Today is the biggest sports day in the city in a long time and there isn’t even a game being played. That’s because the local football team in town is getting a new owner. Hello, Josh Harris. Goodbye, Daniel Snyder.
That last sentence in that paragraph felt so good to type. I didn’t even think I’d be typing such words until I became a senior citizen. But here we are. 24 years later. The power is changing hands.
But we are a hockey blog and not a football blog so how does this Redskins/Football Team/Commanders sale tie into the Washington Capitals?
Well besides the president of the United States, it looks like there will be a new guy in town that’s going to have the second most pressure. That man is Ted Leonsis.
Now I’m not knocking on Ted. He’s miles better than Dan Snyder. Then again so are you, the person reading this, and so am I.
The only really notable moment I can think of Leonsis messing up on the hockey side of things is not paying Stanley Cup winning head coach Barry Trotz the money he deserved to get himself and an entire generation their first ring.
But if I’m Leonsis after just helping out Brian MacLellan and Spencer Carbery fill out the coaching staff, I would be sitting at my desk penning a letter to Snyder. Whether he receives it on his yacht or his new home in London remains to be seen.
It would go something like this…
Dear Dan, wait no…
Dear Mr. Snyder,
A lot of people in this town may not have liked you. I may not agree with your conduct of the workplace. But at the same time I thank you.
When I bought the Capitals, your football team was still the toast of the town. Your unintelligent football decisions, along with us getting to draft Alex Ovechkin helped us become the new team in town.
For that I thank you. Enjoy the yacht.
Sincerely,
Mr. Leonsis
So if anyone is grateful for Snyder’s reign of terror, it’s got to be Leonsis. While Snyder was destroying what was once the crown jewel of the NFL, Leonsis was building the Capitals into a consistent winner.
FedEx Field became empty or filled with opposing fans (especially against NFC East rivals) while Capital One Arena and Caps games became a hot and hard to get ticket. The 2018 Stanley Cup, for my generation, was the closest thing we’d ever see to a Redskins Super Bowl.
Today, however, it feels like we could be close to better days ahead no matter if you root for the football team, the hockey team, or both.