Hockey Season! Football Season!

Football may be the most popular sport in the country due to its wide audience but with the NHL opening its regular season on Thursday, I have to tell people in the DC Area what they're missing by not watching the Good Ole Hockey Game.

The Washington Capitals are one of the most exciting teams in any sport. No I'm not exaggerating. Their up-and-down, north-to-south, hard-hitting, high-scoring show dazzles viewers and keeps people excited. And they're style of play along with improved defense and goal tending (hopefully) is the reason that many "experts" are picking them to win the Eastern Conference and possibly even the Stanley Cup.

It starts at the top and owner Ted Leonsis is as big a fan of his team as anyone. He sits in his suite at center ice wearing a jersey instead of a stuffy shirt, tie and suit. This man bleeds red and rocks the red as well as any zealous fan. He gives his team the energy that they show on the ice.

General Manager George McPhee has pieced together an amazingly dynamic team that sells out every home game. By trading away over-priced veterans for draft picks and prospects, the Caps built their team from within centering around #1 pick Alex Ovechkin. McPhee sold away a dreary team that made Verizon Center seem "like a morgue" according to new forward Mike Knuble, formerly with the Philadelphia Flyers. Now it's getting very difficult to find a ticket for a Caps home game. My favorite idea thus far was selling home tickets only to people with MD, DC, VA zip codes and shunning all PA buyers during their playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins last year.

Bruce Boudreau came from the Capitals farm team in Hershey, PA to the spotlight a year and a half ago when management fired their previous coach Glen Hanlon after a record worst start. Boudreau turned the team around and actually squeaked into the playoffs after a record-setting run from when he took over the reins. His coaching style is emotional and nothing is more fun than seeing Bruce jump up and down on the bench along with his players after a big goal.

The centerpiece of the whole organization is Alex Ovechkin. Some people have told me that Ovechkin is not the best player in the NHL right now. I respectfully disagree and I'll tell you why. People say Ovechkin is just a scorer and only works in open space.

In the words of Wayne Campbell, "shyea, right....."

Ovechkin is a dynamic player regardless of the situation. He is a dynamic scorer and that's his bread and butter. It's basically impossible to shut this guy out of a game. He fights so hard to score and yet rejoices just as much when a teammate scores. In his first game of the season last night, Ovechkin assisted on the first goal, and then scored the second and fourth goals for his team with wicked wrist shots.

People might think that someone who is so good at scoring would be easily shaken or intimidated by hitting. Ovechkin is not a fighter but he never flinches at the chance to hit somebody. He often leaps, shoulder-first into opponents, with devastating results.He elevates his team to a different level and everyone else falls in line behind his energetic enthusiasm for hockey.

From the front office to the front line on the ice, the Capitals are going places where other DC teams can never reach. The Redskins are terrible again, the Wizards are on shaky, oft-injured legs and the Nationals/Orioles are vying for the title of worst MLB team. Watch a hockey game like I did last spring (where the Caps came back to win Game 7 against the Rangers in their first-round playoff matchup) and tell me this isn't the sport than DC-natives should be clamoring about.

(Awesome hockey youtube video I just had to share)