It finally happened. The Washington Capitals finally won their first-ever Stanley Cup after conjuring more magic than the Vegas Golden Knights.
After years of heartbreak for Alex Ovechkin, not to mention the franchise as a whole since being founded in 1974, the Capitals finally won it all.
One can imagine some exhales amid the screams for the team’s long-tortured fans, not to mention fans of D.C. sports in general. It’s been a long, long time since a Washington team took home a championship.
There was something symbolic, almost, about the clock briefly breaking during the late moments of the Capitals’ 4-3 win against the Golden Knights in Game 5. For fans of the Golden Knights, it likely felt like Vegas resisting the clock turning midnight on “Cinderella.” For those who’ve followed Ovechkin and the rest of these Caps through these trials and tribulations, breaking the curse meant breaking the clock.
For Vegas, it’s the first real taste of the soul-crushing heartbreak that comes with a playoff elimination that seemed to come out of left field. Thanks to some opportunistic plays and more than a few lucky breaks, the Golden Knights carried a 3-2 lead into the third period. It seemed like the bounces were finally (that word again) breaking their way again.
Instead, the Capitals refused to go home without the Stanley Cup.
To start the last rally, Devante Smith-Pelly scored his seventh goal of the postseason on a diving goal that would make Ovechkin proud. In a way, it was fitting that a player riding a great opportunity and some lucky breaks ultimately dealt such a painful blow to Vegas’ hopes. For the Golden Knights, it was the wrong kind of “finally,” as they finally saw their magic run out.
Less than three minutes later, Lars Eller continued his incredible playoff run by burying a loose puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury for what would be the Capitals’ Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Washington rarely seemed threatened after that, opening the door for an emotional celebration for Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom ... and anyone else connected to the Capitals, really.
Ovechkin’s celebration was as glorious as you can imagine, if you could even imagine it. He ended up taking the Conn Smythe, edging out some other excellent Capitals choices, including Evgeny Kuznetsov. “The Great Eight” scored in Game 5, breaking the franchise record for goals in a single postseason with his 15th (sorry, John Druce).
BELIEVE IT, OVI! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Ioi6CF2h2s
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 8, 2018
Last summer, the Capitals dealt with “a Stanley Cup hangover without the Stanley Cup.” Considering that they broke this curse in Sin City, it probably won’t be tough to generate a real hangover while celebrating the real thing tonight.
Finally.
Finally. pic.twitter.com/C0vki57YoP
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 8, 2018
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.