Relationship between the Caps and me

Jasen Viggiani
Published: April 29, 2008

For me it’s the personal relationship I formed with the Capitals as a young child. In a weird way I have my parents to thank.  Not because they took me to games or fed me Capitals Hockey 24-7, it was because they grounded me on a regular basis. I was not the most stellar student growing up and having both parents as educators this always made interim and report card time very interesting. I knew the drill: no T.V., no Atari or Nintendo, and no outside time with my friends. The only thing allowed in my room was a radio.

Enter Ron Weber and WMAL.  Even though he did not know it, Ron became a personal friend of mine. Many, many, nights I would sit in my room listening to Caps games, visualizing the game as he described it perfectly. He made the play by play seem like I was watching the game on television. The only two things I had available to me while on punishment made a lasting impact in my life — The
Washington Capitals and my radio. 

I could not tell you the first Capitals game I went to, only that I went with my dad and another friend of mine and his family. 

Capitals Hockey on television. was few and far between because if you didn’t have HTS (Home Team Sports) you could not see the games. Unfortunately my parents did not have the cable package that included HTS. During the season I would sometimes go to my neighbor’s house and watch games. 

One month, HTS was running a free promotion so I was able to watch the Caps in the comfort of my own home. Mike Ridley, Alan May, Pete Peeters, Mike Liut, Dale Hunter, Rod Langway and Kevin
Hatcher (just to name a few) quickly became my heroes. Soon after my parents realized my Capitals obsession was not a fad, they purchased the cable package with HTS so I could watch the games.

That being said, congratulations to Ted Leonsis and the Washington Capitals for their unbelievable CRAZY season! Going from last place in the league to winning their division all in just a few months is something to write home about. 

For those of you who are not hockey fans but have tuned in lately to see what all the buzz is about, get ready. This was only the beginning.

JASEN VIGGIANI

Woodbridge