Game 6 - WSH @ UTA

Whole family pulled up to represent the Caps

This was the game of the year. I’m not sure anything will ever top it. It was the first game that we got to go to as a family this year.

Growing up all across the east coast was super fun. I got to experience many different markets and places. It was a blast. The last place that we lived before moving to Utah was Maryland. We were living in Annapolis and there was a rec center with tennis at it. My dad was a big tennis fan so we would end up there a lot. One day we decided to go check out the ice rink since it was attached. I honestly don’t remember the first event that we saw there, but I just remember being mesmerized. After a few months, we found ourselves attending many different Naval Academy hockey games and I was hooked. Once I found out that we had an NHL team within an hour from us in DC, I was even more excited. We started watching all of the Caps games and the rest is history.

I started taking skating lessons in 2008 and got to go to a few different games with my dad. At one of the first ones that we went to, we went early and found out that you could go down to the tunnel and around the glass to see the players up close. This changed everything, and boy did it start something forever. I ended up getting a puck from one of the trainers on the bench. I was so stoked. At the time, they weren’t printing any of the team names on them for when they were, so they were just blank pucks.

Fast forward now 17 years, Utah has an NHL team. Well, since I have now been a Caps fan for that entire time, you could imagine there is quite the passion. And, I have gotten my entire family on board as well. As you can tell by the first picture, they are all well equipped in jerseys and all. The first thing that happened once the schedule was released for the season was the Capitals game. It was the most important game for us, even though we knew we would all become strong Utah fans. We circled it on the calendar.

Since Rachel and I are definitely the most passionate, we set up the whole evening for us. About a week before the game, we started making posters. We had all the ideas, and started brainstorming all of them. Some were good, others not so much. Norah was excited because this would be her first Caps game. And it would be my moms first since DC. Rachel, my dad, and I, have all had the chance to go to a couple since moving to Utah in 2012, wether in Vegas, or Seattle.

Norah with her self designed poster and a puck from Dowd.

Rachel and I had the whole process dialed. We were at the doors about a half hour early to make sure we would get prime real estate along the glass, and made sure to bring grandparents to take over that real estate. Once we got into the arena, we had the entire first row to ourselves, except for another little boy and his dad who had somehow beat us to the corner of the glass. But, Rachel and I have done this before and have never struck out at a game with this good of a spot.

There is a lot that goes into this. Rachel and I know exactly who comes out of the locker room before warmups even start, and Strome is one of them. He saw Rachel’s poster and smiled, which set her up for success later. Once the team came out, he was pretty quick to make eye contact with her, and hooked her up. 1 puck down.

This video is super funny because Rachel is pretty nonchalant about getting a puck. You can also hear my mom laughing in the background, kind of shocked that she got one so fast. Rachel and I weren’t. We had this dialed up months ago, and we had a strategy. This was just the beginning. Once Rachel had hers, it was time to get Norah a puck. Luckily, she is the loudest, so she just screamed, a lot. Dowd was skating around and eventually made eye contact with Norah’s sign. 2 pucks down.

This one was much more intense and exciting. Rachel and I were pretty confident we could get pucks for both, but once it actually happened it was even cooler. I think a lot of it was all of these memories that Rachel and I have together of getting pucks and the thrill of getting one after all the hard work it takes to even get to that position. The best part was watching Norah experiencing the same thrill for her first puck. The other cool part about this was that Dowd clearly had to make a decision here, and he chose Norah. Super cool.

After this, we had a little kid who had an Oshie poster. Oshie wasn’t playing due to injury and probably won’t play again. As we were standing there, Rachel and I started working hard to try and get this little kid a puck. Of course, we connected. We actually ended up with 4 pucks total. I told Rachel before we even got the 3rd that as much as I wanted one, it was way cooler to me to give them to kids. I used to be that kid. So Mangipane and Eller hooked us up.

It was kind of surreal to see Eller again because the last time I saw him was in Vegas for the SCF game 5 in 2018 when the Caps won the cup, and since then he has been traded around, and this is his first year back with the Caps.

with the sistas and their pucks🥹

What a start to the evening. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing the people I love enjoy hockey. As Rachel always says after warm ups, “I could go home now”, but there is still a game to be played. So, we went to our seats and the game started. Rachel and I scored some closer seats than our normal ones which was super cool and my dad was super nice to let us sit there. Hopefully next year, we can all sit as a family close up.

Wes McCauley drops the puck for WSH @ UTA

The game was underway, and about 3 minutes in, Utah scored quick on a goal from McBain. Rachel and I immediately felt a little weird, because normally we would be cheering for a Utah goal. But, as true caps fans, we did not stand up and we were locked in. We knew the boys would pull through, although coming off of a back to back in Vegas was a little brutal. Less than 5 minutes later, Dylan Strome, who had just given Rachel a puck, tied things up. We were ready to go. We had a couple caps fans around us and it was absolutely rocking. Then, 10 seconds later, Dowd makes the score 2-1 Caps. Are you kidding? The 2 players who just gave Rach and Norah pucks. What are the odds? The place was silent. Utah fans had quickly quieted and we were pumped. The boys were here to play.

A little over 3 minutes later, the great eight, off a feed from PLD in the high slot, ripped one home. His 867th of the year. Rachel and I were dialed. Since Ovi is in pursuit of Gretzky, we had the goal counter ready. So once he scored, we were up quick and absolutely fired up. Ovi had just scored a hat trick in Vegas 24 hours prior, so he was on fire. Caps with 3 goals in four and a half minutes, and we were up 3-1 at the end of the 1st. That was the first calm moment of the game. Rachel and I just sat there. We couldn’t really believe what was happening. Was this real life? 8th row at the Delta Center watching a team we have watched our whole lives? It was real. And it got better.

A little over 5:30 to play into the 2nd, McBain went to the box. Power Play for the boys. This is what we wanted. And boy did they deliver. Strome won the draw, sent it to Carlson, over to Ovi. One Timer. Patented, right from the office. 4-1 Caps. It was honestly so cool seeing how many Caps fans were representing in Utah. There were a lot. More than expected. And it got real loud after that goal just 4 seconds into the power play on an Ovechkin one timer. The rest of the second period was pretty dull. Utah scored another one to make it 4-2 and then we went to intermission and back out for the 3rd.

After about 7 minutes into the 3rd, the boys were buzzing. I’m not sure what Carbs cooked up in the locker room, but he got the boys on a different level. Duhaime scored at 7:30 and then Protas just over two minutes later at 9:56. 6-2 Caps. Scoring was done for the night, but what a night it was. 6 Capitals goals on a night never to be forgotten. Rachel and I will forever remember that game together and I know that Norah will cherish that moment together. What a fun night. We got to spend it as a family, and even my grandparents all came, who also were baffled at the strategy that went into getting pucks and the success that we have at getting them. What can we say, Rachel and I are just that good.

Alright, thats it for now, Caps crew out🫡