Seasons greetings from your unofficial self-proclaimed Rink Sommelier!  As some of you may have heard, the NHL named an "Exclusive Wine of the 2011 NHL Winter Classic."  The wine is actually a 2008 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot Decoy from the Napa Valley with a new label, and it was sold (as far as I can tell) exclusively through DC-retailer Calvert Woodley (and it sold out pretty quickly).  This was a bit disappointing for me, as last year the Winter Classic wine was a specially-crafted red blend from Miner Family Vineyards, a producer that I like quite a bit more than Duckhorn.  Instead, we get a second wine (Decoy is a lesser label produced by Duckhorn) that's no different from the regular bottling and...it's fucking Merlot!  However, I agreed to take one for the team and I picked up a couple bottles to try.  So, in the spirit of my post a year ago about what the Caps' wine tastes say about them as players, here's my tasting notes on the wine and what it says about how the Winter Classic will play out.

via cdn.nhl.com

FIRST PERIOD: LOOK

The first thing one notices about this wine is its garnet color -- a distinct reddish tint around the edges of an almost brown glass of wine.  This is a good sign, as Red Is Caps Hockey, and it certainly could have been purple like many Merlots.  The wine is dark, but not at all cloudy (but I won't be making any weather predictions!).

Score: Caps 1, Pens 0

SECOND PERIOD: SMELL

The second period is when things really start to heat up, as there's a lot going on with the nose of this wine.  Upon first sniff, I detect a note of beef jerky, which immediately reminds me of a truck stop on the PA Turnpike.  The Pens even it up right off the bat.  There's noticeable red fruit, a good sign for the good guys, but that's followed up by leather, which means Fleury will be flashing the glove.  Finally, some chocolate aromas appear, and one of the Caps' young stars from Hershey makes an impact.

Score: Caps 3, Pens 1 

THIRD PERIOD: TASTE

The wine is very nicely balanced, much like Pittsburgh (currently top ten in offense and defense), and I detect soft tannins, which indicate to me that the Pens exploit some holes in the Caps defense at the start of the third period.  The next thing I taste is vanilla, so unfortunately, Crosby scores.  The palate rounds out with spice and red cherries.  This means, of course, that Matt Cooke will get a roughing minor and the Caps will score on the ensuing power play to take the lead back at end of the game.  This Merlot has a short finish, so there won't be any overtime.

Final Score: Caps 4, Pens 3

So there you have it!  According to an amateur wine critic's review of a cheap gimmick wine, the Caps will beat the Pens in a thriller in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic! 

via farm6.static.flickr.com (user: N_E_I)

Last night I paid a visit to one of my favorite haunts, The Capital Grille, to grab an impromptu steak with my wife and a friend.  Coincidentally, this famous steakhouse also is frequented by some of our hockey heroes.  Nick Backstrom lists it as a favorite spot, as does Coach Bruce Boudreau.  I sat next to Coach in the bar area one night during the off-season and he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself.  

We had to wait a little bit for a table, so I took a stroll around the wine lockers that are available for lease.  It turns out that, in addition to Backstrom and Boudreau, Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin also seem to think they'll dine there often enough to keep several bottles of wine on hand.

After the jump, I'll take a look at what type of juice each of these guys likes to swirl.  Apologies in advance for the crappy iPhone photos (the lighting sucked). 

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I'm sure some of you have gotten the emails or otherwise heard of this deal (oft-mocked for the inclusion of the Mystics season ticket), where you can buy playoff game tickets directly from the Caps if you purchase a package that includes a pre-game buffet with free beer and wine, a hat and rally towel, etc.

I broke down and bought two tickets to tonight's game this way because I missed out on the STH presale for the first time and even with the extra money for the "bonus items" the tickets were cheaper than StubHub and Craig's List. 

Anyway, I was just wondering if any of you have taken advantage of this offer and could tell me what to expect.  What time should I show up?  Was it crowded?  Was it hard to get drinks?  Did the food run out at a certain time?  Can you watch warm-ups from the Dewar's Club, or should we plan on being done with food and drink in time to take our actual seats?

Apologies for the non-hockey-substantive FanPost, but I was just curious if others have experienced this or talked to people who have.

See you tonight -- we're behind the goal where Fedorov will score the third period winner again!

For the last two days, we've been taking a look at our current 2A and 2B centers, Nyls and Feds, thanks to J.P.'s excellent roundups on the main page.

However, it's never too early to look ahead to next year.  As this question from Tarik's chat reminds us, they both may be gone in the off-season (or sooner):

Cologne, Germany: If Fedorov retires after this season and Nylander gets traded, do you think the Caps will sign a new center for the 2nd line in the summer?

Tarik El-Bashir: If both players are gone, the Caps will definitely have to go outside the organization for a second line center.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's a bumper crop of pivots to work with this off-season. Take a look at these lists of UFA and RFA centers (note: some of those listed are wingers for some reason) and see if anyone jumps out at you.

H. Sedin is probably the best center out there, but he's not going anywhere.  Most of the other guys either suck or are ancient.  Help me out here, people: who would you want to go after?  Tim Connolly?  Or are we stuck with Nylander or trying to swing a trade?  I'm not comfortable going into the season with Backstrom, Steckel, Gordon and [Hershey C TBD].