Mike Green and Must-See TV!

First off, a big Hockey Mom high five to Cap's d-man Mike Green for being named the NHL's Third Star of the Week!

From the NHL's press release:

THIRD STAR -- MIKE GREEN, D, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Green earned Third Star honors for the second consecutive week after posting seven points (four goals, three assists) and becoming the first NHL defenseman in nearly 25 years to score a goal in six consecutive games. He notched one goal and one assist in a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils Feb. 3, tallied another one-goal, one-assist effort in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Feb. 5 and concluded the week with two goals and one assist in a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers Feb. 7. Green's current six-game goal-scoring streak is the longest by an NHL defenseman since Ray Bourque's six-game streak for Boston in March, 1984 and is one shy of the League record for blueliners set by the Bruins' Mike O'Connell in January, 1984. Green's 19 goals and 47 points lead all defensemen this season.

Which brings me to Monday night's new must-see t.v., Capitals Red Line Monday. Last night's inagural episode featured among other things, a look at Mike Green's new pad and an interview with the design team helping him with the finishing touches. Smart guy - letting the ladies handle the decorative details. Hockey Mom missed the first ten minutes of the show (drats!) as the boys had practice where they each broke a hockey stick. The show was a lot of fun and my favorite parts were the "which player rocks the best suit" debate and Ted Leonsis' insight into his 101 Things to Do Before I Die list (which of course includes winning a Stanley Cup)! If you missed it, here's a clip of Mike Green's crib:



While we're on must-see t.v., new and old hockey fans alike won't want to miss tonight's showdown between the #1 team in the East (Boston Bruins) and the #1 team in the West (San Jose Sharks). For playoff intensity hockey, be sure to check out tonight's game on the Versus Network.

Next up for the Capitals, the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. The blueshirts will not be happy, coming off of last night's shut out by their rivals, the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are now within one point (yikes, one point) of again taking the East's second place position from the Caps.

More on tomorrow's contest to come including the latest on crazy boy Sean Avery's possible return to the NHL....

Cats Come Calling: Capitals/Panthers

As predicted, the Florida Panthers came in hungry with claws bared to tonight's Southeast showdown with the Capitals. The Caps didn't waste any time putting on the red light, with an Eric Fehr goal less than one minute after the first puck dropped.

The Panther's Keith Ballard returned the favor later on in the first. The Caps' defense for the most part seemed to shake off the malaise that was hanging over their heads during that ugly loss to the Kings on Thursday. Speaking of Capital's d-men, Mike Green had another stellar night with 2 goals. The Norris Trophy (the award for the League's best defense man) candidate has been gleaning accolades left and right. Green leads NHL blueliners with a career-high 19 goals and 46 points this season, despite missing 13 games. He's currently second in the NHL with 14 power-play scores. Hockey Mom can't wait to see more of Green's new crib on Capitals Red Line Monday, but more on that later.

Tonight's contest wasn't always smooth sailing for the men in red however, as a check from behind and game misconduct call on Shaone Morrison resulted in the Caps having to kill off a 5 on 3 (this seems to be a recurrent theme in the third period, eh?). Mo joined his team mate Sergei Fedorov, who was chillin' in the sin bin after a hooking infraction. But this time the stars aligned and a brilliant effort by the penalty kill unit (led by Tom Poti) kept the Panthers off the board. Mike Green netted his second of the evening into an empty net and the Caps left the ice cheered on by a rocking crowd of red with 2 points in their pocket! Tom Poti was rewarded with a star of the night for his dazzling contribution to dousing the 5 on 3 power play, thus stumping the cats' attempt at clawing their way back into the game.

Final score: Caps 3 - Panthers 1

So a huge Hockey Mom toast to the boys for hanging tough, though they still haven't eliminated the number of silly penalties. The guys played with consistent energy and were ready to battle and the results paid off tonight!

HM has never been so excited for Monday night t.v., as this Monday (February 9th) marks the debut of Capitals Red Line Monday at 9:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet.

Here's a look at some of the fun story lines featured on the first episode:

Caps Bling
Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at Mike Green’s newly renovated condo in the first of a three-part series. Green designs on his own dime as he completely rips out his entire penthouse. Viewers will even see his hot tub lifted from the street to the top of the building to get installed.

Who I Am
Presented by The Front Page
Alex Ovechkin gives viewers a first-hand look at one of the NHL’s most dynamic personalities.

