Washington Capitals

Leo Sloss can't cheer as loud for the Washington Capitals anymore. The 23-year-old Sherwood Forest native was hired last month by the sales department of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team. Former neighbor and longtime friend Keith Bradshaw worked for the company that owns the teams and help set things up for Sloss to get the interview and job before leaving to work with the Dallas Cowboys. Sloss cold-calls businesses in hopes of selling them ticket plans - often season tickets.

HARK! IN OLDEN TIMES, THE LEADER OF ONE OF the world's most powerful nations had a son, a mediocre student who partied far too heartily. As the years passed, the son grew up to assume his father's crown and, as head of state, became mired in a contested war. In this tale, written long ago, the son's name is Henry V, not George W. But with plot lines like this, is it any wonder that Washington, D.C., has had a long-standing love affair with Shakespeare?...

Coach -- Glen Hanlon, second season. 2003-04 record -- 23-46-10-3, 59 points, fifth in Southeast Division. Player to watch -- Alexander Ovechkin, the first overall draft pick in 2004, turned down big money in his native Russia to play in the NHL. A sturdy 6 feet 2 and 212 pounds, he's smart and mature. The Capitals expect him to be the cornerstone of their franchise for years. Outlook -- They spent big and got burned, leading them to dump a boatload of contracts and prepare for the new cap-based system.

WASHINGTON - The Washington Wizards have improved in many ways this season. They lead the NBA in comeback wins from double-digit deficits. They've already exceeded their total in overall victories from last season and in All-Star selections for the past 18 years. The Wizards might also have the best timing of any team in the league. For the fourth time this season, the Wizards took advantage of a key player's absence - in this case reigning MVP Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs - and continued their incredible turnaround.

WASHINGTON - Washington Capitals rookie goaltender Maxime Ouellet sat in front of his locker last night, a soft, boyish smile all over his face. The rookie - called up from the minors Saturday and told just yesterday morning he would start against the Southeast Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning - had just made 38 saves and anchored the Capitals' 2-1 victory. "We played good," said Ouellet, 22, who had a 2-0 lead on goals by Jeff Halpern and Anson Carter going into the third period. "I just had to make the first save and then the guys took away the rebounds.

WASHINGTON - The New Jersey Devils came to MCI Center last night with gaudy statistics. They had nine shutouts in 19 victories and had allowed a league-low 59 goals. They were facing the Washington Capitals, a team that had managed just one goal in each of their past three games - all losses, including a humiliating rout in Buffalo on Wednesday. But despite missing two of their top four goals scorers in Peter Bondra (groin) and Dainius Zubrus (ankle), the Capitals put up a superb battle to earn a 2-2 overtime tie with the 2003 Stanley Cup champion.

WASHINGTON - Usually, the Washington Capitals can embarrass the New York Islanders at will on home ice. But now, with the Capitals trying to turn their season around, the Islanders have turned the tables - for one night at least. New York came back from a two-goal, second-period deficit at MCI Center last night to beat the Capitals, 5-4. It was the Islanders' first win on the Capitals' home ice since March 2, 1997, in Landover - 15 home games ago. The result was evidently too much for the Capitals to deal with immediately after, as all of the team's major players were nowhere to be found in the locker room after the game for the first time this season.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - On the ice, the Southeast Division has a bright future. But make no mistake, the NHL had better be concerned about other aspects of the division's future. All five teams - the Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals - are in nontraditional markets. Except for the Lightning, all are in the bottom third in average home attendance, with Carolina and Atlanta in the bottom five. To try to create rivalries and add more meaning to divisional games, each NHL team plays divisional opponents six times (one more than previous years)

WASHINGTON - Can one win make a difference or be a sign? The Washington Capitals aren't saying so, but they're hoping that's the case after last night's well-played, 7-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. "As long as we don't get ahead of ourselves, it can make a difference," said Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig, who made 29 saves and missed a shutout by the length of Brendan's Witt skate, which caused a puck to ricochet past Kolzig's glove for the Hurricanes' only score of the night. "The score was 7-1, but it's only one win. That's all. We should take a little confidence from it and build on it and not think we're better than we are."

WASHINGTON - Washington Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig made two desperate, back-to-back saves in the third period last night, but he couldn't make the turn fast enough to stop Sean Avery's wrist shot into the open left side of the net. That goal, Avery's first of the season, turned out to be the game-winner at MCI Center in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. "It's a broken record," said Kolzig, his voice shaking with emotion as his team fell to 3-11-1 to remain the worst team in the NHL. "I've never experienced anything like this as a pro or amateur.