R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I have just finished listening to new captain Chris Clark on this week's Caps Report Podcast, and I just have to say that he sounded downright Captainish, er...Captainlike? Captain-y? Well, whatever the word, he sounded great - he was poised and modest, excited about the upcoming season, and already working on how he will lead this young team.

As I listened to the final Caps Report before the start of preseason, I started to look back on the many weeks that I have tuned in to hear different players over the summer. What has really come across is not only their pride in last season and their excitement for the upcoming one, but also the respect that they have for one another. For example, every week Vogel has asked each player who they think should get the captaincy, and every week they say the same thing - there are lots of guys who could do it and it doesn't matter, because Olie is and always will be the leader of this team. Even Clark said it, and he is the captain.

All I can figure is that this is a team of basically nice guys who put the team ahead of individual goals, who get along with one another, who respect each other and the coaching staff - all things that over time and with the right configuration will lead to championships. I think we often forget what we have and what it could be - could you imagine spending a whole season listening to Sean Avery mouthing off, or watch as night after night Sidney Crybaby complains to the refs about yet another 'bad' call? Give me a hard-working bunch of guys with grit and determination over flash and diva-dom any day of the week...

Bottom line - we've got a great bunch of guys reporting for camp tomorrow (okay, technically it's today).

Are they going to win the Stanley Cup this year? Probably not...but will they still be fun to watch? Absolutely!