My Addictions ...

So we all have a few things that we enjoy so much they become addictions and then at some point we may get the idea that even those things in obsessive, large quantities might not be so healthy. Thus, we may start to hear phrases like "All things in moderation..." in the voice we recall our Mother's having in our youth...

For me right now, to the disappointment of those looking for a "juicier story given this post's title", my addictions are all pretty boring. First there is my morning coffee, or what passes for coffee but is really a sweet, refreshing soft drink from Caribou Coffee. Thankfully, we are now back on Eastern Standard Time so at 7:30 AM when I went to get mine today, it was a lovely morning here in Bristow, VA.



A more risky addiction I've developed over the past couple of years has been watching the Washington Capitals play and win NHL games - live and in person at Verizon Center. Thankfully, at least so far, this season it doesn't look like I'll undergo withdrawal on too regular a basis. However, it seems at least so far this season, the habit now also is often accompanied by the anxiety that goes with watching them "make games more exciting that they need to be. Such was the case the last two games but hey, two points is two points, in other words you get the same amount of points for winning 7-2 in regulation as you do for wining 3-2 in overtime. More on that 3-2 overtime win thing later.



My final current addiction is of course blogging. However, so far over the past couple of months I've been working on that and as you can see from the spaces and irregular posting schedule, etc. there is nothing compulsive and a lot less obsessive about my blogging these days. I just feel there is no reason to rush to the keyboard, etc. right after a game and share my thoughts on the Caps right after a game these days. The truth is I'm a fan, of the game of hockey for the past 40 years, of the Washington Capitals for the last 7 years and in a big way for the last 5 years. However, while occasionally I have an insight that may be well insightful, and that isn't widely shared, it's rare my view of a particular game or incident isn't already being widely discussed and well presented elsewhere in the media, especially here in the "blogsphere." I try and bring a fans perspective and that of an educated fan to my posts and I try to bring some first hand information/point of view to them - in other words to add to the overall information content here in the blogsphere on the Capitals. However, the truth is it's really not a thing that is easily done, especially for we fans - people whose day jobs aren't sports or news gathering and reporting. As such, I've just sort of concluded that rushing back from a game to get my blog up, is for me something that just doesn't make all that much sense. Also given the fact that I've concluded my "unique contributions" are a small percentage of the bytes I type here, it would be a little bit, just a little bit, self important and self absorbed to think of my blogging as anything other than an outlet for me. That said I'm still a blogger with my own blog and I miss many of the bloggers and blogs that have been absorbed and merged into other bigger, more commercial blogs that used to be here on the net, that's why when I was a very OCD poster and worked at trying to create content (statistical analyses, etc.) I resisted the two invites I had to merge this blog into one of those vehicles and be a contributor to them. That said, the longer I do this, and the more I see and read those blogs the more I feel such an evolution was inevitable here in the blogsphere. Finally, this week, actually last night, I found Goat's blog and I really like the format he's using for his posts about prior games. It's unique, fun (like you would expect from this guy), and brings something to the table here in the blogsphere, not found elsewhere. In addition to saying congratulations to Goat and his bride Jill on their recent nuptials, I just want to suggest to anyone who reads my blog that Goat's blog seems definitely worth following.

One final "blogsphere" question/thought before a paragraph or two on the Caps final win of the last home stand and one or two on their upcoming game at Madison Square Garden. So just when I was getting worried about one of the two inspirations and models I've had when it comes to having entered "life on/in the Blogssphere" - Peerless - he comes out with one of his best posts yet. Today's post on The Peerless Prognosticator provides an awesome summary of the Capitals first 14 games and using real data to dispel some misconceptions some commonly held and others that I'm in the minority of holders. As always it's done in a well written, and jocular style. If you haven't already read his post today, here's a link to it. Glad you are back on the air Peerless.

Okay so Sunday's game, Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): it was awesome, good hockey and great fun. The goaltending at the Flyers end was most excellent the entire game and in Washington's end of the ice, after Braden Holtby got over some initial jitters and cut down the number of rebounds he was giving up, basically in the seocnd and third periods, his play was even better than Sergei Bobrovsky's (IMO). On that note when you read this NHL Rule, assuming you understand the incident I'm referring to, can you explain to me how Bobrovsky did NOT get a delay of game penalty on Sunday?
Reference Rule 63.2: "A minor penalty shall be imposed on a goalkeeper who, when he is in his own goal crease, deliberately falls on or gathers the puck into his body or who holds or places the puck against any part of the goal in such a manner as to cause a stoppage of play unless he is actually being checked by an opponent." On Sunday, Bobrovsky held onto the puck with NO Capital anywhere near him for well over 6 seconds while he had Kimmo Timonem standing behind him waiting for him to throw the puck back to him and keep playing going. The whistle sounds and the refs and linesman go over to the scorer and talk for 1/2 minute to a minute and then they don't call a penalty on him that they should have called. Makes me wonder - a) Why have the rule at all? and b) Which of the diplomatic officials was arguing Bobrovsky's case which couldn't have been anything other than something on the order of "Hey give him a break, he's a rookie, it's a tight game, and he doesn't understand English, which we were yelling at him, nor apparently does he understand Finnish which I'll assume was what that old goat Kimmo was talking to him in." Anyway, it just seemed like a bizarre sequence to me, but typical of the arbitrary rules enforcement we've been seeing all season and that certainly was the way this game was called. Note, it was an evenly called game but if someone can point to anything that is now being consistently called or not called relative to any level of interpretation of the rules in the NHL this season, please let me know.

