Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) -- 2018-19 We Are The Champions Edition - Pt. 2

[shtorm2005]

Don't remember the pain, don't remember the details, don't care to, don't need to.

Not one single past disappointment carries any significance to me anymore

I agree with you that past faillures are much less painful now, but I think they are a main reason why this win is so epic.

 

[Corby78]

The past playoff failures for me aren’t gone, they are just much easier to accept. They are now scars that no longer hurt, but are reminders of how hard the journey was.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

To be honest I'll be the same scared caps fan come round 2 vs Pitt in the spring. But also think we can beat them again

 

[Silky mitts]

I made this puck display shrine for the Cup and included a puck I had from the 87-88 season so I remember the journey. Celebration is so much sweeter from the context.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

It may be time to change your username to CapitalsCupReality...

Opening night

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Definitely have battle scars, but they no longer hold any pain. Badges of honor along the way.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

To be honest I'll be the same scared caps fan come round 2 vs Pitt in the spring. But also think we can beat them again

Nervous, sure. Scared....no f***ing way.

 

[twabby]

The sense of existential dread is gone. Sure I'll be nervous because NHL playoffs are nerve-wracking. But the consequences of losing are no longer dire. Instead of the depressing thoughts of "what if they never win" it'll be "dammit, maybe next year."

 

[um]

I wonder if now that we won the Cup our expectations will be higher and we'll feel more entitled to success. Now if we get upset it will be unexpected and even more heartbreaking than before.

 

[LastWordArmy]

The Franchise Best Series comes to you to dive into the all-time best single season for every organization. This, of course, includes post-season results. Join us for a look back at some of the most memorable moments in each franchise’s history. Here is the Washington Capitals best season.

Franchise Best : Washington Capitals 2017-18 Season - Last Word on Hockey

 

[Silky mitts]

The Caps were something like 16-30 before last year when they could eliminate an opponent, last year they were 4-0, that's where I've been healed and will feel differently, up 3-1 or 3-2 in the series tied in the 3rd period.

 

[Langway]

The sense of existential dread is gone. Sure I'll be nervous because NHL playoffs are nerve-wracking. But the consequences of losing are no longer dire. Instead of the depressing thoughts of "what if they never win" it'll be "dammit, maybe next year."

I'm not sure I'd even be that nervous. More curious probably...at least in the short-term. Maybe in certain situations like the last season for a group together that'll change due to urgency but overall it will be way easier to maintain a healthier dose of perspective and to take anything pretty much in stride. The doom has been conquered. From here on out it's mostly about building legacies and finding the next waves of talent.

 

[kicksavedave]

The Caps were something like 16-30 before last year when they could eliminate an opponent, last year they were 4-0, that's where I've been healed and will feel differently, up 3-1 or 3-2 in the series tied in the 3rd period.

Yep, they finally found the killer instinct, the will to "FINISH THEM". Not lost on me was that it seemed their best games came when they had the chance to close it out. Their game 6 and 7 vs TB was as dominant of a showing as I can remember from the Caps and only the 4th game 6+7 shutouts in NHL history.

I'll be nervous next year only in as much as you can't know how it ends. But I will no longer be bound by that old "here we go again" sinking feeling whenever anything goes wrong. I suspect neither will the players.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I predict some people will be back to D&G by as early as g2 of the regular season. Good luck Todd, you have a hell of an act to follow!

I think it was twabby who said it best, I may be emotionally invested and nervous in the playoffs, but the existential dread is gone forever. No matter what else happens, I will have seen the Caps lift the Cup. That's a bucket list item that I had no control over. Couldn't be happier to cross it off.

 

[twabby]

Also the nervous energy should be gone from Verizon Center/Capital One Arena for the foreseeable future. I was rewatching some of the Round 1 and Round 2 games from this postseason and man you could just feel the nervous energy every time something went slightly against the Caps. I imagine that won’t be a thing for a while.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Also the nervous energy should be gone from Verizon Center/Capital One Arena for the foreseeable future. I was rewatching some of the Round 1 and Round 2 games from this postseason and man you could just feel the nervous energy every time something went slightly against the Caps. I imagine that won’t be a thing for a while.

Yes. It’s a positive feedback loop now rather than the old negative one.

 

[Hivemind]

The years of failure whittled me down to a nihilism about the Capitals that was flipped with the improbable victory this season. Anything I say about how I react to the Caps this upcoming season or in the future will be blind conjecture. I honestly have no idea what it's going to feel like to watch hockey again knowing that the gorilla is off the franchise's back.

 

[McVechkin]

Past playoff failures are still there... the sting is sort of gone but its not forgotten. This team should have won more cups.. Many caps fans were quick to point out pre 2016 that one cup for the crosby/malkin era was a failure.. I view it the same for the caps.. only 1 will be a failure.. but at the same time... this 1 was great

 

[g00n]

You know you're a Caps fan when the guys start throwing off their gloves and celebrating the clock hitting 0:00 in Game 5 of the Final, and you're still scanning the ice for some kind of penalty or fluke bounce of the puck that will tie the game for Vegas and start the dominoes falling.

I don't think I really let it sink in until the parade, and I was someone who believed they were going to win it all! It's like having a split personality...a 2nd mind that always expects the worst even when your other half believes the opposite.

Caps fan PTSD. Postseason Traumatic Stress Disorder.

For a few years at least, even if they choke away a few more series, there will still be that Cup win. But you don't want to be like Flyers or Leafs fans who have to wait as long for their next one as we did for our first. The satisfaction WILL wear off...

 

[Calicaps]

You know you're a Caps fan when the guys start throwing off their gloves and celebrating the clock hitting 0:00 in Game 5 of the Final, and you're still scanning the ice for some kind of penalty or fluke bounce of the puck that will tie the game for Vegas and start the dominoes falling.

I don't think I really let it sink in until the parade, and I was someone who believed they were going to win it all! It's like having a split personality...a 2nd mind that always expects the worst even when your other half believes the opposite.

Caps fan PTSD. Postseason Traumatic Stress Disorder.

For a few years at least, even if they choke away a few more series, there will still be that Cup win. But you don't want to be like Flyers or Leafs fans who have to wait as long for their next one as we did for our first. The satisfaction WILL wear off...

I was virtually certain that Vegas was gonna score on that final faceoff.

 

[RandyHolt]

It took me about 30 minutes before I finally believed the league would not review / wave off the Ward goal vs Boston.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I was virtually certain that Vegas was gonna score on that final faceoff.

After being in attendance for game 4, the most relaxed playoff win ever for me......I knew I just saw the last home game of the year. Had little worry late in game 5.

 

[txpd]

The monkey is off their back now. Its off my back too

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I wonder if now that we won the Cup our expectations will be higher and we'll feel more entitled to success. Now if we get upset it will be unexpected and even more heartbreaking than before.

The even keeled fans will remain so, the ones that are ready to jump off the bridge when the team is against the ropes will likely be the same....

 

[Ridley Simon]

To be honest I'll be the same scared caps fan come round 2 vs Pitt in the spring. But also think we can beat them again

Nah. I won’t be thrilled if they lose, obv. Simply because Pens Fan will be so smug. That bothers the shit outta me. But beside that? It really won’t hurt.

Least, not this next year. I think if the Pens win again and Crosby over Ovechkin, it will become a sore again. NOT like the past, but certainly a sore.

Candidly, I will be upset when we get dethroned. Just because. And if it’s Pitts again?

AaaaKKKKK