The Capital Building Podcast With Rob Carlin

Due to a few major Covid suspensions and an injury to Tom Wilson, Caps fan got their first look at the future. Connor McMichael made his NHL debut on NFL Championship Sunday and did not look out of place. Hear his thoughts on his "lonely skate", what TJ Oshie thought of his game after his first 10 seconds.. and Craig Anderson discusses life as a mentor instead of a player.

The Caps got off to a quick start to this new season with back-to-back wins in Buffalo. That included Vitek Vanecek's first NHL game and first NHL win. Plus, a wild shootout loss in Pittsburgh that saw a trend from last year creep back into play.... too many penalties.

It's finally game week! The Capitals open their season Thursday night in Buffalo. Peter Laviolette has made his choices for his 2 goalies. Hear what went into the decision. Plus, how competition will make the defensemen better. And, Evgeny Kuznetsov makes a very bold guarantee.... about Ovi!!

Zdeno Chara made his Capitals debut with the "A" group. Hear from his defense partner Nick Jensen on how it felt to play with a future Hall of Famer. Plus, how Chara intends on helping fellow Slovak Martin Fehervary make his way in the NHL. And, Peter Laviolette reminisces about his brief NHL career as a teammate of Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne.

Ilya Samsonov updates us on his injuries, TJ Oshie tells us what the Caps need to do to get back to their winning ways and Brenden Dillon on his new partnership with Justin Schultz. Plenty to get to from Day 2 of Caps Camp.

It's been 5 long months since their disappointing playoff failure. But, finally, the Capitals are back on the ice! Rob is joined by Samantha Pell of the Washington Post as well as Ben Raby of the Caps Radio Network to discuss how the team will look different under Peter Laviolette. Plus, we'll hear from the new coach as well as Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom & John Carlson as the pursuit of another Stanley Cup begins!

With the new season finally just around the corner, Peter Laviolette addresses the media. He explains his philosophy on this bizarre training camp, updates the goalie situation, gives his thoughts on the new taxi squad, plus why he had to turn down dinner with Alex Ovechkin. It's the best of Laviolette's meeting with the media on this week's Capital Building Podcast.

The NHL announces a new season will begin in less than a month. That's the good news. The bad news - Henrik Lundqvist announces he's stepping away from the game to deal with a heart condition. Shocking & scary news. Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic is Rob's guest as they discuss the major stories that have come up over the last 2 weeks.

He led Minnesota-Duluth to back-to-back national titles. He played in a record 115 straight games! He signed with the Caps organization as an undrafted free agent goalie with dreams of making it to the big club. Hunter Shepard is now with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL (and, yes, I realize I said USHL at the start of the podcast.) and their season starts this weekend. He's the guest on the Capital Building Podcast.

December 5, 1997. The day the Capitals moved from the Cap Center into the shiny new MCI Center. WMAR-TV sports reporter Shawn Stepner was at the last game in the old barn... and the first game in the new one. Plus, he's a lifelong Caps fans who grew up in Bowie idolizing Rod Langway. Guess who he watched Game 5 of the Stanley Cup with on June 7, 2018?? Yep! Shawn is Rob's guest on the Capital Building Podcast on the anniversary of that first game downtown.

Episode 11 of The Capital Building Podcast was titled, "Season On The Brink". Which makes this episode's title -- "Season On The Brink, Part 2". This time Rob is joined by The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir & Ben Raby of the Caps Radio Network.They discuss how shortsighted it would be for the league to even flirt with not playing, give their opinions on playing some games outdoors to allow fans to come to the games & even a disagreement over the #ReverseRetro jerseys!

He is the face of the future. Connor McMichael joins the podcast during a break in his Schitt's Creek marathon on quarantine in Red Deer. The Caps top prospect is waiting to get back on the ice at World Juniors Development Camp. He discusses this year's top pick, Hendrix Lapierre, and raves about his "intelligence" on the ice. Plus, compares his shot to Ovi's. And what he's learned from Dale Hunter. It's a fun conversation!

