I defined a generational team as one that could make the playoffs 10 to 15 years in a row, such as a New Jersey or a Detroit. A team that is always in the playoffs. (Yes, I know NJ didn’t qualify last season, thank you! )
That was a big aspiration for us. And was a cornerstone for us in our rebuild efforts around a core of young players. To be consistent. I am sure we have bumps in the road. That injuries one year may take a toll. But I would like us to be a consistent playoff team. We have now made the playoffs with this core 4 years in a row. A core that may or may not be; or is in its prime, according to The Washington Post.
Wish us well as we continue to try to qualify for the playoffs and then take it from there. To win a championship you must qualify for the playoffs. There is absolutely no shame in wanting to make the playoffs year after year.
There is nothing wrong with it as long as that is not the main goal. But yes as Jim has stated the Caps and their fans have been there, done that. They had very good teams, ones that did make it to the playoffs for a generation. But the lack of playoff success in the playoffs will be doubly hard to take with this promising group.
It is a wrongheaded goal if you don’t do what it takes to win a Cup once you get to the playoffs. Prior to your ownership, your own franchise made the playoffs fourteen straight seasons in the 80′s and early 90′s. And the team didn’t do squat once they got there. THAT is not what Caps fans are looking for. The Cup is everything.
We will be doing much more than just wishing the Caps well! We will be cheering the team on during good and bad times, all the ups and downs, all the wins and the losses. We are fans. That’s what we do. And we’re addicted to the excitement of it all! Go Caps!!
You got the core, the depth of talent, the fan base. Making the playoffs year after year is a fine feat–although to keep it in perspective, roughly 50% of the teams make the playoff tournament. With all those top picks during the dog years, I’d expect nothing less. But there core players as winners who give it their all, and there are just good young players. There lies the issue. Since you toss the phrase, “core,” Green is no Denis Potvin, Semin is no Bossy, and Boudreau is no Al Arbor. In fact, he’s the achilles heel in this writer’s opinion. Three strikes is three strikes. They’ll likely win the President’s trophy, but will they win two rounds? This is where Boudreau hits his ceiling. Hope not. Ovechkin’s years are taking their physical toll already. We’ll see, huh?