Capitals' playoff-clinching win a reminder that D.C. is a hockey town

By beating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Tuesday night, the Capitals (40-31-11) concluded an improbable playoff push and clinched the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot during their final game of the regular season. They did this despite losing Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha during the year, and having a final goal differential of -37.

The deciding tally came under bizarre circumstances, when Flyers coach John Tortorella pulled his goalie in a tie game because the Flyers needed to win in regulation to have any chance to make the playoffs themselves. However, he didn’t realize that the Detroit Red Wings had just forced overtime in the final seconds against the Montreal Canadiens, guaranteeing them at least one point and therefore eliminating the Flyers.

T.J. Oshie scored on the empty net, sending the Caps — who own the tiebreaker over Detroit — to the playoffs. It was a storybook finish to a passionate rally down the stretch from Washington’s hockey squad, and it should serve as a reminder to the nation’s capital that no matter how much its other teams dominate the national media attention, nothing compares to the energy in D.C. when the Caps have something on the line.

Much of this is of course due to the institution that is Alexander Ovechkin. He’s the most iconic D.C. athlete of all-time, one of only a handful of players in the history of organized American sports who one city can lay claim to being the home of throughout the entirety of a career as decorated as his. The sense of familiarity built between team and fanbase throughout his two full decades in Washington gives the Caps an emotional appeal that rises above the city’s other franchises, and don’t expect that to change until the Great Eight hangs up his skates.

Ovechkin scored once on Tuesday night for his 24th tally in the last 36 games, leaving him only 42 away from Wayne Gretzky’s mark atop the all-time NHL leaderboard entering the 2024-25 season. The closer he gets, the more eyes there will be on the Capitals, and whether it happens next season or during the following one, the moment he scores No. 895 will be forever engrained into D.C. sports lore.

Combine that with the fact that the NHL world is witnessing the tail end of Ovechkin’s storied career, and Caps fans have something truly worth cherishing — all while still being competitive enough to play for a shot at another Stanley Cup. Beginning this weekend, they’ll have a chance to upset the New York Rangers (and former Caps head coach Peter Laviolette) in the first round.

Perhaps Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy could one day have that type of impact on the Commanders. Despite the optimism provided by new team owner Josh Harris, it’s going to take a long time and a lot of winning to fully repair the damage Dan Snyder inflicted upon the team that was once Washington’s pride and joy, while the Nationals and Wizards are even further away from that status.

In the meantime, D.C. is the Capitals’ city.