Have you ever waited a really long time for something? Better asked, have you never waited a really long time for something? I would dare speak for everyone when I declare that we all have waited, are waiting, or will wait for what we may deem a seemingly interminable season. Granted, what we consider insufferable tarrying changes as we age, or at least it should. If you are in your 40’s and still get antsy on Saturday mornings until your favorite cartoon comes on, grow up! Unless, of course, it is Spongebob Squarepants. C’mon, clock, move! Do they show Spongebob on Saturday mornings? Where was I?
Perhaps there is no other greater manifestation of the waiting process than in sports, I mean aside from stuff like curing deadly diseases, reconciled relationships, world peace, blah blah blah. Have you ever rooted for a lousy team? Or worse yet, rooted for a good team that could never seem to “close the deal”? I offer to you the Washington Capitals.
Lest anyone accuse me of being a bandwagon fan, I’ve suffered 43 seasons of the thrill of victory and agony of defeat, but mostly the agony of defeat, at the gloved hands of my beloved Caps. At first, no one expected them to win much, so when they won the occasional game it was worthy of celebrating! Fast forward a decade or so, they actually got pretty good, to the point of being expected to win regularly, even in the playoffs. As expectations grew, so did the disappointment when they were not met, PAINFUL YEAR AFTER PAINFUL YEAR!
This year, the Capitals made it all the way back to the Stanley Cup Finals, only for the second time ever, facing the upstart Las Vegas Golden Knights for the championship. First of all, every drop of water in that sun scorched den of iniquity should be directed to hydrating it’s inhabitants, or at the very least for the delightful fountains in front of the casinos, not making ice on which a team absconding the castoff “Golden” from National Champ UCF would skate. Again, expectations were raised, but tempered with the apprehensive dread of past seasons ending in a napalm fueled dumpster fire of dashed hopes.
Unless you live in a cave that does not have cell coverage or WiFi, assuming such a place exists, you know that Lord Stanley’s Cup has finally made its way to our nation’s capital, where it rightly belongs! Our greatest expectations as Caps fans have finally been met, if not exceeded. Consider these sage words from late theologian Sir Frederick Mercury:
I’ve paid my dues, Time after time
I’ve done my sentence, But committed no crime
And bad mistakes, I’ve made a few
I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I’ve come through…
SING IT EVERYBODY, “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIEND!”
Ahhh, the thrill of victory! But is this all there is?
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for deeper look into At Last!)