Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals superstar, let out a powerful scream as he lifted the Stanley Cup trophy high over his head on Thursday night.
The Washington Capitals defeated the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, to win their first ever Stanley Cup. This ends a 26-year long championship drought in the four major sports (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL) for our nation’s capital.
The Caps lost the first game of the seven-game series in Las Vegas to the first year expansion team of the Golden Knights. Captain, veteran and future Hall of Famer, Alexander Ovechkin was not going to let this year’s opportunity to bring home a championship to D.C. slip through his fingertips. The Capitals went on to win four straight games to capture the series and hoist the Stanley Cup Trophy high in the air.
At the beginning of the season, oddsmakers made Las Vegas’s chances of winning the Stanley Cup 500 to 1, yet the team surpassed every expectation and came so close to writing the storybook ending to their mind-boggling fantastic season. The Golden Knights should hold their heads high as their inaugural campaign was most likely the most successful season from an expansion team in the history of sports. The Golden Knights also were facing a living hockey legend on a mission for his first ever championship.
Through thirteen seasons of heartbreak as a Capital, Ovechkin, who was drafted by Washington at the age of 18, finally conquered the last feat to cement his legacy. In his career, Ovechkin has tallied 607 goals and 515 assists.
Ovechkin played a tremendous series against the Golden Knights. It speaks volumes to his legacy that in every game of the Stanley Cup series Ovechkin recorded at least one goal or an assist.
The sports fans of Washington D.C. can breathe a sigh of relief as the thought of a curse weighing over the city can finally be expunged. The Capitals have sent a championship to our nation’s capital.
