Tonight I joined some other Caps fans from the Washington caps boards (forums) at Summer's in Court House, Arlington. We enjoyed a few beers and talked about Caps hockey and almost every scenario possible for the Caps to make it into the playoffs this year.
Summer's had all the important games on in a section setup for us. I was pretty surprised and it was great. We had all three important games going at once; Tampa vs. Carolina, Boston vs. New Jersey, and Philly vs. Pittsburgh. Carolina won, Boston earned 1 point in an shootout overtime loss, and Philly lost to Pittsburgh.
The new picture that is resulting is that catching Carolina does not seem likely in the division. We can still possibly sneak into seventh position if Ottawa continues their catastrophic implosion. As long as Philly loses one more, we should be in.
Thursday is a huge day for everyone in the NHL. It will probably make the playoff picture a little more clear. I am going to try and get some tickets first thing tomorrow morning for the Tampa game. It's another Red Out in DC tomorrow. See ya at the game!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Caps Idle, Fans Not
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Caps Idle, Others Gain Ground
Today the Caps were idle, probably enjoying a well deserved rest after their 6 game road trip where they went 5 of 6 snapping up 10 points. As it sits now tonight, the caps are 3 points from an 8th place playoff spot and 2 points behind the Southeast Division leader Carolina.
I can't emphasize how important Tuesday's game at the Verizon Center is against Carolina. The Caps are in a must win situation Tuesday night. They will tie for points with the Hurricanes, but unfortunately will not gain the division lead. The Hurricanes still have more wins than the Caps.
The only scenarios that remain would be for Carolina to lose the remaining three games that they have. This would give the Caps an outright division title. This is possible, but not likely. Boston, Philly, and New York all have 91 points, as of tonight. At least one of those teams would need to fall from grace and lose 2 out of 3 (or in New York's case 4) of their remaining games.
It's time to start hoping for some minor miracles from the Hockey Gods. It could be entirely possible that if the Caps win the final three games in regulation, not surrendering any points to any other teams, that they could still not make the playoffs. Lets hope as Caps fans, that this scenario is not the one to come true when all 82 games have finished.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
On the road, into the eye of the Hurricane
So this is a bit delayed, but here is my story of my adventures to Raleigh, North Carolina.
10:00 AM - Purchased my ticket online for the game at the RBC Center. Good thing it wasn't a 'Limited View' seat. I was confused why there would be limited view seats in a new arena. I'll explain later...
3:00 PM - Finally hit the road and left DC a bit later than I wanted to, traffic was terrible until I reached Richmond.
5:45 PM - Stopped at the NC/Virgina border for a stretch and a bathroom break.
6:30 PM - Very close to Raleigh, wondering if I would make the game on time.
6:58 PM - Still idling in my car, waiting to get into the Stadium parking lot. The 'Canes utilize the same lots for parking as the NC State Wolfpack as their football stadium is right next to the RBC Center. Don't think I'll make the opening faceoff.
7:19 PM - Finally parked the car, threw on my Ovechkin road jersey and my red Capitals hat, making my way to the RBC Center.
7:22 PM - Entered the stadium, WTF? A freakin' TSA security checkpoint? Seriously, they had metal detectors, wands, dishes to put the contents of your pockets into. It was ridiculous... I have never seen that kind of thing for a sporting event... I'm glad the Verizon Center doesn't have this. It was rather annoying as it delayed me further from seeing the Caps 1st period action.
Venue Score:VC 1, RBC 0.
7:29 PM - I was thirsty, so I grabbed a beer at the concession stands. They are $0.50 more expensive in NC compared to the ones in the Verizon Center in DC.
Venue Score: VC 2, RBC 0
7:34 PM - Finally made it to my seat. Upon entering some fans grumbled "You got balls buddy", "Get the F*#@ out of here", "Ovechkin sucks!". There was roughly 5 minutes of 1st period play remaining. I had made it, but missed most all the action.
