So tonight was not a good night to be stuck in traffic, but here is the update on a crazy developing situation:

*Jose Theodore is hurt. He has a hip flexor and is day-to-day. He will not dress tonight.

*The Caps have recalled top prospect Simeon Varlamov, but the Hershey Bears are in Texas (they played San Antonio last night and play Houston tomorrow night) so he will not be here in time for warmups and is expected to miss the start of the game.

*This means that Brett "Stretch" Leonhardt, the team's website producer of Capitals Report fame, will be the team's backup during warmups and until Varlamov gets here. To do this, Leonhardt has to sign an amateur tryout contract (basically an emergency deal for someone who has never played professionally) and the Caps were given special permission from the NHL to use two backups for Brent Johnson tonight.

For those that don't know, Leonhardt played goalie at Osweego State and Neuman College. He was also drafted by the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL but never appeared in a regular season game.

This all comes of course with Johnson telling everyone after Wednesday night's game that he isn't 100 percent with a hip problem, so it isn't impossible to dream that Stretch could find his way into an NHL game tonight.

Obviously, this is one of the more unique developments in recent memory for this team, and it is going to make a great story to tell his grandkids.

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