Do You Believe in Miracles?

With a 3-1 win over Florida last night, the Caps ended the second chapter of their fairy tale season. I can not help comparing this accomplishment to the improbable USA defeat of Russia in the 1980 Olympics and Al Michael's famous line of "Do you believe in miracles?". This team was left for dead in late November but started a long, stressful, pressure-packed climb with the hiring of Bruce Boudreau and a new, yet simple, aggressive approach to the game. It took several months and the last game of the regular season for the Caps to rise to the top of the Southeast Division and clinch the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The last two months have been unbelievable. Will Hollywood want to make this story into a movie? Frankly, I do not think you could make better entertainment than what this team provided in the stretch run. It's good to see a packed house at Verizon Center and that the television ratings have soared to record levels.

Chapter three of this story book season will began production on Thursday in a series against Ottawa or Philadelphia depending on the outcome of the Pittsburgh/Philadelphia game today. Jeff Schultz was hurt in yesterday's game against Florida and will put even more pressure on a young and inexperienced group of defensemen heading into the playoffs. There has been no "official" word on his injury. We will have to wait and see what moves the Caps make early next week.

For now, let's sit back and enjoy the euphoria for a few more days. Thank you for the unbelievable ride the last few months. Getting to the big dance is a wonderful accomplishment and will hopefully pay huge dividends for this young team in the seasons to come. A preview of the playoffs and each match up will be posted before the playoffs begin next week.