The Caps Didn't Cap: A Collection of Capitals Cold Takes

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After 43 long years, the Washington Capitals have finally won the Stanley Cup.  I compiled some of the many Freezing Cold Takes about the Capitals from the past few years.  Enjoy.

GENERAL SKEPTICISM


Years of failure and disappointing playoff losses left people wondering if the Capitals would ever win the Cup, including former Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner (via SBNation):





Some more fun takes:






























Here are The Sports Junkies of 106.7 The Fan in Washington back in April after the Capitals went down 2-0 in their first round playoff series against Columbus:






Also, long time D.C area sports radio personality Steve Czaban tweeted this after the Caps lost Game 2 to the Blue Jackets:





ALEXANDER OVECHKIN


For Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin, hoisting a Stanley Cup was a long time coming.  The Russian legend, who played his first game with the Capitals in 2005, has notched over 600 goals and three Hart Trophies but, until last night, had never won a Stanley Cup.

Throughout his career, and especially during the past five years, Ovechkin has faced a significant amount of scrutiny. Some speculated that he would never win a Stanley Cup, others suggested he should be traded.  Here's a few examples:








































Let's not forget some of the many fans who were in on the Ovechkin bashing:






Russian journalist Slava Malamud went in Ovechkin after the Capitals' Game 7 loss to Penguins in the second round of the playoffs last year:






Also, after last year's playoff exit, many wrote that Washington should trade Ovechkin. The list includes Charles Curtis of USA TODAY's For The Win.






Curtis wrote, on May 11, 2017:

NBC's Mike Milbury seems to have felt the same way:








Also last May, before the Capitals even lost the series to Pittsburgh, John Feinstein told The Sports Junkies that if the Caps lost, they should trade Ovechkin. Feinstein said, via Washington.CBSlocal.com:

In 2014, Hockey News' Adam Proteau wrote this article, describing how, if  Ovechkin left the NHL to play in Russia, it would be a blessing in disguise for the Capitals.








 

An excerpt from the piece:






VEGAS WILL WIN THE CUP


Let's not forget the folks who thought the expansion Vegas Golden Knights would win the Cup...














(Top Image via Washington Capitals Official Twitter Feed)

Fred Segal is an attorney from West Palm Beach, FL. He operates the popular Freezing Cold Takes twitter account (@OldTakesExposed) which highlights, among other things, hilarious unprophetic and inaccurate takes and predictions. 

You can follow Freezing Cold Takes on Facebook here, and Instagram here (username: freezingcoldtakes).