Take a seat. Relax. Smile. Don’t be smug or self-satisfied. Just have a moment to enjoy that your Washington Capitals are in first place in all of the NHL. Check out the standings.
We have the most points. We have the most goals.
We are grateful. We played well last night winning in a 3-0 shutout on the road in Tampa.
We are off to our best start in franchise history at the 30 game mark.
We are starting to get healthy again. We have great goaltending. How can Varly NOT be considered the top rookie in the entire NHL?We expect Mike Knuble to be added back to the lineup soon.
We have so much work to do. We know we aren’t a great team yet. We know we are open to criticism and we certainly hear about our shortcomings. But for just this one moment - just this split second - it is OK for us to smile and say “well done.” We have the best record in hockey. I have never experienced that before as an owner. It feels pretty good. Ahh - peace; harmony; a feeling of well being…
OK. Snap out of it. What was I thinking? Start worrying again. Go Caps!
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Hockey, NHL, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
All that work and time you and the organization as a whole put in with the rebuild is finally really paying off. You should enjoy this moment Ted, you earned it. Now all the caps have to do is continue to improve their play and carry it into the playoffs and the cup will be coming to DC come June.
Well done Ted and team! You guys ROCK! Let’s go CAPS!
Congratulations on having the best team in the NHL. Hoping against all hope that I get the Caps tickets for Christmas that I have been asking for, so that I can come down and see the number one team play in late December for my birthday. GO CAPS!
THE CUP WILL BE COMING TO DC SOON!
Capsaholic said it best
Ted,
I’d just like to offer my congratulations on being
first in the NHL. I’m a new STH and I love this
team and our prospects. I love the job that GMGM
and the coaches are doing. No complaints here..
And that will be the case even when we have our
losing streaks. Let’s just try to get them out of
the way before mid April..
Looking forward to the future; it should be exciting.
Ditto everything from above plus a loud “WAHOO”!
Congratulations on a job well done. It’s a great moment, one of what should hopefully be many more over the next six months. But it is only a moment–there’s much left to do. Onward.
Fair point Ted. None of us fans will be happy until the players are skating around the ice holding the Stanley Cup over their heads. But it is okay to take a deep breath and realize how far this team has come from a few years ago.
Congratulations Ted! You and the Team earned this moment! However long it lasts!!
Teddy, Lavish in it. You deserve it. Bruceee deserves it. The Caps deserve it. It’s a complete TEAM effort. No
doubt about! That’s what makes “The Caps” sooo special. Congratulations Varly (Varly,Varly), and welcome back Alex The Great 8!!
By the way, this time of year I usually wear my Santa hat around town but I can’t seem to take off my Capitals skull cap. I am loving all the attention! You really have a lot of New York fans!! Rock the Red! Way To Go Caps!
Noticed that this morning. That’s great, nice accomplishment given that 8’s missed a number of games (a good thing in a way; I think it let the other stars shine more and gain more confidence in themselves and each other).
Frankly, as long as the team is improving and avoiding injury, I’m happy. They’re also quite entertaining to watch. I’ve noticed you have a string of full houses going! Keep up the good work!
Maybe the pieces are in place … did people think the 2004 Bolts were ready to win a cup, or the 2006 Canes? If the Caps role players and other young guys not named Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green continue to step up the way they are now contributing, those young guys all show up in the playoffs, our deft free-agent signings do what they were brought in here to do, and Varly/Theo remain steady behind a defense more or less by committee … that’s a lot of ifs … who knows?
It is very fun and anticipated every time this team takes the ice. Thank you for not giving away a piece of the future we’ll need by resisting a trade to get Pronger. We are better than the Flyers already, but need to prove we can put them down and the Pens down in the playoffs. That will be our right of passage into the Valley of Stanley. It will surely go through or over Philadelphia or Pittsburgh! Love it. Go Caps!
While I like the calm realism you share, and I’m glad that you, Ted, as the owner can take time to bask in the team’s “glory,” I think that it’s ok to get super fired-up. I don’t want to “chill.” I want to go to every game (which I do) with the realistic belief that I’m going home happy. I want the team to go into each game with the attitude that we are the best, and we are going to prove it. I want to see 8-2, and 3-0 games every night. While it’s unrealistic, I know, to think the Caps will win out or even shutout every team, the time to chill was last year. We are jacked, we are explosive, and we are on everyone’s radar. This year, it’s time to prove something - fans and players alike. Anyone who watches this team regularly, and breaths and bleeds with them cannot chill anymore. I won’t chill until we hoist the cup or die trying.
Agree completely! I also can’t help but think what the Caps could do without the dead salary weight of that Nylander boat anchor. *sigh*
Geeks “Rocking the Red” too!
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2009/12/06/my-presentations-in-europe-december-2009.aspx
It’s a good start, indeed. But, I’d rather have the top record in June!
Ted - Great job on the Caps. I grew up in DC and now live in New York but the Caps are my favorite sports team and you’ve brought the city of Washington to life when you assemble such a great team. And I love how the Bears are feeding people directly into the Caps. It feels like a big family. And is a direct contrast to a different sports organization we have in DC that seems to be focused on bringing in high-priced overpaid over-the-hill stars at the tail end of their career and then wringing your hands when the team falls apart and loses. Great stuff.
Last point: I am excited about a similar transformation you may be able to take with the Wizards. I love Abe Pollin and love what he did for the city but I also think it’s going to be great to have a fresh perspective on that team. May I suggest we change the name to something that has to do with DC and change the color scheme to the red-white-and blue that we have with the Caps?
Some name ideas:
The Washington Justice
The Washington Monuments
The Washington Senators
The Washington Federals
Go Caps.
Ted; bask in all your glory cause you deserve it.And dont ’snap out of it’,its real and the caps are just where they should be.Its been a long time coming and now that we got it,it aint goin nowhere!Everyone enjoy it and hope it last for many years.Great job ted and great job caps.GO CAPS!!!