2018 Stanley Cup Finals

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2018 Stanley Cup Finals
12345 Total
Washington Capitals 43364 4
Vegas Golden Knights 62123 1
Location(s)Washington: Capital One Arena (3, 4)
Paradise: T-Mobile Arena (1, 2, 5)
CoachesWashington: Barry Trotz
Vegas: Gerard Gallant
CaptainsWashington: Alexander Ovechkin
Vegas: Vacant
National anthemsWashington: Caleb Green and Bob McDonald (game 3) Caleb Green, Bob McDonald and U.S. Army chorus (game 4)
Vegas: Carnell Johnson
RefereesMarc Joannette (1, 3, 5)
Wes McCauley (1, 3, 5)
Chris Rooney (2, 4)
Kelly Sutherland (2, 4)
DatesMay 28 – June 7, 2018
MVPAlexander Ovechkin (Capitals)
Series-winning goalLars Eller (12:23, third, G5)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC/Sportsnet
(French): TVA Sports
United States:
(English): NBC (1, 4–5), NBCSN (2–3)
Announcers(CBC/SN) Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson
(TVA) Felix Seguin and Patrick Lalime
(NBC/NBCSN) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire
(NHL International) Steve Mears and Kevin Weekes
(NBC Sports Radio & NHL Radio) Kenny Albert, Joe Micheletti (1–4), Ray Ferraro, Jim Fox (5), and Steve Goldstein
← 2017 Stanley Cup Finals 2019 →

The 2018 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2017–18 season and the culmination of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals defeated the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights four games to one to win their first championship, in their 44th season. The Vegas Golden Knights made the Finals in their first season, while this was the second Finals appearance for the Capitals. This was the first Finals series since 2007 where neither team had previously won the Stanley Cup and the third consecutive year in which a Western Conference team made their Finals debut. This was the first Finals since 2014 to require fewer than six games, and the first since 2011 in which the eventual winner lost the first game. Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.

The series began on May 28 and ended on June 7.[1] The Vegas Golden Knights had home ice advantage in the series since the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division with 109 points during the regular season, while the Capitals won the Metropolitan Division with 105 points.

Path to the Finals

Washington Capitals

Main article: 2017–18 Washington Capitals season

This was Washington's second Finals appearance; the Capitals were swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings in 1998.[2]

The Capitals did not make many major offseason transactions with the exception of signing forward Devante Smith-Pelly.[3] Major re-signings during the off-season included forwards T. J. Oshie,[4] Evgeny Kuznetsov,[5] and Andre Burakovsky;[6] and goalie Philipp Grubauer.[7] Washington then re-signed Lars Eller during the season.[8] The team was conservative during the trade deadline. Wanting to make a Stanley Cup run with the core players that they already had,[9] they only acquired defencemen Michal Kempny from the Chicago Blackhawks[10] and Jakub Jerabek from the Montreal Canadiens.[11]

The Capitals finished the regular season with 105 points (49–26–7), winning their division. Left winger and team captain Alexander Ovechkin was the winner of this season's Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, leading the league with 49 regular-season goals.[12] Kuznetsov led the team in assists with 56.[13]

In the first round of playoffs, Washington came back from a 2–0 series deficit to win four in a row and beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games. The Capitals then won a six-game series against their division rival and two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, whom the Capitals had beaten in a playoff series only once in ten previous attempts since 1994; losing the last seven prior series to them. The Penguins had eliminated Washington from the playoffs in the second round the previous two years. Washington then defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games, winning game seven on the road for only the second time in franchise history and first since 2012.[14]

Vegas Golden Knights

Main articles: 2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights season and 2017 NHL Expansion Draft

Vegas became the first expansion team since the 1967–68 St. Louis Blues to make the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. However, the 1967–68 expansion was structured so that an expansion team was guaranteed to make the final. By contrast, the Golden Knights entered the season as long shots to make the postseason, let alone the Finals,[15] with sources like Deadspin[16] and Newsweek[17] predicting that the Golden Knights would be among the worst teams in the league. However, the Golden Knights exceeded even the most optimistic projections to turn in one of the strongest debut seasons for an expansion team in North American professional sports history.[18]

Las Vegas was awarded as the NHL's 31st franchise on June 22, 2016, to begin to play for the 2017–18 season.[19] On April 13, 2017, the team announced the hiring of their inaugural head coach, Gerard Gallant.[20] The team then participated in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft on June 21, selecting an available player from all of the other 30 NHL teams. Some notable selections included goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who had won three Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, winger James Neal from the Nashville Predators, and Jonathan Marchessault from the Florida Panthers. Fleury was left exposed by the Penguins because of the emergence of Matt Murray.[21] The Panthers, who had salary cap issues, traded Reilly Smith to the Golden Knights in exchange for Vegas selecting Marchessault.[22]

The team started winning, despite Fleury being injured for most of the first months of the season.[23] The team relied on four other goaltenders while their starter was injured. Instead of being sellers trying to unload players with one-year contracts by the trade deadline, Vegas became surprise buyers,[24] acquiring Ryan Reaves from the Penguins[25] and Tomas Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings.[26]

On March 26, 2018, Vegas became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers in the 1979–80 season.[27] Following that achievement, on March 31, Vegas became the first modern-era expansion team from any of the four major sports and the first NHL team since the 1926–27 New York Rangers to win their division in their inaugural season (excluding the 1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers, as all teams in the West Division that year were expansion teams).[28] The Golden Knights ended up finishing the regular season with 109 points (51–24–7). In the playoffs, Vegas swept the Los Angeles Kings in four games, defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games, and eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Finals in five games.[29]

With Vegas' trip to the 2018 Finals, a brand-new team in the league has now reached the Stanley Cup Finals every 50 years dating back to 1918.[30] The Toronto Arenas reached the 1918 Stanley Cup Finals and won the Cup, but this was the first year of the new NHL (after every team except the Toronto Blueshirts left the National Hockey Association). The St. Louis Blues reached the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals and got swept by the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Blues and five other brand-new expansion teams all entered the league at the same time and were all placed in the West Division, with the Original Six comprising the East Division. The playoffs were structured so that one of the newly minted teams was guaranteed a berth in the Finals. In contrast, the Golden Knights were the first true expansion team in NHL history to advance all the way to the Finals while not playing in an all-expansion division.

The Golden Knights were only the second captainless team since 1973 to be in the Finals, and the first since the New York Rangers in 2014.

Game summaries

Number in parentheses represents the player's total goals or assists to that point of the entire four rounds of the playoffs

Game one

May 28 Washington Capitals 4–6 Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena Recap
Tomáš Nosek, shown with Grand Rapids, scored two goals, including the game-winner, in Game 1.

Both teams scored twice in the opening period. The first goal came from Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Colin Miller whose slap shot went past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. Washington struck back later in the period as both Brett Connolly and Nicklas Backstrom scored 42 seconds apart. William Karlsson then snuck the puck in between Holtby and the left post to tie the game. Early in the second period, a rebound off the glass came to Deryk Engelland who passed to an open Reilly Smith firing one past Holtby. Capitals defenceman John Carlson tied up the score after some nice passing from the defender and T. J. Oshie left himself wide open for the goal. In the third period, Tom Wilson redirected Alexander Ovechkin's shot past Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to take the lead in the game. However, Vegas responded 1:41 later as Ryan Reaves went top-shelf to tie the game yet again. This goal proved to be controversial, as Ryan Reaves illegally cross-checked John Carlson to get into position to score. Tomas Nosek was able to score for Vegas later in the period, taking the pass from Shea Theodore. Vegas kept the lead in the penultimate minutes, grabbing an empty-net goal in the final minute to finish the game 6–4.[31]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st VGK Colin Miller (3) – pp Erik Haula (5) 07:15 1–0 VGK
WSH Brett Connolly (5) Michal Kempny (2), Andre Burakovsky (1) 14:41 1–1
WSH Nicklas Backstrom (5) T. J. Oshie (9), Jakub Vrana (5) 15:23 2–1 WSH
VGK William Karlsson (7) Reilly Smith (15), Deryk Engelland (1) 18:19 2–2
2nd VGK Reilly Smith (3) Deryk Engelland (2), Jonathan Marchessault (11) 03:21 3–2 VGK
WSH John Carlson (4) T. J. Oshie (10), Nicklas Backstrom (13) 08:29 3–3
3rd WSH Tom Wilson (4) Alexander Ovechkin (11), Evgeny Kuznetsov (14) 01:10 4–3 WSH
VGK Ryan Reaves (2) Unassisted 02:41 4–4
VGK Tomas Nosek (2) Shea Theodore (6) 09:44 5–4 VGK
VGK Tomas Nosek (3) – en David Perron (8) 19:57 6–4 VGK
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st WSH Andre Burakovsky Boarding 05:53 2:00
2nd VGK Bench (served by David Perron) Too many men on the ice 13:55 2:00
3rd WSH Tom Wilson Interference 05:53 2:00
VGK David Perron Cross-checking 05:53 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
WSH 10 8 10 28
VGK 11 14 9 34

