The concept of “easy” makes the
Washington Capitals scoff. They even did
as much in Monday’s Game 6 postgame
press conference-specifically Alex
Ovechkin.
Washington was buried deep in the
NHL’s Eastern Conference standings
through Christmas. The team had to win
every one of its last five games to make
the playoffs and then put itself in a 3-1
hole in the Eastern quarterfinals against
Philadelphia.
No one can accuse the Caps of making
their cause easier on themselves.
But if you take the hard road too many
times, it will come back to bite you-not
a matter of if, but when. The Caps met
their waterloo Tuesday in Game 7 with
a 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia
Flyers in Round 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup
Playoffs. Their reality of living through
high-pressure situations didn’t equip them
to win the Stanley Cup-even with so
much young talent.
That young talent was sensational,
though. Players 24 or younger scored
more than 75 percent of the Caps’ points
in the playoffs. It was evident that it took
several games for them to wet their feet,
but by Game 4, they had hit their stride.
Game 4 was a defining moment in the
career of several Capitals.
Players like Niklas Backstrom, 30, give
tremendous hope for the very near future.
The Sweden native tied for the team lead
in playoff goals with four. The Capitals are
a prime example of the truth in “there’s
always next year.” Often times, that’s just
an expression to help fans cope with the
bitterness of the end, but Washington
has a young, athletic, talented squad that
will compete for a Stanley Cup for years
to come-at least the next 13 in which
Ovechkin is under contract.
To address the Ovechkin doubters, the
Great 8 might have struggled in Games 2
to 5 (if you count three assists as struggling),
but he showed up in crunch time.
It just goes to show, people examine highs
and lows too closely in the postseason.
Ovie finished the series with 4 goals and
4 assists and can’t be blamed for being
eliminated from the playoffs.
If there was anyone more loathed at
Verizon Center than Daniel Briere in
Game 7, it was the referees. They did
about as good a job as they could to call
a two-sided game and even let an obvious
trip by the Capitals go uncalled. What
most fans will remember, though, is the
controversial no call on the Flyers’ second
goal by Sami Kapanen. Capitals goalie
Cristobal Huet was the third domino to fall
in a collision brought on by Philadelphia,
which led directly to the goal.
Seeing the Caps refuse to hang their
heads in disappointment was very
encouraging. That’s a sign of a team
that realizes it has a future. The Capitals
were very respectful of the Flyers in the
postgame handshake and showed no signs
of bitterness.
Capitals fans can have peace of mind
that coach Bruce Boudreau is now under
contract for a long time, according to
general manager George McPhee. As a
career minor-league coach, Boudreau
finally is getting the recognition he
deserves. Owner Ted Leonsis hasn’t
seen his team win a playoff series since
acquiring the franchise in 1999, but he’s
right-the rebuild is over. Fans will be
rockin’ the red at Verizon Center for a
winning team for years to come.