It's Playoff (Beard) Time!

This week begins the time honored tradition of growing facial hair for your favorite teams in their playoff push. Whether it be full beards or patches of peach fuzz, you gotta support the team, especially since it’s for charity. Unless of course, you’re Crosby, and its just embarrassing.

Would the Capitals want to face the Penguins in the Playoffs?

After another thrilling matchup between the Caps and the Pens, Washington has beaten their arch rivals all three times so far this season. The Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry is currently one of the best in sports and is boosting the NHL’s TV ratings. Commissioner Bettman and NBC would be salivating if they continued the showdowns in the playoffs. Washington’s 109 points currently leads the league and would be the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Meanwhile, the Penguins are tied for the #2 seed, therefore if they meet, it won’t be until the Eastern Conference finals.

After the 7 game series defeat last year and decades of playoff misery at the hands of Pittsburgh, should the Caps want to face the Pens again in the playoffs to exercise demons? Or should they root for other teams or upsets for an easier route to a possible cup because the Caps are 40-10-8 against teams in the conference this year? Would a Cup feel less worthy without going through the defending champion Penguins?

Other rivalries and great players have gone through the same vindication. The Red Sox had to overcome the Yankees and the Curse of the Bambino in order to end their World Series drought. Peyton Manning and the Colts had to come from behind against Tom Brady and Patriots to win his first title after getting bumped out of the playoffs by New England twice before. Michael Jordan lost to the Pistons three straight seasons before beating them to advance and win his first title.

Does Ovechkin need to beat Crosby in the playoffs in order to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup? Obviously, this is all assuming both teams even get that far.

Miracle on Ice II?

30 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid, the United States Men’s Hockey team sits on top of the Olympic Hockey world for the time being after pulling off a huge upset last night. After the 5-3 victory of favored and host Canada, the U.S. is the top seed going into the tournament portion of the competition. While this matchup paled in comparison in significance politically to the Soviet Union upset, and wasn’t in the medal round yet, it’s still a sweet victory. Hockey is Canada’s sport and since it’s hosting the games, a gold medal is more important to them than any other combined. The loss ends a 50 year drought for the USA vs Canada as well. It does not help Canada that the rest of the game’s have not gone their way either, see below. I think the best part is that Sidney Crosby deflected in the first US goal. USA! USA!