The Washington Capitals: A few things…
It’s taken me a while to gather my thoughts on the abrupt ending to the Washington Capitals season. I watched practically the entire 3rd period of game seven pacing and talking to the TV like a crazy person as I normally do. Once the time ran out all I could do was somberly shake my head, déjà vu all over again.
Many of you know me as a die-hard Sharks fan but those who know me personally or that follow me on sites like Twitter and Facebook are aware that I’m a fan of a few teams, the Capitals being one of them. Watching the game end like that brought me back to last year’s playoffs where I sat in disbelief as my beloved #1 seeded Sharks were taken out by the 8th seeded Ducks.
I couldn’t help but feel so bad for the Caps players and to be perfectly honest started to tear up as they lined up for the handshakes. To see the disappointment in their eyes was heartbreaking. I continued to watch as the boys gathered to salute the crowd before leaving the ice, but what I noticed next is what set me off. Over the broadcasters closing dialogue you could hear fans booing the team and see some throwing objects on the ice. My sadness instantly went to anger, how dare they?
This is not what hockey is about! This is not what being a hockey fan is about!
The Caps just played a monster season, winning the President’s Trophy (which I still believe is cursed), and were taken to seven games by a determined and gritty Montreal team. Yes they blew a 3-1 series lead but boo them? One thing to remember once playoffs hit is anything can happen. I understand being pissed that the team lost, I’ve been there for many many years, but don’t make it your personal vendetta to directly persecute players, coaches, and staff. It is not needed and completely counterproductive.
Some solely put the loss on players like Ovechkin and Green or coach Boudreau. No singular player, coach or manager/owner for that fact are to blame. It takes a 23 man effort to win a game and to lose one. They didn’t play to their full potential, it showed and their season is over end of story.
Others took it upon themselves to bash Laich for changing a tire after the game. Come on folks really? You’re going to complain about him getting press (that he didn’t want) regarding it when all you do is complain about Crosby in the limelight?
It WAS just a tire but with everything else going on in sports from Tiger Woods to Ben Rothlisberger and now Lawrence Taylor it’s nice to hear a story about a professional athlete doing a nice thing. These guys have families that read what you’re putting out there so stay classy.
In closing all I can really say is this is a team that can win the cup, will win the cup and I can’t wait to see what they do next season. Thank you Capitals for a great year!
***Side note: Very exciting news for the Capitals general manager George McPhee as he has been selected as one of the finalists for the league’s new GM of the year award. The winner of this award will be announced during the Stanley Cup finals. Congrats George and keep up the good work!
Posted by Chelsea Alexander
on May 11 2010. Filed under Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals.
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Good post. It sure woulda been weird for you if our Sharkies and the Caps had made it to the finals, huh?
Thank you! Yes it would have been quite the battle if SJ and the Caps were playing for the cup. Cheers~
My daughter and I are huge Caps fans…have been since the early eighties…..My kids grew up going to games in Landover and spent many games sitting in the nose-bleed seats…(and loved every minute of it) We watch every game from home now and just wish we were lucky enough to be in the stands! I will stand and applaud the Caps and their management….This team is first class all the way and for so called fans to boo them…NOT REAL CAPS FANS…probably new fans just jumping on the Caps bandwagen…This team WILL win the Cup…They are too talented not to…..I have seen the Caps through the lean years and the building years and this team is so exciting to watch…I can’t wait to see what happens next! Lets Go CAPS…!!!!!
First class is the perfect way to describe them. I wish you could attend games too! I’ve found that the most dedicated fans are those that sit in the nose bleeds. Thanks for leaving a comment!
~Chelsea
Chelsea, my thoughts exactly! I was never so disappointed as when I heard about fans booing and throwing things onto the ice at the end of game 7. If I had been present at Verizon Center that night, my Husband would probably have had to hold me back from making a ruckus over that.
I felt so ashamed of Caps fans. I only hope these were so called bandwagon fans who have no idea what they were doing. And also hope those that booed will not be back next season, because they don’t deserve seats to see such a committed team who play so hard and appreciate their fans so much.
Let’s hope, unfortunately the Caps like the Sharks have the most bandwagon fans. It sucks for any team to have those types show up and ruin it for everyone around them. Trust me when I say I would have been right there with you. I’ve had words with such people here in LA. My fave comeback to one was “sit down, shut up, drink your over priced light beer and let the rest of us enjoy the game in peace.”