I had a chance to take in the landscape and layout of the RBC Center. The seats in both the lower & Upper bowls have higher rises than the VC center. This is both good and bad at the same time. It gives you a good perspective/view of the game, but you'll get a nose bleed fast climbing the stairs. Also, the upper seats aren't built to hang over the lower bowl and it feels like you are further away from the action than at the VC.
Now, back to the limited view seats, I was looking around the ceiling and i noticed a lot of white painted iron that supports the roof. It hung quite low and as I looked across the arena, I couldn't see the fans on the other side. So I would guess if you get the higher rows in the upper bowl, you would have some perspective issues.
I began to look for the stats to see how many shots on goal we had and what the other scores were in the league, none of these informational boards were available anywhere in the arena. The main scoreboard in the center had some small video screens, while 10 years ago they were the latest and greatest things, they aren't so great anymore. Maybe we are spoiled in DC with the new HD monitors. While these items are not mandatory, they make the experience a lot better.
Also, during the intermission, I noticed that the Hurricanes had some very attractive ladies dubbed 'The Storm Squad' who would help pump up the crowd and also help with the fan promotions, launching of t-shirts into the crowd, and assisting the Hurricanes mascot 'Stormy' the ice hog. Yes that's correct, an Ice Hog... Back to the Storm Squad, while they weren't quite cheerleaders, this is about the closest thing you'll get to some in the NHL. Capitals, take notice... we need a crew of these beauties parading around the Verizon Center. Maybe they could be called the 'Capital Paiges'? LOL...bad joke... *cough*. Hurricanes get the point in this department.
Back to the Ice Hog... enough said... Slapshot wins this hands down.
I needed to stretch and use the facilities in the concourse. I was impressed with the space that was available and how well lit it was. It felt open and relaxing, where in the Verizon Center it seems dark and drab. I think RBC gets the point here.
The fans. Well it was a sold out game and no joke. Nearly all the fans in the building, I would say a solid 60%, were wearing a Hurricane jersey. I was very impressed about the fan support. For those who make the argument that people in NC don't know or care about NHL hockey, they obviously have not been to a game there lately.
I sat next to a couple who were celebrating 10 years of marriage, so again congrats to them, and they were extremely pleasant to talk with. Most all the fans were well mannered and were impressed that a fan drove all the way from DC to Raleigh for the game. There were a few bad apples, which I will address later. But overall, the fans were a lot more tolerable and pleasant than say Flyers, Pens, and Rangers fans that pass through the turn styles in DC. RBC fans + 1.
2nd period - Goals! I stood up and cheered as loud as I could when Semin & Ovechkin lit the lamp. Each time I did so, popcorn, peanuts, empty water bottles, empty soda bottles, and more "Ovechkin you suck" came flying at me. Most all of it missed me and hit all the other fans around me. Now, I'm not sure, but I've never personally witnessed our fans throwing crap at other fans, I'm not saying it doesn't happen because I'm sure it does. I wasn't very pleased about it, but there's not much you can do about that. Goal Review, Hurricanes -1 point.
Ok, time to fast forward... since I missed the 1st period, I was treated to an OT session and a shoot out.
Shoot Out - Everyone in the building was on their feet cheering. Huet, stop. Ward, stop.Huet, stop. Ward, stop. Huet, stop. Kozlov, goal. It was so exciting to see the Caps get a win on the road. It definitely made the trip complete walking out of the building with 2pts. The Caps bench emptied and everyone swarmed Kozlov to congratulate him on the huge goal. It was truly amazing to see in person. Sure it was nice to see Ovechkin break the Capitals single season goal record, but it was way better to see the Caps walk out of there with a win.
(AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)10:45 PM - On the road again finally starting my trek back to DC.
