Sean Morrow

About Sean Morrow (@russianmachine)

Capitals fans deserve better, but that’s not how sports work

Just over one week ago, another Capitals’ postseason run ended too soon. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ elimination of the Caps marked the second straight year that Washington finished with the league’s best regular-season record but failed to advance beyond the second round. Yet again, Caps fans find themselves asking what went wrong and how a season that began with so much promise ended with so much heartbreak.

Shortly before the start of the playoffs, WJLA’s Scott Abraham interviewed Barry Trotz and asked the question that resurfaces every spring: How will the team deal with the narrative of past playoff failures?

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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Get hyped for Game Seven with this Capitals montage (Video)

Tonight’s Game Seven marks one of the most important games in the history of the Washington Capitals, and comes a year to the day since the Caps were eliminated in Game Six at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tonight the Capitals have a shot at redemption, again facing Pittsburgh in the second round with a chance to move on in this winner-take-all showdown.

After falling behind in the series three games to one, Washington rallied in Games Five and Six with nine combined goals to force a seventh game at home. With a victory tonight, the Caps will move on to the Conference Finals, becoming the first DC sports team to do so since 1998. After years of disappointing playoff exits, the Capitals have the chance tonight to reserve the narrative of second round collapses and take a major stride in their journey toward the ultimate goal: The Stanley Cup.

Reader Caitlyn Johannes made a Capitals hype video to mark this critical Wednesday-night matchup. Take a look, and GET PUMPED.

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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What are you doing for good luck in Game Seven?

Sports fans have never been known for being rational. We spend several months of the year screaming at our TV’s, feeling genuine anxiety from events over which we have no control.

Our moods rise and fall with the performance of our teams, deaf to the insistence of our more sensible friends that it’s “just a game.” Some sports fans are superstitious, too, and this characteristic expresses itself most potently during the playoff season. Whether we have to wear our lucky jersey, sit in our lucky chair, or perform some arcane pregame ritual, we make sure to do whatever it takes to give our team that extra bump of good fortune during the most critical games.

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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Follow our countdown of the 16 wins needed for the Stanley Cup

We all know it takes 16 wins for a Stanley Cup and this year I’m counting down every victory. After the Caps’ anxiety-inducing, come-from-behind triumph in Game One on Thursday night, I took down the first of 16 sticky-notes from a Caps-themed countdown I set up in a corner of my bedroom.

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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This Caps montage will get you HYPED for the playoffs

It’s been 338 days since the Pittsburgh Penguins bounced the Washington Capitals out of the 2015-16 playoffs. Tonight, it all starts again.

The Capitals could not be more prepared. They concluded the new season with the league’s best record for the second consecutive year. The Caps also led the NHL in wins (55), points (118), and goal differential (+81), winning 10 of their final 12 games. They landed the best player at the trade deadline: Kevin Shattenkirk.

In less than eight hours (or whenever you read this), Washington will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, trying to do the unthinkable: win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Won’t you join us?

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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Oscars Best Picture gaffe inspires Capitals meme

Sunday night, something incredibly awkward occurred at the 89th Academy Awards.

In the spirit of Steve Harvey, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong card before announcing the night’s final award for Best Picture. La La Land was erroneously declared winner, and what resulted was catastrophically uncomfortable.

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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With the Caps picked to win it all, we made a video to even out the jinxes (Video)

On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in the game’s second half. This crushing playoff loss prompted many on Twitter to label Atlanta as the NFL’s version of the Washington Capitals.

Warriors 🏀, Indians⚾ and Falcons🏈 all blew it. Who’s gonna be the NHL team?

— Emma (@Emmav6522) February 6, 2017

Currently, the Capitals are on top of every major media’s power rankings. NHL coaches, for the second year in a row, are picking the Caps to win the Cup.

But since 2010, the Capitals have twice blown a 3-1 series lead. They were upset in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens after winning the President’s Trophy during the 2009-10 season. The Caps were eliminated in the second round by the eventual Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins after owning the league’s best regular season record last year.

We all have our ways of preparing for the annual playoff heartbreak. Here’s mine.

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By Sean Morrow 7 years ago

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