It seems Washington is a hockey town. Buried under Redskins garb, basketball jerseys and curly W hats are some puck heads.
Who knew?
No one talked hockey for the last five years, aside Al Koken, during the playoff drought. Alex Ovechkin could have walked down Pennsylvania Avenue naked and people would just think he was just some crazy person needing a shave. The suspicion has long been the Capitals fan base was limited to game attendance.
But, winners are always welcome as the Caps open the NHL playoffs tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers at Verizon Center. “Rock the Red” has become a staple over recent weeks during the team’s improbable playoff bid. The last 15 games averaged more than 17,000, including seven sellouts in 11 games. The average season attendance (15,473) was the best in five years.
What will Caps fans see in coming days or maybe weeks and months? Is this a feel-good story of a minor league coach with major league ability who sports the fourth-best record in the NHL since his Thanksgiving hire? Does Washington finally have the Russians on our side with the quartet just blocks from the White House showing what a folly the Cold War once was? Is the French netminder who figures to skate north as soon as his free agent pads are packed leaving a trophy behind?
Is it the Caps’ turn to be Cinderella?
It’s so hard to believe the Caps are for real when it took everything just to make the playoffs, though ironically as a third seed via a division title. The Canadian and Russian press believe so, though who reads Pravda nowadays? The Caps have players from nine countries so maybe they have that “We are the world” thing going for them. Certainly, it’s going to take world beaters to eliminate them.
Speaking of beaters, the Flyers are maintaining their thug image. The former Bullies of Broad Street have five players so penalized the NHL office threatened to move the team bench to the penalty box. Maybe the Caps should borrow Teddy from the Nationals and have “big stick” night in the stands.
The Flyers are threatening to “shadow” Ovechkin. What, they’re signing Alec Baldwin? Better to get Sean Connery and bring a gun to a knife fight if they want to keep Ovechkin from being untouchable. The Caps can counter with Donald Brashear and Matt Bradley if the Flyers want to get personal.
Ovechkin can protect himself, but the Caps must ensure nobody messes with Alex the Great. Somebody get Homeland Security on the phone or at least borrow a few FBI agents from down the street.
This is probably a seven-game series, maybe six. Washington should advance, but it promises to be old-school hockey with fat lips, loose teeth and blood-stained ice.
We’ll see who can Rock the Red.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
