Welcome to Mike’s Season Ticket Holder (STH) Xperience!
This season is my first one as a Season Ticket holder for the Washington Capitals, and in place of doing Caps Game Recaps, I’ll be sharing my experience being a STH during the 2024-25 season. Here I’ll be sharing all of the photos that I take during pregame warmups, along with any FB/IG Reels and TikToks I create at the games.
I will also be doing this for any other games I may go to, whether it’s in Hershey for the Bears, or at other NHL venues for games.
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The Washington Capitals are back for a three game homestand starting with a visit from the New York Rangers.
#Caps50Facts
On October 9th, 1974, the Washington Capitals made their NHL debut on the road against the New York Rangers. The Capitals fell to the Rangers 6-3. Jim Hrycuik scored the first Capitals goal in franchise history at 5:06 of the first period, and tallied an assist in the third period to record the first multi-point game in franchise history. Ron Anderson scored the Capitals first powerplay goal while Bill Mikkelson would take the first penalty in franchise history. Ron Low made 37 saves on 43 shots faced in the loss. #Caps50Facts
Jersey Tracking
Thoughts on the Game
This was a fun game. When we heard that the Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe, and was putting him in the lineup, you knew there were going to be fireworks at some point. I just didn’t expect it in the first three minutes when defenseman Dylan McIlrath dropped the gloves with Rempe. Hell of a fight too.
I loved the response from the rest of the team after the fight as well. Seeing Alex Ovechkin score not one, but two goals, and that weren’t empty netters or weird bounces, was exciting to see. Ovi was on fire last night. The only thing I didn’t like was that the Caps let the Rangers back into it a couple of times. This probably should have been more of a 4-2 win, because honestly, two of the Rangers goals where on weird bounces/plays. But the Caps got the win, and everyone, except for the Rangers fans, left happy last night.
Welcome to Mike’s Season Ticket Holder (STH) Xperience!
This season is my first one as a Season Ticket holder for the Washington Capitals, and in place of doing Caps Game Recaps, I’ll be sharing my experience being a STH during the 2024-25 season. Here I’ll be sharing all of the photos that I take during pregame warmups, along with any FB/IG Reels and TikToks I create at the games.
I will also be doing this for any other games I may go to, whether it’s in Hershey for the Bears, or at other NHL venues for games.
The Official Men’s Personal Care Products of TXHT.
It’s the second game of a back to back for the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.
#Caps50Facts
10/22/24 Fact: Bill Clement won two Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded to the Washington Capitals for the first overall pick in the 1975 NHL Draft. Clement would become the Capitals captain for the 1975-76 season, but would only play 46 games before being traded to the Atlanta Flames for two players and a 1976 1st Round Pick.
10/23/24 Fact: During the 1988 Patrick Division Semifinals, Dale Hunter scored in overtime to give the Washington Capitals the Game 7 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers as their rivalry would continue to grow. Hunter’s overtime goal is one of the most celebrated moments in Capitals history.
Jersey Tracking
Thoughts on the Game
I thought this was a good game for the Capitals, but not a great game. After taking the commanding 4-0 lead, it looked like the Caps took their foot off the gas and let the Flyers back into the game.
The Capitals special teams were not very special either. They gave up two powerplay goals, and were 0 for 3 on their own powerplay. Usually the penalty kill is on point, but last night, not so much. The powerplay still needs a lot of work.
Connor McMichael was on hat trick watch last night, but unfortunately, he couldn’t get the third goal to complete the hat trick. I’ll get to throw that first hat as a STH hopefully soon.
Also, Alexander Ovechkin netted his first goal at home this season with the empty netter giving him his second of the season and goal 855. I’m feeling good about Ovi. I think he can break it this year. He’s getting his chances, and once he gets that one really good one in, the floodgates are gonna open for him.
Welcome to Mike’s Season Ticket Holder (STH) Xperience!
This season is my first one as a Season Ticket holder for the Washington Capitals, and in place of doing Caps Game Recaps, I’ll be sharing my experience being a STH during the 2024-25 season. Here I’ll be sharing all of the photos that I take during pregame warmups, along with any FB/IG Reels and TikToks I create at the games.
I will also be doing this for any other games I may go to, whether it’s in Hershey for the Bears, or at other NHL venues for games.
