The real mystery in all this, is how did we get here? What a season it was starting 7-0, then Bruce being fired then a lot of mediocrity as the team struggled to become more defensive minded and fully adjust to Hunter's system. Injuries to our two starting goalies (believe it or not Tomas Vokoun is still employed by this team, as is Tom Poti but that's another issue entirely) seemed to doom the Capitals heading into a series against what was thought to be one of the best teams in the league.
But then a strange thing happened. This team bought in, from the captain on down. It was a glorious sight to see. It's already been written, but tonight can be viewed as vindication for this Capitals team. They stood up to the big, bad Boston Bruins and played a tough, physical style of hockey few thought they could. They got contributions up and down the lineup and clutch goaltending from an unlikely source.
The most important thing out of all this though for me at least is the semblance of mental toughness. Maybe Hunter isn't the best tactician in the world (Ovechkin's lack of ice-time is still a concern for me), but he seems to be a motivator. This team was mentally strong down the stretch, and even in the face of adversity this series; such as losing Game 1, losing Game 3 late, winning Game 4 with Backstrom suspended, losing Game 6 in OT on home-ice; the team for the first time in a while, didn't seem to wilt. I don't know how much this has to do with being an underdog for the first time in the Ovechkin era, but regardless, it was nice to see.
I won't go too into detail breaking down every aspect of this series, as there are far too many to recount (and we'll save that for this summer, when I don't have much going on with my life), but let's just discuss the games final play. Joel Ward and Mike Knuble. Ward obviously has struggled this season, but I thought he had his best game in a while even before he scored. Obviously, the contract was justified with that goal. But it wasn't just Ward, all the Caps "grinders" came ready to play today. I use the term grinder losely since Jay Beagle actually played a few more seconds than Ovechkin tonight.
But back to Knuble. He's obviously struggled this year, maybe a sign of age or just bad bounces, but he's a leader, a winner, and he showed it tonight. After being scratched he worked his way back into the lineup through good old hard work. He's a role model and an example for the younger players. Did he get away with possible interference? I would say yes, you could make the case he impeded Tim Thomas. Some people have been saying it's karma for the iffy penalty called on Chimera with just a few minutes to go (momentum swinging kill), but I argue that it was karma for something many Caps fans might not even remember.
For those of you who don't remember the context, that goal would have made it 1-1 at the time and maybe we don't see 2010 as the season of what might have been. Alas we should enjoy the moment tonight, as great Caps playoff moments don't role around too often. This team has been fun to watch these last seven games and that's not something you could say about them back in January or February. Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Goodnight Boston, it's been real.
