Series Discussion: Round 1 (Caps vs Isles) 2015 Playoffs

[Turd Ferguson]

Just win. For all that is good in this world, just win. Lift the Barry Trotz curse and Caps game 7 curse.

I hope we score on a PP with Clutterbuck in the box.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Just win. For all that is good in this world, just win. Lift the Barry Trotz curse and Caps game 7 curse.

I hope we score on a PP with Clutterbuck in the box.

Wishlist for Santa :
- a Caps win
- a goal by Burakovsky
- Tom Wilson pounding Clutterbuck's face
- a healthy Ovi
- 60 minutes of hockey

Plz Santa, I've been a good boy this year, you can't deny me that

 

[Langway]

The Tinner's Take:

Guys I've gone the route of my boy Usiel. Indifference.

Unless they drastically outplay the Islanders and lose at a level even beyond some of their late Montreal series losses I'll be at peace with any outcome that isn't fluky or decided primarily by the refs. High-level hockey is too good to get caught up in rooting interests. As much as I'd like to see them get over the hump, some teams and some cores manage to elevate and some can't. There's a lot that goes into that mix coming out right.

They get out what they put in most of the time. Either they'll put it together, move on and gain additional experience collectively...or not. If not there's likely to be some retooling (or at least there should be to a very specific extent). 3-5 in Game 7's is a bit more respectable than 2-6.

This is another important moment for Ovechkin. He needs to be the one leading the charge not just an intensity standpoint but in terms of composure as well.

 

[mdurbin1234]

No GDT would be awesome

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Please win.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

The Tinner's Take:

Guys I've gone the route of my boy Usiel. Indifference. Had my friend over for Game 1 and was pumped that this year would be different...we laid an egg. Its just the Caps...its our fate as Caps fans. I needed to stay away for my mental health so been trying not to watch the games and stay away for the first time in my life. I figured if we make it past the first round I'd be ok again.

Now here we are...another game 7.

I'm more positive than most here but I know the truth. The hockey Gods hate the Caps. I put our chances of victory at about 17%.

It has nothing to do with our players. Our coach. Troy Brouwer. Ovechkin. Our GM. Our owner. Our style of play. I've seen so many iterations of this story it matters not. It is what it is.

I am expecting the worst and hoping for the best at this point. I am going to watch game 7 with my buddy and donning my Ovechkin jersey. I'll be watching it as a Captain knowing he is going to go down with his sinking ship. Its the honorable thing to do despite my better judgment heh

One thing I know is that I'll be back next year, just like all of you. Caps fans are like Rocky Balboa. We keep getting knocked down but can't help but getting back up. It sucks but its our lot in life.

So my message to you is to hope for the best but expect the hockey Gods to screw us. Whether we don't show up, the refs spank us, random hot goalie, bad bounces...whatever. If we sink we will go down as one. Greenie, Rids, Brouwer, Brooklyn, Goon, Joehansen, TX, RH, Milhaus, Chibi, Ovie etc...all of us are one.

Beautiful sentiment.

 

[troyerlaw]

Unless they drastically outplay the Islanders and lose at a level even beyond some of their late Montreal series losses I'll be at peace with any outcome that isn't fluky or decided primarily by the refs. High-level hockey is too good to get caught up in rooting interests. As much as I'd like to see them get over the hump, some teams and some cores manage to elevate and some can't.

Not me.

It'll be either pure devastation and misery, or impossible exhilaration, depending exclusively on final score.

I can't help it. As much as I would like to watch these games with a measure of detachment and rationality, I still view every damn game through the emotional filter of my 6-year-old self.

I watched my first game 40 years ago during their first season. I have lived and died with every bounce of the puck since then.

Truthfully, I'm unlikely to be able to watch the game at all tomorrow. It'll be too stressful. I'll follow by radio and by the 100+ texts i receive thru the night from friends and family. I'll drive my daughter to and from her ice hockey practice way down in Anaheim, and I'll be saying prayers the entire time, begging God for a Game 7 win.

Over the last 40 years I have developed and matured in many ways. My attachment to the Caps is not one of them.

 

[g00n]

The Tinner's Take:

Guys I've gone the route of my boy Usiel. Indifference. Had my friend over for Game 1 and was pumped that this year would be different...we laid an egg. Its just the Caps...its our fate as Caps fans. I needed to stay away for my mental health so been trying not to watch the games and stay away for the first time in my life. I figured if we make it past the first round I'd be ok again.

Now here we are...another game 7.

I'm more positive than most here but I know the truth. The hockey Gods hate the Caps. I put our chances of victory at about 17%.

It has nothing to do with our players. Our coach. Troy Brouwer. Ovechkin. Our GM. Our owner. Our style of play. I've seen so many iterations of this story it matters not. It is what it is.

I am expecting the worst and hoping for the best at this point. I am going to watch game 7 with my buddy and donning my Ovechkin jersey. I'll be watching it as a Captain knowing he is going to go down with his sinking ship. Its the honorable thing to do despite my better judgment heh

One thing I know is that I'll be back next year, just like all of you. Caps fans are like Rocky Balboa. We keep getting knocked down but can't help but getting back up. It sucks but its our lot in life.

So my message to you is to hope for the best but expect the hockey Gods to screw us. Whether we don't show up, the refs spank us, random hot goalie, bad bounces...whatever. If we sink we will go down as one. Greenie, Rids, Brouwer, Brooklyn, Goon, Joehansen, TX, RH, Milhaus, Chibi, Ovie etc...all of us are one.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

I don't know how anyone can blame this on some kind of Caps curse when the forward group is so poorly constructed/inferior to competitive teams but whatever.

Ovie/Backstrom +a lot of cap version 10.0.

 

[BobRouse]

That is so depressing to read
Us Caps fans are masochistic. Despite the failures, we keep coming back. We know this team will choke at some point, yet we will still be in the stands of Verizon Centre, or Bell Centre in my case, cheering on the Caps.

Hockey gods hate us. Being a Caps fan is a punishment at times.
I swear, in the dark days of Adam Oates and GMGM, I was secretly hoping for Ovi and Backstrom to be traded to a place where they could enjoy the success that they deserve.

That being said, let's go Caps and rock the red !

Agreed on all fronts. If Ovechkin was on another team he'd be reaping far more glory even if his supporting cast wasn't as good.

Unless they drastically outplay the Islanders and lose at a level even beyond some of their late Montreal series losses I'll be at peace with any outcome that isn't fluky or decided primarily by the refs. High-level hockey is too good to get caught up in rooting interests. As much as I'd like to see them get over the hump, some teams and some cores manage to elevate and some can't. There's a lot that goes into that mix coming out right.

They get out what they put in most of the time. Either they'll put it together, move on and gain additional experience collectively...or not. If not there's likely to be some retooling (or at least there should be to a very specific extent). 3-5 in Game 7's is a bit more respectable than 2-6.

This is another important moment for Ovechkin. He needs to be the one leading the charge not just an intensity standpoint but in terms of composure as well.

Agreed about coming to peace with the outcome. That is what my message really was all about even should we (most likely) lose.

Beautiful sentiment.

Right on guys

Not me.

It'll be either pure devastation and misery, or impossible exhilaration, depending exclusively on final score.

I can't help it. As much as I would like to watch these games with a measure of detachment and rationality, I still view every damn game through the emotional filter of my 6-year-old self.

I watched my first game 40 years ago during their first season. I have lived and died with every bounce of the puck since then.

Truthfully, I'm unlikely to be able to watch the game at all tomorrow. It'll be too stressful. I'll follow by radio and by the 100+ texts i receive thru the night from friends and family. I'll drive my daughter to and from her ice hockey practice way down in Anaheim, and I'll be saying prayers the entire time, begging God for a Game 7 win.

Over the last 40 years I have developed and matured in many ways. My attachment to the Caps is not one of them.

I sympathize with this. I've detached this playoffs in large part because of this. I get far too worked up about this stuff.


I blamed Bob Mason for that weak Trottier goal with 5 minutes left. His skate broke. Doesn't matter. I blamed him anyhow despite the fact that he was the only reason that game went to 4OTs. It should have ended like 6 times before it did.

You know....when we came back from 3-1 down in the series with the Flyers and then down from 3-0 in game 7 I thought we had turned the corner.

Ofcourse the very next series in Game 7 Mike Frikin Ridley JUST HAD TO try and kick the puck to his stick just outside of our blue line. He JUST HAD TO. I blamed him ofcourse.

In 92 I blamed a combination of Beaupre and the awful officials.

In 93 Tabarracci was brutal and we couldn't win an OT game to save our lives.

In the mid 90s losing to the Penguins era I blamed injuries as we had an insane amount of them under the grinding style of Schoenfeld. For one series in game one we had 11 guys on the IR for the start of the series vs the Pens.

In 99-00 I blamed Ron "We can play all 7 games in Pittsburgh and win against that team!" Wilson and Ted's scheduling debacle.

In 2003 I blamed the 5 on 3 OT refs after Jagr got mugged.

Likewise in 08. It took us too long to get into the series and then ofcourse a weak tripping call and OT goal against.

Then we get Halaked in 2010.

Joel Ward JUST HAD TO HIGH STICK with 20 seconds left in game 5 under Hunter hockey. HIS FAULT! Or was it Troy Brouwer missing the layup in OT in game 3?

Last time around we got brutal officiating again.

30 years and all kinds of the same. Its not the coach, GM, Owner, the construction of our D (under Boudreau), the construction of our forwards now, hot goalies, bad refs, poor Verizon ice, negative energy from fans...its just what it is.

 

[RandyHolt]

Predict tonight's Twitter Trending Doom and Gloom Version

#Halaked
#OnTheLedge
#FrisbeeLaptop
#Meltdown
#StillAVirgin

 

[BobRouse]

We are 2-7 all time at home in game 7s.

The 2 games we won we played not so good in.

In 88 we came out flat. Despite being given 5 PPs in the 1st period (including a 5 on 3) we were trailing 1-0 and really didn't get all that many shots from what I remember.

In 09 we came out REAL flat. Rags scored right off the bat and boos were starting to be heard until Semin scored that fluke goal to tie it.

#DoomGloomIsJustified