Five Things for the Washington Capitals to Win the Stanley Cup

With six games remaining, the Washington Capitals (46-23-7) have clinched a playoff spot. This is the first time since 1999-2000 and 2000-01 that the Capitals will make back-to-back playoff appearances.

The Capitals have 99 points and need a few more to clinch the Southeast Division. If the Capitals clinch it will be the first time since 1999-2000 and 2000-01 that the Capitals claim back-to-back division championships. The team has been division champs only four times in club history (1988-89, 1999-00, 2000-01, and 2007-08).

If the playoffs started today, the five keys to success for the Capitals during the playoffs would be:

1. Don’t over-pass. “Players who often ‘over-pass’ the puck are more likely to cause turnovers and miss scoring opportunities,” said Chris Cosentino, head coach of New York Apple Core Junior ‘A’. Cosentino encourages players to shoot whenever in the high percentage scoring areas, otherwise known as the “house”, but Wayne Gretzky once said that “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Therefore, Capitals fan Darren Hutchinson advises, “Stop trying to be cute or shoot the puck!”

2. Limit penalties. Infractions play a major role in how games are played as penalties give the opposing team an excellent opportunity to score shorthanded goals. Players need to limit lazy stick infractions. Rob Yunich, author of Storming the Crease, equates the Capitals’ penalty problems with youth and inexperience, and lazy stick infractions such as hooking with not being in the right position at the right time as a result of a lack of speed (John Erskine, Milan Jurcina and Michael Nylander) and oftentimes frustration (Alexander Semin). “As long as players keep their feet moving and maintain good body positioning the penalties will be limited,” informs coach Cosentino.

3. Be consistent in goaltending. Capitals fan Robyn Richards in St. Petersburg thinks consistent goaltending is the key. “We have to know we can count on [Jose Theodore] but then again our [defense] lets him down quite a bit lately. He has to know that he can count on them as well,” she said. But Yunich contends that consistent goaltending isn’t a problem and Bob DeGemmis of Red Line Hockey Goaltender Development agrees. “I’m confident [Jose Theodore will] have his ‘A’ game going,” said DeGemmis. If Theodore isn’t paramount or is injured though, both DeGemmis and Yunich concur that Varlamov can back him up.

4. Storm the crease. Hutchinson drilled, “Get some bodies in front of the net and disrupt the other team.” “The Caps right now have very few players who can [storm the crease], but of the healthy ones, only Brooks Laich seems willing to do this on a regular basis,” said Yunich.

5. Stay healthy. Yunich indicates that the Capitals have lost 345 man games to injury, and lately the flu virus has smack down teams. No team is 100% healthy points out Cosentino but health Counselor Monica Silvestro recommends that athletes stay away from refined sugar to fight the flu bug. “Eating sugar and lower your immune system so you are more susceptible to those germs that you encounter,” said Silvestro. “They need to fuel their body with quality nutrients in order for their muscles and organs to function properly and for the body to perform at its peak.”

The Capitals have assembled a real dream team from a pool of talented and otherwise accomplished players who, the majority, have never been to the Stanley Cup finals.

To put it simply, “they need do-or-die energy—play every game like it’s Game 7!,” argues Hockey Mom Leslie Silvey.

Q&A with Sportswriter Sherry Jean

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.

Sherry Jean writes Scarlett Ice.

Were you always interested in sports?
I’ve always had a passing interest in sports but it grew to a bit of an obsession over the last couple of years. I grew up with my brother and my male relatives who were into sports so of course I ended up getting into it as well. I was really into playing sports when I was in elementary school but I sort of fell out of it but still loved watching it. It's always been about hockey for me.

What prompted you to start blogging about sport? What is the name of your blog?
I started Scarlett Ice on a whim one night. I’m a Senators fan living in Toronto and I got really frustrated at the lack of Senators news that I could access being in a market that’s all Leafs, all the time. I started writing down my hockey thoughts on my personal journal but I thought with all of the hockey content, maybe I should just move it to a separate site and see what happens. I had a lot of thoughts about the game that I never thought people would be interested in reading but I thought that there was no harm in trying. When I started almost two years ago, I was really surprised and flattered by how open and welcoming the other bloggers were and it really encouraged me to keep going and try to make it the best I can.

The name Scarlett Ice has a couple of different meanings. When I played hockey in elementary school we had code names and mine was ‘Scarlett’. I also liked the imagery that was associated with it, all of the blood, sweat and tears that was a part of hockey.

Are more women becoming sports fans?
I hope so. I think women are less afraid or intimidated at loudly proclaiming their sports fandom. A lot of the marketing and advertisement is still targeted towards men, because they still make the a majority of the market but the fact that there is such a high number of female sports fans proves that despite it all, women can love sports just as much as men. I think there’s still trepidation about women becoming sports fans, the worry that they won’t be accepted or what not but I think if the professional leagues made more of an effort to make the female fans visible and an important part of their business than less women would be afraid of getting really deep into sports.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as fans by their peers, athletes, and readers?
I think when I started out there weren’t a lot of female hockey bloggers so it was almost a bit of a novelty. I didn't make the fact that I was a female a big deal and I was luckily never thrown the “You know a lot about sports...for a girl” line. I think it’s just the lay of the land now. You’re going to look like an idiot if you don’t give a woman the same amount of respect as a man, especially when they’ve more than proved their ability to know and love the sport. That being said, there are still men out there who for some reason will think that women can’t know the sport as well as men for whatever reason and that's just a product of years of stereotypes and generalizations. The best we can do as female fans is to do what we do best- love the game, show it, be passionate about it and respect it.

Do you have any suggestions for starting a sports blog?
Have patience. It’s a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be and it will take some time for you to find your niche and specialty. It might take some time for people to notice you with all of the blogs out there. Be sure that you have something to offer, something different and interesting and make sure that it’s as professional and well put together as you can. There are a lot of negative misconceptions associated with bloggers, the stereotype of anti-social fans in their parents basement who don't know how to use proper grammar. In reality, there are a lot of blogs out there that would rival writers in the mainstream media, and that's why the media types find the blogs so threatening. Fans are turning to blogs more and more instead of your traditional sources of news because they can offer something different, interesting and more relateable from one fan to the other because we write as fans first and foremost. That being said, remember that you're not the mainstream media or an official news source. You have more freedom to write what you want and be honest with your work but that also means that you have to be more careful and use more of your own discretion with your posts.

What are your favorite teams?
The Ottawa Senators of course, it was a perfect random happenstance that caused me, a Leafs Nation native to fall in love with the Senators but it couldn’t have been a more perfect fit. I also like the San Jose Sharks in the west.

Baseball, I’m a loyal Toronto Jays fan. I moved to Toronto in 1992 right after their first World Championship and the city was absolutely in Jays Fever. It was hard not to turn into a fan. Basketball-wise, I'm a Raptors Fan. I don't follow basketball as much but they’re a very fan-friendly team.

Is there a community among women sports bloggers?
I’d like to think so. I think even if we don't know one another all that well, we've still got one another's backs because we know we're still a minority and in that sense, we've still got some things to prove. Of course that's part of the reason why we started HLOG. We wanted to build a community of female hockey bloggers that could communicate and bond with one another about the sport we love. There are still differences between male fans and female fans, not in terms of their credibility as fans, but in ways they consume and relate to the sport I suppose. I enjoy talking hockey with everybody, but I do find that talking to females is a lot more enjoyable and fun for me at times.

Interview date: August 26, 2008

Q&A with Sportswriter Diana DeRosa

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.

Diana DeRosa is a veteran equestrian photo journalist, who has traveled the world and has recorded equestrian history for close to 30 years. An accomplished rider herself, De Rosa understands the horse world from many different angles. She has over 1,000 published stories and photos to her credit.

Were you always interested in sports?
Yes

Did you always want to be a sportswriter? What prompted you to become a sportswriter?No – I was approached one day when I was running a riding school by a local sports publication that was looking for someone to write a column about horses. That’s when the bug bit.

Is there a high turnover in sports writing?
Horse Sports are very unique and the turnover isn’t as great.

What does your work day consist of?
I travel a lot so every assignment is different. At the moment I am headed for the Olympics to cover the horse sports.

What are the positive and negative parts of the job?
Negative are the long hours. Positive is seeing your work in print and being about to have your own voice.

