Tag: Alex Ovechkin

At Home with the Ovechkins: Isolating Just Like Us

The Coronavirus is keeping everyone home, including our favorite Washington Capitals player, Alex Ovechkin and his family. They may have a bigger house than most of us; however, they still have to stock up on groceries, deal with empty shelves, and find a way to exercise and keep healthy. Nastya Ovechkina, who is pregnant with their second child, does a great job of posting about Ovi and infant Sergei on Instagram so we don’t miss a thing!

Continue reading “At Home with the Ovechkins: Isolating Just Like Us”

Hockey Community Steps Up

We are hearing more and more stories about the way the national and local hockey communities are stepping up in this era of crisis. Players are posting encouraging messages. Team owners are paying arena personnel. Companies are shifting priorities.

What personal stories about hockey family can you share with us!!

Monumental Sports and Entertainment (owners of the Washington Capitals) has extended payment to Capital One Arena part-time workers who were scheduled to work postponed games and events through April 2020. This will include all Capitals, Wizards, and concerts set for April and they will also be paid when, and if, those events occur later in the summer. Not all teams have been as generous as Ted Leonsis and we appreciate that he is stepping up to take care of those friends we see at every game. You know the ones who stop people from walking down in the middle of a play or that remove unruly visiting fans.

Fanatics, the producers of most of the Capitals and NHL merchandise that we spend $100s to $1,000 on has shifted their MLB production line priorities. They announced this week that they will be using the polyester mesh fabric from MLB jerseys to make masks and gowns for hospitals. Fanatics owner, Michael Rubin, said: “We’re fortunate to have this giant factory in Pennsylvania that makes all these baseball jerseys, and to have the commissioner of baseball behind us, and to have the governor and attorney general saying, ‘How do we make a difference?’ Time will tell if that will include suspension of NHL merchandise too.

Bauer Hockey is also making changes to provide medical face shields to those working on the front lines fighting this virus:

Fort DuPont Ice Arena is still helping local families. They are an organization supported by the Washington Capitals and the Caps Fan Club. They do good things and if you are looking for a place to make a donation, we would suggest you consider them:

The Capitals shared a bit of inspiration from their captain, Alex Ovechkin. Players, their wives, and kids are keeping us entertained with Instagram stories. Be sure to check them out.

Alex participated in a rather hilarious interview and in the end he said what really matters for all of us:

Nick Backstrom shared some sweet moments at home:

Tom Wilson brought new pup Halle to his video message:

Be sure to follow Caps Pup on Twitter and Instagram. What can be better than this cute guy??

You may be familiar with Homeward Trails as sponsors of the Caps calendar each year. They are still helping pups and could use your help too:

We have long loved the work of Ellie’s Hats who provide a bit of joy for kids in the midst of medical treatments. Please consider helping them to help vulnerable children in our community.

Our friends at Compass Coffee have fallen on tough times during the crisis and had to let go of a number of employees. And yet they continue to help the community as part of the effort in DC to provide hand sanitizers. Visit them in Ballston while they remain open for grab and go.

The stories will keep coming. The outreach from those who can help will hopefully also continue. We would love to share your “feel good” story too. And as we said in our article yesterday- let’s pull together as the Caps and hockey community to carry each other through. We can do this!!

NHL Pause: Can it please be over?

March 12, 2020: the day hockey came to an abrupt end with the announcement from the commissioner that he would take a pause as the United States and Canada began to see the spread of the Coronavirus. It was maybe when many of us realized that this was serious and possibly life changing. It was only two weeks ago and yet it seems like forever.

We have seen hockey go on hiatus before with the lockouts. That was about grown men who couldn’t come to agreement (where have we seen that lately). There was uncertainty then too: when would they start, how long would it take, would the game look different, and could the teams (for us the Washington Capitals) be able to quickly rebound. Those are the same questions we are asking today and we have the same, if not greater degree of uncertainty.

What we do know is that we need hockey. There is something healing about hockey and sports in general. It was there after 9/11 to help us cry with New York and give us something to look forward to. It was there in Las Vegas after an unthinkable shooting when the newly minted Vegas Knights stepped in the limelight. Their opening was unlike anything ever seen and a powerful statement about resilience and recovery. And it was there in Florida when Roberto Luango stood as part of the local community, as a parent and said what needed to be said about the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. So yes, we need hockey to help make us feel whole again.

