I've been a hardcore sports fan for about 15 years or so. Things that happened 10 years ago seem like recent in my mind, but were a good decade ago. 10 years is forever in the sports world. A lot of teams fully change over their rosters. 10 years ago, the Washington Capitals made the playoffs for the first time in the Alex Ovechkin era.
10 years later, Ovechkin is still there (and still great, leading the NHL in goals). So is Nicklas Backstrom. So is John Carlson. A few others have been mainstays since at least 2012 - Evgeny Kuznetsov, Jay Bragle, Braden Holtby. The Capitals avoided many opportunities to tear down teh core, to give up in the face of painful playoff defeat after defeat. They didn't. 10 years later, they finally made a Conference Final, they finally beat the Penguins.
Now, before I start getting too poetic about patience for the Capitals paying off, there is a better than 50% chance they lose in the round to come, to a healthy, awesome Tampa team that just brushed aside a 112-point Boston team like a small gnat flying to close to the sun. But still, this is a historic night, more than anything because it will keep the Capitals from doing anything rash this offseason.
The Capitals list of playoff failures reads like a litany of escalating horrors. In the early, Bruce Boudrea era, they lost in seven to the Flyers in 2008. They lost to the Penguins in 7 in 2009 - getting blown out in Game 7 at home. In 2010, they were dominant, a 300-goal scoring team (the last team to do it), and lost because Jaroslav Halak stood on his head (he beat the Penguins in 7 in the next round). In 2011, they got swept by Tampa Bay, a Tampa team nowhere near as good as the one they are about to face.
That was three head coaches ago.
A seven game loss in 2012 to the Rangers followed, but if anything that was a sign of progress. They had beaten the defending Champion Bruins in 7 in the first round. In 2013, they lost to the Rangers in 7. In 2015, they lost to the Rangers in 7. That lead to the firing of Adam Oates, and the final chapter, the final push.
The last two years, the Capitals were the best team in the NHL in the regular season each year. 120 points in 2015-16, 118 points in 2016-17, with better underlying stats. Each year, they lost to Pittsburgh in the second round. Each year the Penguins, with their Brady to Ovechkin's Manning, their Messi to Ovechkin's Ronaldo, won the Cup. In '15-'16, they traded for TJ Oshie, a seemingly all-in move. In 2016-17, they traded for Kevin Shattenkirk, a truly all-in move. Everyone said it at the time, that they have pushed every chip in with a number of impending UFAs (including Shattenkirk). Of course, the year after, it all finally worked.
Teams have for so long been told to give up, to tear it down, to accept failure and change course to try to best it. A few times, teams decided not to take the advice, and after everyone assumed their day had passed, it finally happened for them. The 2011 Mavericks are probably the greatest example. A 50-win team from 2000 onwards, they never bested the Spurs or Lakers or Suns, except the one time they did all of that and got Dwayne Waded. They finally somehow put it all together in 2011 and stunned the Heatles. They are the NBA's textbook example of not tearing apart - something the Raptors may hold their hat on as they are about to be swept by teh Cavaliers during their greatest season of their franchise's history.
In hockey, we saw it two years ago, with the Sharks, a team that in their modern form first broke out with a trip to the Conference Finals in 2004, making the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016, a good six years after getting the top seed in the East, a good two years after blowing a 3-0 series lead to the LA Kings. They didn't win the title, but for their Ovie in Joe Thornton, making it was good enough.
The Capitals may be the best example yet. For yeras, people wanted someone to be traded, someone to be shipped away, something to change. The few times they tried to change, it was disastrous. They notably tried to change their style after the Halak-ing, going with a more defensive-heavy style that made Alex Ovechkin into a morose genius trapped in a system that didn't care for his abilities.
They tried bringing in hired hands. They tried getting big physical 4th liners. They tried it all, and it never worked. They at least found a goalie in 2012 with Braden Holtby, but even then Holtby had a habit of giving up exactly two goals a game, seemingly never pitching a shutout when needed most.
None of that matters now. They did it. They took down the Penguins. They did so despite blowing a 2-0 Game 1 lead in the 3rd period - including giving up the winner to Sidney Crosby. No, they pitched their own comebacks in Game 3, won by Alex Ovechkin, always a far better playoff performer than given credit for, and Game 5. They closed out the series in OT.
Ironically, if any team could give the Capitals inspiration, it is the one who they finally bested. Before two years ago, the Penguins were the Capitals, albeit with a Cup - but for Crosby just the one Cup wasn't really good enough. The Penguins also had notable embarrassing flameouts since their 2009 Cup win. The 2010 loss to Montreal & Halak, the 2012 loss to the Flyers where they all collectively lost their minds and Fleury went to hell. And the worst was to come.
In 2013, the Bruins humiliated them in a sweep in the Conference Finals. In 2014, they blew a 3-1 lead to the Rangers. In 2015, they lost in 5 to the Rangers - a clear team in decline. And then viola, they win two straight Cups and Crosby and Co. solidified their playoff bonafides for life.
We don't know where this season will end for the Capitals. Likely, it will end without a Cup, whether it is to a dominant Lightning team, or one of the three great teams still alive out West. But even then they shouldn't tear it apart. Despite many teams in hockey being able to sustain many years of competitiveness, the relative order of those teams is highly variable, the Capitals being a slightly down 103 point team this year doesn't preclude them from being a dominant 115 point team next year. There is always another shot, and if the Capitals proved anything this time around, it is that they can be different, they can play up in the playoffs, and that there is no risk, no shame in trying it one more time.
