Okay I admit it, I'm a fan boy - a very competitive fan boy - but a fan boy none the less. Yes I've played hockey growing up, even a little semi-formal" club level/DIII hockey a long time ago in college. I also admit I wasn't very good, nor were the teams I played on. So while I have some knowledge of ice hockey I consider myself a fan boy. I did other sports much more seriously though and I'm quite competitive. As a Capitals fan, last season (2013-14) was frustrating for me - as I absolutely love spending money to go see NHL playoff games and "my" Washington Capitals did not make the playoffs. So this season with the Capitals on track to make the playoffs if they keep up the pace they've been playing my fan boy cheers are there to exhort our Capitals on to a clear path to the playoffs. To me that means 100 points and 40+ ROW (Regulation/Overtime Wins). Sure as some have pointed out 95 points will probably be good enough in the East to make the post season, but I say - why chance it. Go for 100+ and be safe. The Capitals are currently on track - if they keep playing to their 2014-15 "norm" the rest of the season. This season over the first 46 games our Washington Capitals have played 0.619+ hockey and are on track for 101 points. So I say stay the course Caps, don't let up, don't look back or down the standings at teams like Florida, or even Boston; look up at Pittsburgh, and even the New York Islanders, that way you'll be striving for excellence, rather than working to prevent any sort of collapse/slide. Working to avoid something rather than achieve something just doesn't seem to me to be a "winning posture/mentality," nor does trying to be "just good enough" to get to the next step up from where you finished the prior season. That's why I say reach for the stars, if you fall a little short, what's the worst thing that could happen - you get to Mars? Think about it. Strive for 100+ points and only get 98, you're probably still good to go for "the second season" - strive to squeak into the playoffs and miss, what happens - get the golf shoes out, ... AGAIN. So I say skate fast, play hard (all 60+ minutes, have fun and win.
That's should be tonight's theme in Columbus - let's all push for the Caps to play so well tonight Holtby gets shutout number five, we don't hear that obnoxious cannon and Ovi gets the hat-trick just like Tavares did in the ASG out there.
Keys tonight for the Caps: a) hit on all eight cylinders all night long; b) backcheck, backcheck, backcheck; c) play the Blue Jackets key weapons tight to stifle there game and take it to them all night; d) win the faceoff and therefore the puck possession battle; and finally e) keep it simple and shoot the puck on net, a lot.
Okay, forget about the last three games before the all star break and
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment