Bombs Away: Caps Can’t Get Enough Of The Pens

The Pens and Caps is more than a rivalry, it has become a story of unrequited love.  Or obsession.  If we have learned nothing else about the Caps this season, especially through the eyes of 24/7, it’s that they have this non-stop focus on the Pens.

During the HBO series, we saw constant references by Caps’ coach Boudreau to the Pens, regardless of the teams that the Caps were facing.  Many teams will use other teams as a model or benchmark to measure themselves against during the season.  If you remember at that time though, the Pens were on a hot streak and the Caps couldn’t buy a win.  Instead of concentrating on their own game though, Boudreau seemed more intent on what was going on with the Pens.

The fans are just as bad.  As soon as the Caps finally got a win you would’ve thought the fans would’ve have relished in the moment and celebrated like crazy.  Not quite.  The immediate reaction was a chant of, “We want Pittsburgh.”

So, I’m half watching the pre-game stuff today while doing some things around the house and I take a peek at Twitter.  I see that Stoosh from The Pensblog and Empty Netters were reporting that the Caps were playing “Green and Yellow” during pre-game warm-ups.  Really?

So, the Caps are going to jump on the bandwagon of another city’s team in a different sport to try to get in the heads of  the Pens.  Yes, the Steelers are playing in the Super Bowl.  Yes, the Steelers and the Pens are both from Pittsburgh and support each other.  Yes, the Steelers and Pens both wear black and some form of gold…or, for purposes of the Wiz Khalifa song, the Steelers wear “yellow.”  Yes, “Black and Yellow” has been parodied into “Green and Yellow” to appease the Packers fans who the Caps…who wear red, white, and blue…have decided to support in order to get in the heads of the Pens.

Did that last paragraph confuse you?  Exactly.  That’s how much of a stretch and how stupid playing “Green and Yellow” was by the Caps.

Is there another team out there this obsessed with an opponent?  I mean, I get that there’s a rivalry and all, but this is just crazy.  The funny part is, yeah, the Pens and the fans here know it’s a rivalry, acknowledge the hate, get pumped up for the game, and then move on.

It’s like that crazy stalker that you try to ignore but just won’t go away.  It’s kind of a little creepy.

I have a suggestion.  Instead of focusing on trying to get in the heads of the Pens or doing things to insult our city or our fans, why not focus on just getting your fanbase excited about what you’re doing.  They might be behind you now, but how many early playoff exits will it take for them to turn on you?  Guess what, they won’t remember then that you played “Green and Yellow” today, they’ll just remember that you always choke when it matters.