I don't care that most of you guys don't care for hockey. Alex Ovechkin got his 500th NHL goal last night (501 too). He is easily the most important sports figure ever in the DC area. Nobody has had a bigger impact on a sport in the local community than he. This town is a Redskins town first and foremost, but no one player ever transcended the game. Saw an interesting stat that shows part of this phenomenon...
Since the 2003-2004 season — the season before Caps superstar forward Ovechkin broke onto the National Hockey League scene and won a Calder Trophy, awarded to the rookie of the year — the game has grown by 30 percent in the state of Maryland, according to USA Hockey. There were 7,010 registered adult and youth hockey players in the state during that season, and 9,122 by the 2013-2014 season.
The number of women and girls playing hockey is skyrocketing in the state. There were 610 female players in 2003-2004 and 1,023 at the end of the 2013-2014 season, a 68 percent increase, according to USA Hockey.
That last figure is actually low as many girls teams (like the one I coach) don't register with USA Hockey. We now have 37 girls in our program and there have been at least 9 new high school girls teams formed in the DC area in the last four years.
BTW, this IS a Skins town, but the game last night was sold out... DURING a Skins home playoff game (which is a rare event).
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXH5GER3ivs[/youtube]
Gil Dobie wrote:Most important in the modern era. Walter Johnson was bigger in the early 20th Century. Winning a World Series in an era when baseball was king.
Gil Dobie wrote:Most important in the modern era. Walter Johnson was bigger in the early 20th Century. Winning a World Series in an era when baseball was king.
"Modern" is putting it mildly. But you are correct that WJ was one of the best every in baseball.
If Caps don't win it all this year, who know when they ever will. Big question is if they can keep this up for the next 5 months. At the halfway mark, they were just off the Montreal Canadiens record for points though Canadiens did not have a chance for the OT wins that teams do now which makes their record so impressive.
tribe_pride wrote:If Caps don't win it all this year, who know when they ever will.
Not so sure about that. Obviously you can't count on longevity, but none of the Caps players are at the end of their careers. They are the 8th youngest team in the NHL this year and as of today, NONE of the top 7 are currently in the playoffs, so they are the youngest playoff team in the NHL.
I've always wondered if a guy like Subban or Simmonds ever had fun with a ref and jokingly pulled the racist card on their way to the penalty box. IMO that would be very funny.
I've always wondered if a guy like Subban or Simmonds ever had fun with a ref and jokingly pulled the racist card on their way to the penalty box. IMO that would be very funny.
AshevilleApp wrote:Ovechkin is truly great! Caps are having a great season!
Any odds that they make the Stanley Cup finals?
Meh, we've seen regular seasons like this out of them before. Until they prove they can get it done when it counts, I wouldn't put any money on them.
This. Playoffs are a different beast. That said, what encourages me is that the Caps are winning every way possible this year. Holding a lead, coming from behind, outscoring in high scoring games, playing tight defensive games, etc...
