from Rob Rossi at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

“Finally! We finally beat the Penguins.”

— Alex Ovechkin

His eyes rocked red by tears of joy, the greatest goal scorer of his generation seemed somewhat at a loss for words on the biggest hockey night of his life. Alex Ovechkin pondered whether fate deemed it necessary his Capitals go through the Penguins or possibly never go to the Eastern Conference final.

“Yeah,” Ovechkin said.

With that one word, Ovechkin said it all.

Yeah, it had to be the Penguins — they of the back-to-back Stanley Cup wins; they of three summers with Stanley in Pittsburgh since Ovechkin entered the NHL; they of ritualistic torturing of players, fans and anybody connected to Washington's hockey franchise — standing between the Capitals and that long sought next level. Had it been any other opponent the Capitals ousted, it would have been any other Monday night in the hockey world.

conitnued

from Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,