Tuesday afternoon, Medstar Capitals Iceplex was invaded by an army of heckin’ good boys and an unbelievably adorable floof named Arthur for the annual Capitals Canine Calendar photoshoot.
To raise money and awareness for less fortunate animals, the Capitals partnered with Wolf Trap Animal Rescue to produce this year’s canine calendar. This year’s edition will be available for purchase later this year for $20 and the proceeds will benefit both WTAR and the MSE Foundation.
Like in years past, some players brought their families and pets to participate, while others were matched with some of WTAR’s rescue animals.
The creative directors for this year’s shoot were Taylor Wilson, Annie van Riemsdyk, and Paige Dowd. They helped coordinate the shots throughout the day and somehow managed to maintain order in all of the chaos.
Below are my photos from the day and some information about the pups and kitties who participated.
The Definitive Dog Name List
These are the dogs that Capitals players own and brought from home to take part in the photoshoot. We thought you’d want to know.
Alex Ovechkin: Blake
Tom Wilson: Halle
Dylan Strome: Benny
John Carlson: Ellie
Connor Brown: Tucker
Charlie Lindgren: Riley
Darcy Kuemper: Rogue
Conor Sheary: Louie (darker) and Brady (lighter)
Trevor van Riemsdyk: Dwight
Lars Eller: Cherry
Evgeny Kuznetsov: Peppa
Connor McMichael: Knight
Photos
Biscuit
Capitals team dog and fan-favorite, Biscuit, made a solo appearance before the team joined in waves to pose with their fluffy friends.
Alex Ovechkin with his dog Blake
Ovi also couldn’t help himself from checking out the other rescue dogs before the shoot.
Evgeny Kuznetsov with his bulldog Peppa
Dmitry Orlov holds a WTAR cat
Back at home, Orlov has a Bengal cat named Joy so he was given Romance the kitten for the photo session.
Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson hold WTAR pups
Nicklas Backstrom got snuggly with Chapel, a 10-week-old beagle, while Marcus Johansson held an 11-week-old heeler/beagle mix named Salted Chocolate Caramel.
Lars Eller, Connor McMichael, and Joe Snively
Lars Eller held his tiny and adorable dog, Cherry, while his daughter, Sophia, was paired with WTAR pup Anguilla, an eight-week-old shepherd mix. Joe Snively posed with Andaman and Auckland Island, eight-week-old shepherd mixes, while Connor McMichael posed with Knight – named after his junior hockey team, the London Knights.
Dylan Strome with his dog Benny
Connor Brown with his dog Tucker
Goalies Darcy Kuemper with Rogue and Charlie Lindgren with Riley
John Carlson with his dog Ellie
Aliaksei Protas with a WTAR pup
Protas is seen here holding Bachelor Party, a seven-week-old boxer/shepherd mix.
Conor Sheary with his dog Brady
Martin Fehervary with a WTAR pup
Fehervary posed with La Sola, a four-month-old bulldog mix. She was rescued from a Mississippi shelter.
Trevor van Riemsdyk with his dog Dwight
Taylor Wilson with a WTAR puppy
Taylor here is seen with Bachelor Party.
The Wilsons with their dog Halle
Tom also made a point to pose with Little Brother, a three-legged dog who they would love to help find a home for.
For more information on how to adopt or help these animals in need, you can visit Wolf Trap Animal Rescues website here.
Photos: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