As for the rest of the team and game, Alexander Semin was once again very good, as was the first line - who would expect less. Backstrom had two points, Ovechkin 1 point and Knuble 1 point - all on assists. The first Capitals goal of the game was the definition of secondary scoring - Eric Fehr who split his time on Sunday between the Second, Third and Fourth Lines got his third goal of the season while John Erskine and Tyler Sloan got the assists on it. Mike Green got the first star of the game and he deserved it. "Game Over" scored the game winner - a power play goal - just 29 seconds into overtime so there really wasn't too much ice time required for completion of the OT period, however with Tom Poti still out, Green logged 30:26 of TOI including 2:30 on the PK unit and 7:33 on the power play unit. Ice Time for the rest of the Capitals team was basically pretty normally and distributed as you would expect. Another note - no matter what you do for a living or how old you are, your Mom will always love you, worry about you and be your Mom. David Steckel's parents sat in the row in front of us and a couple of seats to our left on Sunday. When at the 16:05 mark of the third period Chris Pronger basically took himself out of the rest of the game by high sticking Mrs. Steckel's son and cutting his face, she changed from a reserved person who has clearly watched her share of hockey games into a concerned mom. She stood (I'm pretty sure that was but one of two or three times the entire game) leaned forward with a Mom's worried look until she was able to see her boy was alright and not cut too badly as he got onto the Capital's bench. Relative to Chris Pronger, as noted by Down Goes Brown, Pronger is an easy guy to root against/boo when he's on the opposing team, as is Scott Hartnell. I'll give Hartnell kudos for looping his locks for charity but as I say, his style of play is easy to dislike when he's on the opposing team. So it did bring joy to my heart knowing that it was very likely Pronger's 4:00 penalty for High-Sticking Steckel was likely going to cost the his team the game, even before Green scored the winner in OT. Actually, I was a little disappointed the Capitals didn't win it in regulation, and I think they were too and that's why the Capitals top players who were on the ice when the game winner was scored played those final 29 seconds with such energy.

I was at Sunday's game and I've looked at the stats post game - can you tell me how if you are the DC mainstream media you give Brayden Coburn of the Flyers the Third Star of the Game - vice either a Capital or Sergei Bobrovsky, when you give Braden Holtby the second star of the game? I know Coburn led all players on the ice in hits (7) and blocked shots (4) but despite that I watched the game and didn't really think he was all that much a factor, especially when compared with Bobrovsky who stopped 36 of 39 Capitals SOG (SV% 0.923) at least 3 or 4 of which kept his team in contention for the game and could be classed as having "robbed" the Capitals. Holtby's work, especially in the third period where he stopped all eight of the Flyers SOG including at least 3 good scoring chances along with the fact he won his first full NHL game in goal meant he was getting the second star but Coburn - really? Of course what can you expect in a town where we the fans do the "It's All Your Fault" cheer after things like an empty net goal (Friday Night) or a goal after a powerplay where two all star defensemen are on the Penalty Kill unit and on the ice. Oh well thanks to Chris Pronger and the Caps powerplay unit for sending us home happy after a really fun to watch, exciting game.

So now looking towards tonight's nationally televised game (Versus) between the Capitals and the Rangers at the GAHHH-den; what should we expect to see? I don't know about you but here's what I expect: a tight game between the Eastern Conference leading Capitals and the sixth place New York Rangers. Such as last year's series where though the Capitals had a 3-1 record against the Rangers their largest margin of victory was two goals on two occasions, while they won one game 6-5 and lost the first meeting between these two of the last regular season 4-3. The last meeting was in DC on March 8th and that game, Jose Theodore "pitched" a 30 SOG shutout to take the Capitals to their 13th win (score 2-0) in a row during an even longer winning streak. It looks like tonight's starting goaltender for the Capitals will be Michal Neuvirth, who will be looking to return to recent form and notch another win for his ninth of the season as the Capitals look to try and extend their current winning streak to five. Brooks Laich and Tom Poti have both made the trip to New York but will be in the press box with their current injuries. The Rangers will be without several notables as well, not the least of which being Marian Gaboriak. In the end, I expect Ludqvist to keep the Rangers close no matter how they play in front of him. If they play well, then the Capitals will have to respond and play better than the Rangers skaters, while Michal Neuvirth, if rested and back to form, should be able to stay close enough in performance to "King Henrick" for the Capitals to leave New York with two points. Of course, that's why you play the games on the ice though, with the Salary Cap well entrenched in the NHL and parity more a reality than ever, you never know till the final horn sounds.

Tonight will be the Capitals 15th of the season and so far they are on a similar pace and track as they were last regular season at this time. Given they won the President's Trophy last season, as far as regular seasons go, that's not bad. Fourteen games into the this season, the Caps have beaten every team they’ve faced except for the Minnesota Wild at least once. Although they fell to Atlanta and Boston, the Caps have also defeated the Thrashers and Bruins on at least one occasion. So to date, Washington has beaten eight different Eastern Conference clubs in the first month of the season. This week, they’ll take on three more Eastern Conference foes, starting with the Rangers tonight. As Coach Boudreau pointed out to the media today, it's important to distance yourselves from your division and conference foes this time of year, and for a relatively young team, especially the rookies and near rookies, to get used to and demonstrate they can handle the pace of the season during this next month, when the Capitals will be playing often every other night/day. As Boudreau was quoted over at the Capitals Official site by Mike Vogel: " “We’re looking to play New York [Tuesday]. But if we were lucky and we get by them, and you look to the next game and we get by them and then all of a sudden at the end of the week you’re going, ‘Holy smokes, we’ve got 26, 28 points.’ You’re putting teams behind you. And it’s a difficult league to catch up in, as we all know. If you put yourself five games under .500 right now, that means for the rest of the year you probably have to play a minimum of 10 games over .500 just to make the playoffs. So we want to play as hard as we can every night.”