~Cheers
I was 13 rows from the net that Halak was protecting in the 3rd and it was heartbreaking to stand and watch the last few seconds tick away on this unbelievable season. I sadly listened as the group of fans started to boo and throw the Rally Towels on the ice while the Canadiens celebrated right in front of me. The Boo Birds seemed to take a negativity lead from the hordes of “fans” that stood up and left after Montreal scored their 2nd goal with so little time left in the game. That was a sad sight to see, and I felt the energy deflat from the building at that moment .
Even if you couldn’t hear on the tv, there were alot of us that stood up and clapped for the players that brought so much joy to us this season.
You could hear the cheers too but as we’ve discussed before is about the people that don’t really care about the team. I’m so glad that you were able to go to as many games as you could this season and support the boys.
it was heartbreaking to watch & hear them boo but i was there and stayed and clapped until the end, not only did they boo but most got up and left, such a shame, i am a relatively new caps fan of only about 4 seasons now but i can’t imagine ever leaving a game early or booing my guys!! plenty of others wanted those seats at that game, a shame other fans didnt get to be there
And that’s my main message, there are tons of people that will go early and stay late for the love of the team and love of the game. Sounds like an LA crowd to be honest. Thanks for the comment!
You may be a Sharks fan, but that doesn’t mean you have any idea what playoff disappointment is. The Sharks recent failures over the last 5-6 seasons PALE in comparison to the Capitals playoff failures. I am a season ticket holder in Washington and attended game 7, in fact, I haven’t missed a home playoff game since 1987. I did not ‘boo’ the Caps after the loss, but I understand why fans did. I don’t necessarily agree with ‘booing’ a team after such a fantastic season, but when this is your history, it’s more than understandable. Allow me to quote a recent Thomas Boswell article from the Washington Post that demonstrates the team’s woeful playoff history much better than I could (this was written the day before the game 7 loss to Montreal, so I have taken the liberty of updating his statistical references to include this year’s collapse):
“In the last 25 years, the Capitals have blown a two-game lead in a playoff series seven times. All seven times, they finished in a total tailspin, losing either their last three or four straight games…Ignore the Caps’ losses in Game 7 at home to end their last three seasons. Painful as they were, and fresh in mind, they barely move the capital punishment meter. Return to ’03, ’96, ’95, ’92, ’87 and ’85 if you want pain…It’s incredible: six seasons that ended with a combined 20 straight defeats (with 12 losses at home) after gaining 2-0 or 3-1 leads…One year ended on a triple-overtime power play after a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. Another year died after 73 saves in quadruple overtime by Kelly Hrudey. A Caps team with the second-best record in the NHL blew a 3-1 lead over the Pens. In the first period of yet another Game 7, the Caps allowed a 130-foot, unmolested, end-to-end, one-man scoring rush just 97 seconds into play (two Caps defensemen knocked each other down). Then, later in the same period, the Caps shot the puck into their own net.”
You spend your time and money attending games for 25 years and this is the result and you’re frowned upon for ‘booing’? Whatever. Like I said, I can understand why some fans were moved to ‘boo’ this team. I’d say the Sharks have a long way to go to match the Caps past, especially since the last time I checked, they were in the conference finals! It’s easy to bash other fans when your team is 4 wins from the Stanley Cup finals, but you don’t think for a second the fans in San Jose wouldn’t have ‘booed’ the Sharks mercilessly had they blown the Colorado series, or let the Wings come back on them? Of course they would have. And it would be understandable.
To clarify I’ve been a hockey fan since I was a kid before the Sharks were even a team. I grew up watching the Leafs which in and of itself screams of knowing disappointment. I’ve been a fan of San Jose since the franchise started and have spent enough money over the past 18 years on the team for tickets, traveling to games, jerseys, etc. to be a “boo bird” if I wanted to but I don’t. No matter how many times they lose in the post season I’m still gonna have their back, watch every game, and go to as many as I can.
I’m not in any way trying to compare the playoff woes of San Jose to Washington, merely stating that I know how the fans felt. Following a team the entire season, having them break records, get the presidents trophy then lose in the first round. It sucks!
I know for a fact that if the Sharks would have lost to the Avs or the Wings that they would be relentlessly ridiculed and booed by the fans. Hell they probably would’ve marched down to HP with pitchforks and torches and burnt the place down. I’m not one to sugar coat anything and when the Sharks have played poorly I call them out on it but I personally, like you, don’t boo them.
I understand as you do why people do it. What I wrote was more directed at the people that show up to games late cause they got a hook up on tickets, leave early (as a lot of people did after the 2nd goal) and cheapen what it is to be a fan. If it didn’t come off that way then I apologize.
