As we inch closer to the Washington Capitals 50th season we are embracing the storied history, looking at the present and embracing the future. Part of the future of the Caps is up in Hershey, Pennsylvania where the team just captured their second straight Calder Cup.
The Winnipeg native recently captained the Bears to their second straight Calder Cup which was their league leading 13th title. This is huge for the future of the Caps as you always need a good pipeline during the dog days of the Ovi era.
Via Ken Wiebe on the The Free Press, McIlrath said this:
""It was pretty surreal, to be honest. It hasn't fully sunk in. Going back to back with the Bears, it's been a wild two years. A lot of hockey. But it's been really exciting times.""Dylan McIlrath
During the Eastern Conference Finals the Bears got off to a 3-0 lead over the Cleveland Monsters before that series lead evaporated to force a Game 7. That Game 7 was in Hershey and the Bears had a third period lead but the Monsters forced overtime. Garrett Roe would provide the winner.
McIlrath added the following about that game:
""That was probably the biggest challenge of the playoffs. That Game 6 was a roller coaster. We were going to win, going up 2-1 with about a minute left. They came back and tied it (before winning in overtime). It really tested our mental toughness. Going to bed that night, it was one of the worst feelings I've had in hockey. Just knowing that we had the chance to close it out (and didn't).""McIlrath
He also said, "Then, a Game 7 overtime winner to win the series. If we sweep Cleveland, I don't know how the final goes, if we didn't go through that adversity."
The win put the Bears in the Calder Cup Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who the Bears bested last year in seven games. Once again that series would go the distance and the Bears would come out on top.
An #ALLCAPS history lesson for 66 days from puck drop pic.twitter.com/sCItBRPzWv
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 7, 2024
We are now 66 days away from the NHL season beginning which means more content will be fired up soon. A brief lesson on the number 66 as it was once donned by Milan Novy who was also the first Czech born player to suit up for the Caps on Oct. 6, 1982 when he had a goal and two assists in his NHL debut against the New York Rangers.