| 17 May 2009
It's been five days since the Penguins sent the Capitals to the links in a 6-2 crushing that put a dull period, not an exclamation point, at the end of the season.
The first day after the exit is tough. You wake up, it's probably a crappy day or something has gone wrong (and if it hasn't, it will), and someone is going to mention the loss. No matter how many times you try to ignore what transpired the night before, you can't help but think about it as it lingers over your thoughts throughout the day.
The second day doesn't get any better. The next round is set, your team has appeared on Puck Daddy's eulogies, and the red sweater that you wore so proudly for 41 home games now waits for October as anxiously as you. Analysts are crapping all over your team, and breakdown day commences. You read the exit interviews from the players, and slowly you accept that it's over.
But it's that first time you see your former dance partner moving on with another team, the first time they hit the ice, that it really stings -- in my opinion.
Pittsburgh and Carolina start their series tonight, and for the puckheads who are wandering the scary depths of an earlier-than-expected offseason, all we can do is watch and wonder. I didn't write my season recap on days one or two, mainly because it's on those days some of us say irrational and stupid things like "OMG SIGN JAY BOUWMEESTER! FIRE BOUDREAU!", not that we said it, but ample time is needed to assess a season.
So you're getting it now.
Last year, the Caps barely made the playoffs, if only by a miracle of hard work and Carolina choking away their spot. This year, fans expected to make the playoffs, but expectations ranged from "win first round" to "appear in Eastern Conference Finals." You can argue the season was a failure or success depending on what you gauge as an improvement over last season, but perhaps improvement is not gauged only by the team's output, but also by individual accomplishment from the players we watched.
We saw Alex Semin rise to the occasion in October, leading the Caps through an Ovechkin/Backstrom deadzone that lasted a whole month. Semin was catapulted into the NHL spotlight, actually spoke to reporters, and soon the sea of No. 8 jerseys in Verizon Center began include various No. 28s.
We saw an entire squadron of Hershey Bears don a red sweater in November, and pull the Caps through enough injuries to form a M*A*S*H unit, keeping the team above .500, and putting Boudreau's ability to implement a plug-and-play system with our minor leaguers to the test.
Despite some shaky moments, Jose Theodore provided enough support in net to help the Caps to another divison title, but remember, Brent Johnson had his hand in that as well. While Jose did have a solid second half of the season, Varlamov and Neuvirth will likely be remembered for their heroic rookie starts, and Varly's incredible postseason.
Mike Green may have disappeared in the postseason, but his 73 points and back-to-back goals record will remain in our heads as training camp arrives in September.
Alex Ovechkin. What more can you say other than another MVP season from The Great Eight?
Brian Pothier's incredible return to hockey, Sergei Fedorov's will to stay competitive despite numerous injuries, John Erskine's grit in the first round, and David Steckel's faceoff abilities all deserve mention as well.
Lastly, we have our most overlooked player of the year. Quietly, Nicklas Backstrom amassed 88 points, avoiding the "sophomore slump." Backstrom is one of the league's brightest stars, but you'd never know it if you were to visit NHL.com or watch Versus. Keep in mind, that's 88 points WITH a slump in October. Expect Backstrom to linger near 100 next season.
Perhaps losing 6-2 is, in some ways, the best exit that could happen to the Caps. It's not desirable, but the deepest scars drive us to greatness while hollow victories just fill our heads with delusional thoughts that everything is fine. Failure is the predecessor to the greatest moments in life, while success is born from past failures.
Just ask Pittsburgh what is driving them to the Stanley Cup this year.
This was the best team in Capitals history points-wise, and they did it with shaky goaltending and a soft defense. Considering the goaltending may already be fixed (Varly, Neuvirth), and the defense has key prospects (Alzner, Carlson) and free agent opportunities, I'd say, we haven't really seen the best Capitals team ever.
It's still in the making, and that's a very comforting thought, considering how good this squad was. And if you're still feeling blue...
""Our fans, right now I think they're better than Montreal. They're just awesome."
-- Alex Ovechkin"
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