Why You Don't Stop Believing

Washington D.C. sports teams suck. It pains me to say this because I love all of our teams. Of all the cities that have at least 3 sports teams, D.C. has had the least amount of appearances in a conference championship (or for that matter, a league championship) in the last 20 years—and it's not like it's close.

In fact, it’s embarrassing and what has been referred to as "the D.C. Sports Curse." I've always firmly held that there is no curse, it just doesn't exist. Instead, it boiled down to a case of poor management which trumped up players that weren't as good as we thought and some good old-fashioned bad luck (here's an article I wrote about it for NoVaCaps.com).

As of Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018 that 0 for DC is now a 1. Technically, that 0 changed when the Capitals beat the Penguins on May 7th, 2018 and moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals—we'll get to that later. At any rate, the Capitals didn't just break the curse, they shattered it. This wasn't a series win on a lucky bounce (the kind that had failed them so many times in the past). They MANHANDLED the Tampa Bay Lightning team in both game 6 and game 7. They TOOK the series from the best team in the Eastern Conference all season, and now they are the best team in the East.

Look at how pumped Ovi is! 

This years playoff run has been a lesson in faith and belief in the Capitals for me. It started off with a wet thud. In the first round, the Caps were down 2 games to none to the Columbus Blue Jackets. I mean, seriously? Columbus? They've never even won a playoffs series —what kind of crap was this? Now, I had the luxury of being in Disney World as the Caps limped to a 0-2 hole in the series, so it was easy to not get too down on this inauspicious start.

I told my crew over at ROCKDEEP ROGUE RADIO that they all needed to pull an Aaron Rodgers and RELAX. The Caps rewarded my faith and won 4 straight games to take the series. In doing so, they vanquished a long time thorn in their side, Columbus Coach, John Tortorella. He had previously been the bench boss for the New York Rangers when they repeatedly broke Caps fans' hearts. It was awesome seeing the Caps beat the Blue Jackets and seeing the disappointment all over Tortorella's face.

Seriously, look at him. He looks like such a smug prick. Hope you're enjoying your vacation by the way :)

Their next challenge? Their dreaded rivals, the 2-time defending Stanley Cup Champion, Pittsburgh Penguins. The team who has beaten the Capitals 9 times in 10 playoff match ups. Washington had not won a series against Pittsburgh this century. In fact, they had lost to the Penguins the past 2 years in a row. The prior season, 2017, was an especially bitter pill: the Capitals team had won more games than any prior Washington team. This was the best hockey team the Caps had assembled and they were still inadequate in beating the Penguins. Every Capitals fan on the face of the planet went into this series holding their breath, hoping that this year wouldn't be another gut punch. Here's what we got:

The Caps finally broke through! They beat their hated rivals in 6 games. Ovechkin scored a game winning goal in Pittsburgh and the Pens fans flipped him off —it was glorious. Everything that had previously been a heartbreaking event in Caps history had been flipped on it's head.

In a crucial game 5 with the score tied, the Caps erupted for 4 goals in the final period to win 6-2. Then, in the game 6 contest, they won in overtime to take the series! The Caps don't do this—the typical narrative with this team is lose a close contest in the playoffs to a team that finds a second gear. If the game goes to overtime, it will last forever and then eventually the Capitals will lose in some awful fashion. Not this time. Not this year. They were moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years!

Next up —the Tampa Bay Lightning team. The Caps had a history with Tampa, but nothing like the Penguins. In their two previous match ups against Lightning, Washington had lost 4 games to 2. In fact they were swept in their most recent meeting from 2011. This series looked to be different for the Caps as they won the first 2 games in convincing fashion in Tampa!

smooth sailing to the Stanley Cup Finals, right? Well...

Unfortunately, this series defied any sort of logic. Typically, if a team wins the first 2 games of a series away from home, when they return to their "barn," it is mostly a foregone conclusion that it's over. Tampa beat the Caps in D.C. twice to even the series. When the series returned to Tampa for game 5, it was more of the same as Tampa took their 3rd straight game. The Caps were on the brink of elimination for the first time this playoff season. A pivotal game 6 was in D.C., and if the Capitals hoped to continue their season, they would have to win 2 games in a row.
Now, obviously, you know how this turns out from the beginning of this article, but the details are what matter; things looked bleak as the Capitals headed into game 6.

In years past, they would have played nervous and panicked. Their opposition would have come out very poised and calm, making short work of Washington and moving on to the Finals in front of Capitals fans—but not this year. This team refused to lose, they dominated Tampa. In fact, they shut out the highest scoring team in the NHL in a convincing game 6 win. Then, for their encore, they shut them out in game 7! Who is this team wearing the red, white, and blue of Washington?

The Eastern Conference Champs, that's who they are! :)

This is why I love sports. This is why I never stop believing in the my teams. This is why I created the #BelieveDC with the ROCKDEEP ROGUE RADIO crew. You can change that narrative. You can flip the script. Just because history says one thing, doesn't mean you have to be tied to it for eternity.

I was tired of the negativity from fans, of the "same ol' Caps" lament that EVERY fan would sing. Positivity and believing are super easy. All you have to do is just keep thinking that your team can do it. Now, when you're team is down 3-2 in a best of 7 series, I know it's tough to think they'll win—I get it. When things don't go your way, that's when it's hardest to believe; but that is when it is the most important. I saw a quote that really fits well for the Caps and their struggles. Plus, I feel that it shows why they will prevail in the Stanley Cup Finals.

When you look at what the Capitals have accomplished this season, they have vanquished so many of their playoff demons. They beat John Tortorella. They finally beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in only 6 games! They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning(which, on a personal level, my lowest point as a Caps fan was when they got swept in 2011); a team that was chock full of former New York Rangers who had dispatched the Caps several times before.

If they end up beating the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the Cup, it will be against former Penguins/current Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and former Capital defenseman Nate Schmidt, so there is some history there. Not only that, the GM of the Golden Knights—George McPhee, the man who is responsible for drafting Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby and many of the "Rock the Red" Capitals alumni. If they end up winning, it would be through all of the ghosts of the past, which in the end, would be the best story you could ask for!

This is why you don't stop believing. Not because you're a huge Journey fan, but because your faith can be rewarded in marvelous ways