Reuters/Kim Klement
1991 was the last time the great city of Washington experienced a national championship in any of the four major sports.
The Redskins took home the Superbowl that year, and since that point, the city has been dominated by failure.
But now, the Capitals are edging ever closer to a Stanley Cup final which means this city is getting closer to ending that near 30-year drought.
The playoffs so far
Reuters/Kim Klement
An opening round exit looked destined for Barry Trotz and his team as they fell 2-0 down in the series against Columbus.
But, the Capitals stormed back with four straight victories to enter round two and face off against their perennial nemesis the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Could Washington slay their dragon and enter the Conference Finals for the first time in the Ovechkin era?
You bet they could!
In six games the Capitals finally got that Penguins off their back as they earned a ticket in the final four with the stacked Tampa Bay Lightning awaiting them.
Tampa Bay
Reuters/Geoff Burke
Okay, so the Conference Finals are here and Washington have to travel to Amalie Arena for the start of their series against arguably the best team left in the playoffs.
Game one would always be tough…
Apart from the fact it really was not. The Caps outshot the Lighting by 11 shots and were leading 4-0 heading into the third period. Tampa pushed a bit in the third but really Washington always looked comfortable and they won the game 4-2.
Game two would be difficult though, Tampa would look to tie the series before heading to Capital One arena in Washington…
Washington again outshot Tampa, this time by two shots. But, more importantly, they scored six goals to Tampa’s two.
Heading into game three tonight, Washington has the chance to all but seal their place in the finals. They are now just six victories away from winning the cup - in a year where they were finally not considered as one of the red hot favorites.
Can they do it?
This has probably been the craziest season in recent memory. The expansion Golden Knights won the Pacific and are tied 1-1 in the Western Conference finals. Colorado went from dead last to the playoffs. William Karlsson has scored over 40 goals.
So, would it not be fitting that the Capitals who have been in the running for a cup for the last 10 years, would finally win it when most people thought their time of contending was over?
Alex Ovechkin finally wins the cup that his monumental career deserves.
Yes, they can do it. And I think they will.
Do you think Washington can win the Stanley Cup? Let us know in the comments section below.