interview over at Puckdaddy last week. Me? I thought is was/is awesome! As are the other blog-posts indicating that the time has come to announce the full fledged arrival of "SEH - man" on the scene and the retirement of the moniker: "the other Alex." I concur here too also, so nevermore on this blog will there be a reference to "Number 28" as "the Other Alex." Of course, the main issue now is what should Alexander Semin's moniker be? After all his friend and teammate Ovechkin has so many good ones: "The Great 8"; "Alexander the Great"; etc. What is a fitting set of primary monikers for Aleaxander Semin, one reflective of the singular, unique skill mix he is bringing to the Capital's offense this season and his own exciting style of play? Now about that Puckdaddy interview, Semin's comments about Sidney Crosby and his basic approach of talking some smack or perhaps just offering his own unbridled opinion on some of the other great players in the NHL today. Unlike the Toronto Sun, I thought it was great and he was right on target. As somebody else once said: "I don't know. But, this is just my opinion."


Now on to tonight's game and a look ahead to the faceoff that is just a short hour away. I really think it'll be a great game but the Caps should come out on top. Looking at the match-ups and factors, to me the game looks like this. 1) Intangibles: the Caps are generally on the upswing and positive; and the Sabres are a little flat after a blistering start. 2) Forward Lines: even without the likes of Ovechkin in the lineup, Washington matches up favorably with the Sabres. Add to that the fact that after their last two games, Buffalo Coach Lindsey Rupp felt the need to shake up the Sabres lines and the Caps have once again found their scoring touch after relatively lackluster scoring during their West Coast/National Horse Show Road Trip and it seems the Caps have the edge in this category. 3) Defense: tonight will likely have Tom Poti back in the Caps lineup, a definite positive for the Caps, but in this category, you still have to give the edge to the Sabres with Lydman, Tallinder, Paetsch, Numminen, Spacek, and Sekara. While there may not be a superstar among them, there are also no "weak links" either. Finally 4) Goaltending: conventional wisdom would give the edge to Buffalo's Ryan Miller over Washington's Jose Theodore. However, over the past three games for each, they are comparatively similar. Miller is 0-2-1 with a GAA of 4.00 and a Save Percentage of 87.63%. Theodore is 2-1-0 with a GAA of 3.33 and a Save Percentage of 89.25%. In fact JT60 and Brent Johnson's efforts since a shaky start in Atlanta have not been responsible for any of the Caps losses so far this season, and more often then not, when the Caps have been a little flat goaltending has kept them in the game. So I call this one at worst a draw and actually give a slight edge to what should be a confident, well rested Theodore. So overall, I'm looking for the Caps to leave Buffalo with two points. Also, in case you didn't notice the winning goaltender in Tampa Bay's 5-2 defeat of the Sabres earlier this week, it was none other than Olie Kolzig who stopped 29 of 31 shots and had a save percentage of 0.9354. Not bad, not bad at all.

Well on with the game. LETS GO CAPS!!!!

An Up & Down Week for the Caps In Review

[ed note: Where's this blog been all last week? Well this blogger has traveled over 8, 500 miles and had a hectic week on his day job that's why the blog hasn't had a post in 7 days - a record since I started blogging, given the NHL season is in full swing. I started the week at meetings Monday morning in Tyson's Corner. Tuesday morning found me at meetings in Anchorage, AK. I watched parts of Tuesday's Caps-Flames game while working at a desk in a business partners offices in Anchorage on my laptop - thanks to NHL GameCenter. I had meetings on Thursday morning in Seattle, WA but did catch the last half of the second and the third period of the Caps-Coyote game from my usual recliner in Bristow, VA upon my return home, though it was through bleary eyes and a bit painful. Isn't the modern marvel of air travel wonderful? Well maybe not all that wonderful but that's an entirely different story and one of relatively little interest. I did catch the shootout at the OK Corral fka American Airlines Center in Dallas last night, as the Caps avoided going 0 fer the road trip. As much has already been said and covered elsewhere on all three games last week, this blog entry will offer commentary on 5 things: i) a brief summary/recap of last week's roadtrips 3 games; ii) a review and commentary on the arrival and play of Tyler Sloan - another Caps feel good story in the making? iii) yet another different perspective on John Erskine's two year $2.5M contract extension; iv) a random thought on the already large number of 3 point games thus far in the NHL season and v) a quick-look at the month ahead (November) for the Caps. Oh and yes the crazy roadtrip I did last week was all business related, and worth the effort. Growing and making money, like ICx Technologies continues to do, takes a lot of hard work in this economy, even if you're not "Joe the Plumber." Something that isn't likely to change real fast no matter who we all elect come 9 days hence. But at least our Washington Capitals are tied in points for first in the Southeast Division once again.]

I capped off a crazy week watching the Capitals - Stars game on Saturday Night. A two point night for the Caps, almost in spite of themselves, or perhaps more fairly, because Jose Theodore outplayed Marty Turco over the length of the game and the Caps offense kicked it into gear in the OT period. Doesn't Alexander Semin have an absolutely awesome wrist shot? It sure looked like Marty Turco didn't see it until it was already past him. That is not to take away from either Sergei Federov or Tomas Fleischmann's two goals or Tyler Sloan's first NHL goal. If your keeping track based on simple extrapolation, here's some really awesome things to think about. Alexander Semin is on pace for a 72 goal, 144 point, + 6 season; Federov is on pace for a 31 goal, 72 point, +7 season; and "Flash" is on pace for a 31 goal, 51 point, +/- 0 season. Following last night's 2 goal performance "The Other Alex" is tied with Evgeni "Geno" Malkin for the NHL scoring lead with 14 goals (7 goals, 7 assists); Semin is also tied for third in goals scored with Saint Louis' Brad Boyes. So looking at the first 8 games of the season, especially the three game Western Conference/National Horseshow road trip the Caps just completed there's some things, good and some things "that are otherwise" to note. First the bright spots - a) Goaltending has been solid lately - Jose Theodore's save percentage over the three game road trip was .905; while Brent Johnson has a save percentage of 0.915 in his last two games. b) Throughout the season thus far, despite sparse first line scoring, as other teams "key" on Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom basically plays himself into shape, and first line right wing Viktor Kozlov has been slowed by injury, secondary scoring has been present in full force. So far in the first 8 games of the season, the Capitals have had 12 different players light the red light a total of 28 times scoring an average of 3.5 goals a game. c) Overall the Caps have captured just over 50% of the available points in 8 games played, and are keeping pace with their Southeast Division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes. There's also a few areas for concern and nail biting: a) The inconsistent play of the defense exacerbated by early season injuries. The value of Tom Poti to the Caps team can no longer be denied, nor can the stress the current salary cap puts on things when any of the six regular defenseman are injured. b) The inconsistent "energy?" (probably not the right word) level with which the Caps approach forechecking during parts of what has been every game, except the game against the Canucks, so far this season, is also troubling.

Overall not a bad start, though not up to the expectations built by the drive to the finish last season or the off season efforts by the Caps. It's early and no need for panic at this time, but the Caps need to pick it up to ensure they don't find themselves "on the bubble" in late March. The team has the talent to "kick it all up a notch", but the defense needs to really tighten up and the forwards need to provide that relentless forechecking that has been their trademark since last Thanksgiving. As the Caps have found out so far this season, there's a lot of talented guys in the NHL and nobody's going to just roll over. Next up the Nashville Predators at Verizon on Tuesday Night. I'll be watching from my comfortable chair here in Bristow, while my ticket partner Tom is present and "Rockin' the Red".

