What's Up, Ya Sieve

To everyone who saw this last night and thought of us, thanks!  Nicky Backstrom joined Twitter and the DC-area power gird promptly failed as fangirls crashed the mainframe.  I think Nicky joined now because he has the best profile photo of any Washington Capital.

Or it could be because I got my Backstrom shirt in the mail yesterday, and I was listening to Robyn in the car.  Obviously.

I may have sent a series of texts that looked like: “Gator, Nicky joined Twitter.  GATOR, HE JOINED TWITTER!!!”  Then I calmed down, and laughed because NB was following 5 people and Mike wasn’t one of them.  To his defense, neither were Ovi, Carlson, Knuble or Alzner.  But still.

So far, Nicky is winning the grammatical battle for my heart.  Anyone who uses that many exclamation points is going to fit in around here.

Now, the next time any sort of adult beverage is within reach, someone please take my phone away.  ”Don’t Drink and Hockey” really means “Don’t Drink and Tweet at Hockey Players.”

We’ve been planning a post about players on Twitter, but the list grows so fast I can’t keep up.  There’s an NHLPA “Player Tracker” app that supposedly runs all their Tweets but I don’t think it’s current.  Anyone have suggestions?

Happy Birthday, iCarly!  John is 22 today.

(Shamelessly recycling this post for John’s 23 birthday.)

iCarly was born outside of Boston (represent!) and grew up in New Jersey.  We can’t explain the math but this makes us love him even more.  In the 2010 World Junior Championship vs. Canada, John had two goals including the OT winner to give America the gold.  He used to wear 11, but it wasn’t available on the Caps so he chose 74 because 7+4 = 11.  Admit it, that’s cute.  

John has 5 G /17 A this season, which is the last season on his NHL Entry Contract.  He most often plays the blue line with his one true love and defensive partner, Karl Alzner.

If they played on any other team, they’d win Best Bromance.

John’s favorite animal is a monkey and he used to have every birthday party at the Rainforest Cafe.  (I would absolutely make that up if it wasn’t true.)  Off the ice he can be found contemplating the value of oriental rugs:

Training to beat Gator in a wicked round of Apples to Apples [video]:

Representing the Red, White & Blue as his alter-ego, Captain America:

We obviously love iCarly around here.  He strangely resembles both Mena Suvari and Anton Yelchin at the same time.  He wears his helmet tipped back and is forever looking out from underneath the visor, as if it weren’t see-through.  It’s a constant source of amusement for me and Gator.

Mostly we love him because he’s scrappy and plays with a ton of energy.  And he falls down pretty often.  Plus Gator’s mom is going to love him when he shows up to take her to the prom.

For more adorbs, follow John on Twitter: @JohnCarlson74

My best friend and I used to debate what kind of accident would be required to get Extreme Home Makeover to choose our apartment in NYC.  If she pushed me down the stairs?  If I loosened a board so she fell through into the pizza place?  You don’t *want* these things to happen, but the prospect of a newly rebuilt apartment was pretty tempting.  Also, we are terrible people.

Don’t pretend you didn’t consider the same.

Now the thought has crossed my mind again and I blame the Caps.

The annual Family-to-Family holiday gift presentation was yesterday.  Players from the Caps, Wizards and Mystics visit families who are having a tough time and bring them Christmas cheer.  It’s so darned nice, like every time a bell rings someone gives iCarly the microphone.

Look who was there!  SANTA IS OBVIOUSLY REAL and he got my letter(s).

Nicky: Wait, this isn’t the nice list.

Mike: That list is boring.  Next stop, WUYS offices.

Watch the adorable video here and Happy Holidays!!

If someone finds my lifeless body later today, no need for an investigation.

Cause of death: Mike Green with this dog.

Mike and Piggy.

Why is this picture killing me so much?  Why do I love a shirt that’s kind of ugly and doesn’t even really match his pants?  Who has bacon behind the camera, because the dog is ready to bolt?  These questions I’ll have to answer from the Great Beyond.

The Capitals Canine Calendar is out, featuring players and their pets or shelter pups from the Washington Animal Rescue League.  You can see all the pics here [link] and buy calendars at Kettler IcePlex or on the 100 level of Verizon Center during December games.  Prepare to swoon.

Troy brought his own dogs to the shoot.

Neuvy and Hagrid's dog, Fang.

Nicky is scared of dogs, so they brought a puppy just for him! And I thought Nicky was the puppy the Caps brought just for us.

Take me home tonight...

Karl, always charming everyone.

And just to make sure I’m not alone in the afterlife, you can bury Gator right next to me.

DAMN, CARLY.

Sorry, I digressed!  Can you blame a girl?  Mike was back on the Twitter this weekend – without revealing where he was going (or why, since the Caps were home and he was practicing), he dropped this gem of practical wisdom.  Some might say “Wear socks in the middle of winter,” but they don’t know how warm moccasins can be.

You guys are the best.  Mike Green starts Tweeting and our phone rings off the hook!  FOUND PANDA, people!

Press three for Intern Jeff Skinner.

Mike was as excited as Gator and I about the Caps putting together a serious, solid win.  Ovi had a goal (haven’t typed that in a long time), Nicky and Jeff Halpern each 1 G/1 A, Troy Brouwer had a Gordie Howe hat trick and iCarly rocked 1 G/2 A.  That’s two three-point games in a row for John!  Someone told him Gator wants points for Christmas.  He had a beast of a game and was named First Star.

Santa's coming?! I know him!!

Sasha Fierce missed two games with a minor shoulder injury, and was back in the lineup last night with 15+ min of ice time.  No points for Semin (in his last 5 games), but dear God we can’t have everything!  Settle for the Caps’s PK clicking, killing 6 of 7 minors.  Overall their PK ranks 24th in the NHL – and it’s usually Sasha in the box anyway.  Could it be the Capitals are getting back on track?

