Photo: Chris Gordon
For the second time in three years, there will be no Caps Convention this summer. This time, ostensibly, the reason is so that the Caps can devote time and money toward preparations for the 2015 Winter Classic, which the Capitals will likely host at Nationals Park. The news was first reported by Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post.
“This season we are thrilled to be hosting the 2015 Bridgestone Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2015, and have many exciting events and experiences planned around the event to help celebrate our fabulous fan base,” a Capitals spokesman told The Post in a statement. “Due to this big event, we will be focusing all of our efforts on the Winter Classic and will not hold a Caps Convention.”
That means there’ll be no cooking with Mike Green, no kids press conferences, no hardest shot competitions with Alex Ovechkin, no Ovi-branded Nike t-shirts available for $25, no autographed babies, no singing of the Happy Birthday song in Russian, and most depressingly, no posed photos with Troy Brouwer.
The move comes on the heels of Washington’s decision not to play a preseason game at Baltimore Arena due to sloppy ice conditions. However, the Capitals did announce Tuesday that they will hold their annual prospect development camp from July 7-12, with the team’s summer fan fest occurring on the final day.
While I’m sure the Caps will have tons of pre-Winter Classic events (Thanks, Gary), the Convention would have served a similar purpose. It’s sad that it won’t be happening, as it has been a quality event over the past few years, with a mix of silly distractions and intellectual panels. Let’s hope it returns next year.
