And the Post We’ve All Been Waiting For…

I went to the scrimmage for the last day of development camp today and it was great. Got there nice and early and found seats right on the ice near the goal of the Blue team which happened to have several of our favorite prospects on it. Well my opinion on them later. The bleachers filled up pretty fast and people crowded on an upstairs balcony and stood against the glass at the far end of the rink to watch the prospects.

It was a who’s who of the Capitals’ world; GMGM, Ted (who was wearing some very bright green shorts with this brown shirt someone did not get fashion checked before they left the house this morning), Smokin’ Al Koken, Mike Vogal, and trusty side kick Stretch, several trainers I knew vaguely by face, Bruce and most excitingly Brooks Laich.

Well about in the second period I brought up how incredibly lame it was Brooks was not there since he had shown up the day before. Anna and I ranted a good minute about that when we both looked across the ice. At first I wasn’t sure I was seeing it right, so I looked at Anna who was giving me the same look, and then I cried in a way I’m sure our bench buddy did not appreciate “That’s him!” Seeing as that’s the closest I’ve ever been to a Cap, not even at games: cheap seats, I must say I got much more excited than I normally would or should. He talks an awful lot and between the second and third period he randomly came out of the locker room with what me and Anna agree was the ugliest colored polo shirt we had seen, I said it was puke green but I’m the first to admit I have color tint issues, so I believe Anna more when she says it was a baby yellow and had thin blue horizontal stripes.

After the scrimmage in which the blue team lost 2-4 we decided to mosey over to the hallway all the prospects had to go through to get to their cars and watch the super uber fans creep all over them. After a while we were moved down the hallway a bit cause it was kinda crowded right by the gate and none other than Bruce comes up the hallway behind me. As he passes he says “Hello!” with out prompting or anything so we go “Hi!” back rather excitedly and its been decided we will now be best friends and go golfing and make Caddy Shack references all day. I think we got more excited about that than anything else that had happened so far.

Well after watching all the prospects leave and trying to figure out who was who of the prospects we didn’t recognize we walked out to the pro shop area and there’s a table for that smoothie stand that has the Capitals themed cups. I’ve been searching for these cups forever. And they have like twenty thousand (okay maybe like fifteen) on this display table. So I’m very excited cause I think I’m finally going to get one. So I get behind a guy to see if I can buy a cup and the guy asks before I do “How can I get one of these cups?” and Smoothie Lady says “You have to go to the store.” Why? Can’t I pay you like the price of a smoothie and just get the freaking cup? There wasn’t even that particular chain of smoothie store in Ballston mall, ask Anna I dragged her all over the mall to find one. So now me and Smoothie Lady are archenemies.

Speaking of archenemies; as you may or may not know I hate the Washington Post and really dislike Tarik El-Bashir becuase neither can fact check for their lives. Well in the hall way I was leaning against the window of an office when Anna points out she hadn’t noticed someone in the office so I look for a millisecond and see a guy and turn back assuming he’s no one in particular. Well after the guy left Anna points out with a gasp a little sign in front of that guys little part of the desk that says “Tarik El-Bashir Washington Post” EL GASP! My archenemy a mere thin sheet of glass I was leaning on a part from me.

After there was pretty much no more hockey related stuff to do we went into the mall to see if we could rustle up some food (and one of those damn cups) because I hadn’t eaten breakfast and was hungry enough to gnaw through any unattended sticks lying about. Well we’re on the epic smooth cup quest when we see none of than prospect Flemming and some other prospect who I didn’t know wandering around the mall too. We didn’t go up to them or anything but it was pretty cool.

Overall it was just about the best hockey related day I’ve had ever hands down.

Now about the actual prospects who I was impressed by:

Mathieu Perreault was fantastic I want to see him in DC at one point in the season. He’s tiny too. 5’8″ and thin.

Casavant surprised me for being a seventh round pick. He was really good. On a side note the uncanny resemblance to Jose it even uncannier in person.

Finley despite feud with him threw his weight around like he should.

Eakin has speed. Like extremely fast.

Those are the name that stand out in my mind in particular. Carlson seemed to be having an off day and Gus wasn’t able to play due to his face injury from the scrimmage Thursday. Della Rova didn’t play either also due to an injury. Overall the prospects played very well and I’m really pleased with what I’m seeing.

And now some pictures from the day:

Miskovic and another prospect a moment after a small collision

Eakin stretches out during warm-up

Flemming (?) smooshes one of the other prospects in to the boards

The only good thing about this picture is note Brooksie and injured prospect Della Rovere in backround

That’s only a couple but I thought those were the most blog worthy.

I Take It Back… I was Right the Entire Time

• And I knew the Cap’s couldn’t go a whole summer with out an incident. As you may or may not know we signed all the RFAs but yesterday and this morning everyone but Jeff was still under the impression he did NOT sign his offer. Well lets just say it; he pulled a Chicago. He sent it to the wrong fax machine or it went to what I call “Technology Purgatory” or whatever and just didn’t get to the Cap’s like it was meant to.
• Thank you Jake Hauswirth for you explanation of the American political system to us. I now know the capitals building is “sick” because they pass bills and stuff like that.
• It is really quite adorable how excited the prospects get about the monuments. Like the eighth grade kids on their class trips.
• It’s really uncanny how much Casavant and Theo look a like.
• Speaking of people who look a like and prospects; Dmitry Kugryshev besides looking an awful lot like Semin (Compare: Dmitry: , Semin: http://tinyurl.com/klel6n), besides being the redheaded Russian we so needed, and besides having an adorable blog on icedaily.com (http://www.icedaily.com/blog/58/Dmitry-Kugryshev) is one of my new favorite prospects.
• Expecting a full house at Kettler on Saturday. Warning: I am willing to elbow people in the face to get good seats.

