Goalie Gear

Last week, the Washington Capitals posted a picture on their tumblr blog  of Neuvy's new glove and blocker. This got me curious. What does a goalie do to break in new equipment? So I posed some questions to a few hockey goalies.

Participating in the discussion were:

Jared DeMichiel, our former ECHL South Carolina Stingrays goalie, now playing with the ECHL Elmira Jackals. (Jared recently tweeted that he has been invited to try out with the Boston Bruins, I’m sure we all wish him the best of luck!) On Twitter as @demike3316.

Mark Russo, who besides being a PGA professional, is also a goalie in leagues at both Laurel Ice Gardens and Piney Orchard Ice Arena. Mark also contributed a great article on goalie pads to the NHL Digest blog  which is run by a terrific guy named Tyler McKinna. On Twitter as @markrussopga and @tylermckinna.

Angela Robson, who will be playing in the Steel City Hockey League this year, which is based in Ontario. On Twitter as @goaliegirl.

Jacob Greengas, a paramedic living in Colorado who has been a goalie for 6 years. On Twitter as @MedicGoalie84.

Chris Gannon, who plays pickup hockey. On Twitter as @CapsCup2012.

Tommy Huynh, who played in the AA Men's league at Kettler this past summer. On Twitter as @GLaSnoST9.

My thanks to everyone who participated. Please give them all a follow on Twitter if you aren’t already.

So, what does it take to break in new equipment? I imagined breaking in a goalie glove would be similar to breaking in a baseball mitt. I wasn’t far off, but when it comes to the blocker or lag pads, I hadn’t a clue.

Jared: With my pads the only break in I really do is figure out the sizing for the straps to my legs. My glove probably is the biggest break it period. I like to leave it under a heavy weight, mattress, or couch. I periodically switch the weight on the glove as I leave the glove open and close it too. There's really no break in with the blocker. I just chuck it on and get used to it!

Mark: When a catching glove first arrives, it is generally very stiff and difficult to close, which can be problematic if the puck can't be properly sealed into the glove when caught. Goalies have many different ways to break-in their gloves - bending them back and forth to break down the materials, resting heavy objects on them to work them into that closed position, and tying a softball into the webbing to get it nice and open in there to ensure the puck stays tightly enclosed. There is nothing a goalie won't try to break the glove down, but in the end it takes persistence and use to get it to where it needs to be for game action. I usually will bend it back and forth quite a bit trying to flex it as much as possible, and then I will also rest a heavy object on the glove in a closed position so that it starts to get bent in that direction. After that, it's just constantly working it and using it trying to get it broken in... You really do see a lot of different methods, and it really seems to be what feels best or gives the goalie the most confidence that it is going to be game ready. The pads require the least break-in of any equipment, as they are made with a certain amount of flex already built in by nature should be a bit firm on the outside.

Angela: Thankfully this is something you don’t have to do very often. I’ve been playing for almost 15 years and I still have my first trapper. For my trapper, when I first got it, I wore it every chance I could and continuously opened and closed it. Probably not the best way to do it, but it worked for me. For goalie pads, you want to beat them up, HARD. You can use a baseball bat to beat them (lying on the floor, pad side up) and this is actually a pretty common practice. Obviously don’t do that to the inside part where your leg/knee goes. If you don’t want to do that, you can also put them at the bottom of the stairs so that every time you go up/down the stairs, you have to step on them. Really though, the best way to break in pads is to wear them and play lots of hockey. It takes a looooong time to break them in! It took me several seasons and I play all year round.

Jacob: When it comes to breaking in equipment the only pieces that need any special attention are the catcher, leg pads and skates (full disclosure, I still play in the same used chest protector and breezers I started with, so I've never had to break them in). I break in my leg pads wearing them around the house and playing drop in games in them. For my catcher I wear it and just keep opening and closing it over and over until it loosens up.

