Washington Nationals: 10 greatest moments at Nationals Park

8. Capitals host Winter Classic (2015)

The Winter Classic has become one of the most unique sporting events in the country. The annual New Year’s Day hockey game is played at an outdoors venue, and has created a steady stream of highlights since the series began in 2008.

The Nationals have played some unforgettable games at home over the years, but the 2015 Winter Classic put Nats Park on a bigger stage as a high-level venue in the nation’s capital.  Nationals Park now joined other iconic stadiums as Winter Classic hosts, including Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and the Big House at the University of Michigan.

The event also further ingrained the Nationals organization within the fabric of the city. D.C. is typically viewed as a football town, and with the Capitals recent run of success, hockey is a clear number two. The Wizards and Nationals were left fighting for scraps. But with the Winter Classic, the Caps and Nats created a quasi-partnership, which is something we’ve since watched develop over the years.

Now, Nationals Park is picking up more recognition as a beautiful stadium in a budding baseball town. This summer, the baseball world will descend on Nats Park when the All-Star festivities roll into Washington for the first time since 1969. With their on-field performance and quality stadium to boot, the Nationals continue to rise the ranks of MLB organizations with each passing season.

(Oh, and the Caps won the Winter Classic when Troy Brouwer netted the game-winning goal with less than 13 seconds remaining. That helped too.)