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10-24-2003, 02:33 AM
Caps' Temporary Lodging
For Players Called Up, Annapolis Hotel Is Their First Home
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 23, 2003; Page D06
Almost everyone on the Washington Capitals' roster has called it home at some point. Some have stayed for a few days, some for several months and a few less fortunate players have spent entire seasons. The Residence Inn in Annapolis houses at least a few Capitals every season, and it has become particularly popular this month as the team welcomes a host of youngsters and new players.
Nine of the 23 players on the roster are still living out of a hotel room, but, for a change, not all are at the Residence Inn, as rooms have been scarce in Annapolis. Still, a group of players checked into the Residence Inn before training camp began Sept. 11 and have not left.
General Manager George McPhee refers to the hotel as the team's informal fraternity house, given the number of college-aged players who filter in and out of its doors. The goal of all who stay is to remain for as little time as possible.
"It's not as bad as people make it out to be," winger Matt Pettinger said. "It's kind of like a little one-bedroom apartment, the only thing is it's their towels, their TV, their bedding -- so nothing is really yours. I lived in a hotel all last year in the minors [Portland, Maine], and that is a lot different. Here you can deal with it because you're playing in the NHL, so you can suck it up for two or six or nine months or whatever.
"It is weird, though. You come home and the kitchen is right there and you're flipping bacon at the same time you're lying in bed. It's definitely cozy. But you get to be around a lot of the other guys and you ride to the rink together and go to a lot of meals together. It's really not that bad."
Pettinger, 23, is the rare individual who has dared to spruce-up his room, getting much help from his girlfriend. He has stayed at the hotel for parts of the last three seasons and will be moving out soon.
NHL teams have up to 28 days after recalling a player from the minors or naming him to the opening night roster to inform him whether or not he should get permanent housing. The situation is foreign to sports like football and basketball, which do not have minor leagues, while baseball's developmental system is multi-tiered and more complex than hockey's.
McPhee has already told all of the players currently in hotels that they will be with the Capitals for a while and should seek other housing.
Pettinger is joined by teammates Steve Eminger, 19, Boyd Gordon, 20, Alexander Semin, 19, Brian Sutherby, 21, Josef Boumedienne, 25, Brian Willsie, 25, Joel Kwiatkowski, 26, and John Gruden, 33, in Annapolis hotels this season. Some are staying at the Sheraton. Most if not all will have apartments lined up by the time the team's six-game road trip concludes next week.
"Your goal is to get to the point where the team says you can go get a place," said forward Stephen Peat, who spent most of the 2001-02 season living at the Residence Inn. "I left my room there alone, because you kind of don't want to think you're going to be there forever. It's fine to live at the Residence Inn, but once you leave that place it's kind of like another stepping-stone."
The rooms are no-frills, with a kitchenette, sofa, television, bedroom and bathroom. Closet space is at a premium -- players keep most personal items in storage -- and there is little difference between these rooms and those players stay in when traveling on the road, which can make a season feel like one long excursion.
The Residence Inn also serves an intangible purpose for the Capitals. Having so many players centrally located -- especially young single players just getting acquainted to the area -- helps foster a sense of community. Players such as Pettinger and Gruden, who otherwise would not interact much, became friends because of their living arrangements. Many of the young players have never lived alone before and just coping with cooking, cleaning and laundry can be trying.
"It's always reassuring for the younger players to have a place to assimilate," McPhee said. "If you have the younger players together that's always nice. The veteran players are there to help these guys, too, but to have a support group with the group made up of players their own age really helps."
The Residence Inn provides some comforts as well. It offers laundry services, the maids cater to the players' schedules -- they know when to be quiet at pregame nap time, for example -- and hotel employees take the time to get to know the players. Hotel officials also work closely with Todd Warren, the Capitals' director of team services, who makes these arrangements for players.
The hotel's location is a bonus as well. There are numerous restaurants in walking distance, a mall is nearby, the commute to Piney Orchard for practices is minimal and Annapolis is a quaint area for young adults to reside. Many of Washington's prospects come from small cities in Canada or Europe and moving directly into an urban setting can be intimidating.
"A lot of us came right out of junior [hockey]," Sutherby said, "where you have a billet family and they were wonderful and looked after you and took care of you. When you get here it's time to grow up now and look after yourself, but at the same time we're still young and single and it's a lot better having other guys around than hanging out in a room all by yourself. So we keep each other busy."
Playing video games is a favorite pastime, and Pettinger's PlayStation 2 is always in demand. They also make frequent trips to the movies and rarely eat a meal in their rooms. "We don't have too many cooks around here," Sutherby said.
For Players Called Up, Annapolis Hotel Is Their First Home
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 23, 2003; Page D06
Almost everyone on the Washington Capitals' roster has called it home at some point. Some have stayed for a few days, some for several months and a few less fortunate players have spent entire seasons. The Residence Inn in Annapolis houses at least a few Capitals every season, and it has become particularly popular this month as the team welcomes a host of youngsters and new players.
Nine of the 23 players on the roster are still living out of a hotel room, but, for a change, not all are at the Residence Inn, as rooms have been scarce in Annapolis. Still, a group of players checked into the Residence Inn before training camp began Sept. 11 and have not left.
General Manager George McPhee refers to the hotel as the team's informal fraternity house, given the number of college-aged players who filter in and out of its doors. The goal of all who stay is to remain for as little time as possible.
"It's not as bad as people make it out to be," winger Matt Pettinger said. "It's kind of like a little one-bedroom apartment, the only thing is it's their towels, their TV, their bedding -- so nothing is really yours. I lived in a hotel all last year in the minors [Portland, Maine], and that is a lot different. Here you can deal with it because you're playing in the NHL, so you can suck it up for two or six or nine months or whatever.
"It is weird, though. You come home and the kitchen is right there and you're flipping bacon at the same time you're lying in bed. It's definitely cozy. But you get to be around a lot of the other guys and you ride to the rink together and go to a lot of meals together. It's really not that bad."
Pettinger, 23, is the rare individual who has dared to spruce-up his room, getting much help from his girlfriend. He has stayed at the hotel for parts of the last three seasons and will be moving out soon.
NHL teams have up to 28 days after recalling a player from the minors or naming him to the opening night roster to inform him whether or not he should get permanent housing. The situation is foreign to sports like football and basketball, which do not have minor leagues, while baseball's developmental system is multi-tiered and more complex than hockey's.
McPhee has already told all of the players currently in hotels that they will be with the Capitals for a while and should seek other housing.
Pettinger is joined by teammates Steve Eminger, 19, Boyd Gordon, 20, Alexander Semin, 19, Brian Sutherby, 21, Josef Boumedienne, 25, Brian Willsie, 25, Joel Kwiatkowski, 26, and John Gruden, 33, in Annapolis hotels this season. Some are staying at the Sheraton. Most if not all will have apartments lined up by the time the team's six-game road trip concludes next week.
"Your goal is to get to the point where the team says you can go get a place," said forward Stephen Peat, who spent most of the 2001-02 season living at the Residence Inn. "I left my room there alone, because you kind of don't want to think you're going to be there forever. It's fine to live at the Residence Inn, but once you leave that place it's kind of like another stepping-stone."
The rooms are no-frills, with a kitchenette, sofa, television, bedroom and bathroom. Closet space is at a premium -- players keep most personal items in storage -- and there is little difference between these rooms and those players stay in when traveling on the road, which can make a season feel like one long excursion.
The Residence Inn also serves an intangible purpose for the Capitals. Having so many players centrally located -- especially young single players just getting acquainted to the area -- helps foster a sense of community. Players such as Pettinger and Gruden, who otherwise would not interact much, became friends because of their living arrangements. Many of the young players have never lived alone before and just coping with cooking, cleaning and laundry can be trying.
"It's always reassuring for the younger players to have a place to assimilate," McPhee said. "If you have the younger players together that's always nice. The veteran players are there to help these guys, too, but to have a support group with the group made up of players their own age really helps."
The Residence Inn provides some comforts as well. It offers laundry services, the maids cater to the players' schedules -- they know when to be quiet at pregame nap time, for example -- and hotel employees take the time to get to know the players. Hotel officials also work closely with Todd Warren, the Capitals' director of team services, who makes these arrangements for players.
The hotel's location is a bonus as well. There are numerous restaurants in walking distance, a mall is nearby, the commute to Piney Orchard for practices is minimal and Annapolis is a quaint area for young adults to reside. Many of Washington's prospects come from small cities in Canada or Europe and moving directly into an urban setting can be intimidating.
"A lot of us came right out of junior [hockey]," Sutherby said, "where you have a billet family and they were wonderful and looked after you and took care of you. When you get here it's time to grow up now and look after yourself, but at the same time we're still young and single and it's a lot better having other guys around than hanging out in a room all by yourself. So we keep each other busy."
Playing video games is a favorite pastime, and Pettinger's PlayStation 2 is always in demand. They also make frequent trips to the movies and rarely eat a meal in their rooms. "We don't have too many cooks around here," Sutherby said.