Beninati, Laughlin Put the 'Biscuit in the Basket'

"With hockey, (HD) shows you a lot more of the ice surface, what's happening away from the puck," Laughlin said. "You really are up close and personal. You can see the scars on guy's faces; you can see them sweat. If we're going to capture more fans, we need to do even more high-def."

This year, Comcast SportsNet has doubled its audience, averaging 30,000 viewers per game. It will air 50 Capitals regular season games in HD, including a number of road games. It would be nice if the regional cable network would do all of them that way, but apparently there are only a limited number of production trucks outfitted with the technology, so that goal may be a year or two away.

"HD is just terrific for the new fan of the sport," Beninati said. "He or she can really follow the puck, and the crispness of the audio also makes a big difference. I'll never say hockey will rival football as a television sport, but the more improvements we make in the TV business, let's take advantage of them. Comcast has made a real commitment to HD, and it really does make a difference in our sport."

So does the pre-game preparation of the two broadcasters. In separate interviews, and totally unprompted, both men basically said they were in awe of each other's work ethic in getting ready for a game.

"He is so well-prepared," Beninati said of Laughlin, who played seven seasons for the Capitals and has been doing color on the games for the last 18 years. "Craig does a lot of private instruction of the game with top notch young players, boys and girls. He's constantly teaching them, and he takes that teaching mindset into the booth. I watch the tape of every game we do, and I honestly learn that much more from him the second time around.

"He's also become like a second producer. He recognizes the main themes and story lines in the game as we're going along, and working with the guys in the truck on how to support those themes with graphics and replays. In a lot of ways, he's leading the direction of the broadcast."

Said Laughlin of Beninati, "he is the most prepared play-by-play guy in the NHL. Put it this way. We talk a lot the day before a game. The day of the game, we're going over everything again. Once we're on the air, he doesn't want to do the color. He wants to describe the game and use words that sometimes I don't understand.

"He's a great fit for me. I'm the light guy, the story guy, and he never leaves me hanging. We don't step over each other, and we're great friends. We play tennis all summer, and of course I beat him all the time. But the bottom line is, it screams professionalism when you talk about Joe. Professional, and prepared."

This season, Laughlin also has been given a new toy -- a state-of-the-art high-tech tellestrator he described as "kind of futuristic. I'm still getting used to it, but it's really going to help people understand what's going on."

But Laughlin also continues with the light touches that have endeared him to Capitals fans over the years. He always makes it a point to say hello to his mother Josephine, who lives in Toronto but often watches the Capitals via satellite.

"Yeah, my mum tries to watch as much as she can, it's why I say hello to her," Laughlin said. "She loves Ovechkin, but she can't pronounce his name. She's always saying 'I love that Russian guy.' She still roots for the Maple Leafs, but she's definitely on the Caps bandwagon."

As is her son.

"This year, there is a total sense that this team could be something special," Laughlin said. "I really think it's a three- to five-year window where they can compete for the Cup. They stuck to their plan, and it's definitely paying off. It's gonna be a fun season, I know that."

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at Len.Shapiro@washingtonpost.com.