Apologies for the delay in getting this up. I had to accomplish a lot of non-blog things yesterday.
Sunday marked the start of the Duchesne Cup scrimmages. The three teams battled for the coveted title, named in honor of Gaetan Duchesne, a former Capital. Team A had a early morning practice while Team B and Team C played the first game of the tournament.
It was a decisive victory for Team C, boasting pla
yers such as Mike Green, Eric Fehr, Andrew Gordon and Braden Holtby. Team B just could not find a way to click. Their passes didn't connect and their shots soft and easy. In the end, Team C annihilated 5-0 with goals from Andrew Gordon, Brian Fahey, Jason Chimera, Eric Fehr, and Mathieu Perreault.
As always, for the full collection of photos, I direct you to my Flickr page.
Today it was announced that D.J. King was traded the Washington Capitals, after signing a two-year extension with the St. Louis Blues. In return, the Blues received Stefan Della Rovere.
I will admit that I was never a big Della Rovere fan but I’m aware that Caps Nation seemed to consider him a favorite. And, for this particular trade, I personally think we ended up with the better deal. Della Rovere still has a lot of growing to do and is a bit of a question mark to me. We know what we’re getting with King: a fighter. Plain and simple. And, when it comes down to it, I’d rather have a “veteran” fighter than a prospect pest. But I do thank Delly for the only quality fight at Development Camp this year. So let’s meet the newest Capital!
Name: Dwayne “D.J.” King Birthdate: January 27, 1984 Hometown: Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan Drafted: 6th round, 191st overall by the St. Louis Blues Height: 6’3 Weight: 230 lbs Position: Left Wing Shoots: Left
Immediate impression? We’re looking at a few injury problems as of late. He played one whole game in the 2008-2009 season before a shoulder injury took him out. He only played 22 games in the 2009-2010 season because of a finger injury. He’s also a big dude. 230 pounds coming at you in a fight? Not too shabby. And I’ll be the first to admit that he won a part of me over with the following quote (after being told the less than kind words Max Talbot had for Ovechkin):
"Wow. I guess that's not going to be happening too much longer."
And this, of course, raises the question about whether a Stanley Cup contender requires an enforcer. I, personally, say no, it’s not a requirement. Although you can’t argue with the benefit of having some muscle around.
It’s good to have some protection although he does not produce much of anything offensively. He could end up just being a frequent healthy scratch. His contract has him earning $625,000 in 2010-2011 and $675,000 during 2011-2012. All things considered, it could be much worse.
He got in five NHL fights last season. Not bad, considering he only played in twelve NHL games. To celebrate our new fighter, I bring you some of my favorite fights of his:
Versus Krys Barch:
Here he fights Cam Janssen (who later became his teammate) during the Memorial Cup.
Versus a billy goat, oh wait that’s Scott Parker.
In conclusion, welcome to the family, D.J. King. Matt Bradley’s papery skin is glad to have you around. And let me know your thoughts on our newest addition.
