We haven't done a link dump post in a while here, and that's my bad. There are no local teams playing tonight, so I figured this was as good a time to highlight some of the best D.C. stuff on the Web.
We begin with our good friend Matt Cooke, who was suspended by the NHL for the rest of the season and the first round of the playoffs after yet another vicious hit. Thank you, NHL, for finally doing the right thing. Also, always remember that Cooke's reputation took the hit it deserved only after his antics on HBO 24/7.
It's always great when Corey Masisak writes about the Capitals. The former Washington Times and CSN Washington ace reporter wrote a great one today for NHL.com about how the team stuck with coach Bruce Boudreau even as the Capitals struggled. There are some good quotes from Ted Leonsis in particular.
(More below the jump).
Speaking of Boudreau, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his press briefing after the Alex Ovechkin injury news broke. Snarly Bruce, at his best. Via Steve Whyno of the Washington Times:
Q: Has it been bothering him for a while Bruce?
Boudreau: Would you guys quit it? He's sore. He's gonna be maybe seven to 10 days, and that'll be it."
It's unfortunate Boudreau chose those words, because all I can imagine now is a little kid telling his brother to stop annoying him.
VCU is clearly the most surprising team in the NCAA Tournament, but have they also been the most impressive? Gregg Doyel thinks so.
Georgetown is a program in transition, writes Casual Hoya.
Remember Gilbert Arenas? He's largely been a disappointment with the Magic since getting traded in December, mostly because his arthritic knees haven't gotten healthy. Previously, he blamed it on the weather, saying his knee hurts more in the Winter. Now, it's spring, and it hasn't gotten better. So Arenas now has a new explanation, via Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel.
"I sit so much; it's all I do," Arenas said. "I do a lot of sitting. I hang out around the house just sitting. ... So, the days I don't really stretch it, and then I start running on it, it just kills back here."
Not only did the city of Richmond have as many Sweet 16 teams as the Big East, but the much-maligned ACC had even more. Maybe Gary Williams was right, writes Dan Steinberg.
Which non-soccer D.C. athlete would fit best on D.C. United? I'm not sure but I'm not seeing the LaRon Landry argument.
We mentioned earlier that we were looking for a name to the potential VCU-Richmond Elite 8 game. A reader emails to say that the game already has a name. It's called the "Black and Blue" classic.
Finally, if you read one thing today, read this story by Erin Cox, wife of Washington Post Redskins beat reporter Rick Maese, about the devastation in Japan. The two of them were vacationing there when everything happened, and so their vacations turned into a work trip. Really moving stuff.