If you’ve attended a Capitals home game this season, or have been downtown to a watch party, you have probably seen Ed Twomey’s Jeep. It’s the one with the 7-foot Stanley Cup on top.
It’s not your average Jeep; it’s an expression of the fan’s dedication to the team he has loved and followed for years. When Twomey bought it before last year’s playoffs, it was simple white Jeep, but then began its transformation into the Holtbeast.
“After 25 years, there’s a lot of frustration and pride that’s come out in that cup that’s sitting out there,” Twomey said of his truck.
Twomey, of Crofton, Maryland, said he started small, adding some small decorations and flags to his 2014 Jeep Wrangler. Then, during last year’s playoffs, he started to add on more stuff.
Its doors pay homage to D.C.’s Stanley Cup Champions; on the back there’s a hockey stick signed by Caps goalie Braden Holtby; a side window features a count of the 16 postseason wins it took to get the Cup. This Jeep is complete with a Evgeny Kuznetsov bobblehead hood ornament. And of course, the icing on the cake is the larger-than-life Stanley Cup replica mounted to the roof.
“We were looking for something special to put on it after that, and ended up finding this 7-foot Stanley Cup to put on top of it, in Canada,” Twomey said.
The bottom of the cup, which other drivers can see while following the Holtbeast, can be changed; during Game 6 on Monday night, it featured a picture of TJ Oshie with the words “Back to Back” around him.
Twomey said if the team doesn’t get back-to-back championships, the cup is coming down. On the other hand, if the Cup stays in D.C. he’ll add more.
“Hopefully by the time we’re done, before Ovechkin retires, we’ll have a trailer with four of them on the back of it,” Twomey said.
He said his favorite part of the truck is the hood, where you’ll see Holtby’s signature.
“To see him sign the Jeep with his name up in the front window was fun to watch,” Twomey said.
Twomey’s Jeep has gathered a lot of attention, and the team has even allowed him to park it right in front of the arena for games. It is an attraction in itself — countless fans have posed for pictures next to it and told Twomey their favorite Caps stories.
“For me, it’s been an unbelievable year to drive around and hear all that stuff, and it makes me proud to be a Caps fan and live in this area,” said Twomey.
The truck’s replica Stanley Cup was unpainted when Twomey got it, and it was brought to life by an Ellicott City, Maryland, artist. Like the real Stanley Cup, it has the names of all the players on the team, but Twomey said it also features the name of his longtime friend and fellow Caps fan Jeff Dorworth. Dorworth died last year of cancer, and Twomey thought this was the best way he could honor his friend.
“He goes to every game with us; he’s out front; he gets to experience all the fans coming up and taking pictures,” Twomey said.
As for how much it cost to trick out this truck, Twomey said he doesn’t want to share that. But he will say “it’s been worth every penny.”
Fans can follow the truck on Twitter @CAPSJEEP.