Are more women moving into sports writing? How are the salaries?
Salaries in horse sports aren’t great but I’ve established a name for myself. Women probably dominate the writing and men the photography. I do both.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as sportswriters by their peers, athletes, and readers?
I feel I’ve always been taken seriously. I’m in a different field than most sportswriters in that I focus on horse sports. I have never felt like I haven’t been taken seriously because I’ve always worked hard and gotten the job done. I think the key is how timely you are and the bottom line job you do for the media source. I tend to always go the extra yard, to stay within word limits and to get the article in on or before the deadline. Naturally when you start out you can tell that everyone is watching you closely but if they see that you are willing to do whatever is necessary to do the job well, over time you will be treated with more and more respect.

Do you have any suggestions for breaking into sports writing?
Get out there and do it. Find a small local paper to get your start.

Is there a community among women sportswriters?
We have horse groups online where we connect with each other.

Interview date: August 4, 2008

Road Trip Diary: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

The Washington Capitals went on the road after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes at home on March 14. The Capitals could not outdo the Atlanta Thrashers but did outclass the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The team ended up at the RBC Center in Raleigh NC to re-face the Hurricanes for the last game in the series. This time the team could not repeat its earlier success.

The Washington Capitals Fan Club hosted a road trip to the RBC Center with three buses of over 150 anxious fans anticipating a win but they were in for a rude awakening.

Before the puck dropped at 7:00 pm, the Hurricanes and Capitals booster clubs hosted a benefit tailgate in the lower east parking lot to support the Triangle Special Hockey Association.

NHL mascots Slapshot (Capitals), Stormy (Hurricanes), and Thrash (Thrashers), as well as Capitals’ television play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati, play-by-play radio announcer Steve Kolbe, and web producer Brett Leonhardt paid a visit to the tailgate festivity and mingled with the crowd.

Kolbe and Leonhardt filmed the mass and interviewed Hurricanes Booster Club president Brian Williamson and vice president Clare Cook.

Comcast filmed a group of tailgating Capitals fans on the steps of the RBC Center before the game, which appeared as the opening video segment for the CSN game broadcast.

When the doors to RBC Center finally opened, masses of red Capitals and Hurricanes jerseys fell in line. Capitals fans flocked to see the Southeast Division leaders in pre-game warm-up and let their presence known.

Alas the presence of one full section of fans that traveled over 283 miles to Raleigh could not energize the team. The Capitals (45-22-6) fell to the Hurricanes (38-28-7) 4-1.

After a scoreless first period, the game went downhill for the Capitals in the second period attributable to a breakdown in the system, as well as poor officiating including an outrageous unsportsmanlike diving call on Tomas Fleischmann.

Infuriated and frustrated with the outcome, Capitals fans boarded the bus and headed north to home.

The Capitals head to Toronto with 96 points and mercifully still in first place in the Southeast Division.

Ovechkin Nets 50th Goal for the Season and Celebrates

Alex Ovechkin’s first-period goal at St. Pete’s Forum in Tampa Bay gave him the third 50-goal season.

Q&A with Sportswriter Veronica Romm

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.
Veronica VrRomm writes The Sports Girl: Sports from a Female Perspective.

Were you always interested in sports?
Yes, sports were a big part of my life when I was growing up. I played tennis, and I watched a lot of sports with my Dad and friends.

What prompted you to start blogging about sport? What is the name of your blog?
The name of my blog is The Sports Girl: Sports from a Female Perspective. I was blogging on my poetry/writing blog and watching a lot of sports. This year has been the year of upsets in many sports like the Giants winning the Super bowl, The Celtics defeating L.A., and Rafael Nadal and his Wimbledon win. I guess I started writing it because I was so excited by what was going on I wanted to share that excitement and hear what others were thinking.

Are more women becoming sports fans?
I am not sure if there is a statistic on this, but I hope that they are because sports have a very important function in society. It brings people together and allows them to experience victory, defeat and all that comes with the excitement of sports.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as fans by their peers, athletes, and readers?
I have heard a lot of people comment “oh finally a woman blogging about sports.” Other women seem to enjoy the blog posts and I guess once people start reading my blog they don’t seem to notice the difference. I am sure that some might disagree, yet my experience has been very positive thus far.

