The DC Sports Curse Has Been Shattered

I still can’t believe what I just witnessed last evening. The Washington Capitals have finally secured their franchise’s first Stanley Cup Championship in dominant fashion, winning the series in five games versus the Las Vegas Golden Knights. That loud sound you heard last night was all of Washington, DC exhaling in relief as the DC sports curse has finally been shattered into a million tiny pieces.

The tears of joy seen in Alexander Ovechkin’s face as he hoisted the cup tugged on the heartstrings of every local Caps fan in the district. Honestly, I never thought this day would come, and I began even accepting that the only time I would see a DC sports team celebrating a championship would be while playing PlayStation. But here we are, and the Washington Capitals are the world champions.

In securing the nation’s capitol first championship since 1992 (Washington Redskins), every DC sports fan begins to believe again that dreams really can come true. Now that the Caps have won a title, it’s never too early to begin looking at the prospects of the other teams in the area.

Washington Redskins

While many fans will say that the Redskins can never win a championship under the ownership of Dan Snyder, the Skins have made some serious upgrades on both sides of the ball this off-season. For example, having a stud running back in the making with Darius Guice falling to the Redskins in the second round of the NFL Draft could be the break that gets this team over the hump of mediocrity.  While I don’t like their odds to win a championship this year, things can change quickly as the Philadelphia Eagles proved just a season ago.

Washington Nationals

Realistically, this is DC’s next best chance at securing another championship for the District, as they have all the talent in the world to make another postseason run this year. While the looming Bryce Harper free agency status looms, all will be forgiven in DC if Bryce, Max Scherzer, and Ryan Zimmerman can bring home a world series title.  All of the years of postseason heartache could vanish in an instant if they can somehow get past their recent nemeses in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Washington Wizards

As much as I love this team, they really need another star such as DeMarcus Cousins to realistically have a shot of representing the Eastern Conference in the finals, much less win a title.  With GM Ernie Grunfeld at the controls, my hopes are low for this team to make the necessary adjustments to get themselves into serious title contention.  If I were running the team, I would do everything in my power to make John Wall and Bradley Beal’s prime years meaningful by adding a star via a trade in order to make a serious run at a title.

Overall, I’m ecstatic that the Washington Capitals have won a Stanley Cup Championship, but I can;t help but dream about how my other squads can make the necessary adjustments to get their turn at glory. Time will tell if DC can get used to having a parade more than every 30 years or so.

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