LAS VEGAS — Alex Ovechkin tossed off his helmet and gloves early, with his Washington Capitals less than a second away from winning the Stanley Cup. One last faceoff remained. The puck dropped, the clock stopped for good, and Ovechkin looked skyward — lifting his arms, running his fingers through his gray hair, perhaps disbelieving that a moment he seemed destined for had finally arrived 13 seasons into his NHL career.
The fans in the streets of Washington and those here in T-Mobile Arena did the same. They had been patient, too, waiting 44 years for the Capitals to be crowned Stanley Cup champions after they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games with Thursday’s 4-3 win. Ovechkin skated to the glass and blew kisses to the crowd in appreciation.
Then Ovechkin turned to each of his teammates, screaming as he was asked by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time. He screamed again when he touched it. He kept screaming when he raised it overhead.
[Svrluga: Alex Ovechkin wins the Stanley Cup — and secures his legacy]
The Capitals had been stained with the loser label since 1974-75, when the expansion team won just eight games, still the NHL’s worst campaign. Ovechkin’s arrival in 2004, drafted first overall, eventually brought more regular season success, and with a young superstar core of him and center Nicklas Backstrom, a first championship felt inevitable. Ovechkin has admitted that he treated it as such at times, perhaps taking for granted how hard it can be to win.
The fans in the streets of Washington and those here in T-Mobile Arena did the same. They had been patient, too, waiting 44 years for the Capitals to be crowned Stanley Cup champions after they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games with Thursday’s 4-3 win. Ovechkin skated to the glass and blew kisses to the crowd in appreciation.
Then Ovechkin turned to each of his teammates, screaming as he was asked by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time. He screamed again when he touched it. He kept screaming when he raised it overhead.
[Svrluga: Alex Ovechkin wins the Stanley Cup — and secures his legacy]
The Capitals had been stained with the loser label since 1974-75, when the expansion team won just eight games, still the NHL’s worst campaign. Ovechkin’s arrival in 2004, drafted first overall, eventually brought more regular season success, and with a young superstar core of him and center Nicklas Backstrom, a first championship felt inevitable. Ovechkin has admitted that he treated it as such at times, perhaps taking for granted how hard it can be to win.