At the start of Thanksgiving Week, Rob opens up the social media mailbag and answers questions from Capitals fans. He talks about a more consistent Jakub Vrana, the future for Connor McMichael as well as a heart-felt thank you to fans for their kind words over the last few months! From everyone at The Capital Building Podcast & Blue Wire, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The NHL & NHLPA are at a critical mass if they hope to have a season start on Jan. 1. Then again, if the reports are true, the season could be in jeopardy as the owners has asked the players to take another deferral in pay.Rob is joined by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Garrioch has been at the forefront of the reporting of the plans to return for the 2020-21 season. Plus, he tells us if Matt Murray can regain the form that helped him lead the Penguins to 2 Stanley Cups.

Alternate jerseys are released for the fans. So, who better to get to speak on the topic than two of the Caps biggest fans. Rob is joined by Loud Goat & The Man In Red to get their thoughts on the throwback jerseys as well as all the other teams new/old looks.Plus, he gets their thoughts on the offseason moves. AND, we get a Loud Goat staple - the "LET'S GO CAPS" chant at the end.

In October of 2019, Mike Maniscalco thought he received a death sentence. Doctors found a "basketball sized" tumor in his stomach on a road trip out West. One year later, he's cancer free and living out his dream of being the new play-by-play voice of the Carolina Hurricanes.Mike is Rob's guest today. He gives vivid details of the night he spent in the hospital finding out about the lump in his belly. And what he has in common with Jamie Lee Curtis & Michael Myers.

The Capitals traded for him as they went from laughingstock to playoff team. After 5 very productive seasons, they traded him away for their future captain. But he returned decades later as a scout. So he helped build the foundation for a winning franchise that ultimately won a Stanley Cup.Alan Haworth is Rob's guest today. He centered the "Plumber's Line" with Craig Laughlin. It was meant with respect, although he didn't necessarily love it. Now, he's a scout, driving all over Quebec to find future stars. Subscribe today!

First it was Jay Beagle in 2018. Now, Braden Holtby & Nate Schmidt have made their way to Vancouver. That's 3 of the most popular & beloved Capitals that have switched to the Canucks.Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet in Canada joins Rob to give his first impressions of Schmidt (hint, he loves him!).Plus, how the Vancouver goalie coach might pull some Mitch Korn Magic to help Holtby rediscover his inner Holtbeast.And, how the Beagle move made Vancouver relevant much like the Jayson Werth signing did for the Nationals. 

I say it over & over: If you doubt Ovi, that's a you problem! No one in DC doubts his ability. But, do we take it for granted? Or, have the Capitals not taken advantage of his historic last few seasons?Ben Raby of the Caps Radio Network joins me with some incredible historic context for Ovi. When the lists he shares consist of -- Howe & Ovechkin -- that's remarkable. Subscribe today!

There's a lot of excitement as the Capitals sign 1st round pick Hendrix Lapierre to his entry level contract this week. So, who does he remind you of on the ice? What kind of person is he off the ice? And how soon will he be in the NHL?I talked to Yanick Jean, his coach at Chicoutimi where he's playing junior hockey. Jean was a Caps draft pick in 1994. He never played for the team. He says this kid is -- can't miss!

He grew up playing for the Little Caps dreaming of winning a Stanley Cup. He tried desperately to win it when he actually played for the Caps. Now, he's lived out his dream as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A fun conversation with DC's own, Jeff Halpern. He explains how tough it was for the Bolts to bounce back from last year's playoff embarrassment, how he avoided phone calls from the GM because the coaches felt like "dead man walking", and how it felt to finally lift the Cup over his head. Plus, he tells the story of where he was as a Caps fan during the Easter Epic and how he once asked Bob Mason why he didn't make the save. 

Description: With free agency in the rear view mirror, and an uncertain future, Rob takes assessment of where the team is with a State of The Caps episode. Rob's joined by Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic to celebrate Braden Holtby's run in DC, get excited about The King coming to town and.... pay homage to The Goat, Doc Emrick, who announced his retirement from NBC. Don't miss Rob's amazing story at the end of the time he heard Doc do a dead-on impersonation of Vin Scully. 

He was the Caps first true superstar. The book on his life says it all: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60 Goal Man. But, while his hockey story is fantastic, the story of his life after hockey is truly unforgettable. Dennis Maruk is one of just 20 players in history to score 60 goals in a season. Yet, he literally stood a step away from falling off a cliff after he retired. A fascinating conversation with a truly fascinating man.

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