Caps Continue Growth Spurt

It is worth writing about Your Nations Capitals these days for a plethora of reasons. Their young players are beginning to show signs of maturing into solid, everyday NHL players; they are scoring more on offense and giving up less on defense compared to last year, and Alex Ovechkin is on pace to match, or most likely, better his statistics from last year when he won Rookie of the Year Honors. However, and more importantly, the Caps are worth writing about because they are winning, something that did not happen as much last year as it has been taking place this year.

At the halfway mark this season the Caps have a winning record as of January 9th, 2007, something that did not take place at any point last season. Alex Ovechkin is not their only scoring threat since Alexander Semin and Danius Zubrus have taken the pressure off great number 8. The Caps young defensemen show some not so subtle signs of maturing, not to mention since they added enforcer Donald Brashear in the off-season, they have a lot more muscle to discourage other teams from picking on Ovechkin and the other skill players.

Perhaps all of those factors have led to the performance in goal by stalwart Olie Kolzig as well as back-up Brent Johnson, who have combined to reduce the team's goals against average, and in turn raising their collective save percentage. Good goaltending wins games, and the Caps have received sparkling net-minding so far this year, especially from Godzilla...Olie the Goalie.

Why are the Caps better this year--almost 10 games better compared to last January? I think the main reason is coach Glen Hanlon. He has pushed his club and set the rules; if a guy takes off just one play on one shift, they find their fannies on the bench. Hanlon realizes that the margin for error on this team is so small that some guys may need 27 minutes on the bench to ponder their lack-sa-daisical play--just ask 2nd year D'man Mike Green after he turned the puck over twice on one shift against the Flyers Tuesday night and didn't step foot on the ice again that night. Or just ask Jakub Klepis (TIMMY!!) who has also been benched--and perhaps is on his way back to the minors. A number of times Klepis has been benched for hooking opponents after they beat him on defense leading him to panic and drawing a potentially devastating penalty. Hanlon demands more from his players and they all no it. No one complains in public about being singled out because as a group they know Hanlon is right.

Hanlon is a good coach, perhaps a great one in the making. He has talent, solid veterans and good leaders on his roster. The Caps are mere points out of the playoff picture with just under half a season to go. They have a winning record, Ovechkin is second in the league in scoring, first in goals scored. Their young defensemen are starting to come into their own. Steve Eminger and Shaone Morrisson are showing encouraging signs that they indeed are the pillars on defense the Caps so desperately need but absolutely can not afford to buy in free agency. They are trying to build from within, which in the new salary cap era is practically necessary.

The Caps accomplished a first on Tuesday night by beating the hated Flyers from Philadelphia. This marks the first season in Capitals history that they have swept a season series from the Flyers. I wish I had been at Verizon Center so I could have given the finger to all those Philly fans who took the bus down from up North. I know we only played them four times this year--as opposed to as many as six times per season back in the 70's, 80's and 90's, but a sweep is a sweep. The Capitals, from ownership on down, have pledged to build from the bottom with a foundation to use for years to come. (Maybe the Redskins should look into that.) If you look at the successful teams in pro sports, you will see that building thru the draft and trading for young players almost always results in a successful organization, and sometimes a championship one. Who am I to say anything...but I do like the Caps chances.