The Decision Point

At the second intermission last night, the Caps were at the decision point... they were down 4-2, and they could pull themselves back or roll over. With the help of 18,277 of us screaming at the top of our lungs, they showed the heart of champions and came back to win the first game of the playoffs.

The atmosphere was as you might expect - live, loud, and passionate. After the game, dozens of us honked our way down 9th Street and Constitution in DC, with bemused tourists looking on and probably wondering what had caused this sudden insanity on the part of so many people.

Mike Wise's Washington Post column describes the insanity well. What I hope is that the hordes who have swarmed to the Verizon Center over the past few weeks will stick around regardless of the playoffs' outcome; in other words, I hope this is a long-term relationship and not just a momentary crush. It's past time for Washington to be a true hockey town and not simply a collection of other teams' fans.