“War of attrition, war of wills. That’s what the Stanley Cup playoffs are – more intense, more physical and more prolonged than the playoffs of any other sport.” – George Vecsey
This quote says what needs to be said. Winning the Stanley Cup is extremely difficult, possibly the most difficult championship to win in the entire world of sports. Why? There are a multitude of different factors, ranging from the physical components and toll to the longevity of the season. For a team to win the Stanley Cup they need to be focused, they need to be mentally and physically resilient, they need to have the internal drive to power through even the most tiring of circumstances. They need solid and strong leadership. They need to push 110% when they feel like they are at their breaking point. For these reasons, I just don’t think the Capitals have what it takes to win it all.
Don’t get me wrong, the Washington Capitals are a fantastic regular season team, and they have been for a while. They placed #1 in the league, taking home the Presidents trophy, in back to back years. Yet, even with all their regular season success, they haven’t been able to continue that into the post-season. Since being swept in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Red Wings during the 1997-98 season, the Capitals have not progressed past the Eastern Semi-Finals once. Why? Why has such a strong, dominant, regular season team, failed so often to have any success in the playoffs? For 2 main reasons:
Alex Ovechkin appears to be slowing down in his early 30’s.
1: Leadership. Every team that has won the Stanley Cup always has strong leadership. The players that put the rest of their team on their shoulders when the time calls for it. The coaches who inspire their players to give it everything they have to get that win. The formula is simple; good, strong leadership is essential if you want to win the Stanley Cup. This is something the Capitals lack. Instead of rising to the occasion when needed the most, the Capitals leaders freeze and choke, and their team suffers.
In the final 2 games during last year’s post season vs the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alex Ovechkin mustered only 7 shots and posted a -3 +/-. Being the main go to leader and scorer on the team, that is not even close to being good enough. In fact, it is simply unacceptable. He wasn’t alone though when it came to not stepping up when needed. Nicklas Backstrom (one of the Capitals Assistants) posted 0 goals, 0 assists, and 0 shots in 21 minutes of ice time during the last game vs the Penguins. Now it is true that being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you have to put up all the numbers to be effective, but it certainly helps, especially when it is what you are supposed to do. Ovechkin and all the leaders on this team, need to look in the mirror and find out whatever they are missing to be more effective in rallying and leading their teammates, and they need to find it fast!
2: Perseverance / Inability to adapt. The Capitals seem to struggle when facing the same team multiple times in succession. The longer the series goes, the worse they play. Why? They just can’t seem to adapt to the other team. Rather than changing line combinations that don’t seem to be working, or are getting shut down by the opposing defense entirely, they keep trying to force them to work. This leads to frustration for not only the coaches and fans but also the players. As the frustration rises, so does their inability to play at their top level, causing mistakes to become prevalent. In order to win the Stanley Cup, you have to sometimes play on the fly; you sometimes have to throw the playbook out the window and go with your gut. The Washington Capitals don’t, and it shows when it counts the most. It is as if the Capitals are always one step behind their opponent when facing them in the playoffs as if they are always playing from behind. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to stop this practice. It might require changing who wears the C and the A’s. It might require getting a new head coach to light a fire underneath the players. All that I know for sure, is their current system isn’t working and it needs to be addressed from the top down.
If the Capitals fail in addressing their issues in terms of leadership and mentality, it will be a long wait for all of their fans in terms of celebrating a Stanley Cup victory.
