But make no mistake about it; the Washington Nationals slugger and 2015 National League MVP is all in with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Harper, a native of Las Vegas, has been on the Golden Knights bandwagon since their inception, choosing to rep his hometown over the city where he works. An interview with NHL Network this weekend only reinforced his loyalty.
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"I've talked to (Golden Knights defenseman Nate) Schmidt a little bit, former (Capitals player). A lot of blue collar guys, a lot of guys that have been playing the game for a long time," Harper said while wearing a Golden Knights hat. "They just all play very hard. And a lot of guys that had a lot of chips on their shoulders. You know, you get let go by another team, you want to go and do what you can to beat that team."
Harper says he will be watching Game 1 (8 p.m. ET: NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS) on television from Baltimore, where the Nationals play an afternoon game Monday. He also expects to be at Capital One Arena for Game 4 on June 4.
But he won't be rooting for the home team. If his plans come together, he will be wearing a road white Jonathan Marchessault jersey in the stands.
"I'm definitely happy for the Caps. A lot of great players on that team as well. I love [goaltender Braden] Holtby. He's one of my favorite players. Ovi [forward Alex Ovechkin] of course, [Defenseman John] Carlson, {forward [T.J.] Oshie -- what a great club they've got," Harper said. "But I was born and raised in Las Vegas and I support the Golden Knights. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a great series, It's going to be hard fought."
