Fans carried Fatheads of Ovechkin on sticks and chanted \u201cO!\u201d during the National Anthem. They gave him a minute-long standing ovation during introductions and chanted \u201cOvi! Ovi! Ovi!\u201d when he reentered the ice for a shift during the Capitals eventual 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/p>\n
A pair of Washingtonian reporters set out to find people who\u2019d paid high prices for a seat on the secondary market but found only season ticket holders on a bittersweet mission. Jake and Rebecca Burch of Gainesville, Virginia, matched on Bumble because Rebecca saw a photo of Jake, who used to work for the team, in the Caps\u2019 victory parade after they won the Stanley Cup in 2018. \u201cI was like, he likes the Caps, so we met,\u201d Rebecca said. They brought their one-year-old, whose birthday was Sunday. \u201cI would love a win, keep the playoff hopes alive,\u201d Jake said. \u201cAn Ovi goal or two is pretty awesome\u201d hope for the day, too, he added.<\/p>\n
That was not to be: The team\u2019s three goals were scored by Trevor van Riemsdyk and Connor McMichael\u2014who knocked in two, one with an Ovechkin assist.<\/p>\n
We also met Nicole Woods and Scott Rudy of Sykesville, Maryland. Woods wore a Caps sweater and Rudy wore a Penguins one. \u201cWe make it work,\u201d said Woods, who\u2019s also a Commanders fan and noted that Rudy supports the Dallas Cowboys. There were also points of agreement: They\u2019re both fans of the Hershey Bears, the Caps\u2019 development club, and they were both happy to be at Capital One: \u201cIf this is Ovi\u2019s last game, it would be a privilege to be a part of it,\u201d Woods said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be sad to see if Crosby and Ovi don\u2019t get to play each other again,\u201d Rudy said.<\/p>\n
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