Caps [Wednesday Morning Quarterback]

Alex Ovechkin - Washington Capitals

Just got home from the Capitals vs. Red Wings game down at the Verizon Center. It was my first time down there, so here are some impressions:

-I really hate DC’s Chinatown. It’s the most Americanized Chinatown I’ve ever seen and it’s an absolutely terrible venue for ice hockey/basketball. There’s just no character to it. It’s too corporate!
-The Verizon Center is pretty mediocre. Not a lot of character because it’s shared between the Caps and Wizards, but it filled up nicely.
-The Caps came out in the first period looking pretty sluggish, but they picked it up a bit in the second and third to come back from deficits and eventually pull ahead.
-No beer once the third period starts?! Really?!
-I miss Cornell ice hockey…

In keeping with the musical theme of the week, I’d also like to say a few words about music at sporting events. Your mileage may vary, but I’m putting all my support behind ice hockey as the best sport for music. Baseball keeps it way safe with classic tunes that are family friendly, basketball plays hip hop, R&B, and rap, and football, well I don’t really know what they play, but I bet it’s a mix between baseball and basketball. Ice hockey wins because they get to play a lot of alternative and classic rock. Great stuff.

Sorry for the brief update, but that’s what I’ve got today! It’s not baseball season, so be glad I’ve got anything to say about sports.

EDIT: Proofing errors corrected.

Comments

3 responses to “Caps [Wednesday Morning Quarterback]”

  1. Eric Mesa Avatar

    Cornell hockey ruined pro hockey for me.

    I think you mean “I really hate DC’s Chinatown” not “have”. I bet they put the stadium there because it was the cheapest area to raze. I heard all that part used to be more chinese before they bought it up to put the stadium there.

    I wonder if you would have noticed the Verizon Center’s character before you started appreciating baseball stadiums.

    1. Dan Avatar

      You’re right, I probably wouldn’t have. The interesting thing about the whole baseball stadium design renaissance is that arenas seem to be exempt from that. I may be wrong, but I’ve been to the Miami Arena, the St. Petersburg Times Forum, Madison Square Garden, and the Verizon Center and none of them have been aesthetically interesting. Maybe I need to look harder, but these places seem to stick out instead of integrate with their areas.

      I just had a conversation with a coworker about how un-Chinese our Chinatown is. It’s a shame…

      The Caps have a surprisingly devoted fanbase (probably because they’re a first place team this year) and they scream “RED!” during the Star-Spangled Banner like at school. I remember being impressed with their passing being far better than Cornell’s, but that’s a pro team for you. I’m still cool with pro hockey, but I do miss Lynah Rink all the time.

  2. Eric Mesa Avatar

    Testing URL fix

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