Long overdue, I present the Japers' Rink Glossary, v. 2.0.*
This site has been my home away from home for almost four years now**, and I'm glad to have found a way to give back after all JP and company have taught me about the Washington Capitals and the game of hockey. My hope is for the glossary to become an organic point of reference for old and new readers alike—a place to come so that everyone is in on the joke. Many of the nicknames are Japers' Rink originals, but I felt obliged to include some classics for new fans, including monikers created inside the locker room. Please include suggestions in the comment section for worthy terms I might have overlooked.
Full text after the jump, with original (or otherwise notable) references linked whenever possible for context. Thanks to the entire community for your suggestions and for your quirky senses of humor.
*Japers' Rink Glossary, v. 1.0.
**My first comment!
Nicknames
Caps
Karl Alzner: King Karl; Quick Question Karl.
Nicklas Backstrom: Lars; Mean Lars.
via youtube.com/user/andrewbowserdirector (and schwedy)
Matt Bradley: The Professor.
Chris Bourque: Chris Smith.
John Carlson: Real American Hero; Killer Carlson; Canada Killer.
via Natty Bumppo
Jason Chimera: Beast?
John Erskine: Lumberjack; ♫ Hot Pockets ♫.
Tomas Fleischmann: Flash.
Boyd Gordon: Muffins.
"I keep razzing him about how weak his shot is, and I just told him he went up in the rankings after that goal," said former Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig, describing his interaction with teammate Boyd Gordon after a game against the Los Angeles Kings on February 8, 2007. "Maybe [King's goaltender Mathieu Garon's] scouting report on 'Gordo' was that he throws muffins and was just surprised at how fast it came."
-- Washington Times, February 9, 2007.
Mike Green: Game Over, Gangsta, GreenLife52, Wingah! (A + B = Perfect Storm).
via Ovechwin
Marcus Johansson: Mackan; Sandwich; Sammich.
Mike Knuble: Moose; Grandpa Slippers.
via Scott in Shaw
Brooks Laich: Bubbles.
Michal Neuvirth: Björk.
via DarkHorseCards
Alex Ovechkin: Alexander the Gr8; Romovechkin; The Russian Machine; Little Lamb.
Jeff Schultz: Sarge; Mr. Nasty; Tackleberry; Double Nickle; The Muse of Japers' Rink.
"He's got a lot of nicknames, that guy," Brooks Laich said of Schultz. "But all the nicknames are from recognition that he's doing very good things."
-- D.C. Sports Bog, January 20, 2010
Alexander Semin: Sasha; Jizz; Bongos; Rabbit; Siberian Snowflake.
'Pensive Sasha,' via Your Nation's Capital
Tyler Sloan: Cinderella Man; Swingman.
Semyon Varlamov: Czarlamov; The Iron Curtain.
Former Caps
Jim Carey: The Net Detective; Ace; The Mask.
Bobby Carpenter: Can't Miss Kid (Story).
Chris Clark: Captain Courageous; Captain Cadaver.
via On Frozen Blog
Sergei Fedorov: Rabbit Whisperer.
Lou Franceschetti: LOOOOUUUU! LOOOOUUUU!
Al Iafrate: Wild Thing (Story); The Planet; Skullet.
Milan Jurcina: Juice.
Olaf Kolzig: Olie the Goalie, Godzilla (Story).
via The Hockey News
Viktor Kozlov: The Lebowski Rug; Nice Drago.
Rod Langway: The Secretary of Defense.
Michael Nylander: Circles; The Answer.
via Holt Worth
Matt Pettinger: Princess.
Alexandre Volchkov: The Volchinator.
Ownership/Management
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau: Gabby.
General Manager George McPhee: GMGM; The Undertaker.
Owner Ted Leonsis: Uncle Ted.
Line Names
The Care Bears (Extension) or SOB Line: Alexander Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom.
F Street: Tomas Fleischmann, Sergei Fedorov, Eric Fehr.
JOB Line: Joe Juneau, Adam Oates, Brian Bellows.
The Plumbers: Alan Haworth, Craig Laughlin, Greg Adams.
Red Army Line: Alex Ovechkin, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin.
via boutros23
Commonly Used Acronyms
AFAIK: As far as I know.
