00:00John Walton crushed it.
00:02You don't know how many of those moments you're going to get in your career,
00:04and he absolutely hit it out of the park.
00:09June 7th, 2018, just two days ago,
00:13the eight-year anniversary of the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup this week.
00:18So you and I had the honor of getting sent out to games one and two in Vegas.
00:22That's right.
00:23For the radio station.
00:24We broadcasted live from out there.
00:27We were still in middays at that point.
00:29We were indeed.
00:30Ten to two.
00:31So we did the shows from a Vegas radio station,
00:33and then we went over to the games in the evening.
00:36That's right.
00:38I had a blast, enjoyed myself, loved every bit of it.
00:41Danny, you liked most of it.
00:43You didn't like the pregame ceremonies that much.
00:45That was the worst.
00:46The worst.
00:46Anyone who says anything different is crazy.
00:49Play the game.
00:50Drop the puck.
00:51Enough stage plays, enough weird musicals, enough laser light shows.
00:55Everyone's waiting to get on the ice to warm up,
00:57and some guy's going,
00:58They're invading our home.
01:00We must respond in kind.
01:02And like a fake dragon is there for some reason.
01:04An Imagine Dragon plays.
01:06Wrong.
01:07Stupid.
01:07Play the hockey game.
01:08Best bit ever.
01:09They do,
01:09there's like these dramatic,
01:11theatric performances.
01:13Because it's Vegas.
01:14It's a show, right?
01:15So they've got people like on the ice with these swords,
01:18and they're skating around as knights,
01:21and they're trying to take down the Capitol,
01:23and they bring out like a fake Capitol screech or something.
01:26What is it?
01:27A slap shot.
01:27Right.
01:28And then they're like throwing a net over it,
01:29and they're lifting it up into the arena.
01:31We must subdue the beast.
01:33Like in the stupid stage voice.
01:34It's the dumbest thing in the world.
01:37It's so good.
01:37And these dumb simpletons are like,
01:40because the Capitals are from Washington.
01:44Drop the puck, Rubes.
01:46It was like being at Disney and seeing a play.
01:48It was just.
01:49The worst.
01:49I loved it.
01:50Look forward to it every single night.
01:51And Danny acted like the Capitals didn't know it was going to happen
01:55and were waiting to get out on the ice.
01:56That's not how it works.
01:57Could see him clearly from my seat.
01:58They're sitting there in the tunnel going,
02:00can we, are we, is it, it's supposed to,
02:02the puck, we need to skate to warm up some.
02:04Which is a cute story.
02:05What happens is everything works back from the time
02:08when they know they're going to be on the ice.
02:09This has happened since the beginning of time in sports
02:11at the professional level.
02:12It says on the ice at 7-10, you know, puck drop 7-17,
02:17warm-ups 4-57.
02:19So it's all mapped out.
02:20They walk down the tunnel.
02:22They walk out.
02:23They skate.
02:23Nobody's waiting for anything.
02:24100% waiting.
02:25Everything I said is correct.
02:26Danny was anxious and nervous,
02:27so he didn't want to see the show.
02:28But we're bearing the lead here.
02:30The Capitals won the Stanley Cup.
02:32Sure did.
02:32Games one and two in Vegas.
02:341-1 split, including the save by Braden Holpe.
02:37We come back to D.C.
02:39The Caps explode with some goals on home ice
02:43and win games three and four.
02:46And then they went back to Vegas for game five.
02:48Now, neither of us went.
02:49I was doing, at the time, post-game on Monumental Sports.
02:52Basically, post-post show we called face-off, pre-pre,
02:55and then overtime, post-post.
02:57And so after the official post-game show,
02:59I would have this other post-game show I did.
03:00So we did it on F Street in front of thousands and thousands of people.
03:06But then I went over, probably at like 1 in the morning,
03:08to MGM National Harbor.
03:10A bunch of listeners were out there.
03:12Richmond John had just hit some jackpot for like $50,000 or something.
03:15Do you remember that?
03:16I do now.
03:16You mentioned it.
03:17That's great.
03:17I'm pretty sure that was the night the Caps won the Cup.
03:19RJ, if I'm wrong, you've got to text me and tell me.
03:21But the thing I remember most about being at MGM National Harbor that night
03:26was my wife and I are partying.
03:28We don't have kids.
03:28We're young.
03:29We're fun.
03:30We're having a great old time.
03:31Best night of our lives.
03:32Clanking glasses.
03:33Friends are around us.
03:34And we're like walking by the high roller room at MGM National Harbor.
03:41Not walking in, walking by it.
03:42Because that's all you can do is gaze in there.
03:44We can't go in it.
03:45Yeah.
03:45And I think I've been served pretty well at that point.
03:47Sure.
03:47And I kind of look into the room and I see Max Scherzer with his hat backwards
03:51in a Caps jersey.
03:53And I'm like, Max!
03:54And he like looks over and he's like, dude!
03:56And he like comes running out.
03:58This is like 2 in the morning at MGM National Harbor.
04:01What a night.
04:02What a fun time.
04:04Just a great weekend, week, month, year existence for DC sports fandom.
04:11Do you remember game one, if I may?
04:13And everything about that game was so weird.
04:16Remember, we weren't sure.
04:18Because the Caps had come from behind literally in every series.
04:21Down 2-0 at Columbus.
04:22Down 3 games to 2 against Tampa Bay.
04:24Down against Pittsburgh, of course, the great dragon that they finally slayed to get further
04:29than they had really, you know, since the late 90s.
04:33But they, in game one, we weren't sure they'd be able to come back.
04:39Remember Ryan Reeves cross-checked Tom Wilson right in front of, not Tom Wilson,
04:43John Carlson right in front of the goal.
04:44Crushed Carly.
04:45And then they were allowed to score, and we're going, oh my god, the Caps are going
04:48to get jobbed.
04:49This stupid rule that an expansion team somehow isn't awful for 15 years.
04:53They're going to be great.
04:54They're going to win the cup in their first year of existence.
04:56How stupid is this?
04:57And then the Caps did what they've done the entire postseason and go, that's nice.
05:02We're down.
05:02Watch this.
05:03Watch the Brooks-Orpik goal.
05:05Because, of course, that happened.
05:06Watch Devontae Smith-Pelly score.
05:08Watch a bunch of no-name jobbers that you couldn't pull off an assembly line.
05:12Find the back of the net in huge moments.
05:14Amazing.
05:14The parade was elite.
05:18Partying thereafter was better.
05:21Diving into the fountains.
05:23Drinking deep into the evening.
05:24Those guys are being posted on social media all over Arlington for a few days.
05:28I've told you this story before, but I was out in Arlington with my wife just trying
05:33to get a glimpse of the cup because the night they got back from Vegas, everyone's
05:38posting, they're at this place, they're at that place.
05:39And then somebody had on Twitter that they were at Don Tito.
05:42So my wife and I just go over to see if they're still on the rooftop to get a glimpse
05:45of them
05:46lifting up the cup to scream or whatever.
05:48John Carlson's walking down the street.
05:50I'm like, Carly, what's up, dude?
05:51He's like, hey, you guys go up to the party yet?
05:53We're like, no, we're not really invited to that.
05:54He's like, oh, sure you are.
05:55We weren't, by the way.
05:58Yeah, sure you are.
05:58I guess we are now.
05:59So I go up there and I'm thinking, well, maybe it's just a, you know, you can come up if
06:03you're buddies with somebody or whatever.
06:04It was literally players, wives, and then like me and my wife.
06:07So I have pictures with like every Capitol and Barry Trotz watching TJ Oshie drink from
06:12the cup all night long.
06:13It was absolutely phenomenal.
06:15But the entire celebration and my story, I think a lot of people have one just like it.
06:20They just included the fans.
06:22Yeah.
06:22That was the coolest part about it.
06:23They just wanted the fans to be squarely in the mix.
06:26The parade, while it was great for you and I, not nearly as good as the Nats parade,
06:30which we got to actually be in.
06:32Because if you remember the Caps parade, we were at a sports bar.
06:35Elephant and Castle just snuggled next to each other in the corner.
06:38We were in the corner of a bar.
06:39We didn't see outside.
06:41Yeah, our legs are touching.
06:42We're cramped.
06:42For six hours.
06:43We never saw a bus.
06:44Like we didn't see a single thing that was anything remotely resembling the parade at any
06:50point.
06:50We did get to watch a little bit of it on TV in the bar.
06:52But there were a bunch of people blocking the view.
06:54But it was still a great day to be on the radio.
06:56And if you remember, the junkies were walking in the parade.
06:59I think they got cup rings and the whole deal.
07:02And Jason Bishop called in.
07:03And then we got him to give the phone to Jacob Verona.
07:05How close to a Capitals player are you right now?
07:08Oh, 10 feet.
07:11Okay, who is it?
07:12Well, it's Verona, but...
07:14Okay, go put Jacob Verona on the phone real quick.
07:18He's on top of his bus.
07:20I can't get to him.
07:20Oh, well, then you're not...
07:21That's not going to work, Jason.
07:23You're so tall, though, Jason.
07:24You can use your long reach.
07:25I'm going to try.
07:26Hold on.
07:26All right.
07:27So Jason is getting out of the phone.
07:28Hey, they want me to get Verona on the phone.
07:31He's going to try to go throw the phone to Jacob Verona.
07:34This is awesome.
07:35Apparently, Verona's his boy.
07:36We're about to see how tight they actually are.
07:37Hey, Jacob!
07:38This is the opposite of like...
07:40He's yelling radio show at him.
07:43No way.
07:44What do I do?
07:45What do I do?
07:46Jacob!
07:46Bye, guys.
07:47Jacob Verona!
07:48Yeah!
07:51Washington Capitals!
07:53You're live on 106.7 FM.
07:55How's the parade, bro?
07:57It's unbelievable.
07:58You know what?
07:59I love all these people here.
08:01You love everyone there?
08:03All these years, man.
08:04They deserve it.
08:06What a time.
08:08It's still my favorite image of anything that happened during...
08:12Everyone points to the fountain and everybody making the snow angels in the fountain or diving
08:16in here and, you know, whatever.
08:18It's Jacob Verona gets a tattoo on his wrist.
08:21Yeah.
08:21Okay?
08:21You know exactly what I'm talking about.
08:23And he's so hammered that he pulls the top of his sleeve up, which is about two feet
08:28away from where the tattoo is.
08:29Short sleeve.
08:30Because he's going like, look at where the tattoo is.
08:32And he like pulls his sleeve up to show the tattoo.
08:34Everyone can see the tattoo fine.
08:35Right.
08:35But he's pulling his sleeve up like, look!
08:38And he's so hammered, his glassy-eyed look.
08:40It's the best.
08:42He's Danny.
08:43I'm Grant.
08:43This is the fan.
08:44More of those, please.
08:46DC Sports.
08:47Whenever you're ready.
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