Let The Beards Begin.

Whew! So the Caps are in the postseason for the first time since '03. (Yes, Jagr actually got them there once.) The hottest team in hockey ran off 10 wins in 11 games to sneak past Carolina to win the Southeast Division title on the second-to-last day of the season. For fans the last two weeks have been nerve-wracking, anxious, exciting and, above all, fun. The Caps have essentially been in the playoffs for nearly a month as they were on the outside looking in for most of the season. The games lately have had a (cliche alert!) playoff intensity and the fans in the stands and in my living room have been hanging on every loose puck. My pacing (I haven't actually sat down during a third period in like six games), jumping, cursing, contorting and hoping proved so entertaining to Amanda last Thursday that she felt compelled to take these pictures.

The Capitals have a feel about them that they haven't had in many moons. Alex Ovechkin and his merry band of youngsters has inspired a city to "rock the red" and support this team. Diehard fans finally have something to cheer about again after the dark period of lockouts, fire sales and bad, bad hockey. On one hand this team is exactly on pace to fulfill Ted Leonsis's plan to rebuild their way to prominence. The young players acquired by selling off veteran fixtures four years ago are beginning to pay dividends. On the other hand, this team seems as unlikely as any to reach the postseason. Sure, they have a superstar talent in Ovechkin, but beyond that they are still a whole that is far better than its separate parts. Although, I suppose that is the makeup of many championship teams. A rumpled minor league coach, a goalie dumped way too early by his former club, a savvy veteran center with a Stanley Cup pedigree and a dozen guys that will outwork you every night- oh, and the current greatest player on the planet; this sounds like a club that could make a run.

I do, however, urge caution. The Caps could make a great playoff run, but if they will remains to be seen. Ovie, as great as he is, will be on the big stage for the first time. The kid seems unflappable and ready for anything, yet you never know. The team has been so hot that you figure they have to cool at some point, right? Having five days off won't help in that regard. Finally, they are renewing a playoff rivalry with the wretched Philadelphia Flyers who are trying to recast themselves as the Broad Street Bullies again. I've said all month that if the Caps could get in the tournament I wouldn't care how they performed because just getting in is a milestone on the journey back to success. I'll be dissapointed if they get housed by the Flyers, but it won't erase the strides this team has made. Simply tasting playoff hockey will benefit the Caps in the future. Optimism rightly abounds in DC and I hope they make one long, exciting, pace-inducing run.