It’s funny, I was just about to fire off a nasty e-mail to all of my blogger playoff pool participants who have yet to pay up...when I realized I hadn’t even written my love letter to the Caps. Oops. Now some would say that this entire blog is a giant love letter to the Caps sprayed with perfume and sealed with a kiss, and should therefore serve as adequate payment for falling short in my own pool. I’m guessing those people aren’t among the others who are stuck writing schmaltzy stuff about a team they pay little or no attention to...so here goes.
I was born into this crazy, mixed-up world of Caps fanaticism, a product of a hockey-mad father whose devotion to this team of ne’er-do-wells is practically etched in the annals of Washington sports history. Legend has it that while in the womb I kicked to the strains of “Let’s Go Caps”; that I was born already wearing a tiny Caps jersey; that my first words were “what the Caps really need is a good scoring-line center”...
...but I digress.
It’s not just a product of my raising that has me writing innocuous rants about a hockey team at two in the morning – after all, my younger sister hasn't known a player's name since Joe Reekie wore the eagle and my older sister, while a thoroughly passionate Caps fan in her own right, still maintains some semblance of normalcy in her fandom. It is that normalcy, that sanity, that seems to have skipped over me altogether and left me to pour out my hockey-related hopes and dreams here day after day amid the indifferent masses of our nation’s capital.
Washington, DC is not a traditional sports town. You have in this city of roughly 600,000 people residents from up and down the east coast, across the country, around the world (and approximately 95% of the city of Pittsburgh). With that transience comes a lack of unity, particularly when it comes to sports. To be a product of the DC area is a rarity; to be a lifelong fan of a local sports team, even more so. Throw in hockey fan to that equation and you might as well be one of those stuffed dodo birds at the Smithsonian.
It’s never fazed me, though. Sure, I get the funny looks and I’ve heard the knee-slappers about going to a boxing match and seeing a hockey game break out (ha...ha.). But it doesn’t matter. Because something about this team has gotten under my skin. I don’t just mean this particular crop of youngsters who will skate out onto the ice in their shiny new threads come October; I mean the entire team – the history, the heartache, the hope, all of it. I can’t shake it, and I have no desire to do so.
My earliest memories are of Rod Langway, Scott Stevens, Mike Ridley, Mike Gartner, and Bengt Gustafsson; of white pom-poms with plastic handles and organ music; of pizza goals and the Patrick Division. Of playoff hopes and playoff losses. Of lying on my stomach in front of the TV, watching in awe as my team took the ice, knowing that they couldn’t lose while I watched...no matter how many times they did.
There is something special about a franchise that can frustrate you to the point of tearing out your hair then in one fell swoop suck you right back in again. It is an indefinable quality that brings us back year after year, but “it” is there. It’s how the team survived those disastrous first few years of existence. It’s how they fill the arena on opening day despite the heartbreaking end to the previous season just a few months before. It is the downfall of a team one year, only to see it reawakened by an influx of youth and vitality the next; the departure of one superstar only to see him replaced with a brighter one.
These days it isn’t easy to be a Caps fan. There’s a lot of hurry up and wait, a lot of rebuilding and evolution and growth, a lot of talk about the future when all we want is to see the present. There are promises being made and expectations being set – and whether those expectations are realized remains to be seen. We won’t know the outcome until the puck drops in the fall, or until the final whistle blows to signal the end of another season.
But when is it ever easy to be a Caps fan? That’s not why we love this team. If we wanted to pick a winner, we’d have jumped on the Red Wings bandwagon, ridden the coattails of the Hurricanes, flown in a ‘V’ with the Ducks...but we didn’t.
Instead we stand by our team, fully aware that someday our ship will come in and victory will be that much sweeter because we earned it. We enter each year with collective amnesia, forgetting the horrors we have witnessed in the past and approaching a new season with the bright eyes of an eternal optimist. We revel in the veteran leadership of Olie Kolzig and Chris Clark, in the grit and work ethic of Matt Pettinger and Brian Sutherby, in the skill and youthful exuberance of Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin...and in the future hopes of Niklas Backstrom and Karl Alzner.