2:51 AM - Arrived back home, I was exhausted. I hit the pillow hard... too bad I had to get up in 5hrs :/
Overall, it was a great experience. I would love to do another road trip there next year and maybe spend some time tailgating a bit more. Who knows... maybe there will be a playoff game down there this year :P
Final Score for facilities, events, fan amenities, friendliness, and game day experiences:
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Ovechkin's 60th Goal
First off, congrats to Alex Ovechkin on obtaining his 60th goal in Atlanta Friday night. His 60th goal was what helped propel the Caps to a victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. I've attached 2 videos I found on youtube.com.
This one is the official game call from the Caps comcast sportsnet broadcast from Joe Beninati.
This video is a tribute from the Washington Capitals organization.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Saga Continues
/*QUEUE: Star Wars Opening Credits Arrangement*/
Episode II
ATTACK OF THE HAWKS
It was a time of chaos and upheaval in the
East vs. West in Chicago. Our heroes have
left their hockey smarts in Nashville since
the 2nd Period last night.
With the Caps struggling to figure out how
to play basic hockey, their playoff push looks
bleak. Kolzig looks like he has lost his way
with the force, and the hawks clones, Kane &
Toews have taken over the show.
The Caps might as well climb on the bus
and head back home tonight. There is
another battle that must be fought to the
South in Atlanta on Friday. Let us all hope,
for the sake of the rebellion, that the Caps
find their way with the force soon...
Predators Hunted Down
The Caps came out flying tonight scoring 3 goals right away in the 1st period. Ovechkin picked up his 100th point of the season tonight on the first goal by Semin, tallying an assist for himself. He then picked up another assist as Backstrom scored another goal. Bradley took the tally for the 3rd goal of the period with Brooks 'the ladies man' Laich.
Something must have been said in the Predators locker room during the intermission, because the Preds came out hard and applied the pressure. Their persistence paid off and a goal squeaked by Huet making it 3-1 at the end of two. The Caps looked out-played very badly this period and surprised. It easily could have been 5-3 after two with all the chances that the Predators had.
Jason Arnott came out firing hard against the Caps in the 3rd with a few close calls that narrowly missed the goal. He finally got one through on a low shot by Huet on his left side. Things got pretty tense after that as the Predators could smell a game tying goal as they yanked their goalie.
With seconds left in the game, the puck somehow found it's way to Ovechkin's stick. Instead of firing it down the rink risking an icing, he made a soft shot off the boards to kill more time, but he did it in such a way that it found it's way into the goal netting his 58th goal of the season. Intentional or accidental goal? Who knows.
There's two arguments to be made in closing; One, overlooking Ovechkin's personal achievements, the Caps won the game, earning them a ninth place spot in the Eastern conference 2 points behind Philly, who won tonight. Two, trick question, can you overlook Ovechkin's performance tonight? If anything, this solidifies his bid for MVP this season. I'm so tired of hearing about Malkin & Crosby in the running for this honor. Were the Penguins really that screwed when Crosby originally went out with his ankle injury? I don't think so. So saying that Malkin was the sole savior is an invalid argument. Yes, Malkin is a great player and deserves accolades, but not awards this season. Ovechkin deserves this award as he plays hard every game and does everything for his team that he can and shows great enthusiasm. Did I mention that he gained his 300th career point tonight as well? Yeah, enough said. This kid deserves MVP this year.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Saga Begins
/*QUEUE: Star Wars Opening Credits Arrangement*/
Episode I
CAPITALS PLAYOFF PUSH '08
It is a time of chaos and upheaval in the
NHL's Eastern Conference this time of
year. The Capitals find themselves 2
points out of a playoff spot with 9 games
remaining for the season.
The Capitals embark on a long, grueling,
and season defining 6 game road trip.
That trip lands them in Nashville, TN
tonight.
Our heroes are preparing for the battle,
that will ultimately see new stars born
and legends created. The fanatics tune
their sets to comcast sportsnet to join
the battle from home, we are all waiting
the outcome of the battle...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Another 2 points
The Caps win today against the Boston Bruins in an OT shoot-out 2-1. The refs were pretty much acting the same way that they did in Boston, ignorant, blind, and their whistles half way up their ass. Yes, Ovechkin totally dove and embellished the call on the tripping penalty.
