Dear Gentlemen,

I have been a Caps season ticket-holder for many years. For most of them I've watched the Caps play on embarrassing, sub-standard, skill-depriving slush. Last night pushed me over the edge: The much-anticipated Game of the Year was no fun to watch. The ice was so bad that the Flyers' and Capitals' skill players couldn't do anything with the rolling, bouncing superball that was the puck. You two should be embarrassed by the surface on which you force the most exciting, skilled team in hockey to play.

Ted: Earlier this year you had the gumption to tell us that the ice wasn't a problem. "If it was an issue, the media would write something about it," you wrote. That's insulting to the media that have complained about the ice for years (including this site) and to all of us who see games played on last night's slush. We're not that dumb. Stop pretending we are. We deserve better. So does your team.

You have failed to do what it takes to provide an appropriate ice surface for a skilled young team. The Washington Post has reported that at least two Capitals think the ice at VC contributed to their injuries. During last year's playoffs the Flyers' Daniel Briere said: "Another thing that favored us was the condition of the ice. It was so bad that it was tough for guys like Semin, Backstrom and Ovechkin to get anything going, the ice was so bad. That was another thing that went our way." (And Ted: The media wrote about it.)

Abe: While Ted clearly hasn't prioritized fixing the ice problem (or has denied it exists), the problem is your responsibility. It's your building, your equipment, and your venue scheduling that have created the problem. You should be embarrassed that you subject a team you once owned to such pathetic conditions. You should be ashamed at how you're treating the Washington Capitals and their fans.

Fix it. Now.