And we wait for another year to begin.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
I Heart the Caps
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Taking Over the World, One Widget at a Time
If you'll turn your attention to the sidebar on your right, you'll see two new additions - one is the lovely uniform widget provided by WashingtonCaps.com (actually, I guess its capitals.nhl.com now - confusing) showcasing the uniform through the ages. We're counting down to the return of the red, white and blue this Friday with a retrospective of how the Caps' look has changed since the franchise's inception. Breathtaking, isn't it?
Incidentally as I write this it is displaying Larry Murphy...and to that I say "woop woop woop!" Ah, Lar. Good to see you.
The other is the list of pro-Caps posts provided by our playoff pool participants, to be updated as they trickle in. Feel free to surf through the list and see just how our team is perceived around the league by a group of people who can only be described as certifiable, myself included. Should be interesting.
My post to come...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Hockey Fan's Dream
Anyone who has watched more than one playoff series in their lives knows that Game 1 isn’t supposed to be that good – at least when compared to the rest of the series. The two teams are feeling each other out, learning the buttons to push and the tricks to use, adapting to and adjusting for the other teams’ strengths and weaknesses. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is usually even worse because you have two teams that have barely played one another, especially under the new NHL scheduling.
Well, someone forgot to tell the Senators and Ducks. Because if this game is the worst of the series, I’d say we’re in for a hell of a ride.
It’s not that it was a perfect game. There were mistakes and fluky bounces. There were bad goals and missed calls. There were timid moments to be sure.
But all in all it was pretty breathtaking. It was a close game throughout regardless of who held the lead and you just knew that one bounce, one penalty, one laser of a shot, and the lead could flip in an instant. It was physical, it was intense, it was full of animosity and hatred unheard of between two teams that haven’t met in over a year and a half...everything you want in a playoff game.
It’s no secret that this postseason has been great, at times spectacular. It’s only fitting that this series, as a culmination of the performances from these two teams, should be a treat for the eyes. To all you lucky people who were in attendance last night and to everyone holding a ticket for any of the games down the line, I have only this to say – hold on to those ticket stubs. You’re witnessing an instant classic, and those don't come along everyday.
- Stepping aside from the sappiness for a moment, I'm pleased to announce that the Round 3 winner of the First Annual Blogger Playoff Pool is...
Ah, a Caps fan. There's only 253 of us in the pool, you'd think one of the Caps' faithful would have won before, but what can you do.
Anyways, keep an eye out for loving tributes to the Caps from the following people:
And as always I've got a pretty spreadsheet all ready with the current standings: Round 3
(By the way, compare these standings to Round 2 and tell me this isn't anyone's game...)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The Madness Returns
Whew. Long time gone, eh? Sorry about that - aside from the constant annoyance of life getting in the way, I've somehow, somewhere down the road, temporarily lost my will to rant. Maybe seeing the twin geriatrics in Detroit take down yet another team that I like just pushed me over the edge, I don't know.
The urge to babble on about everything and nothing at all will return, though, of that I am certain - until then, I'm sure everyone is just itching to know who won Round Two of the First Annual Blogger Playoff Pool, right?
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Paying the French-Canadian Piper
You may recall that a handful of our bloggers were selected by our winning pool entrants, Matthew and Duncan, to submit lovey-dovey posts about the Flames and Habs. Like the good sports that they are, our chosen few have responded...sort of.
Read Sherry's love letter to the Habs...then check out Bleu, Blanc et Rouge's response for an extra little giggle. Witness the unbelievable, a Detroit fan praising the Flames, as Steph pays up over at No Pun Intended.
Now JORDI on the other hand has been commanded to redo her post, which was hysterically funny but not exactly nice. I don't think she's taking it all that well (poor Duncan), and now she's just delaying the inevitable.
