Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins; they were clearly the better team last night and they deserved to win the game and the series.
As noted– they are a bit ahead of us in their rebuild; and their experience in big games in the playoffs shined through last night.They are a deep–talented– fast and skilled team and they deserved to move onto the next round.We wish them good luck the rest of the way in the playoffs.
We will decompress for a bit– get introspective and try to get some distance from the emotions of a tough game 7 loss in the second round to a team that was clearly better than us; while we made progress during the season — last night’s performance was a let down and shows we have much work left to do to meet our ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup.
We were all touched by the fan base last night — the two minute standing ovation at game’s end–in a blow out loss- was truly spectacular–and was moving and we are all appreciative of your thoughtfulness and your love.
We will give everyone a day to chill out– then hold meetings on Friday– and then get started on off season planning and get back to work next week.
Thank you for a great season; and a good playoff run– we will continue to improve; we are committed to meeting all of our goals; onward; Go Caps.
Class starts at the top. We (the fans) are a product of what you have developed with this franchise. Thank you Ted and Lets Go Caps!
You and your entire organization deserve high praise. I am confident that you and your excellent staff will take the steps necessary to produce another winning team next season.
I know you recognize the affection that the Capitals hold in the hearts of your fan base. Personally, I am of an age where I look at these fine young and dedicated players as if they were my own sons. We are with you all the way. Winning the Stanley Cup is only a matter of time. Thank you again for a wonderfully inspiring season, and we look forward to many more.
Hey Ted,
Great series.
I’m a Pens fan but you have one fantastic team. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty more of these matchups. And I’m sure you’ll be on the winning end of some.
Keep up the good work down in the DC area. I was at the game Saturday night (yes, I managed to get tickets and not saying how!) and I was astonished by the support for your team. It certainly has changed since I was last there 10 years ago.
Good luck and we’ll see you guys again next season!
Don’t forget to remind George about the huge rugged d-man Komisarek in Montreal who is a free agent!!!
A bit of a disappointing end but it was a hell of a series irregardless. Just a word to Caps management LET GO OF THEODORE. Thank-you looking forward to next year Mr.Leonsis hopefully we’ll all be rocking the red this time next year.
Ted,
Thank you, the organization, coaches and the players for a very remarkable season. Although game 7 was tough to swallow it was enlightening to see the fans applaud the players at the end of the game who are taking this harder than anyone. It was also great to see the players salute the fans, I can’t think of any other sport where the losing team does this which is what makes this sport and especially this organization unique. Hopefully Green and Ovechkin bring home some hardware in the off season
My family is counting down the days till next season.
Congrats again on an awesome season! Rest up boys!
As a soon-to-graduate high school senior, it was so thrilling spending my last year of high school with the Caps. As a season tix holder, the experience was amazing. I made so many new friends in my wonderful section of 104 (woohoo!) and had a blast losing my voice every night I went to a game from screaming too hard *laughs*. Thank you so much for an awesome season, and I’ll be sure to be loud and proud when I come visit from college (I’ll be in Bruins territory… yikes!!) Thanks Ted(and everyone)! LET’S GO CAPS!!!
Thank you Ted, and all of the team and coaches and unsung heroes of the sales and marketing staff, for a great season. You introduced hockey into the lives, or back into the lives, of thousands of people. Looking forward to next season.
Hope you had a chance to read John Feinstein’s article about the Caps in Friday’s online version of the Washington Post….
I was at the game on Wednesday and although we had a disappointing outcome, it was exciting to be there and actually experience the “sea of red”…..
Ted,
I think they were the better team 5-on-5. Our PP is clearly superior to theirs in numbers this playoff season. Our goalie is also far superior this playoffs then theirs.
No one can convince me that if the refs didn’t swallow their whistles with regards to the Pens that our PP wouldn’t have dissected Fleury and the Pens and ended this series in 5 or 6.
Playing half-court hockey took its toll on the Caps and they were flat for game 7.
I would like to see the results of one playoff series where we didn’t have to contend with two extra zebra striped skaters on the other team.
Sapper
Thank you!!!!
I cannot say thank you enough for all that you have brought to DC hockey. While the loss Wednesday night was beyond painful, true Caps fans know the future is bright. And I was very happy to see how many true Caps fans we had by the standing ovation Varlamov was given when he left the game and the final 2 minutes.
My 7 year old son is still rocking his Mike Green inspired mohawk that he begged for since the playoffs last year. And my NBA loving husband has watched every single Caps game with me this year.
My best friend, a Candaian transplant to Nashville, and huge Preds fan is begging for any one of our Russians. She came up to watch the Preds play here, and I went down to Nashville to see the Caps.
Thank you again for giving Caps fan a quality product with quality, class guys.
ROCK THE RED!!! Can’t wait until next year.
became a fan in mid 80s, was tdy with USAF and have been rooting for Caps ever since…has been the most exciting year yet….not many Caps fans down here in NC….thanks for a great year….Docsny, Catfish NC
The appreciation goes both ways. Thank you Capitals & Mr. Leonsis.
Ted & Caps: Thanks for a terrific year. I grew up on Long Island and was a huge Islander fans. I thought nothing could inspire me the way Trottier and Bossy did in the early 80s. I never thought I would see anyone like them (and Gretzky who dethroned them) again — but Ovechkin and, soon, Backstrom are possiblities. I sort of lost track of hockey after leaving the Island, even being here 15 years now. But at the end of last year, I rediscovered it through the Caps — and this year was a great ride and introduced my kids to the thrill of hockey. Watching Green on the power play reminded me of Potvin. You’ve made us life-long fans and I can’t wait to actually take the kids to their first game next year. Don’t let 1 bad game define your year — regroup and we’ll get them next year. Only sorry we have to wait so many months to watch you all again. Go Caps.
Mike
Thanks for a great season Ted. I think the last two minutes of the game speaks volumes about what you’ve done for this team, and this town. DC, impossibly, has become a hockey town. There will be much more to celebrate in the years to come. LET’S GO CAPS!
While the two minute ovation was a great sign of respect towards the players, the fans of Washington are the ones that deserve the ovation.
Like the Penguins the Capitals have seen a great increase in their fan base and it shows that these fans are here to stay. Caps fans stayed until the end not turning on their team, but supporting them the whole way. Ted you should be proud not only of your players that played well in the regular season, but the fans are the ones that make this game great.
The Caps have been on the losing end of some tough games against the Penguins but there is no doubt in my mind that one day soon the Capitals fans will get to taste sweet victory on their tongues.
True points Ted. We’re so close! Keep the heads up. Go Caps!
Ted:
Thank you for creating–not just a team–but an epic story for this sport: from “rags to riches;” from obscurity to center stage; from just catching up to reframing the rules and tone of the game, as Don Cherry’s frustration shows. You have been my hero from AOL on.
I agree with the sports writer (maybe it was Tarik) who said that game 7 brought into sharp focus the team’s remaining deficiencies and glaring gaps. Talent, charisma, brilliant coaching, a bigger-than-life star etc. may have carried us a bit too fast, too far. And our expectations rose even faster and burdened this team–still struggling with confidence and identity. Our bubble was popped last Wednesday and the team literally collapsed. But I think, in the end, this will be far more beneficial than a one-goal loss or even a narrow win that would feed our delusions. This breakdown will be the jolt that is probably needed to continue the transformation and go even more aggressively toward goals–not just tinker on the edges.
I agree with Tarik’s assessment of goaltending, defense and net presence being areas that need to be strengthened. My own concern has always been goaltending. We saw in these playoffs how goaltending can make all the difference up or down.
This young team is still inconsistent and somewhat unsure of its identity; it needs stellar and stable goal-tending. Varly will be great but is still young and I am not sure about the extent of his mental toughness and emotional maturity. He needs a solid, experienced back-up–more of an equal rather than a rarely used back-up. In my opinion neither Johny nor Theo fits the bill. I hope that the club will make an investment in building the defense infrastructure, starting with unassailable goaltending.
Thank you again for a riveting season and the most exciting team in NHL.
Anna Caraveli
You’re right. As much as it kills me to admit, they deserved the win. Hats off to the Caps for an outstanding season though. We may not be ready yet, but I know we will be… Thanks Ted! I’ll be rocking my red all summer
Thank YOU, Ted. It was an awesome season, and an awesome show of support by the fans at the end of the game.
Let the off-season games begin!
GO CAPS!
As a fan of the Pens and hockey since 1974, I just wanted to comment on the ovation at the end of game 7. Kudos to the Caps fans for being first class. It more than atoned for a few bad incidents from a vast minority of chucklehead fans (for both teams) earlier in the series and ended a truly memorable series in high style. I only wish the TV cameras would have caught a little more of the players’ appreciation at the end of the game.
If this series was any indication, we could be adding Washington-Pittsburgh to the list of storied rivalries like Boston-Montreal and Detroit-Colorado.