Do you have any suggestions for starting a sports blog?
Well as a novice I am learning a lot and find it hard to give advice. I believe any blog; sports related or not, have to be full of interesting content, well written and opinionated. I post at least twice a day and find that if you are consistent you get more faithful readers. Also I reply to comments on my blog always.

What are your favorite teams?
I will name my favorite athletes as well as teams because I focus a lot on tennis which is not a team sport. I have been a fan of Rafael Nadal since he turned pro, I lived in Buffalo and loved watching the Sabers, NY Giants, Tiger Woods, The 2008 Celtics were amazing, The Yankees, Manchester United, there are so many.

Is there a community among women sports bloggers?
I do not know the answer to that because I have not done any looking yet. However, your question makes me want to find out.

Interview date: August 1, 2008

Q&A with Sportswriter Nina Rota

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.

Nina Rota has played high school basketball, flag football, touch football, intramural coed basketball, softball, USVBA volleyball, soccer, and currently plays tennis. She has written for TennisDiary.com on Most Valuable Network for the past four years and regularly attends men and women’s pro tennis tour events.

Were you always interested in sports?
I’ve always been interested in sports. Sports figures were my heroes growing up. They game me inspiration and direction that was lacking in my home environment. I learned how to persevere from them.

Did you always want to be a sportswriter? What prompted you to become a sportswriter?
I was making documentaries which are all about putting your subject in context and since I know sports best, that seemed a better fit for me.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as sportswriters by their peers, athletes, and readers?
… [T]he issue about women being taken seriously or not and the stability of sportswriting, maybe the determining subject is the demise of print media in favor of online media. Mvn.com is a startup that pays some of its sportswriters and also allows its blogs to generate their own advertising income. In the tennis world where most communication with athletes comes at post-match media sessions, it doesn't matter what gender you are. The problem is generating income and that's very hard to do in today’s environment no matter who you are. Most people I know that work in tennis are freelancers and they write for multiple outlets. More than a few people in the media room are interns who are fulltime college students.

Interview date: August 4, 2008; Photo courtesy of Rota

Q&A with Sportswriter Nicole Haase

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.

Nicole Haase is a freelance writer and sports blogger from Milwaukee, WI. She has a B.A. in Journalism and in Spanish from Loyola University-New Orleans. Haase has been published in multiple newspapers and websites, as well as “Yea Alabama,” a guide to Alabama football. She’s a frequent contributor to the UniWatch column and website. She loves soccer, sports and uniform minutiae, the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, University of Wisconsin athletics (especially hockey), her Basset Hound Flash, the city of New Orleans and reading cheesy romance novels.

Were you always interested in sports?
Absolutely. I’ve always been a tomboy and my house has always been sports oriented. I started playing at age 4.

Did you always want to be a sportswriter? What prompted you to become a sportswriter?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. The sports writing was a natural progression because of my knowledge and interests. I’m comfortable with sports and I enjoy being one of the few females who really KNOWS what she’s talking about.

Is there a high turnover in sports writing?
Yes, but not for the reasons you’d assume. I think there’s a high journalism turnover in general because the reality doesn’t meet with the fantasy a college kid has of the career. It’s grueling and difficult and the pay stinks. A lot of college kids are starry-eyed, I’m going to change the world optimists and the reality is brutal for them.

What are the positive and negative parts of the job?
The worst part is the constantly needing to prove that you are capable of the job. You tend to have a chip on your shoulder and an attitude when you walk through the door because you’re afraid that people will walk over you or not take you seriously. You’ve been treated that way in the past, so you assume everyone’s going to treat you that way. The best part is loving what I do every day. This is what interests me most, so my days aren’t boring. There are like 3 days a year where sports aren’t happening, that’s it. There’s always games and trades and practices.

How many women sportswriters do you work with?
I’m the only female that’s been on any sports staff I’ve been a part of.

