One of the most exciting games played in any sport this year took place yesterday. No, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl, which for a change wasn't a Super Bore. It was an interesting football game, but coming two weeks after the previous playoff game it was anti-climactic. Furthermore, the game itself tended to get lost, as it always does, in the all-day pre-game, the incessant commercials, and the interminable half-time show by The Who, a band that got it's start about the same time that Red Grange came out of college to play for the Bears. No, I'm talking about the Washington Capitals' exciting overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Trailing 4-2 after two periods, the Capitals came out in the third period and killed off a 5-on-3 penalty situation, turning the momentum in their favor. Alex Ovechkin then scored his 2nd and 3rd goals of the game for a hat trick as dozens of red caps came flying onto the Verizon Center ice. With approximately 8 minutes still left in the game, both teams clamped down on defense, and the contest headed into overtime. With only 2:34 left in the extra period, Penguin Brooks Orpik was called for high sticking, giving the Caps a man advantage. The puck once again found Alexander the Great at the top of the left faceoff circle. Ovechkin fired a slapshot toward the Pittsburgh goal, which was knocked down, but Mike Knuble slipped the rebound between the legs of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for the game winner. The win marks the Capitals 14th in a row, only 3 off the NHL record.
This exciting hockey game clearly illustrates the difference between the NHL and the NFL. For the former, the game is everything, while for the latter, the game is an afterthought, simply part of an overall production. You couldn't beat last night's contest for pageantry and hoopla. The best game of the day, however, was played on ice in the afternoon.
AMEN! I was watching the game alone and kept finding myself talking to the television and punching the air. Such an exciting game! I think I picked a really good time to start getting into Capitals hockey.
Posted by: Lizzy Kipps | February 08, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Yes, you did! The Caps are young and talented and should be good for quite some time.
Posted by: Austin | February 08, 2010 at 01:09 PM