Blessed with some of the best talent in the league, they were a slick, cohesive team unit that worked tirelessly for each other. Yet again, they end up fruitless after a futile playoff push. Are the Washington Capitals the St Kilda of the NHL?
Throughout the course of the last four years, the Caps have topped the Southest division in each, with a combined record of 195-93-25 while averaging 107.5 points per season.
During the same period, they have failed to make it past the Conference Semi-finals; a damning reflection of this group’s inability to get it done when it mattered the most.
The modern salary capped sporting landscape seldom allows dynasties. With recruiting nous, competition and player churn at an all-time high, teams need to seize upon periods of dominance to take the final step and win the whole damn thing.
Whether it’s the Stanley Cup, AFL Premiership or something else, the sporting gods rarely give second, third or fourth chances of achieving the ultimate success.
The Capitals weren’t just eliminated. They were swept. Nobody will remember that Washington won 16 of their remaining 20 games en route to the playoffs.
Nor will they recall the domination of formidable foe and a potential banana peel in the New York Rangers.
The Caps were brutally handled by Tampa Bay on their home ice and then bundled out in sunny Florida during what was an otherwise celebratory week for the American capital.
There are some eerie similarities between Washington’s dour predicament and the fortunes of the long-suffering Saints.
Both teams reached the pinnacle game of the sport during 1997/98. Washington succumbed to the Detroit Red Wings in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals while St Kilda was defeated by Adelaide on the last Saturday in September.
The ensuing years were filled with disappointment for both and sporadic post-season appearances that ultimately resulted in naught.
Due to the ‘bottoming out’ period, each team was naturally afforded the privilege of blue ribbon draft picks that yielded on the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom for the Caps and Nick Riewoldt, Luke Ball and Brendon Goddard for the Saints.
With the respective teams built around these bonafide stars, results started to show.
St Kilda has played finals football every year since 2004, with the exception of 2007 when they finished two points shy. More recently, the club topped the table and competed in two Grand Finals, losing one narrowly and drawing the other before being overrun in the replay.
As aforementioned, Washington has completely and utterly owned the Southeast division from 2007/08, but is still yet to earn the right to vie for a conference title.
Additionally, the Caps have only failed to reach the playoffs on six occasions since 1982-83, including an incredible run of 14 consecutive post-season performances – with nothing to show for it.
It’s a sad, similar story for fans of both sides.
You can overcome everything that lies before you for most of the year, but it means nothing if you can’t take care of business when you’re at the business end.
So where to now?
We’ve seen the struggle that St Kilda is currently facing to maintain their intensity and focus on the prize. Has their opportunity for an elusive Premiership vanished for the short term?
It’s too early to speculate what will become of Washington in 2011/12, but plenty of soul searching will be done throughout the American summer.
It’s almost criminal that two clubs blessed with extraordinary talent, drive and ambition have so far failed to seal the deal.
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