Alexander Ovechkin receives a key to the city from D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray and Mayor Adrian Fenty. Photo by Lateef Mangum, courtesy the Mayor’s Office. Alexander Ovechkin received a key to the city this afternoon on the steps of the John A. Wilson Building. Several hundred fans, downtown office workers, and gawking tourists were on hand to revel in the success of the Washington Capitals star left-winger. He had just returned home from…

Photo of Alexander Ovechkin by ctankcycles Alexander Ovechkin completed a sweep last night of the NHL’s four biggest awards. Ovechkin was named the player most valuable to his team by the NHL’s players and professional writers alike, winning the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award Ovechkin had already, of course, won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, for leading the league in goals and the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in…

In the column of news that we could have told you months ago, the Capitals have agreed to a long-term contract with coach Bruce Boudreau, who led the team to win 37 of 61 games after taking over midseason. This is the kind of first-season coaching record that will have Caps fans forgetting the triumphant debut of Bruce Cassidy. In the department of news we’ve been telling you for weeks, Nicklas Backstrom has been officially…