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Saturday 9 June 2018
Caps on top! Washington wins Stanley Cup, beats Vegas 4-3

By GREG BEACHAM The remarkable Golden
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alex Knights hadn't lost four
Ovechkin put both hands consecutive games in their
to his head and screamed entire inaugural season be-
while he left the bench and fore the Caps rolled them.
skated into the thick of the "It's going to be a tough
Washington Capitals' joy- couple days," Vegas de-
ous celebration. fenseman Deryk Engelland
And right before Ovechkin said. "You never want it to
hoisted the Stanley Cup, end like this."
the Washington captain The Capitals had thou-
put both hands on his head sands of fans in the Vegas
again in a gesture of disbe- crowd and a building full of
lieving ecstasy. supporters watching back
You can believe it, Ovi. home along with count-
So can the Washington less thousands outside in
fans whose championship the crowded D.C. streets.
drought is finally over. They got a barn-burner of
After striving through 13 of a finale befitting this thrill-
his franchise's 43 seasons, ing series, with wild shifts
the Russian superstar and of momentum before that
the long-suffering Capitals bizarre clock incident that
are sitting on top of hockey Washington Capitals pose with the Stanley Cup after the Capitals defeated the Golden Knights 4-3 didn't appear to affect the
for the very first time. in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Las Vegas. outcome much.
"It doesn't matter what Associated Press The Capitals' triumph also
happened before," Ovech- adds another chapter to
kin said through his gap- first championship hockey Cup without a little late Fleury's 29 saves includ- a stretch of sweet relief for
toothed grin. "We just won team — and their city's first weirdness, however: The ed a stopped puck that long-suffering, loyal sports
it." champion in a major pro game clock stopped work- dropped underneath him fans across North Ameri-
Lars Eller scored the tie- sport since the Redskins ing on the T-Mobile Arena where Eller could sweep it ca. The NFL's Philadelphia
breaking goal with 7:37 won the Super Bowl in early scoreboards during the fi- home for the Cup-winning Eagles won their first Super
to play, and the Capitals 1992. nal minutes, and the Capi- goal. Bowl in February, and base-
claimed their first NHL title "It doesn't come easy," said tals angrily protested while "It means everything," Eller ball's Houston Astros won
with a 4-3 victory over the goalie Braden Holtby, who they played on. Vegas said. "You couldn't write their first World Series last
Vegas Golden Knights on made 28 saves while out- never got close to a tying the story better. If you're November.
Thursday night in Game 5 playing three-time Stanley goal despite both teams going to win on the road, First-time titles are all the
of the Stanley Cup Final. Cup champion Marc-An- getting an extra chance I couldn't imagine a better rage, and Ovechkin and
Ovechkin capped his play- dre Fleury in the opposite to rest while the officials place to do it." the Caps have paid their
off MVP campaign with an net one final time. "It took checked on the timing. The Forward T.J. Oshie spent a dues for this one. Ovech-
early power-play goal, and years. Years of heartbreak. clock finally hit zeros, allow- moment in the celebration kin, who turns 33 later this
Devante Smith-Pelly tied it Years of breaking things ing the Caps to storm the looking up for his father, year, has been among
with a full-stretch goal mid- down and trying again, ice behind their net for a Tim, who he said was re- the most exciting and pro-
way through the final pe- breaking things down and frenzied celebration. cently diagnosed with Al- ductive players in his sport
riod of the Capitals' fourth trying again, and this group Reilly Smith scored a go- zheimer's disease. since joining the Caps in
consecutive victory over never gave up. And we fi- ahead goal late in the sec- "He doesn't remember a lot 2005. Yet for all of his goal-
the Golden Knights. nally did it." ond period for the Golden of stuff, but he's going to scoring prowess and ath-
"We did it," said Ovechkin, After Ovechkin accepted Knights, who won seven of remember this," Oshie said. letic swagger, the Great
whose 15 playoff goals set the Conn Smythe Trophy, their first eight home play- "I've never seen a team Eight had never won an
a franchise record. "That's he received the Cup from off games before dropping come together like we did Olympic gold medal or a
all that matters. Look at the NHL Commissioner Gary the last two. here. I've never seen the Stanley Cup title. But after
smiles on my teammates. Bettman. Ovechkin shout- "When you get this close to commitment from start to becoming the fifth player
This is something you'll nev- ed "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" the Cup, it's hard," Fleury finish like we had here." in the last quarter-century
er forget. This moment, I'll before skating away and said. "Doesn't happen too Washington's win was its to score at least 15 goals
remember for the rest of my hoisting the prize over his often. It's very disappoint- 10th on the road in this in a postseason, Ovechkin
life. I'm so happy. It's unbe- head for a victory lap in ing." postseason, tying the NHL is a champion at last. He
lievable." front of thousands of red- The defeat ended the sto- playoff record and illustrat- also became the first Rus-
Vegas' incredible expan- clad fans.When a succes- rybook inaugural season of ing the superior toughness sian captain to raise the
sion season finally ended, sion of teammates finally the Golden Knights, who of this team. While past edi- Cup in NHL history. The title
and so did the Capitals' got the Cup back to Ovi, became the NHL's 31st tions of the Caps created is also validation for Holtby,
wait for a title since their he handed it to Ted Leon- franchise last fall and im- their team's reputation for who has spent his entire
debut in 1974. But after so sis, the Caps' owner since mediately launched into postseason flops in part by NHL career in Washington.
many years of crushing dis- 1999. arguably the greatest de- losing five playoff series in After several seasons of be-
appointment for a team "I'm so happy for the group but in modern pro sports which they had won three ing measured unfavorably
with a lengthy history of that has gone through the history. Few expected the of the first four games, against Fleury and other
postseason failure, these misery," said Washington division title they delivered, Ovechkin's latest group goaltending greats despite
Caps confidently won their coach Barry Trotz, a first- and fewer still thought Ve- promptly closed out all four his 2016 Vezina Trophy, the
fourth consecutive close- time champ in his 19th sea- gas could challenge for a of its series this year on the Saskatchewan native also
out game with a tenacious son behind an NHL bench championship. very first try. has his long-sought ring —
third-period comeback in and a potential free agent Nate Schmidt and David The Caps also came back and his unbelievable stick
Vegas. without a contract for next Perron also scored de- from series deficits in all four save on Alex Tuch in Game
Ovechkin and his team- season. flection goals for Vegas rounds and clinched all 2 will ring forever in Caps
mates are Washington's The Caps couldn't win a in the second period, but four series on the road. history.q