Wednesday Caps Clips: Go East, Young Man

Your savory breakfast links (two days worth!):

• In case you missed it yesterday, Marcus Johansson has signed with BIK Karlskoga of Swedish second-tier league Allsvenskan. [Japers' Rink]
• Staying in Europe, Alex Ovechkin is a little bit popular in Moscow (even when he's under the weather)... [Y! Sports, RMNB, Alex Ovetjkin]
• ... where Nicklas Backstrom recently potted goal number one... [RMNB (and again)]
• ... seems to be enjoying himself... [RT, SovSport (via Google Trans)]
• ... and has taken a new jersey number that's sure to be a hit with Mel Angelstad fans and giggling man-children everywhere. [RMNB, PHT]
• Back stateside, ESPN's Scott Burnside checks in from Hershey and wonders if too many cooks spoil the (chocolatey) broth. [ESPN, with a video interview with Adam Oates]
• The latest on the lockout:
  • One of hockey's top scribes sits down with union boss Don Fehr. [Star Tribune]
  • Here's a neat post - what would you do if you were in Fehr's shoes? [BoC]
  • On the other side of the proverbial bargaining table, Gary Bettman, Commissioner for Life. [SBJ/SN]
  • If the League kills the Winter Classic, don't expect it to be resuscitated (unless, of course, this is a hollow threat). [NYT]
  • And if the League's "signature event" gets axed, can the rest of the season be far behind? Well, sure... right? [Globe and Mail, WashTimes, Windsor Star (h/t Puck Daddy)]
  • Some NHLers are finding themselves passing time during the lockout with something even more difficult than playing in the NHL: parenting. [WashTimes]
  • Escrow time (a.k.a. stuff startin' to get real). [TSN]
  • Could a group of current NHL teams splinter off and form a "rebel" league? [SN]
  • Or is expansion the answer? [THN]
  • Hey, you know who else may be "paying out too much"? You and me. [Peerless]
  • Blame... Ovi? [In the Field of Play]
• Matt Hendricks does the charity-hockey-game thing... and fails on The Hendy? [RMNB, Hockey Shopped, Capitals Outsider]
• Did coaching in the NHL change Dale Hunter? Yes and no. [TSN (video), Eye on Hockey]
• Speaking of former Caps coaches, here's a visual for you: Bruce Boudreau with no pants. [YouTube (SFW, mercifully)]
• Caps prospects are breakin' out all over... [HF]
• ... including in Hershey, where Philipp Grubauer and Cam Schilling have caught some eyes... [ESPN, ESPN]
• ... Stanislav Galiev is also being noticed... [Dobber]
• ... and the team has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class. [Patriot-News, Capitals, Capitals Voice]
• Oh, and Braden Holtby considers himself fortunate to have the AHL as an option during El Lockouto. [SB Nation DC]
• Go ahead and pencil Jon DiSalvatore in for 28 goals and 33 assists this year for the Bears. [Dump 'n Chase]
• Riley Barber is on the WJC radar. [US of H]
• Finally, happy Halloween (here's your treat, courtesy Down Goes Brown, and another via Hockey Shopped) and happy 29th birthday to Steve Eminger, happy 40th birthday to the aforementioned Mr. Angelstad, and happy 57th birthday to Claude Noel.

Marcus Johansson Signs with BIK Karlskoga

Per BIK Karlskoga (via Google Translate):

Washington Star Marcus Johansson has for some time been training with Färjestad, but now he's ready for the game with BIK Karlskoga. Agreement is a so-called short-term contracts and Marcus practicing with the team for the first time in today's warming. If the insurance issue has time to dissolve, so does Marcus already in tonight's game against Troy / Ljungby. 22-year-old, who played in Malmo, Farjestad, Skåre, Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals are a skate skilled two-way center that is round in most ways. Fine hockey sense, good technique, aggressive in his game, working home and produce objective and above all assists. Has a good shot and epitomizes a team player. Welcome to BIK Karlskoga, Marcus!

"Bofors" is a team in Sweden's second-tier league, HockeyAllsvenskan and is affiliated with Johansson's former Elitserien club, Färjestad BK. The "so-called short-term contracts" would allow Johansson to sign with Färjestad should the NHL season be cancelled.

(h/t Elite Prospects)

Update: Johansson spoke with the media after signing with BIK Karlskoga (nwt.se via Aftonbladet), and Malin Andersson provides this translation (as well as the one below and the background information):

"It feels great to be here. It’s been awhile since I've played now. I’m a bit bummed that things didn't work out with Färjestad. It would have been a lot of fun to play in the SEL.

"It’s a weird situation to be in. It’s been hard to train I have been doing a lot of off ice work and and spent some time with Färjestad on ice."

Johansson is playing for free but the club will pay for his insurance. The insurance cost is $5,000 dollars per month according to BIK Karlskoga’s Club president, Torsten Yngvesson. The contract is for two weeks, but in theory it could last all season according to Johansson's agent Gunnar Svensson.

By way of background, Karlskoga is currently in second place in Allsvenskan, trailing only Caps prospect Filip Forsberg's Leksand in the standings. And on a historical note, Caps great Bengt Gustafsson and his not-as-great son Anton Gustafsson both played for Karlskoga. So there's that.

