Washington Capitals: Top 5 greatest moments of 2021
Well now that we got that negative stuff out of the way, it’s time to look back at the positives of the 2021 Washington Capitals season. Although it didn’t end in another Stanley Cup, the Caps provided us all an escape as we were rocking the red from home in the middle of a pandemic. The positive impact the Caps have had on this community is second to none. They kill it on the ice and give back off of it.
Let’s relive the best of the best before we finally turn the page into the thick of the offseason and next season.
#5 Farewell Phil!
In a home game against the New York Islanders back in March, it was Alex Ovechkin who stole the show. After he recorded 1,300th career point, Ovechkin would score on a power play goal from the office prompting Caps broadcaster Joe Beninati to say “Farewell Phil”.
The goal was Ovechkin’s 718th which moved him to sixth all time on the NHL’s goals list.
And now a message from the great Phil Esposito for Alex Ovechkin on taking over sixth place on the all-time goals list!#ALLCAPS | #Gr8 pic.twitter.com/8NydChJFE8
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 17, 2021
Ovechkin got a video message from Esposito where he said:
“I gotta tell you, man, congratulations. You’re a great player. I don’t know how the hell you score all those goals with the way these guys block shots.”
#4 Goal of the year from T.J. Oshie
There is nothing better than beating the Pittsburgh Penguins and that is exactly what the Caps did on this February night at Capital One Arena… sadly with no fans to witness it in person. Still those who tuned in got to see a highlight reel play from T.J. Oshie that is easily the goal of the year in my book.
Nicklas Backstrom gave the Caps an early lead in the first period. The third period was where all the action happened including Oshie’s beauty at 3:18 that gave the Caps a two goal lead. Oshie fell headfirst and extended one arm out and shot the puck into the net. It was similar to Alex Ovechkin’s incredible goal his rookie season.
gn 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wtFWbhvNVe
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2021
The Penguins would answer on a shorthanded goal from Brandon Tanev and Jake Guentzel to tie it. Tom Wilson answered with a power play goal to give the Caps the lead for good. Carl Hagelin and Lars Eller sealed the game with empty net goals.
But everyone would talk about the Oshie goal for months to come and no other goal this season came close to topping that one. That will be on highlight reels for years to come.
#3 Oshie hat trick
In the wake of his father’s death, T.J. Oshie put on a show to honor his dad at Madison Square Garden. Oshie recorded a hat trick in what was an emotional win for the Caps in the aftermath of Tom Wilson receiving a fine and not a suspension for a controversial hit. The Rangers were furious and released a statement 24 hours prior to the game. The Caps chose not to respond, deciding to let their play on the ice speak for itself.
Oshie’s first two goals came on the power play in the second period. His first goal came when entering the zone, ripping a shot from the right face off circle. Oshie’s second came on a deflection shot from Dmitry Orlov. Oshie missed but got the rebound and put it in. Nic Dowd made it 3-0.
The Rangers would get on the board thanks to number one draft pick Alexis Lafreniere just over a minute into the third period. Late in the third, Oshie completed the hat trick with an empty net goal.
An emotional Oshie was tearing up and hugging his teammates. Afterwards the team headed to the locker room and blasted the song “Country Roads”, Oshie’s goal song. Man would that have been cool to capture on video.
#2 Fans Opening Night
The Caps welcomed back 2,100 fans for the first time on April 27th against the New York Islanders and it was a memorable night showing how far we’ve come as a city in the middle of a pandemic and drama in our Nation’s Capital. This was a night all about us, the fans, who had waited so long to get a glimpse of our team in person.
Some of you reading this were lucky enough to get to a game this past season. Others, like myself, are excited for the day the team takes the ice in front of a full capacity which could hopefully come this October.
The Caps only got one goal from the game, that coming from Daniel Spring in the first period. The rest of the way the Caps dominated and put on a show for the fans with Zdeno Chara even dropping the gloves.
Fans didn’t skip a beat and weren’t phased by keeping a mask on at all times. We could still hear them through the TV’s so the masks didn’t obstruct a lot of air or anything. It’s going to be cool seeing the arena full again next season and we can’t wait for the day.
#1 N1KY
This is one of those rare occurrences where the number one moment of the season ultimately resulted in a loss. This loss came to the Buffalo Sabres but this moment wasn’t about the game. On this night it was about Nicklas Backstrom, who played in his 1,000th NHL game, all with the Caps.
Prior to morning skate, head coach Peter Laviolette announced the players would be rolling up to the arena in special t-shirts commemorating Backstrom’s milestone. He doesn’t like the attention but he 100 percent deserved it all that day. When players arrived there was a whole row of cardboard cutouts of Nick. You could even catch a glimpse of him looking at them wondering who the heck did this.
The tributes didn’t stop there. During warmups the players all wore Backstrom’s number 19 on their jerseys and even had a cool moment welcoming Nicklas to the ice by forming a tunnel with their sticks.
Next. Washington Capitals Grades: Carl Hagelin 2021 Report Card. dark
The Caps would then honor Backstrom prior to the game where he was joined by his finance Liza, their daughters Haley and Alize and son Vince. Backstrom was selected by the Caps with the number four pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, with Alex Ovechkin announcing the pick at the podium. Now the duo has each played in over 1,000 games. That is such a rarity and a special thing we got to see over the years.