The Stanley Cup continues to elude James Neal, and his string of misfortune is becoming a bit ridiculous.
The Vegas Golden Knights forward came up short again this spring, as the Washington Capitals ended the expansion team's magical run in five games with the series-clinching victory Thursday night.
It's the second straight year Neal's team has lost in the championship round, as he fell short as a member of the Nashville Predators last season.
As unlucky as that is, it doesn't end there.
The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Neal to the Predators in June 2014, and Pittsburgh then won back-to-back titles without him in 2016 and 2017.
Neal also missed out on the Penguins' Cup win in 2009, as they didn't acquire him from the Dallas Stars until February 2011.
The 30-year-old sharpshooter might have already gotten over those past coincidences, but he'll have a hard time putting his Game 4 miss in the rear-view mirror.
If there was any lingering doubt, it's history now.
Alex Ovechkin's Stanley Cup victory - along with his stellar performance in these playoffs and throughout the season - should permanently put to rest any remaining whispers of criticism toward the Washington Capitals captain.
Ovechkin didn't need the Cup to be considered one of the greatest players in NHL history. He was already a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time.
He was also a deserving Conn Smythe Trophy winner, leading all postseason scorers with 15 goals and finishing second with 27 points in 24 games. He'll be awarded the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's goal-scoring champion later this month for the seventh time, and he hit the 600-career-goal plateau back in March, becoming the fourth-fastest player to do so.
And he's done all of this by age 32, with no indications whatsoever that he'll be closing the book on his 13-year career anytime soon.
Still, there was something missing, and while he never deserved to shoulder the blame for that, winning the Stanley Cup effectively killed any present or future debates about his place in history.
The unfounded narratives that unfairly dogged him during the Capitals' years of playoff frustration - that he couldn't win big games, that he wasn't fully dedicated, that he was selfish - were never grounded in truth, and they were silenced forever Thursday night.
In fact, Ovechkin all but vanquished those baseless claims long before the final buzzer sounded in Game 5.
After Washington dropped the first two games of its first-round matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on home ice, the Russian superstar guaranteed the Capitals would return to D.C. with the series tied, and that's exactly what happened.
Ovechkin's club won four straight games after his declaration, and he was a huge part of the resurgence, potting three goals and six points combined in Games 3-6.
He should also be lauded for his professionalism during the years of frustration amid the unceasing questions about his role in the Capitals' numerous early exits, as he repeatedly displayed a demeanor that further proved his worthiness as a leader in the dressing room.
Other players might have gotten visibly annoyed when faced with all of the questions about the team's failures, but he didn't. This season, in particular, his sense of humor shone through, and time and time again, he made it known that the team took precedence over his individual accomplishments.
When his pursuit of a 50-goal campaign ended in disappointment on the final night of the regular-season schedule in April, he could have focused inwardly and talked about himself. Instead, he shrugged it off with a memorable two-word phrase and credited his teammates for trying to find him for goals all year long.
As he so often does, Ovechkin played like a man on a mission this spring, and while accomplishing that mission wasn't a requirement for him to be assured of a Hall of Fame plaque, doing so while playing better than anyone else in the playoffs ensured his legacy will never be questioned again.
David Perron was ready for an extended stay in Sin City.
The Vegas Golden Knights forward, and pending unrestricted free agent, held talks with the team earlier this season in hopes of inking a contract extension, he revealed during Friday's locker room cleanout, as per David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Perron can hit the open market as of July 1, but indicated his preference is to remain with the Golden Knights, telling Schoen, "I want to stay."
The 30-year-old is coming off a career year in which he picked up 66 points in 70 games, besting his previous high of 57 points set in the 2013-14 season. He then added nine points in 15 playoff appearances.
With those sorts of numbers, he could cash in this offseason, particularly as part of a free-agent market lacking quality right-shot forwards. A sizable raise could also be in the offering, as Perron's cap hit was only $3.75 million this season, as per CapFriendly.
The Golden Knights claimed Perron from the St. Louis Blues in last summer's expansion draft.
With Vegas sportsbooks setting the Golden Knights' odds of winning the Stanley Cup as high as 500-1 last year, big-time payouts appeared to be on the horizon for people who bet on the expansion club.
But the Golden Knights ultimately fell to the Washington Capitals, who won the series 4-1 on Thursday night.
In hopes of minimizing liability, sportsbooks adjusted their odds midseason, and during the playoffs, motivated bettors to put their dollars down on Vegas' opponents. Many also offered partial payouts during the postseason and ahead of the Stanley Cup Final.