Back to the here-and-now, Johansson returned to Sweden a month ago and has been practicing with his former team Färjestad, as noted above. But the team, like most other SEL squads, is not willing to do short-term contacts with locked-out NHL players.Last week, Johansson spoke about the situation and what has led up to him signing with Bofors:

"I’m going to play somewhere real soon. I miss playing and I’m still young I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I want to improve and become a better player. You can’t improve as a player when you’re not playing games."

"I don’t know. Right now I’m just taking it day by day and week by week, we will just have to wait and see what will happen. Of course I’m not the only player that wants to find a club. There are other players are also taking advantage of the situation and are home in Sweden right now. Right now the SEL isn’t open for us so we have to adjust.

Värmlands Folkblad reported that Färjestad’s general manager Jörgen Jönsson and Johansson have had a meeting and that he told him to not sign a longer contract with another team.

"It’s nice to hear that. I have talked to Jörgen and we will see. I haven’t made any decisions, yet. What kind of contract I sign will depend on which team I end up singing with."

Monday Caps Clips: Stormy Weather

Your savory (and weatherproof) breakfast links:

• Don't forget to catch up on the weekend Clips you may have missed.
• Nicklas Backstrom chats about life in Russia so far and his extensive Russian vocabulary (enjoy that cold beet soup, Nick). [Alex Ovetjkin]
• After dropping four of their first five games, the Hershey Bears finally managed to put together back-to-back wins over the weekend:
  
  
  • First by way of a Braden Holtby shutout against the Albany Devils Saturday night... [Stuccio, Capitals Voice]
  • ...and then by edging out the Baby Pens (and getting a little replay help in their favor for once) on Sunday. [Patriot-News]
• A great look at the special relationship between the Hershey Bears and their fans, and why it's not your average small-market AHL team. [Globe & Mail]
• With the NHL out of action indefinitely, the AHL is getting its turn in the spotlight - and is taking full advantage. [Caps Outsider]
• A place to play hockey and a chance to get back to the NHL have led Former Cap Shaone Morrisonn over to Russia, where he's currently signed to a one-year deal with Spartak Moscow. [Yahoo!]
• In which Matt Hendricks and Zach Parise have a ceremonial faceoff for the Defending the Blue Line charity match from last night. That's paralyzed player Jack Jablonski dropping the puck. [@sarajsfish, Star-Tribune (photo gallery)]
  
• Happy 34th birthday to Chris Corrinet, happy 68th to Stan Gilbertson, and happy 53rd to Mike Gartner.
• And finally, remember that Hurricane Sandy is a heck of a lot meaner than Hurricane Eric Staal, so please be safe out there.

Saturday Caps Clips: Battening Down The Matches

Your savory breakfast links:

• The League formally announced that all games through the end of November are cancelled. Feh. [Puck Daddy, SportsNet, ESPN $]
• The Hershey Bears dropped one to the Connecticut Whale and have a 1-3-1-0 record on the season so far. [Hershey Bears, Glove & Blogger]
  • Bears' defenseman Steven Oleksy invites you to join him on Twitter and Facebook for "A Day in the Life of..." [@StevenOleksy]
• With a couple days off before Dynamo's next game on Monday, Alex Ovechkin got to play a little footy and then brought his favorite blond to a birthday party. [Alex Ovetjkin, RMNB]
  • He also had time earlier to meet with a visiting group of young American hockey players on a goodwill tour from the US State Dept. [Citizen Newspaper]
    
• Back in the Second City, Troy Brouwer and Chicago took on The World - and lost in the Gimmick. [WashTimes, Chicago Tribune (pics)]
  • Oh hai there union boss Donald Fehr at the United Center. Let's have a #theplayers presser, shall we? [WashTimes]
    
• Caps' prospect Chandler Stephenson took a skate blade to the foot and will be out six-to-eight weeks after surgery to repair the tendon. [Regina Leader-Post]
• Ducky, just ducky. Bruce Boudreau reflects on his transition to Anaheim, and on rooting for watching the Caps to lose in their playoff drive. [NHL.com, PHT]
  
• "So, how about that trade for Mike Ribeiro ? I'll hang up and listen." [The Hockey News]
• Finally, one year ago today the Caps entered Rexall Place with a perfect 7-0-0 record. Good times. [Japers' Wayback Machine]
  

Friday Caps Clips: Putting the "Dead" in Deadline?

Your savory breakfast links:

