Your savory Saturday brunch links:
- Alex Ovechkin addresses the comments of Matt Bradley and David Steckel. The Captain is not feeling the respect. [ESPN (Burnside), Alex Ovetjkin]
- “I lost a lot of friends this summer.” He is also feeling the weight of the tragedies back in Russia. [Globe & Mail (Blair)]
- Speaking of which, Evgeny Kuznetsov and his Traktor Chelyabinsk teammates participated in a memorial ceremony. [HC Traktor]
- More Ovi:
- He sat down (sans slouch) for another chat with Mike Vogel. [Caps365 video via Alex Ovetjkin]
- His time is money. [NBC Washington]
- Chicks dig the long puck. [Puck Daddy]
- Nice ride, Mr. Big. AO’s latest ad for Cadbury. [RMNB]
- And, as always, it’s good to be Alex Ovechkin. [Alex Ovetjkin]
- Karl Alzner returned to Kettler ice with a new diet, a new workout regimen and a story of two herniated disks… [CI (Carrera)]
- Then Dennis Wideman returned with a huge smile and a knee-to-hip scar on his thigh… [CI (Carrera)]
- …plus he is excited that Tomas Vokoun will be his teammate once again… [CI (Carrera)]
- …and here’s a look at how Wideman’s 2011-2012 season might go. [Rock the Red]
- Hmm. #fancystats say that when Alexander Semin is producing, his penalties go down, and when he’s struggling, the PIMs pile up. Go figure. [Red Line Station]
- Step up or ship out … Jeff Schultz. [Caps Examiner (Hoffman)]
- Have we reached the end of the Trap Era in DC? [CSN Washington (Gormley)]
- In which our colleagues at Mile High Hockey talk draft picks and Semyon Varlamov. [MHH]
- Former Cap Steve Konowalchuk is settling into his new role as coach of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and is wrestling with the role of fighting in hockey. [Seattle Times (Kelley)]
- Mike Vogel looks back at the grimmest training camp opening day ever… [Dump-n-Chase]
- …while Caps Director of Amateur Scouting Ross Mahoney reflects on the loss of two of the scouting brotherhood. [Regina Leader-Post (Vanstone)]
- A reminder: Matt Hendricks and Jeff Schultz will be special guest captains at the INOVA Blood Donor Services charity hockey game today at Kettler. Puck drops at 4pm and EB & Cakes from the Junkies will be hosting. [Charity Hockey Classic]
- Japers’ Rink Radio hits the interwaves on Monday at 9pm. Pepper and Russell welcome Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press to the studio. [JRR]
- Finally, happy 29th birthday to Staffan Kronwall.