I really didn't get much chance to think or talk hockey last week. So on Saturday morning, when I went to see my barber Scott at "The Barber Shop" in Manassas' Westgate Shopping Center, I enjoyed the lively conversation we had about our local NHL Team - the Washington Capitals and their most recent lineup addition, Tyler Sloan. Following Sloan's turnover in Phoenix that resulted in a game deciding goal, Scott was openly questioning why the 27 year old rookie was in the lineup while "stud prospect" Karl Alzner was still in Hershey. I, on the other hand, pointed out that even including Sloan's faux paux, at that moment, he was +/- 0 with an average of 9:27 time on ice, had not taken any stupid penalties (like puck out of the rink/delay of game), and had put a masterful hit/hip check on NHL veteran center Daymond Langkow. I felt that given he had barely had time to get off the plane, lace his skates and show up to play his first NHL game in front of his hometown friends, he wasn't doing bad. Yes, I too could have done without his turnover in Phoenix, but those things have to be expected from any rookie, even a 27 year old one. We had seen some of those same sorts of things during the pre-season from both Karl Alzner and Sami Lepisto, hadn't we? Add the fact that bringing up either Alzner or Lepisto would create salary cap issues that need not be dealt with if Poti and Erskine will soon be returning to the line up and, giving Sloan, a seventh-year pro in his third season with the Bears, and who had recorded three assists in the first five games with the Bears this season, a shot to fill the Caps short term needs on Defense doesn't seem like such a bad idea. Additionally, when he joined the Bears during their run to the Calder Cup in the 2006 AHL playoffs, Sloan demonstrated a maturity and ability to jump into tough situations and quickly contribute. That maturity and trait was something the Caps needed last week. Suffice it to say, at the end of my haircut, Scott remained unconvinced. However, the discussion had clarified my own thoughts and reaffirmed my feeling that Tyler Sloan might have what it takes to play in the NHL. Well last night in Dallas, Tyler got his first NHL goal and it should have been, could have been, a game winner. Alas that was not to be, as once again this year the Washington Capitals are vying for the NHL title as "Cardiac Kids." After his fairly solid play in the first two games of the road trip, Sloan capped off the three game trial with "the big team" with a 13:48 TOI performance and was +1 for the game. Over the three games last week, after scoring his first NHL tally, a follow-up goal as a result of staying with the play and crashing the net, Sloan's statistics are solid for a rookie. For his three games with the Caps, he has now averaged 10:54 TOI, is +/- 1, has a goal and no assists, and 6 hits. Given his $475,000 price tag, Mr. Sloan continues to more than earn his money here in Washington while Tom Poti heals and gets ready to return to form. Having Sloan and Erskine back in the lineup last night allowed Sergei Federov return to his natural center position, where he scored two goals, and the reunited duo of Tomas Fleischmann and Michael Nylander combined for two more. So I'll be curious to see what Scott has to say, the next time I need my hair cut. That said apparently Japer has a similar view to Scott. I say, once again having a coach who really knows the "guys down on the farm and what their strengths and weaknesses are", is paying dividends for the Caps like it did late last season when Bruce Boudreau introduced most DC Hockey Fans to a guy by the name of Quntin Laing.

As I caught up on my blog reading following my return from sunny Anchorage, I noted a lot of opinions floating around on the John Erskine contract extension. A lot of folks are questioning the timing of the extension and also the amount. Erskine reportedly will receive $1.25M a season for each of the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons. At 6-4, 216, the 28 year old Eskine, is a gritty, physical defenseman, whose strong points are the intensity he plays the game with and his willingness to sacrifice his body when he needs to and whose weak point is generally seen as his skating agility. So why now for the resigning? and why $1.25M/season? are the general questions being directed towards Caps GM George McPhee. First - why now? - because it likely needed to be done and could be done now. Not counting Erskine or any of the folks down in Hershey or South Carolina, at the end of this season, the Caps will have 9 U/RFAs to sign or replace. Two of whom will be 39 year old Sergei Federov and 36 year old Donald Brashear. Three others will be RFA Defenseman: Shoanne Morrisonn, Jeff Schultz, and Milan Jurcina. Not to mention that Sami Lepisto will also be an RFA and Tyler Sloan an Unrestricted Free Agent in July. Compounding the defensive uncertainty looking ahead to next year is the still uncertain status regarding Brian Pothier's return - chronic concussions are not to be taken lightly. So why not extend a contract to a guy who has some versatility and if necessary might fill the shoes of Brashear as protector of scoring phenoms such as Semin, Ovechkin, etc. even if they are relatively big guys who can take care of themselves. Why so much more than he's making this year - $537, 500? Because it's a fair number in light of his perfromance last season and his start this season. Looking around the league, at guys who are routinely playing top six defense minutes, a salary of $1.25M each of the next two seasons doesn't look too bad. Last season Erskine, played a career high 51 NHL games and finished the season with 2 goals, 7 assists and was +/- +1 averaging 21 shifts and 15:42 of TOI/Game. Those are solid NHL numbers so why not sign him to an extension now. Whether $1.25M is too much or a bargain - in actuality only time will tell but given his numbers last year along with the fact he has started out this season in better shape and displaying more mobility than ever before, it seems like a reasonable bet. Further, in light of the look ahead at the Cap's situation on defense at seasons end locking in one of the current six defenseman on the roster seems like a smart move before the Free Agency period kicks in.

While the debate continues on the merits of the three point game, no one can argue that they are not having an effect on the standings so far this season. So far this season out of the approximately 120 games so far (15 x 8), by this blogger's quick count 30 have been 3 point games. That's an extra 12.5% of points available that wouldn't have been there "in the old days." The key point here to note is it's not the "loser" who ends up with the extra point, compared with the old days when a tie was a tie, but the "winner." Once again, this writer's opinion is the only fair way to handle this is to change the system so a win in regulation is "a three point" game. That way there are no "extra points" - every game is a three point game, the only question is who gets 1, 2, or 3 points. To that end as the season progresses, my intent is to do an analysis as to what the standings in each conference would look like after 20, 41, 60 and 82 games - if all games were "three point games." What's your thoughts on the subject?

So after the first month of the season, the Caps are at 0.500 and tied for first in the Southeast Division. The month ahead will not be any easier for them then the first month of the season. During the month of November, the Caps will play 15 games, 9 away games including another 5 game road trip that includes a 4 game Western Conference swing on the heels of a home-home against the New Jersey Devils. Four of the games are against Southeast Division rivals, 3 home games and 1 away game. The Caps play the Carolina Hurricanes twice next month - once at home and once in at RBC Center. They also play Tampa Bay and Atlanta once each at Verizon Center. Five of the 14 games are against Western Conference opponents. The six games against Eastern Conference opponents from divisions other than the Southeast are two games against New Jersey and one against: Buffalo, Ottawa, the Rangers, and Montreal. Washington's Western Conference opponents will be: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Minnesota and Columbus. All five games against Western Conference teams are away. Of the thirty available points in November, 14 are against teams that failed to make the playoffs last season, though eight (8) of those fourteen are from games against Southeast Division foes and Carolina has clearly started this season in a far better fashion then they finished last season, as have the LA Kings and the Buffalo Sabres. In fact the Sabres are 6-0-2 so far this season. So the easiest games the Caps will play in November will likely be against Atlanta and Tampa Bay at home. Other than that the next "easiest points" will be their November 29th game in Columbus, and that game is right on the heels of a home game the day before against the Canadeans; in fact that game comes at the end of a four day Thanksgiving stretch when they play 3 games. The Caps are currently 1/2 game behind Carolina for the Southeast Division lead and are in seventh (7th place) in the Eastern Conference with 9 points. They need to take it up a notch and capture at 20 of the 30 available points in November to clearly establish themselves in the Division lead including ideally taking all 4 available points from Carolina and at least 2 of the 4 available points from Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Of the 12 points available from non-Southeast Division, Eastern Conference foes, once again ideally, the Caps need to capture at least 8 points, at this juncture no points available seem much more valuable then the others, given the opponents on tap. That would be the best source, from a look ahead perspective, of 14 points, then once again looking at the Western Conference opponents, the Caps need to win at least three of the five games. Of course this all won't be an easy task and to do it the Caps will need to start the month off well and finish it even better. This team has the talent to rise to the challenge though a return to the line-up by Tom Poti, more production from the first line, and a more consistently intense forecheck will all make it a lot easier a goal to attain.

Finally, here's a goofy Mike Green piece - 20 questions with Mike Green from the Calgary Sun.
My favorite goofy answer is: "13) Where do you like to vacation? Tofino. I like to surf."
I had to google it to find it, but when I did wow, once again "Game Over" hits it right on - though I think if I had his paycheck I'd be looking to surf somewhere where the water temp was a little warmer than "B.C." as in British Columbia. Though apparently Tofino does have an active surfing community.

