Mike Green

The puck will drop tonight at 7:00PM EST to begin the 2011-2012 regular season for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Capitals, under Bruce Boudreau as head coach for yet another season, have a promising and exciting season ahead of them.

After another disappointing playoff exit, the Washington Capitals might just see their fortunes change.

Alexander Ovechkin has been the NHL's most exciting and popular player for the past six years now, but has always failed to carry the Capitals to lifting the Cup. Not entirely his fault, not by a long shot, but you always expect your team's top player to step up when it matters the most—right Canucks fans?

The Washington Capitals must love playing hockey this late in the season. For the fourth straight game, the Capitals needed more than regulation to decide their game.

Thankfully, this one ended with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Caps clinched their fourth consecutive Southeast Division title in the process while also eliminating the Leafs from playoff contention.

Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green joined some of his Washington Capitals teammates at an optional practice on Friday, April 1 at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

Green has been out of the Capitals lineup since February 25 after suffering a concussion on a hit by the New York Rangers' Derek Stepan.

Over the past few seasons, the Washington Capitals have been one of the most dynamic and explosive teams in the National Hockey League.

Of course, that's to be expected of a team that boasts the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green.

This season however, things have changed in Washington D.C.

Following a couple of disappointing postseason performances, the Caps decided to change the way they play the game.

As reported today, Washington Capitals superstar winger Alex Ovechkin will miss seven to 10 days to rest and recover from an "undisclosed ailment."

Ovechkin is just one of a handful of players who are currently injured and will play key roles in their team's playoff fate.

Here are 10 player who should be shut down until the playoffs.

By now, anyone who cares about hockey knows the story of Sidney Crosby's concussion well enough that it doesn't need to be repeated.

That's not what this article is about. This is about what's been lost in the league because of concussions this season.

This is about the fact that the "First All-Star Team" at the end of the season could be rivaled by the "All-Concussion All Stars"—and the NHL doesn't seem to care a whole lot.

Here's a look at the "All-Concussion All-Star Team" and why the NHL isn't doing enough to fix the problem.

There have been a lot of high-profile injuries this year in the NHL. Teams are hoping to get their best players back as they go down the playoff stretch.

Some teams have received good news regarding their players—they'll be back soon.

Other teams unfortunately have yet to hear good news.

Here are the latest injury updates from around the league.

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Sidney Crosby, the poster boy for the NHL and perhaps the greatest hockey player on the planet, is not the only player that has suffered a severe injury due to a head shot. 

Mike Green, defenseman for the Washington Capitals, is another NHL star who took a hit to the head and has missed several games because of this injury. 

Crosby suffered a blindside hit from Capitals' forward David Steckel in this year's Winter Classic in Pittsburgh. Steckel was not given a penalty.

Niklas Hjalmarsson has been tossed around worse than a rag-doll all season long by Chicago Blackhawks fans. One day they love him, the next—he makes too much money and does not produce enough.