About Last Night

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Thank you for the positive vibes. I cannot ever remember the building being as Red, as loud and as electric as it was last night. You were the 7th man on the ice last night and the players and coaching staff and I are most appreciative of your support.

We can’t get too excited about last night’s performance. We had dug ourselves into quite a hole. We played desperate hockey as we weren’t ready to go home.

We now need to go to MSG in NYC on Sunday and refocus and get one more win. This will be our biggest challenge of the series.

We noted that we need a greasy goal or some unexpected help last night and we got it from First Star Player of the Game Matt Bradley who chipped in with the game’s first two goals. Thank you Matt.

And our young goaltender “From Russia with Glove” Simeon Varlamov continued to impress posting his second shutout of the series. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, our goaltender’s stats are better now than their goaltender’s stats. In 4 games he has let in 3 goals. Wow! He is now 2-2 in the series.

I think the 2006 draft was a pretty good one, huh?

Nick Backstrom, Simeon Varlamov, Oskar Osala, Michael Neuvirth. All four have played for the Caps this season. All four are 21 years of age or younger. I am very pleased that we chose to use the draft as our main platform for our rebuild. Our future is bright indeed. Getting four players with this much potential, productivity and talent in one draft - atop of the Ovechkin, Green et al draft in 2004 - augers well for our continued success.

Michael Neuvirth, by the way, pitched a shutout last night leading the Hershey Bears to a 1-0 win and a sweep in their first round playoff series. Congratulations to Hershey and to all of the people at the Bear’s franchise. Hershey as you recall also plays a big part in our overall strategy for success.

I thought our skill players played with control and passion last night too. Again, in case any one hasn’t noticed, Alex Semin is a beast in the playoffs. He has 7 goals, 7 assists and is a +6 in twelve games played.

And Alex Ovechkin is pretty special too. His goal last night was buzz worthy. He now has 6 points, 2 goals and is a +4 in five games. He has drawn 5 penalties and is playing MVP quality overall hockey.

The crowd was out of control last night. Right in front of me, a Rangers fan spilled an entire beer on two female fans who are season ticket holders. I had to help clean up the seats and call for security.

I saw the entire episode with the New York Rangers coach unfold before my eyes. I am sure the NHL will be looking into exactly what happened there as well. I won’t comment at all publicly because I trust the NHL will be doing its own research and will take any action if deemed appropriate.

You gotta have more cowbell. Sometimes I forget I own the team and can act silly and act like a fan which I am unabashed about. :-) A fan came up to me in the box and gave me a cowbell and for some reason, I just couldn’t put it away much to my wife’s chagrin. It is my new lucky charm alongside my undefeated gold watch which I now have to wear in NYC on Sunday.

Wish us well at MSG. It is still win or go home time. Thanks again for the positive vibes. Onward. Go Caps!

0 thoughts on “About Last Night”

  1. I’ve been a fan since “guaranteed win nights” in the 70s. It is so great to see the arena rocking. Thank you for all you have done to make Caps games a great experience.
    That said, please keep the atmosphere great by telling the fans behind the Ranger bench that they crossed the line. It should be easy enough to determine who has those seats. I sit in the upper level. I read the fine print on my ticket contract and I make sure that anyone who sits in my seats behaves. Don’t let Verizon Center sink to the level of MSG or Wachovia Center. We are better than that!
    Go CAPS!!!!

  2. Teddy I look forward to the game this afternoon. I have been wearing my RED CAPS HAT since I got out of bed this morning! ALL positive vibes. Lots of shots on goal and always think rebound. Its all about the team’s Relentless Determination. LETS GO CAPS!!!

  3. Well while your wife may have not liked the cow bell, I love the fact that you are not just an owner but a fan. Hope to see you on Tuesday. Go Caps.

  5. Maybe you should be a little less smug about new york fans since quite a few of your DC fans are pretty disgusting. You think “the Rangers coach” was unprovoked? Maybe you should be paying your security guards a little bit more so that they actually ensure the visiting teams are being harassed by the trash sitting behind the Rangers bench. Your building has now started a very bad precedent because now every time a team comes in there and your security “staff” is looking the other way, they are going to try to goad more coaches and players to react since they know a suspension would be coming down the pike.

    Oh, and were those awful rangers fans that you speak of also killing kittens and worshipping the devil? Because you know how bad all us Rangers fans are

  6. this is my 31 st year. Same seats and feel ownership and fans have an equal relationship interest. And enthusiasm .we are all emotionally invoved. Our Georgetown connection is also satisfying. Neil

  9. We’ll be watchin’(playing hookey from work) and I’m sure the boys will be ready….and like the cowbell thing!!

  10. Ted,
    It’s nice when an owner is an unabashed fan. Don’t get embarassed, just keep on cheering them on. Life’s too short to worry about how you look.

