Trouba (left) celebrates his second consecutive gold medal at the U-18 World Champsionships in April.

Jacob Trouba likes to emulate his game after Shea Weber.

Who wouldn’t?

“He’s just a big mean physical defenseman,” said the 6'2", 190-pound blueliner in a phone interview Wednesday.  “No one likes to play against him. I admire that.  He’s the captain and a leader and a big shot on the back end, and I can just relate to how he plays.”

Trouba, 18, is a player who possesses a tremendous array of hockey talent.  Viewed as a top prospect for more than two years in a deep draft class for defensemen, Trouba is expected to be, at worst, a top 12 selection in June’s NHL Entry draft at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.  Some scouts have him going as high as third or fourth overall.

It’s all for good reason.  Trouba is, arguably, the best defenseman to come out of the National Team Development Program since Jarred Tinordi was taken 22^nd overall in 2010 by Montreal.

In addition to being the highest-rated player out of the USNTDP in this year’s draft, Trouba also has a chance to make some history in Pittsburgh.  Should he be selected in the top ten picks, he would become the first USNTDP player to do so since 2007, when James van Riemsdyk was taken second overall by the Flyers.  He would also only be the fourth to be taken in the top ten in the last ten years, rarefied air indeed.

Trouba, however, is familiar with such accolades and being the cream of the crop.  This past winter, at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, Trouba was the only skater eligible for this year’s draft, the only 17 year-old, and the youngest player to make the American team.  Though the United States came up short of expectations, the experience was invaluable for a player who has continually stepped up his game in big situations.

“That tournament really helped me a lot, and it opened my eyes to a lot of things,” he said.  “I mean that’s the first time I’ve ever been on that big of a stage, playing for something, with so many people watching.  Up in Canada, it’s a pretty big deal.  To be able to play how I did, play at that level, and really prove to myself and to other people was great.  I think that’s something I’m very capable of and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do that.”

Read more about Trouba and his career path by clicking here.

The Hershey Bears announced yesterday that they will extend their affiliation with the Washington Capitals through the 2013-14 season. In addition to the agreement that will keep the Caps & Bears together for nine consecutive seasons - 16 in total as the teams had a previous affiliation from 1977 through 1984. 

The Bears are the AHL's oldest continuous team, playing it's first game in 1938 and will be celebrating it's 75th anniversary next season. For the Bears' dodranscentennial, they have two special games planned: The Capital BlueCross AHL Outdoor Classic at Hersheypark Stadium vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and one at the Verizon Center vs Norfolk Admirals. The outdoor game, equivalent to the NHL's Winter Classic, will mark the second consecutive season the Bears will compete in an outdoor game. The Bears are 11 time Calder Cup champions, reaching the playoffs each of the last seven years.

In addition to the extension notice, Bears President/GM Doug Yingst announced that Mark French and Troy Mann will return to coach the team next season.

SportsPro Media, a multi-media team that delivers news, insights and analysis on sports, recently named their list of the world's most marketable athletes in 2012. Athletes were chosen not only by home market appeal and sporting performance, but also value for the money, age, charisma, willingness and crossover appeal. Alex Ovechkin was named 11th on the list, being ranked ahead of notable athletes like basketball stars Lebron James and Kevin Durant, multi-sports star Shaun White, and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. Ahead of Ovechkin were NFLer Tim Tebow, golfer Rory McIlroy and sprinter Usain Bolt.

The post heralded Ovechkin as "his country’s biggest sporting star," and detailed his relationship with Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko as well as his deals with Bauer and Nike.

The only other hockey player on the list was Pittsburgh Penguins Center Evgeni Malkin, who was ranked 33rd. The SportsPro Media website offers that Malkin (and possibly fellow country-man Ovechkin) were chosen due to their marketability which is "set to soar over the next couple of years in the lead up to his home Olympics in Sochi in 2014" similar to the "swirl of commercial hype that enveloped Crosby around the time of his home Games."

