5 Websites Every Washington Capitals Fan Should Have Bookmarked

If there is one demographic of Internet users who might benefit the most from our modern technology it has to be sports fans.

Never before in the history of...well...ever, have sports fans been able to satisfy their cravings for news, stats and information like they can in 2013.

With the simple press of a button or the click of a mouse, the most diehard sports nut can get all the information he or she wants about his or her favorite team or players.

It truly is a wonderful time to be a sports fan.

Washington Capitals fans are no different. Having written a ton of content for Caps fans over the past year and a half, I have come to learn just how passionate a group Caps fans are and just how much they truly care about the team.

The Internet is loaded with all sorts of websites and blogs that discuss the Caps in one respect or another.

It is obviously easy enough to go a site like ESPN or NHL.com to get some general information about the Caps or perhaps latch onto some breaking news.

But for the more discerning Caps fan, the one who wants to dig a little deeper or the one who wants a different take on the team, which websites are the best?

Here are five websites that every Washington Capitals fan should have bookmarked.

Capitals.com

An obvious choice—but an essential one.

The Capitals' official website is a treasure trove of information for Caps' fans. At the site, fans can check the Caps' schedule, watch game highlights and even get tickets for home games.

For the history buff, there is a whole section on the site that documents the history of the Caps, complete with stats and historical articles.

It goes without saying that the latest news relating to the Caps can be found on the team's official site. More than that though, the site hosts the official blogs of some of the biggest names in the organization, such as Mike Vogel, John Walton and Caps' owner Ted Leonsis.

The Caps' community in general has a strong presence on the site. Forums and discussion boards exist along with links to the teams' Facebook page and other social networking sites or destinations.

Content on the site is kept pretty fresh with frequent updates.

During the Caps' recent development camp, I found myself on the Caps' official site quite a lot as I found the site's coverage of what was going on to be excellent.

There were daily blog entries from prospects such as Madison Bowey, Riley Barber and Connor Carrick. I found these to be very enjoyable, and getting inside the head of new prospects as they try to make a name for themselves was a very fun read.

The Caps' official website is one of the best sites a Caps' fan can frequent and it probably belongs at the top of the list of sites to bookmark.

A link to the site can be found here: http://capitals.nhl.com/index.html

The Washington Post's Capitals Insider

While The Washington Times provides some excellent coverage of the Capitals, I personally prefer the content in The Washington Post.

I am not talking about the general and typical coverage of the Caps. It is the Capitals Insider aspect of The Post that I like quite a lot.

I have respect for Katie Carrera. I think she is a fine journalist. The days of men dominating the sports writing industry are long gone.

Still, good female hockey sports writers are relatively rare.

Carrera, however, usually gets some very good interviews and produces some highly entertaining articles. The subjects that she writes about are things you usually don't see on the other sites. She truly is a Capitals Insider. 

Recently, some excellent articles chronicling the Caps' prospects at development camp appeared on Capitals Insider.

There was also analysis of Brooks Laich being slotted as the Caps' second line center along with revealing comments from general manager George McPhee that caused quite a lot of concern among Caps' fans that the team will not be doing anything as far as free agency is concerned.

It is not just Carrera though. Neil Greenberg wrote an article recently trying to determine what Marcus Johansson's fair market value might be.

Chelsea Janes wrote an article about the Caps' prospects and the difficulty balancing hockey and college.

Those are just a few examples of the content you will find at Capitals Insider. Quite often, Carrera and company get information and interviews that you will not find elsewhere.

For that reason, The Washington Post's Capitals Insider is a site you need to bookmark.

A link to the site can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capitals-insider/

Japers' Rink

As far as community sites are concerned, Japers' Rink is one of, if not the, best of the bunch.

First and foremost, Japers' Rink is a community site, so the community contributions are a big part of the site.

Beyond that, the site produces what I consider to be some very thought-provoking content.

One of my favorite features on the site is the Japers' Rink mailbag. Here, the fans frequently Tweet out a question or two and then the authors will go ahead and answer the question(s) with glorious detail.

Take a look at the most recent mailbag to get an idea of this. The topic of conversation centered on Mike Ribeiro's departure, who would have been a casualty had he been re-signed and whether going after Mikhail Grabovski still makes sense.

These are all issues very near and dear to Caps' fans.

Later in the Mailbag, a reader asks which stat is the most important in evaluating a skater's value. That is obviously a loaded question and one that can be answered any number of ways. The author, in my opinion, did a very good job of handling that tricky inquiry.

Another thing I like about Japers' Rink is that they are honest. If there is something good to report, they report it. But if criticism is warranted, they will dish that out as well.

To me, that gives the site credibility. Fans do not want to be spoon-fed idealistic pipe dreams. They want honest and well thought-out analysis and opinions.

Japers' Rink delivers on that front. They analyze all aspects of the Caps, make forecasts of lineups, offer commentary as to what the team is doing right and where it needs to improve.

On top of that, they get the Caps' community heavily involved in the whole process.

Japers' Rink is one of the best community sites out there and it absolutely should be bookmarked by any Caps' fan.

A link to the site can be found here: http://www.japersrink.com/

Russian Machine Never Breaks

Contrary to the title, Russian Machine Never Breaks (RMNB) is not just about the Russian players on the Capitals.

What I love about RMNB is that they are not as stat-heavy as the other sites out there.

Yes, I know...any of you who have read any of my articles here on Bleacher Report know that I am a stat junkie. But I enjoy going to a site where the articles are a bit more light-hearted and less analytical as much as the next guy.

RMNB delivers on this level in a big way. Their mission statement sums it up quite nicely:

"

"Make hockey as fun to read about as it is to watch"

"

Now then, while RMNB is not all about the Russians, the site does focus heavily on Alexander Ovechkin. RMNB has also become the default source of information as to what is going on with the Caps' top prospect, Evgeny Kuznetsov.

For instance, RMNB recently ran an article on how Kuznetsov is planning on returning to the KHL when he is 30—and he has yet to play a minute in the NHL!

Can we trade him now?

The site also has an excellent links section where a Caps' fan can link in to just about any of the other good Caps' blogs available on the Internet. There is a ton of content here so be forewarned—it can be a bit overwhelming.

Another thing I like about RMNB is that it provides a direct link to coverage of the Hershey Bears.

While I do not think RMNB is as solid an overall site as Japers' Rink, there is still some excellent content on the site.

If you are a Caps' fan, then this site should be bookmarked.

If you are an Ovechkin fan, it is essential reading.

Here is a link to the site: http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/

Bleacher Report

Yes, some shameless self-promotion never hurts.

All kidding aside though, the coverage a Caps' fan can get from Bleacher Report is top notch and that is why the Caps' section of B/R should definitely be bookmarked.

Between Robert Wood, Ryan Davenport and I, Caps' fans get a wealth of information on the team we all know and love.

Unlike other sites out there, what makes B/R unique is that the authors are fans too. We are just like you. We share the same passion that you do. And, even better, the authors will frequently interact with the readers in a way that other sites really do not offer.

On a personal level, I have never met many of the folks I exchange comments with. But I feel like I know them. I cannot even explain how much I have enjoyed exchanging viewpoints and opinions with many of you. We might not always agree, but the conversation is usually entertaining.

And I have learned a ton from many of you. So thank you.

B/R is also unique in the scope and range of things we write and read about. Some articles try to forecast and predict stats.

Other articles look at the history of the franchise and offer perspective on the teams successes and failures.

Sometimes we are writing about prospects and trying to give Caps' fans as much information as we can as to who the next big star might just be.

Other times we offer commentary on some very controversial stuff. Robert and I have written some pretty damning stuff about Alexander Ovechkin, much of it very unpopular. But it did get many people thinking.

Bleacher Report, more so than any of the other sites listed, is a true fans' site. It is extremely unique in that respect. It is the only site I know of where there is a one-to-one relationship and interchange between writer and reader.

That combined with the wide range and variety of topics discussed makes the Capitals section of Bleacher Report a site that has to be bookmarked.

I would give you a link—but you are already here.