"Giddy As A School Girl"

I ran into my big money season ticket holder friend at the rookie game. Dressed in his Caps' Ovechkin sweater, his friend in a rock the red t-shirt, I had a chance to check in with him to see how his summer had gone. For him, this prospects game was something he had spent a month waiting to see.

"It's been a rough summer," he told me between periods as we warmed up in the sunshine to escape from Kettler's cold. "I am sick of watching the Nats implode and Redskins fans who want to crucify the QB then turn around and love him to death the next week." Yea, I can't deal with the weekly drama of being a 'Skins fan either.

So we were happy to talk hockey, even if it was just about the rookie game. I asked him if he was going to be out at training camp this weekend and his eyes lit up. "I am giddy as a school girl," he said, "to see those boys back in town and see what they can do. There was a buzz about this team last year that I have never seen before. I can't wait for this season to get under way."

Not only are the fans excited, but the fact that many of the players (both North American and European) showed up a full week early for camp shows their enthusiasim for the new season. The Caps have even embodied what they are all about this year in the workout shirts given to the players for camp. On the front it says "Our future is now." On the back "Good is not good enough." It is a return on how important it is for the Capitals to start early and remain focused all season long.

At the rookie game, the fans were loud and into the game. It was a pretty intimatading place to play if you were just some prospects from Philly. It was quite a site to see just a small concentrate of fans to come out and totally support this team. They jumped to cheer for every goal, a few "Flyers suck" chants were thrown in. And just about every one were "giddy as schoolgirls" to see the season start.