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Hockey Started Already and the Caps Are Actually Good for a Change
By Jamie Mottram | October 9, 2007
I don’t know much about hockey. I also don’t care much about the “ice breakers, goal shakers, the Caps, the Washington Capitals.” There’s certainly a rooting interest there, but in my pecking order they rank ninth behind the Skins, Nats, O’s, Maryland basketball, Wizards, Maryland football, Georgetown hoops and the Dillon Panthers. But I do know and care at least a little about this: the Caps are 3-0 and thinking playoffs.
That’s right, it’s 92 degrees in D.C., hockey season has begun, and the home team is looking good. So good that this is their best start since 2002-03, when they last made it to the postseason. Since then it’s been three straight seasons of basement dwelling, which means they have a lot in common with the Nats (and bloggers). Everything’s changing though, as these first three wins came against winning teams, including one on the road at Southeast division champ Atlanta. Plus, for the most part, they’ve done it without 38-goal scorer Alexander Semin.
So why the turnaround? Well, they still have the sensational Alexander Ovechkin (and his hair) and the dean of D.C. pro sports, Olaf Kolzig, but they’re not the difference makers. It seems that while I wasn’t paying attention in the slightest, Uncle Ted opened the checkbook and brought in a few free agents, namely veteran center (and Ovie linemate) Viktor Kozlov, old man center Michael Nylander and solid defenseman Tom Poti. They’ve also introduced the fourth overall pick from ‘06, 19 year-old Swedish center Niklas Backstrom. That trio of fresh men in the middle has produced seven points already and helped raise the payroll 30% to nearly $40 million.
All told, they’re ready to contend, but don’t take it from me. Take it from FanHouse, who picked them to win the Southeast, and stay tuned to stellar Caps blogs Japers’ Rink, Off Wing Opinion, Capitals Insider and On Frozen Blog. Now, where do I get my hands on a fresh Rod Langway sweater for the Stanley Cup Finals?
Topics: Capitals |
One Response to “Hockey Started Already and the Caps Are Actually Good for a Change”
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October 10th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Thus proving that players play better when wearing the colors of their flag.
And of course I’m referring to “Russia”.