It's an interesting moment to be a Capitals fan right now. Without doubt, this is the best shot they've ever had at a Stanley Cup. And despite all the good sense in my heart telling me otherwise, I can't shake this annoying feeling that maybe, just maybe, this is the year they do it. Maybe they've done enough things right, and maybe they'll finally do the unthinkable and earn a chance to actually play for the Cup. And perhaps, just the tiniest bit of hope here, they can win the god damn thing. But we all know that because hockey is hockey, being the "better" team often has little do with who actually ends up winning.

They're certainly good enough do it. Brian MacLellan has assembled has a monster. The job he's done in two years is remarkable. He's provided real solutions to problems that have plagued the Caps for ages. The emergence of Evgeny Kuznetsov as a top tier talent can't be overstated enough, but when Mac added TJ Oshie (someone who can really handle playing right wing for Nick and Alex) and Justin Williams (the leadership player this team desperately needed), he took the lineup from pretty good to downright scary. And then he added Mike Richards. What an incredible deal that was. Now in addition to a daunting top six, the bottom six includes players like Richards, Marcus Johansson, Jason Chimera and Tom Wilson.

That's pretty damn good.

And then there's the defense. The core is rock solid. Four guys as capable as anyone in this league. The bottom pair features young players who flourish more and more every game (Orlov is a bit high risk for my taste, but he's working on that. Nate Schmidt though, <3). This team has achieved a balance unlike any other I've ever seen wear Caps sweaters.

Mitch Korn is an angel who's come down from Heaven to show Braden Holtby how to get to the promised land. The steadiness Holtby plays with now, the controlled athleticism and the focused positioning, that's all Mitch Korn. Of course, Holtby is the one who can make the plays and does make the plays, I'm not taking anything away from how well Braden played this year. But it's like what Mac did with the forwards. Korn took a pretty good goalie and turned him into an elite one. He deserves a world of praise for the job he's done.

Barry Trotz deserves a mention in this post somewhere. I won't expand, but he might be the most important piece to the whole puzzle.

So it's all there for the Caps this year. But there's that one huge problem.

They're still the Washington Capitals.



This team has broken my heart so many times I can't even remember which one is which anymore. Every time, every single time, they come up short, after showing so much promise, and solidify their position as the biggest joke in hockey. The team that can't close, the team that is destined to choke. I live with that label attached to one of the things I care about most in this world. It's difficult knowing your team is considered a joke by a lot of the hockey world. And it's not without merit. The Caps make it very easy on themselves. What with our new-age Ovie era who don't know what icing is or who Joe Reekie was, our silly Rock the Red nonsense, our sexy division championship banners all lined up up there, four retired numbers for a team that been past the second round twice. I get it, we're an easy target.

I was born with Caps hockey in my blood. I could never see myself rooting for or even caring about any other team. I don't even follow any other sports all that closely. It's always been Caps hockey, all the time, for as long as I can remember. I've been through all the really bad times, all through my childhood when the Pens beat us every year in the 90s, every heart break that's happened since Ovie arrived. I even remember the rare good times too. I clearly remember when Juneau scored against the Sabres. I was too young to remember Hunter's goal against the Flyers, but I've been assured I was watching (as much as a toddler watches I guess). Joel Ward holds a special place in my heart.

But mostly, it's been bad times. Lots of blown leads, lots of miserable losses.

I just want so badly to get to the other side of the rainbow. To know what it feels like to watch your captain meet Bettman at center ice and watch your team skate that big silver beast. I ache to know that feeling. But I just don't think I ever will, nor will any other deserving Caps fan, because the team we root for always loses. Always.

So like I said, it's interesting. Because I know in my head how good they are and how realistic their chances are, and I know in my heart that they are the Capitals and will let me down. Because that's what they do. For now I'll stick with optimism, and revel in the idea that this could be the year.

But the dark cloud is there.

Maybe this year I won't need an umbrella.

In Trotz we trust.

Go Caps.

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