I was surprised how many Pens fans there were in the crowd tonight, my section in the nosebleeds was outnumbered (though I was on the side where the Pens shot twice) and the upper two levels were split around 50/50.
This. It amazes me that I consistently hear comments by people - less on this site and more on other sites - that Ted is happy because they keep selling out the games. They are not selling out the vast majority of the games this season, except against teams like the Pens whose fans buy up all the extra seats (although it was apparent to me that even this game was not a sellout), and that is obvious whether you are at the game or watching on TV. I was a STH through last season, and last season I began to see regular wide gaps of no fans in the lower corners, and this year it has gotten significantly worse. I went to a few games this season and was shocked as the club level is generally half empty, the corners had a lot of fanless areas, and there are a lot of empty seats in the middle sections of the lower bowls. Now someone might respond that the many empty seats scattered in the middle sections of the lower bowls were probably sold but the STHs didn't come to the game and couldn't sell the seats. But that is a serious problem because I knew quite a lot of STH, particularly in the pricier seats, who counted on selling a fourth or a third of their games for face or better to afford the seats overall, and it is clear that quite a lot of STHs game after game are unable to sell their seats. I foresee plenty of STHs in that category not renewing this Spring because of that unfavorable development. In addition, the ticket brokers who bought numerous STs, particularly in the lower bowl and club level, clearly reduced their ticket allotment this season, and are going to reduce their ticket allotment even more next season. Notice how the promotions for available tickets on TV and on places like the Wash Post website have been significantly increased this season - that is not indicative of a team selling out every game.
If you watch only on TV, during the middle of the second period when the stands should be as full as they are going to get, as the play goes up and down the ice a couple of times, just look at the lower bowl that is at the top of the screen and you will see significant numbers of empty seats, and large gaps of empty seats in the corners. Remember when the Caps were not very good about eight years ago, and fans from the Pens, Wings, Rangers and Sabres use to practically take over the arena, and then that ended in 2008 when the Caps became good. Notice some deja vu this year. I was at the Wings game on Jan 1 and the cheers seemed louder for the Wings goals than for the Caps. That may work for games with the Wings, Pens and teams like that, but it doesn't work for most of the games. The Canucks and Maple Leafs are coming to town next week, and they do not have large local contingents. So next week look at the stands for a moment or two in the second period and get a gander at all the empty seats.
This assumption that the Caps are selling out all their games still is no longer true this season, and so the constant refrain that Ted will keep GM because they're still selling out all the games is simply not true anymore. It's obvious to the naked eye.
. I don't want another former Cap as a coach or in charge of decisions. I loved Calle as a player, but he is no coach. 