That just leaves...hmmm. Oh right, me!
This shouldn't be too hard, because as most of you know, my Habs-love is second only to the pure love I hold for the Caps.
I didn't go to Montreal searching for another team to root for. I had my hands full with the Caps and the last thing I needed was a second group of guys who would steal my heart, then break it repeatedly. Habs fandom was something I kind of fell into, led by the forces of fate, la forza del destino if you will.
When I first arrived in Montreal the Canadiens were pretty far off my radar. I knew of them, recognized a few names, but that was it. Instead I listened to as many Caps games as I could on my computer, Steve Kolbe's soothing voice providing the background noise for many a study session. I would see the headlines in the daily newspapers about the Habs but largely ignored them in favor of my hometown team. My only connection to the team was in my proximity to the Montreal Forum, on its way to being converted from a historic hockey landmark to an entertainment complex swathed in red white and blue.
Fast-forward a few months to the 2001 trade deadline, a day spent glued to TSN's all-day coverage in the faint hope that no one would be departing DC. I was watching in horror as the announcement came across the bottom of the screen: 'Washington trades Richard Zednik and Jan Bulis...' I couldn't believe it. My Zed, my Buli, were gone! Then I read the rest '...to Montreal for Dainius Zubrus and Trevor Linden'. My disbelief turned to joy - two of my favorite players were now in the same city as me. Coincidence? I'd like to think not.
And so it began. My loyalty to these two players, as foolish as it may seem, was my entry into the crazy world of Montreal hockey. I started reading about the Habs a bit more, scanning the articles for their names and silently cheering them on. I would get excited when I saw that Montreal had won a game, and sad when they lost. It was a very confusing time, to be sure.
Finally I decided it was time to go see the Habs in person. It was, quite frankly, among the most amazing hockey experiences of my life. If you've never been to a game in Montreal, I urge you to do so immediately. It's like nothing else - the atmosphere is pure saturated hockey. I loved every minute of it. I loved the goal song (which has since been replaced by a U2 song, an absolute disgrace). I loved the little truck that shot t-shirts during intermission. I loved the Canadian anthem sung in French and English. It was so exciting, so electric, and there was a roar in the stands from the moment the puck dropped to the final buzzer.
As a Caps fan, it was a truly eye-opening experience; as a hockey fan, I was home. Over the next few years I immersed myself in Canadiens hockey. I went to as many games as possible, learned the names of the players, cheered them on in the playoffs, and developed a deep hatred of the Maple Leafs. I would put it all on hold only for those times when my two teams met in battle, those brief moments where the Habs t-shirt would proudly be replaced by a Caps jersey. As soon as the game ended, my dual loyalties returned unaffected by the previous 60 minutes.
I've tried many times to distance myself from the Habs since returning to DC. But for whatever reason I can't seem to shake them, almost three years later. They've got a scrappy demeanor about them that I love and an endless cast of characters led by a feisty little Finn that just keeps me hanging on. Huet, Komisarek, Higgins, Ryder - all entertaining in their own way. Even Kovalev, a bastion of evil for so many years, became lovable once he pulled on that Habs sweater (although not so much anymore...).
Anyone will tell you that it's nearly impossible to root for two teams with the same fervor, especially when they're in the same conference, and its true. I could never fully support the Habs with the same passion I reserve for the Capitals; one team always has to win out, and that team will always be the Caps. Still, I stand by my Habs and hope that, like the Caps, next year will bring better fortunes and greener pastures.
I just hope they never meet in the playoffs. I don't think I could take it.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Standings and Forecasts, Round 2
Now that the second round is underway, it's time to check out where our bloggers stand after the first round and see who they picked for the Conference Semifinals! Unfortunately Google Spreadsheets aren't being nice to me, so you have to go out in search of it:
Those top four participants by the way are separated by one point in the overall standings and have startlingly similar responses. Those of you in that top group, I'll be in touch within the next few days with the tie-breaker's tie-breaker - hopefully that will help uncover one winner this time around.
