from Tom Gulitti of NHL.com,

Barry Trotz has seen the excitement growing in the city and the surrounding area in Virginia and Maryland, and understands it.

The Washington Capitals coach is excited, too.

The Capitals are one victory away from winning the Stanley Cup, leading the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final heading to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Washington has never won the Stanley Cup in its 43-season history and fans haven't celebrated a major professional sports championship since the Redskins won the Super Bowl at the end of the 1991 NFL season.

"You see the enthusiasm in the city," Trotz said Tuesday. "You see the thousands of people outside the arena watching the game. It would mean a lot. It would mean a lot to the community. It would mean a lot to me personally, and I know it would mean a lot to the players."

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