Clay Stevenson earned his first career NHL win in the Washington Capitals’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Forced into duty after both Capitals starters, Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, suffered injuries, Stevenson made 19 saves in the upset W, as his normal backup in Hershey, Garin Bjorklund, backed him up in DC as well.
In the Capitals’ victorious locker room after the game, Spencer Carbery presented Stevenson with his milestone first win puck, and the two exchanged a hug. Stevenson was then urged to give a speech by his teammates.
“Ay, you guys have been really good to me here in this room,” Stevenson said. “You picked me up after that tough third one. And, you know, we shut it down, and we got the job done. A lot of good stuff, a lot of blocked shots. Let’s go, baby!”
Stevenson then did the Bears’ ROAR celebration that the team made famous during its back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024.
On the other side of the locker room, an excited Alex Ovechkin did the ROAR celebration back, though there seemed to be confusion on whether the gesture should mimic a bear or an eagle. The team wore their Screaming Eagle third jerseys in the victory.
Ovechkin doing the ROAR comes after he joked he would join Hershey’s playoff run after the Capitals were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
“I just packed my stuff,” Ovechkin said. “I’m going to Hershey. They have playoffs, so I’ll see you there.”
The comments spurred on one fan to create a customized Ovechkin Bears jersey at Giant Center days later.
Ovechkin never played for the Bears but did suit up in one game in Hershey: a Capitals’ preseason game against the Penguins during his rookie season in the NHL.
Ovechkin was scheduled to play in the Capitals preseason game at Giant Center in September, but a lower-body injury he suffered during the first day of Training Camp ended that dream