Are more women moving into sports writing? How are the salaries?
I haven’t noticed more women moving into the field. The salaries are awful - as they are for all journalists. You have to put in your time and pay your dues before you make any money. Out of school, I was offered a job for [$]17,500. That’s not a livable salary.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as sportswriters by their peers, athletes, and readers?
No, I don’t think so. Women have to work twice if not three times as hard to prove that they aren’t there to fill a quota or because they’re cute. I have taken the initiative to always ask a question early that proves I know what I’m talking about. We have the burden of proof - there is no benefit of the doubt. I spent a few years covering high school football in bayou country Louisiana. Coaches took one look at me and turned away. You have to have a big mouth and be willing to use it. You cannot be intimidated and you can’t back down. Athletes might be worse. They don’t like ANY reporters, so you have an uphill climb to start - add being young and female, and it looks like Mt. Everest.

Is there a community among women sportswriters?
Honestly, I don’t think so. There’s a level of unspoken respect and camaraderie because we all know what the other is going through, but I think it goes back to the blending in idea. We don’t want to band together, we’ll stick out more. In addition, there’s a high level of competition, so we don’t get too close to other females.

Do you have any suggestions for breaking into sports writing?
Know your stuff and don’t have any qualms about showing it off. Don’t be intimidated. Know that people are going to try to make you uncomfortable. Be prepared - you will be tested and you will be scrutinized. Don’t let lack of preparation be the reason you aren’t taken seriously. A lot of females have this naive thought that they don’t have to be “one of the boys” - they want to prove that they can be female and make it. You can’t. They have to feel comfortable with you. You have to not stand out from everyone else. Know your stuff so that your questions are as good if not better than everyone else’s. Don't worry about being liked, worry about being good.

What prompted you to start blogging about sport? What is the name of your blog?
I started writing my blog when I moved from New Orleans to Milwaukee and had to look for jobs all over again. I wanted my writing and knowledge to stay fresh. I wanted to join some communities and make contacts. I thought it could be a bit of a living resume. My blog is called Cute Sports after a column I wrote in college called “Whatever happened to Cute Sports?” about things like badminton and curling.

Are more women becoming sports fans?
Absolutely. I think it’s become more socially acceptable and women are becoming smarter. I think a lot of men didn’t like women and sports to mix because the women were clueless and the men didn’t have the patience/inclination to explain. Not everyone is like me and interested instinctively. The internet, ESPN, magazines, blogs – they’ve all made sports knowledge easily accessible.

Have you found that it's become easier for women to be taken seriously as fans by their peers, athletes, and readers?
I don’t know that it’s any easier now that it was 5, 10, 20 years ago. I guess people assume I’m female from the blog title, but I went out of my way to not say I was female for the first few months I wrote my blog. I wanted people to want to read it because it’s good and covers Wisconsin sports, not because it was a novelty because it was run by a woman. I think no matter what the year is, women have to prove they know what they’re talking about before they’re taken seriously. You can’t just say so and so it hot, you have to provide analysis and informed opinion. I’m absolutely a smarter fan since I started my blog because I have to do research in order to have insightful posts that people want to read. In addition, I think there’s been backlash recently, as well, because of all the novelty sports gear out there. Women who never would have purchased team logo apparel now have baby pink gear from head to toe. Hard core fans won’t wear that stuff. I think it’s an instant identifier between a girly-girl and a fan.

Do you have any suggestions for starting a sports blog?
Decide what kind of vibe you want from the beginning. There are very popular blogs out there that do nothing but talk about how attractive the players are. These women know their sports, but they stick with the girly aspect. If you want to do that, more power to you, but realize that you’re not going to get taken seriously on your sports knowledge. There seems to be a very definite line. You can’t ogle and be insightful, if that makes sense. And go with what you know. It helps if you’re passionate about the subject. Blogging is not easy. It’s a big commitment and requires a lot of time. If you’re not interested enough to cover the subject religiously, it won’t work.

Is there a community among women sports bloggers?
More so than in the newsroom. We’re less of a novelty our here in cyberspace and we’re not as competitive. We link to each other and spread the word and help each other get exposure and website hits.

What are your favorite teams?
Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, University of Wisconsin, LSU, Chelsea Football Club

Interview date: July 30, 2008; Photo courtesy of Haase

Q&A with Sportswriter Teresa Bondora

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.

Teresa Bondora is the lone female contributor for the adventure sports magazine SideTracked.

Were you always interested in sports?
Yes, [but not team sports]. I was a gymnast, cheerleader, swimmer and now rock climber [and kayaker].

