Capital Spirit

So I pick up this morning’s DC Examiner, and I’m skimming the sports pages, when I run across this little tidbit.

Evidently, the Capitals have made preliminary inquiries into hosting the Mid-Winter Classic at FedEx Field. The Redskins are on board with that idea, it seems–this according to spokespersons from both clubs. With Yankee Stadium now looking unlikely, the NHL’s got to come up with something, and I can think of far worse places to hold a New Year’s Day matinee than a city where it’s become a hockey tradition.

If it happens, then order your red cloaks soon, folks–it can be chilly on New Year’s Day in the District. My rave lights are going to be less than effective outdoors in the middle of the day in an arena four times the size of the Phone Booth, but I’ll still bring ‘em.

I hope it happens. The Caps could use the exposure. That it could be at the expense of hosting the Penguins is a small price to pay to have 90,000 fans in the building.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
LET’S TAKE THIS OUTSIDE!

Mr. Kolzig:

I’m sad tonight. Sad at the passing of an era; sad at the cruelness of time; sad that I won’t see you raise the Cup with the Capitals; and, above all, sad that it ended this way.

I had hoped against hope that all that you wanted was time to reflect, and that I’d see #37 in net for the Caps at some point next year. Alas, unless Cristobal Huet leaves–which would be one of the biggest offseason gaffes in team history–then the only way I’ll ever see you again at Verizon Center would be in the visiting net. And while that is the nature of the beast, that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking. That doesn’t make it any less cruel. And that doesn’t make it any easier to take.

And it is a cruel game, isn’t it? Hockey has been called a mix of grace and disgrace, which is as apt a description as any. The grace of a breakaway, the disgrace of a fight; the grace of a textbook tic-tac-toe, the disgrace of a haul-down from behind; the grace of winning the most famous trophy in sports, and the disgrace of leaving the only NHL team you’ve ever played for. Yes, your departure is a disgrace in my eyes. And yet, sometimes a fight is needed to restore order. Sometimes, a haul-down is the only way to stop an easy goal. And sometimes, turning the page and moving on is the only way to continue playing the game you love.

Yet still I grieve, for all that might have been.

I’ve read your comments in various places, and since you say you need regular play for athletic reasons, I will believe you. The only alternative to that would be to believe you’re lying through your teeth as an excuse to leave the only NHL team you’ve ever played for, and that should be nonsensical on its face. If you need regular play to stay ready, and you can’t get it here, then you have no choice. I’m sure this was a harder decision for you than you’ll ever admit in public, and if you can live with this, so can I. Neither of us has a choice at this point, do we?

I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get starter minutes on a team that will be a contender next year. If you can find a team that will take you, and that you’re willing to play for, then best of luck, and Godspeed. I’m not the only person who will think of a you as a Washington Capital, first and always. Wherever you go, I will still pull for you. And I will proudly cheer you when you come back to your hockey home to raise #37 to the rafters forever.

Just don’t expect any grace from me if you’re in the net against the Caps. It’s not personal; it’s just the nature of this wonderful, cruel, inspiring, heartless game. I hope you understand.

And now, I guess it’s time for me to say farewell. May the road rise up to meet you; may the wind be always at your back; may the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields; and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

So long, Godzilla. It’s been a privilege. I wish you and yours the boundless blessings of God, for as long as you all shall live. Now, and for all time, I am

Yours in Spirit,
Capital Spirit

Flyers versus Penguins. Gag me with a goalie stick, folks.

I could care less who wins or loses this series–I don’t know which team I despise more–but it might make for good practice doing predictions in the future. So let’s go for it–Tarot of the Angels, in a Celtic Cross layout. I have to ask the question from the standpoint of one of the teams, since my deck doesn’t exactly have Flyers or Penguins cards.

The question: “How will the Pittsburgh Penguins do in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Flyers?”

