Whereas, on June 7, 2018, the Washington Capitals won the 2018 Stanley Cup hockey championship; Whereas the Capitals, in their 44th year playing in the National Hockey League, won their first Stanley Cup; Whereas the Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals in 5 games, clinching the series with 4 wins and 1 loss, including 4 wins in a row to close out the series; Whereas the Capitals overcame 3 series deficits to 3 opponents en route to the Stanley Cup Finals, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch the Eastern Conference title and win their second Prince of Wales Trophy; Whereas the Capitals became the first team from Washington, DC, in the 4 major professional sports leagues in the United States to win a championship since 1992; Whereas the Capitals overcame years of heartbreak to advance past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1998; Whereas tens of thousands of Capitals fans watched Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals outside of Capital One Arena in Washington, DC; Whereas Ted Leonsis, chief executive officer of Monumental Sports and owner of the Washington Capitals since 1999, has built a culture of success and contributed greatly to the Washington, DC, community through philanthropy; Whereas John Walton, radio announcer for the Capitals, is beloved by Capitals fans and prophetically asserted this playoffs, It’s OK to believe. ; Whereas Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals since 2010 and the first overall pick in the 2004 National Hockey League draft, exhibited extraordinary leadership and delivered superstar-caliber play, leading all scorers in the Stanley Cup playoffs with 15 goals and receiving the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs; Whereas during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, Braden Holtby recorded a remarkable 0.922 save percentage and 2 shutouts