Did you always want to be a sportswriter?
No, I started writing in college in the paper covering movies. Now I write for my science web site and write books. I also write for Sidetracked.

What prompted you to become a sportswriter?
I was approached by the magazine when I wrote to them thanking them for an article. [The magazine manager] looked up my work and offered me a job.

Is there a high turnover in sports writing?
Not with [SideTracked], so far.

What does your work day consist of?
Because I am one of a few female rock climbers and because of my extensive science background, my niche is rock climbing and the medical side of it, preventing injury, dealing with finger pain, building muscle, etc. I write, send and wait for [the magazine manager’s] responses. He usually calls with requests or changes and I make them. Sometimes I’ll write 4 articles in 4 days then other times he doesn’t need anything for a month because I’ve loaded him up. And mostly he lets me cover what I want within the adventure sports arena because he’s learned I have good instincts for what’s coming in the media regarding adventure sports.

What are the positive and negative parts of the job?
There are NO negative parts. I love every bit of it. The positive parts are getting to express what I love and then see it in print and the favorable responses to it!

How many women sportswriters do you work with at Sidetracked?
The editor is female. That’s it.

How are the salaries?
I work in exchange for ad space for the gym I climb in and for that they give me and my husband free membership for a year at a time. They also give me ad space for my own work: http://www.therealityofweightloss.com and http://www.howtoteachscience.com/.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as sportswriters by their peers, athletes, and readers?
Absolutely. But I have gotten feedback that they didn’t think I was female. They didn’t read the author’s name so assumed I was male.

What was your reaction to the feedback?
My reaction is that I feel proud. I don’t feel insulted or anything like that. It means I fit in, I’m not “obviously” a silly little girl trying to play with the boys. It means I’m being taken seriously!

Do you have any suggestions for breaking into sports writing?
Know about your subject, VERY well. Then start pitching. Pitch with good stats and back up why it would make a timely article.

Interview date: July 30, 2008; Photo courtesy of Bondora

From the Press Box: Washington Capitals Practice

The Washington Capitals practiced at Kettler Capitals Iceplex on Saturday to prepare for one of their Pennsylvania state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Sunday. The team had the day off from practice on Friday despite losing three in a row on Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin did complete a full practice after being scratched on Thursday due to a foot injury. Ovechkin said the heel is feeling “100 percent” and that he will play tomorrow.

Ovechkin commented about his war of words with Penguin Sidney Crosby. “We’re emotional guys and we play hard. We are men and when we want to say something, [we] say something,” said Ovechkin. Coach Bruce Boudreau said that the Ovechkin-Crosby clash makes for good entertainment.

Tom Poti returned to injured reserve after a seven-second shift on Thursday but did practice with the team this afternoon. As Boudreau promised though, the team recalled a blueliner, Tyler Sloan.

Missing from practice were Sergei Federov and Michael Nylander. Boudreau advised that Federov is out with a cold, and Nylander has an upper body injury and is expected back within a week.

The Penguins practiced at Kettler after the Capitals. The black-and-gold won their fifth straight contest on Thursday when the team defeated the Florida Panthers; and is 7-1-1 since Dan Bylsma took over as interim coach on February 15. The Capitals dealt the Penguins their last loss on February 22 with a score of 5-2.

Black Sportswriter Reveals Love of the Game on the Radio

Chasta Piatakovas, writer of Love the Game, Don’t Like Puck Bunnies and contributor to Scarlet Blog, appeared on the The Batchelor Pad on Thursday, March 5—before heading to the press box to cover the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Capitals—to discuss being a Black woman covering the Washington Capitals.

Piatakovas has been covering the Washington Capitals and writing articles on the sport of ice hockey on Love the Game since February 2008. “The blog has afforded me—a young black woman and hockey fan—the tremendous opportunities to receive credentials to cover the Washington Capitals from the press box and locker room, and to meet or to interview individuals such as Peter Bondra, Brooks Laich, [Ted] Leonsis, Carrie Milbank, Angela Ruggiero, and Alexander Semin,” she said.

Weekend Sports Rap will have Piatakovas as a guest on Saturday, March 7 to talk about Love the Game and the NHL.

