Expectations.

As you can tell I've changed the blog some. I'm learning how to make it better, and I'm trying to show more Caps pride. I've added the picture at the top, and the "Weagle" logo as the background. I also changed the side bar. The side bar is now red, and has lots of extra feature's now.

The Summer is going by very slow, I don't think an off-season has every gone by so slow. Everybody is already signed and nothing needs done. Now we wait till camp starts. In the years past the summer's didn't take this long, but this summer is different. The team has great expectations this year, the fans know it, the players know it, and the coaches know it. But what exactly are the expectations or goals for this year. Coming into this past year the goal was to make the playoffs. The team did it, maybe not the way they planned but they still made it. So should that be the goal again this year?......No. This team was not satisfied with a 1st round exist from the playoffs. This team wants more then that, and the fans want more then that too.

Take a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 06-07 they made the playoffs with a very young, and inexperienced team. They were facing the Ottawa Senators, a much older team who had been in the playoffs before. Pittsburgh went down 3-1 in the series(sound familiar?). They ended up losing the series 4-1. They were knocked out the playoffs in the 1st round, they only played 5 games, but those 5 games went a long way. Coming into this years playoffs they were the #2 seed and they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup final. They didn't win the Cup, but they made it all the way to the finals. Those 5 games meant so much to that team.

Now back to the Caps. Coming into this years playoffs the Caps were a very young, and inexperienced team, just like Pittsburgh was 1 year ago. The Caps were up agaisnt the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that was much older and had been in the playoffs before, just like Ottawa 1 year ago. The Caps went down 3-1 in the series, just like Pittsburgh did, but the Caps didn't lose game 5. The Caps came back and took the series to OverTime in game 7. The Caps only played 7 playoff games this year. 2 more then Pittsburgh did 1 year ago. If Pittsburgh can make it to the Stanley Cup finals with 5 playoff games, then why can't the Caps win the Cup? Those extra 2 games will go a long way. I think the expecations this year are HUGE. The goal this year should be to win the Stanley Cup. Plain and simple, win it all.