Game two

May 30 Washington Capitals 3–2 Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena Recap
Braden Holtby saved 37 of 39 shots faced in Game 2.

During the first period of game two, James Neal took a pass from Luca Sbisa, firing a wrist shot past Braden Holtby. The Capitals tied the game during a four-on-four when Lars Eller shot into an empty net from Michal Kempny's pass. During the second period, Golden Knights rookie Alex Tuch was penalized for cross-checking, and on the ensuing power-play, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin fired a shot from a tight angle to give Washington the lead. Brooks Orpik extended the Capitals' lead to two goals when his shot deflected off Alex Tuch past Marc-Andre Fleury. Vegas cut the deficit by one goal when T. J. Oshie interfered with Colin Miller and Shea Theodore scored on the power-play. In the third period Holtby backstopped Washington to the victory, stopping the final fifteen shots from Vegas to win 3–2.[32]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st VGK James Neal (5) Luca Sbisa (3), Colin Miller (2) 07:58 1–0 VGK
WSH Lars Eller (6) Michal Kempny (3), Andre Burakovsky (2) 17:27 1–1
2nd WSH Alexander Ovechkin (13) – pp Lars Eller (10), Nicklas Backstrom (14) 05:38 2–1 WSH
WSH Brooks Orpik (1) Lars Eller (11), Andre Burakovsky (3) 09:41 3–1 WSH
VGK Shea Theodore (3) – pp Reilly Smith (16), William Karlsson (8) 17:47 3–2 WSH
3rd None
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st WSH T. J. Oshie Roughing 16:43 2:00
VGK Deryk Engelland Roughing 16:43 2:00
2nd WSH Brooks Orpik Illegal check to head 02:04 2:00
VGK Alex Tuch Cross-checking 05:13 2:00
WSH Nicklas Backstrom Holding 06:56 2:00
VGK Erik Haula Holding 06:56 2:00
VGK Ryan Reaves Roughing 10:10 2:00
WSH Dmitry Orlov Hooking 11:42 2:00
WSH T. J. Oshie Interference 17:27 2:00
3rd WSH Tom Wilson Interference 03:13 2:00
WSH Lars Eller Hooking 04:05 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
WSH 11 9 6 26
VGK 10 14 15 39

Game three

June 2 Vegas Golden Knights 1–3 Washington Capitals Capital One Arena Recap
Devante Smith-Pelly began his three-game goal-scoring streak in Game 3.

After a tense first period in which neither team scored, Alexander Ovechkin scored early in the second period to give Washington the lead. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was believed to have suffered an arm injury the game prior,[33] scored 11:40 after Ovechkin, extending Washington's lead to two. Tomas Nosek scored off of a Braden Holtby giveaway to cut the deficit in half early in the third period. However, 10 minutes later Shea Theodore mishandled the puck in his own zone and Jay Beagle capitalized on the error, making a pass to an open Devante Smith-Pelly who restored the two-goal lead for Washington. The Capitals played defensively for the final minutes of the game to win 3–1, and took the series lead.[34]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd WSH Alexander Ovechkin (14) John Carlson (14), Evgeny Kuznetsov (15) 01:10 1–0 WSH
WSH Evgeny Kuznetsov (12) Jay Beagle (5), T. J. Oshie (11) 12:50 2–0 WSH
3rd VGK Tomas Nosek (4) Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (3) 03:29 2–1 WSH
WSH Devante Smith-Pelly (5) Jay Beagle (6) 13:53 3–1 WSH
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st WSH Devante Smith-Pelly Interference 05:04 2:00
VGK Reilly Smith Holding 11:21 2:00
2nd VGK Erik Haula Hooking 09:55 2:00
WSH Devante Smith-Pelly Tripping 18:34 2:00
VGK Marc-Andre Fleury Tripping 19:38 2:00
3rd VGK Deryk Engelland Tripping 07:35 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
VGK 5 8 9 22
WSH 7 14 5 26

Game four

June 4 Vegas Golden Knights 2–6 Washington Capitals Capital One Arena Recap
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored four assists in Game 4.

