A Rivalry Renewed

You're right Pittsburgh media outlets, Alex Ovechkin is a monster.  A menace to society. Deport his sorry ass for the blatant act of violence committed against poor, helpless Penguins defenseman Kris Letang last week. I'll grant you Ovechkin's stick work probably should have been called  a penalty, though the hyperbole coming out of Pittsburgh was a bit much.  But I don't mind the trash talk.  In fact, I love it.  I love that America's Top Douche, Chris Kunitz, retaliated by cross-checking Ovechkin after the next whistle. I loved it even more when an undaunted Ovie laughed in his face. Because all this can only mean one thing: this is a rivalry reborn. 

For too long, the Caps-Pens rivalry, once a pressure cooker ready to boil over at any second, has been set to a tepid simmer.  Six years without a playoff meeting has cooled the hatred built upon  passionate playoff matchups.  During that span, Ovie's game went MIA for a bit as did Sidney Crosby's ability to stay healthy enough to be in the lineup.  A once proud rivalry has taken a back seat to others.  Since 2009, these teams, which are more alike than Pens fans probably like to admit, have been stuck in neutral.  The young teams, once expected to duke it out for dynasty status, have been passed by the Kings and Hawks as the  top teams and top rivalry in the sport.  The Caps-Pens regular season matchups though always hyped, are often more network bluster than actual substance.

Then something happened last week.  There was snarl.  There were huge hits.  There were chops and chips and facewashes after every whistle.  For maybe the first time since the New Patrick Metropolitan Division was formed, a Caps-Pens game had some real juice to it.    And I watched with glee.  You see, as a young hockey fan, I suckled at the teat of this rivalry.  The first Caps game I attended was against the Penguins.  Mine is a hockey fandom burnished by the vicious rivalries of the old Patrick Division-battles with the hated Pens, the filthy Rangers and the despicable Flyers.  My buddies and I practically swung from the rafters of the Capital Centre, cheering our hockey heroes and disparaging the enemy.  We bore witness to so many formative moments in that barn: penalty filled games stopped to scrape the blood from the ice, chants of "Barass-hole, Barass-hole", games that featured more fights in the seats than on the rink, hand-written signs questioning both the length of Ron Hextall's, uh,  goalie stick and the sexual prowess of his sister.  We drank it all in and learned.  Then we carried on the proud traditions and created a few of our own along the way: talking shit with visiting fans, sneaking in airplane bottles of liquor to supplement our colas, tackling each other as the siren wailed after another Capital goal.  Sorry, but the likes of Columbus and Florida don't feed the rage quite like a good ol' Patrick Division showdown.  Make special "Blue Jackets Suck" t-shirts for the game? Nope.  But "Flyers Suck" was a different story.  We witnessed playoff victories and bitter playoff disappointments. Many of those defeats, admittedly, at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  That is why last Tuesday's game was so fun to watch.  It conjured so many wonderful memories.  The game was also an important step in the Caps-Pens history.  It was a beacon of hope, a symbol of things to come, a sign of a rivalry re-ignited.  

Last Tuesday's game was also an important step in the development of this current Caps team.  The Capitals, long in search of an identity, may be coming together.  The nastiness of the game didn't seem to bother the Caps.  They seem tougher than before.  Perhaps they can shed their reputation for softness.  Outside of goalie Braden Holtby's stellar play it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for their climb in the Eastern Conference standings.  But a tougher attitude and being harder to play against seem to be at the top of the list.  Why?  Is it Brooks Orpik's leadership?  Is it Barry Trotz's coaching style?  Is Alex Ovechkin maturing into the all-around player he could have always been?  I don't know.  What I do know is that when the Penguins got dirty with cross checks and sucker punches last week, the Caps didn't blink.  Players that shy away from the rough stuff were in the mix.   To paraphrase the announcer in the movie Slapshot, "The fans are standing up to them!  The security guards are standing up to them!  The peanut vendors are standing up to them! By God, even Eric Fehr is standing up to them!"  An identity forged of toughness, togetherness and offensive firepower could make the Capitals formidable down the stretch.  

Which brings us to tomorrow night's rematch in Washington.  The Pens have cheap shots to answer for.  The Caps have home ice to defend.  Pittsburgh is likely surly as the Caps have had their number so far this year.  Washington can pass Pittsburgh in the standings with the victory.  There is a lot at stake.  A possible bloodbath in the making that can continue the shenanigans from last week and lay the groundwork for a possible matchup later in this Spring.   I hope somebody pulls a Reg Dunlop and pays the ambulance driver to take a few pre-game laps up and down F-street ringing the siren to stoke the bloodlust  of the fans coming to enjoy the rivalry.  A rivalry renewed.