The Stanley Cup Finals started last night and wow, what a post-season it has been. With the Las Vegas Golden Knights making a strong run through the regular and post-season to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season and the Washington Capitals advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in team history, this spring has been a rollercoaster of emotions. With these two teams battling for the Stanley Cup, I only know that this rollercoaster is going to run for another few weeks.
I've screamed at goals, gasped at injuries and yelled "Oh my god" so loud that my neighbors yelled "You ok?" back at me through our shared cinder block wall. As a fan, these playoff moments matter. I've watched games in my dorm room while studying for finals, on the floor of the student union during club meetings, on the late night campus bus sitting with students who didn't have a clue that a game was on, at home with my family with all of us screaming at the TV and at Capital One Arena surrounded by thousands of fans. No matter the location, each game had an intense feel of its own. These are the things that I'm going to remember about this playoffs, because runs like these don't come every year and the next one might be years away, when I could have kids of my own to share it with or maybe it'll be in a few years, when Seattle gets their own expansion team.
Las Vegas, a team who didn't even have any players until the 2017 Expansion Draft last June, would not only make team history by bringing home the Stanley Cup, but would continue it's stride in making league history. As a recap, this season the Las Vegas Golden Knights became the first team to make 109 points in their inaugural season, the first NHL expansion team to win their division in their inaugural season and the first NHL expansion team to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their inaugural season since the St. Louis Blues in 1967-1968. With their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, after beating the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, they will continue to break records as they assert their speed and strength against Eastern Conference opponents, the Washington Capitals.
Meanwhile, Washington is a team who has battled playoff troubles, as in nine of the last 10 seasons, the Capitals have lost in the first or second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs in Spring 2014. Following their second round win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals broke the "DC Sports Curse" and battled the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals, eventually winning the series in Game 7. The Capitals last made the Stanley Cup Finals in Spring 1998 and fell to the Detroit Red Wings 4-0. I wasn't even alive then.
So why does this matter other than in the record books? As fans, it's incredible to see these two teams' progressions throughout the 2017-2018 season, Washington struggling with highs and lows and Las Vegas coming out strong and powering through the end. It's absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity that can get emotional, for fans and teams alike. As I wrote this article, the Washington Capitals had just beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 in Game 7 and I was tearing up. After years of watching the Caps, my hometown team, lose in the second round, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals seems so unreal. This may be the only time this happens and I still can't believe that this year could be our year to win the Stanley Cup, especially after hearing "this is the Caps' year" for years and watching the playoff decline.
I can only imagine as a player what this playoff run could feel like. It's an incredible experience to be able to live through and to share with their families and the NHL community.
With the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs underway, it's time to take a look back at Las Vegas and Washington's seasons and realize that this spring is one for the books.
