They Went 1-0: Recalling the Champion Nationals’ Epic Visit to Capital One Arena and Celebrations with the Capitals

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Della Young
AP_19308122946497-1880x1254Photo: Al Drago/AP

We put a Curly W in the books on November 3, 2019, when the World Series Champion Washington Nationals visited and celebrated at Capital One Arena. In the Capitals’ final rewind of the “Best of Capitals Entertainment” series, we are taken back to an unforgettable night for both teams and for D.C. sports fans.

Before clashing against the Calgary Flames, the Capitals honored the Nationals on the franchise’s first World Series victory. The Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series on October 30.

It was an electrifying night for fans celebrating another D.C. sports victory— the Nationals’ World Series win just days before, the Washington Mystics claiming the title of WNBA Champions a few weeks prior, and of course, the Capitals’ Stanley Cup win the year before.

Various Capitals players including forward Tom Wilson, goaltender Braden Holtby, and center Evgeny Kuznetsov wore Nationals jerseys as they were heading down to the locker room that evening. Captain, the team dog and veteran service dog in-training jumped in on the pre-game mood as well.

The newest D.C. champions arrived at Capital One Arena with the Commissioner’s Trophy in tow. Nationals’ first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and outfielder Adam Eaton showed off their new hardware with the Capitals coaching staff. Zimmerman also read the starting lineup for the Capitals, followed by Eaton downing a beer Oshie-style.

Prior to puck drop, the Nationals were honored on the ice by the Capitals, with Nationals players, coaches, and staff donning white Capitals sweaters.

Pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted a photo of himself holding the World Series Trophy and credited the Capitals with showing the Nats how to win a championship.

Capital One Arena’s sound system blared “Baby Shark”, which became the Nationals’ unofficial anthem among fans.

Video: Samantha Pell/WaPo

Forward Jakub Vrana scored his first career hat trick that night. The Nationals went into a frenzy, tossing their World Series Championship hats towards the ice.

And we cannot forget about the group of Nationals players, including Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, and Eaton, who showed off the Commissioner’s Trophy on a shirtless Zamboni ride.

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@nationals are living their best life 😂

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Living their best lives, indeed.

And it didn’t stop there:

Literally. The party did not stop on the ice. After the Capitals extinguished the Flames 4-2, the celebrations carried over to the locker room. We saw Zimmerman had the honors of awarding Vrana AKA “Mr. Hat Trick” with the Nationals batting helmet…

Video: @Nationals

…an iconic We Are The Champions sing-a-long…

Video: @Capitals

…a crazy Conga line…

Video: @Capitals

…and then this…

Video: @Nationals

…and finally, Oshie’s beer chug.

Natitude from Capital One Arena

More Capitals-Nationals Reading

Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom Donates $20,000 to Pros for Heroes, a COVID-19 Relief Fund Started by Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman

Washington Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman Played Goaltender At Capitals’ Practice On Wednesday

Natitude At Capital One: Nationals’ Max Scherzer Takes Part in Ceremonial “Puck” Drop, Adam Eaton Reads Starting Lineup Before Capitals’ Game Against Rangers

Washington Capitals Wear Nationals Shirts Ahead of Team’s Decisive Game 5

Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin Throws Out First Pitch Before Game 4 Of National League Division Series

I Went to a Nationals Game and a Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Celebration Broke Out

The Stanley Cup Takes in a Ballgame at Nationals Park

Alex Ovechkin Throws Out First Pitch(es) at Nationals Game

By Della Young

About Della Young

Della Young is an aspiring novelist and screenwriter who earned a BFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University in 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Screenwriting from Regent University. Della comes from a family of big Capitals fans and became inspired to start writing for hockey in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and working on both sides of the camera. Follow Della on X: @dellayoung
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1 Response to They Went 1-0: Recalling the Champion Nationals’ Epic Visit to Capital One Arena and Celebrations with the Capitals

  1. Jon Sorensen says:
    June 30, 2020 at 11:44 am

    That was a wild night. Besides parade, one could argue that night was the pinnacle of the #Nats championship celebration. I may be biased, but credit the Caps, they took the Cup to the people, paraded it through the streets. The Nats…..not so much.

    Reply

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