FTFY: Fixed that for you.
FTW: For the win.
FWIW: For what it's worth.
FYI: For your information.
IIRC: If I recall correctly.
IMO, IMHO: In my (humble) opinion.
MSM: Mainstream media.
YMMV: Your mileage may vary.
Commonly Used Terms
Alexander Semin Hat Trick: A goal, an assist and a stick penalty in the same game.
Avatar Police (alternatively, BP's minions): Spearheaded by Bald Pollack (and motivated by JP's Rink Reader Resolutions), the avatar police provide friendly reminders for new members to upload SB Nation profile images. If a new member obliges, he or she is rewarded with a variety of imported cigars and meat products, a bottle of flavored vodka, and a rec (see below).
Blogfather: Off Wing Opinion author and editor Eric McErlain. EMac has operated OWO since early 2002, and has been affiliated with AOL FanHouse, the Sporting News and NBC Sports, among other sites/publications.
Commentariat: The community of active commenters here at Japers' Rink.
Former Cap Factor (FCF): A "proven scientific method of predetermining playoff series winners." And he really means proven.
The Goal: Alex Ovechkin's goal against the Phoenix Coyotes on January 16, 2006. The Goal was Ovechkin's 32nd tally of his rookie season (and might have clinched the Calder Trophy). Boyd Gordon called it "one of the best goals ever scored."
The Hit: Alex Ovechkin's hit on Jaromir Jagr during pool play of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Russia defeated the Czech Republic 3-2, and The Hit sparked the game-winning third Russian goal. It was "the kind of perfect, clean hit that in an NHL game would mean the player delivering the hit would immediately have to fight." (Damien Cox, Toronto Star). Also known as the Jagr Bomb.
via Bald Pollack
"I wish I had a concussion," Jaromir Jagr said of the hit. "That way I would forget Ovechkin quicker."
-- Sovietsky Sport, February 22, 2010
Lobby: Sometimes it's okay to play favorites. Many of our most heated discussions involve the Capitals' depth chart, Capitals' prospects, or Capitals' player needs (i.e. NHL free agency and the NHL trade deadline). Regular commenters are transparent about players they like and players they dislike, and willing to do the research legwork to support their favorite Caps and future Caps. Members of the "Chris Bourque Lobby" are believers in Chris Bourque, while members of the "Pavel Kubina Lobby" wish to acquire Kubina via trade (and are willing to bake you cookies). There is no shame in joining or leaving a lobby as more information is acquired.
Lurkers: Regular visitors to Japers' Rink who choose to read and not comment. JP loves you, but not quite as much as the rest of us.
Japer: (1) One who says or does something jokingly or mockingly (JP). (2) A fat kid who goes to Starbucks and sips on his coffee while listening to emo (Urban Dictionary).
Rec or Rec'd: By clicking the "actions" button visible at the conclusion of a blog post or comment, members may "rec" or recommend content to others. If a comment receives 5 or more recs, it will turn green and stand out from the pack. If a FanPost receives 20 or more recs, it will be elevated to the "Recommended FanPost" section of the right sidebar. A word of warning: we don't do +1 here.
Rink Credo: Vote first, comment second, read third, think fourth. (That's a joke.)
Rink Enforcer: TylerG, but only during a shortage of "top-to-bottom blog toughness."
Rink Rabbits: The female commentariat. The "ladies of the rink." And no, that's not the same thing as a puck bunny. (Did F&B really coin this one?)
via IRockTheRed
Rink Rats: Formerly a term of affection for all readers, especially those commenters who never seemed to leave the site. Now used predominately in reference to the male commentariat.
via IRockTheRed
Troll: (1) Someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous or off-topic messages, with the primary intent of provoking community members into an emotional response or otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion (Wikipedia). (2) Someone who purposely and deliberately starts an argument in a manner which attacks others without in any way listening to the arguments proposed by his or her peers; characterized by the use of ad hominem attacks and straw man arguments (Urban Dictionary). Well there you go. When we say "don't feed the trolls," we mean ignore them.
