Sunday, April 20, 2008

Weekly Topic 1: Oh, the Irony!

There's no difficulty for me in making my decision but the answer provokes something approximating fits of multiple personality disorder!

The team I most wanted to see this post-season was the Washington Capitals. Since we all know how much the Hockey Gods love to mess with fans, it figures Philadelphia had to play them this round.

I've enjoyed watching the Caps' bounce-back from the basement. (I remember our season-long vacation there last year!) The scrappiness, the trade deadline transactions, the goalie situation...it's kept the season exciting for those who followed them.

Here are the players that sealed the deal for my interest in the Caps and why it sucks that I can't fully enjoy watching them in every game we play right now:

Alexander Ovechkin: I love to watch the ever-evolving sense of humor and personality that Ovie displays. From the golf clip to the hilarity of his online dating actually working out for the (right now?) best, the kid keeps me laughing and dazzles me more than Cindy, er, Sidney Crosby.

Olaf "Godzilla" Kolzig: Zilla is among my squees from other teams. He's been one of my favorites since he started playing. And let's be honest, how many bad-ass goalies like him are playing in the NHL right now? Combine that with his off-ice charity work and there's just that much more to admire in Olie the Goalie.

Sergei Fedorov: When I really became a hockey fan, there were only three non-goalie players in my universe and I affectionately called them The Troika. Mogilny. Fedorov. Bure. They rocked! So what happens? As a twenty-nine year old, one of my childhood dreams comes true with Feds' trade to an EC team and we have to play them in the first round? Murphy's Freakin' Law strikes again!

Add to this continued exposure to CapsChick and Shmee's insanely witty posts of their favorite players' antics and I just couldn't help but cheer the Caps on this year.

Right up until the pairings were announced.

Now, if you'll forgive me, I need to go figure out how I can be the Flyers fan I am and reconcile it with the fact that I don't passionately dislike the "enemy."

8 comments:

Shan said...

Hah. I was always a fan of Fedorov when I was little (around 10 years old?). Not a Wings fan, but a Fedorov fan. I am definitely enjoying his return to relevance.

Care to fill me in on these Ovechkin antics? I don't know the story behind his online dating and haven't seen mentioned golf clip. He's definitely a good enough reason to watch and the reason why so many people outside of Washington are cheering on the Caps and booing the Flyers.

Kolzig is great. Huet is younger and has gotten them where they are, so it's a little disappointing seeing Kolzig not as the starter, but I still like him very much.

Kerri said...

Hm, that's an unfortunate choice for you, lol. I don't care too much who comes out of the Flyers/Caps match up, but from what I've seen, it's been great hockey.

I feel like a child again with all the talk of Sergei Fedorov.

Nadine said...

Kerri: I, of course, wanted the Rangers and Devils to annihilate each other. But, as the Rolling Stones said, you can't always get what you want! :)

Nadine said...

Shan:

Ovechkin golfing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wylmOGotyvY

Ovechkin in Love:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/02/20/ovechkin-in-love/

Shan said...

Thank you, Nadine. :)

Shan said...

It occurred to me yesterday i should get a Fedorov Capitals jersey! Obviously people associate Fedorov with Detroit foremost. The real problem however is longevity. How many more years can we expect him to be in the league and in a Capitals uniform? He's 38 years old. I love Ovechkin, but his jerseys are common. Backstrom could be an option.

Shan said...

Well, that sucks.

Nadine said...

Re: Fedorov Caps jersey - I think it's a worthwhile investment.

1) Celebrate that he's finally in the EC.

2) If you're a sports jinx, once he retires, you won't be causing bad karma for the rest of the team.