The tie that binds them

They all have different memories, the seven members and one coach from the 2006 Calder Cup-winning Hershey Bears, a group that has graduated to the NHL and helped the Washington Capitals reach the postseason for the first time since 2003.

The boost provided by center Brooks Laich’s arrival before the playoffs. A 10-game winning streak to start the postseason. Mike Green’s power-play prowess. Eric Fehr’s overtime goal in Game 7 of the semifinals. And of course the 5-1 victory over Milwaukee to clinch the title.

But the lasting memory, the one that drew laughs this week as they prepared for their Stanley Cup playoffs debuts tomorrow night against Philadelphia, has nothing to do with what happened on the ice.

It’s Bruce Boudreau’s lucky tie, bright green with stripes.

“It was terrible,” Laich said.

“All of his ties were pretty ugly — that was his thing,” Green said.

“Embarrassing. The most awful looking green tie you could find. He had a bad wardrobe to begin with, but that was the worst of the bunch,” Fehr said.

“It was ugly,” Boudreau said.

At some point during the final two rounds of the American Hockey League playoffs, Boudreau donned the tie.

“We won, and being as superstitious as I am, I wore it again and we won,” he said. “Then I figured I couldn’t wear it again. Then we lost. So I put it back on.”

It stayed on. After the playoffs, a colleague framed the tie and gave it to Boudreau as a gift.

The Bears went 16-5 that playoff season. Tomas Fleischmann had 32 points, Green 15 assists and Laich and Fehr three game-winning goals apiece. From that team, Fleischmann, Green, Laich, Fehr, Boyd Gordon, David Steckel and Jeff Schultz are all on the Caps. Boudreau earned a promotion on Thanksgiving.

While playing at a higher level and for a more prestigious cup, the Bears-turned-Caps hope the experience of 2006 will prove beneficial starting tomorrow night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“For sure it can,” said Green, who this season led all NHL defensemen with 18 goals. “Obviously, it’s a different type of competitiveness, but we know what it takes to win mentally and physically and what you have to go through because of two years ago.”

Boudreau agrees, and he points to the Caps’ first-round opponent. The Flyers’ AHL team won the title in 2005. Montreal’s top affiliate, led by Canadiens goalie Carey Price, won the Calder Cup last year.

“I really do believe that it’s a complete truism,” he said. “We won a couple of years ago, and the guys know how to win, and they know the goal just isn’t to make the playoffs. The goal is to win. … I really think winning begets winning, and it’s a big step.”

Entering the 2006 playoffs, Hershey finished 10 points out of first place. The Bears swept Norfolk in the first round, winning three one-goal games. Next up was nemesis Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Another sweep.

“We always had a tough time with Wilkes-Barre, but after we beat Norfolk we had the kind of confidence about us that we could beat anybody,” Gordon said.

Said Steckel: “We thought Norfolk would be more of a battle, and we hadn’t done much against Wilkes-Barre. We thought it would be so difficult that maybe it made us bear down.”

In round 2, Hershey went 8-for-33 on the power play. The Bears finished the playoffs with 34 man-advantage goals.

“We did have a pretty sick power play,” Green said.

The winning streak extended to 10 games with two wins over Portland. The Pirates won three of the next four games to set up a deciding match. The Bears forced overtime with 2:09 remaining, and Fehr scored the winner 9:07 into the first OT.

“I was really nervous — I didn’t want to screw up anything on the ice,” Fehr said. “[Laich] and Colin Forbes were driving the net and opened up a lane for me, and the D-man backed off, and I shot it blocker high past the goalie.”

In the finals, Hershey trailed 2-1 in the series before winning the final three games and scoring 18 goals (seven on the power play).

“We had a bunch of lines that could score and a bunch of lines that could defend,” Fehr said.

The Flyers have a similar background, their young players and coach winning at the AHL level before moving to the big club.

Three years ago, the Philadelphia Phantoms, who played in the old Spectrum, won the Calder Cup, also in 21 games. Flyers coach John Stevens guided that squad, and six players — Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger, Riley Cote, Randy Jones and Antero Niittymaki — are on Philadelphia’s roster.

“Anytime you win a championship, it doesn’t matter where you are, you kind of build that bond,” Carter said. “You know what it takes to get there and get it done.”

Said Stevens: “The pressure and the intensity you face in that situation is an invaluable experience you can carry to this level. Obviously, the level goes up here, but it still gives you some experience and a reference point. I think it helps you better handle what lies ahead.”

Several of those former Phantoms got a taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs two years ago, but last year the Flyers sunk to the bottom of the league with 56 points. But veterans were traded, and the team was handed to Stevens and his young players. Philadelphia improved by 39 points.

The Caps — who could have as many as 15 players making their postseason debuts tomorrow — hope their first experience doesn’t end in the first round.

“It feels [similar] around here as it did in Hershey two years ago,” Laich said. “You get on a roll, and you keep playing. You come to the rink every day. The game is fun. You work hard, you play and you win. It’s a fun time of year to play.”

• Staff writer Corey Masisak contributed to this article.