What Would Brand This Season As A Success?
by Stephen Pepper on Mar 2, 2009 11:30 AM EST
50 comments
[Ed. note: Our newest writer here at Japers' Rink is one who truly needs no introduction, but we're giving him one anyway because we're just that excited to have him contributing. So please welcome Stephen Pepper, author of the red skate, and dive right into his first fantastic offering.]
photo credit: Craig Melvin, AP
Defining success is often a subjective, personal exercise. But when the usually rhetorical question of "Can it get any better than this?" is asked of Washington Capitals faithful, the reply has always been, emphatically, in the affirmative. For all of the engravings of "Washington Capitals" on legendary NHL trophies following last season, that team name is still nowhere to be found on Lord Stanley's Cup.
From one die-hard sports fan to another, dear reader, you don't need me to tell you that following a team with your heart (on your Capitals jersey sleeve) leads to a great many more disappointments than victories. Fact is that it's a 30-team league, and only one can hoist the chalice each Spring. So we have to be content with the ebbs and flows of a season, or several seasons, enjoy swimming in the tides and hope for, one day, an afternoon of brilliant sunshine. (Just a little warmer weather metaphor for y'all in advance of April.)
For far too long the Washington Capitals franchise, certainly its fan base, has endured a paucity of success. And respect. The joys of fandom were rooted in watching third-line grinders playing at "110%, 110% of the time" and heading to practice to witness young prospects progress.
But that's all behind us. The hype machine has now swelled to unprecedented heights, even with Corey at WaTi already proclaiming at season's beginning that "The time is now" and at least one columnist, a heretofore misguided soul, branding Les Capitals a Stanley Cup dark horse.
So would this dark horse achieve "success" this season only by galloping, breathlessly, gritty and salivating, first across the finish line? Or would an initial strong bolt out of the playoff gate, but a stumble down the stretch, be enough to whet your cheering whistle for next season?
Being a fan is largely a passive enterprise. We collect ticket stubs, jerseys and hockey cards, write blogs, or express our devotion to team by creating art from various media. But mostly, we watch and enjoy.
And like compelling live theatre, this current cast of Capitals, for nearly the past 12 months, has performed with such electricity and flair to rival a star-studded Broadway performance. (Ok, your mileage may vary.) Worth the price of admission, most nights? Check.
Granted, a commitment to perform their roles as flawlessly as possible on every game night might yet need some improvement, but this team certainly has brought us much more joy than disappointment these days.
In speaking to Steinz over at the Bog, Uncle Ted, while keeping his eyes on the prize and flatly stating that "we can win a Cup," also mentioned a very simple, but fascinating, metric for measuring fan satisfaction with the team, and the extent to which the team is meeting their expectations:
What's our record at home, [24-5-1 at the time; now 25-6-1]. Figure three hours per game. So 75 hours of smiling and pleasure and only like six hours of pain. That's very unusual today, right?
For sure. Do the math for your relationship your wife, partner, parents, dog -- see what you come up with. (Better yet, let's stick to hockey.)
Certainly entertainment value has to be included in a discussion of a successful season, does it not? The team is tremendously thrilling to watch, moreso I submit (without much controversy) than any Capitals team in franchise history. Performances, particularly by Ovechkin, but also of the other "young guns," have been magical, revelatory, inspiring. Community building. (Just look at how many folks make sharp and thoughtful comments on this site.)
So with all of that, and with so many red-rocking fans packing the house and making their voices hoarse, has success already been achieved?
Well, no. Focusing on game-to-game, hour-to-hour satisfaction may tell of a zen-like approach to sports watching, but would lead to the conclusion that any season with more wins than losses is a "success." Clearly that's not a unique, or lasting accomplishment. And more to the point, much of those smiles and cheers and raw energy in the Centre Verizón these days derive from a palpable excitement over what the team can achieve past April 12. How much that anticipation is a part of today's happiness watching the team?
And so, the Leonsis era has yet to see a single playoff series victory, which drought ultimately extends to the beginning of the 1998-99 season. Ten years is an awfully long time. And a lot of moments in between best left forgotten.
And many in hindsight, despite all the hours of "smiling and pleasure" richly experienced along the way, the many toasts to the team, buzzed songs of joy, moments of intense pride felt wearing Caps red, would see all those memories soured by an early playoff exit.
In 1999-00, the Caps surged in the second half of the season, going 27-6-6 after Christmas, and lost only seven games all season at home, to capture the Southeast Division, with a 44-26-12 record. Olie Kolzig won the Vezina Trophy, and a guy named Chris Simon scored 29 goals. Then the playoffs came 'round, starting with a 7-0 loss at home to the Penguins and ending with a 4-1 series loss to the hated rivals. And suddenly all of that incredible home happiness meant very little.
In a unique way, we've seen the corps of this team, not to mention much of its supporting cast, develop from fresh-faced kids on the draft day podium into solid, if not fantastic, NHL regulars. And we see the potential for at least one Cup victory.
So, almost like a parent which such high expectations for her precocious child, we're beginning to demand ultimate success. A recent weekend sweep in Florida involving an NHL record-setting performance is blunted by a flop at home against a team "we should beat." Trade chatter is no longer about restocking the prospect pantry, or getting into the post-season. It's about winning that fourth-round series. The regular season doesn't matter anymore. Or does it?
When I attended the NHL Awards Show last June, and witnessed Ovi haul in a four-pack of history and Gabby humbly accept the greatest coaching honor in the hockey world, basking in the glow of accolades at the after-party, I was so thrilled to call myself a Capitals fan. Sure, Mike Babcock received a lot of congratulatory handshakes, but there was a definite buzz around the Caps. Ted held court with the Toronto media, eager to report on the franchise "building it the right way," and everyone wanted to chat up a star-struck Bruce. The team has arrived, and a first-round playoff exit didn't diminish the profound success that was the 2007-08 season.
So what defines success this season? Beyond the ticket sales and new local media attention --
Is another individual trophy haul enough -- Ovi repeating at Hart winner, Green capturing the Norris trophy, restoring and at the same time, redefining, the franchise tradition of defensive stalwarts?
Forget the Southeast: finishing ahead of all of the old Patrick Division rivals? Or winning the Eastern Conference?
Winning at least a single playoff round, to break the drought?
Or only by winning the Cup, and watching AO do something outrageously joyful like toss the 40lb trophy into the air, twirling around on his skates and catching it on re-entry?
My view: Eastern Conference champions. After taking in Saturday's game, and noting the record against the other top two teams in the East (3-0-1[an OT loss] vs. Boston, and 2-0-2 [both SO losses] vs. NJD), we can hang with the best of the conference. That suggests that winning a seven-game series against either club is certainly within reach. (Now a repeat date with the Flyers is, perhaps, a thorny matter, for another post.)
A Conference title would go a long way toward continuing a winning momentum in the organization, and with the die-hard fan community, as well as with the media (mostly WaPo) and those fans that have recently come on-board. And establish a more lasting memory of team accomplishment to overlay the individual jaw-dropping exploits so far this campaign.
But make no mistake, Caps brothers and sisters, as much as I've enjoyed this season to date, I want to feel that transcendent euphoria experienced by that ultimate prize. And no matter how you define success, there will be no way to rationalize away all traces of disappointment if it's not earned this spring.
Just as GM George McPhee has likely been waiting, and building, his whole post-playing career life for this moment, supporters of the Capitals have been waiting their whole fan-lives for what, in this season of hope, we long to witness during these next three and a half months.
Fortunately, though, our window of opportunity is a bit longer than that.
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Welcome aboard Pep!
Put me down for Eastern Conference finals.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Mar 2, 2009 11:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
same. although i’m starting to worry that’s our ceiling…
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Also agree. Anything less than a conference final appearance will be a gut-wrenching disappointment. Based on the way we’ve owned the other top EC teams this year, I’m almost leaning towards the Cup Finals as our metric for success this year. Probably a little lofty though considering this team doesn’t know what it feels like to win a 1st round series.
by Cluster on Mar 2, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Eastern Conf. Finals loss would have to be considered a success, but should that come to pass winning the cup becomes the only goal.
My main concern is to see this team battle hard and win a playoff series against an inferior squad. Once they are in a playoff series against a NJ or Boston, all bets are off.
That said, I think this team is capable of winning the cup this season as presently constituted. What can I say, I believe.
by grapejoos on Mar 2, 2009 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
No single team in a single year in the NHL can expect to win the Cup, can define success winning the Cup, and only that.
I buy into the 3-year window: A team defining success not over a period of years as winning a Cup. So for any given year, being in the final four is a success. (And we’re lucky: This franchise has a window longer than three years.) But for a team to be successful over the term, yes, it has to win a Cup.
I’d add that part of being a fan of a team is enjoying the narrative. The narrative for this current WSH group starts with the dismantlement of the Jagr team… and so far it’s been a pretty spectacular story to follow. Naturally the narrative doesn’t just play out in 81 games (and beyond): It includes the trades that brought in the 21s and 23s of the world, the Caps winning the draft lottery and a fantastic draft record.
by TylerG on Mar 2, 2009 11:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I would have to agree with my colleagues above me and go with an ECF appearance. Tyler has it on the nose with the window.
by wittcap79 on Mar 2, 2009 11:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Maybe it’s the years and years of playoff disappointment, but just a trip to the second round would be pretty OK with me. Or to qualify that a bit, I’d probably be OK with a “good” loss in the second round – like the Philly series last year – and not so OK with a “bad” loss – like Pittsburgh in ’00.
Obviously, logically, a team in the top two in the conference should be disappointed with anything less than conference finals, but to me, as a fan, a second round loss wouldn’t too badly affect the narrative we’ve been building over the last few years.
by blanket on Mar 2, 2009 12:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I tend to agree that a Conference Finals appearance is the bar for success this year, and anything else is gravy.
But like Tyler implied, I almost think that we might not know how successful this year is until next year – if this year gives the team the experience and hunger to win it all next year, it was a success. If this year ends in a Finals loss and a playoff miss next year due to complacency or whatnot, I don’t think it was all that successful at all.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 2, 2009 12:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Given the Caps’ effort against crappy teams, I think it’s instructive to look back to 1999-2000, when the Avs lost in Dallas in the seventh game of the Western Finals. That team took a message from that loss: “Dallas won because it had home-ice advantage in Game Seven. That won’t happen in 2000-2001.”
And it didn’t. The Avs finished with the best record in the West in 01-02, won a Game Seven in the Western finals and then won the Cup.
by TylerG on Mar 2, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My thinking was more along the lines of this franchise’s one Finals appearance. They won the Eastern Conference – a hell of an accomplishment for that group, aided by the fact that the top three teams in the Conference lost in the first round – and celebrated like they’d won it all (look at Hunter in the picture at the top of this post). When they got to the Finals, they were truly just happy to be there, it seemed, and they got swept (granted, it’s a MUCH different series if Esa Tikkanen could put the puck into a gaping wide open net, but I digress).
The following year, they missed the playoffs.
Point being, if this team ever gets “happy to be there,” it’s a failure. If they think anything comes easy, they lose. They need to remain hungry and any loss has to hurt like hell but not discourage.
If they don’t win it all this year, you’ll know by January, not June, whether this season was a success.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 2, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Different expectations this year. Right from the start.
by TylerG on Mar 2, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Word.
On a semi-tangential remark, I always remember the story Gretzky told in his autobiography after the Oil lost in ‘83 to the Islanders, and he saw them in their dressing room. It’s nice to be there; seeing them showed Gretzky what it required to stay there.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Mar 2, 2009 1:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
BTW, if the Caps make it to the finals this year, no touching that Wales trophy.
by grapejoos on Mar 2, 2009 1:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
No kidding.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 2, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And, apropos of mostly nothing, a measure of personal success would be if I had been able to get one of you jokers to come over and shovel my driveway. Alas, I failed and must now dose up on Aleve.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 2, 2009 12:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
you hillbillies get a little snow and now you’re out of commission? ;-)
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 12:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My back is, at least.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 2, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
JP, come take a soak and relax that sore back(side)…
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 12:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hi-yo!
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Mar 2, 2009 12:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, I resemble that remark!
"I tried to capture the spirit of the thing"
by tuvanhillbilly on Mar 2, 2009 7:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I dunno. Maybe I’m more of a…I don’t want to say realist, but I don’t have such high expectations with the current team. I’d be happy with a second round appearance. It’s an upgrade on last year, and then anything can happen. I’m more excited than anything.
Can't we get Chris Bourque a red jersey now? Thanks.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 2, 2009 12:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
i’m definitely readying myself for the prospect of a 2nd round defeat, given some of the things i’ve seen over the last month. to me the second round loss is in that “check-minus” category. passing, but barely.
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It may be an upgrade over last year, but this year’s team is tied for second in the East and has shown it is capable of beating anyone and I think should make it to the conference finals. Less than that isn’t an epic failure or anything but I wouldn’t exactly call it a success either.
by David M. Getz on Mar 2, 2009 12:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Different people have different expectations, I suppose. Langway below sums it up I believe.
Can't we get Chris Bourque a red jersey now? Thanks.
by Whiter Mage on Mar 2, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If healthy, Final 4 or bust
Assuming they go into the post season relatively healthy, anything less than a Final 4 appearance would be a disappointment
by Fauxrumors on Mar 2, 2009 1:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I want the Cup!
I’d say anything less would be disappointing – the way it should be. Now would an ECF appearance be a big step, of course it would be and by July or so I might be ok with it, but right now I’d rather shoot for the whole thing and I’d hope the players would too.
by nuftjedi on Mar 2, 2009 1:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Some what disappointing, sure. But if we’re talking the issue of what makes the season a success or a failure and, as Tyler mentions in an earlier comment, saying the season is only a success in the event of a Cup win sets the bar unreasonably high.
by David M. Getz on Mar 2, 2009 1:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yeah but to limit things now by saying anything less than the Cup, I feel, is a losing mentality.
why do that now? when it is over, where/whenever that may be, you can look back and see if it was a success.
by nuftjedi on Mar 2, 2009 10:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
An improvement on last year
Get to the 2nd round, and I’ll consider the season a push, any further is a win, and the SC is both skill and luck coming to fruition.
This team has problems making its own luck, as evidenced by the catastrophe yesterday (even though the Refs were obviously on crack – bastards), and teams like San Jose and Philadelphia seem to make their own (against us, at the very least). I think the SC is possible, but a long-shot this year.
by DrinkingPartner on Mar 2, 2009 1:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
The season is already a success.
Sit back from the monitor, take a deep breath and then close your eyes. Think back to March 2006. Then think about March 2007, and then last March. Baby steps? Sure. But if you can’t call second place in the Eastern Conference after back-to-back seasons as basement dwellers a success, then you my friends, are too hard to please.
Perhaps it’s our nature to want more when you have an extraordinary team, but as it stands now, this season has been successful. I think the true question is what will make the playoffs a success? A Stanley Cup visit? A Conference Final? A win in the first round?
Success in the regular season is easily measured. Success in the playoffs is more definitive. Either you are the champs, or the chumps.
What the Caps have accomplished from October to mid-April won’t necessarily matter when the puck drops in the first round. It’s a different game, a different stage and a different atmosphere. Your team can be successful in the regular season and then be a failure in the playoffs (looking at you San Jose.)
