In these economic hard times it is very hard to find anything worth the price admission. The Washington Capitals are bucking that trend because they are young, talented and they play hard. If only they could pass those attributes on to congress, wall street and the Whitehouse. If you have an opportunity to watch the Caps on national TV I suggest you do it because they provide 60 minutes of high quality entertainment win or lose. The following players are the main reason why the Caps are so much fun to watch/follow:



1. Alexander Semin - Even the great Alexander Ovechkin said that Semin has and I quote "sick" hands. Semin started his NHL career in a bad way because of maturity problems but with the help of Russian veterans like Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov Semin has started to maximize his already immense talents. The Caps could very well have a pair of 50-60 goal scorers. Semin has been paired up with a magician of a center in Michael Nylander and the results are pretty impressive thus far. This kid is scratching the surface of how good he can be.



2. Alexander Ovechkin - Simply put...the best hockey player on planet earth with all of the trophies/awards to prove it. The beauty of Ovechkin is he plays the game like he is broke. If this kid never made it to the NHL he would play with the same enthusiasm and love of the sport wherever he was. Ovechkin would happily trade all of the individual accomplishments for Lord Stanley's Cup. Caps have been blessed with a very special and rare combination of overwhelming talent and desire. This kid is going to will the Caps to a Stanley Cup before his time is done.



3. Mike Green - Who saw this coming? Their were rumors about this very speedy defenseman playing in Hershey and on the Olympics circuit that could really play. Who knew Green would become the highest scoring defenseman in his first full year of NHL play? Green's offensive exploits are well known but the kid can play some pretty good defense as well. Green is already leading defensemen in powerplay scoring and he is a key cog in the resurgence of the Capitals.



4. Sergei Fedorov - Who says age and experience are a bad thing in this season of change? Sergei Fedorov was the right guy at exactly the right time for the Washington Capitals. His best contribution to this team might not be his incredible skills and hockey smarts but the fact that he is Russian. His arrival seemed to calm everyone down and provide reliable lockeroom leadership especially with our talented trio of Russian players. Fedorov should be credited with Semin's new attitude and he has even helped Alexander the Great with things both on and off the ice. Fedorov is playing defense which is perfect for him because it keeps him on the ice. Feds is an extension of Boudreau on the the ice and he is making the biggest difference in the overall play of this team. The young guys listen and he leads by example. Even Fedorov admitted that he has been reborn playing with Ovechkin, Semin and Kozlov. He may play a lot longer as a defenseman and the Caps will be the better team for it.



5. Nicklas Backstrom - Is quiet and unassuming but he is an assassin on the ice with laser passes and a deadly accurate wrist shot when you can get him to unleash it. Backstrom was runner up for the Calder Cup for outstanding rookie of the year. Backstrom got robbed because his points/goals led the Caps into the playoffs while the rookies in Chicago were playing for nothing. Lost in Backstrom's offensive talent is his ability to play tight checking defense. He produced consistently in the playoffs and was not overwhelmed at all. Backstrom is going to be a very reliable 100 point plus center for either Ovechkin or Semin.



The Caps are the best young hockey team in the NHL and an aboslute joy to watch. If you get a chance to see them on national TV it will be 60 minutes of hockey you will not soon forget. Very rare to get your money's worth on anything these days which makes Caps fans very lucky.