I don’t write much about it here, but I’m a huge fan of the Washington Capitals and have been since even before the greatest goal in Capitals history. Ted Leonsis has done an excellent job building what I believe it one of the strongest franchises in the NHL.
If you are even tangentially interested in the team, then there are two blogs (beyond the local newspapers’ blogs) that must be in your regular reading rotation.
Two good blogs are On Frozen Blog and Off-Wing Opinion. They both have strong content (though not as much as I’d like to see) and OWO has the best photography you’ll see outside of a major media outlet or the NHL itself. They deserve a place in your RSS reader.
They are secondary, though, to Japers’ Rink. So far as I’m concerned, it is the King of Caps Blogs. The content is ridiculously strong – heavy on the stats and analysis with a touch of humor and a definite love for the home team. Don’t stop at the main posts either, because the Fan Post section is stuffed full of good stuff. Today, for instance, one of the blogs’ readers wrote about his trip to Hershey to see how Brian Pothier is coming along in his rehab efforts (Pother missed an entire years of hockey due to a serious concussion). The post is a good bit of original reporting and though it doesn’t have the ploish and access of a formal MSM outlet, it still gives us information from an informed and interested observer.
The real prize, though, is the running commentary in the Game Day Open Threads. Japer’s Rink has a sharp and clever bunch of commenters and reading through them is like watching the game with your best friends and the crew from MST3K. The regulars know hockey inside and out, are polite to each other and (most importantly) to newbies, and have great senses of humor. On a good day, the comments can climb up over a thousand. Refreshing and scrolling down to the most recent comments can be anuisance, especially in the third period of a close game, but it’s worth the effort.
So there you go. As we head into the playoffs in just a few short weeks, you should step up your blog-reading game. Hit the links I posted and definitely do not forget to add Japers’ Rink to your regular rotation.
Tags: Japers' Rink, NHL, Washington Capitals
