C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!!

The Washington Capitals came into Wednesday night’s game with one objective: winning. This was not your typical pre-season game. There was no vanilla plays; no half-efforts; the Caps showed fire and heart on the ice. In a season where the expectations around the league have been set low, the Capitals are out to prove that they can compete with anyone. That winning attitude starts now. After the first two periods, it looked as if the Caps were fulfilling their wishes. They were dominant. In the intermission between the second and third, the score was 2-1 in the Capitals’ favor, and the lone Lightning goal appeared to come off Olie Kolzig’s own stick. Then came the third period. In the third period and into overtime, the Caps still played well; they just were unable to dominate the way they had during the first two. The penalty-killing unit allowed both the tying and winning goals to push the Caps to 0-1 in the preseason. In spite of the loss, the game experience is excellent. The Washington Capitals really put forth an effort to connect with the fan base, with fan profiles on the jumbotron (hello Goat, if you are reading), shooting T-shirts and towels into the crowd and a real family-friendly atmosphere. In keeping with the commitment to the fans and the community, the Caps are sponsoring an auction to benefit the Children’s National Medical Center and Olie Kolzig’s Athletes Against Autism foundation. If a person is so inclined, he or she can bid on everything from an autographed Alex Ovechkin sweater (that’s jersey, in Canadian) to a Freddy Adu autographed soccer ball. It is a great cause and there is some great stuff to boot. Be sure to check it out, and support a great cause by grabbing some killer…