I must say that I was so conflicted on Wednesday night - one part of me wanted to just leave early, go home, and try to forget about the debacle that I was watching on the ice. The other part of me (the part that prevailed) said I should stick it out until the end to show my respect to the players and everyone else involved with this season. I absolutely HATE when people leave early, but the thought of enduring the taunts of the Shittsburgh fans was almost too much to bear. However, being part of that 2-minute ovation at the end, watching Ovie trying to make amends with Gonchar, and then seeing the team acknowledge the crowd made me proud to support this team. It will be a long summer, but my seats are renewed for next year and I look forward to an even longer playoff run.
Mr. Leonsis;
I’m a Penguin fan and what you had to say showed a lot of class. I’m fond of the Caps too, I saw my 1st NHL game @ the old Capital Centre when I was in the Navy.
Keep your heads high, you have a helluva team there! Peace, G.B.
Well said. How wonderful for the Owner and Ultimate Fan of our team to have such solid perspective and to be so magnanimous to the other guys. Thanks for a great eight-month ride!
Last nights game brought tears as I so wanted this amazingly talented group of young men to reach their dreams. I really feel they have earned the right to such success.
As a fan since 1982 I have dealt with sadness to be certain but strangely last night the calmness that overtook and I believe was echoed by our show of appreciation is this - we now KNOW the cup is coming. Not if but when…..
Thank you to all the office folks who work so tirelessly behind the scenes and to these amazing men who wear the red!!
I was pregnant with my son when we were lucky enough to be with the team when they won for the first time on the Island (loved and still miss the Patrick Div)….still when the OT never seemed to end @ Cap Center and this year I got to bring his son to a playoff game - I have such a wonderful life!!
Thank you for being such a positive part of it….can’t wait for October!!
Hi Mr. Leonsis,
Thanks for your classy statement. I am originally from the DC area having since moved to Pittsburgh. I am an avid lover of hockey and have been since the Caps first started to play. Yes I like the Pens, but the Caps are clearly my second favorite.
You have an amazing team. And thank you so much for the way you have chosen to build them — on speed, ability and character, not clutching, grabbing, and left-wing locking. I wish this series could have gone on for the rest of the playoffs, it was such a pleasure to watch. I’m really sorry it had to end.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. You’ve brought class and excitement to hockey in DC. I will come down to see a game (non-Pens) next year. I wish you the best and I am sure that one day your team will have their names inscribed on the best trophy in all of pro sports.
All the best,
Kevin Long
As a Pens fan, Mr. Leonsis, your comments are appreciated. The Caps/Pens rivalry will be one for the ages, and I’m really excited to see the players you guys have on the team. There’s lots of talent in the Capital, and I’m sure the fans there are looking towards next season. Oh, and one more thing - if I had a vote next year, it would be “Varlamov for the Calder Trophy”!
Great season!! The ending kinda stunk but what the heck, I didnt think it was our year yet anyway. Hey one suggestion for next season though, when the Pens are on the schedule why dont we just call up the entire Hershey team and let our regulars rest since the refs will just call the game from one side anyway, send the league a message and just play Hershey when we play Pitt during the regular season. I know it is extreme but it would only take one game to wake up the league office. Thanks again and have a great off season GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!
Teddy, I find it amazing how attached I became to the team. It was a difficult and unexpected loss to a Proud and Great Season. I know everyone is looking forward. You really have developed a great team and organization. I continue to look forward to enjoying your wonderful perspective on people, life, and business. Thanks for sharing, it’s a gift. Enjoy your family and summer. GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!
Ted
As a season ticket holder, I’m crushed by the effort in Game 7, but proud of a major step forward this season. You deserve praise for the class of the organization, and your treatment of your fans. The game experience, the product on the ice, and the way you are developing it, are all first class, and you deserve our support. You have set the organization up as the antithesis of the Redskins and their owner, which is the biggest compliment you can get. Yes there are holes to fill, and playoff hockey exposes weaknesses. It was obvious that the way to attack the Caps was dump the puck in the corners and pressure the defensemen to turn it over. That was evident most of the season, it could be overcome in a open-skating regular season game, but in tighter playoff hockey, it was a killer. Some of those sins were overcome by exceptional goaltending, but you can rely on that and go far. An adjustment was not made to address the way teams attacked the Caps, and the coaching staff needs to study this, because the style of play in the playoffs will not be changing, we have to adapt. In hindsight, a player like Billy Guerin, who the Pens got for a 4th rounder, was a steal, and exactly the kind of grizzled, veteran playoff winner that could have been an huge help to the team on the ice, in the corners, and in the locker room. I have been a huge hockey fan for 40 years, and the team did not always play with the air of desperation for a full 60 minutes every playoff game. It’s tough to get to that level every night, but look at the remaining teams and you will see it. Maybe it’s an intangible that only comes with experience. I hope that’s the answer. Let’s hope the team uses this hurt to motivate and build a burning desire. Can’t wait to drop the puck next year.