First impression: Wow, three Major Arcana cards on this layout, two of them reversed, and both of those reversals are in the prediction spots. If the Penguins do in fact lose, there might not have been anything they could have done about it, if this layout is correct. So this could be very good news indeed for those of you who want to see Sid the Kid get bounced. But it’s really sucky news for those of you who don’t want to see the Flyers win a conference championship after needing a ticky-tack call against us in overtime in Game 7 to even get that far. But on to the cards…

Card 1: Basis. King of Wands. The King of Wands is a leader in spirit, someone who’s been around the block several times and who has the wrinkles to prove it. My intuition says this represents Crosby, even though he’s only in his third year and ought to rank no higher than a Knight. But since he wears the C–and since as he goes, so tend to go the Pens–I have to rank him as a King, because the team really is all about Crosby. That’s what the King of Wands represents: the spiritual leader of any enterprise, and that has got to be Sidney Crosby. What this card tells me in this position is that the Penguins are where they are because of Sidney Crosby. Well, duh…except that the story doesn’t end there.

Card 2: Crossing. 5 of Swords. Ouch! The 5 of Swords is NOT a fun card. 5’s in general are challenging to deal with, but the 5 of Swords is probably the meanest 5 in the deck, and that’s saying something. It’s not The Tower, but as far as the Minor Arcana goes, this is one of the most challenging cards of the whole 56. The 5 of Swords is about one thing: Defeat. So the path the Pens are on, and the obstacle getting in their way, is one of defeat. Unless they make some changes in what they plan to do, they won’t win this series. And even WITH changes, they may not have much hope, as there are some reversed Majors elsewhere on the layout (as usual, no skipping ahead, please.) This is not a good card for the Penguins to have drawn here: you can’t reverse a Crossing card, so this is an energy of defeat that they’re going to have to face, like it or not.

Card 3: Distant Past. 6 of Chalices, reversed. In general, Sixes represent helping energy, and Chalices represent emotions. So, think emotional help, turned back on itself. Think emotional drainage from the distant past, which is still affecting the Penguins. I’ve had my hands full following the Caps, so I can’t really say for sure what this refers to, but it’s a situation in the past where the Penguins were getting some kind of emotional help, only to see that help go bad. It’s kind of a long-ago…e…mo…tion…al…drain…on the Pens that’s going to come into play in the Conference Finals. I’m not going to look anything up, but the energy represented by this card is some kind of emotional parasite, some kind of monkey on their backs, that’s still nagging the Penguins.

Card 4: Recent Past. 3 of Chalices. Wow, when it rains, it pours, doesn’t it? The 3 of Chalices in this position represents some kind of emotional pick-up in the team’s recent past. Beating the Rangers that handily might be what this is referring to, but I could be wrong. Unfortunately for the Penguins, the fun’s over. The emotional left they got in their most recent series is about to go away–that’s what happens to cards in this position. If this is a bad news card, it’s good-bye and good riddance, but this is a good news card. So even though the Pens are going to try to keep their emotions up against their cross-state rivals, the Flyers evidently have other ideas. And judging by the full layout, the fun may be over for the summer for the black and gold.

Card 5: General Direction. The Chariot, reversed. I’m beginning to think these cards hate the Penguins more than I do! When face-up, The Chariot is all about being master of your domain. You’re in command of where you want to go, and the horses pulling your chariot respond to your every command. Now, flip that situation on its head, and you understand why I think these cards don’t exactly like the Pens that much. The Chariot, reversed, speaks to being out of control, of not having any say in where you’re going. The horses pulling the chariot now have other ideas of their own, and where they go is out of your hands. Essentially, the Penguins have no control over where this series ends up. Their captain (Card 1) is being blocked by energies of defeat (Card 2), they’re carrying around emotional dead weight from the past (Card 3), and the fun emotions they had in the Rangers series are on their way out (Card 4). Put simply, they are losing control of their season, at least on a subtle, subconscious level. And even that is not the end of the bad news. Read on.

