Photo: Bildbyrån
It’s somewhat surprising, but no player from the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup team in 2018 has gone on to win the Stanley Cup again. Several have come close, but none have sealed the deal.
Andre Burakovsky hopes to become the first former Capital from the 2018 team to win it again when his Colorado Avalanche face the two-time defending Champion Tampa Bay Lightning in this year’s Stanley Cup Final.
In a recent interview with HockeyNews.se, Burakovsky reflected on his day with the Stanley Cup back in the summer of 2018.
“It was a pretty full schedule, then. First we met all my friends and everyone who is close to the family at mom and dad’s house and took some pictures and mingled around. Then we went to Limhamn’s ice rink where I started playing and there were quite a lot of people who wanted to take pictures and see the trophy and it was very fun that so many came there and showed their support.”
Burakovsky said he then took the Cup to Jesper Mattsson’s home. Mattsson was a longtime Swedish Hockey player in Burakovksy’s hometown of Malmo, and a friend of the Burakovsky family.
“Jesper Mattsson’s son passed away just then and his second son is a very big fan of the Washington Capitals and it felt right to take the Cup there because they had gone through a very tough period after Oliver passed away. It was very emotional,” says Burakovsky.
As for today, uncertain waters await Burakovsky following the Stanley Cup finals. For the first time in his career, Burakovsky will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. But he’s not even thinking about that right now.
“I have told my agent and my dad, who talk a lot of hockey all the time and want to ask what I feel about the future, I have always told my dad and the agent that right now I do not even want to hear anything about it. I place all focus on the playoffs and then we will see what happens in the future. We’ll see where I end up, but it’s not something I’ve put energy into or thought about at all yet.”
Burakovsky and the Avalanche begin the final leg in their quest for the Cup tonight when they host the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Ball Arena in Denver.
Andre Burakovsky’s Day With The Stanley Cup
Video from @Capitals and Expressen.se.
By Jon Sorensen
Who signs Bura this offseason? That will be a juicy one to follow:
Go Burky!