Chris: Out of all the equipment gloves are the items that need the most work when getting new goalie gear. What I have always done is loosen the webbing in the mitt. Dumped a glass of water on the glove and fold it inside out. Normally I will sit a desk or something heavy on top of it for 24 hours. Every time I've done this the glove is easy to open and shut the next day. You need to be able to easily hold the glove open as wide as it can go and I have found doing the above helps tremendously. As far as the leg pads go, it's close to the same thing. I will dump some water on them and take the top buckle and latch it to the bottom buckle bend the pads in half. Wetting the pads first makes it easier for them to bend. After they dry I unlatch them and they normally have a nice bend to them. Another thing i have found is that the bend really seems to make the pads more flexible when you butterfly. The blocker's I have never really needed to do anything with.

Tommy: In regards to new leg pads, it's different with each brand. I have a custom set of Reebok Revoke Pro Zone pads, they came already kind of broken in, and I took out the thigh guards that came with them so it's more comfortable when I butterfly. I wear knee pads underneath for protection and I won't go back to wearing thigh guards ever again. After wearing them a few times, the way I keep them broken in is I stack them upside down, so the bottom of the pad is facing up. I leave them like that until I use them next. For my glove, I tie a skate lace around the glove (2 loops) and sometimes  put 2 tennis balls in the mitt so that it stays compact, so when I unwrap it before I get on the ice, it’s easier to close. I'm not really sure how to break in a blocker other than just using it. In terms of Chest Pads, I've heard that you can wear it in the sauna, so the best way to break these in is by wearing it and getting it wet/moist. Then it will start to become more flexible and mold to your body.

Second question for the group: What special preparations, if any, do you do to your equipment prior to a game? (I do think this question needs a follow up in regards to superstitions in the near future, don't you?)

Jared: I like to get my skate's sharpened at 3/8 of an inch, tape/wax the blade of my stick, and lastly I like my glove/blocker dry before every game.

Mark: One of the big pre-game rituals for virtually every goalie is to lay his equipment out for proper inspection. All of it is checked over for any loose straps or broken/worn material, especially in the chest protector where a loose strap can cause an opening and some major pain if a puck gets through to the body. Every goalie knows what it is like to catch that one shot that just comes in awkwardly and seems to miss every piece of equipment and leave you with a nice bruise. So checking everything before the game is always important. In addition, the buckles and straps on the pads always need to be checked as they endure a lot of stress, as well as get easily weathered from the moisture and can come apart. Also, all goalie pads have a "toe bridge" on the bottom of the pads that has two screws; this "toe bridge" rests right on top of the skate and attaches the long skate lace that every goalie uses to run through the bottom of the skates to help secure the pad properly to the top of the foot. These screws constantly come loose through the movement of the goalie in the games, and always need to be checked so that they don't come out on the ice. Maybe last, but not least, are the skates. Goalie skates are much different than player skates as they not only have a protective shell on them, but are much flatter in the blade area; this is for stability and the ability to glide from side to side much more smoothly, as well as push from side to side when down on the ice in the "butterfly" position. But the blades of these skates take a beating as they meet with the metal posts of the goal on a regular basis as the goalie works to keep a tight seal on the post and not let that puck squeeze through. So, attention to the blades and a regular sharpening or use of a sharpening stone is very important.

Angela: No special preparations. But, in order to keep my equipment in good working order, I air it out as much as possible and frequently check all pieces for broken clasps, holes, etc. My pads got a hole in the leather on the inside bottom where the skate goes…I took it to a leather repair guy and he fixed it up for $30.

And finally, is there anything special about the fitting of the equipment; i.e. sizing, weight, helmet specifications, etc., that the average hockey fan wouldn't know but might find interesting?

Jared: Well, my pads are sized specifically to the length of my legs. I believe I wear 35 +2.5 length Reebok Pads. My helmet is fitted to the size of my head. Usually this is the size of one's baseball cap. I think my head is somewhere around 7 and 1/4 so my melon isn't too large! Lastly, I like to have a hand on deciding the paint job on my helmet. I usually do it through Eye Candy Air. They do an unreal job and they are fun to work with!

