The Washington Capitals played their first home game in front of fans in over 419 days on Tuesday night. Lucky for us, there were eight games left up to that point and six of those eight were coming at home. Tonight they’ll play in front of fans on 7th and F street against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Many fans that were lucky enough to be at the game on Tuesday night didn’t skip a beat. Fans were chanting “Let’s Go Caps” from puck drop to the final horn. Unleash the Fury was perfect and spot on as it helped the Caps kill off two crucial penalties in the final 10 minutes to preserve the 1-0 win.
Stars and Sticks caught up with two fans that were lucky enough to witness the game and the grand reopening of Capital One Arena. Both fans gave similar answers but chatting with both of them gave me a sense of what it was like to be there.
Jenn, who’s son Troy is famously known as being Garnet Hathaway‘s number one fan, took her son to the game and spoke with us on what the atmosphere was like as fans were back.
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“You just had this sense of anticipation in the air once you got inside. Excitement. People laughing and talking. You could hear the excitement in their voices,” said Jenn who you can follow on Twitter @OsRavensCaps. She frequently posts videos of her son Troy including his hockey highlights and pregame predictions. Don’t be surprised if he predicts a Hathaway hat trick. If you’re reading this Garnet, we believe in you!
Troy even had his celebrity moment during the game.
“I had someone come up to me and my son in the bathroom and was like ‘I know you from the internet!’ (from the Hathaway birthday cake),” said Jenn.
TJ Poole also attended the game and had baller seats in the lower level. He had a perfect view of Zdeno Chara‘s fight. I’ll bet he’s even bigger in person.
“The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect. It’s almost like the fans didn’t miss a beat with not being able to attend games for so long. LETS GO CAPS chants were happening almost every minute of the game. It’s almost like taking a breath of fresh air and being right where you belong. Even being at 10% capacity, it felt like a playoff game,” said Poole.
Fans were socially distant, sitting in pods and wearing their masks. Poole didn’t speak to many people at the game but the few people he did speak to felt the same way.
“I only spoke to a handful of people that sat around me but everyone was in the same boat. Just simply happy to be back, and one phrase that was on repeat was people saying ‘it’s about time.’ For me growing up hockey is one of the most important things in my life and I don’t think I love anything more than hockey, and a lot of people around me felt the exact same way. The best part about hockey and Caps fans is that we are all one big happy family, complete strangers, but family,” added Poole.
After the final horn sounded and the Caps won, many fans thanked the arena workers who have gone through a lot in the last year with no games to work but played a big part in the fans returning home.
“When we left a few people were thanking the workers for working so we could be back in the arena, and they were all saying they were so happy to be there. It really was a special, magical game to be at. Everyone was so happy. Dancing in their seats, cheering. I’m so glad I was able to go,” said Jenn.