Photo: Washington Capitals

This Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings, the Washington Capitals will be holding Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night. Caps players will wear purple jerseys during warm-ups while both goaltenders, Braden Holtby and Justin Peters, will be wearing lavender-colored masks throughout the game. How cool is that?

The jerseys will then be autographed and auctioned on the main concourse during the game. Also notable and adorable, eleven-year-old Ryan Darby from Make-A-Wish will participate in a ceremonial puck drop. Hopefully, he throws Henrik Zetterberg out of the dot like Braden Nienaber did with Steve Ott last year.

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The Washington Capitals are teaming up with the National Hockey League October through November to educate the hockey community about cancer. Hockey Fights Cancer is a league-wide initiative founded by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association and is dedicated to raising awareness for national and local organizations involved in cancer care and research.

The Capitals will host Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night during the game against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) Foundation is hosting a jersey auction to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s National Capital Area Chapter. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) exists to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients. The organization funds research to advance more breakthrough therapies for blood cancer patients, and serves as the voice for these patients, working to ensure access to treatments for all.

During warmups, players will wear purple Capitals jerseys with a Hockey Fights Cancer patch. The jerseys will feature players’ names and numbers in white twill backed in lavender with ribbon cutouts on the numbers. Lavender is the official color the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer campaign, as it represents all forms of cancer. Braden Holtby and Justin Peters will also wear Hockey Fights Cancer-themed goalie masks during the game.

These autographed, practice-worn jerseys and goalie masks will be auctioned off at the MSE Foundation table located on the main concourse at section 104 of Verizon Center during the Capitals game against the Detroit Red Wings. Bidding will start when doors open at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude when the second intermission ends. MSE Foundation donated more than $35,000 to the LLS National Capital Area Chapter last year through the 2013 jersey auction. To view a photo gallery of the masks visit MonumentalNetwork.com.

During the game, management, coaches and broadcasters will wear the lavender official Hockey Fights Cancer tie.

Eleven-year-old Bethesda, Md., native and local wish kid Ryan Darby will participate in a ceremonial puck drop on behalf of Make-A-Wish® Mid-Atlantic. Make-A-Wish Mid Atlantic is the beneficiary of a $5,000 grant distributed by the NHL to the Washington Capitals in support of a local cancer organization. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic serves children who reside in central and southern Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Founded in 1983, the Mid-Atlantic chapter has granted more than 8,200 wishes in the Mid-Atlantic region since its inception. For more information, please visit: http://www.midatlantic.wish.org.

In addition a portion of proceeds from tickets purchased through the Capitals special Hockey Fight Cancer link will be donated to LLS. Use the promo code HFC to activate the discount and donation when purchasing through the link.

Hockey Fights Cancer is an initiative founded in December 1998 by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association to raise money and awareness for hockey’s most important fight. To date, through the NHL’s U.S. and Canadian charitable foundations, more than $12.8 million has been raised under the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative to support national and local cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, player charities and local cancer organizations. The Hockey Fights Cancer program is also a component of the NHL’s “Biggest Assist Happens Off the Ice” campaign – the League’s long-standing tradition of addressing important social issues in North America and around the world.

The Hockey Fights Cancer program is supported by NHL Member Clubs, NHL Alumni, the NHL Officials’ Association, Professional Hockey Trainers and Equipment Managers, corporate marketing partners, broadcast partners and fans throughout North America.