As you may have heard, the Washington Capitals are 7-0-0 and flying high as one of the NHL's best teams so far in their 2011-12 regular season.  The Caps are playing shutdown defense, explosive offense, and are getting dynamite goaltending to help fuel the streak.  The usual suspects are up to old tricks, including Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Alex Ovechkin, but you already know what those players bring to the table every night.  With so many new faces on the roster because of George McPhee's heralded offseason moves, I thought I would take a look at how each of Washington's new players are faring in red. Have a look after the jump.

How do the moves stack up? Click here to find out.

Once upon a time, goalie pads weren’t the stream-lined, thin, lightweight pieces of technology they are today. They were heavy and thick and designed in a very specific way. If you look at goalie pads from the 50’s and 60’s through the early 2000’s, they all followed pretty much the same basic form: horizontal rolls across the knee area, vertical rolls along the shins, raised rolls along the outside edges of the pad and a cute little opening in the front for the toe of the skate to stick out of. And let me tell you, nothing stung more than taking a hard shot through that opening and onto the toe or lower instep of the skate.

Until the advent of the modern butterfly style of goaltending, most goalies dropped directly down into the face of their pads or made kick or skate saves to cover low ground. As such, goalie skates were also designed in a very specific way: enlarged, padded toe caps and a plastic pad along the inside arch of the skate for protection and lower ankle rise and a shorter skate blade housing to help stop pucks.

With the exception of Marty Brodeur, all NHL goalies use a modern butterfly-style pad: nearly flat front surface, loads of padding on the inside of the knee and calf and a lower blocking surface that completely covers the toe of the skate. Goalies these days drop down onto their inner knee and leave the pad surface facing up and towards the shooter to maximize blocking area. But while the areas of vulnerability on a goaltender have changed, the design of the goalie skate remains largely the same. Sure, they’re more lightweight, but the bulk of the padding is still along the toe and inside arch area of the skate.

Which brings us to Michel Neuvirth, out with a bruised foot.  Generally, the heel and outer side of the skate looks (and is padded) largely like a regular players skate. From the look of things, Neuvy is wearing a Nike/Bauer Vapor XX (or similar) skate from a few years ago which is quite light and very stiff but not exactly well-padded in its non-goalie reinforced areas. Usually, when you hear about a modern goalie incurring a foot injury, it means the goalie took a puck to one of these minimally-protected areas and probably didn’t see the shot (otherwise they’d have gotten a different part of their padding on it). So Caps players with hard shots, please make sure you can see Neuvy’s eyes before you let one rip in practice.

I’m looking at you Schultzy.

During his weekly morning spot with 106.7 the FAN, Brooks Laich was asked to rank which of his teammates were best in class in skating and stick skills. McHandsomePants fearlessly answered the Junkies, nominating three or four players for each category. Always willing to jump on an opportunity to take a good idea too seriously, we here at Rock the Red took it a step further and isolated the Capital that most embodied some of hockey's most-needed abilities in a plan to join them together to form a giant super robot, with which to defend the galaxy from evil. [Ed. note - that was actually Voltron]. Only rule is, aside from el Capitano, each Cap can only be used once! And away we go!

Whether it's noting the changing of the colors of your neighborhood leaves, tasty Octoberfest beers hitting the shelves, or embarking on your quest for Fantasy Hockey greatness by leading "Everyday I'm Byfuglien" to the league championship, every fan recognizes the start to a new season a different way. We here at Rock the Red have compiled a cornucopia of the top 10 conclusions you might have reached in knowing the Capitals are back in action. Feel free to add your own in the comments section below!

Honorable Mention: You change your email signature to read "Good morning, good afternoon, and good night!" instead of "sincerely."

10. You find yourself instantly craving wings every game night.
9. Versus finds its way back onto your “favorites” channel list.
8. Ballston is suddenly cluttered with flat-tired cars.
7. You have to take time to explain to casual fan friend that “No, Arnott isn’t playing Defense now” and that a faster, more skilled Brashear didn't re-sign with the team.
6. The new bartenders at Bar Louie start to know you by name.
5. If your significant other asks how much longer dinner will be, you reply that there is “One minute... one minute remaining.”
4. You see triplets… everywhere.
3. No matter what the location, hearing three noises in succession makes you yell LET’S GO CAPS.
2. Words like "kabong" and "coconada" make their way into your vernacular.
1. Not one week into the season, you can find yourself amongst a massive Goaltender debate.

As we near Washington’s regular-season NHL opener on Saturday night, all eyes are on the changes made during the off season in hopes of making Washington the most competitive hockey team this city has ever seen.  All ears, however, will be on the new voice of the Washington Capitals, John Walton.  I’ve been listening to John for years in Hershey, and was thrilled when I heard of his promotion to “the show.” I also know that while some Caps fans have listened to quite a few Bears games along the way,  in just a few games here and there, you can’t get a feel for who the guy behind the mic really is.  I asked John to answer a few questions for RtR about his new role, how his old role helped him get here, and even the new guy in Hershey.  Despite his hectic week preparing for his first regular season NHL game in the booth, he kindly obliged and took the time to answer them.

Listen Up, Caps Fans!

The fastest skater on the Washington Capitals will be sticking around a while longer.  The Capitals announced they have re-signed LW Jason Chimera to a 2-year contract extension worth $3.5 million through the 2013-14 season.  Chimera, 32, had been set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.  Chimera, who is entering his 11th NHL season, was originally acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 28, 2009, in exchange for Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina.  He has played 120 games for the Capitals, posting 17 goals and 43 points, plus another 3 goals (all game-winners) and 7 points in 16 playoff games.  He is 2 goals shy of 100 for his career, and has 215 points in 581 career games with Edmonton, Columbus, and Washington. 

Chimera scoring in double overtime in New York, 4/20/11 (Getty Images)

Throughout the two weeks that the Capitals have been in preseason and during all five of their preseason games, a player who has been up and down over the last three seasons has really stood out.  That player is center Mathieu Perreault, who leads the Capitals in preseason points with four and has been one of the best players on the ice every time he has played.  He has been so good, in fact, that many are predicting Bruce Boudreau will not be able to cut Perreault because of it.

Which, of course, begs the question: if Perreault makes this team, where does he play?

First of all, Perreault is a center, not a wing; he is not big enough or strong enough to be converted to a wing for an extended period.  His skill set is that of a center.  This automatically rules him out of any spot on the top two lines in my opinion.  What's more, Nick Backstrom and Marcus Johansson aren't going anywhere as the team's top two pivots.  He can't play wing regularly on on the top three lines, either, as there are already seven wingers far better than Perreault battling for the six wing spots on those top three lines.  And he is not going to play on the fourth line; that one is pretty self-explanatory.

For as long as most can remember, beer and sports have always had a special relationship, and we here at Rock the Red are not one to get in the way of this affinity. We have pondered this great mystery of the universe and, after coming up empty (not bottles, but answers), we set out to find out why is it the hockey and beer go so well together.  Our inquiring taste buds minds yearn to know what makes this bond stronger than John Erskine’s Fixodent.

Our initial plan was to ask Stephen Hawking, unfortunately he was too busy creating new black holes- much like the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. So instead looking to the cosmos for answers, we went more cosmopolitan, keeping it fresh and local. We went to the second most knowledgeable source on the topic, a brewer, to get his perspective on beer, Capitals hockey, and the blessed unity of the two.

And what better way to do answers and show some local love than to team up with the Beltway’s own Port City Brewing. For those of you who are not yet familiar, Port City Brewing is the brain child of one Bill Butcher, Founder and a Capitals fan since the beginning.  Located in Alexandria, Virginia, Port City Brewing opened in 2010 and is bringing brewing back to the beltway region (check out their little history lesson). Bill was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule and enlighten our inquiring minds and give us the brewers point of view.

Make the jump to see what Brewer Bill has to say!

So you’re a Caps fan. You’ve followed the team ever since Ovi scored ‘The Goal’ forever. You’ve watched every game, know a ton about hockey and can talk about the powerplay and why Jeff Schultz sucks all day long. You go to Kettler for Caps' morning skates and many of the players are scared of you know you. You’ve gone skating a few times and  other 4 year-old skaters only made you look kinda bad. After seasons of being a fan, you get the itch: you finally decide to give this wonderful game of hockey a shot.

Now what?

Fortunately, we're here to help. There are several things you need to know about learning to play this game as an adult that watching a Caps game won’t teach you.

You'll probably look like this if you're learning to skate

• You will not step onto the ice and start moving like a pro. Did you know that Gretzky could skate before he could walk? Well, you’re not Gretzky. You’re going to look like a newborn calf with vertigo when you start. Just go ahead and fall... you're going to look like the abominable snowman when you're done anyway.
• What’s the difference between well-used rental skates and a pair of 1986 Nike Hi-tops? The Nikes probably have more ankle support. If you’re serious about playing hockey, get a well-fitting, supportive pair of skates. Without them, Matt Hendricks would end up in traction with those shootout moves he pulls.
• Can you stand on one leg in your bare feet for more than 10 seconds at a time? You’d be surprised how many people over the age of thirty can’t, yet think they’ll be able to fly all over the ice their first time out. Skating is essentially doing one-foot stands while gliding forward, so work on your basic balance on and off the ice. Eventually you’ll graduate to Alex Semin’s ‘one foot stand while toe-dragging into a wristshot’. (Ok, no you won’t.)
• Mouthguards aren’t for your teeth. You’ll realize this when you’re laying on your back, staring at the ceiling during the ‘learning to stop’ part of lessons after the back of your helmet had gone ‘THWAK!’ on the ice. It’s for your brain. Wear it. And watch out for Dave Steckel...
• Damn it, wear a mask. Unlike the professionals, we all have to get up and go to work the next day. While it’s fun to explain stitches to your co-workers, this isn't Fight Club. Just put some steel over your grill and play it safe. Besides, most of us can’t pull off that ‘Quintin Laing wired-shut jaw’ look.
• As a beginner, you’ll notice that a 6’x4’ net looks huge until you try to put a puck into it. Add a goalie and the task becomes ‘catching flies with chopsticks’ hard. Alex Ovechkin has never caught a fly with chopsticks, so forgive him for missing the net high all the time.
• Slapshots are evil.  When you can barely skate there is no idea worse than trying to lean into one. Even Jeff Schultz only takes half-slapshots. It takes great balance to take a slapshot well and at this point you’ll probably miss the puck and hilariously fall on your face. You know what, never mind… go ahead and try one. I’ll get my Flip…
• You know how when the pros hit the boards and they shake a ton? When you try, they won’t budge and it will feel like getting hit with that giant hand in Jackass 3D. Aside from the fact that hitting is illegal in 99% of the adult leagues in the area, you’ll probably hurt yourself if you try. Ovi hits. You don’t.
• You’ll be surprised how quickly everything seems to move out on the ice. Pucks will fly past you before you can react and you'll feel like your skating in sand. Now maybe you’ll lay off Mike Green. (Ok, probably not…)

A summer that has already seen three young men succumb to their own demons just got worse when news broke that the KHL team Yaroslavl Lokomotiv was aboard a Yakolev-42 aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff at noon on a clear, sunny day. There were 37 passengers and 8 crew aboard the plane headed for their season opener in Minsk. Reports list 2 survivors, including 26-year old forward Alexander Galimov, and both are in critical condition.

NHL.com story

TSN Story

Puck Daddy Story

Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Roster

The roster includes some well known names of former NHLers. We are all fortunate that it doesn't include one more, Semyon Varlamov, who almost returned to play in Russia this summer. The season opening game between Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Atlant Mystichi was suspended once the news broke and the game is not expected to be completed.

The NHL veterans on the roster are below: