Three of the Capitals’ best five offensive players are still out with minor injuries. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, after being absolutely destroyed by the Carolina Hurricanes last night, the Caps are tied with the Atlanta Thrashers for the worst record in the East at 5-9-0. Last night’s loss would have been easier to explain if the Caps were missing ten, or maybe twenty of their best players. Two Hurricanes scored…

This weekend the Caps avoided a nasty mess next summer when they signed Alexander Semin to a two year, $9.2 million contract extension. The left winger finished last season second on the team in scoring, and has been the most creative puckhandler in Washington since before the lockout. If Semin had gone until summer without a new deal, he would have become a restricted free agent (RFA). As an RFA, Semin could have signed a…

Last week we reported that the Capitals signed unrestricted free agent center Michael Nylander to a four year contract worth $19.5 million (U.S.). One day earlier, an Alberta radio station reported that the Edmonton Oilers signed unrestricted free agent center Michael Nylander to a four year contract worth $22 million (U.S.). Reportedly Nylander’s agent had emailed acceptance to Edmonton, but Nylander’s wife then exercised veto power over the prospect of life in the Canadian prairie….

Today at the Fringe, it’s your last chance to see a pair of shows from Canada, we give you a good reason to see Atlantis Bones, and Star Wars nerds have their day in the sun. It’s everything you need to know about Wednesday at the Fringe, and finding it all is just a click away. New Today: Grounded, by Andrew Ullrich We don’t know what Grounded is about, and we don’t know who Andrew…

The Capital Fringe Festival gets started in earnest today, with offerings all over town. Highlights include sci-fi dating, middle school antics, Canadian exports, songs for the deaf, a day-long performance piece, and spoonbending. It could be a little overwhelming if DCist weren’t here to guide you through it, no? So before we get into it, let us first introduce OUR AWESOME FRINGE FESTIVAL MAP, which details the locations of all Fringe venues, by date. Special…

… to come to their 3rd Wednesday Happy Hours. And if you aren’t yet as excited about the Capital Fringe Festival as we are, let it be known that the time to wave those freak flags high is nigh. Here’s the deal: From July 20 to 30, 2006, the District will host its very own, first-ever Fringe festival, in the tradition of Edinburgh and Edmonton. Imagine a city-wide arts festival that leans on the crazy…