Finally if you want a great hockey story about a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, check out Alan May's blog from yesterday ...

Now on to Madison Square Garden and the NY Rangers -

LETS GO CAPS!!!

Best Dog Ever .... RIP Old Buddy

Jasper - Tibetian Terrier
Best Dog Ever
11/2/2000 - 10/30/2010

I Wonder ...

This AM as I drove into work, as usual I listened to WTOP news radio you know "Traffic and Weather on the 8's" - BTW nice weather today, eh? Anyway I listened to a piece on the opening of Redskins Training Camp - they had advice from a veteran attendee and noted "it's not too late - open workouts will continue apparently for the next week" - bottom lines from this Redskins fanatic - dress in cool clothes, wear comfortable shoes and bring a lawn chair. All told good advice, not at all interesting or appealing to an Eagles fan like me but good advice all the same.

In any case, it made me wonder (or perhaps the right word I'm looking for is "muse") how much coverage and buzz the opening of the Washington Capitals training camp this summer will generate. I'm sure here in the blogsphere they'll be lots, the relative quiet of this summer as regards Caps News certainly has created "pent-up demand here." However, I really wonder, especially given a) the Caps are the one winning team in town now, b) they are the one team in town with two legitimate league leading guys (Ovechkin & Green) on their roster, c) they now have a relatively large following - season ticket waiting list, etc., and d) there was standing room only at numerous development camp events open to the public earlier this month - how much buzz will the Caps generate when the regular roster is back in town and camp opens? Any bets?

LETS GO CAPS!!!

OV - The Romantic?

Looking at a translation of Ovie's latest interview over at "Japer's Rink" I couldn't help but wonder is OV a true romantic when i read this Q&A:

"So you don't have a favorite girl?
"I have a lot of girls-but I don't have a favorite (laughs - ed.). I still haven't found my one and only. To be honest, I'm not in that big of a hurry to start a family."

Sure the "I'm not in that big of a hurry line combined with the procession of really attractive women through his life might lead you to conclude a result 180 out from the idea or notion of a romantic. However who else but a true romantic would talk about finding their "one and only" or is that a typical Russian expression I'm not getting?

Also for all those folks who think the Caps PR machine has to keep a tighter leash on OV's interviews and expressions - read this one in its entirety and then tell me if you still feel the same way. It's a great interview and he handles it 100% great - even the harder points and questions - at least IMHO.

LETS GO CAPS!!!

Summer In Bristow...Not So Lazy, But Often Hazy Days...

Well summer goes on here in scenic Bristow, VA.... Wingman was home for a while after his school year ended until last week, actually Friday, the 17th when he left for Long Beach, CA - he caught his first ship for his sea year. He's now on his way to Honolulu which he should arrive at this afternoon our time and this morning his time by my best guess. That is of course, a more educated guess thanks to technology - http://www.sailwx.info/. We haven't heard from him since he left Cali on Wednesday afternoon, I guess his Internet access on the ship while underway is limited if not non-existent due to the high cost of connectivity and that's something that hasn't changed much since I was last at sea 18 years ago. In any case tracking his progress and hoping he's enjoying this aspect of his training at "Kings Point" aka the United States Merchant Marine Academy (see http://www.usmma.edu/) is something I've been doing daily, like the parents of the other ~220 KP Cadets/Midshipmen who have children at sea. It sure beats the daylights out of what he was doing last year this time - "Indoc" - Indoctrination/Regimental Orientation. I'm quite, quite sure working on a ship beats the daylights out of doing push ups, running and getting yelled at by Mids 1, 2, and 3 years your senior for 14+ days, but then again perhaps Wingman is a closet masochist, or not nearly as bright as we two proud parents always think he is - but I'm probably right. I'm hoping to hear from him later today as I know he'll have cell phone service in HI. For us (his mother and I) this sure beats what we'd be worried about if he was returning to the Academy this week or had been an A-Split who was a Drill Instructor at Indoc. It seems there has been a few cases of confirmed Type A Influenza and that of course is just what anyone needed to increase the stress on a situation where elevated stress is always present by design - Indoctrination - NOT.

I think about those parents of this year's Plebe Candidates - most of whom are relatively unfamiliar with the Academy and many of whom live much farther away then we do so they will be feeling more helpless, detached and as such worried then we were last year about our son and wonder about what I might be able to do, say or write to ease those parts of that concern that might be unfounded and find myself with - nothing, nada, nichts, nutin' sorry. All I can say is the USMMA Medical Staff and the professionals from North Shore-LIJ got me through my four years (1979-1982) in fine form and my son seemed well cared for last year. Now I'll go back to being self-centered and hoping the phone rings and it's "our mid" from HI later today. In the meantime, there's been work and searching for news about "my Washington Capitals".