• We begin the day with the latest news, non-news and opinion from the labor front:
  • The League set yesterday as the deadline by which an agreement would have to be reached in order to get a full 82-game season in and, welp, now it's today. [ESPN, Globe and Mail, WaPo]
  • Meanwhile, an anonymous NHL suit took to the Reddit to answer some questions and offer a unique look into what's goin' on. [SB Nation]
  • The reality is that the two sides may be closer than they think... which makes it all the more frustrating that they appear to think they're speaking different languages. [Globe and Mail]
  • Also, the President weighed in on the mess, which may or may not have simply been him trolling Tim Thomas. [Puck Daddy]
  • The bigger the paycheck, the bigger the loss with any sort of rollback... [CBC]
  • ... but the smaller the paycheck, the more it hurts, perhaps. [CSNW]
  • Why the owners are (mostly) right. [The OGA Blogs]
  • Why no one is (mostly) right. [Peerless]
  • Oh, and if you were hoping to see Alex Ovechkin play in North America this year, looks like the NHL is back to being your only hope. [USA Today]
• The Islanders hope to be like the Caps. (Meanwhile, the Caps hope to be like the 1979-83 Islanders.) [SB Nation DC]
• Listening to the Caps on FM radio sure does sound nice (though I'd settle for listening to them on a hand-cranked transistor radio right now). [DC Sports Bog]
• Up the road in Hershey, Adam Oates (and Tomas Kundratek) will see some familiar faces this weekend. [Patriot-News (with notes from practice - where Braden Holtby was back on the ice - here)]
• A year ago, Mattias Sjogren ditched the organization when he didn't make the NHL roster. This time around, he's sticking it out in Hershey (so far) despite there not being an NHL roster to make. What changed? [Dump 'n Chase]
• If you're looking for a 2013 calendar with pics of minor league hockey players and their pups, boy have I got a link for you. [WGAL]
• It looks like Tom Wilson has gone and broken a knuckle, which will likely sideline him for the Super Series. Poor Tom. [CSNW]
• By the by, here's the fight in which he did the damage (both to himself and Mitchell Fitzmorris). [HockeyFights]
• Chattin' with Caps prospect Patrick Koudys (who is being coached in Muskegon by short-time former Cap Jim McKenzie). [Inside Muskegon Lumberjacks]
• Wilson and Koudys are just two of the prospects whose early-season digits are detailed in this week's prospect report. [Capitals]
  
• Finally, a new rink is opening up in the District, where kids for years to come will skate while pretending to be... um... uh.... C'mon guys, we need our NHL back. [OFB]
  

Thursday Caps Clips: Hammer Time

Your surly breakfast links:

• We begin the day with the latest news, non-news and opinion from the labor front:
  • Bill Daly told the Washington Post, "The opportunity to play an 82-game season will be lost permanently if we are not in a position to drop the puck on November 2. There is no wiggle room on this one." There remains, however, plenty of room to squirm. [WaPo]
    
  • The tension, it grows. [Times Colonist]
  • Here's a guide for the pointing of fingers. [Pension Plan Puppets]
  • Relax, Damien, they are still at the shape of the table stage of the negotiations. [Toronto Star]
    
  • Nice Winter Classic you have here. Be a shame if anything happened to it. [Puck Daddy]
    • Related - Just in time for holiday gift-giving, get your preorders in for "The Winter Classic: the NHL’s Savior". [Motivational Press]
  • Do not taunt Happy Fun Chimera. [CSNW]
• In Euro-action, it wasn't a very good day for Dynamo, as they fell 4-0 to Torpedo. [RMNB, Alex Ovetjkin]
• DC's top-ten athletes under the age of 25. Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby, represent (but seriously, two Caps blueliners wuz robbed). [CSNW]
• "Good morning, good afternoon, and good night Milwaukee!" Wait, what? [DC Sports Bog]
• Come for the cartoon, stay for the lockout-inspired site banner. [RtR]
• The going rate for a Hershey Bears sweater appears to be just about $1,500, give or take a candy bar. Unless you want a Clackson authentic. Then it'll cost you. [SHoE, Bears in Pictures]
• NHL dreaming with Dany Sabourin. [Dump-n-Chase]
  
• Finally, if you grew up wanting to play bubble hockey as CSKA against Avangard, today is the day your dreams come true. [Lutch USA]

Turning Points: The 1981-82 Season

While the NHL and NHLPA engage in an all-out war and withhold hockey from us, there doesn't seem to be much to look forward to... which means it's the perfect time to look back for a bit, to see where the team has come from and perhaps get perspective on where it's going.

Over the course of its thirty-seven year history, the Washington Capitals organization has experienced its fair share of milestones, transitional periods and years that have defined and directed the franchise. New coaches, owners, players and buildings have left their mark on it; successes and failures have served as landmarks for it. With this in mind, we've compiled a list of years judged to be pivotal to the direction of the team and will be exploring them in depth over the coming weeks.

Next up, a year in which the tides finally began to turn for the franchise - 1981-82.

**********

After that first season of futility, the Caps would spend the remainder of the 1970s struggling to compete, posting marginal improvements in terms of win totals and offensive production but remaining at the bottom of the division, the conference and the League.

Their fortunes would finally begin to change with the new decade. The 1980-81 squad would post their highest point total to date, a whopping 70 points that still put them in the Patrick Division basement but at least showed an evolution from that eight-win season seven years earlier. And that summer General Manager Max McNab would use the third overall pick to select American high school standout Bobby Carpenter - making Carpenter the first U.S.-born player to be drafted in the first round (just months after becoming the first U.S.-born player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated).

Despite any potential optimism surrounding the Caps' improvements and their "Can't Miss Kid", the 1981-82 season got off to a somewhat rocky start. At the helm was Head Coach Gary Green, who had taken over bench boss duties two years earlier and compiled a (relatively) respectful 49-66-29 record since then despite being only 26 at the time of his promotion.The Caps kicked off the season 1-12-0, their lone win coming in the second game of the year - and after an eleven-game losing streak both Green and GM McNab were cut loose.

The move pushed then-assistant GM Roger Crozier into the general manager's spot, and after a single game behind the bench himself (which the team lost 3-1), Crozier made a personnel decision that would impact the next decade of Caps’ hockey: he hired Bryan Murray.