Favorite fake Twitter of the day.

Tweeting while biking it’s easy (I once texted Gator from the elliptical, almost resulted in me going on injured reserve), but it’s worth it.  Last night gave everyone a lot of hope, something the Caps sorely need.  Now if they can string together a few wins under Hunter, Ovi can figure his shit out and Mikey can get back in the lineup, we’ll be in business.  And if he can’t play, at least he should cheer where we can hear/read it.

Favorite real Twitter of the day.

(Instances in which I will forgive the your vs. you’re error are limited to big wins, hockey players and social media.  And so begin my dropping standards.)

Gator and I would be going to the 2011 Walk This Way Charity Fashion Show tomorrow night in DC.  And not just because it’s a great event.

Come support Washington Redskins’ Brian Orakpo, Anthony Armstrong, DeAngelo Hall, Capitals’ John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Nick Backstrom, DC United’s Ben Olsen, Former Redskins Gary Clark, Former Jets John Bootyand others as they take a stand against domestic violence at 2011 “Walk This Way.” [link]

We’d go to this and the Caps Casino Night and more games and better seats and… at this rate, poor Intern Jeff Skinner is never going to get paid.

Is anyone going to this event?  Would you like to be knighted by the Order of the WUYS Empire and report back?

How am I supposed to get any work done around here?!?!?!

Apparently that’s not enough.  I’m only mostly dead, because I croaked “true love” with my second-to-last breath, so @CapsCR had to back up and run me over again:

I’ll tell you what he can take home.

And just to make sure no one was left in the office, there’s this one of iCarly.  Gator almost made it out of here alive.

Tell Santa about it now – you’re going to need 12 copies of this calendar so you don’t wear out the pages turning them every day.

Gator FTW! She just sent me this – trolling the internet for pictures of iCarly when she should be working.  Wonder who she learned that from?

Capitol File – Washington Capitals Model Fall Fashions

Here’s the link to short player profiles and a link to the video.  Knuble’s vest and Hendy’s rolled-up sleeves are my favoriteas.  Nicky looks like he carries his books to school in a strap and can’t wait for milk & cookies at home.  iCarly is a mafia enforcer, Neuvy is the crime boss (no one would suspect!).

(PS: Where is Mike?! What kind of fashion show is this?!  I wonder if he was invited.  I can’t believe Nicky went without him.  So proud, Backs!)

Gator and I had the best time ever at the Caps Home Opener on Saturday.

First of all, the warm-up skate.  Mike Green, no helmet, cruising around like the Fresh Prince in Summertime – “Two miles an hour so everybody sees you.”  Yes, he’s fresh from the barber shop and basketball courts in the summer got girls there.  I am telling you this guy does his hair with a mascara wand.

Bonus Round: Troy Brouwer.  Gator might be trading in both halves of Carlzer for the new guy.  Welcome to DC!

And the Hurricanes.  As I Tweeted, Eric Staal in person is a MAJOR AWARD.  Carolina, you are now at the top of the WUYS Road Trip List.

And Intern Jeff Skinner is… such an intern.  He can’t stop moving (not for a second) and just runs around the ice like a puppy who ate a whole birthday cake, grinning from ear to ear.  We might have to start paying him for being so adorbs.

Then the game.  EStaal gave my fantasy team 2 goals and 1 assist, and Intern Jeff Skinner had 3 assists.  Show off!  It wasn’t enough though because every Capital had a point.  Sasha Fierce scored on this sick breakaway pass from iCarly [link]:

Brooks scored on a wrister from Ovi & Nicky [link], and Nicky had a couple of big hits in the game.  Everyone was on the board and I said to Gator, “All we need now is a Mike to score on a pass from Nicky!”  Right?!  This whole “I control the universe” thing is getting a little out of control.  The Canes tied the game with just 1:19 to play and then in overtime, this happened:

From stam-bam-thankyou-maam.tumblr.com

Yes, that’s Mike with the OT winner from Nicky just like I ordered.  And Wideman  for the fantasy team bonus!.  In real life it looked like:

I tackled Gator.  It was pandemonium and Mike was First Star AGAIN.  That’s two games in a row!  GAME OVER, thank you very much.  Mikey post-game interview here.  Post game Pants & Gator:

Tonight, it’s Stammertime.  We won’t even know which way to look.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for has almost arrived.

It's so close I can taste it!

The NHL 2011-2012 season kick off tomorrow, and it’s about damned time.  We’re are packed and ready to go:

Pants survived a pre-season crisis at the Capitals/Blackhawks game when she felt compelled to cheer for the Caps.  Over the Hawks.  Tazer/Kaner vs. Nicky/Mikey?  This is like Sophie’s Choice.  We predict only more Twilight-style fangirl pain for her this year.

"But she said she would be here." "Well I don't see her either!"

Chuck changed her middle name to ‘DefendingStanleyCupChamps,’  then went back and had it misspelled so Marchand would not feel so alone.  (If we had to see fifty photos of the mistake, they could have at least made it on Seguin’s stomach.)  She also changed her ringtone to “Welcome to Boston, Loozah!”

Spelled right, but could be lower.

Dawn made return address labels featuring a picture of Kris Letang from the ASG.  Really, we just got one in the mail.

Pour moi?

Gator bought out all the Captain American Dunkin’ Donuts and finally gave into the iCarly charisma.  Goldfish crackers and Slurpees for everyone at their wedding.

Addressing invitations for the Big Day.

How are you guys feeling after a long, hot summer?  Any admission/confessions you’d like to get out now before the season starts?  So we can rag on you later?