As a young boy, I was told a story by my late uncle about a hockey team that had been built to win it all but were a miserable bunch together. The players were all very talented and the expectations were for the team to steamroll the competition, yet through 15 games, the club had managed but 3 wins and were running short on time to salvage the season.

Similarly, the reason the team had such high expectations was due in large part to all the new additions and changes that had been made. There was a new coach, there was a whole new line, and there was even the addition of a top defender, yet with all the new pieces in place, the results were clearly far from what was desired.

So, what happened?

One morning, following what would be their worst loss of the year (9-2 against the, at-the-time, best team in the league), all of the players arrived, mostly separate, to the team's dressing room, only to find full length mirrors covering their stalls. Gigantic dress mirrors. And not only were they in front of the players stalls, covering their equipment, but they had been nailed to the wood so the players couldn't get to their stuff.

The message on the chalk board at the end of the room?

"Look in the mirror."

Without the ability to slough off the coach's statement, and with no equipment to put on to take to the ice, the team was forced to face the music. Looking the mirror and then, one by one, all of their teammates, emotions boiled over and the team laid everything out for one another. It evolved into a team meeting, argument and, finally, bonding experience.

The best part is that the coach didn't have to say anything else. He simply had the mirrors taken down and the very next day, when the club returned for practice, they all came to the rink together on a bus.

The end result was a dramatic turnaround and an eventual league championship.

And, while - for the life of me - I can't remember the team or the coach's name, it certainly describes what appears to be the Washington Capitals current situation.

To a "t", I'd say.

So, while last night's harsh final minute loss to a Jason Spezza-less Senators is another painful dose of reality, it could be the kick this Caps squad needs.

With Adam Oates starting the feel the pressure mount around him as his club racks up loss after loss, there is truth in the idea that this team still needs time to adjust to what the new coach is preaching.

That said, in a shortened season, patience is something that cannot truly be afforded to the Capitals. Tme is already running out and while the systems still need plenty of work and the guys are far from gelling as a cohesive unit, the answers to their problems on the ice can be found nowhere else than in the mirror.

You can't buy killer instinct, not can you simply conjure hard work or luck, but the truth is that if these guys don't start putting in the hard work, they will never discover their killer instinct, nor will they find the occasional bit of luck.

All told, it might serve Adam Oates well to tack some mirrors up in the Washington Capitals dressing room. Though he is on the hook as the head coach, he can't make the difference on the ice. And that's a shame because that is exactly the kind of player he was when he played in the NHL. A big reason why know finds himself a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It will take time to transmit the lessons he's learned to the stars on the Caps, but there is no time for Washington to rely on the excuse of "adapting."

It should also be noted that, though the team is struggling out of the gate, George McPhee is quite insistent there will be no immediate changes. Something that should tell us all that the pressure truly is all on the players.

Time to break out the mirrors.


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