Murray, who was head coach of the Caps' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears at the time, was the players' choice to replace Green and lobbied for the position. His competition for the job included former Bruins' coach Don Cherry; Pollin ultimately went with the untested Murray over Cherry due to Cherry's desire for more control:

"[Cherry] had some conditions I was troubled with, or concerned about. He wanted sort of a Billy Martin-type condition here, where he would be in total control. I was concerned about it, for the Washington Capitals at this time. And told him so."

"I'm a people person. I go with what my heart tells me and what my gut tells me. My gut tells me that Bryan Murray's the guy that's gonna bring the Capitals out of their doldrums." - Abe Pollin (Ken Denlinger, Washington Post, 12 November 1981, D2)

The losing streak that started under Green would end under Murray, the final loss in a 13-game skid coming in Murray's first game against the Penguins on November 11, 1981.

After it ended, the Caps would go on a bit of a tear (particularly by franchise standards), winning seven of their next ten games - 7-1-2 - and outscoring opponents by a two-to-one margin. Of those seven wins, the most memorable would turn out to be a date in late November with the visiting Philadelphia Flyers - a team that had owned the Caps, beating them twenty-six of twenty-eight times to that point (and all fifteen games at the Capital Centre).

This time, however, it was the Caps coming out on top in front of the hometown crowd, bludgeoning the Flyers 10-4 thanks in part to matching hat tricks by Dennis Maruk and Tim Tookey. Also helping the lopsided score along were the eleven man-advantages the Broad Street Bullies gave to the Caps, five of which resulted in Washington goals.

Photo - George Henschel

"My midget team could have scored that many goals with all those power plays." - Bobby Clarke (who took 18 of the team's 68 penalty minutes)

It was just one highlight of a season that on the surface looks very similar to those which preceded it but was in fact very different. The Caps would finish the year 26-41-13, with the same number of wins and fewer points than they'd earned the previous year, and were once again out of the playoff picture. After Murray stepped behind the bench, however, they went 25-28-13; the thirteen-game losing streak that started the year wouldn't be replicated during his tenure, and the Caps would lose more than three games in a row just once during the remainder of the season.

Along with the improvement in their record came a notable improvement among both the team's overall offense and its young talent. The 319 goals-for that year would be the most in franchise history to that point, along with the lowest goal-differential at just -19. The team produced three 80+ point-seasons and, after never having more than two in a single season, five players - Maruk, Ryan Walter, Mike Gartner, Chris Valentine and Carpenter - cracked the thirty-goal mark (with Bengt Gustafsson just four goals shy of making it six).

Maruk in particular would record a season for the record books, both on an individual and franchise level, as he went on to score sixty goals to establish a Capitals record that would last until a certain Russian broke it almost three decades later; his 136 point-season still stands as the all-time high for the franchise. He would hit fifty goals once more the following season, but never again would the man affectionately known as "Pee Wee" match his production from the 1981-82 campaign.

Studly offensive production aside, one of the most notable outcomes of the 1981-82 season was the emergence of players who would go on to play big roles in the Caps' successes of the decade. Bobby Carpenter's rookie campaign would also be the first full season for guys like Bobby Gould, Gaetan Duchesne, Lou Franceschetti and goalie Al Jensen - all of whom would form the core group for the 80s squads that would transform a franchise.

"I think we have the players in the organization to make us a contender. I think the Washington Capitals can be in the top 10, 11 or 12 teams. But we will need certain changes or additions to put us in the upper echelon of the league." - Bryan Murray (Robert Fachet, Washington Post, 12 November 1981, D2)

But before that core could be solidified, there was one more draft pick to make - a selection that would not only help catapult the team into the playoffs at last but would also have ramifications for the next three decades.

Next time: A new general manager, a new blue line, and playoffs at last.

Wednesday Caps Clips: Look Who's Talking (And Who Isn't)

Your savory breakfast links:

• We begin the day with the latest news, non-news and opinion from the labor front:
  • Official talks are, at the moment, on hold... [CP]
  • ... or are they? (Spoiler alert: they are.) [Puck Daddy, ESPN, WashTimes, WaPo, PHT]
    
  • But it's talks of a different nature that are at the center of the League's latest public relations misstep... [Puck Daddy, ESPN, Globe and Mail, The Star, USA Today, Backhand Shelf, SN, PHT, WaPo]
  • ... and now it's (even more) personal, which is never good when you're ostensibly talking business. [Sportsnet, ESPN]
  • Gary Bettman has gone too far, according to... some owners? [Ottawa Sun]
  • Then again, maybe the owners actually want to cancel the season. [SI]
  • Substantively, the "make whole" provisions are in the crosshairs, with the players wondering why they should be paying themselves and owners downplaying the extent to which that would actually happen. [ESPN]
  • Jaromir Jagr's transition from labor to management is coming along nicely, whisker color and all. [Puck Daddy]
  • Oh, and don't worry - JJ and his Euro pals will be back when this whole mess is sorted out, the hollow threats of some notwithstanding. [National Post]
  • As is usually the case (get it?), everything can be explained with alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. [Backhand Shelf (language NSFW, unless you're a sailor or truck driver or something)]
  • Is anyone thinking about the children?! [BrooksLaichyear]
  • In sum, there's some good news and some bad news... and some fake, funny news. [DGB]
• Thing Nicklas Backstrom wanted: to play hockey. Thing Nicklas Backstrom didn't want: to wear #99. [Japers' Rink]
• They Laich Brooks (or maybe RtR gear) in Kloten. [RMNB]
• It'd be great to see Mike Green next to Douglas Murray on the Caps blueline, but on this list? Maybe not so much. [NHL Numbers]
• Karl Alzner, Man of Letters (and glorious facial hair). [@kcarrera]
• Wojtek Wolski "finally lived to see the point." Google Translate is the best. [onet via GTrans]
• "Your five favorite Caps captains" should really just be "Rod Langway and your four other favorite Caps captains," no? [Caps Outsider]
• Adam Oates likes what he sees in Mattias Sjogren. [CSNW]
• What's what from the Bears' Tuesday pracky. [Caps365 video (Rinkside Update, Oates), Patriot-News]
• Sticking with Hershey, this summers trade to Chocolatetown represented a fresh start for Zach Hamill, about which you can tell he's overjoyed - just look at that picture! [Patriot-News]
• Still in Central PA, "There is a disconnect on the Bears bench. It is like the in-laws are in town for an extended unwelcomed visit." Oof. [RtR, with several other Bears notes, and for pics from the weekend in Hershey, head over to SHoE and Bears In Pics]
• Kudos to Tom Wilson for being named to the roster for one of the OHL Super Series games. [NHL.com]
• Garrett Haar and/or Travis Boyd could conceivably make the U.S. WJC team. [United States of Hockey]
• Finally, it sounds like a great event for a really great cause, but there's no way it won't disappoint people (ok, me) when it doesn't play out like this. [KNDO]

Bäckström: I Didn't Want That Number

Nicklas Bäckström spoke with Gefle Dagblad the day after his Dynamo debut, and Malin Andersson provides this translation:

Nicklas Bäckström has had one wish since the lockout started - to get to go home and play for Brynäs.

But Brynäs have been adamant on sticking to their original decision not to sign any short-term contracts with NHL players that are under contract with NHL teams. So after waiting it out, "Bäckis" finally decided to join his friend Alexander Ovechkin in Dynamo Moscow.

"He kept calling and asked me to join him, he kept on bugging me, and eventually he convinced me. Among the things he told me was that Moscow is the best city in the world," says "Bäckis" the day after his first game, a 3-0 victory, against Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

When did you make the decision?

"At the beginning of last week. I arrived in Russia on Friday, I did some tests, and on Sunday we went on a road trip. It’s all been happening really fast."

What, besides Ovechkin nagging made you decide to sign with Dynamo now?

"First and foremost because I wanted to play hockey again. And because Brynäs feel the way they feel this was the only real alternative I had. Basically, at the core of it, you want to do what love and what makes you happy. And for me that is to play hockey."

What does your contract situation look like, can you come home and play with Brynäs if the NHL lockout last all season?

"I have signed a contract that is flexible. It’s a contract where everything is possible. So, yes, I can come home and play for Brynäs if the entire NHL season get cancelled."

You still wish to play for Brynäs if you have a chance to do so?

"Yes, that is most definitely what I want."

The negotiations are still ongoing between the NHL and players union.

How much do you know of what is happening with the negotiations, and what do you think will happen?

"At least they are still talking to each other. [Ed. note: for the latest on that, check out this morning's Clips.] I’m hoping that something will have happened by the end of November or the beginning of December. But if nothing has happened by January, I think the whole season will be cancelled."

If that happens Bäckis, will play for Brynäs. Until then, he is working on getting his timing back in the KHL.

What do you have to say about your first game for Dynamo?

"It was a typical game for when you haven't played in a while. I hope I will have improved some in the next game, already. We have our next game on Wednesday against...I think they are called Novogrod."

How have you been keeping in shape up until now?

"Me and a couple of guys from the team had been renting ice time in our normal training facility, Kettler Iceplex. Me, Mike Green, Jason Chimera, Jay Beagle, Matt Hendricks, Mike Ribeiro. We have tried to keep things up as well as we can, but it’s hard to get any real quality training out of it. You need to play games, there is no way around that."

You did score in your first game.

"Yes, I got a an assist on Ovi’s 2-0 goal, but it really wasn’t anything special with it. A secondary assist, I found a D man and he played the puck to Ovi. It was a typical Ovi goal."

What kind of hockey do they play in the KHL?

"It’s definitely different, but I thought the game was played with a lot of speed. A pretty exciting and offense-oriented type of hockey."

Bäckis played on a line with Alexander Ovechkin and his old friend from Brynäs, Richard Gynge, who scored a goal in the game. Bäckström played with number 99 on his back, but that will change soon.

"The club had already registered me to wear 99 when I got there. I told them right away that I didn’t want to play with that number. [Ed. note: This doesn't exactly jibe with what he's said elsewhere.] It just didn’t feel good, but it was too late to change it with so little notice. I will play two games wearing number 99, after that I’m going to change it. It will be something in the sixties... I honestly don’t recall exactly which number it was."

Right after the first game with his new team was over, Dynamo Moscow boarded a plane to Nizhny Novgorod in the northeast of Russia.

How do you feel about flying over there?

"It was a nice plane, I think it felt fine. But of course, some thoughts did cross my mind when we were on the runway and ready for take off, after what have happened here before."

On Tuesday night Dynamo held a practice, and tonight [Wednesday] it’s time for another game. They don’t have any sightseeing planned.

