It’s been a crazy couple days but now that the dust has settled and the NHL Trade Deadline has passed we have one more now former Washington Capitals player to thank and he’s a legend for sure. Lars Eller, say what you want about him, is the reason we even have one Staley Cup in the first place.
With the Capitals down 0-2 in the first round to the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropping both games on home ice, they needed a win in Game 3 on the road. In double overtime Lars Eller delivered on a deflection to save the Caps season and jump start their run to the Cup.
Then Eller ended the Cup run on top. Whether you were in Las Vegas or D.C. that night or if you’re an Eller fan who stayed up in the early morning hours watching this game in Denmark, you saw a moment in time that none of us will never forget.
With a shot from Brett Connolly and the puck sitting behind Marc Andre Fleury, the Great Dane was there to knock it in and send Caps fans across the world to sports heaven.
It is those two moments that come to mind when I think of Eller. And even though he had a couple of down years with age, injuries and even a couple of battles with COVID, he will always be remembered for his heroics in that Cup run and he won’t have to worry about buying a beer when he’s around me.
Now Eller heads to the Colorado Avalanche where he already suited up for one game. As I’m writing this I am watching their game against the Dallas Stars. Eller nearly played in 500 games with the Caps finishing his seven years with 488 games, 87 goals, 121 assists, and 208 points. In the Cup run he had seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points.
Thank you Lars Eller for saving our season in Game 3 and winning the Cup for us in Game 5. Best of luck in Colorado.