Young Guns: A 2007-2008 team marketing campaign identified the Young Guns as Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, all drafted by the Capitals. A fifth Young Gun was later unceremoniously added to the in-game video at Verizon Center. The Young Guns remains an apt nickname, though not an original one.
via capitals.nhl.com
"Inside"/Continuity Humor
Some would call them memes.
Anti-Seminism: An anti-Seminite possesses a distaste for Washington Capitals LW/RW Alexander Semin. Be prepared, the Semin Lobby is one of the Rink's more vocal/combative (and sometimes sincere/thoughtful/well-informed). Arguments about the man from Krasnoyarsk have been known to begin in the center column and spill over into FanPost after FanPost after FanPost after FanPost after FanPost. The silver lining: Sasha's highlights make for one sweet FanShot (if I may say so myself!).
Busting Your Non-balls: The Rink is nothing if not politically correct.
Chesnokov Reports: Russ Thaler's go-to Russian reporter, Dmitry Chesnokov of Puck Daddy/Sovietsky Sport, got himself into some hot water by misinterpreting (in both senses of the word) Alex Ovechkin's attempt at humor regarding a return from injury. The month of November also saw Chesnokov fueling dead-end rumors about a possible Michael Nylander deal in the Russian KHL, and bracing from accusations of "advocacy journalism" for his handling of a Nikita Filatov interview. All combined, Chesnokov was ripe for some Japers' Rink ribbing, and the commentariat obliged.
CLED (or CI'ed): If you hadn't noticed, a lot of the humor in the comment sections comes at the expense of Capitals Insider's commenters (or Puck Daddy commenters) [or YouTube commenters]. If someone wanders over to Japers' Rink and confuses this place for Tarik El Bashir's Washington Post blog, the response might be a simple "cled" (the "L" in place of the "I" makes it a secret codeword!) instead of a more rigorous acknowledgement.
Deleting FanPosts: Theo60, a Hall of Fame commenter, received a Community Guideline (#7) in his honor by deleting a FanPost...some 170+ comments after publishing it! Brief summary here. Lesson: If you're not happy with the way a debate is going, please don't "take your ball and go home." Related: Is it possible Mr. (or Mrs.) Theo60 is similarly celebrated by other fanbases?
via Theo60 @ fans.avalanche.nhl.com
Eat a [Bleeping] Porcupine: Due to a particularly tasty smakedown exposition by Japers' Rink elder statesman Gould Old Days, "eat a [bleeping] porcupine" has become the Rink's retort of choice when encountering trolls.
Elitists: No doubt the troll serves up some of the juiciest inside jokes. But we seek out stupidity elsewhere in the interwebs, too! We (all of us) were called "elite" (quotation marks to denote sarcasm apparently) in the comments of Puck Daddy; "arrogant" and "too reliant on facts stats" in the comments of Capitals Insider (Rink commenter mauree); and "mean-spirited" on the esteemed Mike Wise radio program. If you have something nasty to say, why not sign up and let us know? Oh that's right, you can't because you were banned.
Franceschetti: Default substitute for profane language. Example: The regular season means [Franceschetti]. JordanDC, take note.
Go Flyers!!1: Stolen shamelessly from this post by SB Nation's Pension Plan Puppets (PPP) Maples Leafs blog. The idea: You too get to be an anonymous, "functionally illiterate," internet-empowered jackass, just as long as you tag a "Go Flyerz!" at the end of your comment so we know you're joking (or to let us know you're a Flyers fan and we can ignore you).
Go to the Bank/Bakery: References to banks and bakeries are understandably confusing in the middle of a Game Day Open Thread. The catch phrase is courtesy of Mr. Sound Bite, Brooks Laich, and refers to a player's willingness to camp out around the crease for goals.
"If you want money, go to the bank," Laich said after the game. "If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net."
-- Washington Post, March 16, 2008
High Haunches: Thanks to Mr. Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated magazine (the hockey Hall of Famer), we have a very late addition to the glossary—one that is already picking up steam!
Huckleberry or Huck: Fehr and Balanced's chummy nickname for everyone's favorite commenter at SB Nation's Broad Street Hockey (BSH) Flyers Blog. Inspired by one of my favorite scenes from the movie Tombstone. Full disclosure: I've had run-ins with MarioD as well.
Inferred vs. Implied: Proof that we're elitists after all. (Or just dorks.) Discussion continued later that week when the opposite mistake was made. And then again a few months later. Now any mention of implying will surely be met with an "Or did you infer?"
Jasper's Rink: Common misspelling of Japers' Rink, made more common by PPP's sense of humo(u)r. Well that and unforgettably, Jasper himself is a huge dick.
Leopard Seal: Unofficial mascot of Japers' Rink, and stunning analogue to 2009's Caps-Pens playoff series (at least until that pesky conclusion).
via D'ohboy
Mark Grace is dead?: This one courtesy of Gould Old Days' Edgar Allan Poe dream state.
Mono: If reports are true, it's no wonder Capitals Defenseman Mike Green played below expectations during the 2009 postseason...he had a new stick, he had an abdominal/oblique strain, he had a really bad bruise, he had a bum shoulder and he had "like a mono thing." Why can't mono actually be mono? All that plus he was FAT. The guy was a mess. Reportedly. Which makes me feel better because now I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Greenie didn't wilt under the pressure.
MS Paint: Alhough the evidence has mostly disappeared from the site, user OvieOvieOvie assembled a series of screen shots with annotations in the form of red MS Paint arrows to "definitively/objectively prove" that Donald Brashear's hit on New York Ranger Blair Betts in the first round of the 2009 playoffs was (1) not late and (2) not dirty. Heated discussion ensued, and "needs more MS paint" has been known to show up whenever community members post game action stills.
Mute Point: Another teaching moment, another beloved running gag. Inexplicably, Sct112 used "mute point" as a joke one week before the first correction and conversation. What's up with that?
My Little Power Play: Is the Capitals' power play over-passing? Too cute with the puck? You might be witnessing My Little Power Play. I had always assumed MLPP was a goof on JP's enthusiasm for the Care Bears (Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin). But point in fact the cutesy cartoon craze was Caps Kremlin's brainchild, appearing one day before JP's Care Bear comment.
Slave Leia My Little Pony, via JP
#needsmorebradley: In Twitterverse, a hash tag (the pound/number sign at the beginning of a word) allows users to easily identify and recall related tweets. Although cult hero Matt Bradley's hash tag is the most commonly used around Japers' Rink, the meme has taken on a life of its own.
One Dimensional: Any mention of a one-dimensional player will likely lead to a riff on JP's (satirical?) characterization of former Caps defenseman Milan Jurcina during the first ever Japers' Rink mock arbitration hearing: "to call Jurcina one-dimensional would mislead the reader by implying there is an area of his game that is particularly strong."
Schultz for Norris!: The single best ongoing inside joke, because we're poking fun at ourselves. DMG, the unquestioned leader of the Jeff Schultz Lobby, has displayed remarkable patience and consideration when engaging with Schultz non-believers. And in a climate where the boo birds at Verizon Center had many of us concerned about the young player's waning confidence, the valuation of Schultz's game became something of a hockey IQ test. DMG's magnum opus on Mr. Nasty was good enough to hook Knee high to a Duck on this blog (and send me on a lengthy work break). Since that time, commenters (beginning with DMG) have found every possible excuse to ironically tout Jeff Schultz for the trophy awarded to the NHL's best all-around defenseman. Some have even taken it one step further.
Smakedown: A combination of the words smackdown and takedown, though community member Laich It or Lump It wasn't initially aware of his invention. We knew smakedown had made the big time when it showed up on the Verizon Center jumbotron.
Too Many Hats: Penguins forward Sidney Crosby—already the man Capitals fans love to hate—did himself no favors when he surfaced after Game 2 of the 2009 Caps-Pens series with the clear-cut quote of the year.
via Puck Daddy
"People kept throwing hats. I was just asking if he could make an announcement to ask them to stop. The first wave came, and then I think they were all pretty much picked up, and more started coming," Crosby said after the game.
-- D.C. Sports Bog, May 4, 2009
Trending Sasha: One divine photograph plus one mercurial offensive playmaker equals the "Capital Ups and Downs" trend that is neither up nor down.
'Trending Sasha,' via capsinpictures
Wheel of Justice: Not original to the Rink but nevertheless a staple of every late/dangerous/reckless/dirty hit debate. Related: Down Goes Brown's top secret NHL Suspension Flow Chart.
Help with Statistics
Basic Skater Statistics
Average Time On Ice Per Game (ATOI): The average amount of time the player spent on the ice in the games he played (total time on ice divided by games played).
Goals, Assists, Points: Points are the sum of goals a player has scored and goals a player has assisted in.
Game-winning Goals (GWG): A game-winning goal occurs when the team would win the game without scoring any more goals. For example, the third Capitals goal in a 5-2 Capitals win is the GWG.
Penalties in Minutes (PIM): The number of penalty minutes a player has been assessed. For statistical purposes, 10 minutes are recorded for a game misconduct, gross misconduct or match penalty.
Percentage of Faceoffs Won (FWP or FO%): Self-explanatory.
JP: On Nicklas Backstrom and Faceoffs.
JP: The "Wheres" and "Whos" of Faceoffs.
Plus/Minus (+/-): A skater gets a plus-1 if he is on the ice when his team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal. He gets a minus-1 if he is on the ice when his team allows an even-strength or shorthanded goal. A skater's plus/minus reflects the net number of goals scored (for and against) while the player is on the ice at even strength and shorthanded.
Shift Length: The amount of game time a skater spends on the ice continuously before returning to the bench. Coach Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings famously demands shifts of 40 seconds or less during the playoffs.
JP: Short Shifts and Long Runs.
Shots on Goal (SOG): A shot that will enter the goal if not stopped by the goaltender; a shot that results in either a goal or a save.
Basic Goalie Statistics
Goals Against Average (GAA): The number of non-empty net goals allowed by a goaltender per 60 minutes.
Save Percentage (SVP or SV%): Total saves divided by total shots faced.
Shutouts (SO): The total number of games a goaltender has zero goals against him and has played the entire 60 minutes of the game.
Advanced Statistics - See Behind the Net's (BtN) FAQs Page
Corsi Number: The shot differential while a player is on the ice at even strength (including all shots directed at net—not just shots on goal—and excluding empty net situations). The metric originated with the Buffalo Sabres and goaltending coach Jim Corsi.
JP: A Brief Intro to the Corsi Number.
FanShot: Eric Fehr, a Corsi Superstar (via b.orr4).
Goals and Points Per 60 Minutes: The crux of many BtN-endorsed metrics is the use of rates other than "per game" and "per season." Because every player's ice time per game is different, and because an individual player can be used in different circumstances during a game (including special teams units), BtN divides player stats by "minutes in a specified context"—for example, goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5, or goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-4. Other rates BtN likes to use are power play, penalty kill and even-strength TOI per 60 minutes (TOI/60), which give background to a player's sum ATOI. Important to note: For all rates described in this section, BtN's PP/PK numbers exclude 5-on-3 situations and BtN's ES numbers exclude 4-on-4 situations.
JP: Rates and Context (plus Update).
JP: The Ever-improving Alex Ovechkin.
DMG: Leveling the Playing Field.
DMG: Eric Fehr - More Productive Than You Think.
FanShot: Battle of Esoterica - Hockey Rate Stats Poll (via Gould Old Days).
Goals Against Per 60 Minutes of Ice Time (GAON/60): A defensive metric that accounts for the number of goals scored by the opposing team while a certain player is on the ice, over 60 minutes of a specified context. The corollary is goals against per 60 minutes while the player is on the bench (GAOFF/60). Like other rate stats, GAON/60 can be categorized into even-strength GAON/60, power play GAON/60 and penalty kill GAON/60. For a more detailed explanation (including the step-by-step calculation of GAON/60), I strongly recommend Laich It Or Lump It's FanShot below.
JP: A Look at The Capitals' Blueline.
JP: Alex Semin's Defense.
FanShot: How to Calculate GAON/60 and Similar Behind the Net Statistics (via Laich It Or Lump It).
Goals For Per 60 Minutes of Ice Time (GFON/60): An offensive metric that accounts for the number of goals scored by the player's team while he is on the ice, over 60 minutes of a specified context. The corollary is goals for per 60 minutes while the player is on the bench (GFOFF/60). Like other rate stats, GFON/60 can be categorized into even-strength GFON/60, power play GFON/60 and penalty kill GFON/60.
JP: When The Goals Go In The Other Net.
Goals Versus Threshold (GVT): Tom Awad of Puck Prospectus created the GVT stat to estimate "the value of a player, in goals, above what a replacement player would have contributed." A player's total GVT is the sum of his Offensive GVT, Defensive GVT, Goaltending GVT and Shootout GVT. GVT is calculated with a calculator. Understanding GVT: Part I, Part II, Part III.
JP: Andy Sutton: Big Body...Big Upgrade?
Half-wins: Just kidding.
JP: "When Is A Win More Than A Win?" And Rewarding Failure.
FanShot: First Attempt at Hockey Pythagorean Theorem, and Part D'oh (via D'ohboy).
FanShot: Expected Points per D'ohboy's Theorem (via D'ohboy).
Penalty Plus/Minus: The difference between the penalties a certain player has drawn and the penalties he's committed. In JP's words, the difference between "the power plays opportunities he's creating and penalties he's forcing his teammates to try to kill."
JP: The Caps and Penalty Plus/Minus.
JP: An Early Look at Penalty Plus/Minus.
JP: The Playoffs and Power Play Opportunities.
JP: Hidden Value.
Player Contribution (PC): Alan Ryder of HockeyAnalytics.com created the Player Contribution stat in order to "allocate credit for a team's performance to the individual contributors." The foundation of PC lies in the determination of marginal goals created (MGC) and marginal goals prevented (MGP). Ryder believes the "real power" of PC is to meaningfully compare defensive contributions, which are otherwise difficult to quantify.
JP: I Was Told There'd Be No Math On This Exam.
JP: Who Was and Wasn't Worth It.
JP: In Defense of Jose, The Defense In Front of Jose.
Quality of Competition (QualComp): A certain player's QualComp is the average Team Adjusted +/- or BtN rating (see below) of the opposing players (forwards and defensemen) while he is on the ice. Ice time data is culled from shift charts published on NHL.com, and which players are on the ice together is determined by cross-referencing the shift charts of the two teams.
JP: Re-thinking What You Thought You Thought About Line-Matching.
Quality of Teammates (QualTeam): A certain player's QualTeam is the average Team Adjusted +/- or BtN rating (see below) of the player's teammates (forwards and defensemen) while he is on the ice.
JP: Eric Fehr: Making the Most of His Minutes.
Shooting Percentage and Shot Distance: BtN has been able to show a clear relationship between shooting percentage and shot distance. All other factors equal, a shot closer to the net is more likely to result in a goal than a shot further away from the net. There are a few recurring concepts at Japers' Rink relating to shooting percentage and shot distance: (1) Players with unexpectedly high shooting percentages will likely regress to the mean, and (2) There is a developing debate about the reliability of the NHL's shot distance data.
JP: If You Want Goals, Go To The Net.
JP: Laich-ing The Chances of Another 20-Goal Campaign?
JP: On the Scoresheet, Gary Bettman is Six-Foot-Three.
FanShot: Shot Calculations - Off the Back Boards (via IRockTheRed).
Shooting Percentage vs. Shot Distance at Even Strength (2008-2009), via Behind the Net
Team Adjusted Plus/Minus ("BtN Rating"): The difference between the team's plus/minus rate when a player is on the ice and when he's off the ice. Mathematically, the BtN rating looks as follows: (GFON-GAON) - (GFOFF-GAOFF).
DMG: Mike Green: Like Sandis Ozolinsh, But Good At Defense.
Zone Starts and Zone Shifts: Zone start data lets us know where on the ice (in the offensive or defensive zone) faceoffs occur when a certain player is on the ice. Shift end data lets us know where on the ice (in the offensive or defensive zone) upcoming faceoffs occur when the player leaves the ice—giving a net positive or net negative "zone shift" that reflects on an individual's effectiveness at creating offensive draws. When JP calculates zone shifts, he includes pluses and minuses as offensive and defensive zone draws, respectively (to account for positive and negative final outcomes). Honestly, JP and The Falconer of SB Nation's Bird Watchers Anonymous (BWA) Atlanta Thrashers blog are far better at explaining the nuances of zone start and zone shift data, so please see the links below for more fitting descriptions.
JP: Where Skaters Start and Pucks End Up.
JP: The "Wheres" and "Whos" of Faceoffs.
JP: Zone Shifts - The Battle For Field Position.
JP: Friday Roundup - Changing Field Position.
Additional Resources
Behind the Net (BtN)
HockeyNumbers.blogspot (Chris Boersma)
Irreverent Oilers Fans (Vic Ferrari)
mc79hockey.com (Tyler Dellow)
Help with the Salary Cap
JP: George McPhee and Free Agency.
JP: What Losing Chris Bourque Really Means.
JP: Dollars to (Dunkin') Donuts.
JP: Japers' Rink Q&A.
DMG: Why Ilya Kovalchuk Isn't The Poster Boy For A Failed CBA.
DMG: The Tipping Point.
DMG: What To Do With The New-found Cap Space...
DMG: Is The Window Half Closed or Half Open?
Stephen Pepper: Backdraft: Is McPhee Really Blowing Away The Competition?
FanPost: Why Nylander Should Not Be Bought Out This Summer (via Gould Old Days).
FanPost: What a Theo Buyout Would Look Like (via Gould Old Days).
FanPost: Guide to the Offseason (via Gould Old Days).
FanPost: Ragenomics: The Ovechkin Deal (via RickyRage).
FanShot: The Flyers Disagree with NHL's Reading of Pronger Deal (via Natty Bumppo).
Additional Resources
2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement
Washington Capitals Unofficial Salary Cap Information
Intro to SB Nation Blogs
FanPosts and FanShots: A User Guide
The Washington Post profiles SB Nation with choice quotes from investor Ted Leonsis.
There are a number of keyboard shortcuts to help navigate the comment sections, listed below (via CP2Devil):
K button scrolls UP through the yellow comments without turning them white.
J and C buttons scroll DOWN through the yellow comments without turning them white.
R button opens a reply to the highlighted comment. The REPLY link beneath each comment serves the same function.
X button turns a highlighted comment white without scrolling up or down.
Z button simultaneously marks a comment white and tabs forward.
Shift-A marks all comments white at once.
Shift-C tabs backwards.
Intro to the Staff
JP (Jon Press): Managing Editor. Founder of Japers' Rink. Former contributor at AOL FanHouse.
David M. Getz (DMG): Brother in Arms. Founder of Caps Blue Line.
Becca H (formerly CapsChick): Sister in Arms. Founder of A View From The Cheap Seats.
Stephen Pepper: Brother in Arms. Founder of the red skate.
Tuvan Hillbilly: Cunning Linguist. Founder of Tuvanhillbilly.com.
KPB: Relatively Silent Partner. Longtime Japers' Rink collaborator; continued mysterious presence at the bottom of the screen. Cousin of a former first overall NHL draft pick.
Intro to the Community
The Japers' Rink Introduce Yourself Open Thread
Lurker's Guide To Jumping Into The Rink
Most Popular FanPosts of All Time (By # of Recs)
FanPost Series:
Beer and Wine Breakdowns (via Brainumbc and Scott In Shaw, respectively).
Capitals Farm Report (via Your Nation's Capital). [MISSING TAG]
Classic Song Revisions, (1) The Ballad of Matt Bradley (via BradleyFightingVehicle), and (2) Reckless Eight Train Blues (via Stephen Pepper). [MISSING TAG]
The F&B Series (via Fehr and Balanced).
Japers' Rink Hockey League Updates (via Knee high to a Duck) [MISSING TAG]
Rejected Hockey Cards (via Chris meet Alex).
Don't forget to check in regularly with the left sidebar, which includes an amazing series of resources:
Washington Capitals Draft Pick Tracker
Washington Capitals Hockey Tweets
Washington Capitals Penalty Tracker
Washington Capitals Unofficial Salary Cap Information
Special mention to zephyr for his programming work on the Ticket Exchange and the "Ultimate SBN" Script.