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.

NoVa CAPtures is an article that usually takes me several days to complete; I like to wait a bit to make sure we get enough posts and content to make each episode worth pushing out. That said, today, as I begin Episode 8, it is September 1st. In just 30 days time, the hockey world will be ready for Game 1 and hype could not be anymore real as your reigning, defending, Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals, look to protect their title and begin the hunt for Cup #2.

I say the hype is real because you’ve all shown me how very true that statement is! Summer is winding down and the fans who’ve long gone dormant since our Cup celebration are once again beginning to stir. Let’s take a look at some of the hype the Capitals fandom has conjured up as we continue to ask ourselves: is it October yet?

GUYS WHY HAS NOBODY DONE THIS YET? WE’VE BEEN STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS FOR 87 DAYS AND NO BODY HAS THOUGHT OF DOING THIS UNTIL NOW?! I LOVE IT. Matching jerseys, one home, one away, Stanley Cup and Champions going cross the backs of them, and the numbers 20 and 18 to represent the year we won our first Stanley Cup. This is genius. This is beautiful. This is art. THIS is the level of dedication we should aspire to show for our boys! I can’t say enough good things about this post. Although I wonder how Lars Eller and Chandler Stephenson feel about their numbers being used while they’re still on team! The submitter said he just has to be sure to stay on the left side of his lady. Probably a good idea; I don’t think there were any Cups won in 1820. But the James Bond-esque intro is something the team should consider using sometime.

“Champions, Stanley Cup Champions” I like it a lot.

Submitted by: Joe Paco Pike

Here we see some devoted Capitals fans rocking the red in Meteora, Greece while on vacation. I can tell they’re vacationing because I was originally hoping they were Greek themselves so I could use make reference the famous NoVa Caps line of “we are everywhere”. I spent longer than I care to admit looking at the submitter’s profile, looking for any proof to confirm my theory of his would-be Greek route, but concluded instead that he was indeed from the DC area. And to the submitter who sent me this, nice profile! Love the Redskins jerseys! I always love seeing Caps fans rock the red around the globe. Look passed these fans at that beautiful European architecture and picturesque landscape! There’s a great, big world out there for us to see; and seeing Caps fans show their pride the world over has been a career highlight for me as a writer! Lovely post!

Submitted by: Chris Havrilla

Continuing our Caps fan tour, here we see a young fan in a commemorative shirt from Woody’s day with the Stanley Cup. I didn’t know these shirts existed, but they’re exquisite. I think it’s wonderful that even the folks in the background, who make it all possible, really, get the same amount of love that boys on the ice do. But I digress. This boy is rocking the red while taking in the sites of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. Peral Harbor, for those who don’t know for one reason or another, is a sacred place in the United States and plays a large roll in our history books. A respectful fan, like the one we see here will often look out at the pacific ocean in silent reflection and give thanks to the men and women who’ve served our country. Fans of every NHL team are welcomed here, but today, the visitors just so happened to be supported of your Stanley Cup Champions.

Submitted by: Ralph Rice

This post is so cool. Here we see a Caps fan who is a beekeeper, rocking the red while tending to her hives. This submitter tells me she wholeheartedly believes that her bees rock the red alongside her! And why shouldn’t they? Sure, the Blue Jackets have a yellow jacket for a mascot, and Bruins fans have affectionately dubbed their team “the B’s” but everybody knows that real bees love the Capitals! They go together like peanut butter and jelly! It’s common sense, guys. And this lady knows it! I love that she just casually has bees, by the way. She referred to beekeeping as a hobby of hers in her original post. I wonder if she does it for herself, or maybe if she has a honey company or something like that? Regardless, it’s nice to see these fans making a real… buzz with their hobbies outside of hockey.

That joke was so bad it gave me hives.

Submitted by: Tracy Stoline

This next post comes with one slice of good news, and two slices of bad news. The good news is that there have been Capitals fans rocking the red at Loch Ness is Scotland this summer! The bad news is there is no sightings of any monsters to be seen in this photo. The other slice of bad news is that no matter how hard I rack my brain looking for a decent joke, I cannot tie Hershey Bears defensman Aaron Ness into this post in any way, shape, or form. The person who sent me this post told me that they got a wonderful assortment of comments on their jerseys, ranging from asking if the Cup was at Loch Ness that day to, (hold your noses, readers, this comment STINKS) “I’ve only heard of the Penguins”. Guess we’ll just have to keep going until the Capitals are known all around the world, more so than they are already!

Submitted by: Anne Kerlin Groves

The original text sent in along with this post read as follows, and I quote:

“No one has rocked the red better than this guy! He’s a real Champion!! Ray was in a horrific car accident a couple of years ago, one he shouldn’t have survived. He has a fierce determination, a fiercely dedicated family, and a fiercely powerful God. Today, his wife Brooke Mizener posted this video of his first steps: “Looks Who’s Walking!!! Ray tried the Rewalk exoskeleton today- what a blessing to see and experience this program!”

This is just about as wholesome of a moment as you can get. I can’t think of any commentary to add to this post because it’s just so beautiful. Congratulations to you, Ray. You have the profound respect and admiration of the NoVa Caps team and the entire Washington Capitals fanbase. You have every reason to be proud of yourself, and I know all your family and friends are thankful that you never gave up and adjusted to life in a wheel chair. May this coming hockey season bring you even more reasons to cheer, and may you one day regain as much use of your legs as you can. We’re all with you.

Submitted by: Brook Mizener.

This week’s Capitals Canine is a beautiful German Shepherd. The fact this doggo is sitting so still next to a Stanley Cup full of treats is either a testament to whomever trained him or her, or an insult to whoever prepared the snacks! But the big thing in this post is the tin foil Stanley Cup the goodies are resting in. I’m always amazed at how well these things come out. I tried to make one when I was just a kid and it came out horribly and now I just grovel in amazement whenever I see one. You can tell by the light in the dog’s eyes that he’s happy the snack filled Cup is here which obviously means he’s a Capitals fan.

Or he’s hungry.
Or both.

Submitted by: @doggeeduo via Instagram

As much as I love the Washington Capitals, I really hope they tank in the 2030-31 season. We’re gonna need the first two overall picks in the 2031 NHL Entry Draft. Draft pick number one is going to be Sergei Ovechkin. And pick number two is going to be this kid. I’d say sign him now, but I think the gloves might be a little too big for him just yet. He’ll grow into them; but for now, he’s this week’s Caps Kid! It’s not quite the same as being drafted by the team, but I’d say it’s a pretty close second. I may be biased though, as I am the one who chooses these posts. Regardless, this little boy is adorable even though has very clearly has no comprehension of where he is or what he’s doing, he’s just happy to be there! (I think that was Scott Darling’s issue this passed season, too.) Well done to the parents and/or photographers who arranged this shoot; it’s absolutely priceless!

Submitted by: @hockeymama814 via Instagram

And that does it for this week’s episode of NoVa CAPtures! In just a few short weeks, the Caps will be hitting the ice for the 2018-19 season and I know we’re all getting very excited for the start of another great year of hockey! And that’s your assignment this week, readers! To be featured in the next installment of NoVa CAPtures, send us pictures of you and your family and friends getting hyped for the start of the new season! How do you celebrate Game 1 of 82? Let us know! And until then, dear readers, be well. Keep those submissions coming! And stay tuned to NoVa Caps for the latest Washington Capitals news!

By: Chris Laroche