A devoted worshiper at the Church of Old Time Hockey, and imbued with resounding cynicism, I couldn’t help but think: We in D.C. have become so saturated with soft, perimeter play by our hockey players — most especially in spring — that it shouldn’t be surprising that some observers here find Callahan’s impression of William Wallace . . . so alien. One interpretation of the perpetual scratching of Jeff Schultz is that the Capitals’ new head coach thinks like I do.

An alternative interpretation of Callahan’s gallantry could go something like this:  That motherf*cker is damned tough to play against, and for the past couple of seasons, the talent-challenged Rangers have well reflected their captain’s grit and determination, by decree of their head coach, and given more talented clubs a real run for their money (especially in spring). Ryan Callahan is one hell of a captain. He will be one hell of an American Olympian captain as well.

Today, that talent gap with the rest of the East for New York has been closed quite a bit, and for me it’s no coincidence that playing inspired, finish-your-checks hockey the Rangers reside at the very top of the conference. Soon, they’ll get their best defenseman in the lineup (Marc Staal), for the first time this season, making them even tougher to play against. The Rangers are built the way serious contenders are — from the net out, big and brawny, with an unmistakable net-clearing ethos in front of the net, and mobile and skilled on the blueline. Served the Bruins rather well last spring.

Perhaps before we criticize another team’s captain and his teammates for excessive sacrifice and courage we ought to see to it that ours is within driving distance of the Viking, Alberta, meter of toughness and tenacity.

The Washington Capitals of the past five years haven’t exactly been known for the selfless sacrifice of their bodies for the betterment of the team, for finishing their checks. In fact, especially in spring, they have fairly earned the reputation of being a team that’s easy to play against, one that comparative lunch pale squads want to draw in the postseason. To state the obvious: there is today no Capitals player quite like Ryan Callahan, and there hasn’t been for some years. Once upon a time, though, there was. The good news is that the former Capitals’ captain is now behind the team’s bench. There, he’s attempting to change a country club culture.

He needs time — cultures, of course, aren’t changed in a week or a month.

Almost certainly, he also needs more Patrick division bodies. More on that in a moment.

Speaking of instructional moments, HBO’s ’24/7′ this month is again affording more stark relief for Capitals fans insofar as how the rugged East comports itself. Watching the intermission exhortations of John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette is not far removed from listening to the warrior words of William Wallace. At their conclusion I find myself clutching my abdomen on my couch to make sure no Rangers or Flyers stick blades make their way through the TV screen at me, and necessarily I’m reminded of the contrast Dan Bylsma brought with our guy on last year’s series (“Hit Green.”).

George McPhee hired Dale Hunter because he believed him to be the best possible coach for the Capitals at the present moment, and part of that formulation perhaps included his conviction that Hunter could be the architect for revamping both the style and ethos of the club. My guess is that Coach Hunter is taking inventory of the roster he has and will report rugged shortcomings to the GM in short order.

The arrival of 2012 really brings a demarcation moment for the Washington Capitals. To posit any plausible playoff success next spring the Caps necessarily will have to get past the pesky and gutsy and supremely sacrificing Rags, the larger and skilled Flyers and Bruins. I’m not sure that as comprised the Capitals would be favored in any series. But 2012 also brings Washington’s return to the reconstituted Patrick division. The Capitals of the past five years have been assembled to compete quite well in the softer Southeast. In the next calendar year the hockey for the guys in  red necessarily gets rougher and tougher.

Looking ahead to 2012 and beyond, there is cause for concern. When you inventory the Capitals’ prospects holdings at Hockeysfuture, with an eye toward who among just the top 15 qualifies as a North American forward prospect tipping the scales at at least 6 ’0, 180 pounds (hardly power forward in stature), the calculation is stunning: zero. Then for fun take a look at the size of the prospect holdings for the Rags, Flyers, Pens, and Devils — and just in their top 10. The Rangers are awaiting on reinforcements like Chris Kreider (6 ’2, 200), J.T. Miller (6 ’1, 198), and defenseman Dylan McIlraith (6 ’4, 215, nicknamed the Undertaker). Philly, ravaged by injury this season, has already received notable contributions from young, big-bodied North Americans like Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier. The Pens have Eric Tangradi (6 ’4, 232), Dustin Jeffrey (6 ’1, 205), Robert Bortuzzo (6 ’3, 196), and Brian Strait (6 ’0, 200) in the pipeline. From the development perspective, we’re coming to the Patrick rechristening party next season with jockeys.