Mark: It's incredibly important to get the right fitting pad as not only does it need to fit the playing style of the goalie but it also must fit properly for safety. The main point that all goalies look for is the size of the pad; all goalie pads come measured in inches, and a proper measurement will take place by measuring from the top of the foot to the center of the knee. The key to that is the "knee stack"; this is the pad that will be directly under the goalie's knees when he goes down to the ice, and must be lined up perfectly under the knee or an injury can occur. In addition, it makes it much easier to slide from side to side when the knee stack is positioned correctly, as the knee stack is the main contact point with the ice when a goalie is down to make the save. When it comes to equipment, the most glamorous part of the bag is the mask. In terms of fitting, the high end masks are made of Kevlar and can be fitted by doing a plaster mold of the goalie's face, which will then be used to make the inside of the mask so there is a snug fit for protection. But most masks can be bought without having to do the plaster mold and as long as the head size is correct, a goalie can get a good, safe fit.

Angela: DON’T BUY ANYTHING TOO TIGHT. It’s much more preferred to have equipment that is on the loose side, but not huge. You need to be able to move in the net quickly, and being constricted won’t help.The helmet should fit snugly, not tight but not moving when you turn your head from side to side. Don’t ever cut a goalie stick, they are balanced. When buying a chest protector, move around in it; make sure that the tops of your arms and shoulders aren’t exposed to non-padded areas.

Chris: Regarding the stick: You should be able to easily hold in one hand and hold at eye level. If not, the stick is too heavy for you. Make sure you get a stick that is not to heavy and you a comfortable with. I cannot tell you how important this will be for when you need to make some amazing Holtby stick saves. Regarding the leg pads: If you plan on butterfly goaltending, spend a lot of time making sure you are comfortable in the butterfly position in your leg pads. Newer pads are made to butterfly easily but some older pads actually require you to awkwardly wear the pads on the sides of your legs. Before purchasing any legs pads make sure you fully suit up and spend at least an hour playing with them in butterfly.

As you all should know by now, I am a fan of goalies, so I personally enjoyed getting this wealth of knowledge regarding goalie equipment. Sadly, I wasn't able to interview Neuvy himself for this post, but maybe I'll be luckier next time I get a spark of inspiration. Thanks again to everyone who helped educate me!

Wishing and Hoping

It’s mid-August; September is right around the corner. You hockey fans know what that means. Almost time for training camp and preseason hockey, baby!

In pondering the upcoming Caps season, and musing on Matt Bradley’s thoughts on last year, I came to the realization that besides my non-diva wish for the 2011-2012 season, there are a couple of things I’d like to see adjusted for the Caps. Being a simple blonde girl blogger, and not BB/GMGM/Uncle Ted, it’s easy to be an armchair analyst, right?

1. LET THEM GEL. My greatest wish for training camp and beyond is that Bruce will give the lines a chance to gel. We know how frustrating it is to watch the constant line changing during a game; just imagine what it is like for the players who are experiencing it. Feels a little like crisis management, doesn’t it? Hopefully, Bruce will use training camp as a starting point for creating some solid lines and then give them a chance to learn to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Trust your instincts Bruce, and let the guys work together. You have lots of time to determine if it isn’t gelling. That’s when you make adjustments. And once you make those adjustments, give those new lines a chance to gel too. Use training camp and preseason games to get your lines set and then let them play together for a while before you start switching them up, ok?

2. LET’S SEE A LEAN, MEAN, RUSSIAN MACHINE. I know there were a lot of comments on Ovi being fat when his post-season interview with Mike Vogel was released. (I’m going to stick by my theory that he was just bloated from all his traveling around that time. That and he was slumping in his chair.) Now, if you research just a little, you will see the few pictures of Ovechkin taken this summer since that time. Doesn’t look fat to me at all. I hope you’ve worked hard over the summer, Ovi, please come back to training camp the lean, mean Russian machine we long to see. Oh, and I hope that lean, mean Russian machine is present in the locker room as well. I’m kinda tired of hearing about veterans making their presence known; I’d really like to hear that Ovi’s presence is being shown in the locker room. I am not one of those fans that thinks the “C” should be taken away from him, so back me up here, ok Ovi?