"No, I think that there maybe isn’t all that much to see here..."

At home in Moscow Bäckis stays at the club's training center [Novogorsk] for now.

"We will see what I will do in the future."

Tuesday Caps Clips: Dynamo's Dynamic Duo

Your savory breakfast links:

• The Caps' Dynamo duo had a successful debut, including Alex Ovechkin's Gordie Howe Hat Trick and a helper from his new old pivot. [RMNB (and again), Alex Ovetjkin]
  
  • Meanwhile, reaction on this side of the pond to Nicklas Backstrom's choice of sweater numbers is a first-ballot Ridiculous Outrage Hall-of-Famer. [Sporting News, Sportsnet, PHT]
  • Fun fact: Lokomotiv blueliner Alexander Guskov also wears 99, but we must've missed the international incident he caused when he chose it (because teams and infrequently leagues retire numbers, but sports don't). [Lokomotiv (h/t NYT)]
  • More from Backstrom, from before and after the game. [Japers' Rink, Alex Ovetjkin]
• The day in lockout chatter. [Puck Daddy (and again), ESPN, USA Today, Globe and Mail (and again), CP, Offside Sports Blog, SI, PPP, BrooksLaichyear, FanPost]
• Related: 30 Thoughts is back, which is great. [CBC, and here are 90% as many thoughts from RtR]
• Leftovers from the Bears' Sunday night OT loss. [Stucc's, THW]
• That loss featured a standout performance by Philipp Grubauer, as does a new Hershey ad. [SHoE]
• Down a level, Brandon Anderson whitewashed Wheeling to pick up his first professional victory. [Capitals Voice]
• Guess who the top prospect not in the NHL is, per ESPN (hint: he loves Gary Bettman). [ESPN ($, so you won't see which Cap pick makes honorable mention if you're a mere Outsider)]
• Filip Forsberg dances Gangnam Style, which... is something. [RMNB]
• In more conventional prospect news, check out a cool vid on Tom Wilson. [THN on YouTube]
• And Riley Barber is your CCHA Rookie of the Week. [Miami Redhawks (h/t sk8)]
• George McPhee is heading back to his alma mater this weekend, where he's kind of a big deal. [13abc.com]
• Finally, remembering the 1976-77 Caps, a team which amassed 26% more victories than it had in the previous two seasons combined... and still stunk. [Capitals]

Bäckström: "It Felt Damn Good to Finally Play a Game Again"

Nicklas Bäckström spoke with Hockeysverige following his Dynamo debut (Backstrom was credited with an assist in the 3-0 win), and Malin Andersson provides this translation:

"It felt damn good to finally play a game again. I think it’s fair to say that I have been waiting on this for quite some time now."

What did you like the most about the game?

"As I was saying earlier - that we won the game. The first game of the season always feels a bit strange. I think you can say that it was a typical first game of the season."

How much of a role did your friend Alexander Ovechkin have on you ending up playing for Dynamo Moscow?

"He kept calling me, trying to get me to join his team. I told him from the start that my first choice was to play for Brynäs. But Brynäs told me that they didn’t want to bring on any more players at the moment. To be perfectly honest with you - I didn't have any other alternative than to play for Dynamo. If I wanted to play at all.

"Now when I’m here it feels like a great choice, and as I said, it feels so good to be playing games again."

How well did you know Richard Gynge before you arrived in Moscow?

"I played with Richard in Brynäs so we know each other fairly well. He is a pure sniper, and he is a great guy outside of rink too. Also, it’s always nice to have another Swede on the team because it’s not like people talk a lot of English in this locker room, haha...."

Why did you win tonight?

"I thought we had an overall solid effort. After we went up with 2-0 in the game it felt like we did well playing with the lead. The first period was pretty well paced but once we scored our goals we played it safe and didn’t take any unnecessary risks and it helped that our goalie, had a great game."

So what’s next for you and your team?

"We just jumped on a bus and are heading to the airport. We are flying to the town Torpedo [Ed. note: Alexander Semin's team] plays in. We play Torpedo on Wednesday."

Monday Caps Clips: No Joy in Chocolateville

Your savory breakfast links:

• Be sure to catch up on the Saturday and Sunday Clips that you might have missed.
• Nicklas Backstrom speaks ahead of making his debut as half of the Caps' Dynamo duo. [Japers' Rink]
• Over in Switzerland, Brooks Laich is already making his mark on his new (hopefully temporary) team. [EuroHockey.com, RMNB]
• And down on the farm, despite some heroics from Philipp Grubauer in his first AHL game, the Bears lose a second straight one-goal game after a video replay gives Binghamton the OT winner. [AHL, Capitals, Dump 'n Chase]
• Lockout news! Get yer lockout news right here!
  • The NHL believes a deal to end the lockout is on the table. Right next to the pepper, behind the butter dish. [National Post]
  • Donald Fehr and the NHLPA are standing their ground for now in the face of the first real negative PR they've faced. Y'know, in a crazy alternate world where the fans' voices actually matter. [NY Times]
  • Regardless, it's a really important week ahead. Like, really really important. [ESPN]
  • But don't let that dissuade you from letting that voice be heard - would you like to take a survey? [Qualtrics]
• In honor of the (mercifully final) presidential debate tonight, JFK and hockey? [Puck Buddys]
  
• Finally, happy 44th birthday to Terry Yake and happy 32nd to Matt Pettinger.

