Unleash the fury.

A love affair is happening in our Nation's Capital. No, President Obama is not cheating on Michelle.

No no, Dan Snyder and newly acquired Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan are not sleeping together (at least I don't think they are).

I am referring to the red-clad fans that pour into Verizon Center two to three times a week to watch their beloved Washington Capitals.

Finally, after years of "rebuilding", DC is on the map when it comes to hockey and the Capitals are near the top in the NHL. As of this morning, they lead the Eastern Conference with 68 points, one point ahead of the Martin Brodeur-led New Jersey Devils going into tonights games.

You want goals? You want lots and lots of goals? Look no further than the Caps, who have scored an NHL leading 185 goals. The second place team, the San Jose Sharks, have 14 fewer goals but have played two more games.

You want locker room drama? Nope, not going to find that here. Besides a head-turning trade on December 28 that saw captain Chris Clark and defensemen Milan Jurcina go to Columbus for 30 year old Jason Chimera, the Capitals locker room has remained drama-free. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov has missed some time over the past month because of injuries, but the Capitals keep motoring on.

Because of the departure of their captain to Columbus, the Capitals went a handful of games wondering who would take the "C". Would it be fan favorite and emerging leader Brooks Laich? Or new teammate Mike Knuble? Maybe Tom Poti would take the reigns. Or, the logical choice, back to back MVP Alex Ovechkin.

On January 6, Ovechkin took the ice wearing the "C". He became the Capitals first European-born captain, and had the endorsement of the entire team.

"He's been the face of the franchise for a long time and it's well-deserved and well-earned," defenseman Tom Poti said.

Tomas Fleischmann, fourth on the team in goals with 16, added: "We wanted it to be him to be captain."

In Alex Ovechkin's rookie season, 2005, you could look around Verizon Center and notice many empty seats and sometimes entire sections without fans. "It was bad," forward Brooks Laich reflected. "We would look up in the stands and the running joke with the players and coaches used to be, 'Hey, It's Dress Like A Seat Night.' "

Well, "dress like an empty seat night" has turned into "dress in all red and go absolutely crazy night"... aka Rock the Red.

DC is such a tough place to play for opposing teams that the Capitals own the best home record in hockey, going 17-3-3 there. And, if the Caps continue playing the way they are, the Cup run for any team will have to go through DC.

Yes people, there is a love affair in DC and it's for the Washington Capitals. Here's to hoping this affair lasts all the way up to the Stanley Cup being hoisted for the first time in Washington, DC.

Let's Go Caps!