On Frozen Blog

Jason LaCanfora had the great honor of delivering the eulogy for Dave Fay this past weekend. Jason got to know Dave quite well as they shared the Caps’ beat for rival newspapers for five years. It was a moving and insightful recounting of Dave’s life and work.
Jason and Dave’s wife Pat were kind enough to release the full text of the eulogy to the Capitals’ web site. One passage in particular stood out to me:

I remember visiting Dave and Pat at home and in the hospital in 2004, and being overwhelmed by his zest to work even then. I’d ask him repeatedly why he was in such a rush to get back to that freezing, decrepit rink in Odenton, and the answer was always the same.
He’d say, “[...] if I don’t go out and cover that practice, no one will.”
Dave always feared that his paper would ignore the Caps if he didn’t push so hard to cover every game home and road, even when sick, and, anything less, to him, wouldn’t be fair to the sport, the fans, the players, the team.

Truer words have never been spoken.
With the move from an isolated and ancient Piney Orchards rink to the convenient and modern Balston facility — as well as the growth of blogs dedicated to the Capitals — practices remaining uncovered may be a thing of the past.
Sadly, Dave’s other fear, that newspapers would ignore the Caps without his efforts, is still a concern shared by many. Newspaper circulation and ad revenue are down; as profits decrease, so does quality and coverage. Reporters are increasingly having to cover more ground as cuts are made, thus forcing even the hockey-friendly reporters to make hard choices about where to invest their limited time.
Truer words, indeed.