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The Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup three years ago today

By Ian Oland

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June 7, 2021 3:41 pm

After missing the playoffs during his first two seasons in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin helped lead the Washington Capitals to the postseason in nine of the next 10 years. Despite having teams built to go deep, the Capitals were first-rounded three times and eliminated in the second round six times, including consecutive losses to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Washington won the Presidents’ Trophy as regular-season champions both years. The Ovi Era, much like the Dale Hunter Era, felt hopeless and destined to go Stanley Cup-less.

But all that heartbreak, frustration, and pain was ultimately rewarded on June 7, 2018. The Capitals, buoyed by huge performances by their stars Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Braden Holtby, and John Carlson, finally got over the hump.

During Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final, Washington got big goals from their supporting cast including Jakub Vrana (opening goal of the game), Devante Smith-Pelly (GTW), and Lars Eller (GWG) to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 and win its first championship in franchise history. Ovi went buckwild on the bench. Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee, who drafted Ovechkin and built the core of the team, was on the losing end for Vegas.

For many fans and supporters like myself, it was worth the wait.

Monday, June 7, 2021, marked the three-year anniversary of that wonderful night. The Capitals posted photos and video on Instagram in a somewhat reserved commemoration of the event. Since that magical postseason run, the Capitals have lost in the first round in three consecutive seasons.

The team also posted their own video of Ovechkin accepting the Stanley Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, which is instantly bringing tears to my eyes. Why is it so dusty in here?

“Tough memories because it’s erased,” Ovechkin later said in an E60 interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols – formerly a Capitals beat writer with the Washington Post. “I was so excited, I can’t remember basically nothing. Just blackout… That game was probably the biggest game of my life.”

Back at home in Washington DC, tens of thousands of people made it down to Chinatown to watch the game inside Capital One Arena and outside on jumbotrons. Here’s what the final celebration was like.

Meanwhile, back at home, I blubbered like a baby as I covered the game and watched as the final seconds hit zero. I had been a Caps fan since the mid-90s and vividly remember a 13-year-old me throwing Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman trading cards in the toilet in disappointment when the Capitals were swept in their first Stanley Cup appearance in 1998. In some ways, I never thought I’d experience a moment like this.

Meanwhile, back at T-Mobile Arena, the Capitals celebrated their Stanley Cup with many of their own fans in attendance.

For those who want to further relive that game or that year’s playoffs, here are a few more videos from the NHL.

Game 5

Every Capitals goal in the 2018 playoffs

Ovi’s journey

Where were you and what were your memories from that very special day? Leave your stories, upload/post your photos, and post your tweets, Instagrams, or YouTubes (just copy and past the URL) in the comments! Be sentimental with us.

Headline photo: @nastyashubskaya

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