From the Press Box: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals (40-20-5, 85 points) faced the Toronto Maple Leafs (25-26-13, 63 points) at Verizon Center for the Capitals’ 35th home game of the season.

The Capitals accomplished no trades on March 4 but the Maple Leafs roster made several deadline deals including acquiring former Capitals Olie Kolzig and Jamie Heward (on injured reserve). The Capitals assigned to Hershey (AHL) Brian Pothier (for a conditioning stint) and Staffan Kronwall.

Alex Ovechkin watched the game from the press area and entertained reporters during the first intermission. Ovechkin is day-to-day with a foot injury, marking the fourth game he has missed in his career (the second game due to injury since 2005-06). The team seemed to suffer from the intense energy the leading scorer brings to the team and game. “It’s a big time disappointment when we don’t have him out there but we still have to be able to compete without him,” said Eric Fehr. Coach Bruce Boudreau expects Ovechkin in the lineup on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tom Poti returned to injured reserve after warm-ups. Missing both Ovechkin and Tom Poti left the team out of sync. Boudreau said, “Missing Tom Poti, it doesn’t allow us to have Sergei [Fedorov] at center where he compliments that second line so much better.” If Poti cannot play Sunday, the Capitals will recall a defenseman, said coach.

Game Notes

Jose Theodore tended net opposite Martin Gerber. Theodore returned to the net after a bout with the flu. Gerber made his debut as a Leaf after the team picked him up off waivers from the Ottawa Senators.

Nothing electrifying transpired in the first period except for Capital Matt Bradley and Leaf Ben Ondrus (a recall from the Toronto Marlies (AHL)) exchanging blows and receiving five for fighting. Leaf John Mitchell had his eighth goal of the season expunged from the record for a teammate’s contact on a goaltender. The period ended scoreless with a total of 22 shots on goal.

Leaf Jeff Finger opened the second period with a hit to the face with his own blade (with a little help from Viktor Kozlov). Theodore denied Mikhail Grabovski’s breakaway attempt about 11 minutes into the period. The period also ended with no score.

The Capitals and Leafs continued to stagger in the third period, leaving fans bored stiff. The single accomplishment for either team was 26 penalty minutes (PIM) until the Leafs scored two even-handed goals: Lee Stempniak at 6:05 and Pavel Kubina at 9:47. The period almost ended 2-0 Leafs, Gerber’s 11th career shutout in 215 games, until Semin spoiled Gerber’s reward with a goal at 19:21.

The Capitals did not clinch the season series as the Southeast Division leaders lost to the Maple Leafs 2-1.

Q&A with Sportswriter Christy Hammond

Love the Game is publishing a series of interviews with women sportswriters.

Christy Hammond is a communication studies and sport management student (B.A. '09) at the University of Michigan and an intern for the Detroit Red Wings and U-M athletic media relations department. Hammond’s experiences developed into BehindtheJersey.com, WingingItInMotown.com, and SportsPRBlog.com.

Were you always interested in sports?
Ever since I was a little kid, sports were my passion. I grew up with two younger brothers and 13 male cousins (and no female cousins) so I’ve been a tomboy since a young age. When I wasn’t outside playing sports, I was inside watching Michigan football, Red Wings hockey, or Lions football with my dad.

What prompted you to start blogging about sport? What is the name of your blog?
My blog is called Behind the Jersey, which I started during the winter of the 2005-2006 NHL lockout. At that point, I was writing for my high school’s sports section, but really didn’t have an outlet to express my frustrations with the NHL. I created a blog to work on my sports writing while having an avenue to vent about the NHL lockout from the perspective of a Wings fan.

Are more women becoming sports fans?
I don’t necessarily think more women are becoming sports fans, but it’s becoming more socially acceptable. For awhile now, women have made up large proportions of the fan demographics particularly for the NFL.

Have you found that it’s become easier for women to be taken seriously as fans by their peers, athletes, and readers?
Most definitely. As the number of female athletes increase, particularly professional athletes, it has definitely become easier to be taken serious. Blogging has also allowed female sports fans to get their opinions out there for anyone to read. These blogs not only demonstrate the knowledge these women have about their favorite sport, but it also shows that they can be witty and can draw in big numbers to their blog as well.

