Clark has been all over the local media as he is introduced to the fans as the 13th captain of the Washington Capitals - okay, maybe not all over, but he did force CSN's SportsNite to take a timeout from the Redskins/Ravens lovefest to insert some *gasp* hockey into the broadcast...
By the way, did anyone notice that they interviewed him wearing an ill-fitting, awkwardly draped jersey next to an ice rink? As if to tell the Redskins faithful, "Psst...this guy's a hockey player. It's that game they play on that frozen stuff." Whatever works, I guess.
Anyways, so far Clarkie has done us proud, saying all the right things and being so self-aware that he almost seems embarassed to be the center of attention. It's what all good captains do - Sakic, Yzerman, heck, let's throw Hunter in there for good measure - represent the team without acting like you are the team. Look at all of the current NHL captains and try to find an ego among them (okay, Yashin maybe, but could you really call him a captain? Really?)
And let's not forget the most important thing - Clark is a Red Sox fan, which as we all know is a sign of intelligence (and sometimes insanity, but they really go hand in hand). How can you not love a guy like that? :)
Thursday, September 14, 2006
The Captain Has Arrived
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!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
And the 'C' goes to...
...Chris Clark! This is such a great move by the Caps - a gritty, hard-working player who seems to have the respect of his teammates and who has clicked on the ice with Ovie. In his short time here he has made believers and fans out of a lot of people, myself included. Congrats, Chris!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Hey, Hey the Gang's All Here
The guys took the ice out in Ashburn today, joined at last by the soon-to-be-legal Ovie and 'the Missing Link', Alexander Semin. Of course, Sasha stayed in the stands, but according to the Post his presence alone was a good sign. Is it just me or are our standards getting a little low when we start praising someone for just walking into a building? Well, at least he got on the plane this time. Baby steps, kids, baby steps!
This was just too good to not mention - the Islanders have signed unproven goaltender Rick DiPietro to a record-breaking 15-year, $67.5 million contract. Look's like Rick will be laughing all the way to the nursing home...
A Little (okay, a lot) About Me...
To truly understand my somewhat unhealthy love of this team, one has to look at my formative childhood years. My dad has been a season ticket holder since that very first ill-fated campaign of '74-'75. Final record: 8-67-5. Yay. I was practically born in a Caps jersey and have been going to games all my life. My heroes growing up (along with Barbie and Jem) were Mike Gartner, Scott Stevens, and Rod Langway; posters of my favorite players adorned my walls right alongside those posters of the New Kids on the Block. To my friends I was an enigma - a hockey fan in a town that worships Joe Gibbs.
When it came time for college I escaped the suburban paradise that is Northern Virginia and ran directly to the center of the hockey world, Montreal. In this hockey holy land my apartment was literally next door to the shrine that is the old Montreal Forum and was across the street from the little diner where visiting hockey legends used to get breakfast on game day. I adopted the Habs as my second team, and when Montreal beat the hated Bruins after being down 3-1 in a first-round playoff series, I joined in the impromptu parade that erupted in the streets.
Despite being in hockey heaven, I missed my family and friends, my city, and my Caps. I came home uncertain of what I would find when the lockout finally ended and a rebuilding team took the ice at MCI Center - would this be as painful a season to watch as everyone was predicting?
To outsiders, the '05-'06 season was exactly what they thought it would be - despite continuous praise for the work ethic of the team and the outstanding ability of Alexander Ovechkin, the Caps finished fourth from last in the league and were often referred to by opposing writers as 'lowly'. To those of us who witnessed it firsthand, however, this year far surpassed any expectations. Ovie, of course, brought his own brand of excitement, but the team as a whole seemed to click and were once again fun to watch regardless of the score. Guys seemed to be having fun and towards the end of the year, they were even able to play the spoiler a few times (Ha! Take that, Atlanta!)...
...And so we come to the present day - the offseason finally winds down and some changes have been made. Halpy, we'll miss you - welcome back Zed! We now sit on the cusp of a new season that kicks off this Friday with the opening of training camp and it can't come too soon for me. By the way, a big shout-out to Tarik El-Bashir, Dave Fay, the guys at the Caps Report and all the players that took the time to call in for keeping us all going and giving us our hockey fix through this very long summer.
There are obviously still a lot of questions in the air for this season - will the special teams have improved with the offseason additions? Who will be the captain? Is GMGM planning on signing anyone else? (No, not Bondra - I love the guy, but please let that rumor die already.) Do we have capable centers to anchor our many talented wingers? And most importantly, will we see the return of the lucky pigeon??
Answers to all this and more coming soon, because the roster is set, the ice is frozen, and to quote Thin Lizzy, "the boys are back in town!"
Drop the Puck!
Welcome to my inaugural entry into the blogosphere!
This site will be dedicated to all things Washington Capitals as seen through my eyes, the rare and elusive diehard fan of the Washington Capitals. I felt I needed an outlet for my crazy obsession - and what better place for craziness than the internet?
So here we go...enjoy!
