Underrated Hero

- Much has been made over the last few days about the recent courageousness shown by captain Chris Clark, who got hit in the face by a puck in the loss to the Bruins Wednesday night. After taking a clearing attempt square in the mouth, losing some teeth and fracturing his palate, Clark remained on the ice until the Caps finally iced the puck.

I guess I just don't know why everyone is so surprised.

It was amazing and brave...and downright Clark-like. Honestly, any of us who have watched him over the last season and a half know the heart, the work, the energy that the captain brings to the ice each and every game. He's one of those rare players who doesn't take off a night and who rarely gives less than 110% during each shift. Even before he had the 'C' stitched on his chest, Clark was leading by example, working in the trenches and helping his two well-known linemates reach new offensive heights.

This is why we love him so much - said Clark this morning (as reported by Mike Vogel), "[t]here’s no sense in laying on the ice. My legs didn’t break; I could get up and skate."

True, he could still skate. In fact, if his mouth hadn't been filling up with blood, I'd bet that Clarkie would have finished the game. He's just that kind of player. Missing teeth and mouth pain can wait - there's a game going on. It's for this reason, among many others, that Clark is one of the most underrated players in the league today. For all his hard work and, this season, offensive production, most casual fans wouldn't be able to pick him out of a lineup.

But that's okay. We know what we have.

By the way, I love the end of Vogel's post today - after he had described the injury to Clark and repairs that poor Clarkie had to undergo, he had this to say about the Wizards:

Wait, this just in. One of the basketball dudes had a back bruise. Oh. No wonder there was such concern. Hope he is okay now. At least he didn’t get soap in his eyes. That can really hurt.

Hilarious.

- Every day it seems like I find yet another blogger who is calling for Zubrus to be on the ballot as a write-in. All of these posts, whether they came before me or after me, can only help the cause (and validate my rantings so I know I'm not completely insane...) Add Bleatings from a Caps Nut to the growing list of crazy Caps fans who know the worth of one Dainius Zubrus.

But just putting it on a blog isn't going to be enough - people, it's time to get out there and preach to the non-choir. Tell your friends, co-workers, siblings, grandparents, enemies; show them stats, screen highlight videos, or just point them in the direction of any Caps blog. Hell, if you have to, find some women (or men, I'm not judging) with puckbunny potential and show them a picture of good ol' Zubie before sitting them down at a computer to vote.

I'd say he's vote-worthy, am I right ladies?

Or men, I'm not judging...