Comments on: The End of the Road

By: Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Nicklas Backstrom Arrive in Sweden for the 2012 World Championships

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:19:17 +0000

[...] the Capitals lost in Game Seven to New York on Saturday, it freed up Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, and Alex Semin to play for [...]

By: SO_CAL_Brat

SO_CAL_Brat — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:14:00 +0000

Thank you RMNB!!! I couldn’t have survived this season without you. Seriously, it was a rough season. I found myself pillaging through your blogs for answers, sanity & an all around good time. With RMNB it’ll be completely, mostly survivable. Can’t wait for the day we ultimately get to “bailamos”…..cause I will be “bailamosing” my a$$ off.

Looking ahead to 2012-13 Season: CAPS in 98

By: Daisy

Daisy — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:28:00 +0000

I only just found your blog this year and I don’t know why it took me so long. You have made my love for the Caps even greater then it was before. I’m really sad that the season is over for them but I’m hoping I will still have lots of reasons to check your site over and over until next season starts.

By: beesoccer

beesoccer — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:47:00 +0000

I have always followed the caps and after finding this blog this season, it has made the experience of watching the games 10 times better. Checking the posts here soon became habitual and I am so glad it did. While I wish the caps had won, I think they played well over the playoffs and I am looking forward to next season with high hopes and a promising new goalie with maybe some modifications of Hunter hockey to better fit the personnel that the caps have. Just as a side note from the end of last season I had been an advocate of a Holtby-Neuvirth tandem in net and was not too excited about the addition of Vokoun though he was pretty good when he played. Hopefully the caps can come back stronger from this next season and CRASH THE NET!!

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:56:00 +0000

Thanks for everything, Russian Machine! I always look forward to reading all of your pre-games, post-games, and everything in between. Keep it up, and I look forward to more RMNB as the days go by!

By: CharmCitySportsFan

CharmCitySportsFan — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Thanks so much for entertaining and informing me about all things hockey related (Mostly hockey related – LOL) this year. This is where I go for the best Caps coverage every day and I can’t wait until next season. You guys get better every year!
Oh, one more thing, thanks for the O’s coverage. It helps a Bel Air, MD fan to have even more of a connection with a DC team. : )

By: Dara Goldberg

Dara Goldberg — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:51:00 +0000

Thanks for a great season! Somehow you’re always right on the mark about Semin, which is refreshing to read. Lots of love from Baltimore!

By: Road worrier

Road worrier — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Hunter Hockey is the way of the future (until there is another lockout and the rule. makers decide to free up offenses again). Look at Philly, Chicago and Vancouver, great offensive teams that folded to the likes of Nashville, New Jersey and LA, known for defense and goalies, just as the Caps did in previous years. The Caps were 1-2 breaks away from winning this series in 6. I think the ’98 Caps of Kolzig and Juneau and Hunter (with Bondra as offensive relief) are where we are headed, or where Dale is taking us.

By: Rhino40

Rhino40 — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:29:00 +0000

“There is no monumental failing to pin this on. No personality flaw or
injury or malign external force can take the blame. The Caps played the
best hockey they could muster and came out on the losers in the end.
There should be no shame in that. “Choking dogs” can lie down.”

Well said, Peter.

I think “Looking for answers” was never a more apt phrase than this time around. “Porous defense”? NOPE. “Mentally and physically soft”? uh-uh. “Halak’d” Not exactly. “Hot Goaltender”? Ours was just as hot. “Bad penalty killing”? Um, no.

What’s left? Only the metaphysical: Why do the Hockey Gods hate us so much, and what can be done to remedy it?

This one hurts more than the others precisely because we did so many, many things right…only to end up in a supporting role to another team’s lore and legends, and because the some of the best all-around hockey played by the Caps in recent memory–both individually and as a team–seemingly went for naught.

It is inevitable that some will call for firing everybody, blowing up the team, etc. Some of those voices might call for throwing Joel Ward under the bus because of the late penalty that contributed significantly to the loss of Game 5 (had we won, there might have been no Game 7 and we would be gearing up for the Devils. But I say unto them: Don’t even go there. Because without Joel Ward we also might not have eliminated the Bruins.

Your site rocks and so do the Caps, Peter.

By: @CapsFans1921

@CapsFans1921 — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:10:00 +0000

The best Caps blog by far! Fun, entertaining and always witty.

Last night stings, and it will for a while, but if anyone who calls them self a “fan” is disappointed by this run the Caps made, feel free to show yourself to the door. We had the highest of highs, and lowest of lows. In January this team was destined not to make the post season, and look at what they accomplished. Silenced a lot of critics, and gave us some great memories.

GMGM is a great hockey mind, DH32 is a great coach, these two together will do what is right, and good for the organization. Next year will be fun to watch. Until then, rest up Caps Nation. 2012-2013 season is right around the corner. . .

#CapsIn2013

Go Caps!