I think a lot of us fans had a feeling that this year’s Washington Capitals team was a different group from previous years. We got the beginnings of a confirmation of this idea on Tuesday, when the Caps went up 3 games to 0 in a best-of-seven playoff series for the first time ever (was a very weird stat for a team that’s over 40 years old) and look to be on their way to sweeping the Flyers should their health hold up. We got a brief look at the way brawling-style hockey was in the ’70s a bit at the end of the game, when the Flyers more or less went crazy and kept committing undisciplined penalties. We’ll see if they learned a lesson from this and try to stay out of the penalty box for Game 4. (I’ll be perfectly happy if they’re slow learners.)
Oh, and by the way — greetings from Tampa, Florida. Heading back home today after a professional conference. With this, I’ve now been to every major city in Florida and have been to the last part of the state I hadn’t previously visited. I didn’t take the opportunity to do much tourist stuff this time — the conference is at a downtown hotel, so I wasn’t sure what the parking situation was before booking; otherwise, I would have rented a car to do some exploring. Seems like there are a few interesting animal-lover activities in this town; I don’t really fit the profile, but I do like a good zoo or nature preserve visit from time to time. Oh, well. Maybe if I’m back down here for some other reason in the future…