Photo: Aly D.

On Friday, the Washington Capitals took a break from the norm and traveled up to Navy’s Annapolis campus for a team-building event. The Caps got a tour of the Naval Academy from the university’s hockey team, ate lunch in the dining hall with midshipmen, and even held an open practice at McMullen Ice Arena.

Reader Aly D., a hockey player herself, had the chance to attend practice and see her favorite team skate. After the players left the ice, she met basically the entire team, taking selfies with Mike Green, Braden Holtby, and Michael Latta.

Below she writes about her experience.

Growing up in a hockey family means countless numbers of weeks traveling, practicing and playing the sport. It also means putting on a lot of red and heading to Washington, D.C. to cheer on my favorite team for games. One of the most exciting moments is when these pro athletes come to rinks across the area to practice and interact with fans. The best is when they are practicing at your home rink where you actually play club hockey. Seeing the capitals at McMullen Ice Arena today was an extraordinary experience. It was so cool just knowing that you were skating on that same ice the very night before.

Today was literally one of the best days ever. I loved how relaxed the players were and how easy going they were to talk to and take pictures with. I felt like a little kid again being able to meet all these role models of mine, some of whom I’ve based my hockey styles off of throughout the years.

Additional Photos

Uncle Jesse in the house y’all.

Photos: Aly D.