ARLINGTON, VA — On Thursday, Capitals TJ Oshie, Nick Jensen, and Garnet Hathaway hosted nearly 100 military family members at Medstar Capitals Iceplex for an hour-long skate, followed by a pizza party. The attendees were from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) which provides services to military families who have experienced the loss of a loved one in the line of duty.
The event was part of the Capitals’ month-long Courage Caps campaign, which included the annual auction at Military Appreciation night and sale of Courage Caps gear to raise funds for TAPS.
The trio of Capitals skated with the TAPS families, autographed gear, and posed for plenty of photos. Hathaway said that the event was just a small way for the Capitals to show their thanks.
“We don’t know what it’s like to go through something like that, to lose a loved one protecting us and our freedoms,” Hathaway said. “For us, it’s a special way to show our appreciation, to try just for a second to say, ‘Thank you’ and to maybe help them forget for a little bit. To think about hockey and just skating around and getting their mind off it. Having fun.”
Some of the skaters zipped along like pros, but some were a bit wobbly on their skates. Jensen and Hathaway gave some skating tips to kids and adults alike.
Nick Jensen gets skating lessons from one of the kids at Capitals Courage Skate with @TAPSorg pic.twitter.com/5Ej94SzMMx
— RMNB (@russianmachine) November 14, 2019
Hathaway, who was teaching one person how to stop in skates, joked that the way he learned to stop was by crashing into the boards.
Garnet Hathaway talks about giving the kids from @TAPSorg skating tips. “I learned how to stop by just skating into the boards.” pic.twitter.com/X6FDgup8R6
— RMNB (@russianmachine) November 14, 2019
Captain, the Capitals’ team dog, service-dog-in-training, and very good (and rapidly growing) boy, stole the show when he arrived on the scene.
Garnet Hathaway: “@CapsPup is going to be the BEST service dog” pic.twitter.com/qK7Z3YnvPK
— elizabeth (@of_elk) November 14, 2019
Hockey players were no competition for those cute floppy ears.
Photos
