They filed off the bus one by one, haggard and surrounded by a haze.
No one was in worse -- or better? -- shape than Alex Ovechkin. He left the charter bus last with his sunglasses on. Behind them rested two eyeballs bobbing in the liquids of celebration. A blend of champagne, beer, vodka and fountain water kept them afloat. Maybe this was Vegas, maybe this was heaven. Ovechkin appeared not to know or care.
Two years ago, the Capitals arrived at Nationals Park as the champions so desperately awaited in town. The Nationals would emulate the postseason course two years later when almost everything needed a rally and past failure had to be dispatched as much as current opponents. They both were adept at regular-season winning. They were both postseason failures. Now, they both own titles.
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Ovechkin’s descent from the bus steps that day started a rollicking afternoon which stayed in tune with an already-defined celebratory tone.
The grand prize led the entrances. Rolled in a black suitcase with stickers that showed wine cups on the side to indicate fragility, the Stanley Cup made its way into the Nationals clubhouse before the weary Capitals players. Team ownership wasn’t far behind. Barry Trotz was next. The rest of the Capitals, many shielded by sunglasses like their captain, lumbered in next.
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Soon, Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson made it to the press conference room. The Cup sat to the right. Reporters and onlookers took photos with it.
The days of partying were taking a toll. Ovechkin, who needed a welder to separate him from the Cup, missed a question during the press conference. Backstrom laughed at him.
“The Russian Machine never breaks,” Backstrom said in a bad accent.
“He's breaking,” John Carlson said.
“He's breaking right now,” Ovechkin confirmed.
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Ovechkin later air-mailed his opening first-pitch attempt while in sandals. His second was better. He was mockingly applauded by his teammates for its redemption. His coach verbally patted him on the back -- eventually.
“One thing I liked about Ovi doing that — terrible first pitch, terrible, plus he didn’t have any shoes to throw anyways — but what I did like is he wanted another throw,” Trotz said at the time. “That was maybe a little bit symbolic to where he’s come. Where he’s failed. Instead of that’s enough, he said give me another shot at it. He took another shot, he did much better. So, I’m proud of him for that.”
At the time, Davey Martinez was fighting the same ideas of failure the Capitals vanquished. He brought camels to spring training that first year, then joked that he should have brought one to the park Saturday to greet the Capitals. In Trotz’s view, no even-toed ungulates were necessary to dispel the nagging failures of the past. Not for the Nationals or the city. He was emphatically done with the idea.
“I think it’s special for a bigger picture for me,” Trotz said at the time. “It’s not just the team. It’s for the fans, the organization, the District in general, the sports community, how like I said, I feel really good that the Nats got a really good team. They got a shot. They could be the next team. We’ve got a good basketball team, a football team, go down the line.
“Let’s start making some championships in this area and hopefully understand -- I beat on this all the time -- let’s not look back. We’re not going that way anymore. So don’t tell us about you’re up 3-1, do you feel any pressure, you might blow it. We’re not blowing it anymore. It’s DONE. That goes for all the teams. Let’s get the positive vibes and go forward. Don’t look back.”
Done with their media obligations, the three players dispersed. Backstrom was wondering where to go next. Carlson wandered out of the press conference room. Ovechkin picked up the Cup, pulled it over his head and rested it across his shoulders as he walked down the hall, an old weight replaced with a new one.
They ended up in their suite up the left-field line. Different chants and video board appearances accompanied the rest of the day, as did many, many more beers. The city’s first title among the four major sports in decades received just treatment. It came in the streets, fountains, and, for one day, at Nationals Park.
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