Over the course of the season, thousands of fans show us how they Rock the Red in various ways, and we love all of your submissions! This is where we will showcase your love for the Washington Capitals. 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. Please note that if you are advertising a product, even if it is Capitals themed, NoVa Caps will not assist you in those endeavors.

Please also note that submissions private messaged to our Facebook page run the risk of not being seen in time to make it to NoVa CAPtures. Please upload them directly to our page.

The dust has settled, the Cup is being passed around, and for those players who’ve spent the day with Lord Stanley already, life has returned to normal in these dog days of summer. Long finished are the jokes of Ovi needing to sober up before the banner is raised. In fact, the Great Eight has been back to work and getting in shape for quite some time now. If you’d like to check out Alex Ovechkin’s insane work out routine, click here. If you’ve seen what he puts his body through to be at peak performance, it goes without saying that he is one champion who is more than ready to defend his title.

As for us fans, summer’s kinda lingering on. Sure, we love the beach days and the warm weather, but boy do we miss hockey! There’s not a ton of submissions coming in, but let’s make the most of what we have! What do you have going on during these long August days? Let’s have a look.

So first up I’d like to tug at your heart-strings if I may, dear readers. No jokes, no sarcasm, no silly quips this time. This post was submitted to us not too long ago and is about that young woman on the right of the photograph. She’s fighting what was described to me as a “hideous cancer called Leiomyosarcoma”, and has spent countless hours in the hospital. A family friend brought this story my attention, his exact words were:

“During the Stanley Cup, you may have seen the story behind this amazingly strong woman. She is the daughter in law of a friend of ours from church. She is a die-hard CAPS fan, and I am praying for a successful surgery! Today Amanda is undergoing a very long (13 hours), dangerous surgery to remove a tumor that has replaced the blood flow path between the torso & the legs. It is a hideous cancer called leiomyosarcoma, resistant to chemo & radiation. Surgical removal is the best option. She has a 3 yr old son, an 8 month daughter & a very loving husband. If you pray, if you feel/send positive energies, if you just think healing thoughts or cross your fingers, please do so looking to the heavens, with this woman in your heart. Thank you.” 

I am happy to report that the operation was a success and she is now in recovery! Hats off to this amazing woman! This story made me smile when I heard she was doing well. It would appear her story has touched a certain few other people, as well. Below, you’ll find a Capitals jersey named AMANDASTRONG, signed by some of the boys! Wilson, Oshie, and Orpik to name a few, have all shown their support for Amanda and her family, I feel it’s only right that we do the same. As you are no doubt aware, the fight against cancer is a long and costly one. If everybody could donate just $1 to Amanda’s road to recovery, together we’d raise thousands. Capitals fans are like no others, we stand by each other in the best of the times, and the worst. We are a global community tied together by our love for this amazing hockey club, and now one our needs our help.  If you’re interested in helping Amanda and would like to donate, you can do so via her GoFundMe, which can be found here. I hope she has a lot to cheer about in the coming hockey season! As do we all. Let’s all be #AmandaStrong

Submitted by: Jim Melton

I’d like to change the tone a bit now and show you something adorable. You know what I love? Animals. You know what else I love? The Washington Capitals. I’m sure the latter comes as no surprise. But you know what I love most of all? Animals who are clearly in love the Capitals and not wearing merch bought by their owners at all. Here we have a Caps Cat rocking the red with a Capitals name tag and what looks to be a matching collar. I can’t quite make it out, but that’s what I’m telling myself it is. This adorable little cat is Izzy, and I’m sure she’s purr-fectly content waiting for October, knowing her team will raise a Stanley Cup Banner come opening night! It will all be worth the wait, Izzy, I guarantee it.

Submitted by: Susan Willner

Our Stanley Cup win may by over two months old now, but for some the party continues! That’s very much the case for this family, vacationing on the Outer Banks. I’m not quite sure what they’re holding; it looks like a banner of some sort, but could also be a a solid object like those tailgating tables they sell on Shop.NHL, either way it’s really something cool! I love the design with the Weagles on opposite ends and the Cup in the middle! Regardless, I hope this Caps family is having a blast flaunting their Stanley Cup pride this summer! Let’s keep those submissions, coming guys! Where ever you go this summer to represent the Capitals; trust me, we wanna see! Beaches? Show us! Disney? Show us! Pittsburgh? DEFINITELY show us! Abroad? Send everything you got our way! Our first Stanley Cup victory celebration must be known the world over!

Submitted by: Becca Lusk Childress

Now here’s something we don’t see a lot of in the submissions mailbox, a fan made graphic! Now, we have a guy who does graphics for us an here at NoVa Caps, which makes me appreciate this kind of work all the more; because there’s no way at all I could ever do it! The graphic, clearly labeled “Stanley Cup Champions” edits some of the most exciting moments from before the boys left the ice in Las Vegas. This piece is beautifully done and captures some of Washington’s biggest names in their happiest, most euphoric moments. I can’t even begin to fathom what was going through their minds as they passed the Cup around for the first time, but one thing is for sure, this edit captures all the excitement I’m sure they, and we, all felt!

Submitted by: Perry Robinson

I need these. I really need these. I didn’t know these even existed, but now that I do, I need them. LOOK AT THESE SHOES. They’re so perfect. I’m not a shoe guy, I’m more into hats, but from a purely fanboy standpoint, these shoes are a must have for any Caps fan. I wouldn’t dare to even wear them, they’d go in glass case and be put on display in the mancave. My god, these shoes a pretty. Anyone know where I can get a pair?

Submitted by: Clinton Boggs

I’ve seen a few pictures of these buckets and I’d love to have one for myself. You truly don’t know the envy I have for all the local fans who get the Caps logo on just about everything. From what I’ve gathered, these buckets are selling like hotcakes and they’re becoming more and more difficult to find. Correct me if I’m wrong about that. But I feel this one of those random items that nobody really expected to see the Caps championship logo plastered on, which caused everybody to buy out of impulse. I hope this young man got his bucket and ran with it! It’s certainly a bizarre thing to WANT to buy a bucket, but if there was every a bucket to want to buy, this would be it!

Submitted by: Jenifer Kroll

A short while ago, we did a mini episode of NoVa CAPtures featuring fan-submitted license plates. This isn’t technically the same category, but I highly suggest you check that article out if you’re looking to add a little Caps flair to your car. Here we see a regular license plate from a transplant fan living in Hurricanes territory. But this plate has a Capitals frame around it. I have the same one on my car! The submission came with the poster telling me that this is the first summer he’s been able to drive around and not feel ashamed. To him, I say, never be ashamed to rock the red, ESPECIALLY in enemy territory! In fact, that’s your assignment this week, readers! I want all transplant fans to submit their love for the Caps rocking the red against whatever your local team is! Submit content to our Facebook page by August 25th for it be featured in the next installment of NoVa CAPtures! And again, don’t be ashamed to rock the red because you live in North Carolina! I mean, remember who won the Stanley Cup in 2006?

…Me neither.