Bäckström: "I Will Be Like the Swedish Nicklas Bäckström"

Nicklas Bäckström chatted with reporters as he prepares for to make his Dynamo debut, and Malin Anderson provides this transcription:

When you decided to come over did it take long for you to make the decision to come over?

"No, it didn’t. I told Ovi and you and everybody two weeks ago maybe. And that’s when I decided that I wanted to play and this was a good option for me and I’m glad that Dynamo wanted to have me here."

As you may or may not know Ovechkin was having critical comment on the NHL negotiation do you have any opinion on that?

"Yeah, not really. I heard what he said but I mean but I don’t have any comments right now, we will see what happens. The one thing I can tell right now is that nothing is happening. So we will see what’s going to happen."

When you were given bunch of numbers to choose, why did you choose number 99?

"Because I had a 9 in my 19 and 19 was taken and then I didn’t like the other numbers so 99 was the only one."

So you will be like the Swedish Gretzky?

"No. I will be like the Swedish Nicklas Bäckström."

Do you know anything particular about Dynamo or their history, or former stars or players?

"Yeah, they have a lot of history and last night at the museum I was looking around at pictures and stuff, for me as a Swede I saw a couple of Swedes that’s been playing there. It’s a famous club in Russia."

After watching a Dynamo game you had a chance to look at the system. Do you think this will be a system that is interesting to play?

"Yeah, I’m excited I mean. I think [...] is a great club and I’m excited to start playing and I think everything looks good, the system and everything."

Ovi and Backy from the capital in U.S. to the capital of Russia. Do you think it will be as comfortable for you as before?

"I hope so. I think so, I mean me and Ovi have been playing with each other for five years now so hopefully we know where we are on the ice."

From Jim Carey to Alex Semin and Other Trail Tales

Last week, we kinda sorta geeked out and ran an updated version of an old post regarding the ongoing legacy of the Caps' first pick in the 1982 Entry Draft, Scott Stevens. Tracing transactional trails in this manner is like a cross between "Where's George?" and the Kevin Bacon game (Bruce Boudreau to Ben Affleck or Charlie Chaplin in three steps, by the way), which is to say it's great fun for people who may or may not know what great fun really is.

But we digress... and provide a couple more asset legacy trees because why not?

First up, let's take a look at what became of a couple of 1970s first rounders, Rick Green and Ryan Walter (click to enlarge):

The first thing you notice, of course, is "The Trade" that brought Rod Langway to D.C., which literally was the most essential transaction in team history. But Langway isn't the only big name in this tree. In fact, four future Hall of Fame players (Langway, Larry Murphy, Mike Gartner and Dino Ciccarelli) appear somewhere in the branches. So do three key contributors to the Caps team that went to the Finals in 1998 (Calle Johansson, Joé Juneau and Joe Reekie). But it's not all positive, as two of the worst moves the club has ever made are here - the drafting of Alexandre Volchkov and trade of Ciccarelli for Kevin Miller. Plus, Al Iafrate! And, from a probably-only-interesting-to-me standpoint, after Juneau was traded to Buffalo, the player (Alexei Tezikov) reconnected the Brian Engblom "branch" with the Craig Laughlin branch in a blockbuster (not really) deal for Jason Marshall, while the pick paired with Miika Elomo (a key node in the Stevens tree) in exchange for the pick that became Matt Pettinger. (Sorry, ladies, I'm taken.)

Our second tree centers on one of the top centers in club history, head coach Adam Oates (click to enlarge):

There's an awful lot of fail on that tree, both in picks and players. But the trade that brought Oates to Washington includes one of the great strokes of good fortune in team history, Oates and Alexander Semin... but yeah, not much else to write home about (though Anson Carter appearing twice in the tree is cool, err, "cool"), and letting Semin walk for nothing is less-than-ideal asset management.

Anyway, what's particularly interesting is that each of these trees has completely died out, while the Stevens pick goes on. Regardless, assets have "lives," some longer than others, and the general managers that can extend the utility of a given asset beyond a single player's contributions are likely maximizing the value of those assets.

Sunday Caps Clips: Bring the Pane

Your savory breakfast links:

• Alex Ovechkin, meet glass. Glass, meet Alex O... oh. Right. [Puck Daddy, CSNW, RMNB, Alex Ovetjkin, USA Today]
  
  • Aftermath. [Sportbox]
• Oh, and you'll want to read the Captain's comments about the CBA negotiations. Until you actually read them, that is. Then you won't. [SportsNet.ca, TSN.ca, RMNB]
• Wojtek Wolski remembers where he came from, even if he really hasn't been here ... [Shelf 3D]
  • ... awwwww. He's making his mama happy. [eSanok (pics)]
• Nicklas Backstrom dishes to the Russian press. Forward! [Alex Ovetjkin]
• According to this handy NHL-on-European-holiday tracker, Ovi is doing just fine, Brooks Laich is pretty good, and Michal Neuvirth is ... gulp. [Dirty Dangle]
• Fifteen goals mark a new scoring record for a Hershey home opener, but the Bears came up on the short end of an 8-7 (ugh) final versus the Rochester Americans. [Gamesheet, Glove & Blogger, Patriot-News, Dump 'n' Chase, SHoE, Caps Outsider]
  • The Bears auctioned off their jerseys post-game, and Stanislav Galiev's sweater edged out that of Dmitry Orlov. [@M_Ann]
    
• In which the Caps lose to the Habs twice on the same night without ever taking the ice. [Montreal Gazette, Peerless]
• Finally, Troy Brouwer is enjoying his first week as a new papa. [CSNW]

Backstrom to Second-Choice Dynamo Not Quite a Done Deal?

