The Stanley Cup – DC’s Stanley Cup – has put in quite a few miles this summer, as each member of the Washington Capitals gets a day or so of quality time with the coveted trophy. (Track the Cup’s summer travels here.)
The Caps’ June 7th Stanley Cup victory was the team’s first. And you didn’t have to follow hockey to know this was a big moment for the Caps – and their fans.
It’s a beautiful Tuesday morning in Forest Hills #ALLCAPS #LetsGoCaps pic.twitter.com/Ws5dGDQuE2
— Mary M. Cheh (@marycheh) June 5, 2018
44 years in the making! Congratulations to our #StanleyCupChampion, the @WashingtonCapit! #OURCUP #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Po21vSAasV
— Mary M. Cheh (@marycheh) June 12, 2018
I was beginning to wonder (not that I am a hockey fan, but curiosity runs deep) if anyone I knew had laid hands on the Cup. And lo and behold, what should cross my inbox but two photos – one of Ed Sands with his arm around the Stanley Cup, the other of Michael Sands kissing the trophy.
Ed Sands and the Stanley Cup (photos courtesy of Ed and Michael Sands)
Michael Sands
And just to make sure you know, Ed and Michael are father and son, and the owners of Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits.
Of course I wanted to know how they got to see the Cup. Michael relayed in an email:
“The local Budweiser distributor had the Stanley Cup come to their warehouse in DC on June 26, and they invited us to come see it and take the pictures. We only had to wait a few minutes so we were lucky. Our office manager is a huge Caps fan, and he’s been with us since 1980 so I asked a favor and got him to come along as well.”
The victory was an emotional experience for Michael: “I was in France when we clinched the Stanley Cup so I set my alarm for 4am and I watched the final period of the clinching game on my phone. It was amazing, I cried like a baby.”
For the Sands clan, rooting for the Caps is a family tradition.
“Our family is big into sports and even though we’re all spread out we all have group texts during all the playoff games. My son and my nephews have gotten into it as well so it’s really something we are all into. The day after Thanksgiving the Caps always play a home game and it’s always at 5pm. For what has to be the last ten years or so, we’ve gotten as many tickets as we can so we can all go. Usually there’s about 15-18 of us, with my siblings, their significant other, all the kids, my parents, etc. It’s pretty cool.
“Getting to see the Stanley Cup in person, and touch it and take a picture with it and all that, it was pretty amazing. This job has a few perks that are hard to beat.”
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