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Greg Wyshynski
When the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, their celebration was one for the ages.
It was a party that raged everywhere: the National Mall, a Washington Nationals game, “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and perhaps most famously a fountain in Georgetown where captain Alex Ovechkin frolicked half-naked.
It was June 9 when Ovechkin and teammates T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson followed up keg stands at a waterfront bar with a swim in the Washington Harbour fountain.
Ovechkin doffed his shirt before diving into the fountain, joining his teammates as they made “snow angels” and danced in the water with fans who joined the party.
This season marks the Capitals’ 50th anniversary as an NHL franchise. On Friday, they’ll commemorate that infamous aquatic Stanley Cup celebration with the unveiling of a special permanent plaque at the fountain.
The Capitals announced today plans to unveil a special permanent plaque in commemoration of the 2018 Stanley Cup championship celebration at @TheWashHarbour fountain in Georgetown.
The unveiling will take place at the Washington Harbour Ice Rink on Friday, Feb. 21 at 5 PM.
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 17, 2025
The plaque will read: “Home of the 2017-18 Washington Capitals Fountain Celebration” and “In Vegas They Became Champions … Here They Became Legends.”
It will be placed on the fountain tower in the middle of what’s currently an ice rink for the winter.
Nicklas Backstrom and Oshie — members of the 2018 and current Capitals who are on long-term injured reserve — will take part in the ceremony.
Ovechkin said at a fan event in 2019 that swimming in the fountain was the craziest part of their Cup celebration.
“We had a couple beers. Osh and Tom came to me like, ‘Hey let’s go swim in the fountains.’ I said, ‘OK, let’s do it, we’re champions,'” he said, via Russian Machine Never Breaks. “There were policemen and we said, ‘Hey, is it OK we’re going to do it?’ And they were like, ‘You can do whatever you want, guys.’ So I think it was a pretty fun moment for all of us and for you guys as well.”