Nicklas Backstrom has signed with the KHL's Dynamo Moscow, reuniting him with Alex Ovechkin for the duration of the lockout... or has he?

Per Aftonbladet's Sportbladet:

Nicklas Bäckström hasn't signed the contract with Dynamo Moscow yet. One of the things that still remains to be negotiated is the length of the contract. Bäckström wants an opportunity to break the contract with Dynamo if the lockout lasts all season. That is something the KHL club is not particularly interested in according to Sportbladet’s sources. Nicklas Bäckström has been very clear all along that he wants to play with Brynäs, if they let him, but so far they are turning him down.

"I don’t comment on ongoing negotiations, but I can confirm that all the details are not yet finalized." says, Gunnar Svensson, Nicklas Bäckström’s Swedish agent, to Sportbladet.

It's unlikely that anything here will cause a deal to fall through at this point, but stranger things have happened. And, to clarify, it sounds as if Dynamo would be fine with Backstrom leaving in the event that the NHL lockout ends, but wouldn't want to give him an out should an opportunity with another non-NHL club become available... which brings us to the next point, that bit about his former Swedish club, Brynäs, being Backstrom's first choice, which is something Backstrom himself told Expressen (see also here), as he spoke of his decision to head to Moscow:

"Brynäs was my first choice so of course I’m disappointed, but it is what it is. I just couldn't sit around and wait for them indefinitely, this was my only alternative. I’m really looking forward to playing some hockey again. I’m not sure when I will play my first game for Dynamo Moscow, it depends on how I feel when I get over there.

"It’s always fun to have another Swede on the team. I know Richard Gynge from when we both played together with Brynäs. He is a good guy.

"I’m really looking forward to finally play some games. I have been on ice over here in the States, but I probably am not in real game shape just yet. "

Brynäs is in a bit of a spot here, given the Swedish Elite League's lack of desire to make use potentially short-term NHL labor, something the club apparently supports and intends to honor. Back to Sportbladet:

"Of course it's a very strange feeling. It’s been an incredibly tough decision to say no thanks to Nicklas. But there are two dimensions to this: Nicklas - the man, is an incredible person and a true ambassador for Brynäs. But at the same time, we made a decision early on that we that we think will be the best for us in the long run and then you have to stay by that decision," says club director Hans-Göran Karlsson.

According to Sportbladet’s calculations Nicklas Bäckström insurance would cost Brynäs around 600,000 kronor per month. And they have financial means to afford to pay his insurance.

"Yes, we have the economy to bring him home, the fact that we do have the money makes this decision extra tough for us."

So there you have it - two Leagues (the NHL and SEL) now have said "No" to the Caps' top pivot, so he's off to Moscow to pair up with his pal Ovi... assuming the i's get dotted and t's get crossed. As with seemingly everything related to this lockout, it's clear as mud.

(H/t to Malin on the translations - super work, as always.)

Saturday Caps Clips: Another Week Bites the Dust

Your savory breakfast links:

• The League announced yesterday that the schedule through November 1 has now been cancelled, which can only be considered mildly surprising... and then only because of the relatively small number of dates s-canned this time around. [Puck Daddy, WaPo, CSNW, PHT]
• It sounds as if the lingering contractual deets have been ironed out and Nicklas Backstrom is all systems go in Moscow, where the gap-toothed chairman of the welcoming committee is doing his thing. [RMNB, Alex Ovetjkin (and again), Dynamo (pics), CSNW, USA Today, VChillin]
• News and views from Lockoutland, where I believe we're at PUCKCON 2:
  • Bad faith negotiating, unsurprisingly, does not advance the ball, err, puck. [Puck Daddy]
  • But if you're looking for reasons for optimism, look at actions, not words. [mc79hockey]
  • On the leaders, Gary Bettman... [Sportsnet]
    
  • ... and his chief adversary, Donald Fehr. [Globe and Mail]
  • Other assorted interesting reads abound (one of the few positives of the lockout - good writing about it). [Backhand Shelf (and again), NHL Numbers, Hockey Analysis]
• Wojtek Wolski made his debut back in Poland. [eSanok, gwizdek24 via Google Trans]
• The Kettler crowd is shrinking. [CSN]
• A game worn Alex Ovechkin sweater from the Winter Classic can be yours if... the price is right. [Classic Auctions]
• Speaking of Ovi's gear, a look at his rather fitting - like a glove, in fact - tribute to his late brother. [RMNB]
• ESPN's KHL ratings, like the product itself, is rather "meh." [Puck Daddy]
• Braden Holtby is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury in Hershey, so Philipp Grubauer has been called up (and could make his AHL debut this weekend). [Capitals]
• Speaking of the Bears, they got their first win of the season, thanks to a big time performance in net from Dany Sabourin. [Dump 'n Chase, Patriot-News, SHoE]
  
• Oh, and it sounds as if Dmitry Orlov blew up some dude with a hip check early in that tilt. [Stucc's Glove and Blogger]
• Finally, happy 34th birthday to Mike Farrell.