Think Capitals Fans Are Anxious About The Postseason, Or Nah?

#Caps fans are just a bit on edge heading into the playoffs...... pic.twitter.com/J3X4UsEjFs

— JJ Regan (@JJReganCSN) April 11, 2017

My favorite aspect of this threatening footnote is that I truly don't think it was meant to be seen. Is it really that out of the question that there was a fan sitting front row becoming so overcome with anxiety by the prospect of impending playoff failure during a regular season practice that he needed to unload his potential frustrations via Sharpie?

If you ask me, this message would have started "Dear Diary..." if having to use "they" instead of "y'all" wasn't so detrimental to the perceived tone he was using to give himself some temporary peace of mind. Tagging public property with a cautionary demand may seem aggressive, but for one increasingly desperate fan it was nothing more than therapeutic. As he snapped the cap back on his permanent marker, the author of this intimidation took the first deep breath that he's taken since the Shattenkirk trade. He undoubtedly went home and got the sound sleep that he hopes to be deprived of for the next few months. The fear of having to - once again - defend Alexander Ovechkin's lack of a playoff resume needed to be put in writing, even if that writing was just an upside down scribble to the players it was directed at. 

This season may not be make-or-break for a team with the returning star power of the Washington Capitals, but it's make-or-break for the hearts of those that are emotionally invested in their success. I actually think this stressed out fan wasn't demanding enough. With Kris Letang out for the entirety of the playoffs, it has to be Stanley Cup Finals or bust for the team that has loaded up their roster for just that. That proverbial "...or else" is about as vague as what will happen to the Capitals oft-compromised confidence if - for what seems like the 10th time in 10 years - "their year" doesn't come to fruition.