Nhl Season

A week after the two sides reached a deal to end hockey's latest labor dispute, the real work begins for NHL coaches and players. The NHL's Board of Governors and the NHL Players Association's 740 members have ratified the new collective bargaining agreement and on Saturday the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding that formally ended the lockout and allowed the league to get back to business as usual. The Washington Capitals will open training camp Sunday morning at their practice...

The Washington Wizards are trying to save their basketball season. The Washington Capitals are busy doing the same thing with their hockey season. Let's take a look. Wizards The Wizards' season can be split into two parts: when their star point guard, John Wall, was hurt and after he came back. Without Wall, the Wizards were the worst team in the National Basketball Association, posting a record of 5-28 (five wins and 28 losses). But since he came back from a leg injury, Washington has been pretty good.

On the same day he signed a contract to play for a Russian team in the Kontinental Hockey League , Alex Ovechkin reiterated that if a new NHL collective bargaining agreement includes dramatic rollbacks in existing salaries, some players — including himself — might not return. "Of course, I said it before, before I sign contract, that if the league decides to cut our salaries, cut our contracts for what they want, I don't know how many guys are coming back," the Washington Capitals '...

For the first 11 minutes of the new NHL season , Alex Ovechkin was hard to miss. The Capitals ' star winger set up on the power play against Tampa Bay; he created quality scoring chances and took four shots on goal. After the early flurry of activity in the season opener, though, Ovechkin pretty much vanished. He and linemates Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson finished with no points, eight shots on goal — five in the first period — and a combined minus-3 rating.

The Washington Capitals have garnered plenty of attention this offseason for the addition of five veteran free-agents to the dressing room, but on Friday the team ensured that one of its young home-grown defensemen will remain in the fold for two more years. Washington signed Karl Alzner to a two-year contract worth $2.57 million, which is widely considered a bargain price for the 22-year-old who established himself as half of the Capitals' shut-down pairing in his first full NHL season.

Alex Ovechkin 's offseason was quiet. He wasn't photographed partying with Russian club dancers on a yacht in Turkey, and there were no images of him that sparked a debate about his fitness level. This summer was different. This summer, Ovechkin served as the most enthusiastic supporter — and occasional equipment bag lackey — for his now fiancee, professional tennis player Maria Kirilenko . The routine took a little getting used to, Ovechkin admitted recently, what with going to sleep early...

The Capitals are Knuble's fifth NHL franchise, and a look at his previous stops reveals two interesting patterns: Teams score more points in the standings in his first full season with them (except for one tie), and they score fewer points when he leaves. First Season Season Before 1997-98 Red Wings 103 1996-97 Red Wings* 94 1998-99 Rangers 77 1997-98 Rangers 68 2000-01 Bruins 88 1999-2000 Bruins** 73 2005-06 Flyers 101 2003-04...

The game is two hours away, and the seats at J. Dee's Market Grill are already filling up, a man wearing a London Knights jacket seated one down from another wearing a London Knights cap. There is, already, discussion about playoff tickets — how much they'll cost, who the potential opponents might be, whether it makes sense to hold off on the first round and wait till the second — because the grind of the postseason for the Ontario Hockey League...

For the first 11 minutes of the new NHL season , Alex Ovechkin was hard to miss. The Capitals ' star winger set up on the power play against Tampa Bay; he created quality scoring chances and took four shots on goal. After the early flurry of activity in the season opener, though, Ovechkin pretty much vanished. He and linemates Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson finished with no points, eight shots on goal — five in the first period — and a combined minus-3 rating.

The NHL owners officially locked out the players at midnight on Saturday , and with no negotiations scheduled, players such as Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin and goaltender Michal Neuvirth are exploring their options overseas, an indication they don't expect the labor dispute to be settled anytime soon. Ovechkin, who has yet to sign a contract but has said he plans to play in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League during the lockout, told Sovetsky Sport on Monday that he...

