HOCKEY'S HERE: WASHINGTON CAPITALS

It's time to air out your gear, sharpen your skates and tape your stick -- it’s hockey season. Sure, your team flat-out ached last season, but there's hope, unless you're an Islanders fan. In that spirit, Out of Left Field offers looks at all 30 NHL teams. Presenting: The Washington Capitals.

Last season: 70 points, last in Southeast Division; missed playoffs
Coach: Glen Hanlon (3rd season)
Young gun not named Alex Ovechkin: Alexander Semin
Store this name away: Eric Fehr
Hey, get a load of the new guys: Brian Pothier, Richard Zednik (second stint in Washington)
Blogs (including but not limited to): D.C. Sports Chick, Bleatings from a Caps Nut, Japers' Rink, Off Wing Opinion
Pop culture moment: Hmmm.... did the Murphy Brown gang ever mention the Capitals specifically? Can't remember.

Hey, see that Ovechkin kid hit a hole-in-one on his first day of playing golf? It doesn't take a great wit to say, "Normally, the Capitals don't hit the golf course until April."

There's a soft spot for the Capitals here, since their owner, Ted Leonsis, is very cool with the blogging thing (hat tip to D.C. Sports Chick), and they were my franchise on NHL 96 for Super Nintendo. (Why them, and not the Leafs? Because you could put a bunch of superstars on the Capitals -- like a high-scoring left wing named "Neate Sager" -- without fundamentally aletering the complexion of the team. But I digress.)

The Caps have the letter "O" taken care of -- as in Ovechkin and the ageless Olie the Goalie, Olaf Kolzig -- but it's the rest of the alphabet, specifically the letter "D," that's proving the bane of their existence. Try 300 goals against last season. At least Hanlon can relate to what his goalies are going through, since he played for some pretty stinky teams in his days as a journeyman goalie back in the '80s.

For Washington this year, it's all about whether or not there is genuine rebuilding taking place in the second full season since a management-dictated salary purge in 2003-04. Their AHL affiliate in Hershey went to the league final last season, so there is some developing talent in the organization beyond the two Russian Alexes.

Just like Sidney Crosby's Penguins, the Capitals will probably be fun to watch since they'll play a lot of 6-4 and 6-5 games, with Ovechkin pulling off some sick move on every second or third shift. But a playoff spot? Absolutely out of the question.

Also in Southeast Division: Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning

Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca