Who'll Stop the Rain?
by Stephen Pepper on May 13, 2009 11:30 AM EDT
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PrintThe completed five-year plan for the franchise, after all is said and done tonight in this second-round series, might yield a stunning reversal of fortune to halt a nearly two decade long torment at the flippers of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Monday night, all seemed lost yet again, and then was suddenly regained. Die-hard fans of Les Capitals sat or stood, incredulous at the looming spectacle of another tragedy. The same script, with different, younger actors, was unfolding for a seventh time in eight seasons.
The series has, as all manner of outlets have proclaimed, truly lived up to the hype. And I almost wish that I didn't have a horse in this race, and then I could watch the unmatched hockey drama unfold as a spectator, unencumbered by the weight of playoff history between the two combatants. Instead, I could hardly endure the tension of Monday's contest, and a dread which one might experience listening to Mother Nature's rumble the moment before an avalanche descends. Fans, like players, absorbed last night's contest mentally battered and bruised, anxious, sick, maybe even with a pounding headache. (And well before the morning's hangover, no less.) I shudder to think of how Mike Green's mom is handling this series.
Third period. Another tie game. And another Cap headed to the penalty box. The barbarians all clad in one-size-fits-all (and thank goodness for that, eh?) giveaway white tees roaring, frothing. I winced, lifted a rocks glass, felt the heat of whiskey slip down my throat. Recomposed myself. Stood. Paced. Hoped.
Steinz described the feeling as:
[H]alf bad-quesadilla queasy, half first-day-of-Little-League excited, covered with strange science-teacher sweat spots and unusual gym-class odors, pulse racing like Paula Abdul after a staged Idol performance, nibbling nails worse than a half-starved LeBron James.
Ok then.
During the intermission preceding overtime, I spoke to a couple of close friends, monitored email traffic on Caps fan groups of which I've been a member since the days when email was exciting and new, gathered the pulse of "old-guard" Caps Nation. Optimism was being bludgeoned by the one true collective kryptonite to render asunder the best-made plans of franchise history to date. Fatalism's seeds sprouted hideous black and gold vines, obscuring the light. Summed up in my own despondent assessment: "This is all just delaying the inevitable, right?"
Wrong.
Through nearly two decades, not one shred of evidence, not one footnote in franchise history (unsung Caps defenseman John Slaney excepted) could be offered in rebuttal of a seemingly unassailable judgment: the Pittsburgh Penguins own the Washington Capitals in the post-season. And they were about to foreclose on our dream of redemption. It didn't seem to matter that we have the most electrifying player and determined soul in all of pro hockey, or that a sterling supporting cast has been painstakingly assembled over the course of that five-year plan. No one, it seemed, could stop the rain.
The us against the world view is not just an expedient, utilitarian fabrication of current Caps management and coaching used to psychological advantage. For many fans, especially those that still roam, or have recently returned to, le Centre Verizón, wearing the original stars-and-stripes jerseys of players like Dino Ciccarrelli, Kelly Miller, Mike Ridley, Michal Pivonka, Rod Langway, Dale Hunter, Pete Peeters, and Bobby Gould, it runs deep. It is something that resides in all of us who have followed the red, white, and blue since at least 1992. One team haunts us, one team is always favored, and one team is (almost) always the victor. Knee-jerk reactions to individual defeats often involve conspiracy theories and inexplicably vindictive referees. We search for some explanation to this excruciating and unrelenting excepting trend to the law of averages.
As such, a dark cloud hung over the afternoon and into the evening on Monday, despite a clear sky, brisk breeze, and lovely, humidity-free climes here in Gotham and likely in the District as well. We read the pre-game quotes and wondered why was it that another Caps team, this team, could allow a commanding series lead to slip away to the same opponent again, perhaps even admitting to "show up" only at the proverbial 11th hour. Love for our heroes began to turn to hate, the opposite side of the same coin.
But like the team, we prevailed. We endured this game and came out alive. We live to enjoy our fanaticism for another day.
Even should tonight ultimately be lost, perish the thought, we can still enjoy the singular experience of finding shelter from the storm for a night, and re-learning to believe again, whatever the record books might read. Caps Nation old and new is revitalized, and red-rock solid.
But should Game 7 victory again be attained in this post-season, those heavy black and gold clouds of pollution which have floated overhead and constricted Caps land will be dispelled for a good long while.
So tonight, dear friends, we'll watch the final, wholly-unpredictable scene of this Act and wonder of our boys in red -- looking down the bench and at the five poised for the opening face-off -- who will stop the rain.
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Great post. I covered my eyes for Pitt’s last regulation power play in game 6. It just seemed too imperfectly perfect to be true.
I hope Gonchar suits up tonight. Maybe he’ll turn the puck – and the game – over in OT to Martin Straka.
by ninefttall on May 13, 2009 11:40 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Second that. One more pick off at the defensive blue line, for old time’s sake. Whoop whoop!
by Stephen Pepper on May 13, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
You second that it’s a great post? What an ego! :)
Btw, after seeing it posted and always reminded of the history, I wonder if “reign” might not have also worked in the title. :)
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Always trying to one up me, brotha ;)
by Stephen Pepper on May 13, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
“Stalk. Strike. Kill. Eat. Repeat.”
