The time has come, eh? Tonight Detroit and Pittsburgh face off in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals (again). Wings and Pens fans are trying to kill each other via internet insults and thinly-veiled inferiority complexes (again). People are talking about how young and vibrant the Penguins are and how old and experienced the Red Wings are (again).

Summer reruns – yawn.

It’s just hard to get excited about this one, even as a generic all-around hockey fan. Sure, it’ll probably be a great series, but frankly it’s hard to care that Hossa was once a Penguin – for about two seconds – or that Crosby is “on a mission”. It’s hard to be concerned that Datsyuk, as much as I like him, is injured. It’s hard to find a thrill in Holmstrom and Lidstrom taking on Malkin and Satan, Osgood vs. Fleury, contraband octopi vs. outdoor viewing parties, talk of the 1984 Oilers or the 2008 Red Wings, etc. I repeat…yawn.

There are things to get excited about, of course. For one, hockey fever doesn’t seem to have died down all that much here in the District despite the fact that we’re over two weeks removed from the last Caps’ game.

In the last few days I’ve seen a number of people still wearing their assorted Capitals-related attire around town, on the metro, or while wandering around DC and Maryland and Virginia. A second round exit and people are still rocking the red? The times, they are a-changin’. Move aside, burgundy and gold. And hang in there, Caps fans – Development Camp comes our way in just about 6 weeks.

If you can’t wait that long, let us not forget that tonight is also the beginning of the much more interesting Cup Finals featuring your very own Hershey Bears against the mighty Moose of Manitoba. The Bears are looking deep, scary and backed by a talented young prospect in net – all of which bodes extremely well for the Caps down the line.

They’re not even going to be phased by the 15,000+ crazed Manitobites (Manitobians? Manitobers?) in attendance. They can’t be, not after so many of them spent time in front of much larger, much more insane Verizon Center crowds this year.

Sadly yours truly is in the process of moving from one palatial estate to another this weekend, leaving the Cheap Seats largely unattended (…again) for just a few more days. But I’ll be tuned in tonight for John Walton’s epic and heart attack-inducing call of Game 1 and will be back in full(ish) swing by next week – I swear on Brooks Laich’s jersey.

In the meantime, keep rocking the red and go Bears!

…oh, and Wings in 7. Just because.

It’s been quite a busy news cycle for the Caps these last 24 hours – especially considering they haven’t played a game in two weeks – and the potential departures of Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov to the KHL are worth talking about for sure.

But the story on everyone’s mind right now is probably the one coming out of Florida that links a steroid-dealing Tampa couple with the Capitals and Nationals.

This story has so many unanswered questions and potential twists to it; among the most confusing is why only these two teams? Why would a dealer based in Florida point the finger at the Caps and Nationals but not even mention the local teams to whom he would have much easier access? If he is lying, what is the motivation behind it? If he’s not, what does this say about our team and our sport?

It’s easy as hockey fans to believe that steroids aren’t being used in the NHL. The league has historically had a pretty clean reputation, not just with drugs but all the trappings of fame that seem to haunt the other major sports. Sure, it’s more than a little naïve to think that some hockey players haven’t given in to the temptation of performance-enhancing drugs over the years. And keep in mind, steroids aren’t just used to get the bodybuilder physique; you only have to look at the history of doping and drug use in cycling to see that’s not true.

Still, I’ve always held on to the belief that while a very small minority may indulge, most NHLers don’t do it. It has nothing to do with them being “better” people or less prone to temptation – it has more to do with the nature of the game and the rules that govern it.

For one thing, hockey is really the ultimate team sport. Individual glory gives way to team success more in hockey than any other sport, mostly because it’s almost impossible for one person to do it alone. One player can’t win a Cup for his team – if they could, the Caps would have won in Ovechkin’s first year. Even if one player has achieved a high echelon of speed, strength and skill, he still needs players who can keep up with him to make the team successful. And the odds of an entire team doping (and more importantly getting away with it) are pretty slim.

The risks also seem to far outweigh the rewards in the NHL and hockey in general. The league’s drug-testing policy that is currently in place states that drug tests are done at random and are unannounced; the punishment is severe, even for first-time offenders.

When it comes to international play testing is even more stringent – the NHL is one of if not the most international of the North American leagues, and players routinely compete for their countries at multiple times during the year. Failing a drug test, even under completely innocent circumstances, can keep players out of international play for years or even indefinitely. And while there is no testing in the NHL during the playoffs (a quirk that will probably be cleared up sooner rather than later), players going from the playoffs to the World Championships would still have to get clean in time to represent their country – a tough task given no one knows how long their playoff run will last.