I agree that a Conference Final is what we all would like to aspire to, but when you look back at a 100+ point season, are you really going to say “oh that season was a failure, we only placed in the top six, won the division, had an MVP and Norris candidate, reached over 100 points for the first time since 1999-2000 and exited the playoffs in the second round.”
I want a Cup as much as anyone here, but I’m not about to write off the season as a failure because we have extremely high expectations. Now if the Capitals make a habit of earning 100 points and losing in the first and second round, then I’ll stand right next to you in anger.
by CapitalsKremlin on Mar 2, 2009 1:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Kinda disagree there. The whole reason the team was gutted and rebuilt was that winning the SE and getting punked in round 1 was not satisfactory.
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 2:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
considering it’s their second playoff appearance since that gutting, and the team is built for longevity, I think missing the Cup this year isn’t as bad as say, missing it four seasons in a row.
by CapitalsKremlin on Mar 2, 2009 2:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i’m not saying it’s cup or bust, just that it’s not already a success, because once upon a time – we’ve been here before. granted, we’re sporting a hell of a lot more flair these days…
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 2:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I gotta agree with macvechkin here. The regular season has been a success, but at this point the postseason is the only thing that matters as to whether this organization is on the right track and progressing. I once scoffed at this notion, but I think it’s true – if you consider your team elite, the postseason is the only thing that matters. If the Caps lose in the first round, the all-encompassing Season will be a failure, IMO.
by grapejoos on Mar 2, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Final 4 for me too, but....
the team that played the last 3 home games won’t make it out of the first round. I have enjoyed this season as much as anyone, but I am more than a bit anxious that we have lost an edge, particularly on our own end of the rink. We still have tremendous incentive to go out and win, but the team laid down in the third against Philly, were damn lucky to be playing the Thrash on Thursday, and looked completely awful yesterday.
I simply can’t believe that they can just switch on for Boston, and then go to sleep until the next good team shows up on the schedule. Sure, we have the division well in hand, but we could be playing for more home games, which is a big advantage this season, but we need to go into the playoffs with confidence and momentum. I feel the momentum fading, and it has me concerned.
by Boodgiesdad on Mar 2, 2009 1:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
We could become San Jose East
Obviously still feeling the effects of wasting the best seats I’ve ever had on Sunday’s debacle, but here goes – there’s no way we’re a Cup team at the moment. We’ve got unreal talent, a boatload of promising youth and a lot of size. We do not have the mentality and dedication you see in Cup winners. There’s another level the Caps need to reach. We’ve finally got a team that CAN reach that level, but they still have a lot to learn. I think we’re a final four club this year and I’d be happy with that. But we could easily get tossed in the first round again by a physical foe with a hot goalie. It’s happened to better clubs, and happened a lot. We go into next season as the ‘sexy’ pick, and from that moment the debate becomes whether the Caps are the next Detroit or the next San Jose/Ottawa.
by Cap74 on Mar 2, 2009 3:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed...
I am fully engaged in the notion that we are building and have as much talent as anyone. Not fully seasoned, mind you, but very capable. I am skeptical of goaltending, and the defense corps is really disappointing over the past several outings, but you can see it coming. What scares me is another first round series with the Flyers. Losing to them again in round one would be a setback.
By the way, I had the best seats I have ever had for Thursday’s game with the Thrashers, and left feeling little better than I did yesterday…
by Boodgiesdad on Mar 2, 2009 3:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Last year we were just happy to make it to the playoffs. If we don’t win at least 2 series this year, I’ll be disappointed.
by Sombrero Guy on Mar 2, 2009 1:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I personally want the Eastern Conference Finals at a minimum.
by vt caps fan on Mar 2, 2009 1:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
It's all about context
All things being equal, I’d like to see the Caps make it to the Conference Finals, but that’s never how it works. What if the Caps get a rash of injuries? Would you feel disappointed if we clawed our way to the second round? Or what if, via a series of ridiculous upsets, they end up facing Carolina in the Conference Finals? Would you be content if they lost to a clearly inferior team?
