Hello fellow Capitals fans, and welcome to the first installment of NoVa CAPtures! This new, weekly article will feature content YOU send to us! In the first installment of this new feature, NoVa Caps’ Chris Laroche explains how this will work, as well as some submissions sent in for this week’s features.

Over the course of the season, thousands of fans show us how they Rock the Red in various ways, and we love all your submissions! This is where we will showcase your love for the Washington Capitals, as well as our own. If you would like to be featured in a future installment of NoVa CAPtures, send your content to the Community Section of our Facebook page, or by inboxing them to us on Instagram or Twitter (@nova_caps). Alternatively, if your content is used and you would like us to remove it, please message any of our social media accounts and we’ll take your post(s) down accordingly.

It’s been a busy few weeks for the Capitals, and this week we’re taking a look at a lot of the love you’ve shown us since the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Without further ado, let’s take a look back how excited fans were to finally slay those pesky Penguins from Pittsburgh!

This priceless pic of  a beautiful pup, appropriately named Kuzy, is ready to take on the Penguins in Game 3! We love pictures of animals rocking the red! You can see it in Kuzy’s eyes, he’s so ready for some more playoff hockey!

-Submitted by Jose Apariçio

Sidney Crosby has a reputation for being somewhat of a crybaby. Is it true? Yes. But, does he really cry more than a teenage girl?
…Also yes.

-Submitted by Laura Herz

After the suspension to Tom Wilson issued by the NHL for his hit on Zach Aston-Reese, we received A LOT of Free Willy-themed submissions from you guys. But this one just takes the cake.

-Submitted by Casey Eliff

Other fans scoffed when Capitals fans celebrated a monumentous second round victory. “You won’t get a banner for that!” they said. Well, little did they know! Not that it’s important now. I mean, the Caps already have an Eastern Conference Championship banner to hang up in Capital One Arena’s rafters and they aren’t finished yet! Still, this important win shouldn’t be undermined.

-Submitted by Scott Norlund

But eventually, the dust around the Capitals’ victory over the Penguins subsided, and the team turned their attention to the Tampa Bay Lightning. A worthy opponent, the Atlantic Division Champions surely wouldn’t go down without a fight, as the Capitals would later find out. The Caps were ready for a battle, and so were we!

-Submitted by Lisa Sylvia

This beautiful edit doesn’t necessarily represent the goings on of the Eastern Conference Final. But this submission appeared on our page just hours before Game 1’s puck drop. I think we all felt the pride this picture displays. If  there was ever a picture that could represent Washington Capitals pride, this was it. And it was the right time to express how proud we all are of our team.

-Submitted by Ian Lafferty

It isn’t uncommon for the Capitals official Instagram account to upload a picture of the boys celebrating after a big win, and often times these posts are accompanied by the caption “Have you hugged your goalie today?” Unfortunately for most of us, Braden Holrby is simply unable to hug every person who was happy with the win. For those of us stuck at home, hugging a Caps doggo will have to suffice. We shocked the world when we took the first game in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I can’t tell who in this photo is happier about it.

-Submitted by Jeanette Sitzes Burpoe

It’s always nice to see Caps fans on the go. For me, it’s very rare as I live far away from the heart of Caps Nation. But when you see a car decked out in ALLCAPS gear, I hope it puts a smile on your face like it does mine. We get an awful lot of submissions full of car decor, so I’m sure you’re wondering why this photo in particular was chosen to be included in this post. Truth be told, I’m just a sucker for a Monte Carlo.

-Submitted by Nancy Bilodeau

There’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing Caps Kids as excited for the team’s success as we older fans are. This young lady seems optimistic about our chances! Let’s hope the boys in Red get to hold that same trophy very soon.

-Submitted by Matthew James

Here’s an interesting submission! There’s nothing like a day at the beach! Especially if you’re there Rocking the Red and getting hyped for even more hockey! Hours after this artistic piece was posted on our page, the Caps would go on to win Game 6 of the Conference Finals, tying the series and forcing Game 7. Life’s a beach if you’re a Bolts fan, I’d assume.

May 23rd, 2018 10:35 PM: The Washington Capitals are crowned the Eastern Conference Champions.