Last Saturday, since Wingman wasn't around ZI went to the last scrimmage of Development Camp at KCI (Kettler Center Iceplex). It was - well great for an Ice Hockey fan such as me and since it was packed I didn't feel like a jerk for going to KCI to see a bunch of prospects, also since the Caps have one of the better talent pipelines in the NHL and these guys were good and admission was free I didn't feel dumb either. Several guys stood out - one of whom was Joe Finely because as I arrived a little late - about midway through the first period - he laid a monster check on someone (I think it was Andrew Gordon but I'm not sure as I was still looking through the crowd for a good place to watch the rest of the game at the time). At 6-7 Finley is hard to miss, he made a few other good plays and a couple of missteps - again hard to miss; I was excited about him until this past week when he was busted in ND for basically being 22 and well stupid, as well as I suspect a little inebriated. Hopefully he'll quickly grow out of that and continue to develop this season in either SC or Hershey and we'll see if he has what it takes to play in the NHL. Others were really all four goaltenders, John Carlson, Dmitri Orlov, and Gordon and in general about five other forwards who made some pretty good plays. Fortunately we aren't far from the start of training camp, it's been a quite week for Caps news. The big news on the blogs is that Ovie started his summer training routine back in Russia and he still wants to meet Maria Sharapova. See the gratuitous picture of the stunning, blond Russian tennis star to the right if you can't figure out why. Personally. I'd have thought the Bondarenko sisters more AO's type - they have more of that "worldly look" while Maria is more "good girl next door" - with AO's scruffy bad boy look I'd think Alona Bondarenko's tattoo would be somewhat intriguing and seductive to AO. Of course perhaps it's the height that has AO wondering.

" Wait, stop get back to hockey butthead! Oh yeah forgot, lazy, hazy Sunday and all..."

Coming up this week we have Milan Jurcina's arbitration hearing or whatever other resolution that gets reached in that piece of the roster puzzle. That could make for a few days discussion, banter, etc.

Consensus around the hockey blogsphere is that Florida will have a hard time staying even close to the level they had last season given their moves, or lack there-of this off season and that Carolina is probably well poised to make a battle of it for the SE division for the Capitals. Many also agree that after last summers disastrous moves during the short "Melrose Era" Tampa Bay also have had a very good off season and Atlanta is making good, steady progress with their rebuild. On Long Island besides Swine Flue and Indoc at KP, the NY Islanders seem to be collecting goaltenders to compliment their first round pick of John Tavares - interesting moves and a commentary on the likely health of Rick DiPietro for the start of the season at least. In Chicago - could these guys in the front office have made any more bonehead mistakes, this off-season - maybe, but they would have had to really, really work hard at it - amazingly it's clear the ripple of their mistakes will haunt them for at least another year, if not longer and they are still likely to be a solid playoff team - that's how good Toews, Kane and Campbell are (IMHO).

Well I don't know about you but I just can't wait for the season, or at least Camp to start. When do you think Caps GM, George McPhee should start talking to Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom about their contract extensions? How about right after the Jurcina arbitration is settled? I say no later than Thanksgiving to start talks and have them inked no later than February. Come on, let's talk about that with some comments here boys, we need some grist for the mill. Talking about Finely throwing a kitchen table out in the street in ND doesn't cut it for me.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!

Time Flies...Busy, Busy, Busy ... Penguins-Wings Redaux, etc...

Wow, it's been 12 days since my last blog entry, lots going on at home and work, and with no Caps games to anchor me and my blog entries, the blogging side of life has been aimlessly moving around. This past week's hockey games have prompted me to muse on hockey again though. Last night's Wings-Hawks series closeout was a good game, eh? Though how Puckdaddy can list Christobel Huet at the number one star, I can't fathom. Yes he was solid, very solid in last night's game, but the game before that he was chased out of the net. True it wouldn't have mattered who was in the net given the way the Red Wings were playing, but please stopping 42 of 44 for a 0.954 save percentage is awesome, but to call the stop on Franzen in the final minute of the third as anything but a desperate, lucky save is, to me, a stretch. Yes I'm biased - I hold a grudge from last off-season - but I say if the Blackhawks didn't have Khabibuhlen in the net much of the season and most of the playoffs, they wouldn't have made it to the Conference finals. In any case, by taking the Blackhawks down in 5 games, the Red Wings proved they remain the team to beat in the West. To be sure the Blackhawks gamely made a series of it taking three of the five games to overtime, but in the end Detroit once again proved too much for a playoff opponent. With the Blackhawks young core remaining intact next season, you can be sure they'll be making another run next spring as well.

The Penguins-Hurricane's series you ask - well though it pains me, a Caps Fan, to say it - there sure seemed little doubt about that one, eh? The four game sweep by the Penguins clearly demonstrated, they remain an elite team and probably the elite team in the East. The Caps have something to shoot at next season and it's Pittsburgh. Further, only the first game in Pittsburgh was all that tight, ending with a 3-2 regulation win by Pittsburgh. The other three games saw the Penguins dispatch the Hurricanes by 3, 4, and 3 goal margins.

Now hockey fans can get ready for back to back games this weekend in Detroit before the Stanley Cup Finals move to Pittsburgh next week for games 4 and 5. Back to back games for the finals is drawing lots, and lots of criticism - count me among the fans who think this is a bad idea too. Who will win? The wily Red Wings from Motor City or those pesky flightless birds from Steeltown? Based on how they looked in their conference finals, i wouldn't bet against the Penguins. However, the Red Wings have a history of winning back to back Stanley Cups so i guess we'll have to let the teams play the games on the ice.

I'll resume my recap of the season relative to "Were They Worth It?" soon but work is getting in the way of blogging and that's not a bad thing in this economy, etc. I haven't blogged here about my thoughts on the Kozlov Russia signing or the talk about Federov though i have posted comments to some of the threads on Japer's Rink, etc. I'll just sum it up here re: Federov - I want him back and think for $2.5 or less and a one year deal, it's not much to debate, especially since Kozlov's return to Russia frees up $2.5 and we'd be trading Kozlov at 2.5 for Federov at 2.5 and freeing up $4M of salary cap space which assuming Morisson isn't resigned turns into $5.9M....for that GMGM could sign either an impact RW or a Superstopper DMan or perhaps both...