3. BACKY COMES BACK. I miss Nick Backstrom. I think we all miss Nick Backstrom. Dear Nicky, I hope whatever was going on last season is in the past. I hope whatever physical or mental obstacles that you encountered are gone. I hope you had a great summer of training and working on all the things that caused you to “stumble” last year and you come into training camp with a renewed sense of purpose. We need our #1 Center back in action, focused and strong. Love, all Caps fans.

4. NO OPTIONAL PRACTICES. Brads kind of alluded to this in his recent interview. My Twitter feed totally alluded to this during the entire season last year. Unless there is an injury, let’s see every player at every practice, ok? In order for wish #1 to work, you all need to be there making sure you are prepared for every inevitability. No excuses. Sorry, but if you expect to be a threat on the ice this year, everybody has to buy in to it. There is no I in team. (Yes, there is an M-E, but forget you heard that). While I don’t expect to have players punished with bag skates, that wouldn’t even be considered if everyone played their hearts out and participated in every practice.

5. DO NOT FEED US FALSE PROMISES. Do not give us promises of winning the Stanley Cup. Please, I’m begging here. All we want to hear is that the entire team is serious about being the best they can be. Yes, we all want the Stanley Cup, but we are a little tired of hearing how this is going to be our year. Let’s make “Giving our all” the motto this year, ok?

Just 5 simple wishes for the Caps 2011-2012 season. Not much to ask for, right? And I didn’t even use any cussing, aren’t you proud of me? So, what would you wish for?

#NeedsMoreBradley (Part2)

Today, while going through my Caps pictures to clean up a Blogger mess, I noticed I had a lot of really funny pictures of Matt Bradley from over the years. After a brief poll, I was convinced it isn't too late for a pictoral tribute to our favorite paper-skinned Capital; Matt Bradley. (Actually, since I really wanted to do one, it didn't take that much arm twisting).

Any time I shot pictures at practices or game warmups, I could almost always be guarnteed of at least one great pic of our MB10.

If you happen to know any Florida Panthers fans; besides teaching them the #needsmorebradley hashtag, I'd really love for them to see what to expect when it comes to the fun loving Brads, so give 'em a link to here to get a small taste.

I would like to dedicate this post to @iloveburritos, who as far as I am concerned, is THE biggest MB10 fan. I know her Capfandom will probably never be the same. :(

Maybe I'll be lucky enough to catch a Caps/Panthers game and snag one or two more, but until then, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you The Many Faces of Matt Bradley:

We'll miss you Brads!



If I discover I've missed any, I'll update the post.

Social Media Ain’t for Wimps

The more I use Social Media, the more I’ve realized it is not for the faint-of-heart. Unless you have restricted yourself to a private Facebook and/or Twitter account, you might as well be back on the schoolyard playground when it comes to any type of Social Media.

It reminds me of a moment in the movie The American President; “America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.” (The result of this in relation to Social Media, and on Twitter in particular; is what we like to call “Twitter Fights”. You may come out of it victorious, or have your ego completely battered and bruised while you slink off into a corner to pout.)

Like the schoolyard playground, Social Media has all the personalities you had hoped to have left back in your childhood. Unless you only follow a few select people on any Social Media platform, you ARE going to meet them in your interactions in the web.

• The Expert: The Experts are also known as the Know-it-alls. No matter what you tell them, they already know it. The Expert knows everything. They are never wrong. They will fight you to the death to convince you that they are smarter then you. Unfortunately, the Experts usually have a pretty large following, because like lemmings, people will follow any leader off the proverbial cliff. Their audience will jump on the Expert’s bandwagon and chime in just to show they also belong in the “Expert” category. I’ll grant you this; there are times when the Expert actually is right and they sometimes help you increase your knowledge. But getting through their diatribes to actually find these little nuggets can be extremely difficult.

