So Long, Gabby

And just like that, it's all over.

Geez, couldn't they have waited a week?  I mean I just did my second show and every thing!

Of course I'm joking a bit, because as I said in both the show and my post before that, something had to be done.  I figured it would be more along the lines of a "Come to Jesus" meeting like what Elliot in the Morning was describing.  But it never happened.  Maybe it still needs to happen, because I have a feeling a new voice may not be the tonic the Caps need, but I've been wrong before.

Speaking of that new voice, welcome to Dale Hunter--well known to Caps fans my age and older as the scorer of "the goal."  That's just one reason why his number hangs in the rafters.  His number one quality?  Leadership. Without a doubt, he remains one of the greatest captains in the whole history of the team.  I said one of them, of course I haven't forgotten Yvon Labre and Rod Langway.

Leadership...that's what this team needs.  They're not getting it from the guys on the ice.  They weren't getting it lately from the bench boss, though he genuinely tried his best.  More on this later.

I'm just glad they decided not to go with Mark French from Hershey.  I mean if you think of it that was their go-to solution for literally EVERYTHING.  To wit:

1.  The original--Glen Hanlon not taking you to the next level?  Hire the guy from Hershey.
2.  One of the assistant coaches not working out?  Hire the head coach from Hershey to run the defense.
3.  Not happy with the radio play-by-play announcer?  Hire the guy from Hershey.
4.  Veterans not playing up to their level?  Call up some farmhands from Hershey.

And for the most part, if you look at everything as it is now, not much from that has worked out.  In fact NONE of that has worked out.  I don't much care for John Walton, sorry.

All twentysomething members of the roster should collectively hang their heads in shame.  They got a good coach fired because they just stopped caring.  And though it's not good form to dump on your own in a tough situation, I believe it's called for.  Alex Ovechkin is most to blame for this debacle.  He is the captain.  He knows therefore that he must set a good example for the other members of the team.  There are now no more excuses--this team must look within, just as Boudreau said.  Besides, you've already fired the coach, what else can you do at this point?  Who else can you look to?  Don't even get me started on a trade--too many issues with the salary cap and too many undesirable bodies at this point. Just one thing though--before the season started I said Alexander Semin would be and should probably be gone before season's end.  Could there be more carnage now that the coach has been canned?  Methinks 'tis very possible.

And yet....this team STILL has a long way to go before it even hits rock bottom.  But the Caps better treat this moment like they've already hit rock bottom.  Because they need to start moving upward.  Fast.  So yes there's hope but time is very quickly running out.  There's only one other option left and it will cause the team to go nuclear.  Who of us wants that?  Not I.