The Washington Capitals held breakdown day at Kettler Capitals Iceplex on Friday. At the end of a team-identified two-year Stanley Cup window, the players wore the disappointment on their faces with how things ended this season. During their final interviews with the press, the Caps gave their theories on what went wrong and, for some, spoke about their uncertain futures with the team. Others revealed painful injuries they played through in the postseason.

There’s something sadly beautiful about capturing these players at their most difficult moments. There is raw emotion in these photos that would normally be kept behind closed doors. I think the feeling of this early exit will weigh even heavier in memory than the rest, and will hopefully fuel and inspire them to find a way to rewrite what seems like a predetermined script every year. We all, fans and players alike, have to make the best of what comes with the future of this team, but we also should not forget how good and how fun this team actually was.

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Photos: Amanda Bowen