Apologies for the distinct lack of posting lately – real life has a funny way of making things like this a little trickier. But hey, there’s nothing like a very important weekend to draw CapsChick out of hiding.

You know what I’m talking about – this weekend is big. Huge. Ginormous. Why?

The Super Bowl, of course! You all know how CapsChick loves her football. I simply cannot wait to watch this year’s rumble between the Pittsburgh…Titans…and those scrappy, um, Lions? Yeah, that’s it, the Lions from Arizona. Woo.

Oh, and the commercials of course – I do love the commercials.

But seriously folks, this weekend couldn’t be less about some overhyped game in a neutral city with million-dollar ads and a five second appearance by The Boss at halftime. This weekend is hardly about Steelers vs. Cardinals, Roethlisberger vs Warner (see? I know things), Pittsburgh vs Arizona. Of all the things on my mind at the moment, particularly in the sports world, the Super Bowl is probably sitting right behind who is going to win the Daytona 500 next year.

I will watch, though, for the commercials of course – I do love the commercials.

This weekend is all about the Caps. Partly because it feels like they haven’t played in good god forever, partly because it will be back-to-back games against two tough teams, and partly because here at CC’s house it’s pretty much always about the Caps.

First up we take on Detroit, the big bad Stanley Cup Champs who have just been playing kind of big and bad of late.

That’s troubling on a few levels – for one thing, the Caps have historically been the team to snap other teams out of slumps. I don’t have the data on that but I’m pretty sure it’s happened a lot over the past few years. For another, now that the Caps are considered among the “elite” in the league other teams consistently bring their best game. They can’t sneak up on teams anymore and you can bet the Red Wings won’t be underestimating the Caps.

And a motivated Wings team, trying to snap out of a slump, is a scary, scary thought.

There is good news, however. Tom Poti is back in action today after missing 34985 games (I might be rounding up a bit). The boys are coming off a long rest while facing a team that played Thursday night. And the Wings will be without Zetterberg and Holmstrom – two guys I actually usually enjoy watching, but today I’ll be happy to see within the safe confines of the press box.

Of course, that only leaves Detroit with Hossa, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Rafalski, old man Chelios and his walker…

If the Caps are going to try and reverse the slightly nerve-wracking turn things have taken, ironically just as they’re getting healthy again, today is a great time to start. The Devils were their idiotic selves this week and won two straight in overtime (thanks for that loser point to the Bruins, you jackasses) to continue an eight game winning streak that now has them one point ahead of the Caps.

Looking up at the Devils…ew. That’s not pretty. The Caps don’t want to be second best to anyone, and they certainly don’t want to be third best to a team that like Jersey. Even if their latest come from behind, last minute game-tying goal, overtime winner did come against our very bestest friends in the league.

…heh.

At any rate, time to take back that second spot in the East. Who’s ready to Rock the Red today? Let’s go Caps!!

On an admin note, Cheap Seats has officially joined the 21st century and is now Twitter-fied – hey, if it’s good enough for Ovi…

So what have we learned in the last few days?

We’ve learned that the Caps, when they want to be, have the ability to be a pretty decent road team – even against the second best home team in the Conference. We’ve learned that Russian Machine really never break (and that Caps fans can all stop breathing at the exact same time, which is pretty cool). We’ve learned that Jose Theodore might just be the goalie that he once was, particularly when his defensemen don’t deflect the puck into his net.

And we’ve learned that yes, the Caps’ penalty killing really is that bad.

The game has already been dissected by pretty much everyone else and their brother’s dog, so here’s a quick rundown from where I sat:

- Alexander Semin can breathe a sigh of relief; his infraction late in the game didn’t directly cost the Caps a single point. What it did do, however, was wear down the penalty killers who then had to do it all over again in a much more wide open setting after Backstrom’s overtime penalty. Not to absolve Nicky, of course – this was a team effort.

- Yes, Tim Thomas has been playing out of his mind these days. But like (the much more talented) fellow Caps blogger JP, I’m not yet sold. Too much flopping around punctuated by the occasional brilliant save makes me wonder if he’s really that good…or just lucky.

- Seeing Ovechkin lying on the ice was enough to give any Caps fan a heart attack, and it’s amazing that he was able to return. Equally amazing, though, was the reaction from the Boston fans – boo the guy when he touches the puck, I don’t care, but booing an injured player? Obnoxious.

- Morrisonn has now scored more goals on his own net than he has going the other way. This one was hardly his fault, but you have to feel for the guy regardless.

- I’m not sure that scratching Dave Steckel, one of the better PKers, was a good strategy given the already porous penalty kill of late. And yes, I know the term “better” is completely relative.

With three games out of the four against Boston completed, it’s interesting how quickly we’ve all had to adjust our perspective. Last season if the Caps had put together such a strong performance – three strong performances, in fact – against the best team in the East it would have been surprising. The lowly Caps surprising the favorites in an upset for the ages.

This year, however, it’s not only expected that the Caps will match the Bruins on every level – they’re now considered among the elite and everyone is chasing them, too. It’s even a little disappointing to see that one loss.

So even with that little overtime blip earlier this week the Caps have taken five of six possible points against the out of control Bruins. And while the gap between them in the standings remains fairly large, the gap in talent, ability and drive seems to be pretty minimal.

