Living in a transient town makes it difficult to appreciate old time hockey traditions. There are a lot of band wagon hoppers in DC (you can say I am one of them) but some people in Caps Jerseys don't even know the basics. I have no problem with it, as long as you learn the ropes, I say the more the merrier! Until then, just clap, whistle and yell your favorite Caps name. Just remember the K in not silent in Knuble. DC is starting to become a hockey town again and I want to help you all rock the red the right way. So let's talk about some things you might see and hear at the Verizon Center for a Caps game. My wife and I went last night and were commenting on the different things we have seen over the last five years. One major difference is the packed house. It is hard to believe 5 years ago, I could pick out friends from the crowd across the rink! Seriously, the place was empty. Now, it is a sea of red in a jam packed house that Ovechkin built. Since the signing of the great number 8, people have been feeling the excitement home town hockey can offer. That's another major difference. The Caps jerseys went from the bland eagle/capital featured in black white and gold to an off beat version of the old time retro hockey jersey back in the days of Rod Langway. Nothing says Washington DC like red white and blue with stars. Also in the last five years, we have decided to move a little closer to the rink 106 row J (10 rows from the glass 6 seats to the right of the opposing goalies shoulder aka caps shoot twice side). What a different it makes to be up close and personal! Just a few rows up is the Let's Go Caps guy. If you turn to the right you can see the Let's Go Caps horn guy. Similar cheers and both effective in getting the crowd back on tract during slow parts of a game and both part of DC tradition. My new favorite and recent addition to the Caps scene is the Capstronaut. He is seated about three rows behind the opposing bench, and is active throughout the entire game. The great thing about him is that he moves in slow motion (as a good space man should) as he taunts the bench. I even saw him walking to the bathroom in slo-mo.
I am a big Capstronaut fan and hope he has the heart and persistence to make himself a long lasting Caps tradition. Some other chants that can be heard are the "It's all your fault". Basically after the announcer calls out the Caps player that scores, you count up the total amount of goals while pointing at the opposing goalie and then yell "It's all your fault" On the other end of the spectrum (after announcing the goal scorer for a visiting team everybody screams) "WHO CARES". There are many other nasty ones out there but I will let you get the full effect when you go see the caps yourselves. I suggest you teach your kids that yelling "you suck" over and over again isn't too cool. I got an earfull of it last night. A few appropriate alternatives would be "And the rocket's red glare" we yell "RED!!!!" Also at the beginning of "Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, yell "OH!". A few promotions out there get the fans crazy as well. Glory Days does a 5 for 10 deal when the Caps score 5 or more goals, ticket holders can go to GD and get 10 free wings. From time to time the you will hear the chant "we want wings", even I chant it knowing I will never redeem the ticket but hey, it's all in good fun. Another fun idea is the Chipotle burrito toss. The Caps Cheerleaders - Red Rockers - come out and toss flaming hot cheesy burritos into the crowd (come to find out they quickly decided t-shirts wrapped in foil holding a free burrito coupon was a better option). After all the fun and excitement we witnessed at last nights Caps game, they beat the Flyers 5-3 with Ovechkin scoring a penalty shot (finally)! They have a tough road ahead with Detroit and the Pens. Keep your eyes and ears open for more Caps fun and please let me know what I missed. (photos courtesy of Capitals Outsider)
No comments:
Post a Comment