Recently, I wrote part 1 of my trip down memory lane in the Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup Championship run. Thanks for checking in for part 2.
After the crushing end to the 2017 playoffs, as expected, the roster would dramatically change as the salary cap limitations simply couldn’t retain all the pieces the team wanted. Karl Alzner, Nate Schmidt, Justin Williams, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Marcus Johannson would all depart. It was disappointing, but not surprising.
The 2017-18 season started out incredibly, with Captain Alex Ovechkin scoring a hat trick on the opening night in Ottawa. Then, in the home opener- a game I went to- the Caps dominated the Habs and once again- Ovi scored not just a hat trick- but FOUR goals. Two games- SEVEN goals for Ovi. Another incredible feat by the “Great 8”- a feat never accomplished before. It seemed Ovi was on a mission. Would he once again- even with his age- be the league leader in goals?
But shortly after the fast start, the Caps started to slump. Something wasn’t right. Stories were circulating that the team chemistry wasn’t good and that there were locker room issues. The team was scuffling, even slipping to 5-6. And then, after a couple blowout losses on the road to the Preds and Avs in mid-November, reports circulated that Barry Trotz was on the verge of being fired. Nearly 2 months into the season with the Caps barely at .500, it nearly felt like panic time as things were unraveling. But Trotz laid his cards on the table, convincing the team that it was now or never. Would they buy in, dig in and commit- or continue on this downward spiral, likely leading to more dismantling of the current roster (and staff) going forward? Fortunately, a fire was lit and the Caps surged forward, going 39-17-6 the rest of the way, including a blazing hot stretch in March at just the right time, going 11-2 in the final 13 games. I really did think that things seemed different: Caps flying under the radar, chip on their shoulder, and good team chemistry. Along the way though, there was still some adversity, with the largest concern being our star goalie, the slumping Braden Holtby, who just didn’t look like himself for quite some time. While I remained hopeful that Holts would eventually snap out of it and find his mojo, I also felt that if he didn’t regain form, it would seem very difficult- and likely improbable- to imagine a Cup run, much less even a deep run, and getting past the historically dreaded 2nd round. Fortunately, Philipp Grubauer stepped up in the clutch and played the best hockey of career down the stretch, which included a “larcenous glove save”- one of the best I have ever seen- vs Sidney Crosby and the rival Penguins in the final week of the season, with the Caps clinching their 3rd straight Metro division title in Pittsburgh.
But once again the question when the playoffs began: Would it be same old, same old with the Caps getting bounced early, in spite of another great season? Or, was it possible that this year could finally be different? For what it’s worth, and yes a disclaimer that I am usually very *hopeful (big difference between predicting and counting on something) for good things, I really did think that things seemed different with this Caps team. First, pretty much everyone seemed to write them off at the beginning of the season because of the key players lost and thus, the “window” was closed. Rather than previous Caps teams who were expected to win and fell short, could this squad perhaps feed off of low expectations and have fierce resolve to prove the naysayers wrong? I was certainly hoping so. At the beginning of Caps training camp in September, Alex Ovechkin made, what in my opinion was a bold and emphatic leadership statement by declaring: “We’re not gonna be suck this year”! He clearly wanted to send a message, probably to the league and his teammates. Yes, from the very beginning of his career he was anointed as the assumed “Captain” as a young mega-star, even though over the years veteran leaders (who had won Cups) like Sergei Fedorov, and most recently departed Justin Williams, were really more of the experienced and battle-tested “leaders” in the clubhouse. This squad kept answering the bell and rising from the mat year after year.
But there was now the big decision about who the starting net minder would be entering the playoffs. In what seemed like the best and no doubt a very difficult decision for Trotz, Philip Grubauer was indeed named the starter for game 1, vs the Columbus Blue Jackets. And perhaps one of the telling signs in this very difficult decision of how close-knit, unified, and locked-in this Caps squad was entering the playoffs, is how amazingly Braden Holtby handled the news, with complete class and full support. I loved this quote when he would later say: “Sometimes you have to go through hardships to enjoy a moment even more.”
This team pulled for, and played for one another. The leadership and chemistry was as strong as it had ever been before. It was championship level, and exactly what was needed to overcome all adversity, and the many challenges of the gauntlet that is the NHL Playoffs. And this chemistry was about to be tested right out of the gate.