Sounds like the instructions on the back of a bottle of “Pred & Shoulders” shampoo. May I steal this? Sounds like a great e-mail signature!!!
by war_capitals on May 13, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I can’t sleep and I lay and I think
The nights are hot and black as ink
Oh God, I need a drink
Of cool cool rain.
by Gould Old Days on May 13, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
nicely done…now we need the lyrics to the CCR tune of same name as Pepper’s title.
by mechanicsville on May 13, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions
"Long as I remember the rain been comin’ down.
Clouds of mystry pourin’ confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, tryin’ to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain.
I went down Virginia, seekin’ shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow.
Five-year plans and new deals, wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain."
by Stephen Pepper on May 13, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Slaney!
Great job Pep.
"Serious question: Is Ovie going to demand a trade if they lose this series? Any chance of this?"
I’m going to admit that maybe I’m too young to understand the Slaney reference. Can someone explain it to me, please?
by DrinkingPartner on May 13, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Great post.
For me, as soon as the ref held his hand up with little over 2 minutes to go, I said to myself “So that is how.”
I always wondered how the Caps would find a way to lose the game (BTW, I am a firm believe that the game should be called the same way from the first drop the last buzzer). Everything was pointing toward that direction, the inevitable is going to happen, it was just a matter of how. When they killed that PP, it completely changed my mind set. Not only did hope come back, but I was almost confident they would win it. The Pens had a chance to end it and they didn’t (just like Steckle the game before) and hockey gods frown upon their offerings not being accepted.
Excellent post as always, Pep.
In the elevator a few minutes ago (I work in NYC), I overheard a random “who will win game 7 convo?” regarding this series. (One guy liked the Caps because of Varly, the other guy said too close to call). We’re not the only ones on the edges of our seats here apparently.
The keyboard is mightier.
Oh man oh man
I’m a diehard Caps fan from NOVA that now sadly lives in PA. Game 7 will give me sweet justice as all those Penn’s fans at the bar will eat their words.
This is kick ass btw that the Caps have a page on this site!
I'm worried about the beer supply. After this case, and the other case, there's only one case left- Barney Gumble
by CptChaosSidekick on May 13, 2009 12:01 PM EDT reply actions
Great post.
I’m guessing tonight you’ll be slugging straight out of the bottle by the third period. It’s going to be tense. Let’s just hope the Caps don’t go all ‘prevent defense’ if they get a lead!
I’m afraid that I’m so nervous right now and to the beginning that I may not remember a whole lot about tonight.
by DrinkingPartner on May 13, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Why not? All of the games this series have been ridiculously close. There’s no reason why the Caps don’t deserve to win. They’re in this for a reason.
by DrinkingPartner on May 13, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Your “this team” sounds more like “that team”… Correct me if I’m wrong, but your video reply to Wise two weeks back was much more optimistic.
I am being optomistic
No, as in, This team will get it done, Last year they forced a game 7 down 3-1 and lost. Not this year, they won game 7.
The playoff losses to the pens? Not this year! Not going to happen to this team!
Phew, your comment was way too vague before, man!
by DrinkingPartner on May 13, 2009 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Btw, it’s not just 1992. I remember Al Iafrate mindlessly pinching in OT of Game 2 in the 1991 division finals, leading to an inevitable odd man break the other way, and a goal (Kevin Stevens?) The Caps had been leading 5-4 late in that game, and after the OT loss, the series was tied, and the Pens won the next 3 in a row. That’s when it all started – Al Iafrate…
True, I remember that 1991 series as well. What I meant by starting with 1992 is that it was that year which turned one horrendous defeat into a trend.
by Stephen Pepper on May 13, 2009 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Great post.
Rec’d.
Oh, and on behalf of Leafs fans everywhere: you’re not the only ones who remember problems developing as a result of Al Iafrate.
jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog
"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)
Stars and Stripes, Bronze and Blue...
Been wearing the retro Dale Hunter red jersey throughout the playoffs (yes the ‘patch’ insignia instead of the $$$ embroidered one.) There’s a sense of pride now for those of us who’ve been there all these years. We’re no longer the outpost playing in Landover – we’re no longer Hartford South. The charm of going to the local ice arena and getting to skate around with Mike Gartner, or playing street hockey with Dale Hunter who showed up at the local tennis court and was miffed you pulled down the nets (but happy you recognized him) – those days kept us in the fold. The disappointments were routine, but they were our club, our guys. Hockey was sort of a cult – a largely anonymous sport in the area, a largely anonymous team in the league. No more.
