Win or Die
Game 7 between the Capitals and the Penguins is the most important night to DC Sports fans in this millennium. No DC franchise has been to a conference final game since the capitals in 1999. This Capitals team has all the tools to finally do that.
The DC area has been home to some absolutely terrible sports teams since the Redskins last won the Super Bowl in 1992. DC has also been home to some really talented teams that weren’t good enough to realistically win a title. Wednesday night we could finally see a team get back to a Conference finals. They are DC’s best shot to win a title in the immediate future. The Wizards team that is playing the Celtics in the second round of the NBA playoffs could get to the Eastern Conference Finals as well. John Wall is on fire and there are a lot of very good pieces, but in the end they won’t be able to defeat the Cavs. Even if they did beat the Cavs, they wouldn’t be able to get past the Warriors or another strong West Coast team. I’d be willing to bet the Nationals can win their division this year, but I’m not willing to bet on them in the playoffs just yet. The Redskins are a nightmare right now and if they turn out to be the next DC team to win a title we are pretty screwed. But there’s something different about this Capitals team. The Capitals have the chance to lift the dark cloud of pain and agony that has hovered over DC since 1992. Just winning this game has the ability to change the entire attitude of sports fans in this city. It could truly give us hope.
This Capitals team could be the best team DC has had in that stretch. There are two future Hall of Fame players, the best goalie in the sport and a lot of talented depth. Ovechkin and Backstrom are surrounded by one of the most talented groups in the game right now. They have the talent level to win a title. Historically however, the Penguins own the Caps in the playoffs. The Penguins have defeated the Caps 8 out of 9 times. But seeing the Caps play two very good games with their backs against the wall has changed all of the momentum for game 7. They played very well in DC on Saturday afternoon and then were dominant Monday night. They can do this. Frankly if they don’t win on Wednesday the Caps probably won’t be able to make a real run at the cup for some time.
History will be made this Wednesday night. When the puck drops shortly after 7:30 pm the most important game to DC sports in this millennium will begin, hopefully the Caps can win it.