When you’re talking the Capitals specifically, it’s hard to see even one player who could be under suspicion at this point. No one has undergone a dramatic leap in their abilities over a short period of time, save for someone like Mike Green whose emergence can be directly linked to Boudreau’s arrival in DC. No one has undergone a significant weight change or increase in aggressiveness, speed or strength on the ice. Even someone like Ovechkin, who at times seems superhuman, has always been that way – in the NHL and in international play at every level. It’s hard to imagine any of that comes from a syringe.

That’s not to say none of them have indulged. We’ve yet to see what the impact of this will be, both for the team and the league, but if any of the Caps were in fact clients of this guy, they’ll be punished and rightly so. No matter how much we love this team, there’s no room on it for cheaters.

Until then, though, we can only wait and see and hope – and give them the benefit of the doubt.

Here we go, the summer’s first addition of “Ask CapsChick” – where you, the reader, control what CC will ramble on about on any given day.

Try not to get too crazy with power, okay?

CC ~
Who is the cooler mascot – Slapshot for the Caps or Screech for the Nationals?

Sam R.

Okay…it’s time for a little confession.

I hate mascots. No, more than hate. I have a horrible, crippling fear of them – and any full grown adult dressed in costumes, for that matter. I also have a horrible, crippling fear of birds. So you can imagine how much I love the multitude of bird-themed mascots floating around DC, right?

But if I have to choose…let’s go with Slapshot. Dude can rock a ‘hawk and take on opposition fans with a vengeance, while the new, “improved” Screech looks more like an anorexic heiress than a teenage version of the rotund Screech-let.

There. Can we change the subject now, please?

Hey, CC – I was pretty sure that the salary cap was supposed to create some sort of equality among the teams … yet it seems that we’re headed for a rematch in the Finals between Pitt and Detroit. Will the era of dynasties ever really be over? Thanks! Sara in Bethesda

Well, first of all I should throw in the mandatory “neither series is over”, because that’s what Carolina, Chicago and all their fans are telling themselves right now. Still, this year’s Final, barring a major collapse either way, looks to be little more than Round 2 of last year’s championship series – Penguins vs. Red Wings. Woo.

Even with yet another summer rerun apparently on the way, though, it’s hard to deny that at some level the cap and the “new” NHL has created greater parity across the league. You only have to look at the battles within each conference to see it – a few of the division titles were up for grabs well into the late stages of the season and playoff positioning changed daily up until the last day. And once we hit the postseason, the second round in particular was a grudge match in just about every series.

So there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, for every system the league (or any league) creates, there will always be a few teams that manage to figure out how to work them. The Red Wings in particular have become the absolute paradigm of how to operate a team under the salary cap – fostering a winning atmosphere that leads to hometown discounts will help, as well. They have exactly the same team as last year except slightly more talented with the addition of Marian Hossa, and all within the confines of a salary cap.

But even the Penguins, although still not as talented in my mind as last year’s group, have managed to keep their core together. Crosby is locked up; Malkin, Fleury and Staal are as well. Each has arguably taken less money to stay in a place they think will be successful. The league can level the playing field as much as they want – it will still come down to which teams are able to actually perform on that field, regardless of the obstacles in the way.

Beyond all that, of course, is the simple matter of luck and bounces and things falling a certain way. The playoffs are as much about luck as they are about talent; the 1998 Capitals would surely agree with that.

In the West you have a Chicago team that has really accomplished a lot with their young group, and the fact that they’re facing elimination tomorrow night shouldn’t overshadow what they’ve been able to do. But going up against a team like Detroit, a team that is well seasoned and built for playoff runs like this, is a tough task – especially for a group that is relatively inexperienced. It just might be their time to bow out, especially with an injury to their #1 goaltender. But a few tweaks, a nice long postseason run under their belts and a summer to regroup, that’s a potential championship team.

In the East, on the other hand, the Penguins are taking on a team that for the first time in three rounds cannot match up with them. The Hurricanes were able to get by on their defense and goaltending in the first two rounds, but when the scoring stops they just don’t have the depth to stay with the Crosbys and Malkins for very long. And with the pace they’ve kept up since about February, it may just be that beyond all of that, the Canes have simply run out of steam.

If you’re bored at even the mere thought of another round of Detroit-Pittsburgh, you’re not alone. But it’s important to remember that waiting in the wings are teams like the Caps, the Blackhawks, the Blue Jackets and the Bruins that have all been slowly building up teams capable of operating in a salary cap world. And there will be more behind them every year as teams learn how to build correctly. This year seems to just be (hopefully) nothing more than an aberration, a quirk or fluke that still results in two of the better teams ending up on top.

Got a question, comment or general musing you’d like broached here? Send it along to CapsChick@DCCheapSeats.com – we’ve gotten some great questions in so far (and some strange ones…you freaks) but keep ‘em coming!

Hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day weekend – three-day weekends are just never long enough, are they? Stay tuned, later today we’ll have our first rousing edition of “Ask CC”. For now, though, a few more musings as we get back to the real world:

- There are reports coming out of Russia that Sergei Fedorov has signed a two year deal with a KHL team. If true (and nothing has been confirmed by either party EDIT: Okay, or maybe it has) it would be a bittersweet end to his time in DC for sure. He’s been a great addition to the team; another year would be great, but if it’s not in the cards we wish him well – and thank him for not going to another NHL team.

- Congratulations to the Hershey Bears on making it to the Calder Cup Finals for the third time in four years and doing it in style, as they defeated the Providence Bruins in just five games. They’ll take on the Manitoba Moose (how’s that for a hellish travel itinerary?) for all the marbles, starting this weekend. Go Bears!

- And just in case there were any questions as to the depth of this organization, seeing both the Bears and Stingrays advance to their respective league finals should put them to rest. The Stingrays – in an equally horrific travel arrangement – are facing the Alaska Aces for the ECHL Kelly Cup, series tied 1-1.

- Like the Caps, it seems like the Hurricanes are on the “play 20 minutes out of 60” plan in their Conference Final; unlike the Caps, they don’t have the talent to even attempt that.

- So let’s just do a quick recap, shall we? Cross-check someone in the neck and get a $2,500 fine. Sucker punch a guy, it’s a $2,500 fine. But say something bad about the refs (whether a valid complaint or not) and it’s $10,000? Because “tarnishing the league’s image” is much worse than attempted decapitation.

- Out of seven Conference Final games, I have now watched a grand total of one. That it happened to feature the incredibly rough postseason debut of ex-Cap Cristobal Huet was completely unplanned, I swear. Heh.

- If the Fedorov rumors turn out to be true, and if Kozlov and/or Brashear follow him to Russia, the Caps suddenly get an additional $6-7 million in cap space in the blink of an eye. Throw in a possible Nylander trade for prospects or picks and we’re up to about $10 million (and yes, I think he could waive the NTC this summer). Not that I’m advocating the departure of at least two of those guys, but there’s your defensive upgrade right there – plus plenty of breathing room for what we hope will be contract extensions to Backstrom and Semin.

- Where’s the fun in a sweep in the Conference Finals?? Come on, Carolina – pretend you’re playing the Caps, if only for one night.

One of Bruce Boudreau’s favorite sayings as the regular season came to a close was that hockey is not a faucet – you can’t just turn it on and off. It seemed to pop up more and more after the Caps clinched a playoff berth and then the division title, particularly after games in which the effort was not where it should have been.

And as the playoffs start to wind down and the Caps see themselves on the business end of a second round exit, it becomes a much more poignant saying. It’s also a perfect example of why the remaining teams are still in the playoffs…and why other teams are watching at home.

Hockey is a streaky game by nature. It’s a game of momentum shifts, of ebbs and flows and slumps and streaks. A forward can have a hot stick, a goalie a hot glove – and at the other end of the spectrum players can be as cold as the ice they skate on. The timing of a hot streak or cold spell can go a long way toward determining playoff longevity.

When the 2008-09 season got underway, there were few teams hotter than the New York Rangers. They were the media darlings, the newly crowned “contenders”, the team that was going to provide the perfect sequel to Messier’s boys back in ‘94. They won five in a row to start the season, en route to a 10-2-1 record in October – and they didn’t lose more than two straight until the end of December.

But after blazing out of the gates the Rangers started to level off. Never really a bad team per se, they were never really as good as they initially seemed either and certainly captured the essence of mediocrity for most of the season. October’s numbers aside, the Rangers finished 33-28-8 and had to scramble for a playoff spot right up until the end.

The playoffs were a microcosm of the season and after a fast start, they allowed a team to come back from 3-1 in a series for the first time in franchise history.

And there were the “true” contenders, a team desperate to shake off the choking dog moniker once and for all – the San Jose Sharks. They were a powerhouse as the season got underway, turning teams aside one after another and rocketing to the top of the standings. But their numbers, while pretty, were deceptive.

