Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s battle with the Predators from Vogs, NHL.com, the Tennessean, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at On the Forecheck for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- A quick trip up to DC turned into a bit more of an ordeal yesterday, as the Predators’ plane hit a hawk – a real one, not the Chicago kind – on takeoff. Oops. [The Tennessean]
- Great article on Olie Kolzig‘s work with Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth, and how he’s helping shape the team’s future in net. [SI.com]
- Nine goalies were drafted before Holtby. Nine. Pretty fascinating to see just where all of them are compared to the Caps’ young netminder. [THW]
- News and notes from yesterday’s practice:
- In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Alzner, Ovechkin, Neuvirth, Rinkside Update/Fehr)]
- The call-up of 22-year-old Patrick Wey brings the average age of an already young team down a click, and makes the blue line even greener than it was before. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- Speaking of Wey, after starting the season in the ECHL he could be making his NHL debut this weekend. [WaPo]
- After injuring himself in warmups last week, Neuvirth practiced with the team yesterday and is on the mend… but don’t expect him to be back in net just yet. [WaPo]
- Everyone’s favorite Cinderella story from a season ago is having to cool his heels in the press box lately – but Steve Oleksy is trying to stay positive. [NBC4]
- Troy Brouwer‘s well aware that his season hasn’t gone as well as last year, and he is working to pick up the pace. [WaPo, CSNW]
- The passing of Nelson Mandela earlier this week had Joel Ward reflecting on Mandela’s impact. [CSNW]
- Tiny Chimera alert! [Monumental video]
- That first third of the season for the Caps was… well, not great, as mediocrity reigns supreme in DC. [Press Box DC]
- When Ovechkin is on the ice, the rest of his teammates have a shooting percentage of 00.75%. That… seems not in the good range. [RMNB]
- There’s just a lot of negativity in Washington these days. Fun times. [CSNW]
- Tomorrow night’s return to Madison Square Garden is one of the weekend’s games to watch in the NHL. Tune in and you never know – they might even score a goal! [PHT]
- Is Alex Ovechkin elite? (Spoiler alert: Yes. Very much so.) [Yahoo!]
- Farm report:
- The Bears erased a two-goal deficit last night to claw their way to victory over the Binghamton Senators. [Patriot-News]
- After being scratched for ten of the first eleven games, Patrick Wellar has worked his way back into Hershey’s lineup. [Patriot-News]
- Tracking a very busy start to the season between the pipes for the Bears. [Patriot-News]
- Check out these pretty slick Olympic jerseys (and other specialty togs) that the Reading Royals will be sporting. [Caps Outsider]
- Plenty of Caps’ prospects on the preliminary roster for the World Juniors later this month. [CSNW, RMNB]
- Tweeters, bloggers and other distracted Caps fans, rejoice! The Verizon Center is upgrading it’s high-speed wireless network for all your in-game communication needs. [GlobeNewswire, Ted’s Take]
- The Caps have been hard at work crafting one-of-a-kind autographed Christmas tree ornaments, which can be yours starting at tonight’s game. [Caps Outsider]