Well back to work... think 2009-2010 season - LETS GO CAPS!!!

Caps Hockey What Is Has Meant and Continues To Mean to Me

Caps Hockey What Is Has Meant and Continues To Mean to Me

Thank You Ted Leonsis & Lincoln Holdings, LLC


[ed note] As regular readers of this blog know of late my postings have been spotty, with the end of Caps hockey for this season and an increased pace at "my day job" - one which I like and tend to work on and think A LOT more than most folks, a con to being a workaholic - that will no doubt continue through the remainder of the playoffs and the NHL off-season. That said these next two series for their respective Conference Championships are fuel to some musings as are several things that occurred to me during the last three games of the Caps - Pens "epic series." As such through the Conference finals I'll probably post those musings as well as my thoughts about the games and series in progress on a relatively regular basis. To spare regular readers from too large of a dose of my own, possibly less interesting musings, I'll not post those sort of things back to back. Today's post might be "a bit sappy" for some, it certainly isn't about old tyme hockey per say - not about how fun watching a Craig MacTavish - Dave "The Hammer" Schultz hockey fight was or anything like that. It's a plain and simple thank you to the ownership of the Caps for providing a vehicle and a forum for a father and teenage son to spend time together and connect better. Something I hope is not unique and in fact know is not so based on some of the other regular STH who co-reside during Capitals games with us in Section 103 of Verizon Center. As always comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged and I hope you don't find my musings too pedantic or even worse mindless drivel, of course if you do that often then I'm probably just "talking/typing into the ether".]


Well Caps Hockey is over for this season, hockey isn't over but since becoming a "real" Caps fan in 2005 and even more so a full season ticket holder in 2006, the emotional investment I make for NHL games wanes when it's not the Washington Capitals versus anybody else. I've loved hockey for 39 plus years. Growing up in Philadelphia, I became a rabid Flyers fan as an adolescent. I played regularly - street, roller and ice - in the "Joe & Mary Six-Pack" Northeast Philly neighborhood I grew up in. I was fortunate to grow up on a block with two other boys who loved hockey and who were only a month older and a month younger than me respectively. We had through our early teenage years we had a bond that was almost that of triplets and a rivalry that was almost as intense as three brothers each a year a part. The end result is we played A LOT of hockey. I was the only defenseman, my idol was Barry Ashbee. Rick was the best athlete and skater of the three of us; his real idol and model was Jean Rattelle, but being from Philadelphia his number was 12 and his overtly professed playing model was Gary Dornhofer. Truth be known, remember that rivalry, Rick was never as "scrappy" or "gritty" as Dorny. Walt was a rebel, he was a power forward, and his playing idol both in reality and self professed overtly was Vic Hadfield - gasp - a New York Ranger. None of us, least of all me, had the innate skills to ever even really think about hockey as a career. That became crystal clear to us at a couple of clinics the Flyers held at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation run Tarken Rec Center Ice Rink we played at. At least it surely did to me when I saw and realized just how awesome the skill level of two of the Broad Street Bullies, who always gave their time to community pursuits and causes - Don Saleski and Bob Kelly, was. My point being I've loved hockey for a long time and have had the pleasure of seeing and supporting two well run NHL organizations - first Ed Snider's Philadelphia Flyers and now Ted Leonsis' Washington Capitals.



Even being a huge hockey fan from way back though is not what drew me to the Washington Capitals or pushed me to become a Caps season ticket holder. What did that is that from July 2005 until the end of September 2006 I basically lived during the week in New York City while my family (wife and then 15/16 year old son) remained here in Bristow, VA. That wasn't the first time I spent a lot of time away from home for work, for most of 2 years from mid-1998 through mid-2000 I spent about 50% of my time in Ankara, Turkey. Both of those stints were very interesting and rewarding professionally, but as the New York stint ended I realized two things: A) I have a great and supportive spouse and B) I wanted/needed to spend more time with my son before his life changed and he went off to college. I needed a bridge to reconnect after being away from home most of his 15th year on this planet. During the prior two years and my year in New York I would take my son to games pretty often. We went to about 20 Caps games and 10 Wizards games in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. Even when I was commuting to NY, when I would come home I'd often buy either Wizard or Caps tickets. When you are 14 or older you need a reason to spend time with your dad instead of your friends. Realizing this, going to pro sports became that excuse for me/us.



As the summer of 2006 wound down and I knew I'd be home more, I struck up a conversation with my son while we were at the beach in New Jersey for our annual August trip to my sister's, formerly my parent's bungalow and he made it clear he strongly preferred Caps games to Wizard games and like his father he was an Eagles fan and had no desire whatsoever to see a season of Redskin's games. I guess I should have figured as much given my son much prefers playing sports to watching them, played roller hockey and at the time he was playing goalie on his high school lacrosse team. So after I was done with my stint in New York I called the Caps ticket office and it being in the middle of the "so called" rebuild, we were able to get two season tickets in a great location. So began our relationship with the Washington Capitals on a more than casual basis.



That first season, especially the first half of the first season was perfect for what my son and I needed and wanted. Ironically, transition of loyalties from the Flyers to the Capitals was pretty easy for me. As you may recall the Flyers finished 30th in the league standings and the Caps finished 27th. The quality of hockey either team played wasn't as bad as their finishes and records might have otherwise indicated. For my son, a goalie, there was "Olie the Goalie" so we promptly procured a black and gold "#37" jersey for him. For me, the decision as to a number was harder and I opt'ed for a #11 Halpren sweater even though he had gone to Dallas, he was an American, a local guy who got to Captain the NHL team he followed and rooted for as a kid - seemed like a good story to me. We went to 90+% of the remaining games that first season together.