10 years later, Ovechkin is still there (and still great, leading the NHL in goals). So is Nicklas Backstrom. So is John Carlson. A few others have been mainstays since at least 2012 - Evgeny Kuznetsov, Jay Bragle, Braden Holtby. The Capitals avoided many opportunities to tear down teh core, to give up in the face of painful playoff defeat after defeat. They didn't. 10 years later, they finally made a Conference Final, they finally beat the Penguins.
Now, before I start getting too poetic about patience for the Capitals paying off, there is a better than 50% chance they lose in the round to come, to a healthy, awesome Tampa team that just brushed aside a 112-point Boston team like a small gnat flying to close to the sun. But still, this is a historic night, more than anything because it will keep the Capitals from doing anything rash this offseason.
The Capitals list of playoff failures reads like a litany of escalating horrors. In the early, Bruce Boudrea era, they lost in seven to the Flyers in 2008. They lost to the Penguins in 7 in 2009 - getting blown out in Game 7 at home. In 2010, they were dominant, a 300-goal scoring team (the last team to do it), and lost because Jaroslav Halak stood on his head (he beat the Penguins in 7 in the next round). In 2011, they got swept by Tampa Bay, a Tampa team nowhere near as good as the one they are about to face.
That was three head coaches ago.
A seven game loss in 2012 to the Rangers followed, but if anything that was a sign of progress. They had beaten the defending Champion Bruins in 7 in the first round. In 2013, they lost to the Rangers in 7. In 2015, they lost to the Rangers in 7. That lead to the firing of Adam Oates, and the final chapter, the final push.
The last two years, the Capitals were the best team in the NHL in the regular season each year. 120 points in 2015-16, 118 points in 2016-17, with better underlying stats. Each year, they lost to Pittsburgh in the second round. Each year the Penguins, with their Brady to Ovechkin's Manning, their Messi to Ovechkin's Ronaldo, won the Cup. In '15-'16, they traded for TJ Oshie, a seemingly all-in move. In 2016-17, they traded for Kevin Shattenkirk, a truly all-in move. Everyone said it at the time, that they have pushed every chip in with a number of impending UFAs (including Shattenkirk). Of course, the year after, it all finally worked.
Teams have for so long been told to give up, to tear it down, to accept failure and change course to try to best it. A few times, teams decided not to take the advice, and after everyone assumed their day had passed, it finally happened for them. The 2011 Mavericks are probably the greatest example. A 50-win team from 2000 onwards, they never bested the Spurs or Lakers or Suns, except the one time they did all of that and got Dwayne Waded. They finally somehow put it all together in 2011 and stunned the Heatles. They are the NBA's textbook example of not tearing apart - something the Raptors may hold their hat on as they are about to be swept by teh Cavaliers during their greatest season of their franchise's history.
In hockey, we saw it two years ago, with the Sharks, a team that in their modern form first broke out with a trip to the Conference Finals in 2004, making the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016, a good six years after getting the top seed in the East, a good two years after blowing a 3-0 series lead to the LA Kings. They didn't win the title, but for their Ovie in Joe Thornton, making it was good enough.
The Capitals may be the best example yet. For yeras, people wanted someone to be traded, someone to be shipped away, something to change. The few times they tried to change, it was disastrous. They notably tried to change their style after the Halak-ing, going with a more defensive-heavy style that made Alex Ovechkin into a morose genius trapped in a system that didn't care for his abilities.
They tried bringing in hired hands. They tried getting big physical 4th liners. They tried it all, and it never worked. They at least found a goalie in 2012 with Braden Holtby, but even then Holtby had a habit of giving up exactly two goals a game, seemingly never pitching a shutout when needed most.
None of that matters now. They did it. They took down the Penguins. They did so despite blowing a 2-0 Game 1 lead in the 3rd period - including giving up the winner to Sidney Crosby. No, they pitched their own comebacks in Game 3, won by Alex Ovechkin, always a far better playoff performer than given credit for, and Game 5. They closed out the series in OT.
Ironically, if any team could give the Capitals inspiration, it is the one who they finally bested. Before two years ago, the Penguins were the Capitals, albeit with a Cup - but for Crosby just the one Cup wasn't really good enough. The Penguins also had notable embarrassing flameouts since their 2009 Cup win. The 2010 loss to Montreal & Halak, the 2012 loss to the Flyers where they all collectively lost their minds and Fleury went to hell. And the worst was to come.
In 2013, the Bruins humiliated them in a sweep in the Conference Finals. In 2014, they blew a 3-1 lead to the Rangers. In 2015, they lost in 5 to the Rangers - a clear team in decline. And then viola, they win two straight Cups and Crosby and Co. solidified their playoff bonafides for life.
We don't know where this season will end for the Capitals. Likely, it will end without a Cup, whether it is to a dominant Lightning team, or one of the three great teams still alive out West. But even then they shouldn't tear it apart. Despite many teams in hockey being able to sustain many years of competitiveness, the relative order of those teams is highly variable, the Capitals being a slightly down 103 point team this year doesn't preclude them from being a dominant 115 point team next year. There is always another shot, and if the Capitals proved anything this time around, it is that they can be different, they can play up in the playoffs, and that there is no risk, no shame in trying it one more time.
