LAS VEGAS — There's a definite convenience to winning the Stanley Cup in Vegas, in that it eliminates the hassle of hauling the Stanley Cup to Vegas for an early-morning jaunt on The Strip. In that sense, the Capitals couldn't have planned their first-ever championship any better.
In the hours after defeating the Golden Knights in Thursday's Game 5, winning the first Cup title in the D.C. franchise's 44-year history, Alex Ovechkin, his Capitals teammates and other team employees, along dozens of family and friends, sauntered into MGM Grand with Lord Stanley's hardware in tow and took over the Hakkasan nightclub.
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So, I was just having a drink in the lobby of my hotel...and this happened. (h/t Greg Abernathy). #ALLCAPS #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/F2aLWxPwYy
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) June 8, 2018
Sporting their newly minted championship hats, T-shirts and an assortment of Capitals jerseys, the group filled an entire private section directly behind the DJ booth, occupied on this night by Tiesto. Ovechkin, a fan of the Dutch EDM icon, selected the spot himself. He earned dibs by waiting those 14 long, painful years for the moment, and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy allows for full say in nightlife entertainment.
In general, Capitals players mixed with regular clubgoers. A few danced on platforms (Jakub Vrana, wearing a Brooks Orpik jersey, kept cycling through a version of Evgeny Kuznetsov's "The Bird," always drawing a rise from the crowd), but most preferred the more laid-back lounge area, out of sight from the floor.
The Capitals’ #StanleyCup afterparty at Hakkasan Nightclub in the @MGMGrand wrapped up around 4:30 a.m. PT. Alex Ovechkin is a big @tiesto fan. pic.twitter.com/dpGAhpFFIY
— Brandon Schlager (@bgschlager) June 8, 2018
On a couple of occasions, Tiesto paused his set, congratulated the Capitals and allowed the Stanley Cup to take center stage.
"Let's hear it for the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals!" he shouted to the crowd, a concept still setting in for many who never expected to hear those words used in the same sentence. Ovechkin, still as animated as during the games, and a few other players took turns hoisting the Cup.
.@tiesto and @ovi8 - just two living legends - this is unfreakinbelievable #ALLCAPS #STANLEYCUP pic.twitter.com/YaaPQknSQw
— Mitchell Tischler (@Mitch_Tischler) June 8, 2018
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The party continued until around 4:30 a.m. PT, when the club shut down. Only a handful of players remained until the bitter end, some undoubtedly breaking off for other ventures. It was a far cry in pomp and circumstance from the Cavaliers' famous Vegas visit immediately after winning the 2016 NBA championship, one bandied about on social media for weeks afterward. The servers weren't decked out in mini-Ovechkin jerseys. Every player (to the best of my knowledge) kept his shirt on.
That's not to say the Capitals didn't indulge.
Stanley cup champions. Nice guys. #Ovechkin #WashingtonCapitals #Capitals #NHLPlayoffs #StanleyCupFinals2018 #VGKvsWSH #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/G4ZH4N4sg4
— Nick F (@nfasciana) June 8, 2018
The Caps spent their last visit to Vegas, during Games 1 and 2, "caving up" for four days, as coach Barry Trotz put it, attempting to avoid the city's many temptations and maintain focus during downtime. Now with the mission accomplished, even Trotz was itching to let loose, and let loose they did.
With the NHL returning to Las Vegas June 20 for its awards show, there were jokes that the Capitals and the Stanley Cup should stay put and prolong the party. That won't be the case, of course. The Capitals are flying back to D.C. on Friday, eager to return for a bigger party 26 years in the making.