The events were a great catalyst for us to reconnect - it was perfect. What made it so was a lot of things. Not the least of which is/was despite those struggles and the rebuild, the Caps were and are "a classy organization." The NHL doesn't have some of the over the top, poor, or totally unacceptable role models other pro sports who I won't call out here have as marquee stars. The Caps organization and it's players from Olie the Goalie to Alexander Ovechkin to "the grinders" were and remain fairly accessible. Even better is the fact you realize these are good and nice people who just happen to be world-class professional athletes. It's an easy thing to support and celebrate.



Caps fans at the time and for the most part remain folks you don't mind associating with or exposing your kids to. Sure of late with the larger crowds and the specter of more success we've all gotten more "passionate" and shouted the occasional less than totally clean response to something we didn't agree with. However, I've never seen things at Verizon Center like I've seen a lot of other pro sports events like the Redskins game years ago when my son was seven and a group of three drunks shouted for Norv Turner to attempt to do so many anatomically impossible things for over 10 minutes I felt the need to leave. Worse yet was trying to not answer the subsequent questions from a relentlessly inquisitive and persistent seven year old as to what the statements meant. By and large over the past 5 years of going to Caps games I've rarely seen or heard such things. I know when I've slipped the folks around me will politely but disapprovingly point out nearby children in our section, just as I do to others when they slip. For whatever reason, one of those quiet, polite admonitions tends to do the trick and keep us all on levels of acceptable behaviour and decorum. It's something I think most Caps fans want to take pride in - not being jerks - no matter how persecuted and long-suffering we feel we are. That too is certainly a lesson that I never minded my son taking away for our attendance at games.



Our second year as STH's was a little less intense for my son, he was a senior in high school, much more focused on in no particular order: girls, working (having his own money), lacrosse, doing reasonably well in his senior year, and finalizing his college selection and plans. I on the other hand was pretty hooked and had also found several folks who were generally willing to go to Caps games with me when he was working or begged off - which was generally weekend games when he was working or playing Lax and about 1/2 the weeknight games. The result was I traded in a number of games which gave me two weeknight games, one where I took a bunch of guys I went to college with, and a second where I took several guys from the neighborhood for a "guys night out." They were two awesome nights and a lot of fun. I'd love to do this more but two things have happened which are positive that make doing that like I did both those first two seasons unlikely: a) I now have a partner for our tickets so we miss fewer games and b) there aren't as many good seats available when you trade tickets in. In any case more importantly, that second season solidified going to Caps games as a reason to spend time together as father and son. In addition during the 2007 - 2008 season so much happened to be storybook. First and foremost, my son made his college selection and gained admittance to my alma mater - The United States Merchant Marine Academy. (Gotcha didn't I you thought I was going to lapse into the great comeback the Caps made last year to make the playoffs - that was awesome too - but nothing compared to the pride a father feels when the former occurs.) The Caps made the playoffs and won the Southeast Division. Bruce Boudreau won the Jack Adams. Alexander Ovechkin won just about every other possible individual honer available and it became clear the Caps were a talented and deep hockey club ready to take the next step. Also very importantly they were awesomely fun to watch.



When I renewed my seats this season I delayed however because I knew my main reason for going to hockey games was going to be living and going to school on Long Island, New York and since I tend to bellow "LETS GO CAPS" very loudly at least five to ten times a period, my wife prefers other things to going to Caps games with me. Then however, one of my classmates who had been to the game with us the prior February indicated he wanted to split the tickets. We did that, of course being slow to renew I lost my aisle seats in section 103 and had to move to interior seats in the section. Though I'm now on folding seats in the corner, if anything our sight lines are better since we are three rows higher. I'd still like our aisle stadium folding seats back, but I doubt that is going to happen, I noted the young couple who picked them up were at A LOT of games together, at least those seats went to folks who seem to be "real fans". On the plus side, my son and I went to a number of games together over Christmas Break and one during spring break - that was a lot of fun. Tom, my classmate and I had a great time at some of the playoffs together and Capitals Hockey continues to be a catalyst for me to escape from the cares and pressures of everyday life. The Capitals continue to be an organization I feel very, very comfortable supporting top to bottom and a fan base I'm more than happy to be counted among.



So for all those things, as much or more than for the obvious things like putting a world class hockey team on the ice, to Ted Leonsis, the other partners in Lincoln Holdings, LLC, the management, and the players of the Washington Capitals, I just wanted to publicly say -



THANK YOU.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comparing "Game Day Experiences" Washington vs. Newark

This past weekend the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils had a "Home & Home." That is they played two games against each other on back to back nights; one game in each team's home arenas. On Friday night they played each other in Washington, DC at the 11 year old Verizon (nee MCI) Center. On Saturday night, the game was held in Newark, NJ at the 1 going on 2 year old Prudential Center. I had the pleasure of attending both games with my friend Jim. Jim has been a Devils season ticket holder since 1983 and has excellent seats in Section 24 - off of the "Goal Bar". I have been a Caps season ticket holder since 2006 and my seats are in section 103. Both our seats have similar sight lines and that means we have great views of the goals at the end of the ice we sit and nice views of the plays as they develop at the other end from behind. Basically as far as watching the action our seats are similar so, this comparison is of the game day experience that each locale and atmosphere presents.

Friday, Washington DC. Jim and I met at the Legal Seafood across from Verizon. He had taken the 2:00 PM Acela down from New Jersey and the Metro over from Union Station. He was waiting at the bar when I got to the restaurant. We had a beer at the bar and got a table. The hostess started to seat us at a table in the bar area with the bar stool height seats that I don't like to eat at so I asked her to move us to a table with normal seats and that was accommodated with no issue. We ordered our meals and a bottle of white wine (2006 Conundrum). We each had one of the fresh fish specials, as Jim had already eaten a dozen oysters on the half shell I had a dozen of my own as an appetizer. Our meal was excellent, and while not cheap, a fair value. We walked across the street and caught the warm-ups and the beginning of the game. The atmosphere at Verizon was it's usual warm self. The folks around my two seats in Section 103 who are familiar faces and also season ticket holders embraced Jim and we all had a very nice evening. Though since the Caps won, it didn't quite go as Jim would have otherwise have liked. Jim left just before Ovechkin scored the open net insurance goal to be sure he made his 10:00 train back to New Jersey. Because of various delayed he didn't get home until 4:00 AM.

Saturday, my journey to New Jersey started with a 2:00 Acela to Newark. My train journey was very smooth and I arrived on time at about 4:30PM. Jim and I met up outside of Newark's Penn Station; with him was our friend and his colleague Brian and his wife Mary. Brian and Mary live nearby and Mary had selected a restaurant in Newark's historically Portuguese neighborhood known as Ironbound. Ironbound is a few blocks from Newark Penn Station and the Prudential Center. Ironbound has been a safe neighborhood known for it's excellent restaurants for decades. We went to one of the places that is a little off the beaten track and frequented by locals - Casa Vasca. We had one of the best meals I've ever eaten and two pitchers of sangria. The tab for the four of us was less than the bill for Jim and I the prior evening. We each had a soup, appetizers for the four of us, and a fresh fish entree special. Casa Vasca is actually worth the trip to Newark, even without a hockey game inolved.

While I enjoy Legal Seafood, Clyde's, and La Tasca and all are more convenient to Verizon than the Ironbound and it's neighborhood Portuguese restaurants are to the Prudential Center; the cuisine of the Ironbound, the quality of the food, and the price are all better than we have around Verizon. It's not the Washington Capital's fault; the restaurants in DC just generally don't have the sort of feel and ambiance of places like the Ironbound, or even the restaurants of South Philadelphia or Baltimore. That said, there is something to be said for the convenience of stepping out of the Metro at Gallery Place, frequenting the restaurants around the VC, and then just walking right across the street or around the corner to the game. Perhaps Jim and I should have had Mongolian Barbecue at Tony Cheng's so we had a more comparable experience but since he and I both love seafood, Legal Seafoods got the nod in DC.

Next it was off to Prudential Center for the game. Jim has parking about a block and a half from the arena; it was almost as convenient as when i park in Gallery Place or across the street but not quite and on a cold January or February night the nod would have definitely gone to DC. However, on Saturday it was an Indian summer seventy (that's 70) degrees when we walked to the arena. Outside of "the Rock" we entered as a couple of the "Caps Road Crew" including "the horn guy" were going in. It was $1 hot dog night at the Rock but they asked us where the best place to eat inside was. Jim told them his favorite was the Sushi, but also pointed to $1 dogs (Nathan's Famous) when the demurred mentioning something about Jack Daniel's and a five hour bus ride.

This was my first visit to "the Rock" and I was very impressed. "The Rock" is a lot like Verizon but ten years younger and with ten years more lessons learned incorporated. The public areas are broader and access is even better and easier into and out of the seating areas. The area Jim has his four seats is just awesome; it's called the "Goal Zone" it is in the corner where sections 102, 103 and 104 are at Verizon. However, there are like 4 - 7 rows of seats and a set of five person tables up at the top. Since Prudential Center has a steeper incline the height of eye is basically the same as Loge level seats at Verizon. The sight lines are simply awesome, though i think all the sight-lines in the arena are probably very good. The other really cool thing is behind the seats are two bars, a satellite deli, a separate concession and separate men's and ladies room. It's basically it's own separate area where I never felt crowded or rushed. It's almost as good as having a private box/suite without a lot of the costs. For folks like Jim and I who split the usage of our tickets between business and pleasure it's perfect. The atmosphere at "the Rock is nice, but the crowd isn't quite as friendly; maybe that was because the folks who have the seats adjacent to Jim's didn't show. it was nice to have some elbow room though I'm sure that's not the Devils' management's preference. The crowd was well behaved and anybody would have no issue taking clients or family to games. Although be warned at least several times during any game after the Let's Go Devils chant, the crowd will follow it with a "Rangers Suck". Also the Devils' Dancers outfits show some skin and there might be a few times where the more prudish will be wondering if someone is going to roll in a brass pole. Overall the game time experience has a lot of similarities to Verizon. that said, though I'm biased, at least on the one data point I have the Capitals' current crowd and fan base are generally as engaged in the game as the Devils' but we're louder and more supportive. The food and concessions at the Prudential Center are definitely better, though the ticket prices are all generally higher for comparable sight lines.

As it was a weekend, my train choices home were a 9:22 or 11:22PM departure. Being a die hard who hates to leave games early I picked the 11:22. As the game went to a shootout this was the right choice. My train home ran close to schedule and I got back to my home in Bristow, VA at 3:45PM. All things considered if I had it to do again, I'd probably get a room in the Hilton at Newark Gateway and take an early train home on Sunday morning. If it was a Friday night game I'd take the 10:22PM train - I would have made that one, if there was one on the weekend without having to leave the game early.

