dear people who keep telling me that it's only October:

Thank you for for your helpful tip! I do in fact own a calendar, but if am curious at any point during the year as to what month it is, how far it is from the playoffs, etc, I will be sure to consult one of you.

There seems to be some questioning of why the Caps' hot start is a big deal, and overall it seems to be from the same kinds of people who will tell you not to take the preseason seriously, as if there's really any part of the season that can be discounted. But if you're curious about why it is that I'm excited about the Caps' seven-game streak, I will explain it to you!

• Winning is better than losing. 
• Winning is better than losing, even if it's only October.
• It would be more significant if it was April, but seeing as I do not own a time machine, there is nothing I can do about that. 
• When you win hockey games in the NHL, they award you these things called points. These points are then accumulated over the course of a season and used to determine who does and does not get into the playoffs. Believe it or not, these points are awarded for games played even in October. 
• These are also used to determine what seed a team is in the playoffs, which is also important! 
• Points are good. 
• So is winning. 

If you think that I'm overexcited now, you should see me in April. Hockey is about excited--it's about getting jacked up on Hockey Feelings and yelling obscenities at your TV, that's why I watch it instead of say, golf, or televised poker. Beware, anyone who tells me to not make a big deal about this--it is a big deal, and if your team was 7-0, you'd be excited too. 

We can only play the games that are in front of us. As much as people seem to think we should only be concerned about the playoffs, we can't skip ahead. While I recognize that this is an incredibly small sample size and our current level of play is likely impossible maintain, that doesn't mean that it's not happening. If I'm not allowed to take any numbers seriously until the playoffs, it is going to be a long fucking season. 

So yep. I'm excited. Wait, I'll get my glitter text. 

Winning. 

Winning is good. 

Don't worry, the Caps are human. I'm sure at some point things will go downhill, and you'll get to throw all the criticism at them that you want--at the moment, though, it just doesn't make sense.