Why I'm rooting for the Caps

After the Flyers, I consider myself somewhat of a Capitals fan.

These roots run deep.  I remember in 8th grade doing an art project featuring the Capitals logo.  Why?  At the time, the Hershey Bears (the team of my youth) were the Capitals minor league affiliate.  (Later, in senior high, the Bears switched affiliates to the Flyers.  I even saw Ron Hextall play for the Bears '86.  The next year, as a rookie, Hextall led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to Gretzky and the Oilers.  But I digress.....)

More recently, I've renewed my interest in the Caps because of Alexander Ovechkin.  I went to a game at the Verizon Center a few years ago, and was amazed at how fast Ovie is without the puck, which you can't tell on TV.

So I've been rooting for Ovechkin over Crosby (just like I rooted for Lemieux over Gretzky).  But there's a new reason why I'm rooting for Washington now -- goalie Simeon Varlamov.

Look closely at the mask. 

It says Capitals on one side, and.....

...Hershey Bears on the other!! 

(These pictures don't do it justice.)

Varlamov is quite a story.  He only played six regular season games for the Caps, including two in December.  For the Bears this year, he went 19-7-1 with a .939 save percentage and a goals against under 2.

He was called up to Washington late in the season, and after Washington lost the first game of the Rangers series, head coach Bruce Boudreau made the ballsy move of putting the 21-year-old Varlamov in goal.  The Caps promptly lost Game 2, but ended up prevailing in the series.

  Varmalov has now won five straight playoff games.  Now that I've written this, the Pens will probably win in 6.

By the way, Varlamov was born in April of '88.  Two months later, the Bears won the Calder Cup.  Unfortunately, they won on the road at Fredricton, but I was there at Harrisburg International Airport at three o'clock in the morning to welcome the team, and the cup, home.

UPDATE: Here's a better picture of the mask.  Thanks to Scott for e-mailing it to me.