During the first period, a penalty called on Colin Miller for tripping allowed T. J. Oshie to give Washington the first lead. The Capitals extended the lead after Evgeny Kuznetsov fed a pass to Tom Wilson who fired a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury. Devante Smith-Pelly then gave Washington a 3–0 lead after a pass by Matt Niskanen deflected off Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault to the stick of Smith-Pelly, who scored top-shelf on Fleury. Even with the Golden Knights more than doubling the shots of Washington, John Carlson gave the Capitals a 4–0 lead, firing a slap shot on the power-play. In the third period, Vegas ended the shutout as James Neal scored just as Evgeny Kuznetsov's tripping penalty had expired. Reilly Smith cut the deficit to two goals, scoring on the backhand past Braden Holtby. Washington restored a three-goal lead during a four-on-four; as Nicklas Backstrom fed an open Michal Kempny, firing the shot past Fleury. Brett Connolly added an insurance goal with less than two minutes remaining, giving the Capitals a commanding 6–2 lead.[35]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st WSH T. J. Oshie (8) – pp Evgeny Kuznetsov (16), Nicklas Backstrom (15) 09:54 1–0 WSH
WSH Tom Wilson (5) Evgeny Kuznetsov (17) 16:26 2–0 WSH
WSH Devante Smith-Pelly (6) Matt Niskanen (8), Alexander Ovechkin (12) 19:39 3–0 WSH
2nd WSH John Carlson (5) – pp Evgeny Kuznetsov (18), T. J. Oshie (12) 15:23 4–0 WSH
3rd VGK James Neal (6) Erik Haula (6), Colin Miller (3) 05:43 4–1 WSH
VGK Reilly Smith (4) Jonathan Marchessault (12), Luca Sbisa (4) 12:26 4–2 WSH
WSH Michal Kempny (2) Nicklas Backstrom (16), T. J. Oshie (13) 13:39 5–2 WSH
WSH Brett Connolly (6) – pp Nicklas Backstrom (17), Evgeny Kuznetsov (19) 18:51 6–2 WSH
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st WSH John Carlson Tripping 03:58 2:00
VGK Colin Miller Tripping 09:22 2:00
2nd WSH John Carlson Tripping 05:21 2:00
WSH Tom Wilson Cross-checking 09:18 2:00
VGK James Neal Slashing 14:45 2:00
3rd VGK Erik Haula Slashing 01:33 2:00
WSH Evgeny Kuznetsov Tripping 03:42 2:00
WSH Tom Wilson Roughing 13:03 2:00
VGK Ryan Reaves Roughing 13:03 2:00
VGK Nate Schmidt Tripping 16:57 2:00
VGK Brayden McNabb Cross-checking 17:44 2:00
VGK Deryk Engelland Misconduct 17:44 10:00
WSH T. J. Oshie Misconduct 17:44 10:00
VGK Ryan Reaves Misconduct 19:17 10:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
VGK 11 11 9 30
WSH 10 5 7 23

Game five

June 7 Washington Capitals 4–3 Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena Recap
External videos
video icon Game 5 Full replay (NHL International's feed) on the NHL's official YouTube channel
Lars Eller scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 5.

Although no goals were scored in the first period, the Capitals had the shot advantage nine to seven. During the second period, Tom Wilson passed to a speedy Jakub Vrana going past the Golden Knight's defender and beating Marc-Andre Fleury to take the lead. The Golden Knights tied the game soon after as former-Capitals defenceman Nate Schmidt shot through a flurry of players and the puck deflected off of Matt Niskanen past Braden Holtby. Alexander Ovechkin gave the Capitals the lead again on the power play, firing a shot onto Fleury, bouncing off his back and into the net. With the goal, it broke a tie with John Druce for most goals in a postseason by a Capitals player with fifteen. David Perron tied the game for Vegas, scoring his first goal of the postseason via deflection. Coach Barry Trotz of the Capitals challenged the play on goaltender interference as Perron appeared to hit the skate of Holtby as he was battling for position; the challenge was unsuccessful. An open Reilly Smith gave the Golden Knights the lead in the final minute of the second period, taking the pass from Alex Tuch. Halfway through the third period, Devante Smith-Pelly tied the game for the Capitals. Less than three minutes later, a shot came from the slot and went between Fleury's pads, but, unbeknownst to Fleury and his defensemen, the puck sneaked through and was lying in view just behind him, and Lars Eller forehanded it into the net to give the Capitals the lead with 7:37 left. With two minutes left, Vegas pulled Fleury for an extra attacker. At 18:11 of the third period, the game clock froze; however, the next stoppage in play occurred at 28.9 seconds remaining, allowing the clock to be readjusted.[36] Nevertheless, the attempts of the Golden Knights were thwarted as the Capitals held on to win the game and their first Stanley Cup.[37][38] Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.[39]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd WSH Jakub Vrana (3) Tom Wilson (10), Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) 06:24 1–0 WSH
VGK Nate Schmidt (3) Reilly Smith (17), Jonathan Marchessault (13) 09:40 1–1
WSH Alexander Ovechkin (15) – pp Nicklas Backstrom (18), John Carlson 10:14 2–1 WSH
VGK David Perron (1) Tomas Tatar (1), Colin Miller (4) 12:56 2–2
VGK Reilly Smith (5) – pp Alex Tuch (4), Shea Theodore (7) 19:31 3–2 VGK
3rd WSH Devante Smith-Pelly (7) Brooks Orpik (4) 09:52 3–3
WSH Lars Eller (7) Brett Connolly (3), Andre Burakovsky (4) 12:23 4–3 WSH
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st VGK Colin Miller Interference 11:44 2:00
2nd VGK Shea Theodore Tripping 00:21 2:00
WSH Christian Djoos High sticking 03:19 2:00
VGK Brayden McNabb Tripping 09:51 2:00
WSH Alexander Ovechkin Tripping 17:46 2:00
WSH Brooks Orpik Roughing 19:31 2:00
VGK Reilly Smith Roughing 19:31 2:00
VGK Alex Tuch Roughing 19:31 2:00
WSH Jay Beagle Roughing 19:31 2:00
3rd VGK Tomas Tatar Hooking 05:37 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
WSH 9 11 13 33
VGK 7 13 11 31

Team rosters

Vegas Golden Knights

Deryk Engelland, an alternate captain for the Golden Knights, served as the de facto team captain as he led the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history, in their first season of operations
# Nat Player Position Hand Age Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
3 Canada Brayden McNabb D L 27 2017 Davidson, Saskatchewan first
5 Canada Deryk Engelland – A D R 36 2017 Edmonton, Alberta first
6 Canada Colin Miller D R 25 2017 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario first
15 United States Jon Merrill D L 26 2017 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma first
18 Canada James Neal – A RW L 30 2017 Whitby, Ontario second (2017)
19 Canada Reilly Smith – A RW L 27 2017 Toronto, Ontario first
21 Canada Cody Eakin C L 27 2017 Winnipeg, Manitoba first
24 Sweden Oscar Lindberg C L 26 2017 Skellefteå, Sweden first
27 Canada Shea Theodore D L 22 2017 Langley, British Columbia first
28 Canada William Carrier LW L 23 2017 LaSalle, Quebec first
29 Canada Marc-Andre Fleury G L 33 2017 Sorel-Tracy, Quebec fifth (2008, 2009, 2016, 2017)
30 Canada Malcolm Subban G L 24 2017 Toronto, Ontario first
33 Canada Maxime Lagace G L 25 2017 Saint-Agustin, Quebec first
40 United States Ryan Carpenter C R 27 2017 Oviedo, Florida first
41 France Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – A LW L 33 2017 Le Blanc-Mesnil, France first
47 Switzerland Luca Sbisa – A D L 28 2017 Ozieri, Italy first
56 Finland Erik Haula LW L 27 2017 Pori, Finland first
57 Canada David Perron – A LW R 29 2017 Sherbrooke, Quebec first
71 Sweden William Karlsson C L 25 2017 Märsta, Sweden first
75 Canada Ryan Reaves RW R 31 2018 Winnipeg, Manitoba first
81 Canada Jonathan Marchessault C R 27 2017 Cap-Rouge, Quebec second (2015)
88 United States Nate Schmidt D L 26 2017 St. Cloud, Minnesota first
89 United States Alex Tuch RW R 22 2017 Syracuse, New York first
90 Slovakia Tomas Tatar LW L 27 2018 Ilava, Czechoslovakia first
92 Czech Republic Tomas Nosek LW L 25 2017 Pardubice, Czechoslovakia first

Note: Deryk Engelland served as the Golden Knights unofficial team captain during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Engelland was the alternate captain with the longest tenure in the league on the roster at the time of the playoffs.