Sure we surrendered a point to the Boston 'I can't buy a win' Bruins. But at least we are now 2 points away from gaining a playoff birth this afternoon.
It would not surprise me that there is a conspiracy in the NHL this season. There are those that have this never ending itch to scratch that results in getting the 'Original Six' into the playoffs. So here's a giant 'Fuck You' to Gary Bettman and his completely inane ideal on trying to 'aid' the 'Original Six' into the playoffs this season. *cough* pay the refs...
It seems that the 'analysts & announcers' are quite ill-informed regarding the Caps performance as well. Today while watching the Flyers & Penguins, the announcers credited Crosby as the savior of the last game against the Caps last Sunday, with 2 goals in that game. If anyone watched the game in that claustrophobic and oxygen starved announcing booth of theirs, they would have remembered that Crosby only really had 1 goal, and Backstrom helped the Penguins cause on an accidental horrible goal. Sorry Caps fans, it sucks to bring it up, but none-the-less, the truth.
Why does the freaking MSM think that they are above all others and feel that Crosby > Ovechkin. It's two completely different players and style of play. Is it cuz he's North American and Ovechkin is Russian? No, again it's Bettman and his army of idiot analysts that are trying to corrupt and downplay the Capitals amazing run and push to the playoffs by trying to portray the Capitals as a second rate team who is inferior to other teams in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin has more points than Crosby.
Malkin should be getting way more attention than he does as he has been the true foundation, support, and reason that the Penguins are in the position they are currently in. MSM sucks. Never giving credit to the real heroes, instead giving it to the 'manufactured' heroes that they want to see. I hope that 'sid the kid' ends up one and done again this playoff season, and that the Caps go to the finals and win it all. Even then, MSM would not acknowledge Ovechkin for being the great player that he is.
Enough ranting and conspiracy theories, more celebrating. Caps come out on top with 2 points and are within striking distance of the Flyers for 8th place. Let's hope they bring their A++ game to Nashville and Chicago on Tuesday & Wednesday. Go Caps!
Kolzig's 300th Win - Video from game
Another momentous occasion that I witnessed this week, Kolzig's 300th win came against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 by a decision of 3-2. Ovechkin tallied goals #55 & #56 this evening as well. Congrats Olie!
Ovechkin's 50th Goal
Too Long
It's been a long time since I've posted... So here's a mini recap - January awesome month, February another solid month. Caps added Federov, Cooke, Huet, and Giroux (sp). Ovechkin hits 50 goals against the Bruins in 10-2 bashing. Caps are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, but will require a near flawless record from now until the end of the season.
A huge game is at stake tomorrow against the Bruins, and the Caps are looking to exact revenge against the Bruins for the horrible hometown ref job that occurred. Currently the Caps are 4-3 in the month of March and are hoping to make it 5-3 tomorrow afternoon.
So to celebrate the Caps current two game win-streak, I recently found the Caps video that is played prior to the puck dropping in the Verizon Center. Enjoy! Go Caps!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wow, the Caps 9-4 in January
Hey everyone, it's been some time since I've made a post, and a lot has happened this month for both me & the Caps! I'm back from vacation, so let's catch up!
The Caps have gone 9-4 for the month of January. Ovechkin has taken the goal lead (43) after his 4 goal performance tonight and should also have the points lead (70) as of tonight. Nicklas Backstrom (rookie) is currently 2nd only to Chicago's Patrick Kane for total points for a rookie this season. The Caps have 5 players with double digits in goals. Kolzig earns another win and this moves him up another notch on the all time wins for a goalie list just right behind Ron Hextall.
In other words, this month has been very good for the caps. Since Thanksgiving they have climbed from the Southeast cellar all the way to #2 and are 1 game above .500. They are 3 points away from tying for the lead in the division and have a HUGE game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday in DC. With Ilya Kovalchuk out due to a knee injury, the Caps should have a good chance to take this game and begin some separation in the division.
