It was a quiet offseason for the Washington Capitals, who have been licking their wounds ever since their stunning first-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.
Then, just before the start of training camp, owner Ted Leonsis got into a war with a Canadian columnist who has written a book about Caps star Alex Ovechkin.
A hockey blogger suggested the Caps owner is trying to stifle media criticism. Leonsis, who wrote the Capitals would never shut a journalist out, answered back, stating, “I hope you also realize that we are fairly immune now to any media remarks … we are our own largest media outlet now.”
To update an old saying, never get into a spitting match with some who buys computer bytes by the barrel.
Just before camp opened, another battle surfaced, this one with center Eric Belanger, who believed he was on the brink of signing a one-year, $1.85 million deal with Washington. But that didn’t materialize, and he wound up signing a one-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes for a reported $750,000.
Belanger, who came to Washington in a trade last season, and his agent were not happy. “They should be ashamed of how they handled this situation,” Belanger’s agent told the Globe and Mail. “We’re pursuing and evaluating our legal options in that regard.”
The entertaining part of all this is Belanger’s agent — Joe Tacopina.
If you spent time watching legal programs over the years, you’re familiar with Tacopina, a striking figure on the tube. A former prosecutor, Tacopina has represented some high profile clients, including, according to his firm’s website, “entertainers Sticky Fingaz, Swizz Beatz and Foxy Brown.” The website trumpets a GQ magazine story calling Tacopina, “The Hardest Working, Hottest Lawyer in the Country.”
As the CEO of Madison Sports and Entertainment, formed last October, Tacopina has started representing hockey players.
Tacopina is a former hockey player. According to the firm’s website: “Joe played college hockey for the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds. He continued his hockey career after college at Springfield in the American Hockey League.”
I’m not quite sure what he meant by continuing his hockey career at Springfield in the AHL. The current Springfield club, the Falcons, has been in existence since 1994. Before that, the franchise was the Springfield Indians.
Bruce Landon, the president and GM of the Falcons, has been with both clubs and part of Springfield hockey since 1977. According to Damon Markiewicz, manager of media relations, Landon did some research and said the name “doesn’t ring a bell, and that is a name that would ring a bell. He could have been here for a cup of coffee, but Bruce usually remembers guys who have been here even for a day.”
(Waiting for a callback from Tacopina office)
The Capitals began playing actual hockey with their exhibition opener Wednesday night in Columbus, leaving Madison Avenue and the media wars behind — for now.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected]
