At what point did you know...

[RandyHolt]

I refused to believe. I figured Vegas was a joke and that we would steamroll them, but know that the best team does not always win.

 

[Hivemind]

Kuzy's winner changed my feelings in general, but I didn't really "know" until DSP and Lars Eller scored minutes apart. Then it felt like it was sure to happen. Prior to that I was excited and hopeful, but it didn't feel quite real.

 

[HTFN]

Kucherov's no-goal if it had to come down to one event, but really it was all over the Tampa series. Watching the Lightning do what Capitals players had done in years past, realizing these Capitals weren't doing those things, it was something about that.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Years of watching Caps playoff hockey made me a pessimist, so I didn't really know until the clock froze in game 5.

When DSP ties G5 in the third I felt very confident. But that's about as far back as I can go.

I thought G7 in Tampa was a coin toss going in.

After watching Vegas steamroll the (admittedly weak) West I thought the finals was a coin toss, too.

But it was perfect in the end. As I've said before, we as Caps fans probably got more enjoyment out of the Cup run than other fanbases because of all the heartbreak.

 

[NoVaCapsFan]

For me, it wasn't until the Caps won Game 6 win against Pittsburgh. After 2017, there's no way I would have felt good about the Caps' chances against the Penguins, ever, at any time in any series, period. I just kept thinking, what new disappointment are they devising for us this year ... Once they beat the Penguins, I felt like they would go the rest of the way (and TBH didn't care if they didn't).

Even when we went down by a game against TB, in my heart of hearts I believed the Caps would find a way to win that series. Ditto for Vegas.

 

[Cappy76]

I told everyone around where I live that was asking me.....after we beat the pens there was no doubt we’d win it all. Getting over that hump would push us to the finals and the team wouldn’t miss out on a chance at the cup once they got over that hump after all the group had been through. When Kuzy went 5-hole on Murray I knew Ovie was lifting the cup this year.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

After all the Game one BS Vegas had to pull (Reaves "goal" and melting ice) to "win"....

 

[Marshall]

I still don't.

 

[StrikingDistance]

I only knew it when DSP tied it in game 5. Everything in that game felt like a loss until that moment. I figured the NHL wanted a game 6, but after the play by DSP, I knew it was over.

 

[Corby78]

That better be one of the 100 pictures in the caps book..

 

[Calicaps]

When they beat Tampa. Blowing a 2-0 lead and going down 2-3 after finally breaking through Pittsburgh, it was poised to be the most Caps way possible to crush our souls again. But they didn't. And they didn't just rise to the occasion facing elimination twice. They absolutely dominated. That's when I knew they would not be denied.

 

[ToddBrew]

I wasn't completely sold on it until August.

This is an underrated comment.

 

[HeyMattyB]

I only knew it when DSP tied it in game 5. Everything in that game felt like a loss until that moment. I figured the NHL wanted a game 6, but after the play by DSP, I knew it was over.

Came here to post this.

At that point, the feeling I got was, "THEY WILL NOT BE DENIED."

 

[marcel snapshot]

As a counter-point to the heady optimism and bottomless faith in our beloved Caps reflected in this thread, I suggest everyone go re-read the Game 3 thread versus Columbus. Al Bro summed up the gist of the thread to the point of the beginning of the first OT period, when he posted: "I just want to say, f*** this sport".

Unsurprisingly, there were also several posts during OT expressly referencing the Stockholm Syndrome. Avery Quiet Man played the role of the befuddled poster from another fanbase flummoxed by the unfathomable depths of our negativity who gamely (but futilely) tries to buck us up: "man you guys are worse than our board....its tied going into double OT. . . have some confidence ffs."

Easy for Kuzy was a co-winner of the post with the most existential dread, stating, in an observation correctly called "sublime" by Bladerunner, that: "We're just defending until we lose right now." He shared the coveted award with Raikkonen, who went with a hearty, black hole of despair, perennial: "For the team's best long term interests they should lose."

And Goon won the oracle award, posting in the 1st OT period: "Only way we win this is if we get very lucky." Hard to find any other word for a goal that bounced off the goalie, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, and then into the net. Hockeykicker then summed up our joy: "I'm gonna go puke now."

Good times

 

[RandyHolt]

The end of the final game was agonizing. Not only was there a clock failure and delay, we had the final D zone faceoff to endure. I counted no chickens.

Nice writeup Marcel.

 

[g00n]

And Goon won the oracle award, posting in the 1st OT period: "Only way we win this is if we get very lucky." Hard to find any other word for a goal that bounced off the goalie, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, and then into the net. Hockeykicker then summed up our joy: "I'm gonna go puke now."

Good times

That wasn't even the best one lol. Check out this post I made after Game 3...

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/thre...-18-7-30pm-est.2478707/page-34#post-144775939

We need dirty playoff goals. That's how it works. Stop trying to be too pretty. No apologies for the winner.

We're like Philly a few years ago when they got their goaltending straight by switching to Neuvy and going to a more aggressive PK. Recall how nervous we were when Philly changed the momentum. Cbus could lose 4 in a row.