While I understand what everyone is trying to do, I think Capitals Kremlin is closest to how I look at this. The playoffs are an entirely new entity – a new season to paraphrase him. The relative success or failure of the Caps in the playoffs will depend in large part upon the context of the playoffs, just like regular season victories over Pittsburgh and Boston are more enjoyable now than victories over Atlanta.
However, I know what I DON’T want to see: I don’t want to see the Caps trade off a ton of prospects and younger players to try to force their way to the Cup. I want to see them continue the process of building a Cup-winner organically, because I think that this is the surest route to long-term success.
by D'ohboy on Mar 2, 2009 2:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yep, I have high hopes but expectations that are middling. With the caveat that by Wednesday at 3 could/will change our trajectory, I’d be disappointed by a first or second rd. exit.
I have no silverware expectations this year. And as long as we don’t give up the farm for Pronger anyone, I’ll be pleased if they get to the conference finals. What I mean is, if it takes giving up Alzner to become marginally better momentarily and that translates to a third rd. exit vs. a second rd. exit, then I would pass up the chance to get an impact player and stick to the plan: grow’em and play’em at home.
by bigonetimer on Mar 2, 2009 4:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Winning a playoff series will do it for me.
In order to get to the conference finals, they probably have to go through the Devils, who ain’t no joke. Winning a series and getting taken out by the Devils would be no shame.
by fat_daddyo on Mar 2, 2009 2:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hey
Hey, I am taking a trip to Washington to catch a Caps game next week, and had a few questions for someone who lives in the area and attends games regularly. If anyone’s got a spare minute, shoot me an email at allison6687@gmail.com. Thanks so much!
by AER1518 on Mar 2, 2009 3:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Penguin go home. :-p
Russian Machine Never Breaks
by macvechkin on Mar 2, 2009 4:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
haha, shoulda realized my email address kinda made it obvious…
but my life goal is to see my Pens in every arena, and Washington is number 6… I’m really excited to see washington again, I try to catch all their games when they’re in town (against the Islanders). I love to watch your team play. That’s why I’m so excited to go Sunday.
by AER1518 on Mar 2, 2009 6:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Tell me who we get in Round 2
and I’ll tell you what I’m satisfied with.
My fear is, we get NJD in Round 2, and with Brodeur back, I honestly think we don’t get past them. Now, I think it goes 7, but I think we’re on the wrong end of the score.
But if we don’t see NJD in Round 2, then anything less than Eastern Conference Finals would be disappointing.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
by duck on Mar 2, 2009 4:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This makes sense, but I’m not sure we’re doomed against Brodeur. It’d be a tall order, for sure.
In my mind, it’s all about the Caps beating worse teams. Once they are playing a team of equal caliber (BOS, NJ, PHI), all bets are off. But please, please don’t lose to Philly.
by grapejoos on Mar 2, 2009 7:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not so much worried about Broduer
who’s really, really, good, as I am with a team with a REALLY good defense and discipline. PHI, NJ and BOS scare me to death.
Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.
by duck on Mar 2, 2009 9:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My view also really depends on who the Caps face:
Losing to Jersey or Boston shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of. They are both scary complete.
Losing to any of Carolina/Habs/Sabres/Panthers would be embarrassing and certainly not a success. They should beat those teams.
And losing to Philly/Pit would probably cause me to throw several objects into walls. That shouldn’t even be an option but the Flyers bother me because of the Caps recent documented struggles and, well, losing to the Pens is self explanatory.
by Mug on Mar 2, 2009 8:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 22 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
|
Atlanta
|
12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
|
Florida
|
14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 |
|
Carolina
|
15 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
(updated 11.7.2009 at 9:10 AM EST)
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
