DC is a very negative Caps fan. We could win 2 or 3 more cups and he wouldn't be happy.
I think his heart is with the Red Wings. He praises their team even though the team should be in a complete rebuild mode. Almost all of their top players are over 30. Some are closer to 40. I dont see a lot of good young talent there.
Having grown up 1/4 of the year outside of Detroit, and 3/4 of the year (way) outside of DC, so i’ve always been a fan of BOTH cities/areas teams. Although I will admit it took me about 10 years to get over the 92 NFC championship game.
As for the Wings this year, I have “optimistic low expectations”, meaning it’s sometimes better for a team in this situation to not make the playoffs, but i’m “optimistic” that the team will develop the system, IQ, strength/cardio, and begin to regain the Wings mentality of “we’re going to win”. The similarities i am talking about is how both The Wings(or at least before Mr. I died) and The Caps have very strong and strict organizational business philosophies that have proved to create major issues.
In lieu of being a “broken record”, I’ll skip repaying how The Caps “We have a chance” philosophy puts sales over championships and go on to The Wings. Probably the greatest strength, and weakness of Mr. I was the hometown proud, Wimgs/Tigers family stance. This did, and still does in some cases, created an environment that drew players, coaches and anyone to Detroit and/or want to stay. This was carried on by the players, coaches, JLA staff, fans and city. Now this obviously, became highly effective up until their last Finals appearances (and what should of been two Cups). The team was getting older, there was a bottle neck at GRG who had several players that would of been on any other teams roster), the draft picks were getting lower, the league and planet caught on to accounting methods and getting young players outside the draft, Nick, Hank, Pavel, and Ozzie where all that was from a dynasty made up off all-time greats and hometown hero’s, they had to wear the away sweaters at home with the C and the A on the wrong side (sarcasm), it was clear to almost everyone that a youth movement to begin a rebuild/reboot was in order, and that it may of been to late.
But somewhere between Mr. I, Holland, and Babcock, a downward spiral started. Including keeping and resigning declining and/or plateauing players while keeping cheaper players in their 20s that most say are ready for the NHL in the AHL until they’re 26, keeping a coach who not only did many players not get along with, but refused to change a system that was becoming figured out, which exasperated the likes of DanFucknCleary having a well paid career longer than two seasons . . .
But you get the point, you could see the demise coming for years, and now they didn’t alter/adapt/or redesign their philosophies and practices at a fast enough, effective enough, or large enough scale so a team that made the playoffs for 20+ seasons, made the final 4 times and the conference finals (a lot of) times, is now a team with 1-2 hall of famers, and couple all stars, almost a glorified AHL team that fans are happy if they just develop and improve next year.
A cause to the “DC_Derangement Syndrome” is I have seen the Caps going down the same road for years. The Wings and other teams and business, where the value of the ideology out weighs the results.
Will The Caps end up like The Wings are now in 10, 8, 3, 2 seasons? It’s impossible to know for sure, but the the signs and the data is there and it is foolish and naive to dismiss it.
The Wings have 11 Cups, 4* since 97, and had the longest playoff streak in modern major sports history, and I don’t know any fan who says “it’s ok, I have complete trust in Mr Holland, and since we won the Cup for the first time in 40 years, I can die happily”.
Wings fans understand why the team is where it is now, and would be happy with steady improvement, it sure as hell doesn’t mean we like it, nor do Holland or even Mr. I (the man who almost single handedly saved the city, who recently died), get passes an excuses for this damn mess regardless of what they did in the past.