Pepper, those of us who grew up here and have followed the Caps since we first discovered hockey ARE channeling some of that decades-long excitement and nervousness. I truly believe we’ll capture that elusive Cup – just not yet convinced it’ll be this year. When we do, I’d love to see Miller, Ridley, Konowalchuk, Hunter, Bondra, Labre, Gartner, Langway et al in the building and at the parade. Hell, even Ollie if he’s over the way it ended. I’d love to see Franceschetti again – all those Caps who played so hard and are now seen only whenever that Lafontaine goal is played. I’d love for them all to relish in the fact that their old club did finally capture that Cup. We’re on the verge of history – and we’re all close to being able to say I Was There When It All Paid Off.
Being a Capital fan of a certain age (I was born in ‘74 with the club,) we’ve been accustomed to disappointment and pleasantly surprised when we overachieve. The ‘five year plan’ (led by Russians and cheered by the red-clad masses – yikes) has put this franchise in the position not only to win, but to dominate. At times, its even strange. I have to remind myself that these are the Washington Capitals, those lovable losers whose roster used to scare no one and whose building used to be full of the opponents’ fans.
I don’t believe in fate or karma – it’s not ‘our turn’ and no ghosts of past failure determine our future. But it’s a new era where, for once, we CAN win. All those ups and downs, all those heroes and villains, all those years where being a Caps fan wasn’t cool – and certainly wasn’t much fun – have led us here. I’m nervous as hell, but it finally means something to follow hockey in the area.
Tonight we may fall. But if we do, it’s just part of the progression. It isn’t about ghosts or luck. As fans, we now have left the era of being surprised by success and begun the march towards being the best team in hockey. We’re now disappointed by failure. We’re now planning to adjust our work schedules… because we might just have a parade to attend. Had to get this all out – I’ve never been so invested in a team before. Always wondered what it must be like to live in Edmonton, Detroit or Montreal and witness such amazing talent, such commitment to winning, such expectations and triumphs. Damn, we’re so close…
It’s good to be a Capitals fan.
by Cap74 on May 13, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
for the love of GOD, win!
I tried to explain to my Chicago-born girlfriend why it’s so important to beat the PENS. I have terrible flashbacks of me as a kid staying up late to watch the Caps games on HTS (remember HTS?) and feeling on top of the world one minute, and in the depths of hell the next. I know these teams have nothing to do with the old, but I would do anything to see Mario Lemieux (our tormentor) leave the building sad. I hope these Caps do it for themselves, but I also hope they can avenge Beaupre, Cote, Konowalchuk, and Klee, Bondra, Hunter, Pivonka, and Tinordi. I think I’ll wear my Calle Johansson sweater tonight.
by The Admiral on May 13, 2009 2:39 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Amen brother. So if it’s Caps-’Hawks in the finals, who are you rooting for?
Wear the #6 with pride tonight.
If anyone out there is sporting a Stars and Stripes Kevin Kaminski jersey from ’94, you are clearly the winner.
Is anyone ever going to explain the John Slaney reference? I’m really curious.
by DrinkingPartner on May 13, 2009 3:31 PM EDT reply actions
Slaney was a first round D draft choice of the Caps in 1990, and playing in his rookie season in 1993-94. He scored his first career NHL playoff goal against Tom Barrasso that spring, en route to a 6-3 Caps win and a 4-2 series win in round 1, the only series win for the Caps against Pittsburgh.
Fitting the history of the two teams in the playoffs, he scored his only other NHL playoff goal as a member of the Penguins in 2000, against the Caps.
by Stephen Pepper on May 13, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Answering goals
If the Caps can’t decisively score goals and hold a lead, I hope that they can once again answer all of Pittsburgh’s goals like they did in game 6. Boy o boy o boy.
uhh...uhh...uhh...
Guess this one
Don’t the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around.
Well you can fight or you can run,
Hide under a rock till the war is won,
Play it safe and don’t make a sound,
But not us we won’t back down
True believers all the way,
You and I…
We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn’t fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers
True believers
I almost didn’t watch the OT in Game 6. I just didn’t know whether I could take what I considered to be an inevitable defeat. I was at the 4 OT game and I’ll never shake the image of Peter Nedved scoring that goal. I remember walking around Glover Park for hours after they blew the 3-1 lead in 95. Too much disappointment.
But I did watch, and I’m sure glad I did. I feel uncharacteristically calm about the game tonight. It isn’t that I’m convinced they will win. But I feel like last game punctured the curse, even if they lose tonight. From now on, we know that we CAN do it, even against the Pens. Even in OT.
H/t to Pepper on this one. He said it before, I’ll say it again:
Oh young lions
This is your kingdom
Every beast has its poison
Every lion has its victim
Choose your crime
Pour the ashes out the window
Empty mickey by the river
Shattered like a broken arrow
Oh young lions
This is your kingdom
Roll out a cradle
Climb out the window
Make your now
Too wild for words
Stumblin’ through the city
With the ordinary bird
Choose your crime
Pour the ashes out the window
Empty mickey by the river
Shattered like a broken arrow
Loosen up the collar
Shake of the wire
Run like a river
Glow like a beacon fire
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