Once again - next up the Nashville Predators at Verizon Center on Tuesday night

--- LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look Ahead to Tonight's Caps vs. Devils and Some Random Observations

If you want a great look ahead to tonight's Washington Capitals game there are two I came across in the "blogshpere." So since I hate being redundant my recommendation is to go over to "Caps Blue Line" or "Japer's Rink," both have good insights and I really would have just said much of the same thing that DMG says at Cap's Blue Line.

[Ed Note: I had hoped to finish some original analysis and commentary of the Caps first four games but my work schedule has been quite hectic and I spent some of today catching up on the 3 projects I'm in the middle of at my "day job" at ICx Technologies, where good things keep happening even though it is crowding out my available time for this avocation. I now doubt I'll get that finished and I will be traveling 3 1/2 of the four days next week so I might have to come up with another angle and will certainly need to update everything I've already done to stay current, timely and relevant. In the meantime, I'll try and keep this blog lively and interesting by offering some alternative perspectives on things that don't require so much thought or "homework". Sorry to disappoint my fellow Caps enthusiasts who follow this blog.]

Look ahead item number 1: On one hand, Alex Ovechkin has been held pointless in the Caps last two games so "he's probably due." On the other hand, Ovie has just three goals in his career against future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. Which hand will win out - this writer is betting on Ovechkin, in front of what could be a sell-out crowd at home.

Look ahead item numbers 2 & 3: Chris Bourque returns to the Caps lineup for the first time this season and Sergei Federov will play defense due to the injuries to Tom Poti and Donald Brashear who will be scratches tonight. Given Bourque's intensity in training camp and the preseason, here's betting the feisty prodigy of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque flys and makes himself a factor whenever he's on the ice. Given Federov's great play on the Blue Line so far this season, look for another solid game from him tonight. The real issue is how long can the 39 year old Federov log 20+ minutes of ice time a night before he needs some rest. Granted, "Feds" keeps himself in phoenominal shape, uses his body judiciously, and employs his phoenominal "puck sense" to conserve energy throughout a game; but, a 39 year body isn't a 27 or even a 35 year old body in Professional Sports.

Look ahead item number 4: Tonight's game will be another classic battle of two different systems. No one plays "The Trap" better than the Devils, who despite only having scored 6 goals this season are 3-1-0. On Washington's side of center ice, you'll find no more exciting team to watch in the NHL. Capital's coach Bruce Boudreau, may have single-handedly brought all out aggressive forechecking back to NHL Eastern Conference hockey. Other team's watched the Caps late season resurgence last year and have adopted this season. The result, in this writer's opinion, is the most fun to watch professional sports in DC. Here's hoping, the fun to watch Caps best the Devils if for no other reason than to again affirm the fun to watch, exciting brand of hockey they play is winning hockey, just as it was in the third period against the Penguins.

Look ahead item number 5: Will the other Caps who've gotten off to a great start (Semin, Fleischmann, Nylander, Green, Bradley, etc.) keep it up? Yes they will. However, look for all of them, especially Green as one of only six healthy defenseman in the lineup, to be a little more conservative against the "trapping Devils", especially in light of the injuries the Caps are now carrying. The Semin-Nylander pairing has been on fire, so look for the Devils to be prepared and give them the same respect they give the Backstrom - Ovechkin pairing,. Even with Kozlov and Brashear out and Federov on defense, the Capital's forward lineup is still loaded and will put three solid "scoring lines" and one "checking line" on the ice tonight. The "rebuild" is certainly over - "ain't it great?" How will "Flash" react to having recieved the hard hat from his teammates against the Penguins - I'm betting very well.

Look ahead item number 6: Speedy Brian Gionta and how the Caps counter him will be a key to the game. If the Caps let Gionta loose, it could be trouble. However, if they have guys like Bourque, Fleischmann or Steckel stay on him, Gionta could have a long, unproductive night.

All in all it will be a great game - now some random but relevant thoughts.

Random Thought Number 1: Over at "The Red Skate", as is often the case pepper has it right: Don't be that guy! There's 20 minutes intermission between the periods isn't that enough time to check you blackberry. Of course if that's a Caps fan texting a friend or spouse with "Hey Ovie just laid another great hit on Malkin" in the picture we both have some egg on our faces which lead to random thought number 2...

Random Thought Number 2: Some people really need to either lighten up or just get some cooth and class or both. I am a rabid Caps fan, I pay a fair amount for our two season tickets - granted they aren't the most expensive seats in the house and I've split them this season with a friend - but two seats in the lower bowl in the corner are over $5,000. I follow the team religiously, this summer I watched two days of Rookie Camp at Kettler, etc. I feel the Caps Organization basically owes me nothing more or less than I'm getting. Well actually that's I think the Caps give me great value for my investment when I compare it to the value I would get from a similar investment in the other pro sports teams in the DC Metro. However, that's almost besides the point, as a human being, I figure I owe other human beings the same respect, compassion and consideration I want them to give me. What's he talking about you're thinking about now, especially since it's highly unlikely the offensive individuals are folks who follow this obscure, off the beaten track blog. I'm talking about the fact that apparently, even more than in the past, and despite three direct requests to the contrary, a bunch of "muttonheads" deluged Ted Leonsis' email address with out of line, disrespectful, non-constructive emails during the first two periods of the Caps - Pens game. You know while they fell behind 3-0. My thoughts - first and foremost - it's just a game. Really I care as much as anybody and more than many but, why in the world would you let it make you act like a horse's backside? Second, I don't know of and doubt there is any other pro sports majority owner who puts himself out there and makes himself so accessible. In fact I'm fairly certain there's no other. Think about it - do you or can you easily get Dan Snyder, Abe Pollin or the Lerner's email addresses? Let alone if you do and send them an email what do you think the odds of you getting a response from any of Leonsis' peers, with the possible exception of Mark Cuban, if you send them an email? He's done that for years and now he rightfully feels he's put a very competitive team of exciting young players on the ice to watch and is providing the best pro sports entertainment value in the area to watch so he ought not to be deluged with disrespectful emails every time someone scores a goal on Jose Theodore or Brent Johnson or any of the skaters gets a penalty or take away. I agree and I posted a note on his blog as a comment thanking him for his great work, here, I urge and hope anyone who reads my blog will do the same. Finally last item on this topic, my inclusion of Mr.Abe Pollin's name here is not meant in any way to show diminished high regard for a person who has given so much to the DC Metro Area, only to highlight that not even a great, civic minded guy like him puts himself out there as much as Ted Leonsis.

Now kids, let's go out there, play nice, watch the "potty mouths" and bad words, and have a really fun and great evening.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Also Let's Go Nittany Lions, right now they're up 19-17 after trailing most of the game so far.)

Caps 4 - Blackhawks 2; Home Opener Recap & Summary

Last night was a 2 point night for the Capitals, they beat Chicago 4-2, so for the season opening weekend they are 1-1-0. Before getting into the recap and game summary three other items are worth mentioning over and above the Caps own excellent play. Number one, the atmosphere and attitude of the sellout crowd of Caps fans at the Verizon Center. Simply put, it was awesome!!!! The "Phone Booth" was alive with energy and, from what I could see from my vantage point in section 103, the sellout crowd of 18,277 was truly Rockin' The Red. The Caps Fans and Faithful clearly are determined to continue to make Washington DC a Number One Hockey Town. Number two, NHL hockey fans and players everywhere should not expect officiating this year to be any different, i.e. better, than it has been the past several seasons. Last night the officiating was just as bad as on any other night; however, the Caps didn't let it get them down and played hard through the bad calls, most of which, though not all, last night favored the Blackhawks. The Capitals will need to continue to react the way they did last night to bad calls, that is ignore them and play hard "Caps Hockey" throughout the game, regardless of the officiating, if they are to go as far as they are capable of, into this year's playoffs. Number three, thirty-five year old Nickolai Khabibuhlen is a very good goaltender, without whom the game could have been very ugly for the Blackhawks.

