Right Where He Belongs

Oh happy day in Washington DC, Alex Ovechkin is staying put in a Capitals jersey. That is good news for Caps fans who were worried about the impending decision that could have put Ovechkin back in a Moscow Dynamo jersey.

That doesn’t mean an end to court proceedings however for the Capitals, who are still looking for a way to get Alexander Semin back to the U.S. Many believe including Tarik El-Bashir that Semin will be back in a Capitals sweater by next year.

In a rare interview on Comcast Sportsnet with Joe Beninati, El-Bashir talked about Semin with George McPhee (General Managers extraordinaire) and they are hoping that by next season, the talented forward will be at Capitals training camp.

Injuries are still plaguing the Caps. Jamie Heward, Steve Eminger, and Jeff Halpern are all questionable to return. The three of them account for 61 points this year. The Caps will lose some substantial speed on the blue line with Heward and Eminger out of the line up.

In a rather amusing story, Olie Kolzig tried to recreate Ovechkin’s goal in Phoenix at a recent practice. As reported in the Wash Post:

“Capitals goaltender Olie Kolzig tried about a half dozen times during yesterday's practice to replicate the acrobatic goal scored by Ovechkin in Phoenix on Monday. Kolzig, lying flat on his back in full pads, managed to score only once.

‘I show him how to do it,’ Ovechkin joked. ‘But he can't do it. He's a goalie.’”

A goalie indeed.

Caps face the struggling St. Louis Blues tonight at the Booth. All the previews for this game give St. Louis a chance to get back their winning ways, rather than give any real chance for the Caps to win. The Capitals are the underdog for this game.

-- Other Notes --

• OLN will broadcast ECHL All Star Game. And I thought I was going to miss it this year (sarcasm alert). They may cover the North Dakota State Pee Wee playoffs later this season.


• Peter Forsberg will miss one game due to groin injury, although he is expected to start the next game. Flyers need a healthy Forsberg to make a last push to the playoffs. Although at this point Ken Hitchcock has the boys playing very well.


• Marion Hossa helped the Atlanta Thrashers beat the Dallas Stars for the first time in the team’s history. Way to go Thrashers. That is neato!


• Zigmund Palffy retires for “personal reasons” so says Penguin’s GM. Many are speculating that it may be due to nagging injuries. Palffy joins a list of veteran palyers that have called it quits this year. Although I don’t mind a player retiring, but Palffy gave no reason himself to his quick withdrawal.

Okay, that is all I got today.