Do you have any suggestions for starting a sports blog?
Pick your team or sport that you love watching and stick to that. An all around sports blog can be great, but if you really only know your hockey or the Detroit market, stick to that. People want to read posts that demonstrate the blogger’s passion for a specific topic. So if you’re not really opinionated or knowledgeable on a certain topic, it will show through your writing and your readers can tell. Plus if you stick to what you know the most about, you’ll be more likely to post frequently and consistently which will keep your readers coming back. Be opinionated! Your readers can turn to news articles for the facts and quotes. They are coming to your blog for your opinion on the story or game. That’s what makes your blog different from all of the other media outlets so have an opinion and stick to it.

What are your favorite teams?
I grew up just outside the Detroit area so my favorite teams are the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, and the Michigan Wolverines.

Is there a community among women sports bloggers?
I know that the hockey female bloggers have connected through HLOG, but in terms of female bloggers for all sports there really isn’t a sense of community. Each sport or sport market has its niche and community. There doesn't really seem to be anything truly connecting them all together.

Interview date: August 11, 2008; Photo courtesy of Hammond

Women Rule the Ice, Too

In the early years, men played sports while women sat on the sidelines and watched but times are changing. Nowadays, women’s leagues (e.g. WUSA, WTA, LPGA, WNBA, and NWHL) have risen, and fallen, like Starbucks franchises.

Those that once believed that women couldn’t become professional athletes have been proven incredibly wrong by women such as Mia Hamm (soccer), Serena and Venus Williams (tennis), Annika Sörenstam (golf), Cappie Pondexter (basketball), and Angela Ruggiero (hockey).

Ice hockey has become the fastest growing women’s team sport comprised of 57,549 girls’/women’s players last season according to the USA Hockey 2007-08 Annual Guide.

Hockey: A People’s History offers a nice history of women’s hockey.

Like most hockey players, a majority of female players started playing before they could drive. Washington Pride goalie Kelci Lanthier picked up the game at the tender age of 9 and has been playing goalie for the past eight years. She became so intrigued at age 7 that Lanthier said at games she would ask her father about the rules and plays and then would go home and play street hockey. After years of watching the game and begging her parents to let her play, Lanthier’s parents signed her up. “My family fully supports me playing hockey. They have spent years paying for hockey fees, buying me hockey equipment, driving me to practices and games (often 6-7 days a week), and watching my games.”

Alisa Harrison, freshman at RPI and former Pride Captain, played on a roller hockey team before trading concrete for ice after watching women’s ice hockey in the 1998 Olympics. Harrison aspires to play on the USA National teams “and if that lands me in the NWHL then that’s the path I’ll take.”

While the other women started playing because their fathers or brothers played, Becky Dippel, Pride defenseman, and Laura Kate Anderson, American University Lady Eagles forward, started playing because of a sister and mother. When the family moved to Mechanicsburg, PA, “my older sister started playing hockey … [and] I began playing a year after she did,” said Dippel. At the time, Dippel was nine years old.

Over on the west coast, Anderson grew up watching the San Jose Sharks, and her mom played for a women’s league, for which Anderson played with one summer. “Not only does my mom follow our team newsletters religiously, when I called her after we won the league championship my freshman year, she got in touch with just about every relative I have and had them call me to congratulate the team!”

Women are breaking the gender barrier in once male-dominated sports. Cammie Granato became the first female to be named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame; and Granato, Geraldine Heaney and Angela James became the first female players inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. Kirsten Mansville, Pride defenseman, said, “I think it’s great that women are being recognized and being inducted into the Hall of Fame. They deserve it. We have to work extremely hard and it's great that we are being recognized.”

Women Honored in March for Contributions to Hockey

The month of March is noted for March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day.

The month of March is also noted for Women’s History Month.

In 2009, Love the Game, Don’t Like Puck Bunnies honors women sportswriters, as well as admires female hockey players, women sportscasters, wives, and female fans.

Love the Game is publishing a series of Q&A interviews with women sportswriters; re-publishing older posts about a women defenseman, television host, and wives; and additional posts honoring women throughout the month of March. Readers are encouraged re-read previous Q&As with NHL/KHL wife Stacy Dallman, sportscaster Carrie Milbank, AHL wife Cristina Mink, Olympic defenseman Angela Ruggiero.