That's right last night the Caps faced the Nickolai Khabibuhlen NOT the Christobel Huet led Chicago Blackhawks at Verizon Center in front of an energized, sellout crowd, some of whom were just waiting for the opportunity to get down on Huet. Apparently after losing their season opener Friday night at Madison Square Garden, Christobel Huet now has his tail between his legs; or the Blackhawks management has seen an error in their ways and decided to give the veteran Khabibuhlen, consistently one of the worlds best goaltenders, and a 2004 Stanley Cup winner, back the job of leading Chicago to the promised land. Chicago currently is slated to spend over $12,000,000 of Salary Cap room on goaltenders. Prior to the season start they had tried unsuccessfully to get someone else to pick up Khabibuhlen's salary. The 35 year old Russian born veteran of 12 NHL seasons, 637 NHL regular season games, and 57 NHL playoff games sports a career GAA of under 2.68 and a save percentage of over .908 when you add in his excellent playoff stats; the only strike against him is his 6.75M salary. Khabibuhlen's only NHL seasons with a save percentage under 90% were his rookie year (.895) in Winnipeg (1994-1995) and his first year in Chicago, (.886) with a new, shakey team in front of him (2005-2006). He has been as consistent as the 33 year old Christobel Huet (salary $5.625M) has been during his 5 NHL seasons, and Nickolai has 44 more games of playoff experience under his belt, as well a Stanley Cup that Huet lacks. Why all the buzz and pixels on an opposing goaltender (Khabibuhlen) on a blog devoted primarily to the Washington Capitals? Simply because he played an excellent game last night. He stopped 30 of 34 shots from the Capitals including several awesome scoring chances from some of the best sharpshooters in the world - "the Alexes" or in Russian "the Sashas" (Ovechkin and Semin), as well as a group of very strong secondary scoring threats including Nylander, Federov, Clark, Steckel, Backstrom, Fleischmann, and Kozlov. Kahbibuhlen basically robbed Oveckin (3 times), Semin (2 times), Clark (1 time), as well as Fleischmann (2 shots, 1 a great one), and Federov (2 shots, both good to great saves). One was only left to wonder what the score would have been if a shakey Huet was in the net for the Blackhawks instead of a well playing, unflappable Khabibuhlen.
[ed note: Please forgive the Christobel Huet bashing, the author is still trying to get over the lack of opportunity to boo and otherwise cackle at the former darling of Capital fans everywhere. This was an especially painful realization, since with the departure of Jaromir Jagr from the North American hockey scene, Mr. Huet, has become in the author's eyes the poster child for what is wrong with free agency in sports in general and hockey in particular. After this posting, the next time Caps fans will read anything about Christobel Huet is when there is something truly newsworthy to comment on and it will likely be of a far less partisan and more objective tone.]

Highlights, there are many, though the first minute of play was not one of them for Caps fans. Twenty six (00:26) seconds into the game Kris Versteeg , the lowest paid forward on the talented, young Blackhawks' roster, came down the right side and let loose a fair, but clearly stoppable shot from 20 feet out, from a very playable angle in the middle of the face off circle and found "pay dirt" through Jose Theodore's "five-hole" (assists to Toews and Havlat). After the goal, Nicklas Backstrom skated over tapped Theodore on the pads and said something that must have been encouraging because that was the last "softie" that the 32 year old French Canadian net minder let by. At 1:44 Caps D-Man Milan Jurcina was whistled off for a two minute "Boarding" call, that was a tribute to the Gary Bettman led NHL. The hit was clean, Jurcina coasted into the hit for a good ten plus feet, and the only reason boarding was called was because, despite Jurcina playing solid, clean hockey, he delivered a crushing, great check. The Caps killed of that penalty and Theodore really settled down and made a couple of very nice saves. Even though later in the first period, at 11:41, Jack Skille put the Blackhawks up 2-0 with a nice wrist shot from 18 feet out in the right center of the slot, by that time, the Caps and Theodore were settled down and beginning to play like the team from last spring. Just under two minutes after Skille's tally, the Caps "checking line" of Bradley-Steckel-Brashear narrowed the Blackhawks lead to 2-1 on a nice, gritty goal by Matt Bradley (assists to both Steckel & Brashear). My section-mates and I, in section 103 were treated to a great vantage point for this one as we got to watch the whole play develop and it was a beauty by a group of gritty, solid hockey players. At 19:08, the Caps got what might have been the make-up call for Jurcina's earlier boarding penalty or for several earlier missed calls on Brent Seabrook, when Seabrook was sent to the sin bin for hooking. The first period ended with the score 2-1 in favor of the Blackhawks, the Blackhawks had out shot the Caps 10-6 as well, but it did seem the momentum had turned and was in the Caps favor. The crowd was clearly and happily behind the Caps and there were no concerns with the capabilities of new number one net minder Jose Theodore.

The second period started with the Caps on the Power Play for the first 1:08; though the Blackhawks held them and killed off the penalty pretty well. At 5:08 into the period the Great Eight took an outlet pass from Tom Poti, sped down the left side, and let loose [ed note: in Boston terminology & accent please] a "wicked fast" wrist shot from 46 feet out that found the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2. At 6:15, the Blackhawks got a bench minor for too many men on the ice and despite the Capitals powerplay swarming and peppering Khabibuhlen with shots, the 35 year old Blackhawks goaltender turned them back and the boys from Chicago killed off the penalty. Starting around the 8:00 minute mark of the period, the "physicality" of the game begin to escalate even more. Lots of checking and "old time hockey" began to bubble up and since both Chicago and Washington boast rosters full of big, young, strong players there was a lot of exciting hockey played for the last 12:00 minutes of the second period. As often seen last year, when the tempo of a game picks up and the checking starts to rattle the boards more often, 2008 MVP Alex Ovechkin and Washington's "other Alex", Alexander Semin, along with 2008 21 goal scorer Brooks Laich, all raised their games a few notches. Chicago responded by trying to up the physical nature of the game even more at the other end when at 16:41 Adam Burish went to the net and pushed in on Jose Theodore for the third or fourth time of the night and Shoane Morrisonn and David Steckel decided that was just one time too many for the night. The end result was Burish and Morrisonn went off with coincidental minors for roughing and Steckel also found himself in the box for two minutes for tripping. The Caps stayed perfect on penalty killing for the night and staved off this Chicago man advantage. The physical play continued throughout the period and the second stanza ended with the game in a 2-2 tie with Mike Green in the penalty box for tripping.

The Caps started the third period like the Blackhawks started the second, successfully killing of a penalty for just under 1:30. The game continued to be played at a fast and furious pace, though in the third period Theodore, like Kahbibuhlen at the other end, began to freeze the puck more and enable the Caps to stay slightly more disciplined. The Caps were clearly playing with the confidence they exuded during the end of last season, something that was not present on Friday night in Atlanta. They were flying, swarming and routinely muscling their way to the net. After having outshot the Blackhawks 12-6 in the second period, they continued to dominate with "the best defense is a relentlessly checking and shotting offense" in the third period. The result was that at 15:33 with Laich and Semin swarming around the Chicago net like the two men with a purpose they were, Brooks Laich scored his first goal of the season after Semin bulled his way to the goal and around the net and fed the puck to Laich who was "waiting" on a very crowded doorstep. Then at 18:34 Alexander Ovechkin scored his second of the night in classic Ovechkin fashion. Goaltender Jose Theodore cleared the puck out to defensemen Jeff Schultz who found the Ovechkin streaking out through the neutral zone between two Blackhawks. Ovie did a toe drag and a head fake, then unleashed a [ed note: once again Boston accent please] "wicked, sick, fast, awesome" snapshot that found "nothin' but net" from 39 feet out. The crowd respond with a standing ovation and about a minute long chant of "M.V.P.; M.V.P.; M.V.P." With the Caps up by two, the Blackhawks pulled Khabibuhlen with just under two minutes remaining and the Blackhawks started doing some swarming of their own. Jose Theodore responded with a couple of good saves and then the Caps got a little out of synch. When they did Alexander Ovechkin tried to make a play that even he, the greatest player on the planet today couldn't quite make without a little "help", and was sent to the penalty box at 19:34 for tripping. While this was a "good penalty" it gave the Blackhawks a two man advantage and meant that Ovechkin wasn't going to have a chance at getting his first hat trick of the season on an empty-netter. For the last 26 seconds of the game the Capitals kept things solidly under control and Theodore made two more good saves to ice the home opener victory.

