The Washington Capitals spent over a decade during the Alex Ovechkin era unable to get over the hump. Then in 2018 they finally did. One of the players that proved to be a key difference maker was defenseman Michal Kempny, whom the team acquired at the trade deadline that season.

Lusciously haired and beautiful, Kempny was John Carlson’s steady eddy on the left side during that infamous run. The team beat the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five. Kempny was one of three Czechs on the team, including Jakub Vrana and Jakub Jerabek.

In the years after, Kempny suffered three unlucky injuries to his left leg. After not making the Capitals out of Training Camp for the 2021-22 season, Kempny spent most of the year in Hershey to regain his timing and form before getting a late season callup.

The Caps let Kempny go during free agency and the Czech signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Kraken over the weekend worth the veteran minimum.

Kempny thanked the Capitals on Tuesday via his Instagram page.

“This gets me a little emotional,” Kempny wrote. “Thank you Caps family for all the support. Thank you DC for our little Washingtonian. Thank you fans, teammates. This city will forever be in our hearts. I am grateful and excited for the new adventure ahead of us. 🙏🏻”

During his time in DC, Kempny and his significant other, Nicola, had a son, Adam.

Thanks for the memories, Michal. We’ll be rooting for you in Seattle – along with Andre Burakovsky, Justin Shultz, and Philipp Grubauer.