May 23rd, 2018 10:48 PM: I spent an irresponsible amount of money on shop.NHL.com

What do this cat, my bank card, and Capital fans across the world have in common after Game 7? We all needed a good rest. We wouldn’t get to rest for long though, as the Stanley Cup Finals drew ever closer…

-Submitted by Martijn Schokkenbroek

We have one Captain, two Alternate Captains, one Head Coach, and apparently, we also have a pair of pilots! Rocking the red in the cockpit of a plane is a new one, but also happy to see the boys being represented in all fields of work! Like these men flying planes, the Caps, too, are soaring right now! Safe travels fellas!

-Submitted by Donald Mayer

This youngster’s mom told us she doesn’t know if her boy quite understands the importance of what’s going on at Capital One Arena, but he’s just happy to be part of the excitement! And who can blame him? One day he’ll understand, and this photo will mean a lot to him! He was there for Washington Capitals history!

-Submitted by Emily Eggleston

This unique submission came to us with the simple caption of “Idle hands and Photoshop”. I’m almost certain the boys flew into Vegas, but if they had drive, I’d like to imagine these are exactly the looks Holtby and Ovechkin had on their faces as they entered Sin City. We always love getting fan-made promotional material! If you have personal creations hanging around, send them to us! You never know if we might use them!

-Submitted by Luke Fannin

What else is there to say, really? The caption in this homemade Stanley Cup photo pretty much sums it up!

-Submitted by Kelly Wing

This photo has already been on our Instagram page, but it’s just too great to pass up including here too! To all the first responders out there, thank you for all that you do. We hope there’s a big celebration in store for you guys very soon!

-Submitted by Michael Engles

Those crazy college kids are at it again! If you’re looking for this statue of Virginia senator Charles Colgan, you’ll find it at the GMU SciTech, Manassas Campus. Hope he’s still wearing that shirt proudly!

-Submitted by Rob Maletick

This photo was first taken in January of 2000. The fan in the picture, seen with Slapshot, has been a fan of the team for 25 years. He is from Winnipeg and is happy to remind us that #WeAreEverywhere

-Submitted by Ross Bisson

Okay but can we just talk for a minute about how there’s an entire billboard dedicated to the boys somewhere in the DC area? Anyone recognize the background? I’d love to know where to find this wonderful show of support!

-Submitted by Nancy Gumbel

Once again, we say thank you to all first responders who put their well being on the line each and every day for our safety and health. Hope you have a reason to celebrate real soon! Note the “A” on the Ovi jersey, classic!

-Submitted by Brent Schnupp

This is a very special submission indeed. Congratulations to this beautiful couple! Here’s to the birth of a brand new happy, healthy Caps fan! Brilliantly creative way to announce your pregnancy, and I love that tagline! Makes me smile every time!

Is your mouth watering? Mine is. Word on the street is that you can find this delicious donuts at Paul’s Bakery in Fairfax, Virginia. Nothing goes together better than sports and sweets! And since yesterday was National Donut Day, I imagine this bakery was very busy!

-Submitted by Becca Lusk Childress

Cool? Yes. Creepy? Slightly. I question whether or not that truck looked that way when it was parked there. Regardless, this truck is up for grabs! I hope whoever buys it keeps it just the way it is. Who wouldn’t want to support the Caps like this every day?

-Submitted by John Foradori

This is great one! Apparently, Holtby’s famous save on Tuch of the Golden Knights was worthy of a larceny report in Las Vegas! I supposed there’s two sides to every story. Holtby’s a hero the way I see it! That steal was amazing! In all seriousness, “The Save” will go down as one of the most amazing moments in Stanley Cup Final history. They’ll never take Holtbeast alive!

And that concludes the first installment of NoVa CapTures! The following episodes should be a little shorter, but it’s up to you guys to keep them as juicy as this one. We want to see how you support the team! Keep those submissions coming and thank you to everyone who’s content was used today! Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals is tomorrow night at 8:00 PM at Capital One Arena, with numerous viewing parties being held all around The District. We hope to see you there rocking the red!

By: Chris Laroche