• The Bully: Like the Expert, the Bully will do everything in their power to convince you that their way is the only way. But, the Bully adds a little extra to their forcefulness. If you refuse to give in to the Bully, not only will they publically snub you, they will convince their own group of lemmings to do the same. Get on the wrong side of the Bully and they will make sure you live to regret it. You will probably beg and plead to be restored to their good graces, everything from retweeting them to just plain kissing their ass, just to not be ostracized by the Bully and his gang. The Bully does not fall for this; give it up.

• The Cool Kids: This is the group that that everybody wants to be a part of. The Cool Kids are edgy. They listen to obscure music and tell great jokes. Their postings usually make you wish you had thought of that. They know a lot of good stuff but don’t shove it down your throat like the Experts. If they don’t get a response/reply/retweet, their usual reaction is a simple “Meh” and they move on. Life is pretty good if you are one of the Cool Kids. 

• The Nice Guys: The Nice Guys are the people pleasers. They will agree with just about everything just to be accepted into the fold. I like Nice Guys but often feel a little sorry for them. They try awfully hard but are frequently ignored. The Experts and the Bullies won’t waste their time on the Nice Guys because the Nice Guys rarely argue, and what’s the fun in that? Many people think the Nice Guys are insecure and needy, but they actually aren’t. They’re nice, that’s all.

• The Whiners: The Whiners are the attention seekers. They will pester you to death to be heard. They are the high maintenance people of Social Media. And ignoring the Whiners will NOT make them go away. These are the people you regret ever following. My advice to you is to just go ahead and unfollow them; they will never contribute anything to your Social Media experience since they are only in it for themselves. I know, that’s a bit mean, but post after post, tweet after tweet of just “listen to me” and “pay attention to me”, you’re gonna rue the day you clicked follow.

• The Trolls: The Trolls are the people that make your blood boil. Although the free speech aspect of Social Media is commendable, the Trolls are the ones you wish had never ever bought a computer. They spew hate. I imagine them walking around in real life with little fumes of hate wafting from the top of their heads. The Trolls are similar to the Whiners, in that they are attention seekers. But, unfortunately, their methods only make people reject them more. Pay attention when you hear people on Social Media say a particular person is a Troll. That moniker is usually not given out lightly. It is a warning to others. Heed the warning.

• The Outsiders: The Outsiders really just don’t get it. They try really hard though, so sometimes you need to give them a chance. If they use Social Media as a learning tool, they may advance to becoming a valuable person in your feed. If they show potential, take pity on them. Take them by the hand, and lead them into the Promised Land.

• The Hall Monitors: Just like in school, the Hall Monitors are the boss of everybody. Don’t spell something right? They’ll be quick to point out your mistake. Don’t mess with them. If you do, they’ll make sure everybody finds out that you are not worthy of belonging to any Social Media. Yes, they are similar to the Bully, but their purpose in life is to make sure you do everything exactly as they think you should. I guess it gives them some kind of self-satisfaction, but since I would be the kind of person who would be considered the “runs with scissors” instead of the “plays well with others”, I don’t have a lot of patience with the Hall Monitors. If you don’t mind being corrected every time you have a minor faux pas, more power to you.

• The Smart Alecks: These were the kids who smoked under the bleachers and talked back to the teachers. In today's world, these people are the snarky instigators, they goad people into making fools of themselves, usually very successfully. Like the Cool Kids, they are pretty popular because they love to post drunk posts/tweets, because everything is funnier when you're drunk. They are very entertaining. The Smart Alecks also love to laugh at everyone, including themselves. You will recognize them immediately because they often to write in all caps and use all kinds of abbreviations or have very inventive avatars. Sit back and enjoy the Smart Alecks, they are just looking for a good time.