“My job now is to find the best human talent I can find to coach this club.  I’m not in any rush to do that, because I haven’t really been thinking in those terms. I don’t know whether it’ll be by the draft or sometime in August, like New Jersey did. We’re going to take our time and get the right person.” -George McPhee, May 17, 2012

The Capitals find themselves in an unusual situation, without a head coach for the first time since 2002.  This is also the first time Capitals General Manager George McPhee has not been the one to instigate the coaching change.  When trying to decipher who George McPhee will hire next, it is important to remember that McPhee is not a man who makes rash decisions.   He will take his time in finding a new head coach, but knowing McPhee, he knew Hunter might leave at the end of the season and has already been giving this some thought.  There are several obvious candidates out there to dissect already, and Adam Oates is likely at the top of the list.  In fact, McPhee seems perfectly willing to wait until the Devils' season is done before making his decision.

As a former player of McPhee's, a current NHL assistant coach, and a powerplay wizard, Oates has a strong McPhee-based résumé for a coach.  From a "human talent" perspective, he could be just what the Capitals are looking for.   First, let's take a look at the previous Caps coaches to get a sense of what McPhee is looking for.  Next, we'll examine Adam Oates and how his qualifications fit into McPhee's image for a coach.  Last, I will examine other potential coaches who fit the bill and could come to D.C. if Oates is not selected.

Read on.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Following the Capitals’ loss in game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals last Saturday, the thoughts of many people immediately turned to Washington head coach Dale Hunter.  Would he be back?  Would he choose to come back, or would General Manager George McPhee make the decision for him?

Monday morning at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, we all found out.  McPhee announced at his end-of-season media availability that Hunter would, in fact, not be back as the head coach of the Capitals, deciding instead to return home to London, Ontario.  And that was that.

With Hunter’s departure, however, the Capitals don’t have a coach.  They need one, the sooner the better.  To set the stage for the appointment of the next coach, I’ve prepared a list of job requirements, or qualities, that I’d like to see in the next Washington bench boss.

The ability to fix Alex Ovechkin: As we all know, Capitals winger and captain Alex Ovechkin is a shell of his former self.  Ovechkin’s point output plummeted to 65 this year, down from 85 the previous season and 109 the season before that.  His corsi rating has also taken a nosedive, and it was the 7^th best out of the 11 forwards who played 50 or more games for the Capitals this year – against the second easiest competition on the team.  Goal scoring, since the lockout, has gone down, as have power play opportunities.  But the Capitals, and probably their success, are tied to Ovechkin because of his contract and his status as one of the faces of the NHL.  In all likelihood, he isn’t going anywhere, and no NHL team, particularly one that is as heavily invested in one as the Caps are in Ovechkin, can win when it’s star player isn’t doing what he’s supposed to.  This is a big problem, and “team play” or not, getting Ovechkin on track is an important, and difficult, task.

Read on to find out more needs!

Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post

Monday was a rainy day in Arlington, Virginia.

As light rain pattered across the giant glass window that serves as the entrance to Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Vice President and General Manager George McPhee strode around the corner and towards the throng of reporters waiting for him.

“Good morning,” McPhee said.  “Thank you for coming.”

“I imagine the first question will be about Dale Hunter.  This morning, Dale and I met at about 10 o’clock, and he let me know that he will not be able to return as the coach.  He’s going to head back to London.  I guess we’re all fathers and sons and husbands first before anything else, and if we have our priorities right in this life, then family comes first.  And Dale, he needs to go home.”

And just like that, it was over.

Dale Hunter’s reign as the head coach of the Washington Capitals was over after 169 days, 37 wins, and 37 losses.  It was over in less than a season.

But it’s over.  And that was the right call.  For club and for coach.

Dale Hunter did a tremendous job as the head coach of this team.  There is no doubt that he came in and changed the culture of the Capitals by holding everybody accountable for their play.  They were annoying, tough, and stubborn.  They were like Dale Hunter as a player.

"He had this club playing the way he played,” said McPhee.  “Home or road, winning or losing, healthy or hurt.  He had this team playing hard."

He got this team, his team, to buy in to his system.  And he put together a nice little run, winning seven playoff games and knocking off the Stanley Cup Champion Bruins before falling to the Rangers in seven games.

But the reality of the situation is that the Capitals lost.  They lost because the Rangers were better than them and because of lost opportunities, sure.  But they also lost because they were completely reliant on collapsing defense and a historically great run from a rookie goaltender; a performance like that from Braden Holtby nobody saw coming.  And, quite frankly, they got a little bit lucky, just as they got unlucky in game five against the Rangers.

“It’s tough to play that way sometimes,” said Troy Brouwer.  “Because one bounce can determine that game, no matter what you do through the course of those games.  Sometimes it’s hit or miss.  Over the course of the season, it’s tough to play playoff hockey for all 82 games and then continue it in to the playoffs.”

Continue reading for analysis from the players themselves.

The Washington Capitals announced Monday morning that head coach Dale Hunter will not return to the team to coach next season.  Hunter resigned on Monday after a meeting with Caps GM George McPhee and after speaking with his family about whether or not to return.  The OHL team that Hunter owns and used to coach, the London Knights, are in the Memorial Cup tournament, and Hunter will go back and watch from a suite.  "I'm a fan," he said.

"Im going home," said Hunter.  "To the team, to the farm.  To my family."

Lots more to come from Kettler over the next few days.  As always, follow me on Twitter here for news and updates.

Monday afternoon in Arlington, the Capitals will hold their end-of-year media availability following their loss to the Rangers in game seven on Saturday night. Make sure you follow along by following me on Twitter here for all of your news, as I will be at KCI.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty

Here we go again.

Saturday night inside Madison Square Garden, the Washington Capitals will play a game seven in which one team is the favorite.  One team had the banner regular season.  One team led the Eastern Conference in points.  One team is a betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

Sound familiar to a Capitals fan?

It should.  But as we all know, this year, is different.  This year, the Capitals are the upstart underdog, the team pushing the top seeded club to the brink for a decisive game seven on the road.  It is their opponent, the New York Rangers, that have the MVP candidate, the all-star coach, and the top seed in the Conference.  And, both among most pundits and in Las Vegas, it is the Rangers that are expected to win.

For the core of these Washington Capitals, this will be the sixth game seven that they have played as a group.  Brooks Laich, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green have compiled a 2-3 record in those decisive games, disappointing results to say the least.  Of course, prior to this year, that group had played all of their game sevens inside Verizon Center, a period in which they put together a 1-3 record.

In the one road game seven that they have played in the last six years?  A thrilling 2-1 victory over the Bruins last month that sent the Stanley Cup champions to the golf course.

In sports, a lot of focus – media, player, and organizational – is often placed on home ice advantage, and how the regular season is so important because if you are the top seed, you earn the right to home ice throughout the Conference playoffs.  But to some of the Capitals, they say the mindset is different – and decidedly better – when you are heading in to an opposing team’s building for the final game of a playoff series, because it allows you to be a bit more relaxed, and a little bit less under pressure.

“I would say it’s a different mindset,” said center Nicklas Backstrom following practice on Friday.  “I mean we don’t have the pressure on us.  They are the number one seed and they have the pressure.  We just have to go up there and throw everything we have at them.”

Read on by clicking here.

Hot on the heels of Chris Bourque, Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby and his fiancée Brandi welcomed their first child, a son, Benjamin Hunter on May 10, 2012. No telling if Dale had any influence on lil' Holts middle name, or if the doctor performed his own set of superstitious rituals before entering the room and delivering the newborn with a glove hand flourish. 

In honor of the newest member of the Holtby clan, we present to you this .gif!

Congrats to the Holtby family!

[Ed. Note: If you made this .gif, let us know so we can give you proper credit!]