Late last week, Alex Ovechkin was accused of using steroids by a columnist in Pennsylvania. Yesterday, he responded. more ›

I may not know much about hockey, but I do know this: Alex Ovechkin is about as close to a hometown sports hero as we have. So when he gets accused of using performance enhancing drugs, it better be well-sourced. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today is my last day as your weekend editor. I have a new full-time job, and unfortunately I won’t have time for this awesome gig. I imagine you’ve always known what I only recently learned -- that this group of readers is made up of some of the brightest people in and around the District. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It’s going to be a mild, albeit cloudy end to the holiday weekend. Enjoy the gentle weather while it lasts -- Tuesday will usher in rain and once it departs temperatures will drop a good 10 degrees, reminding us that winter is just a few short weeks away. more ›

Good morning, Washington. There’s quite a bit of gray in the forecast for the next few days -- meteorological and otherwise. Clouds will increase over the District with a chance of showers in the suburbs this afternoon, and this morning Mike Allen reports that the bipartisan deficit supercommittee will declare failure Monday. more ›

Good morning, Washington. U.S. Park Police have released the name of a man they want to speak with in connection with the gunshots reported near the White House Friday night. Investigators are trying to track down 21-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega. more ›

Good morning, Washington. On Friday night, three people were struck by a car while taking part in an Occupy D.C. rally downtown. Hundreds of protesters blocked streets around the Convention Center during the Americans for Prosperity “dream summit,” which is affiliated with the conservative billionaire Koch brothers. The driver will not be charged, because he allegedly had a green light. We'll have more on this soon. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Physical discomfort is part of the Halloween ritual. A masked night out involves harsh fabric, pore-suffocating makeup and limited mobility. It does not usually involve the raw ache of near freezing temperatures. But on Saturday, the Washington area was cold and white, met with an early season storm that covered the region in a mix of sleet and snow. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Perfect. That’s what the Washington Capitals remain. In a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night -- only the second time in NHL history two teams with records of at least 5-0 faced off -- the Capitals popped seven goals on 25 shots, securing a 7-1 victory over the Red Wings and launching the team into the venerated spot of being only the fifth in league history to start a season 7-0-0. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Nearly two months after Hurricane Irene postponed the celebration, the nation’s first black president will serve as the keynote speaker for today’s official dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. There’s no rain in sight. more ›

Good morning, Washington. The National Air and Space Museum closed Saturday and at least one person was pepper-sprayed after hundreds of anti-war demonstrators tried to enter the museum to protest a drone exhibit. The group was carrying signs that are forbidden inside, and some individuals reportedly began shoving guards when asked to leave the signage at the door. more ›

Just moments ago a final buzzer rang in Gallery Place, a clarion call signaling the Washington Capital's' berth into the second round of the NHL playoffs. It took five games -- two more than the past five playoff series since 2008 -- to move past the New York Rangers 3-1 at the Verizon Center. Until most of the way through the third period the Caps were up 3-0, thanks to an Ovechkin second period goal in the second period and a series of third period saves by Neuvirth. The Rangers were able to throw up a single tick on the score board with a sixth-man goal with 31.5 sceonds remaining. more ›

This weekend, the best players in the NHL gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina to celebrate the league's All-Star weekend, in which hockey players come together to not play defense, show off various skills to paying fans and deliver awkward interviews during a faux red carpet ceremony. In short, the kind of stuff that Capitals megastar Alexander Ovechkin was born to do. more ›

It became official today: the Washington Capitals will get to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also promised a Winter Classic will come to Washington, D.C. within the next two to three years. more ›

During a second period Saturday that Nicklas Backstrom called "embarrassing," the Washington Capitals found themselves down 4-1 against the Montreal Canadiens and waiting for a referee review of an earlier play. Eric Fehr, who had the only Capitals goal at that point, said after the dramatic win that it was the moment when the game changed for his team. more ›