I still suggest that in hindsight it was right to draft the likes of Brian Sutherby, Nolan Yonkman, and Joe Finley. Things didn’t work out with them; injuries eviscerated their respective development. But the Capitals obviously have gotten away from drafting size and guile and grit, and beginning in 2012, they need it badly. Funny: The ‘New-look’ NHL at the top of the East these days rather resembles the old, in stature. The Capitals hold two first-round picks and potentially Colorado’s second-rounder next June. Those picks need to resemble NFL linebackers or safeties in size, and here’s hoping Dale Hunter — uniquely qualified to assess the attributes of top junior talent — is at the draft table for their selection, and subsequently their development.

The Russian Connection gets it done against the Rangers (photo: Mike Rucki)

Based on tonight’s performance, the Caps will be just fine with that.

In the post-game press conference, Coach Hunter was asked if this game was similar to the Caps’ victory over Nashville. “This is more heated because it’s a rivalry,” he replied. “It’s more emotional, and the guys rose to the occasion.”

A game that started out hesitantly — as if both teams were aware of the HBO cameras and trying to avoid mistakes — turned into a dominant performance by the Capitals. After just two shots in the first six minutes, the floodgates opened and 55 shots were on target by the end of the game. The important number, of course is 4: Four even-strength goals for a Capitals team that hasn’t given its netminders much support of late.

Alex Ovechkin entered the game on a point-per-game pace (14g, 11a) in his last 25 contests against the Rangers. He’s improved on that rate slightly with his 2 assists, both on beautiful shots by Alexander Semin, though didn’t find the net himself.

The Capitals’ forecheck was in fine form, stymieing the Rangers’ attempts to exit their zone or move through the neutral zone. Two of the Caps’ goals were direct results of their aggressive forecheck — the first a sweet steal by Marcus Johansson, who dished to Jeff Halpern and crashed the net as Halpern shot to pot the rebound.

The Caps’ second forecheck-created goal started with a sweet open-ice hit by Ovechkin; Backstrom collected the puck and fired a smooth pass to a streaking Semin.

Just seconds earlier the Rangers had a golden opportunity to tie the game at two apiece, when John Carlson (whose first-period stumble led to the Rangers only tally on the night) misplayed the puck. Yet the Rangers failed to convert, and Semin,with a burst of speed, made them pay for their missed opportunity. And in a blink, what could have been 2-2 became 3-1.

But the feel-good goal of the game goes to Troy Brouwer. He was having a rough night, whiffing in front of an open net on the power play despite a tic-tac-toe pass from Ovechkin to Backstrom to Brouwer. Later, a two-on-one break with him and Ovechkin did not yield a shot on goal; then Brouwer missed another great chance down low. But his persistence paid off, as he camped at the top of the crease and redirected a Carlson shot into the net. Brouwer burst into a huge grin after the goal — you could almost hear his sigh of relief from the press box.

The Capitals’ PK units stood tall and denied the Rangers on five opportunities (including another pesky Delay of Game… a lucky fan got a souvenir lofted over the defensive-zone glass for the second game in a row), including two late in the third frame. “It was a commitment by the guys. You see the blocked shots out there, and the puck does hurt! But they committed to it . . . that’s commitment to win.” Hunter also complimented Vokoun, who put in a solid performance despite ample bench time of late.

There were problems: a few bad passes by Ovechkin led to odd-man rushes the other way. The Rangers paid very little price for getting in Vokoun’s crease, nor for blatantly snowing him more than once.

But the team played as, well, a team, and the scoreboard rewarded their efforts with a much-needed victory.

Hat tip to Harry Hawkings for the assist.

Besides, more postseason Preds likely means more television screen time for the only country music performer I’d try and purchase front-row seats to see.

Poile I guess is regarded as a “builder” of NHL franchises as opposed to say a guider of one to glory. I’m not sure that’s fair; he’s only worked in two “small” markets in the NHL, though Washington today certainly can’t be regarded a small market any longer — thanks in no small part to Poile’s work here. He surely built the Caps up from laughingstock to contender. He has also answered the management call of our country for the World Championships on a number of occasions. Did you know that Poile has the word ‘Caps’ tattooed on a discreet region of his frame? So out West it’s easy for me to root for the Preds.

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I left the Caps-Rags series with a heightened appreciation for John Tortorella. It was Torts’ Tampa club that took out a Jagr-led Capitals’ team in the 2003 postseason after the Caps won the first two games in Tampa by a combined 9-3 tally, the Bolts winning that series’ next four games. In 2009, Torts’ underdog Rags club pushed the Caps to seven games. And while this year’s Caps-Rags matchup lasted just five games, they were wars, all of them; only in the middle portion of game 5′s third period did you genuinely have a sense that one team was clearly going to get it done comfortably. Totorella seems to me to be a coach who knows not only how to maximize the talent of his roster but tailor his strategy to close talent gaps in series like we just witnessed.