Mark my words – if these teams meet in the playoffs, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility, it will be epic.

It seems to be the “in” thing these days to completely bash the All Star Game.

In fact for many years it’s become something for people to rail against, decrying it as anything but hockey, a detriment to the sport and a cheap, showy attempt at appealing to kids, sponsors and the most casual of fans. People that I like and respect and generally agree with go out of their way to prove that of course they don’t like the All Star Game. No self-respecting hockey fan does, of course. How could they? It’s not hockey.

And that’s fine. Not everyone has to like everything about the league or the sport. No one is forcing all hockey fans to love the All Star Game. But if you don’t like it? Don’t watch it. Don’t talk about it ad nauseum. Don’t even dignify it with any sort of response. Because if you really think it’s meaningless then it deserves just enough of your attention to simply acknowledge the break in the schedule before moving on.

I for one am never ashamed to admit that I love this time of year, for all it’s over the top showiness. It’s one weekend out of a very long, intense season, a time where we get to see the best of the best go up against one another and show that hockey can be just about skill and pretty passing plays and, god forbid, fun.

For all its faults, and I can admit that it is definitely not perfect, the All Star weekend gives fans a chance to see things they wouldn’t see in a game – and it gives the players a chance to relax, let loose and get to know the guys behind the logos and the reputations. Sure, a lot of players prefer the break to rest; but you don’t have to be a genius to see how much fun the players who show up actually have.

One of my favorite things about this weekend is not the skills competition or the high-scoring, defenseless, end to end game. It’s the players themselves. Watching them interact in the locker room, on the bench and on the ice is one of the more entertaining things for me, and it’s the reason I tune in year after year.

There’s nothing better than seeing Ovechkin’s toothless grin on the bench as he laughs alongside his friends, old and new. There’s nothing more entertaining than watching Jarome Iginla and Marc Savard share a pre-faceoff laugh about who knows what. There’s nothing funnier than seeing guys playfully mock each other for missing a shot, watching guys grin on their way to the penalty box, goalies congratulate shooters on a job well done and vice versa.

No, it’s never exactly pretty. If you go into the game thinking it’s going to be a tight checking affair or a game filled with excellent defense, you’re clearly either new to the sport or very, very confused. But who says it has to be? We have 82 games of that, plus playoffs – more if you follow more than one team or happen to enjoy watching any and every game available.

What’s wrong with a little frivolous fun before things really get serious?

It certainly wasn’t a flawless affair this weekend. The black cloud of bizarre attendance rules and rigged voting procedures and so many names left out will probably always make this game show up with a footnote in future references. That can’t be denied, and if the league intends to keep this game in its repertoire going forward some things probably have to change.

Yet for all it’s flaws, Montreal proved to be a hospitable, entertaining backdrop, a city that lives and breathes hockey finding itself at the center of the hockey world if only for a few days. The fans were into it as only Montreal fans could be; of course taunting the home team goalie was a pretty gutsy move, but given the fact that he was an evil Bruin that was not a completely unexpected one, either. The centennial provided a perfect setting for what would be a storybook ending, with the hometown hero and controversial starter winding up with much deserved MVP honors.

A game that on paper might have seemed boring actually ended up coming to an exciting conclusion, with an intense third period leading to an even more intense overtime (complete with a power play of all things). It then culminated in what would usually be the bane of my existence but what seemed, for tonight at least, to fit – a shootout.

And for Caps fans, there was the presence of that scruffy, beloved Russian of ours, reminding us that above all else this weekend was about having fun. He certainly seemed to be doing just that – and it was contagious.

It’s no surprise that this weekend is rapidly turning into an Ovechkin lovefest. After all, he is bigger than life. He is a showman, an entertainer, and a madman – all while also being the best hockey player in the world.

CBC is just the latest to indulge in a little Ovie lovin’. During last night’s skills competition they debuted an episode of Inside Hockey featuring none other than Alex Ovechkin. Be sure to check it out as he talks about being at the All Star Game, his mad dancing skills…and the top secret hairstyle that he, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green will unveil for the playoffs.

One can only imagine.

It may not have been the prettiest in the end, but it was certainly the most entertaining as Ovechkin once again proved that he and he alone knows how to work a crowd.

…with a little help from his friends, of course.

What a ham! Congrats, Ovie!

Well, the All Star festivities are finally underway…at least someone’s pretty happy about it.

There’s been a lot of controversy and negativity surrounding this year’s games, some of which has been directed (whether fairly or unfairly) toward Uncle Gary.

At the end of the day, however, none of that really matters. Because it’s about the fans and about having a good time, making the best of what is really an exhibition and nothing more, regardless of who is and isn’t there. You only have to see the smile on our very own Ovechkin’s face – on all the All Stars’ faces – to see that it’s really just about having fun.

Which is why I’ve always loved this weekend, despite the constant snubs of worthy players and the fact that the game itself bears little resemblance to hockey as we know it today. There’s tremendous skill on display all over the place, and while we can debate who is worthy of being in the event based on their performance this year until the sun comes up, one thing isn’t in question – all these guys are stars.

Just maybe one shining brighter than the rest…

Good luck, Ovie!