A true classic: 24/7 beats that beat up

Post from January:

I've said it many times... there's nothing I love more than when my worlds collide, especially when it comes to reality TV. Over the past few weeks, they collided very nicely as the Caps were featured on a reality show - HBO's "24/7", which was a behind-the-scenes look at the Caps and Penguins in the weeks leading up to the Winter Classic. This was a dream come true for Caps fans (probably even more so for Pens fans, since they definitely came out looking like the funner, happier, better team with the non-cursing coach), and for a reality-TV-loving-Caps fan like me, it just couldn't get any better.

Every Wednesday night at 10pm, HBO aired an amazingly well put-together hour of television. It was nice to look at, well-written, and it showed us those things that we could never, ever see by watching the games on TV, going to games or practices, or even hanging around in the parking lot afterwards. It showed them at home, at team dinners, and in the locker room. It was full access to the raw emotions they showed after losing, and finally, after winning. Then, every Thursday afternoon, HBO thankfully aired an edited version of the show, one that silenced out all of the bad words so that kids like Max could still get the insight into the teams that we got, but without the 10,000 f-bombs dropped by Coach Boudreau in every locker room speech, and a few others sprinkled in by other stars of the show. Max was mesmerized by it, and honestly, so were we.

The best moment to be kept on the DVR: after a miserable 8-game winning streak that unfortunately coincided with the arrival of the HBO cameras and made for a very depressing first episode of 24/7, the Caps finally come out on top, in a 3-2 win over Ottawa. In the locker room afterwards, the team breaks out to (yes, another reality show mash up) Pauly D's (of Jersey Shore fame) Beat that Beat Up. The pure exhilaration over the fact that the long drought was over... the fist pumping... the woo hoo's... they have all been played over and over and over in our house, with the boys fist pumping right along.

While by far the best moment, there were some other gems from the series (coming from a Caps fan. I have completely disregarded the Pens highlights, even though they did have some good scenes).

What I'll miss most:
- seeing Ovie at home with his parents "quote"
- watching Backstrom holding hands with ice skating girls
- the Swedish Christmas Eve at Nick Backstrom's house
- the hard hat being given away. This was so great, that Max's hockey team even adopted the idea. The "Ice Kings" give away a crown to the most-deserving player each week
- duh, the Winter Classic win

While I loved it so, there were a few things I didn't need to see:
- the infamous Ketchup/BBQ sauce on Boudreau's face during (way too close) interviews in the first episode
- too many losses for the Caps
- watching Mike Green riding his Vespa. Even though I have seen Mike Green in skinny jeans and know in the back of my mind that he's slightly metrosexual, I do still like the idea that he is a tough, rugged guy who might drive a Ford F150. But no, he rides a Vespa through DC, wearing some sort of leather slippers.
- the jock straps/cups being worn over the shorts. Not something any girl wants to see. While I wanted true, unplanned-for moments, I do wish HBO had given them a a minute to take those things off.

But really, nothing "beat" the fist-pumping scene that ended episode #2. It's exactly what you want to see out of the team you love - a celebration over a win. We like to know that it's not just the fans that jump for joy, cheer and even dance after a big win. It's nice to know the big guys with the black eyes and cups over their shorts feel as completely excited about a win as we do. Wish we could always follow them 24/7.