Welcome to the 4^th annual Capys Award Show, presented by the NoVa Caps crew.  It is that time of year again where NoVa Caps hands out its awards for a variety of player and team achievements.

This year is a little different, as the Washington Capitals are the 2018 Stanley Cup Champions.  For the first time in franchise history, the Capitals brought home the key piece of hardware that has been missing in DC for decades.

This year’s Capys will be extra special, as it will highlight Capitals highlights from their magical Stanley Cup season.

Without further ado, let’s hand out the Capys awards for the 2017-18 season.

“BEST GOAL” AWARD – EVGENY KUZNETSOV

Check out this amazing Kuznetsov goal against Edmonton.  He makes the Oilers netminder look silly on this one.

“MILESTONE” AWARD – ALEX OVECHKIN SCORES #600

Ovechkin’s long tenure in DC has had many memorable moments.  The Gr8 scored his 600th career goal against Winnipeg

“COAST-TO-COAST” AWARD – ANDRE BURAKOVSKY

Andre Burakovsky decided to go for a long stroll with the puck on his stick against the Buffalo Sabres back in February.  This was a beautiful goal.

“BEST ASSIST” AWARD – EVGENY KUZNETSOV

Watching Kuznetsov with the puck every night is a treat.  He can draw so many defenders to him, and he can create space for his teammates on the ice.

“BEST REFEREE INTERFERENCE” AWARD – WES MCCAULEY

It is puzzling why animated referee Wes McCauley decided to throw a body check on Matt Niskanen in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“BEST HIT” AWARD – TOM WILSON

Tom Wilson is good at physical play.  In January, he delivered a bone-crushing hit to Devils forward Brian Gibbons.

“WORST BENCH EXCHANGE” AWARD – EVGENY KUZNETSOV AND BRETT CONNOLLY

This was probably the biggest Capitals “LOL” moment of the year.

“BEST FAN/PLAYER MOMENT” AWARD – BRETT CONNOLLY

This was a great moment with Brett Connolly and his biggest fan Keelan Moxley.

“BEST PLAYOFF GOAL” AWARD – LARS ELLER

This was arguably the biggest goal scored in Capitals franchise history.  It sealed the deal for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

“BEST PLAYOFF FIGHT” AWARD – TOM WILSON

Tom Wilson became very angry at Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals after Coburn decided to rip the jersey off of Evgeny Kuznetsov.

“BEST PLAYOFF SAVE” AWARD – BRADEN HOLTBY

It is one of the greatest saves in Capitals franchise history.  It happened in Game 2 in the Stanley Cup Final against Vegas.

“BEST PLAYOFF ASSIST” AWARD – EVGENY KUZNETSOV

As Jakub Vrana would say, those are some “silky mits.” from Kuzya.

“BEST PLAYOFF GOAL CELEBRATION” AWARD – EVGENY KUZNETSOV

Kuznetsov has taken over the NHL rinks with his bird goal celebration.  It was put on display in Game 6 of the semifinals as Kuznetsov scored the game-winning goal to knock off the Penguins.

“BEST PLAYOFF MOMENT” – T.J. OSHIE AND HIS DAD EMBRACING THE STANLEY CUP

This moment after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup is a moment that sticks with anyone forever.

“BEST PLAYOFF BEER CHUG” AWARD – BROOKS ORPIK

Even the Capitals oldest player wants to chug a beer after winning the Stanley Cup.  You cannot beat the celebration.

“BEST CURSING ON THE MIC” AWARD – ALEX OVECHKIN

Before the regular season began, he promised the fans that the Capitals would not “be suck” this year.  He delivered on this promise by bringing the Stanley Cup home to DC.

“BEST PLAYOFF BEARD” AWARD – BRADEN HOLTBY

Holts has the playoff beard game going all season long.  His beard is so good, one cannot imagine him without one now.

“UNSUNG PLAYOFF HERO” AWARD – DEVANTE SMITH-PELLY

“DSP” had an outstanding playoff for the Capitals with 7 goals in postseason play.  He gave the Capitals everything to goals, big hits, and blocked shots.

“WORST PLAYOFF BEARD” AWARD – JAKUB VRANA

Vrana is still only 22 years old, so he has plenty of time to improve on his playoff fuzz.

“DC METRO TRAVELERS OF THE YEAR” AWARD – MATT NISKANEN AND T.J. OSHIE

When you want to avoid D.C. traffic to get to Capital One Arena, the Metro is always a practical way of transportation.

“SOCIAL MEDIA GEM” AWARD – JAKUB VRANA AND JOE BENINATI

data-lang=”en”>

Time of death: 12:18 a.m.
Cause of death: Jakub Vrana’s Instagram story. pic.twitter.com/dyvmdywnH5

— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) June 10, 2018

This video of Vrana and Joe B will never get old and it is an instant classic.

By: George Foussekis and the NoVa Caps crew