The three stars announced for the game were: 3: David Steckel; 2: Brooks Laich and 1: Alexander Ovechkin. As readers can tell from this posting the author felt that despite having only a .882 save percentage Blackhawks goaltender Nickolai Khabibulen played a game and was the best player on the ice last night for Chicago. That is not to say that others on the Blackhawks had a bad game, the Blackhawks definitely did not loose this game, they played well, though despite that the Capitals managed to get off 34 shots on goal and kill off 5 penalties where Chicago had a man advantage. Other Capitals playing good games, in addition to the three stars of the game, to note: Jose Theodore; John Erskine; Alexander Semin; Matt Bradley, Donald Brashear, Tom Poti, Mike Green, Chris Clark, Nicklas Backstrom, Sergei Federov, and Shoanne Morrisonn. [ed note: This is probably a longer list than is prudent, but there really wasn't anybody on the Caps roster who had a bad game last night.]
Jose Theodore, despite letting in an "oh nooo softie" in the first minute of the game came back and had a save percentage of .905, coming up big a couple of times and helping the Caps dictate the pace of the crucial third period. If Theodore plays the way he did last night for 55-60 of the remaining regular season games; and Caps solid backup Brent Johnson delivers 15-20 games, playing like he did for the first 25 minutes he played last night, the Caps will easily finish with over 100 points and there will be no reason to rush any of the three good prospects the Caps have in the system to the NHL level.
John Erskine has looked more mobile in the first two games of the season than at any time in his career to dat, and has played solidly. Right now he probably should be considered number 4 or 5 on the Caps depth chart. Last night he had 16:00 of ice time, including 0:53 of penalty kill, 2 hits, a blocked shot and 2 attempts blocked. He even raced back and caught speedy Patrick Kane on one shift that had he not done so would have resulted in an excellent scoring chance for Kane. Not bad for a guy, who along with David Steckel is one of the two lowest paid guys on the team.
Alexander Semin had another good game, Friday night he was one of the few Caps to deliver a good game. Last night despite not scoring he was a force to be reckoned with all night long. The Caps second line of Semin-Federov-Laich was really fun to watch play hockey last night. They have skill along with size and when necessary deliver either really awesome flair/playmaking or really rougish, bullish grit. They can skate with anybody or they can play "old time hockey" with anybody. All three, 38 year old Sergei Federov, 24 year old Alexander Semin, and 25 year old Brooks Laich will have great years this year, if they continue to play the remaining games this season, the way they started out of the gates in the first two of this year. The "second line" finished last night with the game winning goal and with all three members doing a great job on "special teams" especially the Penalty Kill.
The checking line of Matt Bradley-David Steckel-Donald Brashear all had banner nights as well. Bradley had a goal, a takeaway and was +2 in 12:05 TOI. Steckel, the number three star of the night, had an assist, 2 shots, a blocked shot and was +1 in 13:41 of TOI. "Brash" had an assist, one shot, one hit and three takeaways and was +1 in 8:56 of TOI.
Mr. "Steady Eddy" - Tom Poti - had another solid game, bringing discipline and leadership through example, on the ice. Poti, in 22:05 of TOI, got an assist, was +1, and had 1 takeaway and 1 blocked shot. He was on the ice for 6:22 of the penalty kill time.
Despite not scoring a goal last night while scoring two power play goals Friday night, Mike Green had a much better night. Green was solid, and the clear number 1 on the defense depth chart with 25:50 TOI and +2 on the night.
Shoanne Morrisonn had a very solid night and was clearly, after Green and Poti, the best defenseman on the ice for the Caps. Morrisonn logged 16:20 TOI, two blocked shots, two hits and was +1 on the night.
While statisticly last night wasn't either Nicklas Backstrom or Chris Clark's best game, they both made their presence known in other more subtle ways. While "Captain Chris" only had one shot, it was a beauty of a one timer on the Caps powerplay, that had Khabibulen not been having a sensational night, would have been a goal. [ed note: in a Brooklyn accent please] In other words "Dat captain guy, he was robbed, robbed dats what I says." Backstrom's night, though unexceptional, was a solid one with 14:44 TOI and ended with him collecting a takeaway and +1; but perhaps more importantly it was clear that opponents will find a bigger stronger Nicklas Backstrom as the pivot between Ovechkin and Kozlov. This dynamic gives the Caps first line an even more imposing presence for opponents to consider.
As far as Alexander Ovechkin's perfromance last night, one could write a book on it's awesomeness but it speaks for itself, so if there is a replay of the game watch it. Suffice it to say both his goals last night were/are on the highlight NHL Network today.

Things to work on for the Capitals. Despite the 4-2 victory, the Caps are now only 0.500 and there are obviously things for them to work on. One would suspect that two of the areas/things Caps coach Bruce Boudreau is pondering are 1) how to get the Caps to improve their Faceoff won percentage and 2) how he might get Milan Jurcina to learn and play position like and have the wrist shot and passing touch of Jeff Schultz; as well as how he might get Jeff Schultz to learn how he might play more physically and use his 6-6, 215# body like Jurcina uses his 6-4 223# body to check, clear the crease and launch his strong, solid slapshot from the point. The Caps faceoff perfromance last night was less than "all star" - overall it was 50% but when you scratch the surface you note the only two guys who could and did consistantly win faceoffs were Michael Nylander (3 of 4 - 75%) and Sergei Federov (13 of 17 - 76%). For some reason, David Steckel, whose faceoff won percentage last year was respectable, is routinely getting beat these first two games in the face off circle. That said as long as the team that played the Blackhawks last night is the one the Caps bring to their games the rest of this season, instead of the one that played Atlanta on Friday night, all the issues are things the Caps can and will improve on throughout the season.

Next up the Vancouver Canaucks at Verizon tomarrow night. As I'm splitting my tickets this year, if anyone has a load of grain they need to charter a ship for stop by Section 103 tommarrow night and look for my classmate Tom and his friends from Phoenix Chartering and they'll hook you up. Even though things continue at a hectic pace for me over at ICx Technologies and we are busy with program startup for the JNBCRS2 program as well as several other major program pursuits, I expect I'll somehow find the time to watch both the Canaucks Devils and Preditors games either on TV or over the net. Tom has those games since I'll be busy and not readily able to see them in person. My next live Caps game will be the one against the Carolina Hurricanes after we've all voted for our next President on November 6th. Hopefully by then, I'll have the stuff I need to do for work well under control or, like our JNBCRS Start of Work meeting the end of October, totally finished.

Can't wait to watch tomarrow's game against the Roberto Luongo led Vancouver Canaucks -

LETS GO CAPS!!!!

Preseason Game Report: Capitals 5, Flyers 1

[Editor's Note: Sorry for the big gap in posts, work has been hectic and I was on the West Coast working for the period September 23rd until returning via a "red eye" yesterday morning. As those of you who follow ICx Technologies know, it's been a great time for us during these past few weeks with some great contract wins. Additionally, on Thursday night, just after finishing watching the Vice Presidential debate while waiting for my last flight of the trip home from Sea-Tac to Dulles, I was subjected to a new random search during which the TSA personnel used an ICx Technologies' Fido PaxPoint. The random gate check and the subsequent utilization of ICx's product to check the plane was, like our contract wins over the last two weeks, another milestone as it means TSA is evolving it's protocols to capitalize on the instruments key features. So while having my personal life somewhat "hijacked" over the past couple of months hasn't been all that great, overall it's been worth it and I wouldn't change a thing. Last night's Caps-Flyers game was the first preseason game I've been able to attend this year and after a red-eye back to Dulles that arrived at 6AM, I watched the game through a couple of slightly bleary eyes so I don't expect this next post will be my best ever. Final note - this year I am splitting my tickets with a USMMA Class of 1982 classmate of mine so will only be in attendance at the "Phone Booth" for half of the home games blog posts for the others will be based on the perspective that we all get watching on TV. That said, hopefully, with the regular season getting ready to start, I'll be able to resume and continue worthwhile, meaningful blog posts here.]


