Beaupre

With his team off to a 4-1 start in his absence, Washington Capitals goaltender Don Beaupre has decided to end his nearly monthlong holdout.Beaupre, who has been home in Minneapolis since walking out of camp Sept. 18, told The Washington Post that he was returning to the team today despite not having his contract dispute settled.Capitals spokesman Lou Corletto said that although talks between general manager David Poile and Beaupre's agent have continued since the walkout, he had not heard anything from the goalie.

Don Beaupre, over the course of 16 seasons of goaltending in the NHL, has 268 victories. Yesterday, he picked up win No. 24 this season for the St. John's Maple Leafs as they were pounding the Bandits, 5-2, in an American Hockey League game.During those 292 wins plus 16 more here in Baltimore in the early '90s, Beaupre probably never had it easier than he did in this one. "There wasn't much doing out there," he said. "And when there was, I gave them a goal."One shot is all the Bandits put on the Leafs goal in the first period and the "action" didn't pick up much in the second 20 minutes.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Don Beaupre recorded 23 saves yesterday to lead the Washington Capitals over the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-0, on slushy ice at Orlando Arena."

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland -- Igor Nikulin's third goal of the game at 7: 51 of the third period lifted the Bandits to a 5-4 victory over the St. John's Maple Leafs in AHL play last night.The win puts the Bandits four points ahead of the Carolina Monarchs for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference.The Bandits hadn't played in eight days, but it was the Canadian Division-leading Leafs who looked rusty in the opening period, giving up goals to Mike LeClerc, Pavel Trnka and Nikulin.

LANDOVER -- The hour grew late and, after throwing everything but the Taft-Hartley Act at former teammate and goalie Don Beaupre, the game was scoreless between the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators.For more than 50 minutes the Caps peppered shots at Beaupre, about half of them classified as "prime scoring opportunities." A PSO is when a goalie has to do something other than stand there and have the puck bounce off him. When he lets one of these babies in, rarely is he held at fault.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals used a sparkling goaltending performance by Don Beaupre and a surprising two-goal contribution from defenseman Joe Reekie to shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-0, in Game 3 last night of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.The victory gives the Capitals a two-games-to-one lead in the series that returns to USAir Arena tomorrow night. Game 4 already is sold out."For me, it's exciting," said Reekie, who scored the winning, short-handed goal with 14:11 gone in the second period.

MONTREAL -- When Washington goaltender Don Beaupre shut out the Quebec Nordiques, 4-0, Saturday, he dropped his goals-against average below 3.00 for the first time this season.But tonight, when the Capitals challenge the Montreal Canadiens here in the Forum and attempt to keep building on a positive performance, Beaupre expects to be sitting on the bench.One player who won't be on the sidelines tonight, for the first time since breaking his hand Dec. 21, is Kevin Hatcher, who said after practice yesterday he feels ready to play.

Just when the Skipjacks are about to embark on their most grueling trip of the season -- a Maritime jaunt that will keep them on the road for 10 games in 20 days -- they have lost their top goalie to the parent Washington Capitals.Due to a groin injury suffered by goalie Don Beaupre in the Caps' 2-1 win in Vancouver Tuesday, Jim Hrivnak has been promoted and will suit up at the Capital Centre tomorrow when the Capitals face Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.The Jacks have been forced to recall goalie Olaf Kolzig, last year's No. 1 pick, from Hampton Roads of the East Coast Hockey League, where he was starting.

Before the trade that sent goaltender Don Beaupre to Ottawa on Jan. 18, the former Washington Capital hadn't lived in Canada in 14 years."Being here brings back a lot of memories," said Beaupre, 33, a native of Waterloo, Ontario. "The first time I ever saw Ottawa was on a school field trip when I was in Grade 10. And I'm finding out I like it. It's not far from home. It's a clean, safe place to live with a family."It's light-years from Washington and the USAir Arena, where Beaupre will play Friday for the first time since being traded.

The hard, worry lines that had creased Don Beaupre's face during the early part of this season are gone. He will start in goal for the Washington Capitals for the fifth straight game tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers and he will start knowing his coach is more than happy with his play."

LANDOVER -- Jim Carey didn't want to gloat too much.The Washington goaltender called last night's 5-0 victory over Ottawa a "team shutout" and said the Capitals prevented the Senators from getting many second shots, making it "easier for me."But the fact remains that Carey climbed to lofty shutout heights by silencing the Senators before a festive sellout crowd of 18,130 at USAir Arena.Carey is only 21 years old and has played in just 86 games over two seasons for the Caps, but he became their career shutout leader with his 13th, and league-leading ninth this season.