Caps Classic
Highlights from the June 4, 1998, playoff Game 6 versus Buffalo that the Capitals won 3-2 in overtime to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Fanatic
Presented by The Greene Turtle
A sit down with the one and only “Goat.” You’ll learn what gets Goat’s, Goat. Why he is a superfan and what makes him want to get the crowd cheering for the caps.

Forces of Hockey
Presented by Jones-Rogers a Lennox premier dealer
Professor Matt Bradley explains to the audience the physics behind the force of a body check. See open ice hits and hits along the boards in the crushing segment of the science behind the check.


Mites Minute
Presented by Geico
Warrior: a tongue and cheek video about kids preparing for battle, including action throughout the game.

Hockey Insider
Presented by 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
Features WashingtonCaps.com producer Brett Leonhardt, who became a cult hero when he suited up as backup goaltender for the Capitals in December. Since his 15 minutes of fame, Leonhardt has been in Sports Illustrated and other publications but the biggest shock for him was walking around the concourse at a game and seeing fans wearing his jersey.

Ted’s Take
Owner Ted Leonsis on his list of 101 things to do to make his life fully actualized.

Ask A Cap
Presented by American Service Center/Mercedes-Benz of Alexandria
A couple of the Capitals players answer questions about their style and what is hot today.

Original show listings dates and times:
Monday, Feb. 9 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, Feb. 16 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, Feb. 23 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, March 9 7 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, March 16 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, March 30 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, April 6 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Tuesday, April 14 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet


So finally - a reason to look forward to Mondays!

Caps Face Battle Against Pesky Panthers

So in case anyone missed all the happenings today in Capsland, fan fave Karl Alzner is back in the fold and the team acquired another defenseman, former Toronto Maple Leaf Staffan Kronwall, off of waivers. Hockey Mom doesn't know what this all means for the rest of the guys on the blueline, but the fact that Jose Theodore was hung out to dry too many times last evening probably has something to do with it.

Another interesting happening was that one of HM's personal favorites, St. Louis Blues goaltender Manny Legace, was put on waivers. If you haven't heard the bad news about Caps net minder Brent Johnson, his season is most likely done due to surgery he'll need for that nagging hip injury. So Theo has two talented, but young, backups who have very little ice time on the NHL stage. Could a veteran Legacy be the answer? GM George McPhee says not right now, but we all know that he is the master of secrecy when it comes to personnel moves.

So the upcoming period prior to the trade deadline is full of more buzz and rumors than a One Life to Live soap opera marathon. It'll be interesting to see if the Caps make any personnel changes in the push to the playoffs.

Speaking of push to the playoffs, the boys will face the Florida Panthers tomorrow in a Southeast division showdown. HM is hoping that the guys come out full force and shed the needless penalties and defensive gifts to the opposition, as this is not a team to be taken lightly. The Cats are clawing their way to a perch at the top of the SE Division and are currently a mere 2 points behind the Capitals. They have some fiery goal-scorers in David Booth and Jay Boouwmeester so the Cap's refinizzled 'd' better be ready.

And in case you missed it, check out this wicked lords a'leaping goal from former Cap and current Panther Richard Zednik against the New York Islanders:




HM is glad to see Zednik back after his awful accident last year. But let's make sure that we don't have any of those highlight goals against our home team!

Til the puck drops at 7 p.m. tomorrow...

Visitors from Hollywood - Caps Versus L.A. Kings

The countdown to the weekend has begun and the Thursday night Caps fanatics were out in force (18, 277 to be exact) to witness the rare visit from the boys from Hollywood - the Los Angeles Kings.

Now Hockey Mom is a bit like Dustin Hoffman from the movie Rain Man in that she sometimes can't remember whether she locked the door or not, but I can recite the names of almost every goalie in the League, with the exception of the Kings' net minder. That one always stumps me.

So I don't know a lot about this young squad other than they've won 4 out of their last 5 games and Kings' center Jarret Stoll dates a former supermodel (Rachel Hunter) - an older woman, I might add! Oh, and one of their leading scorers, Anze Kopitar is a big fave in HM's household as he wears the same number as one of my twins (#11). The other twin is #7 so we've got the 7-11 theme going on - just don't ask for a burrito or Big Gulp...

Before I go further, I want to give a ginormous shout out to ALL of the brave members of the military as tonight the Capitals are recognizing our country's real heroes during Military Appreciation Night. We all appreciate the tremendous sacrifices that you and your families make to defend our freedom.

