by Gus Griffin

About a month ago, several of you may recall a column I penned called “Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Washington Sports Fans”, in which I analogized DC area sports fans as hopelessly doomed for disappointment as the Peanuts character in his never-ending attempts to kick the football held by Lucy. While all four of the major sports teams have contributed to the agony of long-suffering DC fans, without question, the Washington Capitals were the biggest culprits. So perhaps it is fitting that for the first time since 1992, the team that had teased Washington sports fans the most, finally rewarded them when the Caps won their first Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history.

Charlie Brown finally kicked the damn ball!

Moreover, they did it in true Caps style…..giving their fans a heart attack in the process. They were down in every series, forced to slay the longtime nemesis Pittsburgh Penguins, had key players suspended, loss 3 straight games to Tampa, and still somehow clinched every series on the road, including a game 7. In other words, in every area that this franchise had historically failed so often to the point that its fans could anticipate the doom, this team passed with excellence. The Caps’ 10 road wins ties four other teams for the most in a single postseason.

However, you must be around hardcore Caps fans to really appreciate what it meant. This is from just such a fan:

“I have rooted for the Caps since the 1993-94 season. They lost in the second round of the playoffs that year to the New York Rangers. It was upsetting at the time, but I had no idea how many years of frustration it would be after that. There certainly have been a lot of players since then….The 1998 Stanley Cup Final run brought out the best in Olie Kolzig, Adam Oates, Joe Juneau, and my favorite, Peter Bondra….There was the failed Jaromir Jagr experiment and the many promising but ultimately faltering goalies….For a long time it seemed like the Ovechkin era would go the same way. The core players were great, but after many years of failure it seemed like they, too, were destined to be a great regular season team with no chance of winning it all. I had resigned myself to waiting another 15-20 years, long after the Ovechkin era was over, before the Caps would have any chance of making another run.

And then this year’s playoffs began.

At first, it was more of the same, losing two to the Columbus Blue Jackets (at home). But then something clicked in Game 3 and they never looked back. Anytime they had their backs against the wall, someone new stepped up. If it wasn’t Ovechkin, it was Backstrom, Carlsson, Oshie, or Holtby. Or it was an unexpected source, like Eller, Smith-Pelley, or Beagle. Hell, even Brooks Orpik played well when we needed him! I didn’t want to hope, but I knew something was different about this team than any Caps team I have ever seen. They had grit, resiliency, and patience on top of talent, and the result was different from any Caps team I’ve ever seen. A lot has happened in since 1993-94, good and bad. The world is a much different place then when I was 14, watching my first hockey playoffs. But after all of the heartache and frustration, after all of the times having my hopes raised and then dashed, I am finally able to say, after 25 years of pulling for them, that the Washington Capitals are Stanley Cup Champions. Cheers.” – Tom Goldstein

None of this is to suggest that sports will bring about world peace, justice for oppressed people, or a cure for cancer. It most certainly will not. However, what it can do is provide hope for the human spirit and as a well-read book says, “A man without hope is most miserable.”

So add the Caps to a list that includes Caroline Wozniaki and Simona Halep for winning their first major tennis titles and the Philadelphia Eagles for winning its first Super Bowl this year. All are symbols that no matter how many let downs or how much frustration, if we keep getting up and we are willing to struggle, someday we can be champions and win a better world.

Gus Griffin, for War Room Sports