Are the Washington Capitals Here to Stay?

Is it safe?

Can we make the statement that a successful Washington Capitals team is here to stay?

They are in the playoffs for the second straight year, and have a tremendous core of young players in Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, Alex Semin, Brooks Laich, and Mike Green.

They’ve got an engaged and knowledgeable owner in Ted Leonsis, and a burgeoning following in a town full of transplants and pseudo-loyalists.

With the demise of the Washington Wizards, the underachievement of the Washington Redskins and the virtual non-existence of the Washington Nationals, the Capitals are the surest bet in town by default.

But you can’t shake the feeling like this is all a mirage.

After all, this is a team that just starting winning more than 30 games  two years ago. This is a team that hasn’t had a league-wide star or close to it since Peter Bondra, and it’s a squad that plays hockey in what historically is a football-mad city.

Can you believe it? Can you put your sports loyalty into Red Nation?

Yes, you can.

With the core of young players mixed with solid vets, with an owner who cares more about creating a culture than making money, and a fan base that is willing to rub the sleep of hockey lethargy out of its eyes, you can believe in this. Not so much because the structure is in place for you to believe, but the other teams in the area have infringed on the Caps’ potential for success and attention.

Even if you don’t have full faith in the Caps ability to reach the Stanley Cup finals, you can place your trust in the fact that one day, the Ovechkin-led core of young players are going to build on what is already a formidable team in the league. They’ll improve, they’ll acclimate, and they’ll win.

And you’ll be glad you jumped on the bandwagon early.