‘Little bit of chirping’: Canadian, American Capitals delay practice to bask in gold-medal match

The oohs and aahs cascaded around the Capitals’ locker room and coaching offices on Sunday morning as players and staff members gathered to watch the instant classic gold-medal match between the United States and Canada.

The Americans won 2-1 in overtime, to the delight of U.S.-born Capitals players like Ryan Leonard, and broke the hearts of the Canadians in Washington’s locker room.

“Unfortunate it didn’t go Canada’s way,” said Capitals forward Dylan Strome, who represented Canada at the 2019 World Championships. “It sucks.”

All but three Capitals — Slovakian Martin Fehervary and Canadians Tom Wilson and Logan Thompson were competing in Milan — huddled together to watch the final with mixed emotions.

The Americans and Canadians in attendance were obviously rooting for their respective nations. But there were no Capitals on the U.S. men’s team, while Thompson and Wilson played for Canada.

With a win on Sunday, the Canadian duo would’ve been the first active Capitals to win Olympic gold.

“You still have mixed feelings, because you feel bad for Tom and you feel bad for LT,” Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren, an American, said after Sunday’s practice. “But obviously, the U.S. team hadn’t won in 46 years, so you’re happy for the country.”

The misery of the Capitals’ Canadians was only multiplied by their love for Thompson and Wilson. For players like Strome, they watched their nation and their dear friends fall just short on the biggest stage in sports.

“Both of those guys represented our nation and the Capitals with real pride,” forward Connor McMichael said. “They work their tails off, so it’s a lot of fun to watch them and be able to support them from over here.”

The Capitals delayed Sunday’s practice due to the game. The team was originally slated to take the ice at 10:30 a.m., just as the U.S. and Canada prepared for a three-on-three overtime. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery avoided a potential riot by allowing his players to watch the end of the Olympic final.

The Capitals’ facility was filled with sweaty palms and nervous jitters as the players saw the intensity grow in Milan. Washington’s players would stretch or suit up for practice during intermission, only to return to the meeting areas or locker room where they could huddle around a TV.

“There was a lot of nerves, especially in that third period,” McMichael said. “A little bit of chirping, a lot of energy, it was fun.”

“I had the palm sweats going the whole game,” said Strome. “The American guys were proud to be American, as they should be. The Canadians, we’re definitely wearing our hearts on our sleeves. It was definitely quiet in here when the U.S. won.”

The solemn energy followed them onto the practice rink for an uncharacteristically subdued tune-up.

“It carried over. Guys were a little bit bummed for LT and Willy, because, they’re there. They’re that close,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “Even some of the U.S.-born players — even though they’re proud Americans and are normally cheering for the U.S. — they feel for their brothers that were right there, that close to a gold medal.”

Even the disappointed Canadian Capitals found a silver lining. Sunday’s game — the first Olympic gold medal match to feature NHL players since 2014 — was sure to introduce thousands of young fans to the sport.

Hockey fans still remember the scrappy Americans’ last gold medal: the “Miracle on Ice” upset over the Soviet Union in 1980. The media frenzy surrounding Sunday’s American triumph could ignite another generation of youngsters, both in the U.S. and abroad.

“You’ve got to think, there’s a lot of humans watching that game. It definitely grew the game,” Lindgren said. “There’s definitely going to be a lot more hockey players down the road because of the product they put on the ice today.”

With the Olympics in the rearview mirror, the Capitals (29-23-7) are focused on a late-season push. They return to NHL action on Wednesday night with a home game against the Philadelphia Flyers.