The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Caps, fans celebrate rare DC title
Alex Ovechkin put both hands to his head and screamed while he left the bench and skated into the thick of the Washington Capitals’ joyous celebration.
And right before Ovechkin hoisted the Stanley Cup, the Washington captain put both hands on his head again in a gesture of disbelieving ecstasy.
You can believe it, Ovi. So can the Washington fans whose championship drought is finally over.
After striving through 13 of his franchise’s 43 seasons, the Russian superstar and the long-suffering Capitals are sitting on top of hockey for the very first time.
“It doesn’t matter what happened before,” Ovechkin said through his gap-toothed grin. “We just won it.”
Lars Eller scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:37 to play, and the Capitals claimed their first NHL title with a 4-3 victory over the Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“We did it,” said Ovechkin, the playoff MVP whose 15 playoff goals set a franchise record. “That’s all that matters. Look at the smiles on my teammates. This is something you’ll never forget. This moment, I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable.”
It certainly seemed that way for the Capitals fans who partied in the streets of Washington on Thursday night and into Friday morning to celebrate the franchise’s first Stanley Cup and the city’s first title in the major four professional sports since 1992.
Celebrations erupted inside their home arena at the viewing party and around Chinatown. Confetti covered fans who filled Capital One Arena, and chants of “We Want The Cup!” became “We Got The Cup!”
Outside, fans watching on video boards cheered wildly when Ovechkin lifted the Cup to complete his 13th season and the franchise’s 43rd.
The Capitals had only made the Cup Final once before and the semifinals twice. One fan held up a sign reading, “Now I Can Die In Peace” — made famous in hockey when the New York Rangers won in 1994.
This was new for at least a generation of D.C. sports fans. The championship is the first by a Washington professional sports team in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball since the Redskins won the Super Bowl on Jan. 26, 1992, and came 40 years to the day the Bullets won basketball’s title.
As police officers blocked F Street and announcements were made about the last Metro train, many fans ignored those pleas and kept partying on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery and in bars surrounding the rink. A couple of fans climbed light poles and one even scaled the nearby dragon tower.
“It’s just a relief, man,” longtime Capitals fan Arash Tafakor said amid the celebration. “We haven’t had a championship in a long time. This puts the monkey off our back — all of D.C. sports.”
This time a year ago, Ovechkin and the Capitals were limping away from another early playoff exit. His 16 even-strength goals in the regular season tied for the lowest of his career. Injuries limited him to five goals in 13 playoff games.
Then a funny thing happened. Coach Barry Trotz took time from visiting his son in Russia to meet with Ovechkin and talk about changing and evolving his game at age 32. Time doesn’t stop, not even for the greatest goal-scorer of his generation. Trotz and general manager Brian MacLellan wanted more goals, better foot speed and for their cornerstone player to take care of his body to be able to handle more time on the ice.
“That’s just life: You have to change, you have to grow,” Trotz said. “He was motivated to show everybody that he still is a great player in this league.”
Ovechkin led the NHL with 49 goals in the regular season — the oldest player to finish first in goals since Phil Esposito in 1974-75 — and showed in his 13th season he could lead his team to the Cup. Ordinarily a team would be running out the clock on the final three seasons of a 13-year deal with a player of his age, but now Ovechkin is a Stanley Cup champion and there is no telling how much more the big forward can do in his NHL career.
“He was very comfortable and he was very confident,” longtime teammate Nicklas Backstrom said. “He was really calm. Everything was really good. It’s impressive the way he scores goals and the way he worked out there. He was just a machine there in the playoffs.”
The Capitals will hold their title parade on Tuesday, riding down Constitution Avenue to the National Mall beginning at 11 a.m.