Alex Ovechkin 's offseason was quiet. He wasn't photographed partying with Russian club dancers on a yacht in Turkey, and there were no images of him that sparked a debate about his fitness level. This summer was different. This summer, Ovechkin served as the most enthusiastic supporter — and occasional equipment bag lackey — for his now fiancee, professional tennis player Maria Kirilenko . The routine took a little getting used to, Ovechkin admitted recently, what with going to sleep early only to rise...

A week after the two sides reached a deal to end hockey's latest labor dispute, the real work begins for NHL coaches and players. The NHL's Board of Governors and the NHL Players Association's 740 members have ratified the new collective bargaining agreement and on Saturday the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding that formally ended the lockout and allowed the league to get back to business as usual. The Washington Capitals will open training camp Sunday morning at their...

When the truncated NHL season finally starts on Jan. 19, the Washington Capitals may be without their top center. Nicklas Backstrom hasn't played since he fell awkwardly into the boards while in Russia during the lockout, and after he went to see a specialist this week, there's growing concern that he may have suffered another concussion. Backstrom suffered the injury, which was initially described as a neck problem, on Dec. 26, when he was playing for Dynamo...

Alex Ovechkin was one of the first five players on the ice Tuesday morning at the Washington Capitals ' training facility. He zipped around the rink, showing occasional flashes of speed and explosiveness as he joked with teammates. Afterward, he poked fun at reporters while sporting a T-shirt with the message, "Am I really the prettiest one here, again?" written in Russian. The appearance was his first in Washington since September, but it was as though he never left.

The lockout of NHL players that dragged on for 113 days and cost the league more than half the season was a battle over money, as all collective bargaining negotiations are. More than that, though, it became a battle of egos, which is why it took so long to resolve issues that should have been agreed upon sometime last summer. Gary Bettman was absolutely set on "winning," because he had won his first two CBA negotiations as NHL commissioner — one costing more than half a season, the second...

Hockey fans — if you're still out there — raise the beverage of your choice and toast Scot L. Beckenbaugh, the federal mediator who finally eked out an 11th-hour settlement that is close to ending the NHL lockout after 113 days. About 100 of those days seemed to pass with no progress. That the NHL owners and players' union went to the brink of losing an entire season and even needed the help of federal meditation is ridiculous, but they did. Too bad they couldn't have started...

Alex Ovechkin joined the Russian squad in advance of the world hockey championship and was awaiting insurance before he will be allowed to practice or play. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation will be responsible for insuring Ovechkin and the 13-year, $124 million contract he signed with the Washington Capitals earlier this year. Ovechkin, 22, said he is eager to get on the ice, and is optimistic everything will be taken care of before the tournament opens Friday. "I came here to play with my team," Ovechkin said yesterday.

Interim executive director Ian Penny and the NHL Players Association parted ways. "Interim executive director Ian Penny informed the NHLPA staff and the NHLPA executive board earlier today that it is his position he has been constructively dismissed . . . and can no longer work in the present circumstances," the NHLPA said in a statement. "Effective today, Ian Penny is no longer employed by the NHLPA. " Penny was hired after the union's executive board fired Paul Kelly on Aug. 31. He had succeeded Ted Saskin, who was let go in May...

At first glance, nothing at Verizon Center seemed all that different from so many past December nights. Fans rocking their red jerseys streamed into the building, hugged their friends and high-fived the Washington Capitals mascot while making their way to their seats. Scattered among the red sweaters, though, were plenty of fans waving foam bear claws. Brown T-shirts commemorated 11 Calder Cup victories and Boyd Kane jerseys were as frequent a sight as...

HERSHEY, Pa. — This isn't where Braden Holtby was supposed to kick off a new season just months removed from leading the Washington Capitals to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He was scheduled to take the next step; to prove he can handle the workload of a full NHL season with consistency and composure . But thanks to the labor stalemate between owners and players, instead of opening the 2012-13 campaign at Verizon Center on Friday night, Holtby will spend the...