Hopefully.
Just a reminder, the full list of bloggers and their sites can be found here. (And yes, I know we're missing one...*ahem* Steph...Update: Steph was kind enough to send me her picks after I openly mocked her, so everyone is on there now. Boy, I miss being a student!)
Peanut gallery, any comments? Thoughts? Musings to be read aloud in mocking tones?
Paying the Price, Blogger Style
Oh, this is going to be fun. Our first round winners have made their choices and the following people will be paying the price:
Jordi @ Girls Don't Love Hockey (our resident Edmonton fan)
Steph @ No Pun Intended (one of our Detroit fans)
Matthew's Picks:
Sherry @ Scarlett Ice (Ottawa Senators faithful)
CapsChick...yup, that's me. I figured that would happen at some point
The lucky ones should be posting within the next week or so - check back for links to their posts, I'm sure they're all anxious to get started!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Round 1 Playoff Pool Champion REVEALED
Now the moment you've all been waiting for - it's time to announce our first round winner in the 2007 Blogger Playoff Pool!
Wait, wait, stop the drums. What is this I see? Two winners? That's unpossible!
And yet, that's what happened. You see, I had a tiebreaker built in for exactly this occasion, and...it backfired. Turns out I needed a tiebreaker for the tiebreaker. What are the odds, right?
Okay, kick up the drums again.
We kick off the second round tomorrow night and all 34 poolers' picks will be available right here for your perusal and general entertainment, so be sure to stop by and see everyone's predictions.
Oh, and for anyone who wonders if I tried to rig this thing in my favor...I finished 30th. Out of 34 players. Yay.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Dive into the Deep End of the Pool
The 1st Annual Blogger Playoff Pool!
Here's how it works: all the bloggers will be submitting their picks on a round-by-round basis. Points will be awarded for correct responses as well as for correctly answering different bonus questions. After each round a winner will be announced, who will then get to pick any three bloggers in the competition to write a glowing post on the winner's favorite team.
There will also be one ultimate winner at the end of the playoffs, when one team has lifted Lord Stanley's cup. At that point, every blogger in the pool will have to write something nice about the winner's team (Caps fans, can you picture it? If one of our own wins, everyone has to say something nice about the Caps! I don't think that's ever happened in the history of the franchise!)
I was going to reveal everyone's picks here but then thought...nah. Better to keep you all in suspense until the very end. (Plus its too much work and frankly I'm a little lazy.)
Updated standings will appear here after each round so you can cheer on your favorites or create voodoo dolls for supporters of teams you despise. Hey, I'm not judging. Bloggers and readers alike are invited to chatter away in the comments - I want to hear some insults, some smackdowns...but keep it clean, please. No four letter words you wouldn't see on a second grade spelling test, okay?
Your contestants, ladies and gentlemen:
Bethany - Columbus
Bleu Blanc et Rouge - Montreal
CapsChick - Washington
CapsNut - Washington
Chanuck - Washington
Christy Hammond - Detroit
DCSportsChick - Washington
Duncan - Calgary
Ellie - Pittsburgh
Elly - Pittsburgh
Finny - Anaheim
Gustaffson - Washington
Heather B. - Buffalo
hockeygirl - Calgary
J.P. - Washington
Jennifer - Atlanta
Jordi - Montreal/Edmonton
Keily E. - Toronto
Kevin - Buffalo
Kristin - Philadelphia
Margee - NY Islanders
Matthew Macaskill - Montreal
Mike - Washington
Mike Vogel - Washington
Monika - Toronto
MT - Ottawa
Paige - Buffalo
pucksandbooks - Washington
Sherry - Ottawa
Steph - Detroit
The Falconer - Atlanta
The Ghost - Buffalo
Tyler - Pittsburgh
Bloggers, I'll reveal everyone's picks via e-mail in the next day or so. Please let me know if you are listed incorrectly, your blog address is not right...or I had a senile moment and left you off completely.