Tortorella’s post-series press conference Saturday evening was chock full of commendably dispassionate analysis and frank introspection. He acknowledged, for instance, his club’s inherent shortcomings: “I don’t think our team is fully built. The Washington team was, for a number of years. You look at how that team is built with their draft picks . . . we’re not there yet. We have to play a certain way [because of limited talent].”

The coach correctly lauded the sacrifice and effort made by Dan Girardi, who was I thought the series’ finest performer.

“His finger was all over the place,” Torts acknowledged of his brutally beat up no. 1 rearguard, who had a finger dislocated above the knuckle. He also had an ankle X-ray-ed Saturday evening, the coach reported.

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The Philadelphia Flyers may well survive the first round. Game 7 against Buffalo is tomorrow night in Philly. But this team will not see a follow-up Stanley Cup finals this spring, as its goaltending is, even by Flyers’ standards, shockingly horrific. (Ryan Miller hasn’t been much better, incidentally.)

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With no small trepidation I’ll pick the Canucks in game 7 tomorrow night, mainly just cause of home ice and a sense that the odds are so overwhelming against seeing a second consecutive spring with a team overcoming a 3-0 series deficit to prevail. My new media colleague Ed Frankovic was the first I’d heard positing that Roberto Luongo isn’t 100 percent, and may even have yanked himself out of game 5 because of his condition. If you watched game 6 last night in Chicago you saw Cory Schneider get dinged up on Michael Frolik’s penalty shot. So the ‘Nucks appear to be a mess in net. Still, winning four straight over the President’s Trophy winner? If it happens, will any club ever accept that trophy again?

The Hawks’ fortunes have changed dramatically largely because Corey Crawford has been solid in net and the impact return of center Dave Bolland. The Sedins have a combined 12 points in the series’ 6 games, which is nice, but are skating a combined -6. Bolland, in just 3 games, has 7 points and is skating a +6. One man wrecking crew.

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In the first four games of the Pens-’Bolts series Steven Stamkos had a lone assist. Game 5′s 8-2 Tampa drubbing saw Stamkos pot 2 goals and an assist. If he’s achieved some comfort in his first NHL postseason after the rough start I think he’s the difference in the remainder of the series.

With a little bit of luck we could witness the two Pennsylvania teams eliminated in game 7s on consecutive nights this week. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that.

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Antero Niittymaki’s only had two games between the pipes for the Sharks, so I don’t put his stats on par with Michal Neuvirth’s, yet. If you look at goalies who’ve worked most or all of first round series, Neuvirth’s at the top of all key categories: .946 save percentage, 1.38 goals-against, 4-1 record. His most impressive stat, though, for me: he’s now 15-for-15 in postseason play in his North American professional career. Wow.

And when he does, you ought to nod your head in acknowledgment and then tell him the story of April 23, 2011. Tell your antagonist that with about six minutes to go in the first period of game 5 against the New York Rangers then, with the Capitals clinging to a 1-0 lead in an elimination game, Mike Green, the claimant to two significant head injuries in the season’s second half, ones that robbed him of duty for 26 of the Capitals’ final 28 regular season games, instinctively slid down on the ice in the slot in front of his goaltender to block a Matt Gilroy slapshot.

With his skull.

What followed were moments of nauseating uncertainty, and the afternoon’s singular silence among the 18,000 in Verizon Center was testament to it. The NBC telecast was able to pinpoint multiple screws being dislodged from Green’s helmet as he lay stricken on the ice. Fortunately, he was up and off the ice on his own in reasonably short order, and ultimately returned to his teammates on the bench, though not for additional playing time. Bruce Boudreau noted in the postgame that had his team lost more rearguards or had circumstances otherwise dictated, he could and would have used Green. Still, Boudreau said in a much needed moment of light-heartedness, “I wish he’d get the magnets out of his helmet.”

The most predictable news in the postgame of yesterday’s 3-1 series-ending triumph over the Rangers was word of Mike Green being awarded the hardhat for his stunningly selfless commitment. The Stanley Cup playoffs boast a rich legacy of moments of harrowing sacrifice like Greener’s yesterday. Sports’ ultimate prize requires it. In a few weeks’ time we may look back on Saturday and identify it as a turning moment in the underwhelming legacy of this franchise in spring.

For Capitals’ fans, Green’s unfathomable courage ought to go a long way to absolving both this individual player’s perceived springtime shortcomings but also those of his team as well. Yesterday afternoon a very special new chapter in the Capitals’ playoff legacy was written, and it truly ought to recast the overall narrative. Tell your antagonists when next they vex you with past scoreboard failings of spring that this color and crest you support is distinctive, and eminently worthy of ardent patronage. Mike Green made it so yesterday.

