Fansided

Washington Capitals Fan Guide to the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Finals

By Hutton Jackson |
BOSTON, MA - MAY 12: Boston Bruins left wing Marcus Johansson (90) holds the puck along the boards during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes on May 12, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 12: Boston Bruins left wing Marcus Johansson (90) holds the puck along the boards during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes on May 12, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
1 of 5
Next
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 13: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates after scoring a first period goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 13: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates after scoring a first period goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

While the Washington Capitals may not be in the Stanley Cup Finals this year, there are still plenty of storylines for Caps fans to follow if they choose to watch the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Finals.

Following the 2017-18 season during which the Washington Capitals brought Lord Stanley’s Cup home to DC for the first time in the franchise’s 45-year history, the Capitals experienced an early postseason exit. While fans can at least take some consolation in that the team won the big one last year, for many fans, the thought of watching playoff hockey is still too overwhelming. For some, it takes weeks before they are able to return to watching the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Many others may choose to not tune in at all.

If you’re like me, coping with a Capitals postseason series loss used to mean wallowing in misery for months. Fortunately, I now can resort to watching the Capitals Stanley Cup DVD and gifs of Alex Ovechkin hoisting the cup to ease the pain.

Yet, there are plenty of great storylines and reasons for Capitals fans to watch this year’s Stanley Cup Finals and here at Stars and Sticks, we decided to provide a guide for those Capitals fans who choose to tune in.

PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 08: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 8, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 08: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 8, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

The best (and likely only reason) to root for the Boston Bruins is former Capital Marcus Johansson.

Marcus Johansson was drafted by the Washington Capitals 24th overall in 2009 and played a huge part in the Capitals’ offensive attack for seven seasons, scoring 290 points in 501 games for Washington.

Unfortunately, the team was never able to make it over the postseason hump when he was on the roster and the Capitals traded him to the New Jersey Devils prior to the 2017-18 season.

The Capitals longtime left winger missed out on the team’s magical playoff run and had to watch many of his former teammates hoist the Cup last season. After being traded to Boston at the trade deadline this season, Johansson once again has a shot at the Cup. So for many Capitals fans, it makes sense to show support for a former Capital and root for him in his pursuit of a championship.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 15: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Washington Capitals skates with the puck in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center on April 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 15: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Washington Capitals skates with the puck in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center on April 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Marcus Johansson gave a lot to the Capitals and there’s no doubt he wants to win the Cup after seeing his ex teammates taste that glory themselves. One could imagine the motivation of being on a new team playing in your first playoff series since watching a former team win it the year before.

BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 5: A fan holds up a homemade sign reading “12 Pack of Championships,” depicting the 12 titles won by the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins since 2002, in Copley Square during the New England Patriots Super Bowl LIII victory parade in Boston on Feb. 5, 2019. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 5: A fan holds up a homemade sign reading “12 Pack of Championships,” depicting the 12 titles won by the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins since 2002, in Copley Square during the New England Patriots Super Bowl LIII victory parade in Boston on Feb. 5, 2019. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

It’s Boston, duh.

If you’re not a Boston sports fan, the odds are you’ve been extremely annoyed (and probably a tad jealous) of the city’s sports success not only in the past decade but in this year alone. With the Red Sox winning the World Series in November and Patriots winning the Super Bowl in February, the Bruins could give Boston it’s third major sports championship in just over nine months. I’m getting sick just thinking about it.

If the city of Boston doesn’t bother you, there is one other reason to vehemently root against the Bruins: Brad Marchand.

There is a reason that Marchand is often nicknamed “the rat” by opponents. He is hands down one of the dirtiest players in the NHL. Whether it’s licking opponents or giving snarky post-game interviews, Marchand continues to make a name for himself for all the wrong reasons. While he is an extremely skilled player, his immaturity far outweighs his talent and he’ll definitely be a guy Capitals fans will want to root against this Stanley Cup Finals.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1123410993206439938

ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 21: Blues players celebrate after scoring a power play goal in the second period during game six of the NHL Western Conference Final between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues, on May 21, 2019, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 21: Blues players celebrate after scoring a power play goal in the second period during game six of the NHL Western Conference Final between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues, on May 21, 2019, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

They’re not from Boston. (For more information see the previous slide).

Yet if that’s not enough of a reason for you, there are plenty of other reasons to pull for the Blues, such as the team’s incredible season turnaround is. On January 3, the Blues were in last place in the NHL with a 15-18-4 record.

Their 34 points ranked less than the Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators, both teams who finished the season at the bottom. Yet, the Blues righted the ship in the second half of the season and their turnaround ironically started with their 5-2 win over the Capitals on January 3.

To go from the worst-ranked team in the league to Western Conference champions is a great story that Capitals fans can get behind.

Furthermore, the Blues are trying to erase a championship drought of their own. The Blues are the oldest active NHL team to never win the Stanley Cup and their last time in the Stanley Cup Finals was three consecutive appearances in 1968, 1969 and 1970. Capitals fans know what it feels like to go 40+ years without a Championship, so it’s easy to empathize with Blues fans on the verge of their first one.

ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 21: Blues fans celebrate in the third period during game six of the NHL Western Conference Final between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues, on May 21, 2019, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 21: Blues fans celebrate in the third period during game six of the NHL Western Conference Final between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues, on May 21, 2019, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

This reason may seem petty to most, but is a very valid reason to not want to see the Blues win a single game: their victory song.

The Blues adopted the 1982 pop song “Gloria” by Laura Branigan as their victory anthem back on January 6, right at the beginning of the team’s turnaround.

Defenseman Joel Edmundson explained that he and a few other Blues players were at a Philadelphia bar watching the Eagles-Bears NFC Wild Card game and the bar would play the song during commercial breaks. The Blues players loved it and decided to play it in the locker room after wins. It was not much longer until the entire Blues organization and fan base began adopting the song.

Now song traditions, old and new, are not bad (the Capitals’ “Unleash the Fury” montage gets me hyped every time), but the St. Louis fanbase has gone way overboard with the playing of the song. One local St. Louis radio station went so far as to play the song for 24 hours straight. If the Blues win, NHL fans will have to suffer through “Gloria” being played constantly for months after the Stanley Cup and will witness more cringeworthy videos like the one below. That doesn’t sound too glorious to me.

Dmitry Orlov Report Card. dark. Next

So Capitals fans, who do you want to win the Stanley Cup Finals? Tell us in the comments below!

Next
Home / Editorials