| 29 April 2010
2008, Flyers: Overtime. Penalty against the Caps. Flyers score. Game, and season, over in an instant. Feeling cheated by the refs, many fans boo and pelt the ice with debris. It all feels ugly, wrong after such a great run to get into the playoffs.
2009, Rangers: Federov scores to give the Caps the lead with 5 minutes left. Fans stand and cheer nonstop as the Caps work the clock to 00:00. Fans chant in the stairwells as they leave the building. Fans celebrate in the streets. I was four blocks from Verizon Center before it was quiet enough to make a phone call. An amazing moment, one I'll never forget.
2009, Penguins: Game over, early. Fans stay until the end, though. With about 2 minutes left, they stand and cheer their defeated team. Caps players stay on the ice after the post-game handshakes, raise their sticks in salute. It feels like a bond is being formed, like a promise is being made.
2010, Canadiens: Canadiens score late to make it 2-0, but Caps come right back to make it 2-1. A final flurry, but no tying goal. When the game ends, Caps fans stream out quickly, as do most of the Caps players. Ovie and a few others linger, then raise their sticks to acknowledge the remaining faithful. The arena was empty when I picked my seats on Select-a-Seat day last summer; this feels emptier.
It's a big "scrapbook," folks, with room for lots more pages.
TillyCapsFan for CK
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