Washington Capitals Day
Finally! A hockey story that doesn't include the Pittsburgh Penguins or Detroit Red Wings. This morning, Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis announced a 90 percent season ticket renewal plus 2,500 new season ticket plans sold for the 2008-09 season so far. The last time tickets went this fast was back in 2001 when Jaromir “the failure in D.C.” Jagr was with the Caps.
This is great news for a town where hockey has been like a light switch. When they're good, fans come out to see them and games are sold out. When they're bad, you see fans scalping tickets in full Capitals attire because they don't care anymore. This has been the Capitals fan base for the last few seasons. When the going gets tough, they seem to bail out. This doesn't reflect well on a city where every professional sport is represented.
The term “fair weather fan” gets thrown around a lot when it comes to the Capital fans. But with the sudden rise in ticket sales you start to wonder if all that is about to change.
With the help of Federov, Cooke and Huet, the Capitals electrified the fan base and made them believe again. I am really hoping the fans stick around this time. The whole point of being a loyal fan is to stick it out through the good times and bad. A lot of them forgot that during the playoff series against the Flyers this season as many were scalping tickets to game five. You've got to be patient.
The good news is the Capitals are done rebuilding. Leonsis promised to be a contender by the end of next season and the Caps made it ahead of schedule. They are ready to make a run at the Stanley Cup. Here's hoping that next season, fans will not jump ship when the good times turn bad.
Sidenote: Tuesday, May 6 was named “Washington Capitals Day” by the D.C. Council for their success this season.