This Day In History

Happy Cupiversary! Today is the five-year anniversary of the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup.

Five years ago to the day, the Washington Capitals won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship. A journey that at best seemed improbable if not impossible was suddenly not. Cue the tears.

To mark Wednesday’s Cupiversary, the Capitals posted a photo on their social media accounts of the stars from that team still remaining on today’s roster hoisting Lord Stanley including Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson.

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By Chris Cerullo 4 months ago

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Five years ago today, Evgeny Kuznetsov eliminated the Penguins and exorcised the Capitals’ demons

Five years ago today, on May 7, 2018, Evgeny Kuznetsov scored one of the biggest goals in Capitals history when he eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime of Game Six, sending the Caps to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 20 years.

The Capitals, went on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history a month later. But the second-round win against the Penguins remains one of the biggest highlights of the run.

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By Ian Oland 5 months ago

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Today is the four-year anniversary of the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup championship <3

Four years ago to the day, the Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup championship. It seemed impossible for the longest time and then out of nowhere, it totally wasn’t anymore.

To celebrate their Cupiversary on Tuesday, the Capitals posted a photo of Alex Ovechkin holding and hugging the NHL’s championship trophy with the tagline 𝟬𝟲/𝟬𝟳/𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴.

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By Ian Oland 1 year ago

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On this day in 2006, Alex Ovechkin scored ‘The Goal’

On January 16th, 2006, Alex Ovechkin scored what is still his most memorable goal to date.

While falling and twirling around on his back, Ovi took a “simply sensational” shot to beat Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Brian Boucher. The goal also happened in front of Wayne Gretzky, who was the Coyotes coach at the time and is the man Ovi is currently chasing for the all-time goals record.

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By Donya Abramo and Chris Cerullo 2 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin was named captain 12 years ago. The Capitals have more standings points than any other NHL team since then.

Alex Ovechkin was named the captain of the Washington Capitals before a home game against the Montreal Canadiens on January 5, 2010. The nod came seven days after GM George McPhee traded the Caps’ then-captain, Chris Clark, to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ovechkin, 24, was the third-youngest captain in the NHL at the time, behind only Sidney Crosby, 22, and Jonathan Toews, 21.

“It means a lot,” Ovechkin, in his fifth NHL season, said in a press conference that night. “It shows they trust me.”

He added, “If I need to say something (in the locker room), I’m going to say something. I’m just going to show (how to lead) on the ice and if I need to say something, I will.” The Capitals would go on to win that night, 4-2, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Fast forward 12 years later, the Capitals have reaped the rewards and celebrated the milestone on social media.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin scored his first NHL goal 16 years ago today

Alex Ovechkin made his NHL debut 16 years ago today on October 5, 2005. That night began the careers of two of the greatest hockey players of all time: Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Since then, the superstars have combined to win four Stanley Cups (3, Crosby; 1, Ovechkin) and five Hart Trophies as league MVP (3, Ovechkin; 2, Crosby).

During Ovechkin’s first NHL game, he scored twice and broke the glass with a hit in Washington’s 3-2 win.

“I feel my dreams come true,” Ovechkin said after the game. “I play in the NHL. First game, we win.”

The Capitals tweeted video from that game and a photo, Tuesday.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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The Washington Capitals traded for TJ Oshie six years ago today

Happy Oshiversary, everybody!

On July 2, 2015, the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues completed a blockbuster deal that sent shockwaves around the hockey world. The Capitals acquired dynamite forward TJ Oshie from the St. Louis Blues for veteran Stanley Cup-winner Troy Brouwer, prospect goaltender Pheonix Copley, and a 2016 third-round pick (that eventually turned into first-round pick Tage Thompson).

The move was one of several important acquisitions that then-new general manager Brian MacLellan made that eventually got the Capitals over the hump and led them to their first Stanley Cup in 2018.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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17 years ago today, the Capitals drafted Alex Ovechkin first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft

On June 26, 2004, a Capitals delegation, led by general manager George McPhee, selected 18-year-old Russian Alex Ovechkin with the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. It changed the trajectory of the Capitals’ franchise forever.

The Caps won the right to select the confident and somewhat gawky teenager after a dreadful, rebuilding season which saw the team trade away all of its stars including Peter Bondra, Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang, Sergei Gonchar, and Michal Nylander. Washington won only 23 of 82 games during the 2003-04 season — their worst campaign in 26 years. But it’d end up being totally worth it. The Capitals, who were the third-worst team in the NHL that year, would leapfrog both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2004 NHL Draft Lottery and win the first overall pick.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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The Capitals swam in fountains to celebrate their Stanley Cup championship three years ago today

Happy 6/9 everybody. Three years ago today, the Capitals did Cup stands and swam in fountains at the Georgetown Waterfront to celebrate their Stanley Cup championship win. The team also held their first public Stanley Cup celebration at Nationals Park, got tattoos, and had a wild trip to Cafe Milano.

Plus, how can we forget Jakub Vrana’s legendary Instagram stories?

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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The Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup three years ago today

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.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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