The Washington Capitals are in trouble.

Capitals players are grumbling, their captain has been traded, their former captain retired amidst a barrage of animosity, their fans are restless and their management is thinking of running up the white flag 8 games into the season.

It's understandable that the fans are disgruntled: the team hasn't won in almost 3 weeks and hasn't played at home since October 11th. In the meantime the annual horse show has graced the MCI Center, Steve Konowalchuk followed Dale Hunter's tracks to Denver via trade, the Caps managed to go 0-5-1-0 on their 6 game road trip, and the tie came on the first game of the jaunt. Washington hasn't scored more than 2 goals in a game since they left home and were held to just 1 in four of the six road contests. By contrast, the only time they have held their opponent to fewer than 4 goals was the hard-fought tie in Toronto; the first game of the trip. They've been outscored 22-6 in the five games since and have shown no signs of better play to come. Jaromir Jagr is mostly invisible, the defense is AHL quality, and Olie Kolzig is showing all the stopping power of the Maginot Line. Their 1-6-1-0 record is worst in the NHL and tied for the third worst start in franchise history through eight games with the very first Caps team ever; a team that set the professional sports record for futility by going 8-67-5. No one is stepping up to claim the vacant leadership position, and the coaches don't think anyone should. The team has collapsed, the only question is whether it is terminal.

If you're looking for positive indicators, they are few and far between. Defenseman Steve Eminger shows promise in his first full season in the league. Peter Bondra has regained his power play touch. Robert Lang is playing up to his contract. The second worst Caps team through 8 games was the 1983-84 squad that lost their first seven before figuring things out and cruising to a 48-27-5, 101 point season (T-3rd best in franchise history). Unfortunately, that's about it for the good.

The Capitals management group seems to be ready to throw in the towel. George McPhee is stone-faced (as always) and continues to follow orders. Bruce Cassidy is sparring with the players through the press, a bad omen though he has cause for complaint. The truly worrying this is that Ted Leonsis has lost the good will and credibility he gained in his first couple of years. Under his watch he has allowed the Capitals to transform from the hardest-working squad in hockey, a team that made the Stanley Cup Finals, to a team without identity or success. Where we once had Keith Jones, Todd Krygier, Dale Hunter, Mark Tinordi, Craig Berube, Rick Tocchet and a pugilistic Chris Simon all on one squad, we now have Kip Miller, Robert Lang, Michael Nylader, Jaromir Jagr, Joel Kwiatkowski, and John Gruden. No opposing team fears the trip to Washington these days; why would they dread playing against a marketing strategy on skates?

It was a master coup by Mr. Leonsis and George McPhee to trade for Jaromir Jagr. The deal attracted international interest and got the Caps on ESPN2 more often. The fans, once they got over their shock, were ecstatic. It didn't stop there, though. When Jagr alone wasn't enough to put the Caps over the edge, Lang was inked, all while re-signing fan favorites Sergei Gonchar, Peter Bondra, and Olie Kolzig to long term, big money deals. Seemingly little thought was given to the upcoming 2004 CBA re-negotiations or the threat of a salary cap (already rumored in 2000). Coincidentally, the current CBA expires at the same time as the Leonsis "5 year plan". Now the Capitals sit on a 1-6-1-0 record in the final season of the current state of affairs, burdened with expensive, long-term contracts, and seemingly uncompetitive yet again.

In addition to problems on the ice, the Capitals face off-ice issues. Despite having a playoff team and significant star power, they do not draw very well in Redskins-crazy Washington DC. Sell-outs are few and far between at the Phone Booth, even for weekend games, the opener, or the first round playoff games last season. Ted Leonsis was outspoken in his criticism of Washington hockey fans after the Lightning won their 4th straight last Easter Sunday in Washington to complete their comeback from a 2-0 series defecit in the playoffs. Mr. Leonsis went straight to the press and lambasted the team and fans, chiding them for a lack of heart, a lack of intensity and their inability to show up for the big games. He all but laid the blame for the team's collapse at the feet of the fans in addition to the players, saying that he'd done what he could to assure victory. With those remarks to the press, Mr. Leonsis lost the massive grassroots support he had among Caps fans, support he'd earned for being personable, approachable, and perceived as being devoted to making the team a winner. When fans who'd given up Easter with the family saw the Caps lose the last and final game of the Tampa series in unfortunate fashion, they were upset. When those same fans were told that they weren't responding, that the "5 year plan" would be scrapped and the team dismantled, they were outraged.

"It's incredibly disappointing to have 14,000 people in the building for the final playoff game," said Leonsis. "So I think the market has spoken and I have some real re-evaluating to do on the kind of investments we're going to make in the team, because the city didn't respond. You cannot have a playoff game with 14,000 people with the kind of marketing and consumer focus that we've had."

Season tickets dropped from close to 13,000 to about 10,000 over the summer.

Caps fans know that they are outnumbered by Wizards, Orioles, Terps, Hoyas, and primarily Redskins fans. The Capitals have as devoted a core group of followers as Detroit or Toronto, they just don't have the numbers. Those devoted fans, the ones who scrimped, saved and sacrificed to buy their season tickets, to follow the team on the road, who shelled out the inflated ticket prices for post-season games, were appalled. Here was the team owner saying that they didn't do enough, that they weren't good enough to support his NHL franchise! Are there empty seats at the MCI Center? Yes, too many and too often. Is it the fault of those who are at the games? Not in the slightest. Mr. Leonsis is responsible for selling tickets, not the fans. Claiming that the fans were somehow at fault because he didn't do his job to his own satisfaction was a fit of pique that is costing him today. I almost always support Mr. Leonsis and GM McPhee, but I cannot justify doing so in this case.

Bringing in Jagr was a great PR move. The player ads on TV were great PR. They both put people in the seats. Mr. Leonsis and company have done a good job of marketing a hockey team in a non-traditional hockey market. What they have overlooked, however, is that sports fans (and Washington fans in particular) are attracted by curiosities but they stay for success. Winning a playoff series sometime in the last 4 years would have done as much to fill the arena as signing Jaromir Jagr. Between the constant losing when it counts, the acrimonious end to Calle Johansson's career, and the castigation of the fan base, devoted season ticket holders are cutting back or getting rid of their ticket plans. Mr. Leonsis has made it clear that without more fan support he isn't going to spend on the team. To drive home the point, his staff made no attempt to improve the team in the off-season (beyond picking up Bondra's option) and then traded Steve Konowalchuk, who had never played in anything but a Caps sweater. That trade is the only one to date this NHL season.

It has been widely and accurately reported that Jaromir Jagr is available to any team willing to pick up most of his salary. Robert Lang is in the same position and is making himself more valuable thanks to a strong start. Because few teams can afford to add a $6 million dollar/year forward with a salary cap looming, much less an $11 million dollar one, the front office is getting desperate. The two most beloved current Caps, Olie Kolzig and Peter Bondra (both career-long Capitals), are being shopped. Sergei Gonchar, the most talented offensive defenseman in the league, is on the block (though the sticker price is exceedingly high). Michael Nylander, the quiet assist man, will almost certainly be traded within weeks of returning from his broken leg. Local lad Jeff Halpern is rumored to be available. It is fortunate for the fans that George McPhee is the General Manager. He is one of the shrewdest dealers in the league and will fight for decent return on each man traded away. I can guarantee, though, that if he is forced to trade Kolzig, Bondra or Gonchar for less than a king's ransom, the fans will be up in arms and watching games from the couch at home. Cutting back on talent, refusing to pursue needed free agents, loading up on long-term deals to tempermental super-stars, fielding a squad defined by rookies and journeymen, criticizing the fans and market, and trading/releasing fan favorites is not a receipe for success in the sporting world: just ask Peter Angelos.

Mr. Leonsis is in an uncomfortable position. He is a gifted businessman who now owns a sports franchise. Owning a team is unlike running a normal business in many ways, not the least of which is priorities. It is almost impossible to successfully run a franchise outside of the NFL or the Yankees with a sole goal of profitability. The uncertainties of sports are too great, the competition is too fierce, and the only thing that guarantees a shot at regular profits is winning. In the past Mr. Leonsis has shown that he will accept significant losses on the team itself (how much of that he recoups through WS&E is unknown, but it is not the full amount). He comments last year and the attitude of the front office this year indicate that his intention has changed: cut the losses by cutting quality on the ice; the bottom line is more important than the blue line, and the customers are expected to support a franchise that isn't trying to win are the messages I'm getting.

I don't know whether Mr. Leonsis is making his moves to prevent catastrophe when the CBA is re-negotiated, to benefit the team for the short-term, to take advantage of what he perceives to be a lost season and possible strike to load up on talent for the future, or to reduce the liabilities so he can work on selling the franchise. I am criticizing some of his actions without knowing the motivation, and I can only hope that I'm wrong in my suspicions. If that is the case, I would be delighted to offer my most sincere apology to Mr. Leonsis and company. What I do know is that there are frustrated, angry, hurt, betrayed, desperate hockey fans in Washington who need a reason to believe in the team and management. If something isn't done, the Capitals might not have much to return to after the looming lock-out.