Playing hockey and reading books may not be synonymous with each other, but the Washington Capitals are trying to change that.
On Monday, the Capitals announced that they launched a Little Free Library book-sharing box in the lobby at MedStar Capitals Iceplex to provide book access to all Caps fans and encourage more reading.
The book-sharing box includes various hockey-related titles as well as books written by Capitals alumni and media. A dozen Capitals players also contributed the most recent book they’ve read either by themselves or out loud to a family member.
The following are the books Capitals players chose.
📚 Tom Wilson
A Marine, a Stray Dog, and How they Rescued Each Other
By: Craig Grossi
The uplifting and unforgettable true story of a US Marine, the stray dog he met on an Afghan battlefield, and how they saved each other and now travel America together, “spreading the message of stubborn positivity.”
📚 Dylan Strome
Goodnight Moon
By: Margaret Wise Brown
Strome picked one of the most beloved children’s books of all time which he reads to his daughter Weslie.
📚 TJ Oshie
Greenlights
By: Matthew McConaughey
Alright, alright, alright. Oshie picked McConaughey’s memoir, which is a New York Times’ bestseller. The book delves into the “actor’s unflinching honesty, unconventional wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.”
📚 Nic Dowd
The Rainbow Fish
By: Marcus Pfister
The Capitals’ fourth-line center picked a children’s book that he reads to his son Louie. The story is about “a beautiful fish who finds friendship and happiness when he learns to share.”
📚 Connor Brown
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success
By: Phil Jackson
Brown, who is out indefinitely due to a knee injury, picked a memoir by Phil Jackson that goes behind-the-scenes of the NBA Hall of Fame coach’s career. The “Zen-Master” won 10 NBA championships as a coach of the Chicago Bulls (6) and LA Lakers (4). He also won a championship as a player for the New York Knicks.
📚 Lars Eller
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
By: Hans Rosling
The scorer of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship-winning goal picked a New York Times’ bestseller that attempts to help one think more clearly about the world. Barack Obama is quoted as saying that the book “is about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases.”
📚 Carl Hagelin
Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success
By: Gary Vaynerchuk
The Capitals’ fourth-line winger who is currently out due to injury picked a book that would help someone in business. The author, per Barnes & Noble, “explores the twelve essential emotional skills that are integral to his life—and business success.”
📚 Garnet Hathaway
The Gruffalo
By: Julia Donaldson
Hathaway picked a children’s story that he reads to his son. The Gruffalo is an imaginary animal made up by a mouse who is trying to outwit his predators.
📚 Darcy Kuemper
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
By: Mark Sullivan
The story, per Barnes & Noble, is about a forgotten hero in WW2 who helped spy on Nazies for the Allies. The book will soon be released as a “major televised event” and will star Tom Holland.
📚 Charlie Lindgren
Wins Losses and Lessons: An Autobiography
By: Lou Holtz
The Capitals’ backup netminder picked Lou Holtz’s autobiography which details how he used his years in the military to turn Notre Dame into a national champion.
📚 Trevor van Riemsdyk
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
By: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
TVR picked a popular children’s book that he last read to his niece.
📚 Joe Snively
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World
By: Tim Marshall
Snively, who was recently sent down to the Hershey Bears to help accommodate the returns of Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson, chose a New York Times bestseller that explains “how the physical characteristics of [world powers] affect their strengths and vulnerabilities and the decisions made by their leaders.”
Other hockey titles available in the Capitals book-sharing box include:
- As Fast As Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success by Kendall Coyne
- Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Montador, and the Future of Hockey by Ken Dryden
- The Bulliest Dozer by Capitals alumnus Eric Fehr
- Dare to Make History: Chasing a Dream and Fighting for Equity by Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando
- Hockey Moms: The Heart of the Game by Theresa Bailey and Terry Marcotte
- The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man by Capitals alumnus Dennis Maruk
- Hockey’s Hidden Gods: The Untold Story of a Paralympic Miracle on Ice by S.C. Megale
- Z is for Zamboni: A Hockey Alphabet by Matt Napier
- NHL Mascots and Friends by Holly Preston
- 100 Things Capitals Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die: Stanley Cup Edition by Capitals radio host Ben Raby, featuring foreword by Capitals alumnus Craig Laughlin
- Brady Brady: All-Star Hockey Collection by Mary Shaw
- FIGHTER: Defying the NHL Odds by Capitals alumnus Aaron Volpatti
- Hockey is for Everybody: Anthony’s Goal by Anthony Walsh
The Capitals encourage fans to take books from the library home with the knowledge that the exact book does not need to be returned. In order to keep the Little Free Library full of selections, fans are encouraged to share books in the library each time they take a book.
To promote the book-sharing box, the Capitals enlisted Dylan Strome and his daughter Weslie to take photos reading.
The book-sharing box was designed and painted by Taylor Kampa Olson (website), who has done beautiful custom-painted work for players and fans in the past.
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