This show got started early, like within 15 seconds of the first puck drop, with a five-hole Caps goal by Alex Semin, assisted by Brooks Laich. Early in the first, both teams went 4 on 4 as Mike Green found himself in the sin bin for slashing and Ivanans for the Kings went for hooking. Then at 7:23, David Steckel took a tripping call. As Hockey Mom is known to yell loudly during Pee Wee games, "Keep your sticks on the ice for crying out loud, boys!"

The Kings tied it up with a power play goal by #11 Kopitar, as Jose Theodore was screened by big man Dustin Brown and lost sight of the puck. That power play was a result of a delay of game call on Shaone Morrison. For all of you wonderful hockey newbies out there, a delay of game is called when a defensive player is cited for shooting or flipping the puck over the glass in the defensive zone.

The second period opened with a lovely defensive breakdown and it was payback time for the Kings - Anze Kopitar netted his second of the evening only 14 seconds into the period! Minutes later the Caps gave away a short-handed goal to the King's Michal Handzus giving the purple-clad opponents a 3-1 advantage. Don't worry sports fans, they don't call Mike Green "game over" for naught - Green cut the King's lead to one as he rocketed one in on goalie Jonathan Quick (not so Quick in this particular instance)!

Kopitar was a force to be reckoned with this evening as he was credited with the assist in the King's fourth goal from Ryan O'Sullivan. Is it just me, or does Kopitar bear a strong Shrek-like resemblance to that other sniper Caps fans love to hate, Evgeni Malkin?

The men in red couldn't stay out of the darn sin bin this evening, with back-to-back penalties from Shaone Morrison and Nicklas Backstrom causing the guys to kill off a 5 on 3. The tempers and frustrations were flaring in the second as the Caps' Matt Bradley dropped the gloves and danced a round with the King's Matt Greene.

The fireworks continued as Michal Handzus took a high stick to Alex Semin - who didn't care too much for that action and subsequently retaliated for a roughing call.

Third period, after "unleashing the fury", Alex the Great made a fabulous unassisted goal to again cut the Kings' lead to one. Yet Kyle Calder of the Kings scored with 1:33 left. Mike Green tried for "game over" with another last minute goal.With 29 seconds left in the game there was a wild flurry of activity as the Caps tried to force OT but alas it was too late. Alex Ovechkin made history yet again by scoring his 200th NHL goal, which he didn't seem too excited about in the disappointment of the game's outcome.

Final score: Kings 5 - Caps 4.

Yet another one the boys should have won...Gabby was none too pleased with this one. His comments at the post-game press conference: "The first period wasn't pretty, but the second period was downright ugly." After telling Hockey This Morning yesterday that he doesn't believe in the morning skate - he may want to consider the "bag skate." "Bag skate" for all you new fans is when the coach skates you so hard you may need one of those nice little bags the put in the back of the airplane seats by the end of the practice.

Before I forget, happy birthday to Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry who turns 75 today. If you haven't had the chance to witness some of Cherry's wild and wacky suits, you are missing a real fashion treat. I wonder what eccentric ensemble he wore as his birthday suit? Wait a minute - HM didn't really want to go there. Happy birthday Don and we hope we get many more years of your fascinating wardrobe and sharp wit....

Happy Hockey is for Everybody Month!

Donald Brashear, Willie O’Ree and Wayne Simmonds skate with the kids at Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Hockey is for Everyone month.

Now these are some happy hockey faces! The future hockey stars from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club in Washington, D.C. were all smiles after skating with the Caps' Donald Brashear, the L.A. Kings' Wayne Simmonds and the NHL's first black player, the great Willie O'Ree. Brashear, Simmonds and O’Ree spent an hour skating with the kids and teaching them different hockey skills, including shooting drills and skating drills.

Yesterday's visit highlighted Hockey is for Everyone month, which is an initiative that runs throughout February and celebrates hockey’s growth and diversity. Hockey is for Everyone provides support and unique programming to non-profit youth hockey organizations across North America that are committed to offering children of all backgrounds the opportunity to play hockey. Since its inception, Hockey is for Everyone has exposed more than 45,000 boys and girls to unique hockey experiences.