Both game day experiences were comparable. Jim likes Legal Seafood and thought the convenience of the restaurants to "the Phone Booth" was a plus. An avid hockey fan, he greatly appreciated the quality of hockey we witnessed at both games. For my part having grown up in Philadelphia, I appreciated the excellent quality of the food at Casa Vasca, you don't get red sauce like that in any chain restaurant no matter how good it is; nor can you get an authentic Portuguese muscles appetizer like that in a lot of other place this side of the Atlantic. Both arenas and fan bases are good. Getting a beer in Jim's section of "The Rock" is much easier then at Verizon but the choices were limited compared to the seven choices I have just behind section 103. Jim's tickets are approximately 20% higher priced then mine but I think I'd be willing to spring for the extra cost if the Verizon had an option like "The Goal Bar" area.

All said both Jim and I feel the Capitals and the Devils offer much better live professional sports entertainment values than their NFL counterparts the Redskins and the Giants. The cost of a season ticket is lees and you get 33 more games; you don't have to sit outside in cold or rain; the crowds are much more civil and nicer to be around.

What's not to like? I'd gladly go back to Newark for another game and I believe Jim would gladly come back the DC.

It's the Phillies vs. Devil Rays In the World Series

The Devil Rays just took game 7 of the ALCS - the Cinderella Story will continue in the World Series where they will face the Phillies. Ironically, or maybe not, there are a lot of Phillies fans in the Tampa Bay area since the Phillies have some roots there too. The last time the Phillies won the series I was in college and "my home of record" had a Philadelphia zip code. Gosh time sure flies.

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.)

Well It's Done - Renewed My Season Tickets

Well I finally got around to renewing my season tickets. I don't know why I was so slow in doing it - I'm back in Section 103 but I lost my aisle seats. Oh well I'm three rows higher up and that should give me - actually us - I and a partner have 2 seats - a better view of the far end adjacent corner. Down where we were we had to look at the jumbo-tron to see the action in adjacent corner. Of course being further in (12 seats further in) we are farther from center ice. Oh well, we'll get our better seats back by renewing early this season. Also since my son is now away at college many of the games I go to just won't be as much fun, but I'm now a totally addicted Washington Caps fan after the past two seasons.

Can't wait till the season opener on October 11th - Are YOU ready to Rock the Red? I know I am.

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

Sixty Degrees and Clear In August - You Have to Love This Weather

Well when I arose this morning and let the dogs out here in Bristow, VA it was "just a tad over" sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Sixty degrees, clear and low humidity on August 10th in Northern Virginia?!?!? I am not complaining, the weather this summer has been quite nice. In fact this is probably the nicest summer I've seen since we moved to the area in 1996.

There's a lot to like about the weather this summer. Here's my list:
1) The occasional days where we've not been above 85 degrees has mad it fair less humid and "muggy" than usual. I hate "muggy" days.
2) We've had enough rain and the temperatures haven't been so sweltering so here we are in August and with only minimal watering, our lawn is "NOT BROWN" as opposed to other years where by August 1st, immense amounts of watering has been required to keep it from being "MOSTLY DEAD". In fact many areas of our lawn are basically still green.
4) You can actually sit outside and enjoy the evenings a lot of the days so far this summer.
5) AND THE BEST ONE - The best part of this fall-like weather is it reminds you that the opening face off of the 2008-2009 NHL Season is just 55 days away when the Rangers play the Lightning and the Penguins face off against the Senators over in Europe on October 4th.

Can't Wait Till Next Season - 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!!!!!

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!!!!!

Acta Non Verba Tour - Installment 2

[ED NOTE] This article contains only information and subject matter on two topics - the United States Merchant Marine Academy and Life Approaching 50. For those looking for the latest musings related to the Washington Capitals please scroll down if these two subjects are of no interest to yo.

Day 2 of our journey to drop Chris off started with me waking up first and getting ready, then I got Cindy up, then Chris. It was Thursday morning and he needed to report for the start of indoctrination no later than 8:30 am.... so we started this evolution at 6AM and headed down to "The Giraffe Room" for breakfast at 6:45 but the place was packed so we opted out of breakfast. At this point Chris realized we needed to make a detour to get a permanent marker so he could put his name on his bags, once that was accomplished we headed to the USMMA and got into the queue to drop him off. He got in line at about 8:15 and we saw him come out of in processing and head to the barracks at about 09:30. This whole evolution was very different from when I started at the Academy 30 years ago. On that day I recall my parents dropping me off and me seeing them one last time about 45 minutes later when we and our luggage marched off Barney Square (now called "the grinder") about an hour later. Now parents spend most of the entire morning and you see them march into lunch after they literally wave goodbye to you. There are pictures posted on the Academy's Parents Page often during this period though we won't actually talk to him for 10 days when he'll get 5 minutes to call, again this is slightly different then when I started though not much.

The military/regimental aspect does complicate some things though it simplifies others. For our part the complication is Chris forgot to pack the new pair of glasses into his suitcase and halfway back down the Jersey Turnpike we noticed them in the backseat of the car. Luckily we had an option and we fed ex'ed them overnight to the lacrosse coach's office - hopefully he got them today and gave them to our son; we might not know for sure until not this Sunday but the next one. It does simplify things, we know he is safe and not getting into any mischief nor will he have much of a chance to until we see him next time which we be the weekend of September 5th.

On the life approaching 50 part, I do find myself looking at the few pictures of him on the website more than I thought I would and I have replaced the screen background that was from my last fishing trip with the boys with one of him when he first reported to the Academy inside on the basketball court in O'Hara Hall. I also met two of my classmates who have kids (one a son, the other a daughter) in the Class of 2012 and we talked a little. We all are proud but don't feel at all like we thought we would when we were younger and contemplated future events like this. Oh well next I'll post a few of the pics I took but right now I'm still catching back up for the days off.

ACTA NON VERBA