One Day Until Semi-Finals

So first I'd like to say thanks to Ted Leonsis for posting my blog on his site! The purpose of this blog is to share my passion for the Caps and the game with new fans and new fan "prospects." So I was very excited to know that he enjoyed reading the blog and I hope to create a new demographic of Caps fans who will be rockin' the red next season!

Speaking of rockin' the red... the triple threat of Alexander Ovechkin (AO), Alexander Semin and Sergei Fedorov are rocking the red for the Russian team in the IIHF World Championship in Canada and I believe they are still undefeated!

As I mentioned, we are one day away from the Western Conference semi-finals. Dallas will taking on Detroit tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. For the new puckheads out there, here are some of the "ones to watch." For Detroit: Nick Lidstrom, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg (who by the way ladies, has his own clothing line - http://www.henrikzetterberg.com/), Pavel Datsyuk and Brian Rafalski. A sidenote here - watch # 24 for Detroit, Chris Chelios. I don't know what kind of vitamin water that guy's drinking but he is almost 47 years old and still plays like a wildman! I've mentioned this before, but one of the cool things to look out for when they are playing in Detroit is the ritual throwing of the octopus on the ice. Hope they get a big'un this week! Ones to watch for Dallas:
Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richards, Sergei Zubov, Mike Ribiero and their fabulous goalie, Marty Turco. Another sidenote of interest for the gals - Mike Modano is married to former "Dancing with the Stars" alumnus Willa Ford. Maybe she can talk him into being on the show if they don't make the post-season next year. We need a hockey player on that show for the love of Pete!

I got the Hockey Mom question of the day from a newbie fan we'll call "Feds Fan" in honor of her intense admiration for Sergei Fedorov.

Her question: "What is checking - is that when they use their stick to trip up the other guy?"
The purpose of checking is to hit the opposing player in order to gain control of the puck and prevent them from scoring. When playing near the boards, the players will try to "check" the opposing player using their upper body/ shoulders to tie them up and try to get the puck loose. You'll hear a lot of the sportscasters talk about "finishing the check." If a player doesn't finish his check and the opposing player is able to get free with the puck, it can make for a prime scoring opportunity for the other team. Checking is different from "cross-checking," which incurs a 2-minute penalty. Cross-checking is when a player checks an opponent with both hands on his stick and no part of his stick is touching the ice. This sometimes occurs near the boards resulting in an unpleasant "face wash" for the player who is being cross-checked. Hope this answers your question Feds Fan!

So I am counting the hours until I can watch hockey once again! Tomorrow we'll discuss the history of the Stanley Cup, review a great book for any female hockey fan and give a preview of the Penguins/Flyers Eastern Conference game 1. Til then!