Last night's Caps-Flyers game was another testament to how far the Capitals have come and how successful the now concluded "rebuild" has been. The richness and depth of the Capitals talent bank was readily apparent all night long and in all perspectives. The game ended in a 5-1 victory for the Capitals and they are now 5-1-0 on the preseason, fully rebounding from the 2-1 loss to the Flyers on Wednesday night.


The Caps outplayed the Flyers all night long. While only leading 1-0 at the end of the first period, the Caps outshot the Flyers 8-3 despite taking 4 penalties to the Flyers 2 during the game's first stanza. During the Flyers second power play (while Jay Beagle was in the "sin bin" for hooking), Alex Ovechkin scored his second shorthanded goal of the preseason. Ovechkin faked a slapshot, threaded the needle with a pretty "wrister" between now-Flyer Steve Eminger's legs, and put it through goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin's "5-hole" to put the Capitals up 1-0 at 15:00 of the first period. It was an awesome move and goal, the kind of goal Caps fans have come to expect from our hero and it brought the crowd, and seemingly the Capitals to life. The other highlights of the period were Jay Beagle and Chris Bourque's solid and energetic play as they both fight to show Bruce Boudreau and the rest of the coaching staff they deserve a spot on the big team's roster.

The second period started with the Caps (again) shorthanded and on the penalty kill. The Caps went up 2-0 on a very "Chris Clark-like" goal by Chris Clark on the power play. Clark took a pass from Ovechkin, took the first shot then followed up and "banged in" his own rebound at 3:50 of the period. At 8:50 into the period, while both teams were at full strength, Nicklas Backstrom made it 3-0 on a goal assisted by Brooks Laich and Ovechkin. It was a nice "old time hickey" goal made possible by Laich's usual scrappy play in front of the net. During the second period while Caps Goalie Jose Theodore didn't see much action (the Flyers had 7 shots during the second period) he was tested several times and met those tests every time and came up big twice. Theodore's play throughout the night was better than solid and he proved he's the real deal. Caps fans should have fun comparing Theodore to Christobel Huet next Saturday in the Cap's home opener against the Blackhawks. This author predicts more then a few "Jose, Jose, JOSE!!" chants if Theodore's play then matches his play last night.

The third period started with a lot of action. Chris Clark took an interference penalty and went to the penalty box at 3:50 of the period. The Flyers capitalized on the man advantage at 5:18 when Daniel Briere tallied with assists from Mike Knuble and Mike Richards. Briere, Philadelphia's $6.5 million per year, diminutive man followed up his power play goal with what was his worst shift of the night and probably the worst shift he's had in a long time. The Cap's fourth goal of the night came at 8:19 of the third period and ended a shift where "Little Danny" aka "Danny the Diver" aka "Dan The Man Caps Fans Love to Hate" had 2 giveaways and went -1. For the record despite his documented clip of Shoanne Morrisson, Briere's overall stats for the night were an inauspicious 1 goal, no assists, -3 on the night. Throughout the night, Briere was consistently "boo-ed" by the fans at Verizon Center. Personally, this author thinks the most hospitable, polite fans in hockey - Washington routinely is hospitable to fans of other teams who come to games - showed their usual well mannered restraint. We probably should however request that Caps and Verizon Center management ban the wearing of Daniel Briere Flyer jerseys, and for that matter any hockey jersey ever worn by Jaromir Jagr by attendees to Caps games. It just seems the right thing to do. The goal that ended Briere's worst shift of the game came off the stick of Thomas "Flash" Fleischman and was assisted by Chris Bourque and Sergei Federov. The final score of the game came at 14:03 when Eric Fehr banged home another "old time hockey" goal, following through and jamming the puck through and under Flyer goalie Martin Biron. Fehr's goal, the Capitals fifth of the night was assisted by Jeff Schultz and his defensive partner Sergei Federov.

Overall the Caps looked very good and played disciplined hockey. Shift changes though still not up to regular season standards went relatively smoothly. Average shift lengths were reasonable for everyone on the roster. Ovechkin and Mike Green had the longest average shift times at an acceptable 0:56/shift. As has been mentioned, Jay Beagle, called up from Hershey in recognition for his play last Wednesday in Philadelphia, made an impact in just about all 15 of his shifts including stepping into the fray between Scott Hartnell and Ovechkin in the third period to make sure the Caps star didn't need to get into a fight. Chris Bourque played with an abandon and style that he didn't display when he was called up to the big club last season. When he was paired with Ovechkin and Backstrom he played with the speed and skill needed to round out the talents of his line-mates and was the first guy in that pairing/line to really add to their speed. When he played with the other's fighting for a roster spot, he displayed a physical aspect to his game that not many 5'7" guys could at the NHL level. Bourque's stats were 3 shots, 1 assist, +1, and 1 hit in 17 shits and 12:08 of ice time. Mike Green led the Caps in ice time (24 shifts and 22:35), Alexander Ovechkin was second (21 shifts, 19:42) and "steady eddy" Tom Poti was third (25 shifts, 18:50). Karl Alzner had a solid night 1 blocked shot, 17:33 TOI in 23 shifts.

The Caps last preseason game is tomorrow at Verizon Center at 5PM, I've given our seats to Jason from our office, even though he grew up in Pittsburgh and indicates he's a Penguins fan. The Caps open their season on the road, Friday night, in Atlanta and then the home opener is on Saturday against the Blackhawks when they will raise their 2007-2008 Southeast Division championship banner to the rafters of the VC. Personally I can't wait till next Saturday. I hoping to watch Jose Theodore notch a shutout and the Great Eight have another four (4) goal night against Christobel Huet. That might be enough to stop others from wondering if the Caps have the right team to go all the way and it would be just deserts for Huet who left a sure contender when he opted for the free agency route he went for. The game should be even better since my favorite wing man will be there with me.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!

Not Much Hockey News Today ... But Busy Times Continue at Work

For the hockey news today - tomorrow is the last day of Caps Rookie camp - I didn't score tickets to the Rookie Scrimmage against the Flyers and wouldn't have time to go if I did. From around the blogsphere:

Tarik has two interesting posts: a) Tom Poti is 100% healthy and b) Coach Bodreau's shortlist from the first 3 days of rookie camp.

Corey has a couple interesting notes from yesterday but some really good news that Nicklas Backstrom is on the ice skating this morning and looking pretty good. Hopefully his ankle is fine.

On Frozen Blog has a recap of the recent print and blog news and will live blog tomorrow's scrimmage.

Japer's Rink has a neat set of stats on where Semin and Brooks Laich score from and their willingness and propensity to go to the net.

The Red Skate has a neat piece on insurance and participation in International events by NHL players that is fueled by the AIG crisis - truly a relevant piece that only an attorney in NY and a hockey fan would come up with.

I spent yesterday going down and back to Atlanta to one of the Security Industry's premier conferences and exhibitions - ASIS 2008. Our ICx Technologies, Inc booth looked awesome, we had lots of great traffic and meetings. For my part, it was a productive but fairly long day - 6AM flight down, 8:40 PM flight back, and six meetings about 4 deals/initiatives, along with several impromptu meet and greets with folks from the industry on "the show floor".

As a side note, my trip yesterday made me realize how easy it is to get to the Philips Arena (home of the Atlanta Thrashers) from the airport (Philips Arena is right across the street from the Georgia Dome and Atlanta large convention facility the Georgia World Commerce Center) and with a little advance planning how cost effective flights from Dulles to Atlanta are on Airtran (my round trip ticket was just under $250.00), and MARTA (Atlanta's "Metro) is an easy way to get from the airport to the arena and other downtown locations. A road trip to see the Caps season opener in Atlanta is starting to look tempting.

Can't wait to Rock The Red on October 11th.
LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!

Busy Week - No Real Hockey News = No Blog Updates

It's been another very busy week for me - both on the personal front and at work. Lots going on at ICx Technologies these days - growing is hard work!

On a personal front, my wife & I took the day off on Wednesday and went up to NYC where we got to see our son while the USMMA Class of 2012 went to the Mets - Padres game at Shea Stadium. We hit the road at 6:00AM and headed to the city where I had a meeting for work with our ICx Transportation folks (yes, I did say I was on vacation, but what's a 2 hour diversion from fun with work anyway?). We then headed out to Kings Point to drop off our son's Lacrosse Equipment - we left it off at the Asst. Coach's office and still had not seen him for three weeks till we got to the game. We (my wife & I) had the best seats I've ever had to a baseball game - field box seats - on the corner of the Visiting Team's dugout 6 rows from the field! Of course we only sat in them till the middle of the first inning when we went to seek out the location where the midshipman were sitting up on the mezzanine level. This brought back lots of fun memories as these were the same sort of seats the Mets used to let us Middies sit in for free "back in the day" when I was at Kings Point. It was great seeing our son and his classmates, they all look great and have now completed indoctrination. They started academic classes on July 29th and their next big event will be acceptance into the regiment of midshipman the Saturday after Labor Day. That will also be the next time we see our son. In any case it was a good but long day that came to an end when we got home at ~3:00AM Thursday.

On the hockey news front, there hasn't been much news regarding the Caps these days in fact other than the whole Brett Farve thing, not much seems to be getting a lot of sports coverage in general. Hopefully the U.S. Open and the Olympics will change that this weekend. Of course all that doesn't matter because I still can't wait for the the 2008-2009 NHL season to start.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!

Another busy week down and how about those Caps?

So We had a busy week at ICx Technologies; we had a lot of activity going on five major pursuits - four that I'm working on and another that has a real good team chasing it. All in all, for what used to be a really quiet time in past years this summer is just full of activity and surprises. Of course as I say that beats the daylights out of the alternative, and the days are flying by.

Up in Kings Point, NY on Long Island at the USMMA, the Class of 2012 completed "Indoc" and classes started on Wednesday for the entire Regiment of Midshipman. Our son has the same professor I had for Calculus I, I suspect he'll do better than I did. When we hear from him, it's clear that Indoctrination and the transition to the fast paced academic calender Kings Point maintains has NOT gotten any easier in 30 years. I now get to see the Academy from 3 perspectives - my own two - Alumni and Parent and our son's student - it's weird on many levels. To make matters more confusing, on Tuesday Evening, I went to the Nationals - Phillies Game with 14 of my USMMA Class of 1982 Classmates. We had a great time, the furthest travellers came from Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and Chester , PA. We believe the 15 of us were the largest gathering of classmates since graduating, other than at Homecoming every five years at the Academy. If you haven't been out to Nationals Park, when you go you're in for a treat - the sight lines are "all good"; the stadium is just so well setup it's hard to describe. Now the Nats just need to get a good product on the field and it'll all come together for them like it did last season for the - you probably saw this one coming - Washington Capitals. Also it's great to see the redevelopment that the Ballpark and the relocation of the Department of Transportation Headquarters are having on that section of DC. As they used to say on the features pages of The Prelate at Cardinal Dougherty RC High School in Philadelphia "back in the day" - a good time was had by all. Chris's classmates in the USMMA Class of 2012 have great futures to look forward to judging by the conversations and catching up the 15 of us did while the Nats and Phillies played to a 2-0 victory by the boys from the City of Brotherly Love.

Well I can't go more than a week without thinking about how much I'm looking forward to the next season by the Caps. The real issue between now and the start of the next NHL Season for the Great Number 8 and his teammates is that the Capitals are very tight on Salary Cap space. In fact with their desired group of top seven defenseman they are likely $2M over the salary cap. of course currently Brian Pothier is projected to be on LTIR but even without his salary, if Karl Alzner were to start the season in a Capitals "sweater" and Jeff Schultz is the number 4/5 defenseman the Caps will be ~984K K over the salary cap; if the Caps leave Alzner in Hershey and have Sami Lepeisto and John Erskine in the line-up the Capitals will still be pretty much right up on top of the Salary Cap and Alzner will get some time to grow into the Caps systems in Hershey. Personally I'm rooting for Patrick McNeill as much as anybody and let's not forget Quintin Laing - I'm rooting for both Laing & McNeill when Training Camp opens at Kettler on September 20th, 2008.

Can't wait till next season ---- LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!

To Blog or Not To Blog

Over the past two days I've been contemplating whether to continue blogging, self-censor certain topics, or continue to pretend I am ignorant to the risk of chronicling my life in a "putting it out there manner." My thoughts on this were prompted by a TV report/piece the other night on people whose lives have been adversely affected by blogging, whether it's because of the risk they took sacrificing their privacy and putting any of their life and identity on line for all to see, or the fact they occasionally or more have blog contents that include details about their work/professional life.

Since in my professional life I am involved in business development for my company and basically have a pretty ingrained agenda of working hard to always present my employer in as positive light as reality allows, I really don't have a lot of issues on that front. Though I confess my recent research has made me even more circumspect in that regard.

The privacy issues and the possibility that I might occasionally rant about something and be "a little stupid" are of greater concern to me. While I am by nature a middle aged, pretty conservative guy, when I originally started blogging I had my full name in the header, something I've since taken down after my son pointed out the privacy issues I was inviting. Even though I've been involved in the technology industry for over 25 years, I can and often am actually far more naive then members of the generations which follow my own and who have grown up surrounded by the wonders of the web, facebook, etc. So I've been wondering a lot about things regarding "blogging".

Fortunately for me, my main gaffe early in blogging was taking a swipe at a MSM person who didn't deserve it. My blogsphere readers quickly called me on it and upon reflection I posted a clarification and apology in subsequent articles. I usually don't comment on anything or anybody in a negative manner anyway; unless from the vantage point of a Washington Caps fan, it's an especially bonehead type of piece or opinion of an MSM sportswriter that hasn't really thought things through, or is most often ignoring facts. When it comes to work or professionally related topics, the things I write tend to fall into two categories: 1) shameless promotion (sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle) of what my current employer is doing or 2) general commentary/analysis of industry trends or general economic trends that are affecting the industries we operate in. I've decided that in the future other than an aside as to how the pace of activity at work affect my out of work activities, my postings that mention my employer, ICx Technologies, will indeed continue to be limited to those two topics/perspectives. Since before I thought/mused about this sort of thing I acted in that manner, this wasn't a hard decision. As far as "Life Approaching 50" and matters concerning my family, I confess that in the future I'll likely be lore circumspect and work harder to alias details to further protect my own privacy and the privacy of those around me. As far as postings/musings on the Washington Capitals and the other interests of my life outside of work and family, I will continue as I have in the past, though probably focus on my own opinions, impressions and analyses more than commenting on the thoughts and actions of others. Here too this is just a natural continuation of where I was/am going. As for my postings on politics, other than continuing to publicly state I am a self-proclaimed moderate, I will likely limit my postings severely. I'm doing that for two reasons, 1) I've looked at them and 2) don't feel they've been that good, well-thought out or interesting (call that a natural result of my views, in that moderation is by it's very nature pretty boring).

Anyway that's what's been on my mind other than work and the first weeks of life as a middle aged, empty nest couple these past few days.

Can't wait till next season. LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!

Busy Time At Work, Slow Time for Hockey News = Blog Suffers

Well this past week has been and continues to be a very busy one for me with regards to work, I have 3 things that are due between today and COB (Close of Business) tomorrow, so I haven't done a blog entry all week, nor will I till Saturday other than this quick post. I haven't had time to keep up with anything but some of my personal life and contribute to the teams I'm on here at work on my commitments here at ICx Technologies - sometimes growing 35+% per year takes work, oh well. While it would be nice to be able to do nothing but think about my diversions including hockey, that is as they say life.

I did have time to quickly read this article on the Caps official website on Sergei Federov and found it really interesting and good. It's hard for me to think and really understand that 1990 was indeed 18 years ago, it seems like yesterday, until I read an article like this and realize how much the world has changed. In 1990 Sergei Federov had to defect to play hockey in the NHL, now we talk about when the transfer agreement will happen and what it should look like. I don't know about you but with the home opener announced I'm hoping for a 7 - 0 Caps win against the Blackhawks - I want to see Ovie get another hat trick on Huet (money chasing bleep), okay so that may be overly dramatic, but you know what I mean.

"Enough blogging - back to work till Saturday Morning you there..."

Can't wait till next season. LETS GO CAPS...

Day 3 of the Empty Nest In Bristow

[ED NOTE] This post is a ramble, hopefully not an unorganized stream of consciousness, but at the least a bit of a ramble through all my musings, there isn't any real single defining, centering activity going on here in Bristow this morning and if I wasn't writing this posting I'd be cleaning up the garage and washing a car or two. I'll do both those two tasks after finishing this posting and watching another couple of Sunday Morning news shows. So if you're looking for erudite thoughts on the end of the Washington Caps Development Camp, they aren't here though over at the Red Skate and other blogs there is plenty of that, most of which I agree with - I didn't make it to the last scrimmage yesterday so don't have any original thoughts that are new on that. If you're looking for insightful or humorous commentary on the usual subjects of my musings - well we'll have to see how I do.

It's a lovely day here in Northern Virginia though our house has been much quieter than I thought it would be. I guess that's probably not overly surprising to most people though it is to me. I thought I wanted to get over to see the final scrimmage of Caps Development Camp, however I didn't get much sleep on Friday night so I woke up too late. I was really glad to see the turnout and the excitement only built in the Caps fan base from the couple hundred I saw on Day One to the reported ~2,000 yesterday. I was also happy to see that many folks, who are more knowledgeable than me, felt Karl Alzner was the consensus standout, and that Phil DiSimone had great and good showings, respectively. The Caps need another good D-Man in the pipeline, especially since it appears Brian Pothier will probably be out for most, if not all this coming season. No, I don't have any more insight than any other fan on that matter, I just do the math relative to the Salary Cap and note that it's clear that George McPhee is certainly moving forward in a deliberate manner that treats Pothier as on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR).

Karl Alzner's rapid rise, along with the continued improvement and development of Jeff Schultz, are something the Capitals will need and welcome in their quest to go deeper into the playoffs in 2009 and beyond. Don't get me wrong, I love John Erskine's grit and watching Milan Jurcina lay board rattling hits on opponents. However, as has been well chronicled elsewhere this past season, Erskine and Jurcina's potential at cracking into the Top 4 of any NHL Team's depth chart is limited by their skating ability. A top six blue line depth chart for Defensemen that looks like this: 1) Green; 2) Poti; 3) Morrisson; 4) Schultz; 5) Alzner; 6) Jurcina; and 7) Erskine with Pothier on LTIR might work, assuming Schultz, Alzner and Jurcina all continue to rise to the occassion. The selection of who plays the 5th, and 6th position and who sits will no doubt be situational and based on injury status. This all also depends on Schultz continuing to develop. While "Sarge" takes a lot of heat here in the "blogsphere", and even I routinely shake my head while watching him NOT play physical hockey (how can a guy who is 6'6" and 221# not want to just use that size to crush guys in the corner?), his numbers are pretty good and he doesn't get burned even strength often. I trust his development and confidence will continue and hope that next season we have an entire season of the kind of play he showed fans last December/January. If that occurs the Caps top two defensive pairings (Green/Morrisson & Poti/Schultz or Poti/Alzner) will be the equal or better of any of their opponents in the league. If a third pairing can be grounded by either Schultz, Jurcina or Alzner as a solid defenseman capable of logging ~13 - 15 minutes of ice time a game with respectable, hopefully positive, +/- ratings, then the Caps will indeed be able to go far. With Erskine in DC as the seventh man and Sami Lepisto, Josh Godfrey and Patrick McNeill in Hershey as well as Joe Finley, Eric Mestery, and John Carlson in the pipeline, it's easier too see why the Caps traded Steve Eminger to the Flyers even after the series he had against them. The Caps have a solid young defense and a solid development pipeline at the position.

As for the rest of the team, there may still need to be one more move made among the forwards to deal with the salary cap, depending on what comes out of the Shaone Morrisson arbitration/negotiations between now and the end of the month. That said as has been pointed out by others it sure seems that the Caps will have a solid roster coming into camp in several weeks. it also seems like this team will be well suited to play the game using the system that Jack Adams trophy winner, Coach Bruce Boudreau, put in place when he took the reigns last December. Question marks still center around the health status of Team Captain Chris Clark, as well as the fit and line pairings for Center Michael Nylander. Clark seems committed to doing what it takes to get back into shape and if his 32 year old body cooperates and heals, he will likely again be a key part of the Caps at both even strength and on special teams. Nylander's injuries from last season appear to also be behind him, however whether he will center the first, second, or third line is clearly open to discussion. This situation has NOT been caused by any of the wrong reasons, before his injury, the 35 year old Swede was playing his best hockey of the season. Once Nylander was out for the season, Caps general manager George McPhee (GMGM) went out at the trade deadline and brought in 38 year old center/play maker/3 time Stanley Cup winner, Russian Superstar, Sergei Federov. Federov filled a couple of late season needs the Caps had for a seasoned, star and play maker AND he had excellent chemistry, almost immediately on and off the ice with younger countrymen Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin. The acquisition and retention of Federov, along with the faster than hoped for development of rookie Swede center, Nicklas Backstrom, as well as solid seasons by Brooks Laich, Boyd Gordon and David Steckel, mean the Caps have a minor "embarrassment of riches" at center. This situation, as well as the tightness the Caps find themselves against the $56M 2008-2009 salary cap, and the fact that management, coaching staff and the fan base are all talking about how far the Caps might advance into the 2009 playoffs, instead of if they will even make the playoffs, are the real signs the "rebuild" ended at the middle of last season.

It may be local phenomenon fueled by the recent comments by the Caps new goaltender Jose Theodore and the re-signing of Sergei Federov for a fair value contract of $4M, even though he no doubt could have made a lot more in Russia, but it's really nice to think of and hear Washington is becoming a good hockey town. Getting a standing room only crowd of a couple thousand fans to watch a scrimmage at the end of development camp continues to show and fuel the excitement of the fan base here in the DC Metro Area. The next event is an Open House and Autograph session with Caps Defenseman Mike Green on July 24th. Finally even the local mainstream media (MSM) are getting on board with the idea the Caps are worthy of solid coverage both in season and during the off season. While the front pages of today's sports section have little on the Caps, the online edition of the Washington Post's section/web page on the Caps has a lot of excellent coverage; and the Washington Times has a similar set of good articles in it's online edition. As they say, it's all good, hopefully the spirit and sentiment builds as we go through next season and the Caps get a larger, just as dedicated, and knowledgeable fan base as the long term core has been. Can't wait till next season.

What has occupied most of my time these past three days has been work, busy time at ICx Technologies continue, and looking at the USMMA parents page to catch glimpses into what our son Chris is doing , via online postings of pictures of the Class of 2012's "Indoctrination". The four large program pursuits I'm personally involved with all continue to move forward and we are getting going on three more opportunities so my days have been pretty interrupt and event driven these past two weeks. Those things along with the trip to Long island to drop off Chris as well as just getting settled in this next phase of our life as an empty nest couple have been and continue to be the real grounding items in my life. I'm also starting to really try and figure out what I should be thinking about when picking who I'll vote for in November. I watched a few news shows this morning, they were less than helpful, but I am very biased against the media and how they cover politics, nobody is without an agenda - I know "duh".... I want to find a moderate who is fiscally conservative and socially liberal and will have the ability to make a budget and policy that is both effective and reflective of those desires and values. i guess that means I'm living in fantasy land - here I sit approaching 50 years old and still somewhat of an idealist, I don't think that's too, too terrible a thing. It's also probably very reflective of the great life we have and the great country we live in. Sue me - I'm a relatively happy and sentimental, patriotic guy. It's hard not to have those feelings stirred when you've just seen 307 great young men and woman begin their journey through life by joining a group and ideal that they all know is something bigger then themselves - even when they don't fully understand what it all is or will be.

ACTA NON VERBA

Can't wait till next season; LETS GO CAPS!!!!!