By Robert Legge
Guest Columnist
Published: April 17, 2008

It’s probably the best story D.C.-area sports fans have seen in years. Unfortunately, many won’t notice because it’s not one of the “Big Three” — football, baseball or basketball.

The Washington Capitals were the worst team in the National Hockey League late last November (after finishing last the previous three years) when management decided to make a coaching change.

They tapped Bruce Boudreau, a longtime minor league coach, on an interim basis to give them time to interview several “real” coaches. Boudreau was a frumpy-looking guy you might mistake for someone who cuts salami at the deli.

But they won their first game, then another. The Caps regular season ended last Saturday after winning 11 out of 12 and the division crown. It was the first time any NHL team had won a division crown after being in last place at mid-season.

They never did get around to interviewing any “real” coaches. Now Boudreau is in the running for coach of the year.

The other great part of the story may only mean something to those over 40 who remember the Cold War. Back then, Russians were a people to be feared, if not despised. No one in Washington could ever have contemplated that in 2008 the most popular person in town would actually be a Russian: Alex Ovechkin, the Caps superstar, hockey’s most exciting player and this year’s presumptive NHL MVP.

Who could not love the painfully shy 22-year-old who jumps into his teammates arms after they score a goal? Instead of some high-priced agent, he had his mom negotiate his $130 million contract with the team. Teammates chided him for resorting to the Internet to find a girlfriend, who for a week didn’t believe he was really the famous hockey player.

In fact, three other Russians are on the Caps, along with two others from the former Eastern Bloc. Those six outnumber the five U.S.-born Cap players.
Now I understand if some readers are unimpressed. I, too, was never a hockey fan until recent years. It started with my son, who had a friend who played. A few years later my daughter signed up and became a goaltender. Then we all started following the Caps.

Of course, without an ice rink that means in-line skates rather than ice skates and a ball instead of a puck. Madison and Fauquier counties have popular programs. Culpeper used to have one but no longer does. If kids could see how much fun and exciting it is, I’m sure plenty would want to play.
Someday Culpeper may have an ice rink, but until then in-line hockey is a very nice alternative. Madison’s league started with some wooden boards around an unused tennis court. While it may have the reputation as a tough sport, injuries are far less common or serious than in most other sports.
Every sport has its special qualities. What draws people to hockey? A hockey goal happens at roughly the same frequency as a touchdown in football. But imagine your team or the opposition each scoring, or far more often almost scoring, a touchdown, sometimes 40 or more times per game. That’s how it is with hockey. The emotional exhilaration is not for the faint of heart.

One of the problems hockey has had in gaining fans, especially outside traditional hockey climates, is that the puck can be hard to follow on TV.
One technological advance that is making a big difference is the increase in the number of homes with widescreen High Definition televisions. Such HD sets make it much easier to follow the fast-moving puck.

If you haven’t watched a hockey game recently, give the Caps a try during their Stanley Cup run. The first games were last week. I think you’ll see what I mean.

(Guest sports columnist Robert Legge is an Etlan resident. Contact him via e-mail at .)