"This wasn't my biggest liability, but it was pretty significant," Wynn executive director of race and sports John Avello told ESPN's Ben Fawkes.
The Stanley Cup Final wrapped the NHL's first full season in Sin City - a year in which the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported a 36 percent uptick in the category of bets that includes hockey.
Would it really have been so bad if the hometown team had won it all?
"I was rooting for the town," Avello admitted. "We've taken hits before. If I was going to pay off on something, I (would've been) glad to pay off on the Knights. They've been the talk of the town."
All the sportsbook directors Fawkes spoke to agreed.
"We root for the house as much as we can, but this is such a unique story," said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill director of trading. "I think we have a free waiver on this one."
Nathan Walker is the first Australian-born player to hoist Lord Stanley's mug, after becoming the first player from Down Under to play in regular-season and postseason games, respectively, earlier in the campaign.
Then there was Lars Eller, who made some history of his own after scoring the most important goal of the Capitals' season.
Lars Eller, with a laugh, after having scored the #StanleyCup-winning goal and becoming Denmark's first-ever Cup champ: "It can only go downhill from here!" pic.twitter.com/8GQj0Jh4Tg
Capitals backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who started Washington's first two playoff games this year, is the fourth German player to win the Cup, joining Tom Kuhnhackl, Dennis Seidenberg, and Uwe Krupp. It's the third straight year a German-born player has won it, after Kuhnhackl's back-to-back titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ovechkin became the third non-North American player to captain his team to the Cup, joining Nicklas Lidstrom and Zdeno Chara, and he's the fifth non-Canadian, joining Lidstrom, Chara, and U.S.-born players Derian Hatcher and Dustin Brown.
Chandler Stephenson already knows what he's doing for his day with the Stanley Cup.
The Washington Capitals forward and Saskatoon native plans to bring hockey's Holy Grail back to his home province, and more specifically, the community of Humboldt.
Humboldt, of course, is the home of the SJHL's Broncos, who were involved in the bus collision in April that resulted in the deaths of 16 people on board and injured 13 others.
"I knew a couple of the guys on the bus, so it's one of those things that I want to do for those guys and the people of Humboldt," Stephenson told Scott Oake of "Hockey Night in Canada."
This postseason run marked a breakthrough for Stephenson, as he appeared in all 24 games and netted two goals and five assists.
The fairytale didn't end the way the Golden Knights wanted.
Vegas lost its fourth straight game for the first time this season Thursday, and it happened at the most inopportune time - in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Washington Capitals are Cup champions, and Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury spoke in a somber Knights locker room after the game, singling out his team's new and rabid supporters.
"Thank you for all the support throughout the season," Fleury told reporters. "From day one, they've been incredible. Sorry we couldn't bring it home."
Fleury, who became the face of the club, struggled in the Cup Final, but he knows that he and his team - which physically did not exist a year ago at this time - have much to be proud of.
"It was pretty quiet in here after the game," he said. "Nobody talked about it. I think we all need a little time to realize what we've done."
The Golden Knights' magical run is over, but it was some ride.
Bryce Harper may be the Vegas Golden Knights' biggest celebrity fan, but he's employed in Washington, D.C. So this Stanley Cup Final was a win-win for him.
On Thursday, the Capitals brought the Cup to the District of Columbia for the first time with a 4-3 win in Las Vegas. Harper, a Vegas native who's gone on to stardom with the Nationals, attended Games 3 and 4 of the series in Washington clad in Golden Knights gear but left Capital One Arena disappointed after the home team won.
When the clock ran out on Vegas and the Capitals lifted the Stanley Cup, a defeated Harper took it all in stride and congratulated his adopted hometown on its first major professional sports title in 26 years.
Congrats not only to the @Capitals and the players, but to the whole City of DC. What a year, what a series, and so well deserved! The Cup is coming to town! @Holts170 you are an absolute stud!🔥 #DMV
The 25-year-old did make sure to mention his Golden Knights too, who stunned the sports world by finishing three wins short of a championship in their inaugural season.
I’m so proud to be born and raised in Las Vegas and so proud to call the @GoldenKnights my team! To be able to root for a team from my home town for the first time in my life was the most fun I’ve ever had! Now I understand what it means to be a fan! What a year fellas!⚔️ #VGK
With the Nationals playing at home this weekend, Harper is now ready to honor Washington's new champions when they face off against the Giants. He's already imploring his baseball team to don some Capital red in celebration.
I think it would only be fitting for us the @Nationals to rock the red tmrw night in support of the @Capitals winning the Cup! What do you say?🏒🤟🏼 #DMVfamily