Card 6: Immediate Future. Knight of Pentacles, reversed. A Knight of Pentacles, in hockey terms, generally refers to either a youngish player with a very physical game, or the team’s designated enforcer, no matter how long he’s been in service. My intuition on this one says this refers to Georges Laraque, and you have to use your intuition when you read Tarot. So, Laraque, reversed, what then? He may end up having an off series, and may be looking at missing a game due to injury or suspension if he’s not careful. Now, this is an immediate future card, so something like that would happen in the first, I’m going to say, three games, maybe even two. Laraque needs to be careful for the next couple of games: that’s what this card is telling me in this position.

Card 7: Querant. The Emperor. The Emperor is a very “Dad” energy in the Major Arcana. Face-up in the Querant position, he’s good news, as he represents a very kind and loving fatherly person (or energy) surrounding the question, as well as the person (or organization) the question is about. So right now, the Penguins have “Dad” looking out for them. So, who’s their daddy? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Management, alumni, it’s kind of hard to say here. For lack of a better way to put it, there is a lot of father-like energy surrounding the Pens right now. I want to say this is a reference to Mario Lemieux, but I’m not quite sure how he plays into this. The message here is that the Pens have the full support of their elders, but more than that, I’m having trouble coming up with.

Card 8: Outside Influences. Ace of Pentacles, reversed. And the hits just keep on coming! Face up, the Ace of Pentacles represents physical or material abundance; reversed, it indicates a lack of something physical or material. Or, perhaps, material possessions or physical health being taken away from the outside. Based on this, I would look for the Flyers to be throwing around cheap shots with the intent to injure, whether they want to admit it or not. If I had to guess, based on the Knight of Pentacles a couple of cards ago, I’d say that one of the Flyers might throw a cheap shot, and Laraque may be lost for a game or two as a result of what happens when he tries to play cop on the beat. I could be totally misreading this, however.

Card 9: Hopes and Fears. Queen of Pentacles. This is something I’d have to scan the card to explain, but I’m not doing that for copyright reasons. Basically, the scene on this card is of the Queen calmly sitting on a stone throne in a field of flowers, holding her coin with both hands. Meanwhile, above her, angels and demons are in a swordfight. Putting it all together and placing it in position, what this tells me is that the Penguins are subconsciously going to try their darndest to hang on to their resources, despite a very real conflict going on behind the scenes. Maybe they’re aware of the conflict; maybe they aren’t. But they can’t just sit there forever and try to hang on to what they’re losing (consider the 3 of Chalices in the Recent Past.) Sooner or later, the unseen conflict will become visible. At that point, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to hang on to what they think should rightfully be theirs. They think the Flyers are in the Conference Finals because of some very lucky officiating. And they’re right about that, too. But they take the Flyers lightly at their own peril. If they’re not careful, they could end up jumping on I-76 in an 0-2 hole.

Outcome: The Wheel, reversed. For lack of a better description, The Wheel, when reversed, means just plain bad luck. For it to be showing up as an Outcome card means that this series may end up going the Flyers’ way based on a couple of pinged posts, ticky-tack calls from the officials, softies they let in…there are any number of hard-luck scenarios to be had in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and when the Outcome of the series is this card, it may very well mean that this series will be decided on just a bad-luck break. Sometimes, despite all the planning and practice, Dame Fortune decides to take a hike, and her daughter Miss Fortune comes a-calling. That looks like it’s going to be the final result of the series: just a couple of pieces of bad luck, and that’s the end of the season for the Pens.

Final Thoughts: If the Penguins do indeed lose this series, there may not have been much they could have done to save themselves. With two Major Arcana cards turned against them–and both of those in predictive positions, no less–this series may end up completely outside the Penguins’ control. Throw in the 5 of Swords as a crossing card, and it doesn’t look good at all for the boys from Steeltown. I don’t want to see the Flyers go to the Stanley Cup Finals any more than the next Caps fan, but somebody’s got to lose this series, and based on everything I see here, that losing team is going to be the Penguins.

PREDICTION: Flyers take the series at home in Game 6.

I’ll take my crow medium-well.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
EVEN THE CARDS DON’T LIKE THE PENGUINS

I know I’m late arriving to this little shinding, but come on…the captain of the Baby Pens getting arrested for STREAKING?! What is hockey coming to?! That C on your sweater doesn’t mean clothing-optional! Sheesh!

But at least that answers the question about what kind of penguin the Baby Pens are. They must be Emperor penguins, since they seem to prefer having no clothes.

Meanwhile, I know why the DC Madam hanged herself: she was depressed at the very idea of an all-Pennsyltucky conference final.

Meanwhile, how ’bout the weather in the District today–cold, windy, and wet. It was almost like March had been recalled. Made me miss the Caps a little bit more.

Meanwhile, the honors keep coming for our players: Alzner for WHL Player of the Year, Coach Boudreau is getting an official Jack Adams look, and Ovechkin has been nominated for the Pearson. Not sure what Coach Boudreau is going to say during his acceptance speech–the award is his to lose, I think–but I’m sure it will be inspiring. As for Ovechkin, he had better be ready for his close-up: the night will be all his. Look sharp, Alex: the entire world will be watching.

And let’s not forget Backstrom’s Calder nomination. I’d call him a dark horse for this one, since he didn’t lead the league in rookie scoring. On the other hand, Toews and Kane could end up cancelling each other out. We’ll see. He has a shot, but I think it’s an outside one. I’d like to be wrong.

Unrelated note: Libera has a new CD out called “New Dawn.” It includes their arrangement of “Love and Mercy,” which they sang at the Kennedy Center Honors last year, and which moved several members of the audience to tears. Can’t recommend it enough–it’s an absolutely heavenly sound.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
IS IT OCTOBER YET?

(Readers: I thought this season deserved a final send-off, and I opted to do it in verse. It’s not Shakespeare, but it is from the heart. Enjoy!–CS)

And now that the heartbreak is over, let’s look back at the things that went right.
A lot of good things were accomplished, which will linger long past Tuesday night.
Ovechkin was some revelation. Nicklas Backstrom proved what he can do.
And Semin was gold in the playoffs, while Mike Green was a force from the blue.
A club record was set in goals scored; Olie Kolzig reached three hundred wins;
And a championship banner will rise, when our new hockey season begins.
It was not, true, a Stanley Cup win, but the championship of the Southeast.
But with all Carolina’s success, it’s one thing to be proud of, at least.

And now that the heartbreak is over, let’s take pride in what good things were done.
Despite all of our early setbacks, in the end, ’twas one heck of a run.
It seemed almost too good to be true, and a wonderful way to begin,
When we opened the regular slate, with a win, and a win, and a win.
But then came one loss, then another, and it all seemed to start to go wrong.
We weren’t even out of October, yet our season looked awfully long.
The losses kept up in November, so the fans all began to get gruff.
A five-to-one loss to the Thrashers, and McPhee wisely said, “That’s enough.”
Down I-83 came Bruce Boudreau, for his NHL coaching debut.
The game was an overtime thriller. More important, the Caps won it, too.
Then came more wins, and more wins, and more! The phrase “rebuilding year” soon got squashed.
And a month after taking the reins, Boudreau’s “interim” tag got kibboshed.
January saw still more success. There seemed nothing we couldn’t achieve.
And slowly, but ever more surely, you could feel the fans start to believe.
February was not quite as kind, and the uneven play worried me.
The Caps did more losing than winning, and finished up six-four-and-three.
Came March, and some do-or-die hockey. The Caps couldn’t afford to lose more.
But the went on an absolute tear, and they finished the month ten-and-four!
Then came our three final home contests. Would we live to fight another day?
But the team did not stop believing, and won all three games going away.
The regular season was over, and the Caps had passed one monst’rous test.
They had stood in last place for so long, and then climbed from the worst to the best.

And now that the heartbreak is over, let’s consider our postseason crash.
There might be–we are Caps fans, please note–some who’ll say the whole series was trash.
No, I don’t like the outcome that much. I thought Game Seven should have been ours.
And I thought that the guys in the stripes, were instead crewing some game on Mars.
But our playoffs are over, alas, and our offseason has now begun.
Raise a toast to this Capitals team, that made this hockey season such fun.

For now that the heartbreak is over, there’s a lot we can cherish this year.
Tie the season up with a cute bow, and allow ourselves one final tear.
And now that the heartbreak is over, we can all go–for now–separate ways.
Let’s enjoy all the warmth and the light, and embrace summer’s long, lazy days.
For now that the heartbreak is over, there’s one thing I must say above all.
Be safe in your summer adventures, and come back safe and sound in the fall.
For now that the heartbreak is over, and we’re all saying our last goodbyes,
Let’s await, with anticipation, for the new hockey season to rise.
And now that the heartbreak is over, and our season now stands in recess,
Let’s believe, for when fall’s finally here, we’ll set off on the road to success.
So, now that the heartbreak is over, and ‘07-’08 put to bed,
Let’s look forward to ‘08-’09, and the promise of glory ahead.

—–

Have a great summer, everyone. Be safe. I’ll continue to write over the summer, albeit less frequently. Hope to see you all back at Kettler for training camp, where the Caps will begin another thrilling season. Until then, keep up the spirit.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
THE HEARTBREAK IS OVER

Mr. Kolzig:

It’s been reported that you took your nameplate down from the locker room at Verizon Center following the Caps’ heartbreaking Game 7 loss Tuesday night. As bad as it felt to lose Game 7 in overtime, this makes me feel even worse.

I’m a recent Caps fan–post-lockout–but I vaguely remember your Stanley Cup Finals appearance back in 1998. I had hoped to see you back in net for the Caps in another Stanley Cup Final. It seems, by all accounts, that you have other plans.

I know that you felt insulted when Huet was picked up at the deadline. I know it’s no fun to go from full-time starter to full-time DNP, and then to be forced to watch from the bench as your team loses in the playoffs. I’ve never played hockey, so I’m not going to be trite and say I know how you feel. Because I don’t. I have no experiences in my life that I can compare this to. But I don’t have to have experience to say I can tell it hurts you on a very fundamental level. So while I can’t personally relate to what you’re feeling right now, I know it’s not pleasant.

Olie, you’ve given your heart and soul to this team for a very long time. After over 40,000 minutes in the paint, 20,000-plus shots faced, 301 wins, a King Clancy, and a Vezina, you have every right to be angry at being benched down the stretch, and never taking the ice for the Caps’ first playoff series in half a decade. You played through some very lean years here the past few seasons, and suddenly, you were relegated to backup status just as the team began to see success. You have every right to be angry at how things have turned out this year.

But let me run a name past you: Steve Janaszak. Janaszak, you’ll recall, was the backup goaltender for the 1980 US Olympic hockey team. He was 9-5-1 with Team USA in the months leading up to the Olympics, but he sat on the bench the whole time at Lake Placid. Yet, he still got a gold medal, one that probably shines just as brightly as Jim Craig’s.

Olie, for all the years you’ve given this team, for all the patience you have shown, and for all the lean years you’ve faced recently, I would be heartbroken for you if the Caps raised the Stanley Cup next year, and you weren’t there among them. I want to see you win a Stanely Cup, and I want to see you win it as a member of the Washington Capitals. You can see it firsthand: this is a team on the rise. A year, maybe two, three at most, and I believe the Stanley Cup will be all filled up for the Caps to take a drink.

Olie, you can call me sentimental if you want, but I’d really like to see #37 on the Cup that year, not looking down from the Verizon Center rafters. I’d like to see you leave the Capitals as a Stanley Cup champion.

But if that’s not what you want, then one fan isn’t going to convince you otherwise. And if this really is the end of your tenure with the Capitals, I’m sorry to see it end this way. Whatever road you take from here, Olie, I wish you the best. May God and His angels watch over you, and bring you comfort, love, and peace, now, and for all time. It’s been a privilege to watch you play. Wherever life takes you, may you be blessed. I remain,

Yours in Spirit,
Capital Spirit

Before anyone asks, no, I’m not doing any predictions for Game 7.

