Caps Create Memories That Will Last a Lifetime with Youth Hockey Day

The Washington Capitals celebrated Youth Hockey Day on Sunday February 12 as the team hosted the San Jose Sharks at Capital One Arena. The first 5,000 youth hockey players wearing their jersey received a Capitals bag tag.

As part of the day's festivities, each Capitals player was paired with a local youth hockey player for pregame arrivals - with both wearing the youth player's team jersey as they walked to the locker room.
Programs represented included: ALL CAPS ALL HER, Ashburn Ice House, Baltimore Banners, Calvert Hall High School, Caps Academy, Fort Dupont Cannons, Langley High School, Montgomery Ice Devils, Navy Youth Hockey, Northeastern Co-Op, NOVA Cool Cats, Piedmont Predators, Potomac Lady Patriots, Reston Raiders, The St. James, St. Johns College High School, Tucker Road Ducks, Washington Ice Dogs, Washington-Liberty High School, Washington Pride and Winston Churchill High School.
The walk to the locker room provided the youth players with a unique opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with Capitals players.
"It was really fun to just be able to talk to a player like that," said Desmond Black, who was paired with Marcus Johansson. "It's kind of surprising to meet someone that you've only really seen on ice or TV. They kind of just act like a human."
Black was not the only youth player happy to be caught off guard by a friendly interaction.
Liliana Clos, who was paired with Charlie Lindgren, said, "I was surprised by how nice he was to me. I never met an NHL player before, and I was nervous."

She added, "I'm so glad he wore our Lady Patriots jersey. He's my favorite player now."
When it came time to announce the Capitals starting lineup, six participants from the Capitals Future Caps Learn to Play program presented by World Wide Technology took the ice with the team.

"It was just the best experience of my life," said Colby Carolan, who came out and stood with Lindgren.
As this was happening, the starting lineup jumbotron display featured images of Capitals players from their own youth hockey careers.
Throughout the afternoon, in-game and social content highlighted Capitals youth hockey programming. Game presentation activities throughout featured youth hockey players, with the first intermission mites on ice comprised of players from the Baltimore Stars girls' team and the second from The St. James.
Along with highlighting youth players, two local amateur referees attended the game, met with the NHL officials prior to puck drop, and stood with the NHL referees for the national anthem. The Capitals partnered with the USA Hockey Officiating Education Department and the NHL Officials Association to coordinate the inclusion of local amateur referees to participate in the game day experience.

The day was all part of an effort to continue to grow the game locally. There are currently 19,877 USA Hockey Youth and Adult players across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, a 36% growth from the 2020-21 season. These areas have also seen a 46% growth in female hockey participation since the 2002-03 season.
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, Capitals alumni, and female ambassadors. Since its launch in 2016, more than 8,100 players have been introduced to hockey through the Capitals Learn to Play Program. The program is offered at 21 local rinks throughout the 2022-23 season.
Through the Capitals Hockey School program presented by Capital One, public elementary and middle schools receive street hockey equipment, a custom written curriculum, and staff training. Capitals youth hockey development staff offer visits to first- through eighth-grade classrooms and assist teachers in providing instruction. Since the 2015-16 season, the Capitals have donated equipment to 1,302 schools, engaged 843,277 students with the game, and trained over 2,100 teachers to instruct the game in their Physical Education classes.
The Try Hockey for Free program is geared toward participants ages 4-17. It launched in April 2022 to offer street hockey clinics free of charge to local children across the Washington, D.C. area. Each participant learns the basics of hockey, including stickhandling, passing, and shooting. Additionally, all participants receive a street hockey stick and ball to take home following the event to encourage continued development. The Capitals Try Hockey for Free program is designed as both an introduction to the game for participants, as well as an opportunity to reach families in the community interested in more affordable options to participate in hockey. To learn more about the program visit www.CapsYouthHockey.com/TryHockeyForFree.
Learn to Play Street Hockey is a first of its kind initiative that provides families the opportunity to join the hockey community through an accessible and affordable program. Participants develop fundamental skills that will help them succeed in hockey and beyond. The Learn to Play Street Hockey program is designed for first-time players between the ages of 5-9 and 10-14. For a small fee, participants will receive free equipment and six weeks of age-appropriate introductory instruction on the fundamental skills of hockey from certified coaches. To learn more about the program, visit www.CapsYouthHockey.com/LearnToPlayStreetHockey.
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 www.washcaps.com/streetrinks.
For additional information on Capitals Youth Hockey programming, visit
CapsYouthHockey.com
.