The action paused early during tonight’s game between the Washington Capitals and Florida Partners. Capital One Arena echoed with an announcement that led to a joyous reaction from the fans and players present in the stadium. The Capitals fan base breathed a sigh of relief following the positive update after waiting anxiously for this moment for nearly a month.

Early in the second week of January, fans were hit with some worrying news. Color commentator and one-half of the iconic ‘Joe B. & Locker’ duo, Craig Laughlin announced he would be taking a leave of absence. The man who came to be loved for his shtick of spicing up otherwise bland play-by-play with terms like ‘cutesy passes (soft passes)’, stunned fans by announcing he needed heart surgery.

Thankfully, after spending weeks preparing for the surgery, Craig Laughlin’s daughter delivered the good news. “Update: my dad is stable after undergoing what the surgeon said was a successful surgery,” Courtney Laughlin posted on X. Inside the stadium, Washington Capitals fans erupted in cheers and dedicated a standing ovation to Craig as PA announcer Byron Hudtloff broke the good news.

The Capitals players also joined in with stick taps on the ice. However, despite the successful surgery, Laughlin will need time to recover. “He still has a long way to go on his road to recovery and will be in the ICU for at least another day, Thank you to our #ALLCAPS family for every message and prayer,” added Courtney Laughlin. However, a long recovery isn’t surprising.

The color commentator initially learned his bicuspid aortic valve needed to be repaired. However, further diagnosis revealed an additional block in the left anterior descending artery. Despite the complex surgery and challenging road ahead, there’s a good chance the fans will find the former Washington Capitals forward return to the Monumental Sports Network sooner rather than later.

Craig Laughlin expressed his confidence about coming back stronger from the surgery. “I’m focused on it, I want to meet it head on, I’m optimistic and confident that I’m going to return better than I was right now,” the commentator said in January. And since then, the outpouring of the community’s support and the looming achievement of a Washington Capitals star has provided him the ammunition to return.

Washington Capitals fans went above and beyond in supporting Laughlin

The Capitals community wasted no time in voicing their concern for Craig Laughlin. Shortly after the analyst announced his open-heart surgery plans in the 2nd intermission during the Caps vs. Montreal Canadiens match in January, fans bombarded social media and Laughlin’s DM’s with supportive texts. The outpouring of love moved the veteran NHL analyst.

“It just goes on and on. This kind of support has really encouraged and inspired me,” the former Washington Capitals forward said ahead of his surgery. However, the fans went far beyond just dropping heartfelt messages for the iconic commentator. When Laughlin’s daughter started the #LockerStrong campaign for Heart Health Awareness, the fan answered the call.

The community bought #LockerStrong t-shirts, raising $10,000, which the Laughlin family donated to the American Heart Association. Among the players who wore the t-shirt was Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin, who scored his 878th career goal tonight, is on track to surpass the great Wayne Gretzky‘s NHL goals record, is also a motivation for Craig Laughlin.

“I hope to be back by then, Joe, to enjoy the playoffs and a long run, the Great 8 Chase, the 50th anniversary. I’m going to battle my butt off to return as soon as I can,” the color commentator told fellow announced Joe Beninati in January. After the successful surgery, it is safe to say that the former Washington Capitals star remains as determined as ever.