In keeping up with the Washington Capitals as they continue to reach out to the teams' free agents, Tarik El-Bashir has informed us of the fates of two more members of the roster: Shaone Morrisonn and Brendan Morrison. He reports that the Caps have recently been engaging in contractual conversations with unrestricted free agent Shaone Morrisonn as well as Eric Belanger, who we reported earlier is looking for a long-term deal. El-Bashir also disclosed that DC will not be renewing unrestricted free agent center Brendan Morrison.

In his only season with the Capitals BMo contributed 12 goals and 30 assists, but was wildly inconsistent throughout the season. And although his one-year, $1.5 Million contract didn't seem to tax the salary cap too much, the Capitals will most likely benefit from his spot on the roster as they seem to be cluttered with Eric Belanger, Boyd Gordon and Dave Steckel all vying for third and fourth line centering jobs.

Your look at the rest of the Capitals' free agent class as we inch closer to free agent signing period which opens on July 1st:

The Hershey Bears defeated the Texas Stars 4-0 in Game 6 of the 2010 Calder Cup final to win their AHL best 11th Calder Cup at Giant Center on Monday in front of a franchise record 11,002 fans. It was the first time in 30 years that the Washington Capitals' farm team was able to clinch the cup on home ice in 30 years. The Bears became the first franchise in league history to drop their first two games at home before going on to win the cup. After winning his third Calder Cup in four finals appearances, Chris Bourque won the Jack A. Butterfield trophy as playoff MVP with a league-best 27 points - and will look to find a permanent place on an NHL roster.

Earlier this month, the Washington Capitals announced plans to hold its second annual Capitals Convention, the teams' "day-long interactive and informational celebration of the Capitals" on Saturday, October 2nd at the Washington Convention Center. Tickets for the CapsCon went on sale today, June 14th, with season ticket holders getting first dibs and opening to the General Public on June 16th. This years' ticketing offers three options available for purchase:

- Standard entry: $40 for adults and $25 for children 14 and younger (to increase to $45 on July 1)
- "Golden Ticket" which allows the purchaser special access to every autograph session and a VIP room: $500
- Capitals Convention "Lite" without autograph access: $30

Last years convention was a huge success, providing the sell out crowd of 5,000 with autograph sessions, Q&A sessions, the opportunity for those in attendance to see the NHL's most famous trophies and a replica locker room, in addition to the ability to purchase game-used equipment and other Capitals' memorabilia. Intrigued? The shaky-cam video we took of the floor can be seen here.

As if you need another reason to attend this day-long celebration, it was announced today that the Capitals plan to unveil the 2011 Winter Classic sweaters during the Convo. If you're as stoked as I am, head over to WashingtonCaps.com to snag a ticket! More details as we get them.

I am very fortunate to have a best friend that is willing to drop everything and Road-trip for anything hockey-related.  She’s always game for a trip to DC to see the Caps, go to convention, hit up development camp, or travel a few hours to a Bears’ away game.  She was also willing to fly to Texas with me to see the Bears in the Finals.  I’m also incredibly luckily to have family in Texas that grew up not far from Hershey and also loves the Bears.  Before I knew it, tickets were purchased and a trip was planned for game 5 in Cedar Park.

Now my family lives in Dallas, so Friday morning we made the 3 hour drive to Cedar Park.  My nephew was pumped.  He’ll be 6 later this month, and this was going to be his first live hockey game.  We brought him a t-shirt and a foam Bear claw for the game.  He wore the shirt and held the claw for the entire trip, anxiously awaiting the experience.

And what an experience it was! Make the jump to read more about the trip.

The Hershey Bears will take the ice tonight for Game 5 of the Calder Cup finals, facing the Texas Stars at Cedar Park Center for a chance to make history. Previous to 2010, teams leading the AHL finals 2-0 have only lost the series twice in the history of the league- and a team has never lost after winning the first two games on the road.

Thankfully the Bears have found their groove, doubling up the Stars in the last two contests (6-3, 4-2 respectively), and the heroics of John Carlson, Alexandre Giroux, and Andrew Gordon have been on full display. Game 5 has always been pivotal game- when a finals series has been tied 2 games a piece, the game 5 winner went on to win 17 of 18 times. And what better for the Bears to go on to claim their AHL record 11th Calder Cup on home ice at Giant Center, a game that sold out in under 5 hours?

Well, not much really. But we're going to try. We sent (okay, she was planning on going anyway) our Hershey Bears expert to the Austin suburbs to report on the game - live. Make sure you are following us on twitter as she will hop on to share her insight on the game, hockey in Texas, $2 beer night at Cedar Park Center, and the lack of ability in reporting by Austin Statesman.

Feel free to throw questions her way as well, but be patient and keep your persecution to a minimum since this is her first time dabbling in the twitterverse. Go Bears!

Update: NHL Network is reporting they will carry Games 5-6-7 of the Calder Cup in the US , without blackouts. Huzzah!

(h/t to Defending Big D for creating this awesome logo)

As the Washington Capitals inch closer to free agency opening July 1st, there have been many speculations surrounding which cogs need to be fine tuned for next season to ensure a lengthier Stanley Cup run. It's generally accepted that the Caps should make a move for a defensive defenseman, and some even suggest making a run for a veteran goaltender who would start over the youthful tandem of Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. A topic that has dwarfed all others since free agency began last season though - when Donald Brashear was not issued an offer from Washington, and instead signed with the New York Rangers: Should the Caps target an enforcer?

Well, we can cross one person off the list. Make the jump to find out who's still on it!

As the Washington Capitals' plans for unrestricted free agent Jose Theodore become more and more clear, quite a few fans and bloggers seem to feel that it's a necessity for the Caps to sign a veteran net minder.  The consensus seems to be that the Capitals should go out this off season and sign the likes of one of these free agents:

Interestingly enough, this season in particular has shown NHL fans why signing a “cagey” veteran net minder isn’t actually the answer…

So who is? Read on to find out more!

As the Washington Capitals continue to fill out their roster for the 2010-11 season, many of the team's free agents have heard from General Manager George McPhee. In addition to learning that defenseman Joe Corvo and forward Scott Walker will not return to the team for the next season, Tarik El-Bashir reported that unrestricted free agent goaltender Jose Theodore has not heard from the team regarding a new contract. As we speculated in March, the Capitals will most likely go with their youthful backstopping tandem of Semyon Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth - each being much more salary cap friendly than Theo.

In his two seasons with the Capitals, Theodore posted back-to-back 30+ win seasons with save percents better than .900 in each season ( .900, .911 - respectively). He also compiled a 23 game streak of remaining undefeated during regulation play (20-0-3). This, coupled with his previous Hart/Vezina/Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award campaign of 2002 will guarantee he finds another team to play for next season.

It's also been reported that another of the DC's unrestricted free agents, Eric Belanger, is looking for a three-year deal with the Capitals. HockeyExpress.ca mentions that Belly understands Washington's salary cap concerns, but "does not want to discount" to stay with the Caps and is looking for a three-year deal. They also mention that the toothless wonder would also consider offers from the Montreal Canadiens. (h/t to Japers' Rink for the link.)

Tarik also reported that right winger Eric Fehr, hot off a personal best-setting season last year with 21 goals and 39 points, is in talks with the Caps for a "multi-year option." Fehr is a restricted free agent this off-season.

Here is how the rest of the Capitals' free agent class looks as we inch closer to free agent signing period which opens on July 1st.

I love reading the newspapers of opposing foes in Calder Cup finals.  1) it gives me a deep appreciation for the coverage the Bears’ get in the Washington and Hershey areas, and 2) I enjoy laughing at blatant mistakes made by copy editors that don’t care about AHL, and do it to get up to the next level.

The best part is that Matt Stephenson is a D-man for Texas…

This past week saw the Hershey Bears suit up against the Texas Stars for the first two games of the AHL's Calder Cup finals at Giant Center, and walk away with nothing to show for it. Both losses in Chocolatetown were decided by 1 goal (Thursday’s final score was 2-1, Saturday’s was 4-3), and were riddled with penalties and poor play.  As Washington Capitals fans can agree - after watching a team fly through the regular season breaking record after record, it’s difficult to watch them struggle so excessively in the finals.

Tonight the Bears kick-off a (hopefully) three game stint in Texas with the hopes of winning enough to turn it around.  So what do they need to do to turn things around?

How can the Bears keep from being tripped up tonight? Keep reading!