Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals did something on Thursday that no NHL players had ever done before: they won a Stanley Cup in Las Vegas.
Sure, the Stanley Cup eventually makes its way to Vegas, as the players often head down to sin city for additional celebrations, but this year marked the first time that the Stanley Cup was ever awarded there, meaning it also marked the first time the celebration could begin in Vegas.
Thus begins the story of Alex Ovechkin’s epic, celebratory bender.
Ovechkin’s advice to the fans: get some beers
Ovechkin made his intentions clear before he’d even left the ice in Las Vegas. “Fans, we did it!” he told Hockey Night in Canada’s Scott Oake on live television. “Get some beers, get some whatever, and start celebrating!”
The party really began going in the locker room after the game, as the Capitals celebrated their championship in the best way imaginable: through song. The best thing about being the champions is that there’s a pretty good song for that.
We Are The Champions
According to the Washington Post, after the win, the team brought the trophy to Hakkasan Nightclub, staying long into the morning. It was close to 5 a.m. when they finally left.
From there, the Capitals headed back to Washington, where it was clear from the moment they disembarked from their team charter that the party never stopped.
Ovechkin and the rest of the Stanley Cup champion Capitals were at Nationals Park on Saturday, and the captain was given the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
His first throw was a little high, sailing over the head of Nationals ace Max Scherzer — not the sort of precision we’re used to seeing from Ovi. But the Nationals gave him a do-over and, as the natural goalscorer isn’t one to miss twice, his second pitch was far more acceptable.
It’s little surprise Ovi missed the first one, to be honest. He’s been drunk since the playoffs ended and in an inebriated state, depth perception is one of the first things to go.
At some point, Ovechkin and the Capitals found a fountain and went for a swim, which is the sort of thing you do when you’ve been drinking champagne for two days straight.
And finally, in what should come as no surprise to anybody, Ovechkin and the rest of the Capitals even ran into Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who never met a Russian they didn’t like.
Ovechkin and his teammates stumbled into the Washington restaurant Cafe Milano on Saturday, encountering the couple purely by coincidence. They posed for a few photos and, presumably, did a little collusion just for fun before moving on.
The party never stops, after all. At least not for Alex Ovechkin.
