What the Capitals Stanley Cup Victory Really Means to DC

For the last 10 years or so, when I would talk with people around the world the sports teams in Washington, DC, I would say the following:

"The sports teams in DC are just as competent and uplifting as the politicians in DC.  You can draw your own conclusions."

For years, the teams were either bad (Washington football team) or continually raising hopes and then crushing them in heartbreaking fashion in the playoffs.

Last night, however, the Washington Capitals changed that and won the Stanley Cup.

It was more than a victory that gave the franchise its first championship in 44 years.

To me, it represented something much more and I think it was something that was felt by many others in the area.

Especially since Trump was elected, when people would ask me, "where do you live?"  I would say:  "Oh, I live at Ground Zero for the Twilight Zone...in the Washington, DC area."

The animosity, the marches, the protests, the news....it all emanates from here and the discord and anger is felt and viewed globally.  In that respect, DC is unlike every other city in the world.  What happens here is on newspapers in Budapest and Seoul. I know this because I've seen newspapers in those places.

The same is not true in reverse.

So, it was really uplifting to see an entire sea of red jerseys that represented not "red states" or "Republicans" but represented an entire city, regardless of political orientation, socio-economic class, race, or religion rally around the team.

The pictures from the heart of Chinatown (where the arena is) reminded me of the pictures they show of viewing parties in European capitals during the World Cup.

Everyone was unified about and excited for the team.

For a city where unity is pretty much the last thing we feel or witness on a daily basis and is the epicenter of so much stress, anger, hostility, and division, it was special (for me, at least) to feel like we could all rally around something in common.

Yes, it's only a hockey game, team, and championship and soon enough, the emotion of the victory will fade, but (and this is perhaps why we love sports), for a brief moment, most of us could just feel great and connected to each other as part of a larger experience.

For the long-time Capitals fans, particularly those who showed dedication to the team through thick and thin, it was an even more special night. They earned it.

But for the rest of the city, even those who joined in later and later in the playoffs, I think the victory helped us all remember that, even when there is so many things that divide us, the feeling of being unified around something larger than ourselves is something that is worth fighting for and believing in.

Let's hope the politicians a few Metro stops away from the heart of the celebration took notice. And maybe, even, notice that it was the team's Russian Captain who made it all possible ;-)

Congratulations to the Caps, the fans, and the city.  #ALLCAPS