They were still picking up points but more of them came by way of overtime/shootout losses; they dropped games to teams like Phoenix. Their record in the final three months of the season were by their standards mediocre at best. And then they saw their season come to yet another early end, the number one seed felled by the underdog Ducks that were anything but.

Then there’s the flip side – the teams that maybe started out slow but got hot when it counted, picking up steam as they headed into the playoffs. To see Carolina and Pittsburgh in the final four is, while a bit painful, still somehow right when you consider the seasons they’ve had. Each slumped early, underachieving and suffering from crippling injuries until a coaching change turned each team around. They finished as two of the hottest teams in the league, both at one time out of the playoff picture only to surge into the postseason with strong finishes.

And beyond all of those teams, we have the Detroit Red Wings. It’s hard not to talk about that team with anything short of reverence, no matter how much you may like or dislike them. They have just been consistently good, dominant throughout the season and yet able to find another level in the postseason unmatched anywhere else. They have their scares, their close calls, their games where they look human…but not many.

Over the course of the year the Wings maintained an astonishingly consistent pace. With the exception of one five-game slump, every ten game stretch featured on average seven wins. No month (other than April) passed with under 16 points or 7 wins; losing streaks rarely extended to three games or beyond.

Consistent, efficient, dominant. Whether that leads them to another Cup remains to be seen, but unlike the other remaining teams they’re never just waiting for the hot streak to cool or the cold streak to snap. They just click right along.

For what it’s worth, the Caps probably fall somewhere in between those who surged early, those who surged late and the team after which everyone is trying to model themselves. They didn’t play their best down the stretch but they didn’t play their worst, either. They didn’t burst out of the gate but were respectable, and picked up steam in the middle of the season. They held their ground atop the division even with a late challenge by the Hurricanes; they had long winning streaks interspersed with long slumps.

It was a combination of immaturity, inexperience, indifference and injuries that ultimately led to their ousting – but another early exit is another lesson learned. And today’s lesson? Consistency is key. Going strong into the playoffs is key. Maintaining an even keel is key.

Because it’s not a faucet.

…or maybe I meant “stall”. Damn NHL brainwashing.

At any rate, just a heads-up that despite the premature offseason, there’s still a boatload of things coming to the Cheap Seats in the next few weeks. Among that boatload of things we’ve got a complete season recap, a player-by-player report card, the second half of the 64 Reasons to Love Hockey (…remember those?) and some really great “Ask CapsChick” questions.*

For today, though, you’re stuck with some more random thoughts and musings – real life and some time on the blogger IR will throw a wrench into anyone’s writing schedule. And so we stall a bit more.

Or was it Staal? Hmm…

- We’re now three games into the conference finals and I have yet to watch a complete game. So much for my general love of hockey helping me to overcome the bitterness that resides deep within the soul of every Caps fan, right? I hear they’ve been great games, though. Go teams go. Yay hockey.

- The league really faced a classic lose-lose situation after Matt Cooke’s knee made good friends with Erik Cole’s in Game 1 – do you suspend Cooke and risk criticism over letting Ovechkin “get away” with a similar hit, or do you let it go and risk criticism of being soft on suspension-worthy hits? Not that the league could ever be criticized for their discipline policies, of course…

- Pierre McGuire wants to be Minnesota’s next GM. If it’ll get him off my TV screen, I’m all for it – but one has to wonder if he can make trades from his little cubby between the benches.

- If Chicago gets out of this series with Detroit in one piece (and that’s a big “if”, no matter how tenuous a 2-0 series lead can be sometimes) I’m not convinced they can take on whoever wins in the East – and that’s enough reason to root for the Wings for me. Still, the Blackhawks have been one of the brighter spots in a strange NHL season, with exciting, talented young players leading the revitalization of one of the Original Six. Here’s to a series that goes at least 6 games, just for that alone.

- The blogosphere is chock full of things that constantly make me laugh; Twitter, not so much. It’s a little more hit and miss, especially with just 140 characters to work with. But this line from Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski cracked me up, and so it bears repeating: “Wonder what they call the doggie bags at Sean Avery’s new bar…” So wrong.

- The captain of the Chicago Blackhawks – Jonathan Toews or Martin Van Buren? You make the call. (And for what it’s worth, I heard Marty V.B. was a heck of a passer in his day…)

- I miss our boys.

*If you’d like to submit a question, send it to CapsChick@DCCheapSeats.com – and please reference “Ask CC” somewhere in the subject line or body of your email!