In the meantime, we watch reruns of the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup and that incredible parade after. We cheer again as Alexander Ovechkin scores 700 and 701 points, over and over again. Now we watch simulated games with our own guys announcing the short video game. But it’s getting a little old.

Caps Stanley Cup Parade

What we are really missing is community. Work and schools and religious communities are banding people together over various video chat platforms. It makes us feel connected when we actually see faces. Can we do that in Caps country? Can we virtually connect in a way that will help us all get through? Call some friends- get online and talk Hockey and when you do—be sure to check and see how everything is going. Give them space to talk about their fears and maybe cry about kids being home and unemployment. And bring some laughs in as you talk about hat tricks and amazing saves.

Let’s do community Caps fans. We need it more than ever!

NHL Season Hits Pause Over COVID-19 Concerns

The NHL and Monumental Sports announced on Friday they were pulling the plug on the season over growing concerns about Coronavirus. Emotions are mixed: it’s the right call for the health of players, staff and fans while disappointing at the same time as things are left unfinished.

It’s been a great season for the Washington Capitals, except that little stretch of losses. It’s possible the season will resume at some point but the break could change the current trajectory for teams and individual players.

We may never know if they were poised for a rebound as they entered the playoffs.

We may never know if Alexander Ovechkin would hit 50 or more goals.

Ovi holds at 48 goals.

We may never know if the Caps would go with Braden Holtby or Ilya Samsonov in the playoffs.

We’ll miss seeing John Carlson finish a career high in goals, assists, and points. Would this be his year for the NHL to award the Norris Trophy?

Basically, we will miss hockey. We hope that all of you, and all our Capitals staff and players, remain healthy through this crisis. Hockey is resilient. We bounce back from things like lockouts and we will come back from this. In the meantime- enjoy some family time and we’ll keep watching the boys on IG for a little dose of hockey.

Capitals Finish Off Sharks in Dramatic OT: photos

The Caps surprised just about everyone with an incredible third period in which they tied the game. On a Sunday afternoon Lars Eller (with an assist by goaltender Braden Holtby) sealed the game with a 5-4 OT win!!

Continue reading “Capitals Finish Off Sharks in Dramatic OT: photos”

Captain, Meet Captain….

Saturday afternoon the Washington Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin arrived via SUVs to walk the red carpet into Capital One Arena. The crowd roared with delight when his name was announced….and then it the crowd let out a collective “awwwww’ as Ovi stepped out with the cutest Labrador in his arms!

The Caps announced that they partnered with a New York-based firm “America’s VetDogs” to host “Captain, a 10-week-old male yellow Labrador. He will undergo basic training and socialization with the Capitals staff, players and public for the next 14-16 months. Captain wi be around “the front office, at community events, practices and select home games to assist in raising Captain to be a confident and calm future service dog. “

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He was getting the full Caps family treatment around Capital One Saturday and we can wait to see more of him.

Follow Captain on Twitter and Instagram @CapsPup to stay up to date on his training and local appearances.

What to Expect at Capitals-Hurricanes Home Opener.

Saturday October 5, hockey officially returns to Washington DC when the Capitals take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The home opener is the third game of the new season for the Caps. If it is anything like the preseason games against the Canes, it is guaranteed to be exciting and dare we say a little physical? Continue reading “What to Expect at Capitals-Hurricanes Home Opener.”

Pondering the Capitals New Season: Top Six

Training camp is only a few weeks away and the Capitals will have a slew of new and not-so new players to give a closer look. As we look ahead to the 2019- 20′ season we do so with some trepidation. Who are these new additions that the Caps management team hired during the summer? What about the younger, faster players they have been grooming in Hershey? How about the “old dogs” – where do they stand and can they stand up to the challenge of the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference of the NHL? Continue reading “Pondering the Capitals New Season: Top Six”

A June Caps Fans will Never Forget

Remember back in May 2018 when the Capitals surpassed previous expectations and entered the final round of the NHL Playoffs? Remember when Caps fans went crazy as their team returned from Las Vegas tied in the series 1-1 to play their first home ice game on June 2nd? Continue reading “A June Caps Fans will Never Forget”

Capitals-Vegas Knights: Stanley Cup History

June 7, 2018

Las Vegas, Nevada

Washington, DC

The Stanley Cup Final

All week we have been watching videos of that perfect night. It was amazing for the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals. Continue reading “Capitals-Vegas Knights: Stanley Cup History”