The Capitals have three representatives at the Winter Games in Milan Cortina.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals sent off their Olympians in style on Thursday, honoring Tom Wilson, Logan Thompson and Martin Fehervary with a pregame ceremony and wishing them the best in their respective first shot at the Winter Games.
Wilson and Thompson will represent Team Canada together, while Fehervary will suit up for Team Slovakia.
"It's a dream come true," Thompson said of getting to represent his country. "You know, I'm just going to go there and soak it all in and do any role they want me to, whether that's practice goalie, backup, hand out the water bottles. I'm just going to be happy to be there and going to do whatever I can."
Thompson's first Olympic appearance comes after going 19-16-4 to open the season with a .912 save percentage. Last year, he finished among the NHL leaders in wins and SV%, and finished fourth in Vezina voting.
"He's a gamer, he's a competitor," teammate and countrymate Wilson said. "You want to, especially in that position, be feeling 100 percent... we're going to have a blast and I'm just happy for him."
Wilson made the Olympic cut after an impressive evolution and rise to prominence. He leads the Capitals with 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 points in 50 games this season, and not only contributes offensively, but has played multiple roles, including power play and penalty kill, while establishing a physical presence that can turn the momentum.
"It's obviously going to be the trip of a lifetime," Wilson said. "We got a goal in mind, and it's going to be exciting to get over there and just get the guys together and get rolling and start pushing and fighting towards our ultimate goal."
Fehervary has emerged as one of the league's most underrated shutdown defenders, who takes good care of the puck and makes a good first pass out of the zone, and can contribute offensively, too.
Through 58 games, the Bratislava native has four goals and 16 assists for 20 points, along with 72 hits and a team-leading 119 blocks.
Overall, his journey to the Olympics has been a bit of a whirlwind. He spent the offseason recovering from meniscus surgery and working his way back, and then, days before leaving for Milan, he and his girlfriend welcomed their first daughter, Anna.
"It was really hectic... it's just a lot of things going on, but I'm just trying to focus on those little small details," Fehervary said, "Obviously hard, but exciting as well."
The Olympic hockey tournament begins on Wednesday, when Fehervary and Slovakia take on Finland. Wilson and Thompson and Canada take on Czechia on Thursday.