Best known for his role as the Cap's tough-guy enforcer, don't let Donald Brashear's on-ice persona fool you - he loves working with the little guys and teaching them his craft! Of yesterday's event, Brash said: “Fort Dupont is such a great program, and I love coming out here and skating with the children. It was fun hanging out with the kids, they love playing hockey.”

Current NHL Diversity Director Willie O'Ree told the kids that one of the most important things about the game is to have fun!

“This is all about fun, lets have fun tonight,” said O’Ree when he addressed the kids. “It’s important for the children to see Donald and Wayne out here and see that they can be just like them.”

The NHL's first black player, O’Ree was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1935. He was called up to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League to replace an injured player and made his NHL debut on Jan. 18, 1958 against the rival Montreal Canadiens. In a game against Montreal on Jan. 1, 1961, O’Ree scored his first NHL goal, which was also the first goal ever scored by a black player in the NHL.

Sounds like a good time was had by all and keep up the great work, Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club! Hockey Mom hopes to have the chance to see you guys play soon!

In the meantime, "the Donald" will face off with Wayne Simmond's L.A. Kings' club tonight at the Verizon Center - HM is in the house.

Happy Hockey is for Everyone month to all you great fans out there - keep spreading the puck love...

Caps Take Home a Piece of the Rock and Two Points

So apparently Hockey Mom missed one of the best first periods the Caps have had this season while I was at the hair salon last night - the price we pay for vanity! In last night's 5 -2 victory over the New Jersey Devils, the Caps were all over the boys from Jersey and found themselves up 2 - 0 in the first, courtesy of goals from Mike Green and Brooks Laich. The Devils found themselves in penalty trouble in the first and the Caps took full advantage. Last night's victory over a team who recently hopscotched over the Caps for the number 2 spot in the Eastern Conference also saw two goals from Michael Nylander, who is known more his passing than taking the shot. But his second goal was beauty, taken from a weird angle to the far right of net.

Eric Fehr, who will be seeing more playing time due to Captain Chris Clark's injury, netted the fifth and final - capping off an evening of spectacular effort from the Capitals. So a big Hockey Mom toast to another nice win - let's try to stay out of the box though next time - okay guys? The 5 on 3's are killing me and being the mother of hockey-playing soon-to-be 13-year old twins (big birthday next week), HM doesn't need any more high-blood pressure inducing situations!

So tomorrow, the L.A. Kings will pay a rare visit to the Verizon Center and HM will be in the house. One of the purple clad Kings, Wayne Simmonds, will join our own Donald Brashear and Nicklas Backstrom this afternoon at D.C.'s Fort Dupont Ice Arena, home to the oldest minority youth hockey program in the U.S. To commemorate Hockey is for Everyone month, they'll be accompanied by one of HM's favorite hockey personalities, Willie O'Ree, the NHL’s first black player who skated with the Boston Bruins, among other teams.

A great time should be had by all - have fun kids!

Dance with the Devils: Caps Visit the Rock

Coming off of a weekend of back-to-back wins, the Caps will take a trip to Newark tomorrow night to visit the New Jersey Devils, who have been on fire of late in their quest for the top perch in the Eastern Conference standings. Devils' winger Jamie Langenbrunner earned First Star of the Week nods from the NHL - along with the Caps's own Mike Green, who earned a star for the first time in his burgeoning career. The boys from New Jersey are stacked with a bunch of young guns who've been racking up goals of late including Zach Parise, Langenbrunner and Brian Gionta, among others. Though some of these snipers boast such youthful faces they look like they belong on my twins' Pee Wee team - don't let their young good looks fool you - they got game.

So tune in to Versus (yes, the network specializing in Extreme Cage Fighting) tomorrow night at 7 - should be a great game from two offensive powers!

So all you new lady hockey fans, the Caps have announced the dates for the third annual Hockey & Heels. Mark your calendars for February 21 from 12:45 - 5 p.m. and high-tail it down to Kettler Iceplex for a fabulous afternoon with Gabby (Coach Broudreau), MIX 107.3 Radio's Chilli Amar, Comcast SportsNet's Lisa Hillary, Caps alumnus Rod Langway and more for hockey instruction, on ice demonstrations and lots more fun stuff. All in the company of other spirited and spectacular lady hockey fans (plus all of the new ones who want to know more about the great game of hockey)!

Visit the Washington Capitals Web site for tickets - tickets are $45 for the event only and $65 if you want to attend the March 3 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hockey Mom will definitely be in the house celebrating the spirit of female fandom!