Washington Capitals

Alexander Ovechkin captained the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2018 playoffs[39]
# Nat Player Position Hand Age Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
2 United States Matt Niskanen D R 31 2014 Virginia, Minnesota first
6 Czech Republic Michal Kempny D L 27 2018 Hodonin, Czechoslovakia first
8 Russia Alexander Ovechkin – C LW R 32 2004 Moscow, Soviet Union first
9 Russia Dmitry Orlov D L 26 2009 Novokuznetsk, Soviet Union first
10 Canada Brett Connolly RW R 26 2016 Campbell River, British Columbia first
13 Czech Republic Jakub Vrana LW L 22 2014 Prague, Czech Republic first
18 Canada Chandler Stephenson C L 24 2012 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan first
19 Sweden Nicklas Backstrom – A C L 30 2006 Valbo, Sweden first
20 Denmark Lars Eller C L 29 2016 Rødovre, Denmark first
22 Canada Madison Bowey D R 23 2013 Winnipeg, Manitoba first
25 Canada Devante Smith-Pelly LW R 25 2017 Scarborough, Ontario first
28 Czech Republic Jakub Jerabek D L 27 2018 Plzeň, Czechoslovakia first
29 Sweden Christian Djoos D L 23 2012 Gothenburg, Sweden first
31 Germany Philipp Grubauer G L 26 2010 Rosenheim, Germany first
39 Canada Alex Chiasson RW R 27 2017 Montreal, Quebec first
43 Canada Tom Wilson RW R 24 2012 Toronto, Ontario first
44 United States Brooks Orpik – A D L 37 2014 San Francisco, California third (2008, 2009)
63 United States Shane Gersich LW L 21 2014 Chaska, Minnesota first
65 Sweden Andre Burakovsky LW L 23 2013 Klagenfurt, Austria first
70 Canada Braden Holtby G L 28 2008 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan first
72 United States Travis Boyd C L 24 2011 Hopkins, Minnesota first
74 United States John Carlson D R 28 2008 Natick, Massachusetts first
77 United States T. J. Oshie RW R 31 2015 Everett, Washington first
79 Australia Nathan Walker LW L 24 2017 Cardiff, Wales first
83 Canada Jay Beagle C R 32 2008 Calgary, Alberta first
92 Russia Evgeny Kuznetsov C L 26 2010 Chelyabinsk, Russia first

Stanley Cup engraving

The Stanley Cup was presented to Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman following the Capitals 4–3 win over the Golden Knights in game five.

The following Capitals players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:[40]

2017–18 Washington Capitals

Players

  Goaltenders

Coaching and administrative staff

  • Ted Leonsis (Chairman/Majority Owner/Chief Executive Officer/Governor), Dick Patrick (Vice Chairman/Chief Operating Officer/President/Alt. Governor-Minority Owner), Brian MacLellan (Sr. Vice President/General Manager/Alt. Governor)
  • Donald Fishman (Asst. General Manager), J. Ross Mahoney (Asst. General Manager), Kristian Wagner (Director of Hockey Operations)
  • Christopher Patrick (Director, Player Personnel), Steve Richmond (Director, Player Development), Rob Tillotson (Director of Team Operations)
  • Barry Trotz (Head Coach), Todd Reirden (Associate Coach), Blaine Forsythe (Asst. Coach)
  • Lane Lambert (Asst. Coach), Brett Leonhardt (Video Coach), Timothy Ohashi (Video Analyst)
  • Scott Murray (Goaltending Coach), Mitch Korn (Director of Goaltending), Mark Nemish (Strength & Conditioning Coach), James Serbus (Athletic Trainer)
  • Michael Booi (Asst. Athletic Trainer), Brock Myles (Equipment Manager), Craig Leydig (Asst. Equipment Manager), David Marin (Equipment Asst.)
  • Steve Bowman (Head Amateur Scout), Jason Fitzsimmons (Pro Scout/Director of Minor League Operations), Ed McColgan (Scout), Martin Pouliot (Scout)
  • Brian Sutherby (Scout), Olaf Kolzig (Pro Development Coach), Sergey Kocharov (Vice President of Communications)


Players included

  • #6 Michal Kempny — played 31 regular season games for Chicago, 22 games for Washington. He played all 24 playoff games including all five in the Finals for Washington and qualified to have his name on the Stanley Cup.
  • #39 Alex Chiasson — played 61 regular season games and 16 playoff games, but no games in the Stanley Cup Finals, qualified to have his name on the Cup for meeting the 41 regular-season game requirement.
  • #22 Madison Bowey — played 51 regular season games and no playoff games, qualified to have his name on the Cup for meeting the 41 regular season game requirement.

Included in the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup

  • #28 Jakub Jerabek (D) — played 25 games for Montreal, plus 11 regular-season games for Washington and two playoff games (in the first round)
  • #72 Travis Boyd (C) — played 8 regular-season games and one playoff game (in the second round)
  • #79 Nathan Walker (LW) — played 2 games for Edmonton, plus 7 regular-season games for Washington & one playoff game (in the second round)
  • #63 Shane Gersich (LW) — played 3 regular-season games and two playoff games (in the second round)
  • #1 Pheonix Copley (G) — played 0 games for Washington, but played 41 games for Hershey (AHL)
  • Raul Fernandez (Vice Chairman-Minority Owner), Sheila Johnson (Vice Chairman-Minority Owner)
  • Cleo Bates (Massage Therapist), Ray Straccia (Locker Room Asst.)

Engraving notes

  • Devante Smith-Pelly was the second player, after Patrice Bergeron-Cleary, to have a hyphenated surname engraved on the trophy.
  • Lars Eller was the first Danish-born and trained player to win the Stanley Cup.
  • The Cup was full, so a new ring was added to include Washington Capitals members. The top ring with the winners from 1953–54 to 1964–65 (12 teams) was taken off and was placed on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Some famous names no longer featured on the Cup include Dickie Moore, Maurice Richard, Jacques Plante, Bert Olmstead, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio, Gordie Howe, Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, among others. There are several retired rings at the Hockey Hall of Fame that feature winning team members' names from 1924 to 1965.
  • The Patrick Family now has seven members who have won the Stanley Cup. Frank won the Cup in 1915. Frank's brother, Lester, won Cups in 1906, -07, -25, -28, -33, and -40. In 1940, Lester won his sixth and final Stanley Cup with his sons Lynn and Murray. Lynn's son Craig won two Cups in 1991–92. Murray's son Dick and grandson Christopher both won the Cup in 2018.

Television and radio

In Canada, the series was broadcast by Sportsnet and CBC Television in English,[41] and TVA Sports in French. In the U.S., the Finals were split between NBC (Games 1, 4 and 5) and NBCSN (Games 2 and 3).[42]

In the U.S., with an average of 4.918 million viewers across all games, they were the highest-rated Stanley Cup Finals without an "Original Six" team since 1994. Game 5 drew 6.714 million viewers, making it the most-watched game 5 since 2002.[43]

References

  1. ^ "Stanley Cup Final schedule". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, LP. May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  2. ^ Allen, Scott. "Remembering the Caps' run to the 1998 Stanley Cup finals: 'Nobody wanted to play against us'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "Capitals Sign Devante Smith-Pelly". NHL.com/Capitals. NHL Enterprises LP. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  4. ^ "Capitals Re-sign T.J. Oshie". NHL.com/Capitals. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "Capitals Re-sign Evgeny Kuznetsov". NHL.com/Capitals. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  6. ^ "Capitals Re-sign Andre Burakovsky". NHL.com/Capitals. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "Capitals Re-sign Philipp Grubauer". NHL.com/Capitals. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  8. ^ Vogel, Mike (February 10, 2018). "Caps and Eller Agree on Five-Year Extension". NHL.com/Capitals. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  9. ^ Khurshudyan, Isabelle (February 21, 2018). "NHL trade deadline ahead and two deals done, will Capitals make another move?". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  10. ^ "Capitals Acquire Michal Kempny from Chicago Blackhawks". NHL.com. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Capitals Acquire Jakub Jerabek from Montreal Canadiens". NHL.com. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  12. ^ Battaglino, Matt (April 9, 2018). "Ovechkin leads NHL in goals for seventh time". NHL.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  13. ^ "2017-18 Washington Capitals Roster and Statistics". hockey-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  14. ^ "Washington Capitals 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 0 Game 7 highlights". NBC Sports. January 1, 1970. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  15. ^ Allen, Kevin (May 18, 2018). "Ability to win in different ways puts Golden Knights on brink of Stanley Cup Final". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  16. ^ Petchesky, Barry (June 22, 2017). "Wow The Golden Knights Are Going To Be Bad". Deadspin.com. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  17. ^ Cutler, Teddy (June 22, 2017). "Vegas Golden Knights Are Going to Suck in 2017-18 and Here's Why". Newsweek. Newsweek Media Group. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  18. ^ Paine, Neil (January 16, 2018). "Vegas Has The Best Expansion Team In The History Of Pro Sports, And It's Not Close". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  19. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 23, 2016). "Las Vegas awarded NHL franchise". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  20. ^ "Golden Knights Name Gerard Gallant Head Coach". NHL.com/GoldenKnights. NHL Enterprises LP. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  21. ^ "Marc-Andre Fleury Claimed by Vegas Golden Knights in NHL Expansion Draft". NHL.com/Penguins (Press release). NHL Enterprises LP. June 20, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  22. ^ "Panthers Acquire 2018 Fourth Round Draft Choice from Vegas". NHL.com/Panthers. NHL Enterprises LP. June 21, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  23. ^ "Fleury activated off injured reserve by Golden Knights". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. December 10, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  24. ^ "Will Golden Knights be surprise trade deadline buyers?". USA Today. Associated Press. January 31, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  25. ^ "Penguins Acquire Derick Brassard in Three-Team Trade with OTT and VGK". NHL.com. Pittsburgh Penguins. February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  26. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Tomas Tatar From The Detroit Red Wings". NHL.com. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  27. ^ Kaplan, Emily (March 27, 2018). "Vegas first to clinch playoff berth in inaugural season since '79-80". ABC News. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  28. ^ Webster, Danny (March 31, 2018). "Golden Knights top Sharks, clinch Pacific Division". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  29. ^ Katsilometes, John (May 20, 2018). "Stunned Jets credit Golden Knights: 'It was their time' – Las Vegas Review-Journal". Reviewjournal.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  30. ^ "Golden Knights join elite group in professional sports history". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  31. ^ Rosen, Dan (May 28, 2018). "Golden Knights defeat Capitals in back-and-forth Game 1 of Cup Final". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  32. ^ Rosen, Dan (May 30, 2018). "Capitals hang on to defeat Golden Knights in Game 2, even Cup Final". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  33. ^ Kirshner, Alex (June 1, 2018). "Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov may or may not play in Game 3 against Vegas". sbnation.com. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  34. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 2, 2018). "Capitals lead Stanley Cup Final after Game 3 win against Golden Knights". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  35. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 4, 2018). "Capitals top Golden Knights in Game 4, move one win from first Cup title". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  36. ^ Petchesky, Barry (June 7, 2018). "The Game Clock Broke In Vegas And Caused Total Chaos". Deadspin.com. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  37. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 7, 2018). "Capitals win Stanley Cup, defeat Golden Knights in Game 5 of Final". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises LP. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  38. ^ Pingue, Frank (June 7, 2018). "Capitals beat Golden Knights to win their first Stanley Cup". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  39. ^ a b Kaplan, Emily (June 8, 2018). "Alex Ovechkin of Washington Capitals wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  40. ^ "Get to know the Stanley Cup, Washington D.C.'s newest bling". NBC Sports Washington. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  41. ^ "Sportsnet's 2018 Stanley Cup Final Broadcast Schedule" (Press release). Sportsnet. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  42. ^ "NBC Sports Group to Present Every Stanley Cup Playoff Game For Seventh Consecutive Season" (Press release). NBC Sports. April 4, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  43. ^ "Stanley Cup playoffs tied for second-most watched since 1997". Awful Announcing. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
Preceded by Washington Capitals
Stanley Cup champions
2018 		Succeeded by
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