Arlington, Va. – The Washington Capitals will celebrate Youth Hockey Day presented by Delta Dental on Sunday, Jan. 7, when the Capitals host the Los Angeles Kings at Capital One Arena at 3 p.m. All fans who purchase tickets through a special ticket offer will receive Capitals branded skate guards.
Select youth hockey players from the region will walk with Capitals players during pregame arrivals. Each Capitals player will be paired with a local youth player while walking to the locker room, with both wearing the youth player’s team jersey. Programs represented include: Bowie Bruins, Chevy Chase Club, DC Titans, DeMatha Catholic High School, Frederick Freeze, Georgetown Visitation, Gonzaga College High School, Hagerstown Hammerheads, Hampton Roads Whalers, Holton-Arms School, Langley High School, Maryland Jr. Black Bears, North Eastern High School, NOVA Ice Dogs, Richmond Generals, Rising Stars Academy, SOMD Sabres, St. John’s College High School, and Walter Johnson High School.
The starting lineup display will feature images of Capitals players in their youth, and in-game and social content will highlight Capitals youth hockey programming throughout the evening.
Game presentation activities throughout the evening will also feature youth hockey players. In addition, the first intermission mites on ice will be comprised of players from the Roanoke Railyard Dawgs. During the second intermission, Future Caps Learn to Play program participants will participate in a scrimmage. The Spot the Cow and Top Shot in-game activities will feature local youth hockey players. Two youth referees will join the NHL referees on the ice for the national anthem.
According to USA Hockey, overall, there's been significant growth in participation in the D.C. area since Alex Ovechkin was drafted. Total participation in ice hockey has increased by 70%. In that same time frame the female participation in ice hockey has increased 140%. In addition, the total USAH registration of adult and youth players across Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland is 21,949 individuals, including a total of 12,749 youth players.
The Capitals offer a robust lineup of on- and off-ice youth hockey programming. In partnership with the NHL and NHLPA, the Capitals offer a Future Caps Learn to Play program presented by World Wide Technology. Future Caps offers first-time participants, ages 5-9, free, Capitals-branded head-to-toe equipment and eight weeks of instruction from certificated coaches and Capitals alumni. Since its launch in 2016, more than 8,500players have been introduced to hockey through the Future Caps Learn to Play Program.
Through the Capitals Hockey School program presented by Capital One, elementary and middle schools receive street hockey equipment, a custom written curriculum and staff training. Capitals youth hockey development staff visit first- through eighth-grade classrooms and provide instruction. For a complete list of participating school systems, click here.
The Capitals have refurbished or built 14 rinks across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. To further encourage the growth of the game, the Capitals Youth Hockey Development staff holds clinics in conjunction with the refurbishment of each rink. A list of rinks can be found at washcaps.com/streetrinks.
For additional information on Capitals Youth Hockey programming, visit CapsYouthHockey.com.