LANDOVER -- In one goal stood Don Beaupre, the 33-year-old former Washington Capital, who the organization said couldn't take the team to the next level, guarding the net for the Ottawa Senators.In the other net stood the Washington Capitals' present and future, 20-year-old rookie Jim Carey, who has been so hot it's a wonder the ice doesn't melt right out from under him.Last night, Carey won, 1-0, to claim his third shutout victory of his 11-game NHL career, and his first back-to-back shutouts in the big league.

LANDOVER -- The hour grew late and, after throwing everything but the Taft-Hartley Act at former teammate and goalie Don Beaupre, the game was scoreless between the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators.For more than 50 minutes the Caps peppered shots at Beaupre, about half of them classified as "prime scoring opportunities." A PSO is when a goalie has to do something other than stand there and have the puck bounce off him. When he lets one of these babies in, rarely is he held at fault.

Before the trade that sent goaltender Don Beaupre to Ottawa on Jan. 18, the former Washington Capital hadn't lived in Canada in 14 years."Being here brings back a lot of memories," said Beaupre, 33, a native of Waterloo, Ontario. "The first time I ever saw Ottawa was on a school field trip when I was in Grade 10. And I'm finding out I like it. It's not far from home. It's a clean, safe place to live with a family."It's light-years from Washington and the USAir Arena, where Beaupre will play Friday for the first time since being traded.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Washington Capitals open their NHL season here tonight against the Whalers with a solid defense, but facing questions about their goaltending, their goal scoring and their overall strength. Three scenes from the past two days of practice tell the story.* Scene 1: Goaltender Don Beaupre, a 14-year NHL veteran who had been with the Capitals for six seasons, had been traded for less than an hour, when 10-game NHL veteran goalie Olie Kolzig moved his equipment and name tag into Beaupre's seat in the Washington locker room.

The Washington Capitals cleared up their goaltendingsituation and strengthened their defense with two major moves yesterday.The Caps sent their most reliable goalie, Don Beaupre, to the Ottawa Senators for a fifth-round 1995 draft pick, leaving the goaltending to Rick Tabaracci and Olie Kolzig.The Caps also traded holdout defenseman Kevin Hatcher, a former team captain, to the Dallas Stars for rugged defenseman Mark Tinordi and Rick Mrozik, a 20-year-old defenseman at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the Stars' sixth-round pick in the 1993 entry draft.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals used a sparkling goaltending performance by Don Beaupre and a surprising two-goal contribution from defenseman Joe Reekie to shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-0, in Game 3 last night of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.The victory gives the Capitals a two-games-to-one lead in the series that returns to USAir Arena tomorrow night. Game 4 already is sold out."For me, it's exciting," said Reekie, who scored the winning, short-handed goal with 14:11 gone in the second period.

The Washington Capitals cleared up their goaltendingsituation and strengthened their defense with two major moves yesterday.The Caps sent their most reliable goalie, Don Beaupre, to the Ottawa Senators for a fifth-round 1995 draft pick, leaving the goaltending to Rick Tabaracci and Olie Kolzig.The Caps also traded holdout defenseman Kevin Hatcher, a former team captain, to the Dallas Stars for rugged defenseman Mark Tinordi and Rick Mrozik, a 20-year-old defenseman at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the Stars' sixth-round pick in the 1993 entry draft.

At the moment, the Washington Capitals are in the familiar position of having three goaltenders, which may be one too many."But we're not going to eliminate one of our guys for convenience," said Capitals coach Jim Schoenfeld. "If someone calls and wants to make a deal, that's different. But, other than that, we're going to have to let it work itself out."If the regular season had started when it was originally scheduled, on Oct. 1 in Toronto, the Capitals would have gone into the season with veteran Don Beaupre the No. 1 goalie and Olie Kolzig, who has played 10 NHL games, No. 2.At that point, Rick Tabaracci would have been No. 3.Now, with the season opener in Hartford six days away, they are all back on equal footing, rotating in and out of scrimmages at the Piney Orchard Ice Rink, trying to make an early impression.

For the four goalies fighting for two spots on the Washington Capitals' roster, the battle is down to the last 60 minutes.The Caps play their final preseason game tonight, and coach Jim Schoenfeld could announce his decision as early as tomorrow.Schoenfeld will choose among seasoned Don Beaupre, youthful veteran Rick Tabaracci and developing Olie Kolzig and Byron Dafoe.Against the Quebec Nordiques tonight, Tabaracci is likely to get most of the work because, having been injured, he has had the least chance to demonstrate what he can do."