Capitals 6, Penguins 3: Never has deja vu been so exciting. The Caps beat the Penguins 6-3 for the second time this year on Mellon Arena ice and completed a four-game regular season sweep of the Pens. Though most will say it really doesn't mean much until the Caps prove they can beat Pittsburgh four times in this postseason, the sweep should help the Caps' mindset as they head to the playoffs, which, as we all know, ended last year in a Game 7 nightmare against Crosby & Co. more ›

With a 3-2 overtime victory on Monday night against the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals notched their 52nd win of the season and added even more points to their already-clinched Presidents' Trophy haul. For the Caps, the road to the Stanley Cup is now paved with advantages as the league's number one seed. But Washington also has a chance to make the playoff stretch miserable for currently seventh-seeded Boston and the in-contention Atlanta Thrashers, each of whom have to come to Verizon Center during the final week of the regular season. more ›

The Washington Post is reporting that Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has reached an agreement with the estate of Abe Pollin on a price for the Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center. The figure is said to be around $550 million. The deal's not yet done, according to unnamed sources cited by the Post, as they still have to hammer out "non-financial issues such as the operations of the arena." Still, news that the two camps have been able to tentatively agree on a number is good news for Leonsis, who's surely hoping to have a deal in place before June, when the NBA draft takes place. more ›

It's not the kind of words you'd expect to hear from a team that's clinched its division a whole month before the end of the regular season, but Capitals winger Mike Knuble thinks the team needs to play with more urgency -- and be stronger collectively. more ›

There's two sides to the Washington Capitals' 4-3 shootout loss against the Dallas Stars on Monday at Verizon Center. more ›

The Washington Capitals are the best team in the NHL's eastern conference, and the hottest in the league, only a few games removed from a franchise-record fourteen game winning streak. They have scored the most goals in the NHL by a margin of half a goal per game, and their defense is distinctly middle of the road. It's only fitting, then, that as they approach the NHL's 3pm deadline for trades in the 2009-10 season, they have added... two veteran forwards? more ›

You'd have to be a Vulcan to begrudge Alex Ovechkin his Wayne Gretzky arm pump after scoring what turned out to be the game-winning goal against Tampa Bay on Sunday. more ›

The Caps' winning streak is getting ridiculous. They've won nine straight (something the Redskins haven't done since 1991), and their most recent win -- 4-1 Friday against the Florida Panthers -- came against the goalie with the second best save percentage in the NHL. more ›

Coach Bruce Boudreau knows Alexander Semin, who had a goal and three assists in the Capitals' 4-2 win over Phoenix Saturday, has been playing well recently. Boudreau told reporters after Saturday's game that he attributed it to a solid power play (the Caps lead the league in power play percentage) and the lines being able to stick together. more ›

Even injury-plagued, the Detroit Red Wings are the Nick Sabans of hockey -- they are to be taken seriously at all times. As a new powerhouse, the Washington Capitals view games against Detroit as chances to measure themselves against a decade-plus gold standard of the NHL. more ›

The Capitals were up 3-1 over Ottawa in the third when Mike Green took Senators winger Jarkko Ruutu to the ground and brought the Verizon Center crowd to its feet. The teams had been going back and forth all night, and Green, with help from his teammates, finally took matters into his own hands. Both players got two minutes for roughing, but Green also got a standing ovation as he skated to the penalty box, and he got the last laugh -- the Caps won 5-2. more ›

Alex Ovechkin was named captain of the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, and the team celebrated the occasion with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. more ›

Cam Ward probably won't be sending Alexander Semin a Christmas card anytime soon. more ›

The Capitals-Panthers game was less than 10 minutes old Thursday night when one fan was already shouting, "come on, [Alex] Semin, make us happy to see you." By the end of the period, Semin -- playing in his first game since November 14 -- delivered, scoring his first of two goals, as the Caps beat the Panthers 6-2. more ›

Semyon Varlamov earned his first shutout of the season Wednesday night, and it couldn't have come at a better time. more ›