New beginnings

I know every now and then I stray from musical content, this often becomes a venting platform, a sharing platform or just a boring platform and I kind of like to have a little place where I can spill my thoughts out that isn't a facebook status or Twitter.

Often, 140 characters just doesn't cut it, y'know?

I just want to let you know something that is coming back into my life that I'm extremely psyched about.

Something that I love but disappears for months at a time.

Hockey.

Not any more, with 1 day to go until the regular NHL season starts and 2 long days until the Washington Capitals lace up and skate out to general apathy in Atlanta, my favourite sport is finally back.

Now I'm not a typical sports person, I don't follow football religiously, I enjoy a bit of cricket and am slowly learning Rugby (let's go Bath).

However, Ice Hockey is the coolest fucking sport ever invented. FACT. And come Friday 8th October at exactly midnight, the Washington Capitals, MY Washington Capitals will begin the EIGHTY TWO GAME slog to the playoffs.

I'm no hockey blogger, I would never attempt to be. I simply don't know enough despite having followed this sport and this team for what is going to be my tenth year. But I love this team, I love it's attitude, I love it's passion and I love it's playe

rs. They're the only thing to constantly give me crap and yet I keep coming back. Now, on the brink of success, on the eve of the regular season, a nervous excitement is bubbling up inside me.

The best way for me to describe it would be in a musical way.

The Washington Capitals shooting their opening night video last year, as rockstars.

It's the morning of a gig. Your favourite band are playing tonight and you've scored tickets. Not tickets, guestlist. You know someone and they've upgraded your guestlist to AAA.

You're triple A to watching your favourite band. And you've never seen them before.

Throughout the day, you try and concentrate, you try to not think of what's ahead. But wherever you go, there are gentle, subtle reminders.

It's cold, so you put on the band's hoody. You need to get your head down and work, so you put on their last album. Facebook is coming alive with people saying how excited they are for that night.

As you queue to get in, you cannot stop moving your legs, tapping your sides. You think queuing at the bar would help but that dull thud of warm up music only serves as a reminder to the sonic assault you're about to receive. You wait barely patiently through the support acts, showing them the minimum amount of respect necessary whilst discussing which song will be played first, and last.

Then finally it comes.

A tortured analogy? Perhaps. But that's how I'm feeling right now. The preseason is over, the Caps convention is over. Finally, for the first time since April, Hockey means something again. It takes a certain kind of person to truly love a sports team, especially one that was so disappointing for so long.

Now, on the eve of what could be the greatest season in Capitals history, the one where they might finally win it all, I can smell the rinks, hear pucks banging off glass, ringing around boards, the thud of player on player, calls out on the ice and from the bench. I can taste the stale hot dog buns, smell the coffee and feel the cold hit me as I leave the rink at the end of the game.

Somewhat surprisingly, I'm guarded with my emotions, it takes me a long time to let my guard down. However, I love this team and will defend it to the death. Looking on my desk in front of me, I see my keys with my Caps keyrings on. There's my Caps hat in my bag, the Caps logo as the background on my iPhone. There's my jersey's and jumpers at home, my mini stick's, my good luck pucks and my posters. None of this really matters, it just makes me feel a little more connected to a team that's thousands of miles away.

What I really enjoy, what gives me the greatest pleasure is watching my favourite game played by my favourite sports team.

The only team that has ever made me think

"You know what, with these guys, it's more than just a game"

Let's Go Caps.