Gold Standard

Can I just click my heels in joy for a second and point out how many times the babble faces (commentators) used Mike Green as the standard to which be compared as a offensive defense men?

Something I noticed (besides Tarik El-ba-lame contradicting himself on the height of Dmi?) we drafted almost everyone under 6 foot. The only person on the Cap’s under six foot off the top of my head is Jose.

Speaking of Jose we have a mini me! Our last pick Benjamin Casavant looks a good bit like you. Compare Now if he’s good I can like him with out hating myself! Brownie points to you Mr. Casavant. I mean besides the fact you already have three nickname: Benjy, Mini Jose, and (depending) Casanova I can be happy with the fact you don’t speak very good english you and Dmi make up for the fact that our first pick Jojo speaks english too well. You’re fiesty too from the looks of it here . I can even forgive you for liking Pen’s Staal as your favorite player (kind of).

Now that Jojo is a dark haired swede and Nicki the blondie if we could get a red head I could so call them the Ikea set! The viking trio. My swedish fish pack.

Anna already effused over how adorable Squeak (Eakin) is. I won’t beat an adorably but dead horse. (I hate that saying its disgusting sounding don’t beat horses in general please) Though I know 21 was you dad’s number but that’s Brooksie’s number I’m sorry. But you like techno so I think you’re going to fit in.

And a big hello to Mr. Wey. American (this can be forgiven), Defense men (YEAH!), From Pittsburg? Did the Cap’s not get the memo? That is Satan’s city (trademark Anna)! We don’t want their (completely hot) kind on our team. Okay maybe I’m being a touch overly dramatic. One of my good friends is from Pittsburg. And it’s not Pittsburgs fault I hate the Pen’s… but still EW!

Overall this was a fantastic draft year for the Cap’s and ladies Cap’s fans every where (I can’t wait for the scarlet cap’s photos the year they join the NHL)

Can I mention how much Iove GMGM? Not just cause he looks like Ben from My Family or that he’s all twitchy in that adorable way but because he’s good. Really good at what he does constantly too. I mean the Bears are a factory (No pun intended: chocolate factory…) and the just announce the pick get out of there no lengthy rambly french/english introductions. What the draft should be. Though we looked a little sad with only him and that other guy up there.

The Swedish Invasion

We have a new swede on the team. Marcus Johansson. I couldn’t find much info on him but he’s Euro fabulous if the draft outfit was any indicator. Though from the sounds of it he has two more years on the team he plays for now so we might have to wait.

So not much wheeling and dealing. Some trade up and downs and Pronger was traded but the Cap’s didn’t appear to do anything. Victor Hedman defence and eye candy is going to the Lightening and I look forward to playing him next season.

Well I have to face it now: We really are stuck with Jose. I was hoping hoping we’d find a way to get rid of him but alas it comes to nothing. Which means I suppose that I should finally welcome him to the Capital’s as I have refused to do so until now. I guess I should get to know him now. I did the standard wikipedia check of course but I never watched the videos or looked on any of the other websites either. First because of lack of internet access, then laziness, then hatred.

So Hello Jose Theodore allow me to introduce myself. I’m Meghan I co-run a blog about the Capitals

Hi I’m Jose I’m the goalie for the Cap’s.

I could keep that going but I know any conversation I would have with Jose would go into a long talk about how he really is an okay goalie when he gets his head out of his butt, and how constantly needing your ego propped up is not an attractive quality, and how I really think he needs to stop being so jumpy in the crease and would end with me giving him PR advice; pick up a brazillian accent, people like the ethnic diversity and chicks dig it.

Draft Day!

Well after a long Thursday of being told yes he is gone, to wait maybe not quite, and so on thanks to Tarik El-Bashir and the ‘I couldn’t fact check to save me life’ Washington Post left me very emotionally tired and I finally tore my self away from the computer last night and went to sleep to wake up and find that it is indeed a done deal the old man told them by get this text message last night. Text message? Who knew the old man even knew how to use a phone… grrr. Bitter.

All this emotional roller coastering left me in the serious need for a laugh and NHLol came in handy. I am also excited because I finally ordered my Semin shirt and on of those shirts with the 8 in the superman diamond. I don’t know which I’m gonna wear first.

Draft tonight! So excited as its an excuse to make food, sit in front of the tv, and drool, as I very very much like Victor Hedman, which is something usually that only happens in winter months. I’m excited to see whose gonna be first pick cause its really anyones game and I’m excited to see what new blood were getting.

Comcast sportsnet has the randomest stuff on late night. I had it on but I wasn’t in the room any longer and I walk back in and there’s Ovie saying something in his accent that especially that late at night I just can’t understand (something about his top five goals) and then they start a montage of his top five goals. I don’t know what show it was a part of or what but that was random for it being the end of June.

I am also encouraging the Cap’s website to come out with some sort of video for me to watch cause I miss our boys.

Adorable Swedes

We love everyone everywhere here but come on isn’t there just somethin’ bout them Swedes? Are they just extra adorable? I think its scientifically proven. Slap your wooden shoes on! We’re talking about Swedes.

 Look at this adorableness! It’s Nicki! The little kid brother of everyone on the team! I have no idea whats going on in this video because I do not speak Swedish but I think hes saying something about being nervous ( if you know whats going on please tell me)  But look at him! How old is he? Maybe 19? (I’m not good at guessing)

                                               

 

Well hello, Viktor Hedman Mr. second overall pick this year.  He’s the younger brother of our (and by our I’m once again referring to the Caps as if I actually have anything to do with them) defensive prospect. It looks as if he may be coming to our division for the lightening (poor man)

Can we mention Swedes with out mentioning Henrik Lundqvist? I thought not. He teaches us about Swedish fashion: