Your savory breakfast links:
- Back to business, the Caps are getting ready for their playoff push. [WaPo]
- Plenty of notes from yesterday’s practice, including this from Bruce Boudreau on Tyler Sloan‘s conditioning assignment in Hershey: “Instead of being a sixth defenseman [in Wasington], get out there and be a top three and play in all situations [in Hershey].” Too bad neither of Hershey’s top-two is in D.C., eh? [CI]
- On the rumo(u)r front, “Washington wants to deal defenceman Brian Pothier, but the asking price is a second-round pick.” [SLAM!]
- Also, “[t]here is talk the Capitals will make a pitch for Vokoun or Thomas.” [LFP]
- Grading the Caps’ Olympians. [D.C. Landing Strip]
- Another take on ranking the Caps’ prospects, this one twenty deep. [Hockey’s Future]
- Don’t think Alex Ovechkin is making a cultural impact on his adopted home town? Think again. [WaPo]
- In case you didn’t know, Gabby is kinda popular in Hershey. [Examiner]
- Bears’ bench boss Mark French on Semyon Varlamov‘s 30-for-32 performance Sunday afternoon: “He was excellent. Really solid. Looked very efficient in the net. He made all the stops that I thought he should have made, and probably some more that you don’t expect the goalie to make.” [Patriot-News]
- More from the weekend in Chocolatetown. [RMNB]
- This week’s Farm Report. [FanPost]
- Per the HHoF, on this date in 1997, “Washington obtained Adam Oates, Bill Ranford and Rick Tocchet from Boston, in exchange for Jim Carey, Anson Carter, Jason Allison, and Washington’s 3rd round pick in 1997 Entry Draft (Lee Goren).”
- Finally, happy 28th birthday to Brian Sutherby.