The only concerns I have now is that the Caps are starting to look a little tired overall and a little doggish on the ice on defense. Mental errors have cost them too many goals this season so far, not to mention the last second goals in the end of the periods. Tonight they allowed a goal in with .4 seconds left in the 2nd period, and again in the 3rd with about 24 seconds to allow the Habs to tie the game, sending it to OT. Luckily the Caps had Ovie in the right place at the right time in OT and he banged home his 4th for the night. In the Toronto game they also let a goal squeak by with 30 seconds left in the game, allowing the Maple Leafs to win that game.
Defense needs to be better, and goal tending sure needs some work. That's not to say that the offense doesn't need some work either. Ovechkin can't carry this team and make the playoffs by himself. The Caps need more production from other contributors such as Kozlov, Green, Backstrom, Semin, Fleischmann and Clark (if he ever returns this season).
In short, the Caps have sure turned things around, and the Caps faithful have something to celebrate finally. A real honest shot at making the playoffs for the first time in 5 seasons. Let's all hope for a strong finish and a great playoff run! Go Caps!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Caps win an OT Shoot-out thriller!
Last night at the Verizon Center was quite possibly one of the most exciting games I have witnessed in the NHL ever. That's quite a bold statement, I know. I went with a friend and we got some decent seats down in the lower bowl for this game against the Western Conference Edmonton Oilers. I figured this game wouldn't have too much excitement since these two teams don't see each other ever. Was I ever wrong.
The Oilers busted out a 2 goal lead at the end of the 1st off of two power-play goals. I might add that their power-play unit is very effective...either that...or the Caps have a terrible penalty kill. Back to those goals, I was running through my mind..."Boudreau, why did you start Kolzig tonight?"
The second period started out with high energy from the Caps as they had 2 goals immediately back to back, maybe 30 seconds apart and tied it up. The oilers got another power-play goal to make it 3-2 Oilers. The Caps didn't fret or worry, instead they came out with more resolve to out-duel the visitors from Alberta on "Canadian Forces" night. They answered back with two more goals making it 4-3 at the end of the 2nd.
At the close of that period, my friend leaned over and said, "I bet this game goes into OT tonight." I responed, "Yeah right, the Caps are on fire and will win this out in regulation."
The Oilers scored another goal at even strength to tie the game at 4-4 in the 3rd. Ovechkin, dog tired at the end of the 3rd, started to streak down the right wing to squeeze off one last shot as the seconds winded down, he ripped a snap-shot with 1.2 seconds to go and it narrowly missed the top shelf after a deflection from the goalie's glove, sending the game to OT. Damnit! I think I just lost a dollar bet.
There was a lot of scoring opportunities for the Caps in the OT session, and Kolzig was stellar again. No one could break the tie in the 5 minute OT session, it was time for the shoot-out.
The shoot-out seemed like an eternity. 11 rounds with not a single goal scored. 11 consecutive saves, 1 on 1, for each goalie. Kolzig was in the zone tonight. Every major player for the Caps had taken a crack at busting down the Oilers goalie, even Brashear, to no avail.
An unlikely hero was going to have to do it for the Caps tonight, and that hero was Matt Bradley. In the 12th round, he beat the Oilers goalie on a backhand shot to give the caps the edge.
It was all down to Kolzig now. The skater came down the rink, but instead busting a move, he stops and does a slapshot? Seriously? Kolzig stopped it easily, and the arena erupted.
I can't convey the intense energy that was there last night. It was a playoff like atmosphere, every fan was standing, cheering, hoping that someone would put the puck in the net and that Kolzig would be a brick wall denying everything coming at him. I went back to my thought of... "Boudreau, why did you start Kolzig tonight?" This was the reason he started him, he knew something that we all didn't.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
A little catching up to do
Well, it's been quite a long time since I've made a post here. I had better mention the fact that everyone knows by now... Ovechkin signs a 13 year $124 million deal with the Washington Capitals, making it the biggest and most valuable contract in the NHL ever. This pretty much locks him in as the Washington Capitals franchise player.