The Caps haven’t had too many Game 7’s in their history, and the last one they had in the District was in, what, 1992? So these don’t happen too often. To that end, I want to enjoy this moment, experience the Now, and be just as surprised as everyone else at the outcome tonight.

I said that the series would be hard-fought, but that the Capitals could win after they got used to the whole Playoff Hockey Thing. I said the Caps would win Game 6–and four unanswered goals proved me right. I said before the season even started that we’d make the second round of the playoffs. I saw in the cards that the Caps would win the series, although my five-game guess was a bit optimistic. I see no reason to disBelieve now.

I don’t need to draw a 10 of Chalices to tell me what I already know in my heart: this game is right there for the Caps to take. And I will be there to see it unfold, live and in person. It will be a privilege and an honor for me to watch over a thrilling Game 7 victory tonight.

This is our night, Caps fans. Now, more than any moment this season, is our time to Believe.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
ONWARD TO VICTORY

Another must-win. This one is on the road, alas, and if the Caps can’t figure out Wachovia Center tonight, that’s it.

I think they’ll win this one. I know I said I’d type up the full predictions last night, but I ended up spending too much time on comments to do justice to all ten cards. I will reveal that the Outcome card was the Ace of Wands, which is generally a very friendly card. There’s more to a reading than the outcome, but since no one’s been begging for all the nitty-gritty details of all ten cards, I’ll just say Ace of Wands is the outcome, and let it go at that. If you want to know what cards came up, let me know, and I’ll give a cards-only list.

For tonight, I will be in full regalia–including rave lights–at a Caps-friendly bar near Verizon Center.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
DO OR DIE

According to Ted Leonsis, there will be no more lower-level warm-ups for us 400-level riffraff. I understand the motivation for that; I agree to some extent with Ted’s reasoning; and if it’s really turning into that big a safety issue, then I will defer to that.

It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. It’s his team, and I’m just a fan in the nosebleeds, so it’s not like I matter that much. I genuinely prefer the view upstairs: I’ve seen games from the lower level, and I honestly would rather be upstairs where I can see the entire rink. No matter: I, along with all my fellow upper-level cheapskates, am no longer welcome downstairs during warm-ups.

Very well.

I will give my customary pregame welcome to the Caps from my assigned seat in Section 417. For the record, I’m a very long way from thrilled with that decision. And I REALLY hope it doesn’t end up jinxing the team in Game 7. The joke is that I’m not superstitious because being superstitious is bad luck. Further, I’m not crazy enough to think the players notice or care about what’s going on outside the glass during warm-ups. Nevertheless, if any of the players really HAD been noticing my welcome/blessing–and never mind actually taking any measure of inspiration from it–I hope they don’t miss it too much on Tuesday night.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
LUMPENPROLETARIAT, EVIDENTLY

Earlier this afternoon, after watching the Caps’ thrilling 3-2 win over the Flyers, I got together with my weekend warrior and both our mothers at Legal’s. We all wanted to know if any of us would be back at the Phone Booth Tuesday night, and I opted to do a quick Celtic Cross right on the spot. I wrote down the cards that came up by position, and I hope to have the results online sometime before the puck drops Monday night. The results weren’t as definitive as I would have liked: the outcome was a good card, but still a Minor Arcana card, meaning it’s a free will card and can be changed.

The short version: if the Caps keep doing what they did this afternoon, they’ll likely be back home Tuesday night for Game 7.

But the full reading, as with most Celtic Cross readings, is a lot more nuanced than that. I’ve been busy this evening, and I might not be able to get this posted until tomorrow evening. But my hope is to have it all typed up and ready for your perusal by the time I go to bed Sunday night.

But that’s REALLY a free-will prediction, so no guarantees on that.

Bottom line: based on what I saw in my reading this afternoon, we have what we need to win Game 6, and victory in Game 6 appears likely at this point. Full details to follow when I have time to type them up.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
WINNING IN THEIR HOUSE