The Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals took their beef outdoors on Saturday evening, as the 2017 playoff foes suited up for the 2017-18 season’s final outdoor game — a Stadium Series match-up at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD.
While the Canadian squad came up on the short end of the eventual 5-2 finish, the event wasn’t short on memorable moments for all involved. That said, here’s a look at a few highlights from the evening:
1. U.S. men’s curling champions open the night in style
While watching the Americans claim men’s curling gold at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang was a heartbreaker, watching the champs get their moment in front of the thousands in attendance at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium was a sight to see.
Safe to say this was the most creative ceremonial puck drop we’ve seen thus far?
Puck delivery: On. The. Button. #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/NM0H1FdIl7
— NHL (@NHL) March 4, 2018
The curlers weren’t the only American champs to get their due, as the U.S. women’s hockey team was honoured for their gold-medal finish as well:
2. Leafs’ all-white uniforms cause a stir in the Twitterverse
From the moment the Leafs unveiled their snowstorm-esque, all-white-everything uniforms for Saturday’s outdoor game, fans haven’t shied away from offering their opinions on the outfit choice.
As expected, there were more than a few comments when the hockey world got a chance to see the Leafs finally take the outdoor ice in their milky threads.
can still see the leafs jerseys tho pic.twitter.com/mHVIsP560W
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) March 4, 2018
3. Alex Ovechkin adds another chapter to his historic career
The Washington Capitals captain tallied the third goal of the night midway through the opening period, and in doing so, managed to reach the 40-goal plateau for the ninth time in his career — a feat only five other players in league history have accomplished.
With this goal Alex Ovechkin becomes the 6th player in NHL history with 9 or more 40-goal seasons. pic.twitter.com/nBvgBGeGHq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 4, 2018
4. Late-game power outage makes for outdoor cameraderie
The highlight of the night might have been the moments that came with nearly no light at all, as the outdoor tilt was delayed midway through the third period when the stadium’s power went out.
While standing around in the cold waiting for the action to resume likely wasn’t what fans or players had in mind to close out the night, those in attendance and at home decided to make the best of the situation.
5. On-ice, off-ice dance sessions at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
A solid lead heading into the late stages of the game gave a couple Capitals reason to break it down on the bench, and some in the stands did the same.
While the evening didn’t go as Toronto hoped, it was, all in all, an unforgettable evening for the up-and-coming Leafs and the veteran Capitals.
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