The Washington Capitals have played an impressive forty-four seasons in the NHL, and all they wanted was to finally hoist the most beloved trophy in hockey, the Stanley Cup. Well, their dreams came true on Thursday night when they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights and celebrated one of the biggest victories their franchise has ever seen.
The Capitals took an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Jakub Vrana, but Nate Schmidt soon tied it to make it 1-1 after one. Russian sniper Alex Ovechkin gave his team a 2-1 lead halfway through the second, until David Perron and Reilly Smith made it 3-2 Vegas after two. Would the Golden Knights force a game six?
Unfortunately not, as Devante Smith-Pelly and Lars Eller netted the next two goals, and that would be all she wrote as the Capitals won 4-3, clinching the ultimate victory for the boys in red. Goaltender Braden Holtby told reporters, “This group never gave up, and we finally did it.”
After many years of heartache, pain, and coming oh so close to victory, Ovechkin was finally able to hoist the trophy he had been wanting for so long. He was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy, given to the MVP of the Stanley Cup final. He set a single post-season record for the Capitals, with fifteen goals.
“I can’t explain what I feel. It’s unbelievable,” Ovechkin said.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights, who were a Cinderella story all season long, fell just short of becoming the first ever team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season, but they have nothing to be ashamed of.
“We left our goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) out to dry,” Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland commented after the game.
Forward James Neal praised his team and said he was very proud of them.
This was quite the ending to the NHL storybook. The Vegas Golden Knights may have shocked the world, but it was ultimately Alex Ovechkin’s dream come true. Congratulations to the Washington Capitals on winning the 2018 Stanley Cup!
