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Greetings From The Booth!
Well, tonight is the big night for Washington Commanders fans, of which I am one. It’ll be another bleary-eyed Monday (and hopefully not a “Moan-Day”) as the burgundy and gold take on Tampa Bay in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. Unlike Washington’s rare and sporadic playoff appearances of the past 23 seasons, tonight’s game feels more like a beginning than an end, no matter the result. The 2024 season appears to be just the start of what could be a bright future for the franchise.
The Commanders appear to have their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels, who is on track to be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie Of The Year. In addition to some young talent, Washington has a number of experienced veterans in place that have not only performed well on the field, but are also de facto coaches who are showing the youngsters how to be professionals and how to practice their craft.
The front office and coaching moves that have been made by new owner Josh Harris and his staff have already paid dividends in his first real year of ownership (we don’t count last year, as Harris was busy cleaning up the mess left by Dan Snyder). There are finally “adults in the room” in Ashburn, as evidenced by a 12-5 season, and the team’s first playoff appearance since 2020. Whether or not the Commanders win their first postseason game since 2005, the window to an eventual Super Bowl appears to be opening, not closing.
Because of the Commanders’ newfound success, another major sports story in the DC area has been largely in the background. Don’t look now, but the Washington Capitals are in the Stanley Cup discussion in this 2004-5 campaign. As of this writing, the Caps are atop the NHL’s Metro Division, 5 points clear of New Jersey with 2 games in hand.
For the Capitals, this was supposed to have been a season of following Alex Ovechkin’s quest to become the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader, a mark held by the great Wayne Gretzky. That record is now well within reach, and it was projected that “The Great 8” would break it either this season or early next.
Instead, the Caps have become a dominant team. Last season, Washington snuck into the playoffs with a negative goal differential, and were promptly ushered out of the postseason in the first round, prompting many experts to predict a down year in ’04-’05. Instead, like their football cousins, the Capitals have made some great front-office moves, and the team is poised for a solid second-half playoff run, President’s Cup, and possibly their second “Lord Stanley’s Trophy.”
Familiar names like Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, John Carlson, and Lars Eller are sprinkled with relative newcomers like Dylan Strome, Pierre Luc Dubois (how’s that for a great hockey name?), Aliaksei Protas, and Logan Thompson. In addition, the pipeline appears to be full of bright prospects. The Ovechkin goal-scoring record would certainly be a nice cherry on top of a Washington Capitals Stanley Cup sundae.
Even in the dead of a DC winter, open windows feel pretty good.
Until the next visit from The Booth (where the windows are also open)…GO CAPS, HTTC!
RW
The Washington Capitals begin training camp today and Winchester native Alex Limoges is on the roster.
Limoges spent last season with the Capital’s AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears and helped lead the squad to the league’s highest honor, The Calder Cup.
During the regular season, Limoges was second on the team in points with 51 for the Bears and reached career highs last season for goals with 24, plus/minus at +17 and even-strength goal percentage at 66.7%.
Limoges resigned a one year contract with the Capitals organization in July and with a strong showing in training camp, he could end up on the team’s NHL roster for the start of the season or be called up once the season begins.
The former Penn State hockey captain has spent some time in the Shenandoah Valley during his offseason including a recent fan meet and greet at James Wood Middle School and earlier this week he celebrated with the Calder Cup at his home.
The Capitals officially begin their season on October 12th at home against the New Jersey Devils.
You can keep up with the Caps all season long on Fox Sports Radio 1450.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Winchester native Alex Limoges and the Hershey Bears are currently in contention for the AHL Championship and the Calder Cup.
The Hershey Bears are an affiliate of the Washington Capitals and the reigning champions after defeating Coachella Valley last season.
The Bears are playing the Firebirds once again in this series which is tied 1-1.
Hershey lost the opening game of the seven game series 4-3, but won on Sunday 5-2, thanks in-part to Limoges who tallied two assists in the second period.
During the regular season, Limoges was second on the team in points with 51 for the Bears behind Joe Sniveley, a Herndon native, and finished 3rd on the team in both goals and assists.
He reached career highs this season for goals with 24, plus/minus at +17 and even-strength goal percentage at 66.7%.
Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals begins at 10 pm on Tuesday and will be carried by Monumental Sports Network throughout the area.
Games 4, 5, and 7 will air nationally on the NHL Network.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
In a special hockey edition of The Sports Dogs, Ryan caught up on the Caps with John Walton, the radio voice of the Washington Capitals. You can catch the Caps all season long with John on 1450 WFTR and across the Capitals Radio Network.