This is an excellent move by the Caps organization for a few reasons. The first being, they have secured a franchise player. I believe that they tried to do this with Jaromir Jagr and that failed miserably. Regarding Jagr still, I think the Caps are still paying part of his salary this year, and have one more year left to do so. Then they should be rid of the dead weight there.
Secondly, this allows them to build consistent marketing and fan support for the area here in DC where this is not a prime hockey market. The fans know that they will be in for a treat every night seeing one of the most explosive players in the NHL. The caps have traditionally had issues filling the seats with their fans and not the visiting team's fans. Hopefully in the next few years, people will come to see the Capitals, and not for their home teams/favorite teams. An excellent example of this was today (Sun. 1-13-08) vs. the Philadelphia Flyers. By the sounds of it, you might have thought that the game was being played in Philadelphia every time the Flyers scored a goal. Additionally, there was an awful lot of orange & black on display when the cameras panned the crowd.
Not only will it (the signing of Ovechkin long term) lure in the fans, but it may also have a secondary effect on luring in other top tier players in the NHL to play on the Caps team. The Caps have a lot of great young talent on their team. They also have a new coach who has done wonders for the Capitals. He can inspire the team and motivate them in new ways, and it has shown since he has taken over. In my opinion, Bruce Boudreau should receive the coach of the year award for turning this team around.
Another added benefit to signing Ovechkin long term would be merchandising. Today on comcast, they had shown a statistic of the top 5 best selling player jerseys in the NHL, and Ovechkin was #2 only to Sid the Kid. So this proves that he is ridiculously popular among the hockey fans in all markets, not just the DC market. Eventually this could spawn more Capitals fans in many more markets. Should the Capitals become a playoff calibur team, this could have many more benefits for marketing outside their own region. It would be amazing if they became as popular as say the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadians, or New York Rangers.
Let's not put the cart before the horse here. I'm just excited about Alex Ovechkin becoming a Capital franchise player, and I hope he can bring the Stanley Cup to Washington DC sometime soon. Congratulations Ovechkin!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Caps win North of the Border in OT
The caps continue to play some solid hockey into 2008 with a win Saturday afternoon in Montreal against the Canadians. The game had to go to overtime in order for it to be decided but the Caps came out victorious. I can't overstate how well the Caps are playing. They have been showing some exciting passionate hockey.
Albeit, they are concerning me still with weak defense and lackluster goal tending lately, but hopefully things will tighten up as the season gets closer to the playoffs. I'm not sure what the correct diagnosis for this problem is, but it's starting to not look good for Olie the Goalie. I'm not saying he isn't a decent guy and an important leader for the Caps, but the amount of goals the Caps have allowed lately have been quite staggering. Hopefully Brent Johnson makes a speedy and healthy recovery soon to help give Kolzig a breather, and to hopefully win a new starting job down the stretch for the Caps, wait, scratch that...I forgot that he is out for the season with an MCL injury, I believe... I'll have to find the news source for this to confirm.
I should also mention that the Caps are starting to gain some ground on the other teams in the Southeast conference, I guess it also helps when those other teams in the conference continue to lose.
The Colorado Avalanche will be visiting from the Western conference on Wednesday night. I can't wait to see the game, it should be a very exciting game. See you there.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Caps win again!
The Caps have won again! What a way to start off 2008! That's two in a row against the Senators making it 3 of 3 against the Senators for the season series. It was another high scoring affair with a combined 9 goals total for the game. Ovechkin also extended his point streak by another game.
Today was also the Outdoor Winter Classic in Buffalo, New York. This game was also a lot of fun to watch. Plenty of snow falling, lots of ice repairs, and almost 81,000 fans watching the game! Also, there was no safety net to watch through. Sidney Crosby was again the star of the game scoring the winning shootout goal making it a win for the Penguins.