Living in LA for the past 5 years I’ve seen what a “bandwagon fan” is all about. Which sadly means that a lot of the “fans” that showed up this year for the Kings are gonna trail off as soon an they go into a losing streak. It is what it is and not to assume but I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of it being a season ticket holder.
This article was my opinion on what I felt and if you don’t agree with it that’s your right nor am I upset by what you’ve said. I’m friends with some players (not on the caps) and their families so when I read and hear things said about them it makes me understandably upset. Thank you for leaving a comment! ~cheers
I understand exactly where you’re coming from and I apologize if the tone of my response seemed somewhat biting. You certainly have the sound qualifications of a true hockey fan. I’ve been reading a lot of opinion lately on the Caps and their fans – sometimes I think they get more ink when they lose – and I guess I’ve become quick to react whenever I feel like writers are criticizing the team or the fans. You and I are on the same page for the most part – while we understand why fans boo, neither of us agrees that it is appropriate after a season that resulted in a third consecutive division title and the President’s trophy. I do maintain that the fans that choose to boo, however, are not necessarily bandwagon. As I noted before, the character and depth of the Caps playoff failures are so significant that it isn’t too far a stretch to understand that long-time and bandwagon fans alike are reaching a point where regular season success is simply no longer good enough. Repeated failure under great expectations is an interesting phenomena, one that any fan or team would be happy to avoid. When it continues to creep up on you and mockingly slap you in the face, then it becomes something that fans – bandwagon or die hard – aren’t going to tolerate. In the end, it’s about accountability, and the only people in the world that are accountable for what happened to the Caps are the 25+ players and coaches that occupy the locker room. Thanks for writing, and caring, so much about our Caps! It’s great to read what true fans like yourself are thinking and feeling. Hey, it’s only two months until development camp opens – see you at Kettler! Go Caps!
Hey David, thanks for coming by the site and sharing those thoughts with us. It’s very much appreciated.
No worries my friend I follow and am a fan of the Sharks, Caps , Kings and Leafs I’m use to taking a lot of heat on things. We’re hockey fans and passionate about the sport we love haha. I too had read so many articles that I felt I had to say something. I was more disgusted at what people were saying on sites like Twitter which made me so frustrated with fans in general (not just caps ones). Even if I do criticize a team or fans I’m quick to talk about the positives as well, I like balanced writing
constructive criticism is the best way to put it. Plus I don’t believe in beating a dead horse. How many more articles am I going to read about the Sharks being choke artists, the Thornton and Marleau don’t show up, I’m over it ya know. I guess what a lot of this comes down to is the business of hockey and how it’s marketed, which I can talk at length about but I’ll save that for another article. I really appreciate what you’ve said and trust me when I say that the Verizon Center and visiting Kettler is on my list of places to go watch hockey! Hope you have a great weekend!
Very interesting article. What’s funny is it really hit me this year that while watching Caps games, it always has the feel of a college tailgate in the stands. The place gets loud, no doubt about that, but after every goal you see a few young guys/girls drunk and cheering and spilling both of the beers in their hands all over the people in front of them.
Now I’m not arguing against a cold one at a hockey game, but my point is it always seems like more fans than usual are just there for the party and because it’s the place to be.
I may be biased, but the Pittsburgh reaction to a similar 3 straight losses made me proud.
http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=529025&cmpid=pit-fb-pghpenguins
My favorite is when you can tell someone has never been to a game and they put their beer on the ledge of the half boards. They are more interested in their conversation or looking at themselves in a mirror that they don’t know whats coming next and BOOM, yes my friend the beer check! I love it!
Here in LA it’s to be seen or see stars. I’ve sat by celebrities before and have only talked to them cause they ask me what’s going on in the game other then that they are usually on the phone the who time and it’s really annoying, why come to a game? Best one was when the Leafs were in town and up comes the guy who starred in Love Guru as Derek Roenoke. I was really into the game cause I couldn’t believe that the leafs were winning and he said to me “damn girl you’re crazy” I was just like “no I’m a just hockey fan.” Thanks for the comment!
Great post, and you’re so right. Booing your team after a play-off loss just isn’t acceptable. It’s like the end of a war when you get that far, and surrender isn’t fun, but you do it with class. That’s what good sportsmanship is about.
On a side note, nice photo! Kind of looks familiar to me for some reason…..
Yes Meg it is a great pic! I only wish I could have gone to that game and the practice the day before
I’m really excited to see what the Kings do in the draft and who they may pick up from free agency. They need more consistent forwards that grind it out and play the full 60. See ya soon my friend!