RMNB Crasher Julie Cannon wrote this piece about the Capitals Hockey ‘n Heels 2020 event.
On Tuesday, January 14th, the Washington Capitals all-female fan club, Scarlet Caps, held their annual Hockey ‘n Heels event. Founded in 2009, Scarlet Caps is dedicated to growing and supporting the women’s hockey community in the DC area and the Hockey ‘n Heels event provides instructional sessions and on-ice demonstrations to generate interest in hockey.
Tuesday’s event included broomball games, photo opportunities, stickhandling and shooting instruction, and seminars on nutrition, the salary cap, and a Q&A with Haley Skarupa.
This was my first time attending Hockey ‘n Heels and what the experience was like.
On arrival, attendees were split into six groups, and after a brief welcome from Former Olympian and Gold Medalist, and current Capitals Hockey Ambassador, Haley Skarupa, the groups divided up among the different on-ice stations, and each session lasted 30 minutes.
Nearly 30 minutes of nonstop broomball is a lot of broomball.
Photo: @Capitals
The broomball stations saw groups split into two, unless it was a smaller group, and paired with a Capitals player for the session. One broomball session was with Brendan Leipsic and Ilya Samsonov on the Capitals rink, and the other was with Jakub Vrana or Craig Laughlin on the Arlington rink. Sometimes, hockey players turn out to be very competitive at broomball, and even though your team’s rookie goalie keeps saying “it’s okay!” after the other team scores on you, he will eventually pull you from the net after you’ve let in your fifth goal.
after coach kitten pulled me pic.twitter.com/sGEhx3tVhh
— julie (sandwich connoisseur) (@heyjulieann) January 14, 2020
For the photo op stations, attendees had the opportunity to take photos in the penalty box, or in a faceoff against a Capitals player or alum, depending on the rink. Caps alum Rod Langway took photos dropping pucks and posing for faceoffs on the Capitals rink, while current Caps defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler had the same duties on the Arlington rink. There were also opportunities to pose on the Olympia Ice Resurfacer.
The third on-ice station was stick handling and shooting instruction, where Caps coaches, alums, and Haley Skarupa taught attendees how to handle the puck, pass, and shoot. And who doesn’t want to learn how to shoot from Haley Skarupa?
After a brief break to grab dinner — catered sandwich bags provided by Scarlet Caps and samples of Dole Premium Salad kits — attendees went to one of three off-ice sessions.
Photo: Julie
One session was provided by nutritionists from Giant. Each nutritionist had a specific product type they were presenting – trending products, plant-based products, soups and broths, and sprouted grains and product transparency. It was an interesting take on a nutrition presentation, since it focused on specific product types and no on pushing any specific lifestyle.
Another session was with Don Fishman, Assistant GM of the Washington Capitals, who gave a presentation on the salary cap, including how it’s formulated. Fishman also walked attendees through the different types of contracts, which contracts can have bonuses. Fishman informed us all that, currently, the only Capitals eligible to receive bonuses are Samsonov and Siegenthaler, because the only types of contracts that can carry bonuses are ELC, 35+, and those for players who were injured most of the year prior.
Additionally, the Maple Leafs aren’t as screwed as they seem.
Finally, there was a Q&A with Haley Skarupa, which was emceed by Craig Laughlin. She talked about her experience being cut from the Olympic team, making the Olympic team, being the locker room DJ, which of her Olympic teammates were the most superstitious (Amanda Kessel), and what it was like to be in that gold medal game.
Let’s just say that when Haley Skarupa gets rickrolled, it’s a way different reaction for her than it is for the rest of us, since Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” was Team USA’s win song.
As a parting gift, attendees were given a Scarlet Caps branded cosmetic bag, which contained a loofah and a Capitals hockey puck bottle opener.
Photo: Julie
Guess they knew we needed a hot bath and a beer after some pretty aggressive broomball!
Headline photo: @CAPLDY