The Official Men’s Personal Care Products of TXHT.
It’s the third and final game of their opening homestand as the Washington Capitals host the Dallas Stars.
#Caps50Facts
Originally in Minnesota as the North Stars, the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. In their first visit to Washington as the Dallas Stars, the Capitals would fall 6-3. Forwards Joe Juneau recorded a goal and an assist, and Dmitri Khristich recorded two assists in the loss.
Jersey Tracking
Thoughts on the Game
This game was definitely a battle. I felt this was going to be a long one for the Caps after how they played in the first period. In the first period, the Caps looked very disjointed, but they turned it around in the second period.
Tom Wilson scoring to extend his goal scoring streak to three games was beautiful. Wilson with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor McMichael is hands down the Caps best line after three games.
Charlie Lindgren looked solid and, in the third period, got amazing buy-in by his team to defend the 3-2 lead and turn it into a victory.
Welcome to Mike’s Season Ticket Holder (STH) Xperience!
This season is my first one as a Season Ticket holder for the Washington Capitals, and in place of doing Caps Game Recaps, I’ll be sharing my experience being a STH during the 2024-25 season. Here I’ll be sharing all of the photos that I take during pregame warmups, along with any FB/IG Reels and TikToks I create at the games.
I will also be doing this for any other games I may go to, whether it’s in Hershey for the Bears, or at other NHL venues for games.
The Official Men’s Personal Care Products of TXHT.
It’s the second game of the season as the Washington Capitals hosted the Vegas Golden Knights.
#Caps50Facts
The 2017-18 season marked the inaugural season of the Vegas Golden Knights as they made history as an expansion franchise. However, the Cinderella story came to an end in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final when the Washington Capitals clinched the series and their first ever Stanley Cup.
Jersey Tracking
Thoughts on the Game
This was a much better game than what we saw on Saturday night against New Jersey. The Capitals got the hop on the Golden Knights, and you could really see they wanted it. Especially Alex Ovechkin.
Ovechkin had two assists to give him 700 career NHL assists (which means he’ll start scoring goals now?), six hits, and a takeaway. He looked like a man on a mission.
Logan Thompson looked solid in goal. The two goals against were tough ones that we really can’t blame him for. But overall, he had a really solid game to earn his first win as a Capital.
Speaking of firsts as Capital, Jakob Chychrun would score his first goal as a Cap, and Andrew Mangiapane would record his first assist/point as a Capital when he assisted on Jakub Vrana’s first of the season.
There are a few things the Capitals still need to work on, but if they keep playing this way, they should have another big game in them against Dallas on Thursday.
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Key Losses
Darcy Kuemper (G), Beck Malenstyn (F), Nick Jensen (D), Max Pacioretty (F), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (F), TJ Oshie (F – LTIR), Nicklas Backstrom (F – LTIR)
Key Additions
Pierre-Luc Dubois (F), Andrew Mangiapane (F), Logan Thompson (G), Jakob Chychrun (D), Matt Roy (D), Brandon Duhaime (F), Taylor Raddysh (F)
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2024-25 Preview
Going into the 2024-25 season, the Washington Capitals come in as a different team. With changes done at all three positions, the Capitals brass is hoping that these changes can push the team into the playoffs for a deep run. Also, the brass hope that it will take pressure off of star forward and captain Alex Ovechkin as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, which sees Ovechkin sit 42 goals from breaking the record.
Forwards
Starting on offense, the Capitals would move on from forwards Beck Malenstyn (trade with Buffalo), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (signed with Buffalo), and Max Pacioretty (signed with Toronto), and enter the season with both TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom on long term injured reserve (LTIR). Coming to DC would be forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (trade with Los Angeles), Andrew Mangiapane (trade with Calgary), Brandon Duhaime (free agent signing), and Taylor Raddysh (free agent signing).
When looking at these new additions it’s rather simple to see where these four will fit into the lineup. Both Duhaime and Raddysh will comprise the new fourth line with Nic Dowd at center. As for Dubois and Mangiapane, that’s where things can become interchangeable. Mangiapane, who I’ve always liked from his time with the Calgary Flames, is a suitable replacement to Oshie and will be able to fill that right wing spot very well throughout the lineup.
