Banner Raising Ceremony Opens New Season
There wasn't a dry eye in the house. For a change, years of
playoff misery are gone. No more what could have beens or gods
being against the Washington Capitals. Opening night was
different from past years, very different. It was indeed a
banner night for the Capitals - in more ways than one.
The crowd at MCI Center, usually subdued, was on fire. Folks,
Washington, D.C. is becoming a hockey town. When the banner
marking the Capitals' Eastern Conference championship was raised
to the roof, fans greeted players with a hero's welcome.
All the good moments from last season were relived. Brian
Bellows' overtime goal to end Boston's series in six games
vibrated with goosebumps, and Joe Juneau's magical touch to send
the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance sent
tingles down everyone's spine. But nothing made the crowd cheer
more than the many saves Olie Kolzig made in the playoffs.
It was pure magic.
But the banner raising ceremony wasn't meant to be the beginning
of an end. Instead, Washington hopes it's the beginning of many
good things to come.
Oh yeah, there was a game yet to be played that night against
coach Ron Wilson's former club, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
It wasn't the prettiest game ever played in the National Hockey
League, but it did have its moments. Kolzig flashed the
brilliance that led his team to the finals and Richard Zednik
sharpened his skills with a power-play goal in the first period
to lead the Capitals to a 1-0 victory over the Ducks.
It was a great opening night appearance for a team that has
always been shunned by its hometown...until now.
With the Redskins off to a miserable 0-6 start and the NBA
strike, combined with the Capitals success last season,
Washington's hockey club is the only winning team in town to
watch this winter. Through two games - the final score of the
Stanley Cup rematch against Detroit was played after deadline -
fans are flocking in droves to MCI Center, bringing a playoff
intensity to regular season matchups.
More than anyone, Kolzig is becoming a staple in Washington and
its surrounding suburbs. He's a man everyone, big and small, can
identify with. Kolzig, adored as 'Zilla, is very personable to
fans, but not to opposing NHL players. His size is daunting to
the opposition, but gives Capitals fans reason to feel
comfortable.
With Kolzig defending the goal, there's reason for fans to be ga'
ga' in the Nation's Capital. The decibels are louder than ever
and the Capitals are out to prove that last season's finals
appearance was not a fluke.
"The Cap fans are really into it," said Brendan Shanahan, when
asked about the atmosphere Tuesday night inside MCI Center during
the second intermission.
If Shanahan, who plays in Hockeytown, thinks Capitals fans are
the most improved die-hards in the league, who's going to
disagree?
Now, it's up to the Capitals to continue playing well. If that
happens, the city no one thought could support an NHL team will
be skating circles around its doubters.
News and Notes
University of Michigan product Matt Herr turned heads in
training camp and started opening night...
Holdouts Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Nikolishin are at a stalemate
in negotiating new deals, according to general manager George
McPhee.
