Photo: Washington Capitals
It’s a big season ahead for the Washington Capitals. One of the biggest. The franchise will celebrate their 50th season in the National Hockey League with a revamped roster and renewed hopes for returning to the postseason. That will certainly generate numerous stories and headlines over the course of the season.
But the team’s 50th birthday will take a distant back seat to an exponentially bigger story line as Alex Ovechkin inches closer and closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all time goals record. He needs just 41 to tie.
Will he get there? It’s uncertain. Could it happen. Absolutely.
And that’s where things will begin to change in the day-to-day life of the Washington Capitals and their fans. The hive of reporters following the Capitals will grow, seemingly after each successive goal. National headlines and Sports Center leads will become the nightly norm. International press will descend on the Capitals from all four corners of the globe.
Photo: Washington Capitals
Will it shadow the team’s play on the ice? Certainly, at times. It could even be deemed a nuisance by some Caps fans at certain points during the season. But make no mistake, having the Capitals front and center in tye sporting world’s narrative will be a great thing, overall.
Yes, the media spotlight will intensify as the season progresses, but the excitement level around the league and at away arenas will also see increased buzz. I’d even bet we begin hearing fans of other teams begin to applaud the soon-to-be goal king. The hockey world will be centered on the Washington Capitals.
And speaking of away arenas. If you wanna be in attendance on THE night the record is tied and/or broken, you might want to start looking into tickets, both home AND away.
It won’t be pure Pollyanna. We will surely hear more, louder screaming from the Ovechkin detractors, as the overall noise surrounding the team intensifies, exponentially. It will truly become a three ring circus.
Buckle up Caps fans, it should we a wild ride.
By Jon Sorensen