Now for Dubois, who Elliotte Friedman had been reporting as part of a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for goalie Darcy Kuemper since January, he is an interesting factor. Dubois has all of the talent in the world, but I’m not one hundred percent sure with him. He’s projected to be the number one center, but I can see him be on the second line too. We saw the magic head coach Spencer Carbery did with Anthony Mantha last season. Will Carbery be able to do it again this season with Dubois?
Defense
On defense the Capitals shipped Nick Jensen to the Ottawa Senators for Jakob Chychrun, and then signed Mat Roy via free agency from Los Angeles. Roy is definitely a top four pairing shut down defenseman, and will help with the penalty kill. For Chychrun, he becomes the second player the Capitals picked up that only lasted a season with their new team. Questions will surround Chychrun like they do with Dubois, but we shall see how he fits into the mix.
One thing I will say though is that it will be interesting to see how Alexander Alexeyev and Ethan Bear will fit into things. Alexeyev really showed promise during the later part of the season when injuries hit the Capitals defensive core. For Bear, he is looking to re-establish himself after having a really difficult 2023-24 season that saw him miss the beginning of the season due to shoulder surgery, then after 24 games played, he would enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to help him with depression and anxiety. I’m really pulling for Bear. I want this season to be a great one for him.
Goaltending
Moving between the pipes, Charlie Lindgren solidified himself as the number one goalie for the Capitals, and with Kuemper being traded to Los Angeles for Dubois, the brass had a decision to make. Do they let Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson battle it out to be Lindgren’s backup, or do they go outside the organization? They chose to go outside the organization and picked up Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Thompson, who won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023, comes to the Capitals already familiar with the organization having previously played for the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL in the Capitals farm system. Thompson also gives the Capitals a credible 1B option to split time with Lindgren so neither goalie gets overworked. I personally view this as a win0win scenario for the Capitals, and with both goalies entering the final season, the competition between the two of them will be fun to watch.
Projected Lineup
Forwards
8 – Alex Ovechkin
80 – Pierre-Luc Dubois
43 – Tom Wilson
29 – Hendrix Lapierre
17 – Dylan Strome
88 – Andrew Mangiapane
15 – Sonny Milano
24 – Connor McMichael
21 – Aliaksei Protas
22 – Brandon Duhaime
26 – Nic Dowd
16 – Taylor Raddysh
Defense
6 – Jakob Chychrun
74 – John Carlson
38 – Rasmus Sandin
3 – Matt Roy
42 – Martin Fehervary
57 – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalies
79 – Charlie Lindgren
48 – Logan Thompson
Additional Players
63 – Ivan Miroshnichenko (LW)
27 – Alexander Alexeyev (D)
LTIR
19 – Nicklas Backstrom (C – Hip)
77 – TJ Oshie (RW – Back)
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On Thursday, October 10th, 2024, the Washington Capitals kicked off their 50th Anniversary with Caps 50 Fest.
Caps 50 Fest featured the 2024-25 Capitals team, along with 70+ alumni, special panels hosted by Joe Beninati, and a concert by Third Eye Blind. We would also be treated to a special appearance by the Stanley Cup as well.
Overall it was good event. Third Eye Blind put on a spectacular show, and the panels were fun and insightful. The only downside was the lack of interaction I got to have with the Alumni, especially since they were the ones I was looking forward to meeting the most. I got to meet Olaf Kolzig very briefly before he did an interview, and I got my picture with Aaron Volpatti (who is a really cool dude). I really wish the alumni were more accessible than they were. (Note: I had a General Admission Floor ticket. I understand that the alumni were more accessible to the VIPs, but for General Admission ticket holders I felt was a bit more restrictive.)
Caps 50 Fest Slideshow:
*I do plan on updating the photos when I have more time to go through them this afternoon. I just wanted to get this out this morning. – Mike
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Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to The Morphinominal Hockey Show for some fun hockey conversations with actors from the Power Rangers and TMNT franchises, hosted by Michael Lindenbaum.
Audio:
YouTube:
Michael is joined by actor Tohoru Masamune, Shredder in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014), as they preview the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers, discuss the Devils/Sabres Global Series opener, and a fun segment called The Power Ranger Power Play.
