The Home Stands That Were: One Goat's Opinion Home Games 20–26 - December 21, 2010–January 8, 2011

I've put together an admittedly slap-dash recap of the home games that have taken place since the last post I did on this subject. It's a little more "stream of consciousness" than usual, but I figured it was better than leaving the gaping hole. Hopefully someone else will agree.

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Delays, Distractions, and Disappointments

Well, it certainly has been a while since my last post, at least relative to the frequency I had been keeping up with for a while there. Funny thing what the holidays, a job hunt and a few weeks of less-than-stellar hockey will do to a guy's blog productivity.

ANYWHOO… I feel a bit back on track now. Fingers are crossed.

The Home Stand That Was: One Goat's Opinion Home Game 19 - December 15, 2010

And the beat(ing of the Caps) goes on.
(I was gonna put a picture of Sonny and Cher, with Ovechkin's head in place of Sonny Bono…
… but I got worried about lawyers.)

Were there some bright spots? Sure. Were there some improvements over the last week or so? I guess so. Did the Caps win? Nope. And that, in the end, bums me out. As a man who puts together an entertaining and eclectic four-hour block of music each week might say: "Yuck! With a hand gesture!" But was it all bad?

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I Kinda Want To Be A Christmas Wizard

Seriously, I would like to be a Christmas Wizard for some reason.

I love Community.
I love schmaltzy, over the top Christmas specials (to a point, that is).
I love clever digs, even at things that I also happen to love.

Therefore, I was destined to love the December 9th episode of Community: "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas." It was produced in purposely lo-fi stop-motion animation and told the story of a mildly delusional Muslim boy and his group of friends (among them a devout Christian, a Jehovah's Witness, and at least one atheist) searching for the true meaning of Christmas at Santa's workshop at the North Pole. All along the way, they take some friendly shots at the conventions of classic Christmas specials, among other things.

(They even managed to add a bonus piece of the puzzle to my quest for resolution with a certain TV show).

If you're still tracking with me, and you enjoy having a few giggles check out the episode below.

I would love to see more TV comedies do things with such blatant disregard for the homogenizing standards behind a lot of today's 30-minute sitcom fare, as Community does (along with a handful of others) on a near-weekly basis. It's also nice to see some prime time exposure for the handiwork of Dino Stamatopoulos, who had a big hand in bringing this episode to the screen. No surprise, considering his resume so far.

Photo credit: NBC

The Home Stand That Was: One Goat's Opinion Home Games 15–18 - December 4–11, 2010

They finally did it. My first in-game beer. Ever.

I don't even know where to begin with this last stretch. Suffice to say that I have been wearing out my self-protective "Pre-Season Until January" mantra since last Saturday night against Atlanta. Nothing seemed to go right for the Caps, at least in the "results" category, and the high point of the homestand was a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. That last bit pretty much sums up the level of despair generated on Verizon Center ice last week. At least nobody in the stands caught the flu from the team, as far as we know.

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The Home Stand That Was: One Goat's Opinion Home Games 13–14 - November 26–28, 2010

Just one of Varlamov's denials over the weekend.

I had to shake off the remnants of the previous day's food coma and get down on F Street as the Caps continued their quest to fully rebound from a rather hideous game on 11/22 against the Devils. The first steps of rebounding took place on Wednesday in Carolina. Were the next ones coming on the ice in DC?

On The Ice

Friday night's drubbing of the Lightning made Caps history, being the first game in which the Capitals have scored five or more goals and also blanked their opponent. Unless hats being thrown on the ice bother you to the degree that you feel the need to complain about it, it's pretty hard to find a negative from Friday night. The best shared observation of the night is that when the Caps took their feet off the gas on offense, they put the hammer down on defense. Nice to see!

Sunday looked a bit like we might be getting a repeat performance, even with the newly-shuffled lines (which seemed to baffle all observers) and newly-swirled trade rumors going around (which baffled no one). Then Cam Ward really buckled down and stymied the Caps after spotting them a 2-0 lead. Would have been nice to see Mr. Steckel win that draw at the end of regulation, but hey, they picked up the extra point in the gimmick.

In The Stands

Friday evening's game was very well attended, considering the odd start time and the holiday hangover. Apparently, as a way to make up for the absence of The Horn Guy, it became "Pant Ants Giveaway Night" at the F Street Arena. That is to say that there was a pretty hefty amount of foot traffic in the aisles, regardless of the action on the ice. But while folks were in their seats, they were good and vocal.

Speaking of not having a Horn Guy, I tried my best to fill in for my buddy, but those are some big shoes to fill. I would like to thank the Caps for having things very well in hand for the third period, letting me take it easy. Heh!

Sunday's game featured a few more prolonged bits of silence than I really like. Of course, watching an officiating performance like that will tend to have that effect, I guess.

Both games featured a couple of post-Thanksgiving pageant participants with quite the festive get-ups. At least one of the headdresses made it onto the broadcast Friday night after the hat-trick.

After the game, I ran into a couple, originally from the Czech Republic, up from their home in North Carolina just to see the Caps. I hope they made it to either Lyon Hall or the Front Page and got to meet a player or two. (Actually, I wish I could have made it to the Front Page last night, but it just wasn't in the cards.

And finally, kudos to the gang in "The Corner Bar" (sections 107 and 108) and the successful conclusion to their "Trade Flash" campaign.

Above Our Heads And Beyond

One abbreviation sums up the best thing about this homestand's in-game entertainment advancements: PIP. The picture-in-picture to keep live action on the big screen while replays are being shown is a fantastic development. I assume this opens the door for more and more replays. Well done, gang!

Speaking of opening the door, there were some good gaps for crowd noise during stoppages in play on Friday night. I like that we took advantage of them to make said noise. And in case you were wondering, yes, I was a bit bummed that there was no "Bustin' Loose" for the sixth goal. Heh!

This Week's Bonus Public Plea

Just one thing I ask of those attending games in the future. If you are getting up to go to the concession stand, please wait for a whistle. Barring that, at least have the discussion about what you and your friends want before standing up to go. If you don't, and someone behind you asks you to sit down (and I do mean "asks," not "tells" or "demands") after standing up for ten seconds right in front of them while the game is going on, just give a quick "my bad" and sit down. The alternative course of action doesn't seem to end well.

And So…

Things seem to be back on track, with the customary few kinks left to iron out (well, except for Friday night). With a new piece in the mix, things could get interesting in the next couple of weeks. Fingers are crossed. See everybody on Saturday!

Photo credit: Stewart Small / Facebook