Ted Leonsis reads my blog

This blog has only been up and running for two days and it's already managed to court a little controversy. (Of course, said controversy was of my own doing and shouldn't be attributed the other contributors of this blog.)

Since Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Capitals, publishes his email address and claims to respond to all the messages he receives (I'm operating under the assumption that it's actually him responding and not an employee), I occasionally email him to get his thoughts on possible trades and the like.

Anyway, I made the mistake of copying some of his recent emails onto the blog, and shortly thereafter received a not-so-happy email from him mentioning that he noticed what I had done. He was right - I shouldn't have publicized his emails on the blog. Out of respect for Ted, I have since taken all the posts down.

But before I sign off, I want to make a few things clear:

-First, and most important of all, I think Ted Leonsis is a good owner. I've written this directly to Ted, and I mean it sincerely: he's as engaged an owner as the NHL has (or any other league has, for that matter), and there need to be more team owners like him. I felt bad for him when the Caps didn't sell out it's two most recent home playoff games, which were against the Lightning in 2003 (the first of which I was at - I was out of town for the second). And I was impressed when he invited a fan to sit in his box after the two of them had gotten into an altercation at a game a few seasons back. That showed a lot of class. Honestly, I really like the guy.

-Second, it's pretty cool that Ted read my blog. Of course, I'm sure he monitors the use of his name in cyberspace, but it's cool nonetheless that the crap I'm writing came across his computer screen.

-Third, and I've said this to anyone who will listen, I think the Caps are going to win the Stanley Cup in the next three to five years, and I think a large reason that's going to happen is due to how Ted, GM George McPhee, and coach Glen Hanlon have been managing the team. I love how well the Caps gelled at the end of last season. I love the way they've been drafting. I love the fact that they're not wasting money on the Jagrs of the world. And I'm genuinely excited about their future.

So Ted, if you're reading this, shoot me a line and let me know what you think about my prediction for the Caps. And let me know if you're still mad at me. It would suck to have the most accessible owner in pro sports not respond to my emails.

Quiet in the theatre or it's gonna get tragic

This is the inaugural post of the Dartmouth 02 NHL blog. We're dedicated to two things: 1) discussing the comings and goings of the hockey world and 2) discussing the exploits of our ongoing 30 by 30 road trip to all NHL stadiums. Let's get this party started (Datsyuk-on-Turco style)