A Door Closes, A Window Opens

As I watched Alex Ovechkin embrace each of the Flyers with the class and dignity of someone ten years older, one thought kept running through my head: They deserved better. This hurts because they deserved better, each and every one of them.

It does hurt. In the aftermath of this game there will be things Caps fans can complain about, things they can point to that could and should have gone the other way. The Flyers second goal, a prime example of "incidental contact" if I ever saw one that went uncalled. The tripping penalty in overtime, a call that might have been technically right but was nowhere near blatant enough to warrant affecting the outcome of an entire series. Any number of missed or bizarre calls throughout the series.

And yet...it is what it is. Things like that happen in every series and it's the team that overcomes obstacles like those that truly deserves to move on.

We've been calling this team a "team of destiny" - and maybe this was their destiny, to fight hard and play right up to the end like we knew they could but just not be ready to go to the next step. Maybe it wasn't time for them to meet the Penguins in the playoffs again. Maybe it wasn't time for this team to get anything but a taste of the postseason.

They've played a full seven game series. They've been up, they've been down, they've come from behind to win and held onto leads and learned what NHL playoff games really should be. It's priceless experiences like that which will only help them in the long run. The time will come when this team will be ready; when they will come into a series with the same energy with which they leave it, when they will no longer find themselves in awe of playoff intensity but rather own it, play it, live it. They've proven themselves capable of that much already.

Until then there is a lot to be happy about - in this game, in this series, and in this season as a whole. Think back to where we were exactly five months ago tonight and look at where we are now and tell me we have anything to regret, anything to be ashamed of. No, this team should hold their heads high and be proud of accomplishing so much after so many people counted them out so many times.

Tonight was the culmination of many things, the fruition of a season-long and really a three year-long process of growth and rebuilding. There will be other playoff series, other chances to right a wrong, and in the meantime the sense of accomplishment should linger with every single player and fan.

We've seen the evolution of one of the league's great talents from rookie standout to true leader, on and off the ice; in Ovechkin we have the future of the team and it's a bright one.

We've seen the maturation of his supporting cast, no less talented in their own roles - Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich, Mike Green, Dave Steckel, Boyd Gordon - all of whom stepped up to the plate and answered the call when needed.

We've seen franchise records fall and NHL history made; we've seen 300 wins from the great Olie Kolzig and Brooks Laich's first 20 goal season. We've watched a team of nobodys, of youngsters and once-forgotten veterans, come together with a chemistry and comraderie that I've never seen before. We've seen the rebirth of this city as a true hockey town, swathed in red and excited about the Caps again.

The curtain closes on this season but it's hardly the end. We'll be back next year stronger and better than ever, a team perched on the verge of greatness with a summer to think about the bitter taste of losing - and about how they never want to taste it again. This team is hungry. Strong. Resilient. There is no doubt in my mind that they will be back in the show again next season and when they are, look out.

There are questions to be answered in the coming months, issues to be resolved, contracts to be signed. What does the team do with Mike Green? How about other RFA's who are equally important to the team and it's chemistry, such as Brooks Laich, Eric Fehr, Steve Eminger and Shaone Morrisonn? Does Sergei Fedorov retire? Does Olie Kolzig? Will Cristobal Huet stay in DC? Can the team bring back both Matt Cooke and Matt Bradley or does one of them become expendable?

It's going to be an offseason filled with answers to these questions and we'll have plenty of time to begin answering them after the sting has worn off a little.

For now, though, we only have the knowledge that the sun must come up tomorrow - and while it may not seem as bright as usual, the reality is that it's actually brighter than ever.

And sometimes it's a sad song...

But I cannot forget

Refuse to regret

So glad I met you

Take my breath away

Make everyday

Worth all of the pain that I've gone through

And mama, I've been cryin'

'Cause things ain't how they used to be

She said the battles almost won

And we're only several miles from the sun...

--"The Sun" by Maroon 5

Note: It's time for a much needed vacation from the Cheap Seats, a few days to clear the cobwebs away and start fresh...stay tuned. We'll be back.