Opening Music (Audio Version Only): “Modern Guns” by Eyeshine With Written Permission
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TXHT and X75 Productions is excited to announce it’s first ever docu-series, “So Close: The Story of the 1997-98 Washington Capitals”.
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“So Close: The Story of the Washington Capitals” is a 14 chapter docu-series that chronicles the Washington Capitals from April 1997 through June 1998. It will cover everything from the firings of general manager David Poile and coach Jim Schoenfeld to the hirings of general manger George McPhee and coach Ron Wilson. Plus, we look at the extensive contract negotiations of key players, incidents that took place during the season, honors and milestones that were achieved, and the thrilling run to the 1998 Stanley Cup Final. This is a very thorough look at the 1997-98 Washington Capitals
“So Close” is an extensive labor of love project that began development in 2012. In the beginning the vision for “So Close” was to be a 12 episode documentary series for television, but after changes to Monumental Sports, talks ceased and the project was shelved for over a decade.
Then in 2023, we dusted the project off, and began recollecting all of our research for the project. TXHT is very grateful for the Montgomery County Public Library and for all of their resources to help us in our research. The MCPL’s resources allowed us to look up Washington Post articles from both 1997 and 1998, and is the main source for a lot of the content that you’ll see in the docu-series.
Due to TXHT’s inability to conduct interviews with the players, coaches, and management, all of the quotes that you will see are directly from the research that was conducted. At the end of every chapter will be a Resources section with all articles cited that the quotes were pulled from.
TXHT is also thankful to both Sports Illustrated and The Hockey News for having archives that we could use for additional research.
“So Close: The Story of the 1997-98 Washington Capitals” debuts on Monday, October 7th, with new chapters being released every other week.
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Ladies and gentlemen welcome to another edition of TXHT Jersey Share where today we take a look at Ethan Bear’s game worn road jersey with the Washington Capitals, courtesy of MeiGray.
For the first time in a long time, I was finally able to purchase a game worn jersey from MeiGray. This time around this was a gift to myself for finally paying off my debt to my dad. It was a long time coming, and quite frankly, it should have happened a long time ago if it weren’t for life throwing curveballs my way.
The Jersey
Now, unlike my previous MeiGray purchase, I didn’t have the player I was going to purchase on Twitter to tell me which jersey to buy. This time I knew which jersey I wanted to get. I wanted to get Ethan Bear’s White Set 2 jersey that he made his Washington Capitals debut in.
Unfortunately for me, he wore a different white jersey when he recorded his first point as a Capital. However, having the jersey he made his debut in is nice little consolation.
This jersey had some work done on the sleeve, which I was able to photo match. It’s pretty cool to see that. I got to match it up to prove that it was used in a game outside of the normal certificate and tag from MeiGray.
DETROIT, MI – FEBRUARY 27: Ethan Bear #25 of the Washington Capitals battles for the puck with Michael Rasmussen #27 of the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at Little Caesars Arena on February 27, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit defeated Washington 8-3. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
This was a great pick up from MeiGray, and one I’m proud to have in my collection.
Ladies and gentlemen welcome to another edition of TXHT Jersey Share where today we take a look at a special Ethan Bear Washington Capitals jersey courtesy of CoolHockey.com.
This should be no surprise to anyone, but this is now the third time you’ve seen me do a TXHT Jersey Share article on Ethan Bear. He now ties Alex Ovechkin* for most jerseys I have of a player. However, Bear has the special distinction of being the only player where I have all of their jerseys in a different language.
When the Washington Capitals signed Bear back in December I became very excited. He is someone that I like as a player, and with a lot of potential to be a contributor to whatever team he is on. So the moment he got signed this was an automatic lock for me.
Thanks to our friends at Cool Hockey, they were able to put this jersey together for me. They did an amazing job with the Cree Syllabics. And the jersey is right at home with the Oilers and Canucks jerseys that they have done for me in the past. The jersey is also the first one to feature the number 25 for Bear. He wore the number when he was with Carolina, but I never got a jersey while he was with them.
Overall, this is a great addition to my collection, and you can make fun of me all you want, but I’m happy with this collection of Ethan Bear jerseys.
*I have an Ovechkin jersey that has not been featured in the TXHT Jersey Share series.
