HERSHEY, PA — The Hershey Bears had a special guest in the house for Game Three of the Calder Cup Finals.

New Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery was spotted sitting in the suite level with vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer and other Capitals representatives. The news was confirmed to RMNB by the Hershey Bears.

Carbery was hired by Brian MacLellan on May 30 to replace Peter Laviolette. Carbery reportedly signed a four-year contract that will take him past Alex Ovechkin’s final year in the NHL.

Photo: Julie Beidler/Inside AHL Hockey

Other representatives from Washington spotted joining Carbery in the luxury box include Ross Mahoney (assistant general manager), Chris Patrick (assistant general manager – player personnel), Brett Leonhardt (assistant coach video), and Emily Engel-Natzke (video coordinator).

Blurry photo by: Ian Oland/RMNB

Carbery spent three seasons as Hershey Bears’ head coach before moving on to the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach in 2021.

Carbery, who began his coaching career with the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays, led the Bears to the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s best team during the 2020-21 regular season and won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for Coach of the Year.

Ten players that Carbery formerly coached are playing for Hershey in the 2023 Calder Cup Finals. They include:

• Connor McMichael – 2017 World Under-17 Team Canada Development Camp, 2020-21 Hershey Bears
• Henrik Rybinski – 2017 World Under-17 Team Canada Development Camp
• Garrett Pilon – 2018-21 Hershey Bears
• Beck Malenstyn – 2018-20 Hershey Bears
• Lucas Johansen – 2018-21 Hershey Bears
• Joe Snively – 2018-21 Hershey Bears
• Riley Sutter – 2019-21 Hershey Bears
• Aliaksei Protas – 2020-21 Hershey Bears
• Zach Fucale – 2020-21 Hershey Bears
• Hunter Shepard – 2020-21 Hershey Bears

“Right when the news came out it was exciting,” McMichael said. “Knowing Carbs from my first year here it couldn’t have happened to a better guy. He’s a really hard-working guy. I’m excited to hopefully get the chance to work with him again and have that understanding with each other, that familiarity. I’m excited.”

Hopefully, Carbery’s presence can spark the Bears. Hershey entered Game Three down two games to none to the Coachella Valley Firebirds but play the next three games at home.

Headline photo: Julie Beidler/Inside AHL Hockey (Used with permission)