Looking back on my Social Media experience, I now understand why some people have their accounts private or only follow back a limited number of people. Which brings me to Google+. I always hate unfollowing people; I guess it’s the Nice Guy in me. Like many people, I also hate being unfollowed, which might be a little Whiner-ish too. So, the one thing I like about Google+ is the ability to put people in “circles”. You can let anyone in the world follow your feed without having to actually follow theirs. It’s a win/win situation. They don’t feel dissed that you don’t read their feed; they don’t even know that you don’t. You can create circles and then just pick the ones you actually want to interact with. True story; I have a circle called “People I have no clue about”. No, you aren’t in it.

I have a love/hate relationship with Social Media. Many days I just want to tweet “That’s it, I quit”. That’s the time when I take a break and go enjoy the real world. So if I don’t tweet or post on Facebook or Google+ for a while, that’s where I’ll be. Just DM me and I’ll tell you where you can find me, hopefully hanging out with the Cool Kids or drinking with the Smart Alecks.

G is for Goalie

Today the Caps signed veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun to a one-year contract. Now, you knew something like this was gonna happen, didn’t you? Here’s my take on this whole goalie “situation”.

1. Varly traded to Colorado for a 1st and 2nd round draft pick. Aw, dear Cleek on Me. What an athletic goaltender. He was great for us when the chips were down in 2010. But, if you believe the press conference reports, Varly asked for more money and a guarantee of the #1 position. Sounds kinda Diva-ish, doesn’t it? Guess he trusted his agent when it came to negotiations, right? I will say one thing in Varly’s defense: as much as I like Neuvy, I think if BB had put Varly in for one game of the second round of the playoffs, something might have shaken loose and we “might” not have been swept. Now, hear me out, I am not blaming Neuvy for the 2nd round sweep. Not by a long shot. All I’m saying is I think if Boudreau HAD put Varly in for just one game, it might have changed the course just enough to keep us in the series longer. He was ready and it might have made a difference. But, that being said, I would like to quote the all-knowing Justin Goldman from the The Goalie Guild:

“Although Varlamov has terrific talent and awesome potential, he is still a raw-skilled goalie that has to prove he can stay healthy and perform at a consistent and competitive level on a nightly basis. Without a full-time goalie coach in Colorado, Varlamov’s mental toughness and focus will be tested right away.”

And this:

“Now he has to prove he can play 55-60 without getting hurt, and with no luxury of struggling for more than a few games.”

I wish dear Varly well; I hope he has the final “I told you so”.

 

2. Holtby as backup for 2011-2012? I love Holtby; I think he is an awesome goalie. I also think he needs just one more year in the AHL for a touch more maturity. I am not blaming the Hershey Bears not winning the Calder Cup on Holtby, far from it. But the NHL is not the AHL, and while Holts impressed us the games he did play, let’s consider what he might have done if he had to play longer. Possible break down after 10+ more games? Possible loss of concentration when it was needed most? Who knows? Well, Holtby certainly had the hot hand then, but maybe Irbe knew. He was kinda intuitive that way. Think he had something to say about it? Yeah, I do. But now that Olie Kolzig will be working with him up in Hershey (for the most part), I really think 2012-2013 will be a great season in the NHL for Holtby. Looking forward to that!

3. Signing Tomas Vokoun to a one year contract. Ok, so now we have signed a veteran goalie for one year. The same one year we need for Holts to mature. The same year we need somebody to backup (?) Neuvy now that Varly is gone. Ok, I know Vokoun is 35 and has played 13 seasons, but we how does a veteran hurt right now? Think about it…let’s say we get to the playoffs again in 2012, and Neuvy needs help, gets hurt, or heaven forbid, needs to be relieved in a playoff game. Wouldn’t you feel just a tad more confident with a veteran backing him up? (Now I am assuming Vokoun is gonna be the backup, and you know what they say when you assume…) Besides that, think about having 2 Czech goalies on the roster. I’ve always said Neuvy is “money like a Czechbook”, and now he has a countryman to mentor him and help him mature. Being the goalie fan girl that I am, the more I think about this, the more I’m kinda digging it. The personal dynamics of this could be awesome.

(Picture to follow *as soon as I can get to Kettler or Verizon Center and capture Vokoun in a Caps jersey!)

4. Neuvy. Ah, Neuvy. As it stands right now, I consider you the future of the Caps goaltending. Such a cool head in net for one so young. Just thinking about where he could be in few years in regards to his ability is mind boggling. Is he the next Olaf Kolzig for the Caps? Could be! Especially with the possible opportunity to have some mentoring from Olie, I think we should try to be happy with Neuvy and give this whole situation a chance to play out.

So, because I really have no say in the matter, I’m going to have to put my faith in Dave Prior when it comes to the goalies. Fingers crossed this whole thing makes for a total winning season for the Caps. But I will never forget this:

Hockey in BlondeSpeak: Free Agency

You may have noticed a lot of discussion lately on players that will become free agents this summer. Who will get re-signed, who will move on to another team, etc.? You may have also seen players described as unrestricted or restricted free agents. So, are you wondering what all this means? Let me break it down into BlondeSpeak for you.

The free agency period begins on July 1. Any player, whose contract has expired and is at least 27 years old or has been an NHL player for at least 7 years, will become an unrestricted free agent. An unrestricted free agent is free to negotiate a contract with any NHL team. Their current team receives no compensation for the loss of the unrestricted free agent. (Prior to 2005, teams losing unrestricted free agents were awarded draft picks as compensation).

Restricted free agents are players that; while they are no longer considered “entry-level” players; they do not qualify as unrestricted free agents, when their contracts expire. There are 3 basic types of “entry-level” players; players between 18 & 21, who sign an “entry-level” contract for 3 seasons; players aged 22-23 sign a 2 season contract; and players aged 24 sign a 1 season contract. A restricted free agent’s current team must extend a “qualifying offer” to him in order to keep negotiating rights to that player. If that qualifying offer is not made, that player becomes an unrestricted free agent. If a “qualifying offer” is made but the restricted free agent rejects it, he continues to remain a restricted free agent. If the player does not sign before December 1st, he is ineligible to play in the NHL for the remainder of the season.

Part of the qualifying offer includes required salary increases based on their current salary. If a player earns less than $660,000, his offer must include 110% of last season’s salary. Players earning $660,001 - $1,000,000 must be offered 105%, and players earning over $1,000,000 must be offered 100%. Now, there are a few special rules in regards to arbitration of a player’s salary and conditions that must be met, but as this does not further define what the essence of a restricted free agent is, I’m not gonna muddy the waters with it.

So, what does all this mean with regards to the Washington Capitals? Currently, the following players will be unrestricted free agents on July 1 if an offer from the Washington Capitals is not made and accepted: Jason Arnott, Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon, Scott Hannan, Brooks Laich, and Marco Sturm. There are also 6 Hersey Bears/Stingrays players who will be unrestricted free agents on July 1 if no offer is made/accepted: Sean Collins, Brian Fahey, Todd Ford, Steve Pinizzotto, Dany Sabourin, and Brian Willsie. I should add that there is one more player that will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 – Michael Nylander. I wasn’t really going to factor him into the discussion, but to be fair, he does belong to the list. I think we can all rest assured that he will not receive an offer from the Caps.

 

 

As for restricted free agents, Karl Alzner and Semyon Varlamov will be the 2 Caps players that are hoping to get a “Qualified Offer”, as well as a bunch of Hershey guys that include Andrew Gordon and Mathieu Perreault.

And, on a side note: on July 1, 2012, Alex Semin, Jason Chimera. Dennis Wideman, Tyler Sloan, and DJ King will become unrestricted free agents. Mike Green, Eric Fehr and John Carlson will become restricted free agents. See what you have to look forward too?

