… Shame on you. Fool me twice, well shame on me because I was fooled.
I came to hockey late. Ever since someone, I can’t even remember who, couldn’t go to a game and gave me a ticket to see the Hershey Bears play. I was 18 and didn’t know any better and I fell in love with the game and the team. It was OK to fall in love with the game but I should have waited and learned more about the teams before picking one to be a fan of. Maybe Boston. I always thought they had cool colors and uniforms. Maybe Pittsburgh which is close to where I grew up and the home of my beloved Pirates. But alas, no. I picked the team that the Hershey Bears were the farm team of. The Washington Capitals. Little did I know that they would be the cause of so much frustration and heart break over the years.

The Caps have lost play off series in just about every way possible. They have been up big and collapsed. They have looked abysmal and just rolled over and they have just plain gotten beat on occasion. Never though have they stepped up in the big spot and produced. This year was no exception. President trophy winner … didn’t matter. Home ice advantage … didn’t matter. Game winning goal on your stick with the whole net to shoot at (twice) … typical Caps, didn’t matter. Yes, the Pens were a very good team but so were the Caps. They had the horses to win that series and the way it played out they would have had a very good shot to hoist the cup. They just can’t do it … ever.

It’s frustrating and heart breaking and I wish I could just not care … but I can’t. Shame on me.