Theo's Sports Corner by Theo Abbott

The Washington Capitals and Superstar Ovechkin overcame the Curse and made the Stanley Cup Finals

The Caps Superstar Alex Ovechkin was so excited after the Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a decisive Game 7 to earn a birth in the Stanley Cup Hockey Finals. Ovechkin wore an “Eastern Conference Champions” hat for the first time saying, “Oh my God! It’s unbelievable. I can’t explain my emotions. I’m just happy for my boys, for the organization, for fans. Finally!” There's an excitement in the Washington DC area because for the first time in 20 years the Caps will play for the hockey championship. It’s a journey 14 years in the making for Ovechkin after being the first overall draft pick in 2004 to the greatest goal scorer of this generation and a player who until this year hasn’t made it out of the second round and received a major proportion of the blame.

The Caps destroyed the narrative that they can’t get the job done when it matters most. Led by Ovechkin and a young core, the Caps have stepped up and overcame each challenge in this year's playoffs. First, in the opening round they were down 0 – 2 after losing two games at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then they rattled off four straight wins. Next, they finally slew the mighty dragon in the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. The Penguins had owned the Caps in the playoffs in years previously. In the third round, the Caps took the Lightning to a Game 7 in their building and dominated them on the road to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Caps will play the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals beginning Monday, May 28, 2018, on Memorial Day. It is a best of seven series. The Knights are an amazing team themselves being one of the only expansion franchises to reach the championship round in sports history. Washington, DC is buzzing right now in the hopes that the Caps can deliver a championship to the City. DC fans have a lot of pride and would love for the Caps to end its championship drought and deliver the championship cup to the City. Will the Caps and DC get its long-awaited championship parade? Tune into the Stanley Cup Finals to see the drama play out.

Theo Abbott

Contributing Writer