Some teams win championships year after year, but others come so close, only to be regularly disappointed. There's nothing quite like that sheer euphoria when the team that's let you down for decades finally climbs to the top level in their sport.
And on Thursday night, the Washington Capitals and their supporters finally felt that overwhelming joy, when the Caps defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 to claim their first-ever Stanley Cup.
The nation's capital went a bit nuts.
Congratulations to all the DC residents who will now claim to be hockey fans
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 8, 2018
Caps' star Alexander Ovechkin was celebrated in many of the tweets. The team captain won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP with 15 post-season goals, including 10 on the road.
Flat out one of the best things I’ve seen in sports watching @ovi8 hoist the Stanley Cup and take that lap! Speechless. A player this great deserves this moment
— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) June 8, 2018
And Caps right wing T.J. Oshie won the hearts of many when he talked about his father battling Alzheimer's disease. "My dad, he doesn't remember a lot of stuff these days," Oshie said. "But I'll tell you what, this one will stick with him forever. You can guarantee that."
Emotional interview with a tearful T.J. Oshie, who said that his father Tim, who is battling Alzheimer's, doesn't remember much these days, but he'll remember this forever. Congrats Coach Oshie!
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 8, 2018
Reporter: “Who is this win for?”
TJ Oshie: “For my dad with Alzheimer’s, this is a memory I don’t think he’ll ever forget” pic.twitter.com/NFVI5qe66X
— Raza | STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!! (@razau_) June 8, 2018
Oh man. TJ Oshie.... that wrecked me. Best wishes to his family and father.
— Brandon Felder (@brandon_felder) June 8, 2018
I FaceTimed with my dad, who is the reason we’re Caps fans, as time ran out. This made me very thankful I could do that. https://t.co/nwWfs1WDNb
— Chris Mottram (@ChrisMottram) June 8, 2018
Hard not to get a little emotional watching T.J Oshie talk about his dad who was a fixture at the rink during his time in St.Louis. How could u not be happy for Osh #stlblues #allcaps
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) June 8, 2018
The Vegas Golden Knights lost the Cup, but they had an amazing year, considering this was the team's first-ever season.
THANK YOU fans for being a part of this incredible inaugural season.
THANK YOU Vegas for welcoming us to our home. pic.twitter.com/dwjvke7Aqq
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 8, 2018
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 8, 2018
Gotta suck, that was the worst year in Vegas Golden Knights history.
— best candidate (@the_Zubes) June 8, 2018
As Ovechkin celebrated, a woman chose that moment to, uh, press her chest up against the glass. Fans -- and many of the Caps -- stopped partying for a second to stare. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but sometimes gets nationally televised.
Ovechkin head back, pure ecstasy, not realizing there's nobody behind him, Kempny pointing directly at them, I've never taken a better photo of my TV
— DL (@davelozo) June 8, 2018
I'm crying. Greatest moment in sports history. Ovechkin finally wins the cup, but it comes second to boobies on glass
— Ahmed A (@DoubleA7_) June 8, 2018
Burakovsky with the spot and point was great.
— Jeff Johnston (@BoscUlrich) June 8, 2018
Stanley C Cup Champs
— Goodfellow (@Goodfellow_9) June 8, 2018
Life imitating the Distracted Boyfriend meme.
— Trevor Habermeyer (@thabermeyer) June 8, 2018
This just makes me want all forms of sports playoffs in Vegas every year
— Scott Sancomb (@scott_sancomb) June 8, 2018
And in another moment that felt very representative of Vegas, the city where the casinos never want gamblers to know what time it is, the game clock and the televised clock both froze in the waning minutes of the game. (They were fixed with 30 seconds left.)
I cannot imagine the level of panic in the production truck when the clock stopped working on the score bug with less than 2 minutes left in a Stanley Cup deciding game... pic.twitter.com/kyTF86if3U
— Joe DiRienzo (@Joe_DiRienzo) June 8, 2018
If the clock freezing during the third period of a Stanley Cup Finals game in Vegas wasn’t part of some elaborate casino heist I’m deeply disappointed.
— Brian Christopherson (@Husker247BC) June 8, 2018
What was the prop bet for the clock screwing up in the final minute of the game??? #StanleyCup
— Joe Goats (@joegoats) June 8, 2018
The Caps' win was tweeted about by everyone from politicians to other sports teams to the Stanley Cup itself.
Congrats to the @capitals on an incredible run and a well-earned #StanleyCup.
We went out to the best. See you soon. ⚡️