(1) I do not condone the fan behaviour at the end of the game. Out of certain Pens fans or Caps fans. But let’s realize one thing — a part of the reason this happens is because people are egged on to get caught up in the passion. Why? Because it’s part of the marketing plan, and part of the strategy to make the opponent feel as uncomfortable as possible. Statistics will tell you the problem with this — there will be an extreme 1% of the population who will get caught up in it to such an extent that they cross certain barriers that the other 99% see as inviolate. Again, as one of the 99% I don’t condone this. But I know it is very likely to happen. We should not be surprised. And maybe we ought to tone down the violence-oriented marketing just a bit. If you stoke up the passion of a large number of people, the small percentage at the extremes will cause difficulty.

(2) Whether expressed appropriately or inappropriately, the attitude of Caps fans at the end of the game was perfectly justifiable. Because frankly, the officiating toward the end of the game was unjustifiable. I have seen lots of fan comments and columnist comments during this series about the disparity of penalties, saying that the Penguins skaters are being more aggressive and skilled and causing more penalties to be taken. Let’s assume for the moment that this is the reason for the overall series disparity - and I think the explanation has some merit. The fact is, that the Caps began the overtime by taking it to the Pens, so by that explanation it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that the Pens would need to take a penalty at some point. And they did. The trip on Semin, after a couple of other chances the Caps had around the net, was clear, blatant, and out in the open ice where it couldn’t possibly be missed. But nothing was called. And then, after the Pens had nothing going for the majority of their power play after the Malkin trip, one of the Caps defenders [Gordon] was clearly a victim of interference as the Pens started the last rush up ice. Again, clear, blatant, and out on open ice, and committed by the team that, given the power play situation, was playing less effectively at the moment. You can’t have it both ways, expecting penalties when you are playing effectively and expecting to have your penalties called when you are not. This is not whining. It is simply the reality of what took place at the end of Saturday’s game.

(3) The Penguins fans really have nothing to say about the Ovechkin/Gonchar encounter unless they have something equivalent or more to say about the Kunitz check to Varlamov’s throat. The Ovechkin move was a skating move done in an instant, in the heat and full context of play. There can’t be anything premeditated about a move when things are happening so fast, and it was a “sort of natural” body move when maybe the opponent moves in a little different way than you had planned for. A cross-check to the throat, while it happened in the context of play, is in no way a “sort of natural” move. It is seen and taught as a totally inappropriate way to use one’s stick. Let’s face up to these incidents for what they really are.

You’re incredibly wealthy thus you must be pretty smart so I figure you know the definition of “contradiction”, right?

Paragraph one you say “We can’t whine…” yet in paragraph 4 you do exactly that, you whine. That’s a contradiction. You’ve whined about the officiating on multiple occasions as well as the back-to-back games.

Please answer this, do you really think the referees and league officials sat down in a secret meeting and discussed how they could ensure the Pens won the series? Do you think Gary Bettman called Bill McCreary and Eric Furlatt just before Game 5 OT began to ensure they called a penalty against the Caps and not the Pens?? Are you insinuating there is a conspiracy against your team?

You are the leader of this team, please set a good example and don’t insinuate the NHL is full of cheaters, it only makes you look foolish.

That’s all fine, but the best quote I heard still came from Pens’ defenseman Brooks Orpik, who was asked if the sound of silence after the game-winner was the best sound in the world. He paused. Then he said that the sound of silence in Philadelphia was better.

“That’s just because the fans here, the fans here are a lot classier,”* Orpik said. “But that was pretty good, that was a pretty good second.”

* Offer does not include the fans who shouted homophobic slurs about Sidney Crosby, nor the fan I saw who punched a Penguins fan in the mouth in a concession line drawing blood, nor the dozens of fans who threw bottles and balls (?) and pom-poms onto the ice in overtime.

^ I’m the one who got punched in the mouth…

I was very disappointed with the larger than normal cohort of Capitals fans that gave the true fans a bad name. We were covered in food and beer when we left. I understand that we are susceptible to verbal tirades being in another team’s stadium, but I never expected to have to fear for my own safety as a result of unprovoked threats and assaults throughout the game. I hope none of the Capitals fans ever experience this in Mellon Arena.

Case in point - at the game the other night there was one of those fantastic fans in front of us. He wouldn’t shut up and he wouldn’t stop drinking. He kept standing up during play and yelling at fans. He started threatening and yelling at the guy in front of him who just turned around to ask him to stop. It was 2 seconds from seeing one less guins fan walking out the door when “Security” came by and escorted him out…..of the section - We saw him not 10 minutes later walking around the concourse still yelling and threatening people while the “security” were talking and texting on their cell phones.

People only can take so much abuse.

All that being said…I say we bring this thing home for game 7….again.