Talk about a roller coaster season. This past year has been one of peaks and valleys for the Washington Capitals. And while one could claim that losing in the first round of the playoffs would be one of the valleys, the reality is that, after many years in the NHL wilderness, the Capitals appear to be on the verge of becoming one of the NHL elite teams.

But that is not how the season started out. The off-season for the Capitals had been relatively productive. A few free-agent signings, along with the expected improvement of second year player Alex Ovechkin provided a basis for optimism. However 21 games into the season, the Capitals found themselves with a 6-14-1 record and only 13 points. This was their worst start in 26 seasons and they were four points behind the second worst team in the NHL. It was this point that the coach, Glen Hanlon, was fired.

Brought in to replace Hanlon was Bruce Boudreau. While Boudreau had worked within the Washington organizing as a coach of their minor league affiliate, the Hershey Bears, this would be Boudreau's first stint in the majors. And what a stint in turned out to be.

While they started slow, the turnaround was definitely evident. They went 6-3-1 over the next 10 games. The offense started to score goals. The defense and goaltending stiffened and the Capitals worked hard to get themselves back into playoff contention. This effort culminated in an end-of-season push that ranks among the most impressive every seen. They won 11 of the last 12 games, including the last 7 to win their division and squeeze their way into the ranks of the playoff teams.

In the first round of the playoff, they faced the Philadelphia Flyers. After winning a close first game, they lost three and a row to face elimination. Just 20 of 226 teams to have been down 3-1 in a series have managed to come back and win. And while this was obviously a steep hill to climb, the Capitals got to within sight of the summit. They managed to win the next two games to force a seventh and deciding game. And while they were able to take the Flyers to overtime, ultimately they were defeated.

As we start out saying, it would be easy to picture this ending as a disappointment. But, consider the start, the season turned out to be a rousing success. It earned Boudreau a contract as the coach and the experience bodes well for the Capitals as they move into next season and beyond.

Learn more about this author, Bruce Johnson.
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