Thanks for the kind words Ted. Although I’m sure it pained you to say so(understandably…)
As a pens fan I hate to say it, but your team will be back, and will have the penguins hands more than full in future matchups.
Sapper: Are you kidding me? Take your red colored glasses off. The Caps PP sure was better than the Pens’, no doubt. But better than the Pens 5v5? Wrong. And while Fleury was not very sharp this round, he was sharp when he needed to be. Conversely, Varly was great in the first two games, the reason that the Caps won game 1, but after that, he was average. The Pens, for all their shots, really did not test him that much. They just wore him down.
It was a great series and I’d enjoy another in the years to come.
Ted,
Great series and the foundation is being built for long term success. I love pure skill hockey and this series was exceptional. To the 2 classless morons who are whining about the officiating get a life. The Pens outworked us and we will learn from it but the series was clearly decided on the ice by the players.
Ted,
Great season that came from years of hard work. Kudos to GMGM (who seems to take some flak, why I’m not sure). You have us on the right path. With any luck and some savvy moves we will make it all the way next year. GO CAPS! ROCK THE RED!!
A bit too much self congratulation going on here. Yes, the team had a “good” season. But the fact remains that they almost lost to a clearly inferior team, Rangers, and blew a 2-0 lead to Pittsburgh. And enough about being a year or two behind Pittsburgh in rebuilding. CHICAGO is a year or two behind the Caps in rebuilding and look where they are. Let’s take off the rose colored glasses.
This was a fantastic series, but what I am tired of hearing is fans complaining about the refs. Referees in this league have been vastly inconsistent for as long as I can remember. Had it not been for Varly making nearly 40 saves per night, this series is won by the
Pens in five.
I have been watching hockey for 34 years, am a die hard Pens fan, and i don’t remember the last time we played such a scary team. Every time Ovy would touch the puck in the offensive zone, my stomach would turn. I just hope he will mature some, and stop with all the “NFL” like celebration business. In any case, Caps and Pens fans have a lot to look forward to with the amazing young talent that both teams have!
Ted,
After a hard faught series (and an interuption by your favorite artist Yanni), I certainly respect your comments. I’ve been a lifelong Pens’ fan, but I wonder what I’d be now - if my parents had stayed in Virginia in the early 70’s. While I probably yelled at the TV when they showed you - I now take those things back. You are a class act and I only hope someday I can be as successful as you. Peace to the hockey world and I hope you keep the pucks out of your net (unless you’re playing the Pens)!!!!!!
Thanks much for you’re kind words,
Duber
I was one of the fans cheering the Caps at the game’s end. But let’s be honest, it was humiliating - I could swallow the loss easier if the team had been competitive. Down 2 goals - well step up the pressure and score 2 ourselves, we know they could do it. My friend covered her eyes after the 4th goal and said “Make it stop!” We agreed that if the Caps didn’t score, we wouldn’t be able to show our faces at work the next day. But while I admire what the team did during the season, I can’t understand why they didn’t come to play in their biggest Game 7 ever, which was probably watched by more viewers than any Caps game in history. What a waste of an opportunity! There is no guarantee we’ll even get to playoffs next year, much less the semis.
So now I’ve gone from appreciation, to anger, to puzzlement. I’ve been a STH for over a decade and one of those in the stands cheering when we only won 28 games. I love my Caps and will cheer them on again, but I can only hope they learned a valuable lesson from Game 7; that there is no excuse to play like they did. That said, Let’s Go Caps!
Dear Ted i watched this series out of the love of hockey plus a bit of spying on who my home team might meet for the Cup .
Your team flashed me back to the days when us Red Wings fans just had Steve Y and a few stars good thing is with a few new peices your team will reach the finals .
Varlamov looks like he will become a great goalie for years to come but not trying to nitpick but you need a better backup goalie. Also you need to work with Alex man that guy is and i think he did hurt himself . By no mean have him stop hitting but teach him to pick his spots better and not put himself at such risk .
To the fans hats off to you the team must have felt a whole lot better having you stand behind them when things went so bad in game 7 . But understand that is the way game 7 is look back Wings 6 or 7 Avs 0 that could have happened to the Pens also