* * * * *

Yesterday represented a landmark moment for the core who wear this crest. For the first time in the Era of Ovechkin, a Capitals’ team won a playoff series in fewer than seven games. As a franchise the Caps hadn’t won a playoff series in fewer than seven games in the 21st century — you have to go all the way back to the great run of ’98 to find one.

It’s almost an imperative for a team with Glory aspirations to make reasonably efficient work of their first-round opponent. The rigor of the NHL postseason exacts too much a toll to make seven-game stops a habit series after series. In addition to Green’s scare yesterday the Capitals briefly lost the services of Jason Arnott. During the second intermission media voice after media shared with me the conviction that the ensuing 20 minutes needed to be the series’ last. Almost certainly we know only a fraction of the Capitals’ full tally of significant physical ailments this spring. The Philadelphia Flyers later today may begin wondering what a healthy Chris Pronger might have meant in their series with the Sabres. Anyway, both psychologically and physically this pause in play is of paramount importance to this hockey club.

* * * * *

Rather regularly OFB readers share with us poignant reflection. “Now have a positive playoff memory on the Saturday before Easter. (I remember when history was made),” one noted in comment last night.

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Yesterday’s outcome was every bit as important for Washington’s hockey fans as it was for Capitals’ players. It was important for our town. To state the obvious, this hockey club is the only winning game in town. The Era of Ovechkin was moving along and progressing largely as it was forecast to when it hit a devastating speedbump last April. That failure last spring ushered in an identity crisis on the ice but it also — and this has been little remarked upon I think — eroded a bit of the optimism that fans new and old here had harbored with Ovi’s arrival. I really believe that that masterful March trade deadline work by George McPhee impacted the fanbase as much as his team.

Another indelible image from Saturday: with about 3 minutes remaining and the outcome certain, in-house cameras panned in on owner Leonsis in his box standing beside his son Zach, both outfitted in red Capitals’ sweaters. The owner recognized the moment and blew a kiss out to the madly devoted, who responded with fresh frenzy. To state the obvious, you won’t find that happening any time soon out at FedEx Field.

Comcast Sportsnet’s Jill Sorenson last night told me that on her route into Chinatown yesterday she found herself in a caravan of cacophonous support for the Caps. Car horns, she reported, were made into a melodic symphony of ‘C-A-P-S Caps!Caps!Caps!,’ with drivers with rolled down windows shouting the chant as accompaniment. We are louder also on our streetways, you see.

I began sensing something special enveloping our community with this team even before Jason Chimera took Manhattan on Wednesday night. The front pages of our newspapers were profiling hockey and chronicling it with uplifting photojournalism. Radio programs in their two- or three-hour entirety are being devoted to the Caps this spring (thank you, Danny Rouhier and 106.7). I’ve even shared my sense that by virtue of the breadth and passion of enlarged media here there is a swelling of civic pride for our Caps that outpaces — out-shrieks in its car horn frenzy — the great run of ’98.

“Washington is a hockey town,” Sorenson told me last night. She’s right, and we deserve a celebration of it with hockey in May.

The Post’s Metro section on Thursday also brought more fun for the region’s hockey fans — word of one local family’s longstanding allegiance to the Burgundy and Gold shifting dramatically to the Red of Chinatown.

Columnist Robert McCartney’s account of the Bethesda, Md., Krogh family is must-read material for Capitals’ supporters, especially the local and long suffering who’ve endured decades of Redskin overkill here.

The Kroghs, McCartney reports, have had Redskins’ season tickets for more than 40 years, but starting next season they’re abandoning the Danny and embracing Ted’s troops. Especially telling about the respective reversal of fortunes for the two teams, according to the Krogh family: if they have extra Capitals tickets they have no problem recruiting takers for them, but they can’t give away their Skins’ seats. “While I can’t seem to get clients to go with me to a Redskins game, I can get them to go to a Caps game, no problem,” a Krogh told McCartney.

Then the family cites a litany of good reasons for the increasingly widespread Deadskins’ dissatisfaction — the need to devote the entirety of Sundays getting to, enduring, and returning from the games, feeling ripped off at every concession inside the stadium, and being surrounded by “falling down drunks” each Sunday. Well who wouldn’t want to endure such conditions, and at the cost of a moderate mortgage?

McCartney wonders how many other longtime Skins’ ticket holders have made such a dramatic switch of allegiance. It’s an intriguing question.

“By traditional standards, for a longtime Washington area family like the Kroghs, this is heresy. Sacrilege. An abomination,” McCartney writes.

It’s also a sign of the times.