It is interesting to note that as of this post, none of the Caps players listed (restricted or unrestricted) have been announced as receiving or signing offers. They may be in the works and there may be some good news for fans of these players any time between now and July 1, but if July 1 rolls around without any announcements, my advice to you is to keep watch for most of these players to be signed by other teams. As you may have heard, Brooks Laich expressed in his season end exit interview that he hopes to be a Washington Capital next season, and I personally know some Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon fans that will be terribly sad if none of these guys rock the red for the 2011-2012 NHL season. And while Jason Arnott certainly proved himself to be a good acquisition as a veteran player, is his time over or will be get the nod for one more year? There has been a great deal of speculation on whether or not Varly will get a qualifying offer, but rumor has it that Alzner is going to be a lock for next year. Personally, I think the free agency deadline is more interesting than the draft, considering we already know the guys in question, and I can’t wait to hear some good news about the Caps roster in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed!

My Wish for 2011/2012

Well, Caps fans, it's been an interesting run, once again. I am not going to ruminate over Caps coaching problems or player's lack of drive. I'm going to leave that to my more experienced and more knowledgeable bloggers. I have just one wish for next season: no more Prima Donnas.

I may be the only one in Caps fandom that feels this way, but I doubt it. And I don't know what happens with players on other teams, maybe they have this problem as well. All I can say is; I would like to see less of our team in commercials and twitpic'd partying; then I can believe they take their jobs seriously.

Before you start bashing; yes, it is great to see Ovi doing commercials, but I think he's being used by behind-the-scenes moneymaking machines. He doesn't need this extreme exposure, he's currently one of the most famous hockey players to hit the ice in years. Famous for his skill and personality. Let's face it, do you use a certain product just because he endorses it in a commercial? If so, click the big red X in the corner of your computer screen right now, this post is definitely not for you. But, quick trips to New York for magazine photo shoots or commercial tapings during the season should be off limits, even if it's Ovi, Green or Boudreau. He and the rest of our team have a job to do and get paid pretty well to do it. Let's concentrate on that next season. As for the others, you know you groan when one of their commercials comes on for the one billionth time. I wish some of these commercials involved some dignity, but alas, this is not so. Better to not have them at all then to become the butt of jokes.

And, yes, 24/7 was great. I loved watching all that went on in the Caps' and Penguin's locker rooms. I still laugh when I think of "Fuck you, Geno", but I have to believe it was a distraction, no matter what Caps' management says. I wasn't surprised when the team's slump coincided with the HBO cameras watching everything they do. (Well, not exactly coincided with their arrival, more like coincided with the series airing). How would you feel if you knew a camera was watching every move you made? I'm sure the guys got used to it, learned to ignore them, rose to the challenge and overcame the intrusion (the win at the Winter Classic kind of tells me they did). But, even though it was interesting and entertaining, you and I know two of the most ridiculous moments were watching our coach get interviewed with some kind of sauce on his chin and insisting on stopping for ice cream at 10 a.m. while Christmas shopping, and that only added more fuel to the fire of ridicule from fans of other teams.

As to the partying, boys will be boys, I know this. Of course they are allowed to do what they want, they are grownups, but a little decorum should be used here as well. I don't think the management needs to issue curfews like our guys are in high school, but I do think the guys need to remember that they are professional athletes and not in the cast of Jeresy Shore. Party within realistic boundries, guys. Save it for when you don't have a game the next day. Show us you care about your performance so we can have faith that our hard earned dollars aren't being wasted on tickets to watch you play.

Admittedly, a great deal of the emotion I feel right now is based on that ridicule from other teams' fans. I do not enjoy feeling like we are the laughingstock of the NHL. I do not like hearing that one of our fans had beer poured all over her by a fan of the opposing yet winning team. And, honestly, I can deal with it when my coworkers from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia seem drawn to pointing out how silly our team looks in insurance or rug cleaning commercials. Based on Twitter responses, even Caps fans know how silly our team looks. And that is the point of this diatribe. Prima Donnas do not enhance, they detract.

I hope next season is not filled with promises of the Stanley Cup. I would rather it be filled with promises of professional, dignified, and serious concentration on the task at hand. Our team is filled with talent, we should be able to hold our heads high at the end of next season, no matter what the outcome; knowing that our team worked their hardest, gave it their all and acted like professionals the whole way. Winning is a serious business, even if it is only a "game".