  11. Mr. Leonsis, you ROCK! I still haven’t quite recovered my voice since last night. I was at the game and am still feeling the euphoria. Will be watching tomorrow and hope to see the boys and you back at the phone booth on Tuesday!! C-A-P-S Caps Caps Caps!

  12. ted..brucie and some of the young guns are in unchartered territory..as in you shove the type of play back at a taem thats beating you …they can not react..both game three..and five..we dished what we were serverd..we blanked em..do you see a pattern here…this great caps team has to learn from there mistakes..to win sixteen times they are not gunna play the same style of hockey every series…brilliant on brucie,s part to start the grind line..it has been a very good line in the series..we grind the next two games..then we dont have to worry bout the number one pk any more…then our pp takes us to the dance….lets go caps…grind…dale hunter..grind..kono…..98caps

  13. Fans throwing stuff on the ice and at the bench has to stop. It is totally unacceptable and Security needs to police the stands — especially behind the visitors’ bench in EVERY NHL arena. I know the Caps will do the right thing in regard to what THEY can control.

  14. I sat in my house last night with four men who grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan (plus one, if you include my son (19) who was born in Bronxville,NY) all cheering for”My Caps” and they made us proud! I love to win. Anyone, one of the guys has a home on the island of Barbados, he said there are many Cap fans on the island. In Fact, there is a bar named Berts that has individual pictures of “The Caps” hanging on a wall, each one of them autographed. That bar must have been ROCKING THE RED last night!!!! The Power of Positive Thinking and a coach that’s willing to think outside the box. Lets Go Caps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  15. Ted, you looked great rocking the Cowbell on the scoreboard. When are you breaking out your jersey? Couldnt agree more about the arena rocking last night, hard to believe six years ago i was sitting in half-empty playoff games vs. Tampa..

  17. Fantastic game last night and I too have never heard it so loud in the Verizon Center. It was very intense on and off the ice thats for sure! Let’s keep up the intensity at MSG and most importantly Let’s Go Caps!!!!

  18. When I wear my new Caps hat, or the old Caps hoodie, they have beaten the Rangers. I’ll be flying to San Francisco on business during Sunday’s game, but you can bet I’ll have the hat AND the hoodie on. Hope I get to watch a 4PM PST Caps game on Tuesday. Lets Go Caps!

  19. Seems like the wrong day to make this comment – we should all still be giddy about last night and gearing up emotionally for tomorrow. And I love EVERYTHING you have done to improve the fan experience and the team itself. Until now. I’d like to chime in with David R from the last thread about the noise level in the building. The cheering is one thing (I love the energy so much, I can’t recommend anything be done about that), but the cowbells are becoming a real hazard. This may seem funny to you, Ted, sitting in your box. But try sitting in the stands surrounded by cowbells. There are certain sections that have now have a reputation as “cowbell hell.” I have been unlucky enough to sit in them – getting a headache by the 3rd period and my hearing doesn’t return to normal for almost 24 hours. I’m sure this is doing long-term damage to our hearing. As the number of cowbells in the stands increases, I see more fans arriving with earplugs every game. The cowbell may already be out of the barn, but Ted, can you put away your cowbell and let this die down a bit? I’d love to see the Christopher Walken video retired too.

    Whatever happens over the next few days, thanks for a great season, Ted!

  20. Ted, was great seeing you on the screen last night with the cowbell! And yes, the CAPS played great! Thanks so much for your continued efforts to bring great hockey to Washington. Much appreciated!! GO CAPS!

  21. We love you, Ted. Thanks for a great team, and also for unforgettable games at Verizon. See you at Game 7.

  22. That was the most exciting game I’ve ever been to. The crowd and the players were in it to win it. My sister has been to a couple of games this year (including last night), and every game they have won. Guess who will be coming to every game from now on?? :) Thanks Ted for being a great owner and hopefully we see you back on the big screen Tuesday night with your cowbell!!!

  23. If that team comes out playing on Sunday like they did last night then there will be a game 7 at VC.
    When the Caps play like that they are just to much for the Rangers and Henrik to handle.
    The VC was the loudest I have ever seen it, it was awesome, as was you and the cowbell.
    Remember on Sunday that you can never have to much cowbell :)

  24. What a tremendous win. Their confidence is back. Need an early goal or two to take the crowd out on Sunday.

  25. Ted, I am an alumni of University of North Dakota… just wait until you have Joe Finley here, dude.