 

[sycamore]

Yeah I remember how sickened I was when Columbus was up 2-0. I was angry at myself for even giving the Caps a chance after the
epic disaster of 2017. In fact, for the first three series, I kept saying: "yeah, they beat Columbus, that's nice, but they'll blow it again
Pittsburgh,", "well they beat the Pens, good for them, but Tampa's the most loaded team in the East this year," "man, I can't believe they
got past Tampa, but Vegas has barely lost a game in the playoffs this year, and MAF is a Caps killer." Even after outplaying Vegas in Game 1,
after "The Save" in Game 2, and going up 2-1 in Game 3, it wasn't until that first period mauling in Game 4, in front of a roaring home crowd
in DC, that I said to myself "This is it. NO ONE is denying them this year."

Looking back on it, there was a ton of pain, agony and doubt in that Cup run, almost as much as joy and elation. Hope they make it easier for us this year.

 

[txpd]

When the beat the Pens I figured they would either let down and mail it in or fly with the weight off their shoulders.

That's when I thought they had a serious chance. TB had too many reasons to beat them. Stamkos and Kucherov. Kunitz. The former Rangers.

 

[marcel snapshot]

When the beat the Pens I figured they would either let down and mail it in or fly with the weight off their shoulders.

That's what is going make this year fascinating. How do they play with no black cloud over their head and no two ton weight on their back. How do they play when they now know they know how to win.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

They always knew how to win... Hence the 3 presidents trophies

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

As a counter-point to the heady optimism and bottomless faith in our beloved Caps reflected in this thread, I suggest everyone go re-read the Game 3 thread versus Columbus. Al Bro summed up the gist of the thread to the point of the beginning of the first OT period, when he posted: "I just want to say, **** this sport".

Unsurprisingly, there were also several posts during OT expressly referencing the Stockholm Syndrome. Avery Quiet Man played the role of the befuddled poster from another fanbase flummoxed by the unfathomable depths of our negativity who gamely (but futilely) tries to buck us up: "man you guys are worse than our board....its tied going into double OT. . . have some confidence ffs."

Easy for Kuzy was a co-winner of the post with the most existential dread, stating, in an observation correctly called "sublime" by Bladerunner, that: "We're just defending until we lose right now." He shared the coveted award with Raikkonen, who went with a hearty, black hole of despair, perennial: "For the team's best long term interests they should lose."

And Goon won the oracle award, posting in the 1st OT period: "Only way we win this is if we get very lucky." Hard to find any other word for a goal that bounced off the goalie, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, and then into the net. Hockeykicker then summed up our joy: "I'm gonna go puke now."

Good times

To be fair, we really didn't deserve to win that game lol.
Panarin spent the entire game undressing our defense and generating A+ chances.

We get an F chance in 2OT and it ends up in the back of the net in the flukiest possible way.

That was the turning point of the playoffs.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

That was A turning point. One of many significant IMO.

 

[kicksavedave]

As a counter-point to the heady optimism and bottomless faith in our beloved Caps reflected in this thread, I suggest everyone go re-read the Game 3 thread versus Columbus. Al Bro summed up the gist of the thread to the point of the beginning of the first OT period, when he posted: "I just want to say, **** this sport".

Unsurprisingly, there were also several posts during OT expressly referencing the Stockholm Syndrome. Avery Quiet Man played the role of the befuddled poster from another fanbase flummoxed by the unfathomable depths of our negativity who gamely (but futilely) tries to buck us up: "man you guys are worse than our board....its tied going into double OT. . . have some confidence ffs."

Easy for Kuzy was a co-winner of the post with the most existential dread, stating, in an observation correctly called "sublime" by Bladerunner, that: "We're just defending until we lose right now." He shared the coveted award with Raikkonen, who went with a hearty, black hole of despair, perennial: "For the team's best long term interests they should lose."

And Goon won the oracle award, posting in the 1st OT period: "Only way we win this is if we get very lucky." Hard to find any other word for a goal that bounced off the goalie, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, then a Blue Jacket, then a Cap, and then into the net. Hockeykicker then summed up our joy: "I'm gonna go puke now."

Good times

I can only imagine. I actually had withdrawn from it all, barely paying attention, checking the scores on my phone at the end of the night, until they went up 3-2 on Cbus, then I watched game 5 and 6, which were pretty dominating, and they pulled me back in. Call me fair weather, I don't care, 44 full years of misery had worn me down. I finally posted something after Pitt game 3, stating how they had in fact, pulled me back in. I'm just glad I was off this board after Cbus game 2, because I would have been the most miserable prick on the planet at that time, worse than anything you recapped.

All good now though! That was one giant monkey off all our backs!

 

[chilimac]

When did I 'know' the Caps had won the Cup? When the final seconds ticked off in Game 5 in Vegas.
Even my wife-who has only suffered for 15 years with this franchise(a mere pittance!) knew better than to relax prior to that..
When did I 'feel' they were Champions ? When I saw them stand together as a team on that bandstand after the parade, hoist the Cup in the sunshine, and say 'thanks'... to us.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

That was A turning point. One of many significant IMO.

Most important one IMO. If we're down 3-0 against Columbus, we lose that series and get eliminated in the first round.