Growing up in the DC area, I was (and am) a fan of the DC teams, mainly of the Capitals. I still root for any DC team because they’re my home team. Although there have been some great seasons, DC teams always seem to choke in the playoffs, crushing both the players and the fans’ dreams of a championship. It’s almost inevitable, but that doesn’t stop fans from being at least slightly optimistic… at least in the pre-season. Here are the feelings each losing team's fans go through.

When there's hope in the pre-season

When your team starts a long losing streak

Watching your team make stupid mistakes or take bad penalties

When your friend complains about their winning team

Getting angry at every mistake, especially by your best player

When you lose... again

When there's a glimmer of hope

When you really start to lose any hope left

When your team is officially knocked out of the playoffs

There’s always next season

When you know that as much as you hate never winning a championship, you couldn't stop rooting for your team