Coming Home! – The First Night Home With The Stanley Cup In The DMV Was Historic

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Jon Sorensen


AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

After a wild night in Vegas, which began by officially apprehending the Stanley Cup from the defending Champion Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, and followed with a full night of epic celebrating on the Vegas strip, the Washington Capitals would make their way home to the DMV the following morning. A celebration 43 years in the making was about to begin. Likely in desperate need of a dozen hours sleep, the Capitals wasted no time in bringing the Stanley Cup to the people. First stop, Clarendon, Virginia.

Leaving Las Vegas
Let’s go home! After a raucous night of celebrations, the Capitals began to make their way home mid-morning on Friday, June, 8th. Social media posts from the players and the Capitals would be disseminated in-flight, further exciting Caps nation awaiting the champs at home.

Home, Sweet Home!
The Capitals would touch down at Dulles around 5::00PM on Friday, June 8th. The landing was carried live on multiple local networks. The magnitude of the situation was beginning to reach the fringe fans and non-hockey fans as well. This was quickly becoming a celebration for all.

The plane was greeted with a hero’s welcome, complete with water cannon showers from the Dulles airport fire trucks.

Photo: WTOP

Best Backy Assist….Of All Time!
The inaugural unveiling of the Cup on home turf was as perfect as perfect can be. The Captain and his top general would do the honors.

Ovechkin and Backstrom would carry the cup across the Dulles tarmac to an awaiting bus for the players and staff. It was a brief glimpse, but the best was ahead for the DMV.

First Night On The Town
After approximately three hours from landing at Dulles, the Stanley Cup would make its first public appearance. Tom Wilson would have the honors of being the first Washington Capitals player to hoist the Cup on home turf (Following Dulles Airport).  He would grab the cuveted chalice from the trunk of the “Keeper of the Cup’s rental car, and show it to the lucky few that had gathered behind Don Tito’s in Clarendon.

The impromptu champions victory party would be the first of many in the coming days. But night one would unfold just down the street from Capitals headquarters in Ballston.

Players would individually arrive, each receiving their own well deserved cheers and chants.

Then Nicklas Backstrom would appear with a smile from ear to ear on his face.

The Captain arrived to a raucous greeting, as he made his way upstairs to the private party. He would not disappoint, as he quickly returned with Lord Stanley’s Cup. He would give the folks a good long view while doing another 100 Cup presses, as the crowd began to chant “Ovi, Ovi, Ovi..”. What a moment.

T.J. Oshie would give the crowd a look from above

Conclusion
The Capitals wasted no time bringing the cup to the people. Little did we know what the Capitals players had in store for Caps nation the next day. The best was yet to come….

By Jon Sorensen

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
This entry was posted in News and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Coming Home! – The First Night Home With The Stanley Cup In The DMV Was Historic

  1. Pingback: Inconsistent Officiating Continues To Plague 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs | NoVa Caps

  2. Pingback: I Went to a Nationals Game and a Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Celebration Broke Out | NoVa Caps

Leave a Reply